Cyber
Columnists

• October: It's an election year. We'll be taking a look at political sites all over the web.
  
• November: Terry and I'll be doing a wrap-up of some of the more popular sites that we've accessed the most during the year.
  
• December: Our annual holiday column highlighting some wonderful holiday sites for you and your family to visit will be our present to our readers.

An addendum to the paragraph above. I just got word this morning from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that they are selling off all subscriber accounts to Earthlink. The article was in the Business Section on page 3 of the September 5, 2000 edition of the paper. So I guess that puts an end to the Cyber-Columnists section of Online Services. I have made some wonderful friends and have some fantastic memories that will never go away. Does this mean that this is the last "Your Web Connection?" Well, that depends on all of our readers. We'll just have to see if it is going to be worth it to activate our domain and pay the monthly service charge. Let us know.

Finally, I've gotten bit by the Palm PDA revolution. I've been doing my research and have finally figured out which model I feel that I need. the Handspring Deluxe. I even went so far as attend a Palm users meeting last week to get some additional information. There is a really super user's group in the DFW area that meets the last Tuesday of each month. The group is named the DFW Palm User's Group. If you are a Palm user or if you are considering purchasing one, plan on attending their next scheduled meeting. For more information, check out the link above.

For all of us in Texas, it's time for the heat and drought to end!!! Enough is enough. Today is Labor Day and it got to 111 degrees in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

We've got a good column for you today. More and more of us are starting to work at home. What do you need when setting up your home office? We'll cover some of the obvious and not so obvious things you need to consider. After that, many have asked about "start pages." Those are the pages that come up when you first start your browser software, whether it be Netscape or Internet Explorer. Finally, we'll have our regular dose of Net-Humor. We all need to take some time out of our busy lives and smile every once in a while.

Setting Up A Home Office

When setting up a home office, what things do you need to consider?

With technology becoming more accessible, it is predicted that more and more Americans will choose to work from their homes.

Working from home may sound like an ideal situation, but there's a lot of planning that goes into setting up a home office. Good planning is essential if you want to create an efficient work environment.

The following is a list of the things to consider when setting up your home office.

• Determine the goals of the home office. The first thing you need to do is analyze the space you have, thinking about the purpose of the room and the tasks you need to accomplish everyday.

• Consider the number of people using the space. Think about how many people will be using the room. Will there be one or two household members? What about children? Will they be using the computer for homework assignments and games? The number of people using the room will have an affect on the layout of the room and how it is organized.

• Take into account the equipment needs. Consider the type of equipment that will be present in your home office -- personal computer or laptop, fax machine and printer. If you have a lot of equipment and limited space, you may want to consider a pullout for the printer and keyboard to maximize the area.

• Plan for efficient storage. Determine how much room you will need for books, literature, manuals and other resource materials. This will allow you to plan for shelving accordingly.

• Assess how much filing will be done. How many file drawers will you need, and how accessible will they need to be?

• Diagram the layout of the room. Now that you have a good idea of who will be using the space and what your equipment and storage needs are, it's time to look at the overall layout of the room. First, determine the comfort level you desire -- do you want your desk to face a window or a wall? Also be sure to take lighting into consideration.

• Consider your desk space. More than likely you will need items such as pencils, pens, a tape dispenser, stapler, and scissors all at your fingertips. Just make sure there will be enough room on the desk so you can work on the computer comfortably and still be able to perform other tasks.

• Additional wiring. Look at how many phone jacks and outlets there are in the room. Determine if you have enough, and if they are in the right location. You may need to add a jack or two, you may also need to move any outlet or phone jack before you install a home office to avoid having wire stretched across the room.

These are just a few of the many things you need to consider when setting up your home office. If you don't have the time or the expertise, have a professional take charge. A professional can provide educational information on home office products, help prioritize your needs and work within your budget.

Internet Start Pages

To change your start page in Internet Explorer, do the following:

1. Log onto the Internet and have Internet Explorer started.
   
2. Type in the URL or address to bring up the page you want to be shown every time your start your browser, i.e. www.yahoo.com.
   
