When working from your home office you may have a tendency not to take as many breaks as if you were in a traditional office. You may find yourself working for hours before getting up from your chair, as the interruptions are normally fewer to distract you. Because of this it is critical that you take care of yourself – and arm yourself with the basic ergonomics to prevent or at least minimize any physical strain due to computer work.

Here are 12 tips for setting up an ergonomic computer workstation:

1. Use a good chair with a dynamic chair back and seat pan. Sit back and use it instead of leaning forward

2. Position the top of monitor casing 2-3″ (5-8 cm) above eye level

3. Use a no glare screen, and an optical glass anti-glare filter where needed

4. Sit at arms length from the monitor

5. Place your feet on floor or stable footrest

6. Use a document holder, preferably in-line with the computer screen

7. Keep wrists flat and straight in relation to forearms to use keyboard/mouse/input device

8. Your arms and elbows should be relaxed and close to body

9. Center your monitor and keyboard in front of you so you are not turning to use them

10. Use a negative tilt keyboard tray with an upper mouse platform or downward tiltable platform adjacent to the keyboard for best wrist angle

11. Use a stable work surface and stable (no bounce) keyboard tray

12. Take frequent short breaks (microbreaks)

Ideal typing posture: Negative slope keyboard support

In the ideal typing posture both static and dynamic muscle loads are minimized. This posture is achieved when the keyboard is below seated elbow height and the keyboard base is gently sloped away from the user so that the key tops are accessible to the hands in a neutral posture. In this position the arms, shoulders, neck and back can relax, especially during brief rest pauses. Also, in this slightly reclined sitting position the low back rests against the lumbar support of the chair, the elbow angle is opened to promote circulation to the lower arm and hand, the abdominal angle, and the popliteal angle (behind the knees) are opened to promote blood circulation. The feet rest firmly upon the floor.

Problem postures:

Desk top keyboard – Typing at a keyboard on a desk is a common work posture for many computer users. In this position it is difficult to maintain the wrist is in a neutral posture, because the forearms sag as they tire and this puts the wrists into greater wrist extension. Also, most users have to work with their elbows flexed, which can compress the median and ulnar nerves at the elbow and restrict blood flow to the hands. Working with the forearms sloping up increase muscle loads in the upper arms, shoulders, and neck. Working in this position for more than 3-4 hours invariably leads to muscle fatigue.

Conventional keyboard tray – Typing at a keyboard on a conventional articulating keyboard tray can increase postural problems for users. Working with the keyboard more steeply angled on the tray is a common work posture for many computer users. In this position it is also difficult to maintain the wrist is in a neutral posture, because the forearms sag as they tire and this puts the wrists into greater wrist extension. Studies have failed to show that conventional keyboard trays substantially improve wrist posture.

Of course there are other ergonomic factors as well such as proper lighting, ventilation, mouse use, furniture heights and styles, plus phone equipment to name a few. Be sure to research what will be best for your specific situation and budget. Take care of your body now and it will take care of you in the future.

Online football is a hugely popular internet phenomenon. Unlike the actual game of football, it is played with the fingers using keyboard and mouse. But it has all the thrills and spirit of the actual game of football. Normally, one needs to download a game software application for playing football on the internet. There are specific websites for providing a platform for playing the game. Also, most of the popular football game software packages available on computer shops provide facility of playing on the internet also.

How To Play Online Football

The first thing one has to learn is the specific keyboard and mouse controls of the game software. There will be specific keys for various actions on the football field such as passing, throwing, tackling, and shooting. Once you become familiar, or rather your fingers become familiar with the keys, you can move into the multi-player domain on the internet. In the online football games one can either select an existing team or make a new team using the existing players.

All the major game software packages simulate the exact match settings. The appearance of players, stadium settings, and commentary are nearly the same as what we see on television screens. One has to remember that each player in the team has a predefined skill level. This is set by the software developers, based on the player’s career record and current form. So, one’s performance in online football games depends a lot on the skill levels of the players in the team, such as speed, shooting ability, and passing skill.

