The Chronicles
July 2007
Salutations dear readers and fellow Laurentian neighbors,
Are you ready, as we are now going to delve deeper into the functionalities and methods of operating our new Friend. Let's start with the Internet:
It is true that one can like a computer because it allows us to treat text and to manage our finances, to organize all of our personal and professional documents, doubles as a sound system, a photo album, a home movie player and a game console. However, we are mostly captivated because this extraordinary machine, thanks to the Internet, becomes a window looking out towards a parallel universe within which circulates, and is shared, practically all the knowledge that humans possess.
OK, it's true that this can be awe-inspiring. There is so much information on the Internet that it is easy to become a little overwhelmed. This is why it is helpful to know WHERE to look (how to look for information). Two methods to inform oneself: the first is relatively easy as we have been given the address to a particular Web site: we inscribe for example www.wikipedia.org in the address bar of Internet Explorer and are routed directly to the desired location. (Before going on, I would like to bring to your attention this Wiki site. My gift for this month is this fabulous link which will direct you to the largest multilingual, free-content encyclopedia on the Internet with millions of articles ... a must for any curious spirit!)
The second method becomes a little more complex because even if we have an idea of WHAT we are looking for, we do not know WHERE we can find it. We have just discovered the need for "Search engines". To understand what a Search engine is, go to www.google.ca and write down "Search engine" (with the quotation marks). You will get millions of answers and, looking closely, in one of the first link the word Wikipedia is apparent. Click on this link ... a Search engine is like our beloved librarian of yesteryears whom would help us find our way amongst thousands of books. The Search engine though looks through all the Web sites in less than 5 seconds!!!
There you have it for our first overview, there will be more. Nonetheless, there are so many subjects which I could go over I would like to know which ones interest you the most dear readers ... please send me your questions and comments.
Take good care of yourselves and happy computering!
questions.monamilordi@gmail.com
DID YOU KNOW:
The first Web site saw light of day in 1989. In 1995 there were 18,000 Web sites. In October 2006 this number passed the 100 million mark.!
This article originally appeared in Main Street – The Laurentians' English Language Community Newspaper.
N.b. “Computering”
(v)
Completing a task that requires knowledge and understanding of a computer. It can be associated with software or hardware.
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=computering