3. On the top tool bar of Internet Explorer, click on "Tools," then "Internet Options."
   
4. In the section entitled "Home Page," click on "Use Current" and the URL of the page that is currently showing in Explorer will be pasted in the proper place.
   
5. Then click "Apply" and then "OK" and you'll have your start page set.

To change your start page in Netscape Communicator, do the following:

1. Log onto the Internet and have Communicator started.
   
2. Type in the URL or address to bring up the page you want to be shown every time your start your browser, i.e. www.yahoo.com.
   
3. On the top tool bar of Communicator, click on "Edit," then "Preferences."
   
4. In the left window pane, click on "Navigator" if it isn't already highlighted.
   
5. In the "Home Page" area, click on "Use Current Page," then "OK"

Many of you ask what Terry and I use for our start pages. Personally, I use I-Won. I'm sure you've seen the commercials on CBS television. They are heavily backed by CBS and I really like the features that are provided, especially the search engine. They have teamed up with a very good search engine. The page also gives you the option to personalize it if you wish. In fact many of the pages that I'll list later give you a personalization option. It's interesting to note that many users do not personalize their pages. People just don't take the time to do this. I-Won also provides a great news section which I also enjoy.

Take a look at the different ones. All of them offer different features and looks. Pick one out, take it for a test run, and if you don't like it, try out a different one. The list I've compiled below is a concise listing of some of the more popular start pages. There are hundreds more available on the Internet. Just do a search in your favorite search engine and you'll find many more. Remember with many of the start pages you can specify content contained on the page, the way the page is laid out, as well as the color of the page.

• My Excite Start Page
  
• Lycos
  
• CNN
  
• Netscape
  
• AOL
  
• MSN
• My Yahoo

I hope this little tutorial has been helpful. If you have a favorite start page, let us know about it, and we'll pass it on to everyone. Now it's time for our favorite part of the column, Net-Humor. It's time to sit back and chuckle a bit.

Net Humor and Life's Ponderances

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

A company was looking for office help. They put a sign in the window saying: "HELP WANTED. Must be able to type, must be good with a computer and must be bilingual. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer."

A short time afterwards, a dog trotted up to the window, saw the sign and went inside. He looked at the receptionist and wagged his tail, then walked over to the sign, looked at it and whined. Getting the idea, the receptionist got the office manager. The office manager looked at the dog and was surprised, to say the least. However, the dog looked determined, so he led him into the office. Inside, the dog jumped up on the chair and stared at the manager. The manager said, "I can't hire you. The sign says you have to be able to type." The dog jumped down, went to the typewriter and proceeded to type out a perfect letter. He took out the page and trotted over to the manager and gave it to him, then jumped back on the chair. The manager was stunned, but then told the dog, "The sign says you have to be good with a computer."

The dog jumped down again and went to the computer. The dog proceeded to demonstrate his expertise with various programs and produced a sample spreadsheet and database and presented them to the manager. By this time the manager was totally dumbfounded! He looked at the dog and said, "I realize that you are a very intelligent dog and have some interesting abilities. However, I still can't give you the job."

The dog jumped down and went to a copy of the sign and put this paw on the part about being an Equal Opportunity Employer. The manager said, "Yes, but the sign also says that you have to be bilingual." The dog looked at him straight in the face and said, "Meow."

Mother Knows Best

My Mother taught me about ANTICIPATION....
"Just wait until your father gets home!"

My Mother taught me about RECEIVING....
"You are going to get it when we get home!"

My Mother taught me to MEET A CHALLENGE...
"What were you thinking? Answer me when I talk to you ... Don't talk back to me!"

My Mother taught me LOGIC ...
"If you fall off that swing and break your neck, you can't go to the store with me."

My Mother taught me MEDICINE....
"If you don't stop crossing your eyes, you're going to freeze that way."

My Mother taught me to THINK AHEAD ...
"If you don't pass your spelling test, you'll never get a good job."