Several online gaming companies charge a fee for playing virtual football matches through their platform. Of late, there have been international tournaments of online football, which are telecasted on sports channels. One has to have flying fingers and clear-cut awareness of the keys, along with a good sense of playing the actual game, for performing well.

The Importance of Scroll Bars for Websites

Considering how important scroll bars are for adequate site navigation, it is amazing how often they are overlooked! For potential clients or customers to be able to navigate through your information, scrolling has to be top of the priority list.

If you Have Scrolling, Will Anyone Use It?

You may have heard some people state how much they hate scrolling, but the users who are more than happy with the concept never complain. More users scroll on each page they visit, and to them it is just second nature. Younger web surfers with shorter attention spans and older users who have difficulty with coordination are commonly the ones who dislike scrolling. Sometimes those who are new to using computers and the internet may complain for a while, but they soon forget about it as they realize how simple it is with practice. The best recommendation would be to set your web site layout out in such a way that people can either choose to scroll for further info or have basic usability without scrolling at all.

The Revolution of the Mouse Wheel

More people like to scroll as the internet becomes part of their daily lives, and the mouse wheel has played a big part in the shift. Where scrolling once required users to adjust the pointer onto the small arrow and click hundreds of times, they now only need to flick a wheel in the middle of the mouse to move through a page or more at a time. This means more web site visitors are willing to scroll through any number of pages, but you should still consider the small number who won’t scroll at all when creating your site design.

Eliminating Scrolling Entirely is a Bad Idea

The best strategy is to have all the important and necessary links and information in clear view and available to everyone without having to scroll, regardless of their monitor size or resolution. To be sensitive to all users, take the worst case scenario into account and you will never disappoint anyone. An example could be on pages with large articles: The majority of people who want to scroll can do so with ease, and for others you have links to each page of the article, and at the bottom of each page, links to go back to the top again. The idea is to not make anything inaccessible to people who don’t want to scroll.

Never Have Left to Right Scrolling on Your Site!

There really is nothing worse than wanting to view web pages who have left to right scrolling! If you can’t understand why that would be bad, take a moment to think about this: Every time a reader reaches the end of a sentence they need to scroll further right, then back to the left and then further right… and so on and so forth! It is a very frustrating experience, especially when the content seems good but is so painful to get through.

Don’t Use Flash For Scroll Bars

Never think you can do better scroll bars using Flash, because they won’t be standard and will be difficult for all users. Of course some of them look cool but visitors are more often repelled by them than not.

Other issues with self-made scroll bars is that many internet users take time to see it for what it is as they are so accustomed to the standard ones. If their mouse wheel won’t scroll through, which is also common, they will give up and exit the site. Whether the standard scroll bar matches your sites color schemes is not the point, and users will appreciate the fact that they can find it straight away if scrolling or use their mouse wheel if they prefer. If someone views your website to find they need to spend extra time learning to navigate around, they will choose to exit and find another one that is set up how they expect it to be, with standard scroll bars.

New Pages Take Time – Scroll Bars Are Fast

Pagination is a bad alternative to scroll bars because there are many factors that impact the experience for each site and visitor. Depending on the individuals screen size and resolution, even with pagination they will still need to scroll. Forcing users to select the next button at the end of each screen is bad web site design in anyone’s opinion. Any user who hates scrolling will tell you that waiting for pages to reload is definitely worse. Your web site stats will show how many people are abandoning your articles mid way because it takes too long to get to the end.

It’s the first day back to school from Summer break. In a grammar school class, Ms. Fay is teaching her students using mathematics with computers. She instructs all of her third-grade students to type in a website on their computers that are in front of them.

“Now class, we’ll be covering addition using the website you should be on Mathway.com. If so, click on the “Basic Math” button and you will go to a blank screen.” When you are done with each, please highlight it the answers one at a time, and I want you to click in exactly what I tell you, holding down the right side of your mouse and click “Copy”. Then I want you to go to a new blank screen and click on the left side and pick “Paste”. Then you should see the answer.” She writes some addition problems and asks her students to solve them on the screen. Let me know if anyone had any problems. They spend the rest of the session solving addition problems.

