Archive for September 12th, 2007

September 12, 2007: 1:36 pm: adminMiscellaneous

When

We all need to consider our ways. So many times we operate in a state of being that is selfish and inconsiderate. We believe that we are unselfish and considerate, but are we really? Relationships are all about giving and sharing. If you cannot do that, then you need to work on yourself until you can. Otherwise, you will find it frustrating for you and whomever you are fighting with, yes, it will be a fight.

How

A new relationship with the opposite sex is not for the faint of heart. When we start a new relationship it should be a work of love. If you love what you do, would anyone have to ask you to do it? Or even pay you to do it? The goal is to build something that will last forever. For this to happen both people have to have pure love for it. However, if you don’t have pure love, what you build is something short of pure, and love may not be in it at all. Sometimes people act selfishly.

In our lifetime, we go through many experiences, some good, some bad, some indifferent, however it is the choices we make before, during and after these experiences that define who we really are.

Single people may not have always been single and therefore they have experiences that caused them to make choices. If someone has always been single, they more than likely have had experiences that caused them to make choices to remain single. These choices are each individuals to make, but the consequences you do not get to choose and they often affect more than the individual who is making the decision. The point is that choices you make are often life changing and have long lasting consequences.

I talk with people, men and women, about what they thought about new relationships and this is what I have found: Most people are afraid of new relationships, because of what has happened to them in the past. When asked to consider their role in the past relationship and how it affected the relationship, most people have a hard time looking at themselves in an objective way. It is like they believed what ever they did was good enough for the relationship to be great, but upon further conversation it was obvious there was more they could have worked on with themselves. This is a major obstacle for most of us because we believe as long as we give something, then that is enough for a great relationship, this is so not true. You have to be willing to give your all and you should expect to receive all back.

I am reminded about the prophet Haggai in the Bible. He had to tell the people that they were taking too long to rebuild the temple. The reason they were taking too long to build the temple was because they were not giving their all. In addition to not giving their all, they were not pure in heart for the task. How could they build a Holy Temple, when they themselves were not Holy? In Haggai’s prophecy to the people of Israel, God told Haggai to tell the people to consider their ways. If the people are able to consider what they do, then they have an opportunity to change. I use this as an example of how purity has its place in building relationships. This is not to say that you won’t have impurity, however when you can consider your ways, you will be able to find your own impurity and do what is necessary to clean it up and get rid of it by changing your ways.

Why

A new relationship is all about cleaning out your impurities from the past relationships. Once you understand this, you can approach a new relationship with all you have to offer and expect all the other person has to offer in return.

The word “love” is used approximately 560 times through out the old and new testaments in the King James Bible. Each entry has a context and meaning specific to the situation that was present at the time. What we need to learn is the lesson of charity. This is written in I Corinthians Chapter 13 Versus 1 – 8. With charity, we learn to give in the pureness of spirit and expect the best. If then we do not get the best back, then we can move on in the spirit of getting the best.

I have considered myself, and I truly believe that God has saved the best for last just for me. How about you? Have you considered yourself? If not, then now is a good time to consider yourself before you go into your next relationship.

Nevada York has based one of her characters: “Pastor Ethan”, in her book Mahogany’s Revelation on Ethan Berry, A.K.A. “Pastor Ethan.” He resides in the Bay Area of California.
http://nevadayork.com

: 10:05 am: adminArts & Crafts

Dog hair (called chiengora)can be spun into yarn, much like sheeps’s wool, alpaca, or any other animal fiber. The process is the same. Dust and oils can be washed out of the spun hair, so there is no “doggie odor.” Amazingly, the spun yarn is warmer than wool, easy to care for, and has an angora-like fluffy texture. Until recent times, most dog owners didn’t realize the beauty of the colors and texture of their dog’s hair could be used in the manner of sheep’s wool.

