IT For Seniors

Making Movie using Windows Movie Maker (WMM)

faber — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 22:31:31 +0000

WMM comes together with your Windows Operating System. You went for a vacation, took many pictures. Now how do you show your friends and love ones your experience and observations. The most practical way is to make a “movie” out of it and later can even burn to CD and distribute to your love ones.

The way to go about making a movie using WMM …

1) Select all the images required for the movie.
2) Select a background music or song for the movie.
3) Put all of the above in one new file folder.
4) Sequence all your images accordingly.
5) Open the windows movie maker (WMM) program.
6) Save as a new project via: File – save project as -
7) Import all the prepared images and song file to the WMM.
Drag and place the song file to the “audio/music” timeline.
9) Highlight all the image files and drag the “lot” onto the “video” timeline.
10) Save your project file frequently.
11) Check whether the total images timeline is shorter or longer than the song file.
12) If the images < song, you can either add more images or “extend the time for some of the images.
13) If the images > song, you can either add another song or remove some images.
14) After the images=song timeline, do a check with playback.
15) What you have done so far is only the “basic” movie.
16) It will be more interesting if you continue to fine tune the movie with the following:
a) Effects – fade in/out, ease in/out, etc.
b) Transitions – how the images present itself.
c) Titles and credits.

17) After everything is in order, go to “publish” the song in “wmv” format.
18) One movie with about 2+ minutes duration requires about 9MB of memory.

View Sample No:1 – Click link http://acs6163.com/movies/Butchard.rm

View Sample No:2 - Click link http://acs6163.com/movies/flowers.rm

How to make a Karaoke Song using Windows Movie Maker

faber — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 22:24:34 +0000

In one of my earlier posts, I described how to make a karaoke song using Microsoft PowerPoint.
You can also use Windows Movie Maker (which comes together with the Windows Operating System software). Here is how you go about it …

1) Prepare one or sufficient quantity of images to fill up the complete song.
2) Embed song lyrics to each image by using PowerPoint program.
3) Find one song file in “wav” format.
4) Put all these raw files in one new file folder.
5) Open the windows movie maker (WMM) program.
6) Save as a new project via: File – save project as -
7) Import all the prepared images and song file to the WMM.
Drag and place the song file to the “audio/music” timeline.
9) If you have a title slide, put this one first onto the “video” timeline.
10) Check the time required before the song “starts”.
11)Drag and place the first song slide after the “title” slide.
12) Check the time required for all the words sung and adjust the timeline accordingly.
13) Repeat process with the second and the third song slides and so on until the complete song is sung.
14) Check completed song on timing and fine tune when necessary.
15) After everything is in order, go to “publish” the song in “avi” format.
16) One song with about 3+ minutes duration requires about 1GB of memory.

View sample: click link http://acs6163.com/movies/whisperinghope.rm

How to Reduce the Size of your Picture

faber — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 08:34:21 +0000

Now and then, most of us may have difficulty sending our pictures through the email. This is because the service provider (e.g. gmail, hotmail, yahoo, singnet, etc) put a cap on the maximum amount of file size attachment we can send at one time. If you have a lot of pictures with high resolution to send, you can simply reduce the file size first. If still in trouble, you can send the pictures in batches, a few at a time. One simple way to reduce your (picture) file size is to make use of the Paint Program in your computer. Note, if you still want to keep your original picture with high resolution, make a copy first and put all your copies (pictures) in one new file folder. With the copies in your new folder, do the following:

1)Place the mouse on the 1st picture, right click the mouse and move the mouse to the selection “Open with”
2) Go to the adjacent menu and select “Paint” program with a left click.
3)With the 1st picture just opened, save the picture under the same file name. This will over-write the existing file and at the same time reduces the file size.
4) Repeat the above with the 2nd picture.

Video Conferencing

faber — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 08:25:05 +0000

In the olden days, when we talked about video conferencing, it is usually an important business meeting where parties around the world can discuss and see each other in a private room in a teleco company.
Now the above is things of the past. You can video conference with your love ones, anywhere in the world without leaving your home. All both parties need are two sets of suitable Wi-Fi enable mobile equipment installed with a suitable program. No computer is required. Just dial the other party like any mobile phone and both picture and voice will be connected.
enjoy …

Beware of Fake Anti-virus Software

faber — Thu, 13 May 2010 14:01:30 +0000

Beware of Fake Anti-virus (AV) software either given free or download with a fee. These fake AV normally frighten visitors with pop-up messages warning that the free scans have found dangerous malicious software on your machine.
Such transactions can also leave credit card information in the hands of cyber crooks. Surprisingly, many users fall victim to these attacks and pay to register the Fake AV.
To add insult to injury, Fake AVs often are bundled with other malware, whcih remains on a victim’s computer regardless of whether a payment is made. Source – AFP/il.