When they have five more minutes until the bell rings for the next class, Ms. Lynn gives them a large problem to solve for homework and writes it and the website on the board: 9950 + 8001 + 5400 + 2345 + 1980 =?. Please use “Copy” and then “Paste” to my email address: “efay at aol.com”

The bell rings and most of the students are still copying it down. “Now, don’t be late for your next class. Oh, I forgot! Send your answers to my email. She writes it down at on the board, but she writes “eBay”, not “efay”

Jenny Smith is one of her students who was slow at writing down her assignment. Ms. Fay asks her if she wrote it all down, and the little girl nods.

That afternoon, after school is over for the day, Jenny asks her mother if she could borrow her laptop computer because she had homework to do. So, Jenny sits down at a table where her mother’s computer is and follows the teachers instructions- adding the numbers: 9950 + 8001 + 5400 + 2345 + 1980. She clicks “add” button and gets, “27,676”. Then she copies it with her mouse. When she clicks the delete button, and types in “eBay”. As soon as she gets there she forgets her teacher’s email and goes to eBay browsing the fine jewelry which is on auction on her mother’s account. She’s captivated by some 24 karat gold rings. She sees several that are about to end. She finds “Place Bid” buttons on five of them and pastes, “27,676” in the textboxes.

As the timers run out, she gets five messages that read “You have won!” Jenny is so excited she runs and tells her mom what she just did. Her mother’s eyes grow large and asks, “What did you do???”

“I bought five rings for you from eBay! Isn’ that great?”… “Mom?… Mom?”

The mother looks at the total: “$25, 890.78”

“Mom???… Mom??… ” The last words of the mother were..Dial 911, now!!!”

A new study sheds light on how people influence and control our mind. Research on mice, whose brains are remarkably similar to humans, reveals that our brains are affected by those around us. The key factor is dominance. The brain of the subordinate mouse synchronized to the dominant mouse. This likely applies to our relationships. Typically, people with stronger personalities make the decisions and get their needs met more often than their partners do.

Other factors play a part. The more the mice interacted with each other, the more their brain activity was synched. Hence, the longevity and intensity of a relationship affects the degree to which those close to us have influence.

A further twist on brain synchrony turns on two types of brain cells. One set is focused on our own behavior, and a second set focuses on other people. How we think and where we place our attention matters. At Carnegie Mellon University, neuroscientists are tracking our thoughts in fMRI’s brain scans to see which areas and neurons light up. Self and other neurons light up in varying degrees among certain populations. (60 Minutes Ep. 52, “How MRI scans are showing scientists the physical makeup of our thoughts,” Nov 24, 2019.)

Dominance vs. Power in Relationships

Ideally, friendships and intimate relationships are balanced so that both friends and partners have an equal say in decision-making. Overall, both individuals get their needs met. They each are able to assert themselves and negotiate on their own behalf. There is give and take and compromise. This is an interdependent relationship. It requires autonomy, self-esteem, mutual respect, and assertive communication skills.

Contrast codependent relationships that are imbalanced, which is often true in abusive relationships. One individual leads and the other follows; one dominates and the other accommodates. Some relationships are characterized by constant conflict and power struggles. Conquering Shame and Codependency describes traits and motivations of “Master” and “Accommodator” personalities. The master is aggressive and motivated to maintain power and control, while the accommodator is passive and motivated to maintain love and connection. Most of us have aspects of both types in our personality, although some people predominantly fall into one category. For example, many codependents are accommodators, and most narcissists prefer to be masters.

How Our Partner’s Brain Controls Our Mind

Brain synchronization enables the dominant animal to lead and subordinate animals to read its cues and follow. The new research suggests that in unequal relationships, the dominant partner’s brain will entrain that of the subordinate partner, whose brain will synchronize with it. This pattern becomes more established the longer the couple interacts. Some individuals, including codependents, are assertive and appear to behave independently prior to or outside of the relationship. But once attached to a master, they increasingly accommodate the dominant partner. There are many variables at work, but presumably brain synchronization is one that makes it harder for the subordinate person in the relationship to think and act autonomously and challenge the power imbalance.