It’s really as easy as brushing your dog. There are some guidelines to getting the best and softest yarn possible.
When brushing your dog, be sure to collect from the parts where the hair is the longest and softest. This is undercoat. Hair must be 2 inches or longer for best results. Hair should be clean and dry, with no grass or debris in it. Brush the hair from the longest, softest parts of the dog, saving only this hair. It is the undercoat you want, not the coarse top coat. Clippings will not work well for spinning with dogs that have double coats. There is too much guard hair, and the yarn quality will not be as nice as the pure undercoat.

Remove dog hair from the brush and save it in a paper bag. Save hair that is completely dry, and as clean as possible. (Do not attempt to clean it once it is brushed off the dog!) Bathe your dog first, and brush when the hair is dry.
Paper allows the fiber to “breathe” and not be trapped with oils in a plastic bag. The best way to store the hair from brushings, is in a paper sack, or cloth bag, such as a pillowcase. Despite what your mother or grandmother used to do, NEVER USE MOTH BALLS! Moth balls contain a toxic chemical that is dangerous to breathe, and it is impossible to remove the mothball smell from the hair. How much do you save? It depends on what will be made with the finished yarn. Most small projects use about 6 ounces of hair.

Transforming dog hair into yarn takes much time and care. First, the yarn is evaluated for spinning. Depending on length, and how the yarn will be used, I determine if the hair needs blending with a soft merino wool. Blending minimizes shedding out, and produces a more durable yarn. Although most people want 100% of their dog’s hair to be used in a product, this isn’t always possible. The dog’s color can still be seen and the fluffy texture is still present in the finished yarn.

From this point, the process is the same as spinning sheep’s woolI use a drum carder for the blending process. This carder has metal teeth on it, that comb the wool, so the fibers are lined up and ready for spinning. The fiber is lifted off the drum carder, loosely rolled up, and set aside by the spinning wheel.

The yarn is spun into single strands on a spinning wheel, and then plied for strength. The yarn is then cleaned by hand, using a mild conditioning detergent or dog shampoo, and air dried. It is then wound into balls or skeins and is then ready to be knitted or crocheted into a scarf, hat, ornament, and many other things.

Because it is handcrafted, and personal, a chiengora gift makes a sentimental remembrance. It is better to begin collecting hair while your pet is healthy and younger. People have often told me that it is comforting to have a soft, “pettable” scarf, hat, teddy bear, or other item made from their dog’s hair, and it brings back happy memories.

Fran Pike spins and knits with luxury fibers, including angora, alpaca and “chiengora.” She founded Rover’s Comb to enable people to have beautiful keepsakes made from their dog’s long, brushed hair. Her work is showcased at http://www.roverscomb.com

: 9:47 am: adminArts & Crafts

Emlyn Williams Theatre, Mold, North Wales: 20th February 2003

Clwyd Theatr Cymru commemorated the 50th anniversary of the death of the Welsh poet, Dylan Thomas (1914-1953) with a superb run of performances by a small but accomplished cast of actors.

Described in the programme as “A theatrical journey through the prose writing of Dylan Thomas”, the production was created by Tim Baker, an Associate of the Royal National Theatre, who won the Manchester Evening News Best Visiting Production award in 1992 for the highly acclaimed To Kill a Mockingbird.

Although Thomas is best known for his ‘play for voices’, Under Milk Wood, his evocative poems such as Fern Hill and Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night are rarely overlooked when anthologies celebrating 20th century poetry are put together. Indeed, this mesmerizing interpretation of Thomas’s short stories could well be described as a rich fusion of prose and poetry. For example, in a scene crossing a river he speaks of, “slipping stepping stones” and early on in the piece he describes his “love” of words thus:

“And these words were, to me, as the notes of bells, the sounds of musical instruments, the noises of wind, sea and rain, the rattle of milk carts, the clopping of hooves on cobbles, the fingering of branches on a window pane, might be to someone deaf from birth, who has miraculously found his hearing.”

