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Posted - May 25 2010 : 23:24:14
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Question: A question from class: "What is the difference between Insert and Overstrike mode?"
Answer: On your keyboard, you'll find a key labeled "INS" or "Insert". When you press the key, nothing seems to happen. But what happens is that the computer switches from Insert to Overstrike mode. When you use a word processor, or perhaps enter text into other kinds of programs, the difference will become apparent. The default is Insert mode. In this mode, you'll find that when you type new text in the middle of a sentence, the new letters you type cause the old text to move and spread out to make room for that new stuff. On the other hand, when you press Insert, you switch into overstrike mode. In this mode, typing new text in the middle of a sentence will cause the new letters to overwrite the old ones, letter by letter. This is most often not what you want to happen, and becomes an annoyance. The good thing is that this key is a toggle. Press Insert again, and the mode will change back. Microsoft Word has an indicator in the status bar at the bottom of the screen that tells you which mode you're in. It says OVR and is usually grayed out. This indicates Insert mode. If OVR appears in black, it indicates Overstrike mode.
Cool Site: Cookin' For College: This week's site, Cookin' For College is the website of an Internet based cooking show done by a college sophomore in Georgia. The show's on YouTube, with Facebook, and Twitter pages also. The first paragraph on his opening page says, "A cooking show dedicated to helping college students and more make fast, affordable, and flavor packed meals." His name is Arthur King and of course, he knows all about college students that have no money. Arthur ultimately wants to get a cooking show on the Food Network and has pitched his show to Paula Deen's people, so maybe it'll happen. Anyway, you can find many good recipes here that are quick to fix. Because YouTube limits video submissions to ten minutes, the episodes are quick to watch and generally have around a $10 budget. Recipes include Roast Beef Melt, Chicken Parmesan, Spinach & Mushroom Quesadillas, Home Made Chicken Fingers & Sweet Potato Fries, and many more, including tips for some of the recipes.
Cool Gadget: Robot USB Hub: From coolest-gadgets comes today's cool gadget. It's a USB Hub that looks like a robot. Great for a kid's computer, or anyone who likes robots. The arms and legs of the robot are the ports where you plug your USB devices. The arms and legs are articulated, which is nice because to plug something into one of the feet, you'll have to sit your robot down. It accepts an AC adapter but doesn't come with one. Several colors are available: black, red, pink, blue, yellow, and a sort of teal or turquoise. They're cute as all get out and run about $19.
It's All "Geek" To Me: Modifier Key: Our 'All Geek To Me' term this week is Modifier Key. Now, this is just a fancy, but accurate, name for the Shift key on a typewriter. On a typewriter you only have one modifier key. On your computer, you have at least three: Shift, Ctrl, and Alt. Each of these keys does nothing on its own. But when you hold down one or more of the modifier keys and press another key, something can happen. That "something" may be as simple as typing a capital letter, or it may be as complex as restarting your computer. The most famous of all is Ctrl + Alt + Del. This uses two modifier keys, control and alt, which you press and hold while you press and then release the delete key. So that's what a modifier key is: a key that modifies the "normal" operation of another key.
Links
Turn on Overtype mode at Microsoft:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word/HA101732591033.aspx
Cookin' For College:
http://www.cookinforcollege.com/Cookin_For_College/Welcome_To_Cookin_For_College.html
Robot USB Hubs at Coolest-gadgets:
http://www.coolest-gadgets.com/20100518/lovable-robot-usb-hubs/#more-42024
Robot USB Hub at Neatoshop (Buy one here):
http://www.neatoshop.com/product/Robot-USB-Hub
Modifier Key at TechTerms:
http://www.techterms.com/definition/modifierkey |
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