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Communicating Using Technology
Vol. 2 Issue 25 December 9, 2003
Published and Copyright by Dave Paradi
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In this issue:
Media Coverage
1. Access to desktop from TaskBar
2. Long links
3. Useful Resource - Great Gift for Travellers
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Media Coverage
In this week's issue of BusinessWorld India, their Principal
Correspondent Vikas Dhoot has written an article on the annoying
PowerPoint survey and how people can avoid "Death by PowerPoint"
using some of the ideas I have shared with all of you. Feel free
to forward this link to those you know who could benefit from
this knowledge.
http://www.businessworldindia.com/Dec1503/invogue.asp
1. Access to desktop from TaskBar
Many times I will be working on something and need to access an
application on my desktop to look something up. Then I have to
minimize all my open windows to get to the desktop. I thought
there must be an easier way, and it turns out there is. I saw
this idea first in the WUGNET newsletter (www.wugnet.com). It
creates a Desktop toolbar in your taskbar at the bottom of the
screen which then allows you access to the program on your
desktop without minimizing open applications. To put the Desktop
Toolbar on your taskbar, right click on your taskbar and click on
Toolbars and click on Desktop. This will put a new Desktop icon
in your taskbar. It is a good idea to resize the new toolbar so
that all you see is the word Desktop - you can do this by
grabbing the left edge of the toolbar in the taskbar and dragging
it to the right until only the Desktop word is shown. Now a
double right arrow is shown beside the word Desktop and when you
click on the double right arrow, a menu of all applications on
your desktop pops up, allowing you to start any of them with a
single click. You can also access any file on your computer by
clicking on the My Computer icon from this menu and navigating to
the file. This has allowed me to reduce the number of icons I
have in my Quick Launch toolbar since I can easily access my less
frequently used applications.
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Who else wants to sell more and boost their career with
better PowerPoint slides? Learn an easy 13-step process in
under two hours with this e-book. Click on this link:
http://www.kickstartcart.com/app/adtrack.asp?AdID=45805
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2. Long links
You may have noticed in e-mails that when a link to a web page
gets too long, the link wraps to the next line and then the
ability to click on the text link does not work since the entire
link is not a single text string. You may also have noticed that
I overcome this problem by using a very cool utility called
TinyURL. At http://tinyurl.com, you can enter the long link
string and they will generate a short string that you can use
instead. If you are using Internet Explorer, it even copies the
link to your clipboard so you can paste it into your e-mail right
away. When someone clicks on this short string, it takes them
automatically to the long link without any delay, ads or other
annoying behavior. And the links have no expiry date, so they
work forever. If you have a long link that you need to send to
someone via e-mail, check out TinyURL - I think you will agree it
is one of the best web tools around. Oh, and one other thing
about it - in keeping with my desire to be cheap and lazy, this
valuable service is provided at no cost to you or those who click
on the link! Check them out.
-------------------------------------------------------
Avoid the Mistakes Most Presenters Make Using PowerPoint
Over 40% of PowerPoint presentations annoy audiences.
Increase your sales and improve your career with the secrets
that the best presenters use to create and deliver PowerPoint
slides that people listen to and act on. "You are a
tremendous resource for any speaker." John Plank, creator of
"Commanding Presence"(TM)
http://www.kickstartcart.com/app/adtrack.asp?AdID=52955
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3. Useful Resource - Great Gift for Travellers
Christmas is just around the corner and I have a great gift for
travellers who want to stay connected. It is from Roadwired and
it is a small item I picked up while passing through Chicago's
O'Hare airport this summer. Those of us who travel frequently
need to be able to connect to telephone lines and to Ethernet
connections regularly and end up carrying both cords with us.
Roadwired offers a great combination device. It is a retractable
combination Ethernet and phone cord. It retracts into its own
hard sided case which is slightly larger than a deck of playing
cards. It has Ethernet connectors on each end of the flat cable
so you can hook up to a high-speed connection at an office or a
hotel. But the genius is that it also includes adapter ends to
turn the Ethernet connectors into standard phone plug ends so you
can connect to a phone line when required. And the best part is
that the adapter ends fit together and slip into one end of the
case, so everything is all together and does not get lost. I
have used mine in client sites, airports and hotels for both
high-speed and dial-up connections and it has been flawless. If
you have a traveller on your Christmas gift list, this would make
a great gift. Heck, if you are a traveller, get one for yourself
and wrap it up! Here is a link to the product on the
Roadwired.com web site:
http://tinyurl.com/ye30
(See, I used tinyurl.com for this long link!)
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Would you like me to speak to your professional association
or chapter event? I am always looking for opportunities to
share my information with others and would consider speaking
to your group if you are in or near the following areas:
Rochester, NY, Buffalo NY, Detroit, MI, Cleveland, OH,
Pittsburgh, PA or Toronto, ON. Just e-mail me at:
dave@communicateusingtechnology.com for more info.
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Check out the books, e-books and other learning tools at:
http://www.communicateusingtechnology.com/tools.htm
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