The company of five use only stools and orange boxes to set the scenes for Thomas’s vivid recollections of his boyhood in Swansea. The young Dylan is played brilliantly by Russell Gomer, who struts and capers across the hazily lit stage, reliving the poet’s every memory as if it was his own. His fellow actors play a myriad of characters. The slightly built but enormously gifted Zoë Davies is adept at playing both male and female roles, from oppressed aunts to inebriated old men. And Morgan Walters, a ginger-haired giant of a man, is memorable for his portrayal of the young poet’s bear-like uncle, as well as Les, Thomas’s friend who invents names for passing strangers, and as a relation who steals livestock to pay for drinking binges. Whilst the cherubic-faced David Rees Talbot puts in a particularly memorable performance as Ray, a young man whose tragic past is briefly forgotten but inevitably revisited when he and Thomas ramble to the seaside to paddle in the surf.

The enigmatic and engaging Thomas lived a short and self-destructive, if literary fruitful life. His father, an English teacher at the local grammar school, began to read Shakespeare to him at the age of four and he started to write poetry in his eighth year. His childhood and adolescence were central to his later work – although he left school without formal qualifications and did not learn the Welsh language. He moved from Swansea to London in 1934, famously remarking, “The land of my fathers My fathers can keep it.”

Thomas’s first two books, 18 Poems and Twenty-five Poems, were published respectively in 1934 and 1936. He married Caitlin Macnamara in 1937 (they had three children during their tempestuous years together) and he made his first radio broadcast with Life and the Modern Poet on the BBC Welsh Services the following year. After the Second World War, his popularity as a poet grew in direct proportion to his reputation as a heavy drinker. However, his positive, rhetorical style won an enthusiastic following and poems such as A Refusal to Mourn the Death by Fire of a Child in London led to lecture tours of the United States. He died in St. Vincent’s Hospital, New York, on 9th November 1953.

This stage adaptation of Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Dog – so bristling with humour and pathos - will undoubtedly delight parents and teachers endeavouring to introduce young people to Thomas’s work. Adult audiences will also be entranced by its wry, witty narrative and flamboyant presentation. There is little doubt that, in the future, new theatrical companies will revive the production and it will become a fitting tribute to one of the world’s great 20th century poets.

About The Author

Paula has contributed features to numerous guidebooks, magazines and journals on the subjects of literature, travel, culture and history. She is currently the editor of two online guides: All Info About Poetry http://poetry.allinfo-about.com and All Info-About English Culture http://englishculture.allinfoabout.com.

poets@allinfo-about.com

: 9:37 am: adminThe Technology Way


1-866-904-VoIP
893 Highway 138 W Suites 10
Stockbridge, GA 30281

December 9, 2004

Circuit City Store
ATTN: General Manager/Mr. Will Hughes
1906 Mt Zion Road
Morrow, GA 30360

Dear Mr. Will Hughes:
Per request by Mrs. Sara, at the Circuit City Corporate Main Office at 1.800.251.2665 at 1054 am, on Dec 8, 2004, suggested and approved that we contact you on my company letter head about setting up a VoIP Communications Demo Display VideoPhone in your store area during the holiday. (All Metro-Outlet) With these arrangements, the VoIP Communications will conduct media ads with your store demo, for the shopper to visit and see the display VideoPhones.

We are an Atlanta start-up VoIP Communications with Escape International and 8×8, Inc. (Nasdaq: EGHT), the Packet8 Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and videophone communications service provider, announced the availability of its DTA Broadband Phone Adapter and DV 326 Broadband Videophone at VoIP Communications http://www.voippacket8.net with Escape International Company: http://www.escapeinternational.com/, whose broadband VideoPhone service with Freedom Unlimited U.S & Canada Video calling broadband software lets anyone become a small-scale Internet business provider, Virtual Office hosted PBX Services and a Home-based business.

The Founder, Chairman and CEO of VoIP Communications, Nate Perkins, says it’s close to letting people create their own miniature phone networks as well as a small home business.