Codependents and accommodators focus on others more than themselves. They admit to losing themselves in relationships. They monitor and adapt to other people’s needs, wants, and feelings. If you ask them what’s on their mind, it’s usually about someone else. Hence, I also hypothesize that their “other neurons” light up more consistently than “self neurons.” Their personalities prime them to do so. In contrast, brains of masters and narcissists probably light up “self neurons” more than “other neurons.”

How to Combat Brain Control

The synchronization process happens automatically and outside of our conscious control. It supports healthy relationships by allowing partners to be “in sync,” and read each other’s cues and minds. We know what our partner feels and needs. When there’s mutuality, love deepens, and happiness multiplies for both. On the other hand, where this process is in the service of one partner controlling the other, the relationship becomes toxic. Love and happiness wither and die. The dominant partner has no incentive to give up control. It’s up to the subordinate partner to change the relationship dynamics. In doing so, power in the relationship may re-balance. Regardless, he or she will have gained the autonomy and mental strength to enjoy a better life or leave the relationship. Basic steps to making these changes are:

Learn all you can about codependency and abuse.

Join Codependents Anonymous and begin psychotherapy.

Build your self-esteem.

Learn not to react to putdowns or your partner’s attempts to control and manipulate you.

Learn How to be Assertive and set boundaries.

Develop activities and interests you participate in without your partner.

Learn mindfulness meditation to strengthen your mind.

If you’re dealing with someone highly defensive or narcissistic, follow the steps in Dealing with a Narcissist.

© 2019 DarleneLancer

Browse a computer shop these days and you’re likely to find something new. Yes, it is the new all-in-one touchscreen PC. A PC that only requires a single unit, which does not require a mouse or keyboard (although you are able to use these too, should you wish). If these machines become popular this Christmas and over the next year, then they could alter the manner in which we design and operate computer applications. Given the prominence of the touchscreen already, from the Nintendo DS to smartphones, iPads to sat-navs, and now the all-in-one PC, there is already a large public appetite for the kind of interaction that the touchscreen facilitates.

For many businesses with websites, the touchscreen could be crucial as it allows for a new type of consumer interaction. Customers will feel much closer to your business as their touchscreens increase their feeling of interaction. Users who virtually touch your products through real-life physical motion will feel a stronger connection between your products and themselves.

Web designers considering how their sites are viewed and accessed on touchscreen computers will need to consider a large range of new issues:

• Bright Colours – dirt transferred to the screen from fingers means that dark colours might become undesirable as brighter colours help mask grease and dirt.

• Switch things around – Left handers surf the web as well! Menus and buttons need to be easily accessible to both left-handers and right-handers.

• Size is important – Nice big buttons make it easier to your site easier to navigate. With big clumsy fingers, a tiny menu can be quite tricky on a touchscreen PC.

• Quick and easy – one of the pros of a touchscreen is that it can be a lot faster. But as well as making your site fast loading, it needs to be easy to navigate.

• Hide the cursor – No mouse means no cursor is needed. Users aren’t going to lose track of where their fingers are, but they might lose a cursor. Why distract them from your site with extra features that they don’t need?

• Layout – how will users interact with your site? Remember, those clunky digits can get in the way and block some of your carefully-designed content.

• Don’t make it a marathon – Lots of big movements across the screen and pointless clicking could wear the user out and dissuade them from staying on your site. Carefully think about how necessary each movement is and how to minimize arm fatigue.

These issues are, of course, merely a drop in the sea of what could become possible and what might need to be considered by the web designer of the future. That isn’t to say we should forget the humble mouse-user, though. Touchscreens provide a whole new age of interactivity, and web designers will, no doubt, find amazing, innovative new ways to harness this in the proceeding years. It will be particularly interesting to follow the ways in which businesses use this in the marketing of their websites. Interactivity is already fast becoming a big player in online marketing, particularly through social media, but it is yet to be seen how touchscreen technology might figure into that.

Lunascape is an innovative web browser that utilizes three rendering engines: Trident, Gecko, and WebKit. Users can switch between engines manually or configure automatic engine switching. The browser has lots of useful features such as a built-in multi-search tool, native RSS feeder, and mouse features. More than 20 million people have downloaded Lunascape. This web browser is available in 11 languages.

