Computers 101

Q:
What are all those little smiley face things :-) that people do in their email, chat rooms and instant messages?

A:
Those are Emoticons-little text representations of emotions. When you talk to someone, they can tell what you mean by the tone of your voice or the look on your face. For example, maybe someone says something like, "Why are you so annoying?"

Now, if they say it while they're laughing, you know that it's just lighthearted humor. If they say it with a bit of anger in their voice, you realize that it's probably time to back off.

Problem is, when I wrote that, you had no clue which direction I was going with it. Was I mad or joking?

Well, if I write it like this, you know:

Why are you so annoying :-)

See? So, here's a list of the more common emoticons that you'll run across:

For more Emoticons, check out our guide at http://www.worldstart.com/guides/emoticon.htm

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http://www.worldstart.com/submitquestion.htm

Tip of the Day

You've downloaded some software and ran its setup program. Now you want to delete the setup program, but should you?

Usually. If it was a .ZIP file, you're normally safe. If it was an .EXE file, make sure it's only a setup program and not the actual program itself (in most cases, it's only a setup program).

Here's why:

The way most setup programs work is they are a "package" for the program and its associated files. It installs the program and files to where they belong then it just sits there. Taking up space. Once the installation procedure is over, you no longer need the program.

HOWEVER - Make sure that if something happens to your computer you'll be able to re-download the software should you need to re-install it. If there is any question about the future availability of the software, it may be a better idea to save the file to a floppy disk, zip disk, or CD-R.

For more on downloading, check out my download guide.

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http://www.worldstart.com/writers-guidelines/index.htm

Amanda's Cool Site of the Day

Space

Welcome to Space.com the perfect site for all you space nuts out there. Do you want up to date space news and odd stories, well you'll find them at this site.

Spaceflight — get up to date news on worldwide space launches, and view mission archives as well.

Spaceviews — View image galleries, get wallpaper and screen savers, and use the universal viewer.

A space site that is beautifully put together. Enjoy.

http://www.space.com/

Do you have a cool, non-commercial site that you want to share?
Send it to Amanda at amanda@worldstart.com