Using Excel – Sorting

faber — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 00:53:50 +0000

If you are working on an Excel sheet and you have a column with many categories (i.e. every row has a different category or type or value). You can add a “sorting” or filtering to the column. Ensure the row directly on top of the first category entry is the Title of the column. Next place the cursor on the title of the column you wish to have this filtering feature. Go to Data on the menu bar and click “Filter”. That’s it. If you wish to remove this feature, just place the cursor on the title of the column and press the “Filter” one more time. By the way, I am using Excel 2007 to explain this. The following exercise is good for the teachers. You are entering the marks of every student and their performance in every subject. You can, by sorting, find out which student is all-rounder the strong/weak or some students are good in a few subjects and particularily weak in certain subjects.

For those using XP operating system and Excel 2003, the only step different is from “Go to Data” – click “Filter” then one more step – click “Autofilter”. Happy computing!

Home Networking

faber — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 13:08:54 +0000

You have more than one computer at home and would like to share the files between or among them. This is how you can go about it. Here, I am describing it using Vista and Windows 7 O.S. For the two or more computers, configure each one as follows:

1)First set a common Network Name. Go to Control Panel – System – change settings – then change the “Workgroup” to any other unique name, e.g. “joy123″.

2) Next, in each computer, click the bottom left hand corner Windows icon – Computer -then right click the drive or drives you allow to share the files. Click Properties – Sharing – then click “Advanced Sharing”.
3) Check “Share this folder”.
4) Next Set the Share name. Normally, the Drive letter will come out. You can add a few more letters to the Drive letter,
e.g. ”c-120gb”
5) Limit the number of simultaneous users to 1.
6) Click Apply then OK.
7) Repeat Steps 2 to 6 if you have another Drive in the same computer for sharing.
Repeat Steps 1 to 7 if you have another computer to configure.

Now after the above is done, you have to log on to each computer to allow networking to work.
1) Click the bottom left hand corner Windows icon – All programs – Accessories – Windows Explorer.
2) Then click Network and choose the computer & Drive you would like to share with your computer you are now working on.
3) When you click the Drive of another computer, a User name and password will pop up.
4) Key in the Computer User Name (without the -PC) and password.
5) Then you can access all the files in this computer.
6) You can repeat the above for another computer.
7) That’s all folks.
Happy Networking !

Mobile Woes – Simple DIY they do not tell you

faber — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 12:51:31 +0000

Most of us own at least one set of mobile phone. What happens if it did not work the way it used to be.
I have this experience – the touch screen is not responding well. I brought it to the service center.
Me – my mobile touch screen is not working well.
Service – the minimum charge is $90 to check and replace the screen.
Me – what happens if no part is replaced.
Service – the charge is still $90.
Me – not believing a new, good quality & branded mobile can failed me, I refuse to accept the service.
I brought the mobile home, removed the battery and just put it aside.
A week later, I put the battery back, the mobile phone is forced to download the operating system from the brand provider.
Follow the setup procedure and there, the mobile behaves as new and work normally!
Like a PC, sometimes we only need to reinstall the mobile operating system.

Laughing is Healthy

faber — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 11:24:37 +0000

IF YOU CAN’T LAUGH
YOU CAN’T LIVE

Laughing is healthy.
You need to laugh.
Humor is healty.
Do you think enough about this aspect of your health?
If all your anxieties give you wrinkles in your heart,
you will soon have wrinkles on your face.
Laughing frees you.
Humor relaxes you.
A laugh can free you from needless intensity.
A laugh is the best cosmetic for your outside
and the best medicine for your insides.
If your laugh-muscles work regularly
your digestions will improve,
your appetite will be stimulated
and your blood pressure will stay down.
Humor gives you a sense of proportion.
Laughter and fun don’t only influence your metabolism,
but also your surroundings.
They lessen the tensions and the tears.
Laughter and fun free you from that deadly earnestness
about leaden problems,
free you from that miserable daily drag.
Laughter and fun are the best remedies
for the drugging of your heart and mind.
Laughter and fun open out new spaces
for the still known joys of life.
A day when you don’t laugh, is a lost day.

The Banana Test

faber — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 10:00:12 +0000

Have you heard of the Banana Test?
No ….. want to try to test your IQ, EQ, XQ #Q, etc, etc.
Click link … http://acs6163.com/pages/banana.htm