This is one of the most versatile browsers in the world, combining the engines from Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, and Firefox. If a website doesn’t display properly when you view it with the Firefox engine, you can redisplay it with the Google Chrome engine. Many web developers use Lunascape for testing browser compatibility. They can easily set up each tab with a different engine and compare the results. In addition to Lunascape’s own add-ons, you have the ability to use the add-ons from Firefox and Internet Explorer.

Launascape comes with a large number of features such as:

• Triple engine

• Built-in RSS reader

• Supports mouse hotkeys and gestures

• Comfortable high-speed browsing

• Gecko add-on support

• Automatic backups

• Full screen and large screen modes

• Versatile tab menu

• Cascade view

• Customizable toolbar

• Luna ID coordination

• User friendly interface

• Easy to install/uninstall

• Many interesting tools and options

• Fast loading, low on resources

• Full page displays

• Multilingual versions

• Pop-up blocker

Users can sync their bookmarks with iLunascape and Firefox. The browser supports mouse gestures. If you want to switch to Lunascape from other browser, you only need to import your bookmarks and other settings. Users can also block unwanted URLs and delete their personal information automatically every time they exit Lunascape. This versatile web browser has a special feature that display headlines from major news sites.

Another innovative feature is the triple add-on function. User profiles are highly customizable as well. Lunascape allows users to import toolbars, preferences, and store passwords from their previous browser. You can change the browser’s appearance through the Skin Center. Lunascape also features a floating sidebar that can handle multiple add-ons at a time.

With special features such as full page displays and customizable toolbars, this web browser makes surfing the Internet easy, fun, and fast. It also supports scripts for more advanced automation tasks and comes with many bookmarklets and plugins. Users can choose from hundreds of different skins with suggestive name such as Purple Eclipse, Luna Bluemoon, and Bottom of the Sea. These options give you an added degree of flexibility

Introduction

In this article I want to talk about another piece of computer software which, used in the right way, can be very beneficial to people with dyslexia. The type of software that I will be examining is voice recognition or voice control. The advantages that this software brings makes it a tremendous piece of dyslexia software. Most of my articles are written with the help of voice recognition software. It makes me a faster, more efficient and better writer because I spend less time thinking about mechanics of typing and more time thinking carefully about what I want to say.

So what is voice recognition software?

This software allows a computer user to control a computer via a microphone with speech rather than relying on a keyboard and mouse.

The Pros of Using Voice Recognition Software

1. It is very flexible. It works alongside many different types of software. A person can use voice recognition to compose a letter, write a report, send an e-mail or use it to browse the Internet.

2. It is faster to use your voice rather than using a keyboard and mouse. Using your voice control makes the computer is at least three times faster than using a mouse and a keyboard. When it comes to using a word processor or e-mail application this increased speed will make your letters reports and e-mails easier to understand as by dictating you will create a more natural flow with your thoughts.

3. You need never worry about your spelling. Concerns about spelling are a thing of the past. Voice recognition software claims to have accuracy rates off 90% or more.

4. The software will read your work back to you. After a piece of writing has been completed there is the capability to read the work back to you out loud.

The Cons of Using Voice Recognition Software

Although the pros outweigh the cons considerably, this is not to say that there will not be some barriers to overcome when a person with dyslexia starts using word recognition software.

5. Voice control needs to be trained to understand your voice. In order to get the best out of the software a person needs to spend time in training. Training helps the software become more familiar with the users voice but it does involve some reading. A helper could be used at this stage to read the passages out loud to you. As voice recognition software develops, the need for training is minimal.

6. The user must have a good talking talking voice. Voice control software works best when the user has a clear and confident tone of voice. This will help to ensure that any speech is recorded accurately. Perhaps for some people it will be necessary to practice a successful dictating style. There is no need to talk unnecessarily slowly, an ideal pace would be to copy a newsreaders style.

7.Voice recognition works best with planning. Voice control software works best when the user is organised and has planned in detail their work. This can be difficult for some dyslexic sufferers.

