Washington - Lots of folks are familiar with the history of the internet over the past few years. But if you'd like a more comprehensive view, log on to Hobbes' Internet Timeline (http:// www.zakon.org/robert/internet/timeline). This website takes you year-by-year through the development of the internet, from the 1956 Russian launch of Sputnik onto the World Wide Web (1992). Links to important documents are provided along the way. --------
Washington - Have a dusty LCD screen? Don't reach for paper towels and glass cleaner. Paper towels can actually scratch an LCD screen, and the chemicals in glass cleaners and other liquid cleansers can cause harm. A clean, soft, lint-free cloth moistened with water will do the trick or you can purchase an LCD cleaning kit at your local computer or electronics store.
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Washington - At the end of e-mail messages, it's common for people to include a short message called a "signature." Many signatures have utilitarian information, such as a person's name, e-mail address and phone number. But many people have become quite creative - and comical - with their signatures over the years, and some of the world's best signatures have been collected on the Coolsig website (http://www.coolsig.com). The signatures there are free to read and use.
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Washington - If you use an infrared port in your notebook computer, and communication between the PC and the device fails, check to see if the devices are too far apart. Alternately, ensure that there are no objects between the devices. In addition, be sure to move any other infrared devices, such as the TV remote control, out of the way to prevent interference.
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Washington - You can use the mouse less frequently in a web browser than you might realize. Instead of clicking the Back button, for example, hold down the Alt key and tap the left arrow key on the numeric keypad. Likewise, to go forward, press Alt-right arrow key. The same keystroke combination can be used to go back and forward in Windows Explorer, as well.
