Helping Families One Home at a Time

Computer Help

Navigating The Internet

Once you are at a Web site and you want to explore the site's hyperlinks, you can opt to keep that site's window open and open a new window for the hyperlink.  

Microsoft Internet Explorer:  Place your mouse on the hyperlink and move the pointer until it changes to a pointing finger. This happens whenever the pointer is over a link.

• Hold the "shift" key down and simultaneously click on the hyperlink to open a new window.
• Right click on your mouse.  Select the option "Open in New Window".
• Right click on your mouse.  Hold the "Ctrl" key down and simultaneously strike the "N" key. 

Netscape/AOL Navigator:  Place your mouse on the hyperlink and move the pointer until it changes to a pointing finger. This happens whenever the pointer is over a link.

• Place your mouse on the hyperlink and "right click" on your mouse.  Select the option "Open in New Window".

There are other ways to open a new window in Navigator, but they are inconsistent from version to version of Navigator. 

Better Browsers

If you think that there are only two Web browsers in the world, you are mistaken!  According to Brian Proffitt, custodian of BrowserWatch.com, the world has over 30 browsers for you to use.  Of course, they only account for about six percent of the use on the net.  We can recommend an excellent alternative browser and one that will deliver your internet pages much faster.  It is called Opera and written by a pair of Norwegian programmers.  Opera has an enthusiastic following.  Two versions of Opera are available for downloading off the Web:

• A free edition with blinking ads in one corner.  You can customize this version to turn off the blinking and another lets you specify what kinds of ads you'd like to see.
• A $40 ad-free version.  You can try it for 30-days before you decide whether to pay the $40.

Technical Support

TechTracker  A Portland-based dot com that claims to be "the most comprehensive, unbiased, up-to-date technology support network available on the Internet. The TechTracker network enables computer users and IT professionals to keep their computing environments up to date and running smoothly."  Services for both Mac and PCs as well as Palms.

Ergonomics (From the NY Times Science Section)

Schools around the country push to increase students' use of computers, a small but growing number of educators and researchers say that children are risking injury because they are not being taught sound ergonomic practices along with basic computer skills.

There is little hard evidence that young people are suffering the kinds of computer-related injuries that adults do mostly neck and back strain and repetitive stress injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome. But some ergonomics experts say such problems may become widespread, particularly as more children begin using computers at very young ages and use them for more hours each
day. 

"We know that adults who have started working with computers over the last 20 years have
developed a lot of repetitive injuries," said Cheryl Bennett, an ergonomics specialist who works for Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories in Berkeley, Calif. "We don't know what's going to happen to kids over 20 years the human race hasn't been through this before. Younger bodies are more forgiving, but could it lead to serious disabilities?" 

While no one yet knows what the long- term impact of poor ergonomic habits may be on children, what is clear is that most children's habits are indeed poor.  Many parents are not aware of sound ergonomic practices. Others may adopt such practices for themselves when they develop problems but give little thought to the possibility that their children may develop the same kinds of injuries.

Not everyone thinks that early computer use poses a risk to children. According to Dr. Leonard
Gordon, the chief of hand surgery at the California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco, "younger people tend not to have as much of a problem" with repetitive stress injuries, compared with adults. "The high school students I see with problems are in very high-pressure schools," he said, "and are often also involved in playing an instrument in a high- pressure, high-stress
environment."

That could change as more children use computers earlier, Dr. Gordon said. Or learning to use the computer at a young age may actually help reduce the risk of injury in the long run, he contended. "Kids who grow up using their hands a lot build up a tolerance," he said, "unlike adults who haven't used their hands much, then start using them." 

But ergonomics experts say the schools, which are often eager to teach children how to use
computers, need to teach children how to use computers properly.

"If you are going to use this technology in schools, you need to teach children how to use it," said
Dr. Alan Hedge, a design and environmental analysis professor at Cornell University who has been
looking at the ergonomic impact of computers on children. "At the moment, computers are thrown on any flat surface, and you're supposed to work any way you can.  It's creating very bad habits. While there is a limited base of knowledge about children and computers, there are no studies coming out saying there's no problem. 

Another Reason to Sit Up Straight

According to Dr. Alan Hedge and other ergonomics researchers at Cornell University, children need to adhere to the same ergonomic rules as adults. The angle formed by the back and thighs should be greater than 90 degrees, as should the angle formed by the shoulder, elbow, and wrist and the angle formed by the hips, knees and feet.

Wrists must be relatively straight in relation to the forearm, bent less than 15 degrees. While sitting and typing, a child or adult should have the upper and lower back well supported by the chair and the feet planted flat on the floor. The upper body position should be relaxed and upright, with the arms close to the body.

The computer monitor should be directly in front of the user (to discourage neck twisting), and it should be placed about an arm's length away. At the correct height, the user's eyes are in line with a point on the screen two to three inches below the top of the monitor. It is also important to take regular breaks.

Children also have some unique needs. Here are some highlights from ergo.human.cornell.edu, a Cornell Web site that has a lot of information about proper ergonomic practices for both children and adults:

• Children may not be very aware of the position of their extremities so it can be important for an adult to notice and correct the child's posture.
• Since children may respond more to images than to writing in learning about the ideal workstation posture, parents can try showing them "before" and "after" pictures of workstations. Or parents can post near the computer a picture showing good posture.
• A smaller keyboard may be better for some children, and some children like to use a trackball rather than a mouse. A small mouse can be just as good. Among the small keyboards on the market, the Little Fingers keyboard (www.datadesktech.com) also includes a trackball.
• Parents can keep track of a child's time on the computer and remind the child when it is time to take a break. Software called ErgoPal (www.magnitude.com) monitors keyboard use and alerts users to take a break when it starts detecting more errors, a sign of fatigue.
• Children should be taught how to adjust chairs, monitors and other equipment to be comfortable. Adjustability is essential when a family shares a computer workstation.

Links

Technology Journal  A collection of internet and technology sites for professionals, organized by categories like devices, downloads, operating systems, books, jobs, and developers