Announcements

Wanna Learn Sign Language?

We have an awesome end of the week deal for you. We have a multi-award winning title, The American Sign Language Dictionary. We mentioned it as a new title in Computer Tips last week and it was a huge seller. Now that we have more in stock, I wanted to offer it to you!

If you've ever wanted to learn sign language, this is the ONLY way to do it! And no, I'm not referring to the "one finger sign" we wave to other drivers to let them know we're OK after they cut us off :-)

Anyhow, this one is awesome. It uses video and audio (although you don't need to hear in order to use the program) to teach you sign language (over 2600 signs!). You can look up a word in the dictionary, and not only get instructions on how to make the sign, but you'll also see a video of someone making the sign! (It's really a lot of fun to play with.) Isn't that a great way to do it?

The dictionary is both alphabetical and broken down into categories; making studying what you need to learn easier (you can even make your own personal categories if you like).

It also has various skill tests you can take. Sort of like learning by playing a game. I can see that with this system it wouldn't take very long to get the hang of it. You can even play with another person if you like! It's a great way to see where you need more practice.

Oh, it also includes a finger spelling section. You use finger spelling to spell out words you don't have a sign for. The really cool part of this section was the tablet for typing words. You type a word on your keyboard, and it shows it in finger spelling (with the letter in the lower left hand corner). This would be a fantastic way to master this aspect of sign language.

In addition, it has an American Sign Language overview that will teach you the basics of how to use sign language. It covers the history of it, how to be grammatically correct, what to wear, using body language, how fast to sign, and more. Put it this way, by the end of this overview, you'll know all you need to know to get started (in fact, you'll probably learn all you'll ever need - it's very complete).

Look at the praise:

"CD-ROM technology could have been created just for something like a sign language dictionary because there's no other medium that could support such a product."
- PC Novice

"The work for which the medium might have been invented makes you want to rush out and buy a CD-ROM library."
- New York Times

"With sign language, seeing is believing, and The American Sign Language Dictionary 2.0 on CD-ROM gives anyone interested in learning more about the language a lot to see."
- Family PC

See? I'm not the only one who thinks this is an awesome title!! Oh, the price. Retail is $49.95, right now you can have if for $14.97 (yes, that's 70% off retail) and shipping is FREE if you live in the US!

If you've ever wanted to try and learn sign language, this has got to be the best home-study way to do it. Learn what you want by video example at your own speed. See why I said it's the only way to do it?

Here' the info link:

http://www.worldstart.com/cgi-bin/a.pl?wrdstart&1036&store/americansignlanuagedict.htm

PS - This was huge in our other newsletters, so you've gotta check this one out! Get to the link ASAP if you want in on this!!

MS Office 101

Looking for a way to insert the current date and/or time into an MS Word document without consulting a calendar or clock? Better yet, would you like to have the information updated to the current date or time whenever the file is opened? (This is good for keeping track of revisions.) Here's your quick and easy solution:

First place your cursor where you want to insert the date or time.

Then go to the Insert menu, select Date and Time. A window will open with a whole list of date and time choices. Pick the combination and format you prefer. If you want the information to automatically update when the file is opened be sure to check the Update Automatically box.

Click OK. Now you should find the information in your document exactly as you selected.

And you're officially an expert at dating. (Ha! Like there was ever an expert at that!)

Office Tip of the Day

Negotiating the MS Excel Worksheet Nightmare

Ever have an Excel file contain so many worksheets that you find yourself constantly using the scroll buttons to move from one end of the file to the other?

Wondering if there's a faster way?

Well, I can think of two.

For my keyboard enthusiasts, you can use Ctrl + Page Down to move down through the workbook page by page. Conversely, Ctrl + Page Up will move you up through the workbook.

This one's for the mouse people out there who want to use it a little more efficiently. (Mouse people? Anyway - you know what I mean with that one.) Go to the worksheet scroll buttons, but do NOT click on any of them. Instead, right-click over them. A list of worksheets in the workbook will pop up and you can select the sheet you need to go to. (The current worksheet is noted with a checkmark next to its name.)

You will find this tip more helpful if you take the time to name your worksheets something relevant to what's on each page. (We covered renaming last week - it's under the Format menu, Sheet submenu, Rename option.)

Wake up! The too-many-worksheets-in-my-workbook nightmare is over. Just happy dreams from now on! Like that one where Microsoft makes great software at reasonable prices and gives free upgrades. Oh wait, that kind of craziness could land you in an institution :-)