My Mother taught me about ESP...
"Put your sweater on; don't you think I know when you are cold."

My Mother taught me HUMOR ...
"When you break your leg, don't come running to me."

My Mother taught me how to BECOME AN ADULT...
"If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up."

My Mother taught me about SEX...
"How do you think you got here?"

My Mother taught me about GENETICS....
"You're just like your father!"

My Mother taught me about my ROOTS....
"Do you think you were raised in a barn?"

My Mother taught me about the WISDOM OF AGE...
"When you get to be my age, you will understand."

And my all time favorite ... JUSTICE....
"One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you....then you'll see what it's like."

A MERE HUNDRED YEARS AGO...

• The average life expectancy in the United States was forty-seven.

• Only 14 percent of the homes in the United States had a bathtub.

• Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone. A three minute call from Denver to New York City cost eleven dollars.

• There were only 8,000 cars in the US and only 144 miles of paved roads. The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.

• Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa, and Tennessee were each more heavily populated than California. With a mere 1.4 million residents, California was only the twenty-first most populous state in the Union.

• The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower.

• The average wage in the U.S. was twenty-two cents an hour. The average U.S. worker made between $200 and $400 per year.

• A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year, a dentist $2500 per year, a veterinarian between $1500 and $4000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5000 per year.

• More than 95 percent of all births in the United States took place at home.

• Ninety percent of all U.S. physicians had no college education. Instead, they attended medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press and by the government as "substandard."

• Sugar cost four cents a pound. Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen. Coffee cost fifteen cents a pound.

• Most women only washed their hair once a month and used borax or egg yolks for shampoo.

• Canada passed a law prohibiting poor people from entering the country for any reason, either as travelers or immigrants.

• The five leading causes of death in the U.S. were: 1. Pneumonia and influenza, 2. Tuberculosis, 3. Diarrhea, 4. Heart disease, 5. Stroke

• The American flag had 45 stars. Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Hawaii and Alaska hadn't been admitted to the Union yet.

• Drive-by-shootings -- in which teenage boys galloped down the street on horses and started randomly shooting at houses, carriages, or anything else that caught their fancy -- were an ongoing problem in Denver and other cities in the West.

• The population of Las Vegas, Nevada was only 30. The remote desert community was inhabited by only a handful of ranchers and their families.

• Plutonium, insulin, and antibiotics hadn't been discovered yet. Scotch tape, crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced tea hadn't been invented.

• There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.

• One in ten U.S. adults couldn't read or write. Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.

• Some medical authorities warned that professional seamstresses were apt to become sexually aroused by the steady rhythm, hour after hour, of the sewing machine's foot pedals. They recommended slipping bromide -- which was thought to diminish sexual desire -- into the woman's drinking water.

• Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at corner drugstores. According to one pharmacist, "Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and the bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health.

• Coca-Cola contained cocaine instead of caffeine.

• Punch card data processing had recently been developed, and early predecessors of the modern computer were used for the first time by the government to help compile the 1900 census.

• Eighteen percent of households in the United States had at least one full-time servant or domestic.

• There were about 230 reported murders in the U.S. annually.

The following poem was originally heard on Dr. James Dodson's "Focus on the Family" radio program.

If you can start your day without caffeine,

If you can get along without pep pills,

If you can always be cheerful ignoring aches and pains,

If you can resist complaining and boring people with your troubles,

If you can eat the same food every day and be grateful for it,

If you can understand when your loved ones are too busy to give you any time,

If you can forgive your friends for their lack of consideration,

If you can overlook it when those you love take it out on you when through no fault of your own something goes wrong,

If you can take criticism and blame without resentment,

If you can ignore a friend's limited education and never correct him,

If you can resist treating a rich friend better than a poor friend,

If you can face the world without lies and deceit,

If you can conquer tension without medical help,

If you can relax without liquor,

If you can sleep without the aid of drugs,

If you can honestly say that deep in your heart you have no prejudice against creed or color, religion, or politics,

Then my friend, you're almost as good . . . as your dog!