Closing Thoughts

The 7 pros and cons of using voice recognition demonstrate that it is a great piece of dyslexia software. Most importantly for me, voice control takes the frustration out of the writing process and makes me faster and more fluent. This is because, instead of using my energy to find the individual letters on the keyboard, I am free to fully concentrate on the quality of what I want to say!

If you are a Microsoft Excel user than chances are you run across a few keyboard shortcuts that you found helpful. Or maybe you’re tired of being constantly tied to your mouse and having to hunt around in the ribbon or toolbars to find the command you need. Either way, this article should help you understand the value and sometimes detriment of the many Excel keyboard shortcuts that are built into the interface. Upon reading these tips you will have a clear understanding of the pros and cons of keeping your hands on the keyboard and away from the mouse when using Excel.

Improve Speed and Efficiency

Obviously, the word shortcut implies that there is a certain amount of time saving going on here. The main point of a keyboard shortcut is that you don’t have to remove your hands from the keys to grab the mouse – you simply enter a keystroke or combination of keystrokes and it accomplishes the same thing that you would get by clicking on the toolbar. Using these shortcuts can allow you to accomplish the same amount of work in less time, causes less wasted movement, and literally puts some powerful Excel commands at your fingertips. Not only that, but it can help reinforce your overall knowledge of Excel’s capabilities.

Improve Your Familiarity With Excel Overall

When you learn the shortcut for a command, such as Ctrl-Z for the Undo command, it improves your overall familiarity with the Excel interface. You will be more apt to try new commands and remember that they exist if there is a quick and easy way to perform it. Because you become more familiar with all of Excel’s capabilities, you may be inclined to use it more often in your work and try it with new tasks. This will again reinforce your overall Excel skills, but there are also some detrimental factors with using shortcuts.

Potential Problems

Although saving time and movement can have a great effect on your productivity, it’s not all warm and fuzzies. One problem is that by limiting your overall range of movement over long periods of time, you risk some physical issues. For one, without the chance to rest your hands from typing you may encounter more muscle fatigue, which is obviously counterproductive to getting more work done. Since you won’t be moving your eyes to the top of the screen as frequently to find commands, you may end up with more eye fatigue as well. Finally, there is a real possibility of carpal tunnel or other repetitive stress injury.

To avoid these problems, you should make sure to take frequent breaks from your computer throughout the day and make sure you stretch your arms and hands to keep them flexible and reduce tension. As you can see, there are many benefits to using the keyboard shortcuts in Excel, but also some concerns that need to be kept in mind.

After buying a pink laptop, what is next for you? Of course, you have to buy a pink case so that you have something to contain your laptop. But that is not all. Your quest does not end there because you still have to buy accessories for your laptop so that you have everything that you need and you won’t bother looking for pieces from time to time. It is important that you buy everything all at once so that you have complete items of what you might need. So go on and add pink accessories to make your laptop look more exciting and fashionable.

It is not only your laptop that will look good if you add stylish accessories to it but also you. Just imagine using your laptop in front of many people and they can see those amazing accessories? That will truly give others the impression that you are a person of great taste and knowledge of fashion because even the smallest of things you pay attention to. People do not usually care what their gadget looks like. They are mostly concerned about how they appear to everyone and that is why it is important that you do not disregard even small details.

But the question is what those accessories that you need to buy are? Well, obviously there are a lot so you have to prepare your money because this is going to be an investment. You will need a cover, a mouse, a wireless keyboard, a camera and protective sleeves. Actually there are so many other things and it would take long if I enumerate them all here. Nevertheless, the bottom line is to select pink because it is the color of every fashionable woman out there. You will truly enjoy the very feminine look of your laptop.

There are so many great suggestions when you are choosing accessories for our laptop such as Saitek Wireless Laptop Mouse, the Trust 15.4 inch Laptop Bag and Optical Mouse Bundle, the Duragadget Waterproof Laptop Sleeve and so much more. Your pink laptop will surely love these accessories and make it more special. So when you are thinking of shopping, add laptop accessories to your list and never miss out on the fabulous pink colored items. It is always exciting to have something that is very trendy and represents your personality. Be more adventurous and opt for colorful items.