Writing Prompt and Search Resources

I have started this three times now, because thunderstorms here in South Florida keep knocking me out of the computer.

I found a new resource for writing prompts, http://plutor.org/threewords/, which gives you three words, and a five minute timer, on Writeboard, in which to write.

I thought that this might make a good post, and was the destination url from another good resource, search engine BananaSlug, where you put in your search term, ‘writing prompts’ in this case, and then choose from a number of categories; such as great ideas, a.word.a.day, and others; to obtain a random word to narrow your search. This is an interesting concept, in my opinion, and produces some interesting results.

If you are a writer in search of some ideas, I recommend you try these. Even if you are not a writer, you can come up with some great ideas using BananaSlug.

Give them a try and let me know.

Thanks to Grace Kerina, via her Odds & Ends Compendium, for sending me to BananaSlug.

Laptop Touchpad Tip

We had a training class Tuesday at work; the class was hands on using some Dell laptops. A few of us were constantly putting information in the wrong places, because we did not realize the touchpad was active, even though a mouse was attached.

This situation is very aggravating, so we asked the instructor how to disable the touchpad, but he did not know. One of the others said she was having the same problem with her personal laptop, and did not know how to disable it.

Today I saw an article in my RSS feed from PCMech, which is one of the feeds that is a high priority read for me, as I find information that is relevant to my PC useage there all the time.

The following is a quote from PCMech's About page:

PCMech (formerly called PC Mechanic) is about computers and technology. We define "PC" a little more broadly. Yes, PC stands for personal computer. Much of our content is about personal computers. But, since we first launched, technology has evolved and now there is so much more to talk about than just computers. So, we cover technology. We cover the internet. We cover - yes - computers, hardware, software, etc.

Our job is to cover the fast-changing world of tech and help you apply it to improving your life. Technology shouldn't be limited to the uber-geeks who follow this stuff 24/7. At PCMech, we'll do that so you don't have to.

The article is entitled Disable The Touchpad When A Mouse Is Plugged In.

My comment regarding the touchpad and mouse on my notebook is as follows:

My HP Pavilion TX1410us Entertainment Notebook PC also has a button right at the top of the touchpad, to disable/enable.

There is a Synaptics driver that controls both the touchpad and the mouse, but no way to configure to disable the pad when the mouse is plugged in, at least that I can see.

Microsoft Guide for Aging Computer Users

I was browsing through older posts at Aging In Place Technology Watch, shown under my links listing, and found Laurie's October 6, 2008 post: http://www.ageinplacetech.com/content/microsoft-guide-aging-computer-users.

As I am aging, and finding myself looking for more accessibility options, I decided to follow the link in her post to the Microsoft page. Once there, the following statement, at the top of the page, intrigued me enough that I had to read they whole thing:

Baby boomers can use Microsoft Windows XP to customize their computers and counter the effects of age-related difficulties with vision, hearing, and dexterity.

I enjoyed the illustrations, by Brian Basset, that were next to each section also.

All seniors/boomers, using Microsoft XP or Vista, should check this out, as the more we age the more likely these tips can help us. I also recommend subscribing to the Aging in Place Technology Watch RSS feed, for more information on aging and technology, not only for yourself, but for others in your life.

Crazy Doodle

I was playing around at a creative writing site, <http://writingfix.com/right_brain/Serendipitous_Crazy_Illustration1.htm>, and created the this doodle from the prompt that was generated.