RECOMMENDED: By Consumer Guru CLACK HOWARD “Internet Phone Line Save Money” “Good Deals available from Packet8” AJC ( Atlanta Journal & Constitution) 11/20/04

The Videophones allow subscribers to see each other as they speak. The number Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) households is expected to mushroom to 18 million by 2008 as service quality increases, already inexpensive rates continue to drop and more homes get broadband, which VoIP operators usually require.

Mr. Hughes, if you agrees with the agreements, we will only need a very small area to display the VideoPhones demo. We have enclosed the company’s coupon and PRESS RELEASE for your and your staff information.
If you need any more information, please call me at 678.565.8633 or email: CEO @ voipcommunications.com

Sincerely,

Nate Perkins
VoIP Communications

893 Highway 138 W Suites 10. Stockbridge, Georgia 30281 1.866.904.VoIP (8647)

About the Author

http://www.voippacket8.net

: 9:34 am: adminThe Technology Way

“I asked Windows to remember a password for a website I visited in the past. Now I don’t want Windows to remember the password anymore. How do I clear this setting?”

That was the question my frantic customer needed answered before he left for vacation. He didn’t want to leave his desktop behind unprotected. Internet Explorer has an autocomplete feature that prompts you when you first type a user name and password on a web page. This can be a very convenient feature but if anyone else uses your PC, it isn’t very secure. Clearing these settings is quite easy however:

  1. On the Tools menu, click Internet Options.
  2. Click the Content tab.
  3. Click AutoComplete.
  4. Click Clear Passwords,click OK, and click OK again.

Internet Explorer will also automatically complete your name, address, web addresses and other information that you type in the address bar or on web site forms. The options to turn this feature on and off or to clear these entries can also be found by following the steps above.

If you use FireFox, the same types of settings can be found by clicking Tools, Options, and then selecting the Privacy tab. Finally, for you Netscape users, click Tools and then select either Password Manager or Forms Manager.

Subscribe to the free Ask Angela Newsletter offering home computer support, tips and tricks. Topics include email, internet, spyware, website design, Microsoft Office, new technologies, Windows help, software, general PC support, and more!

For more information visit http://www.adaleydesign.com or email askangela@adaleydesign.com

A Daley Design, LLC - Southern New Jersey based firm providing web design, site maintenance and updates, domain name registration and hosting assistance, email and newsletter design, search engine submission and other marketing services.

: 9:31 am: adminThe Technology Way

Cyberscience Corporation, a leading provider of reporting and
business intelligence (BI) solutions, today announced the
general availability of Enterprise Cyberquery (eCQ) for SSA
Global applications including SSA PRMS, BPCS, Baan, and ERP LN.
Cyberscience plans to unveil a solution for additional SSA
Global applications including Masterpiece and Infinium in the
near future.

Cyberscience also announced it would extend the popular eCQ Test
Drive to the newly supported SSA applications. The eCQ Test
Drive enables interested companies to test Enterprise Cyberquery
in their internal environment for 30 days without risk. At SSAU
this year in Atlanta, over 50 Baan and other SSA application
users requested the Test Drive offer.

US specialty foods manufacturer, Reily Foods states that
Enterprise Cyberquery has been successful in leveraging its SSA
Global PRMS/DB2 environment. According to IT Director John
Smith, “Before eCQ, we struggled to find a practical solution
for our information needs. Our goal was to maintain only one
source of data, the PRMS database on the AS/400, while providing
a feature-rich reporting environment to our users. When we saw
eCQ at SSAU, we decided to take a Test Drive. The team at
Cyberscience imported the data dictionary from PRMS and
recreated some of our mission-critical reports in only 3 days!
Within a week, we were updating our Cyberquery data dictionary
and building new analytical reports using eCQ. We have been
delighted by the speed at which we are now able to develop new
reports driven by source data from our AS/400 DB2 database.”

When asked what is driving eCQ’s success in the SSA Global
market, Cyberscience EVP Nigel Brownjohn stated, “Cyberscience
is replacing the older reporting and BI tools traditionally made
available to SSA users with powerful, easy-to-use solutions
delivering 10 to 20 times the performance offered by typical
competitors. Through our no risk eCQ Test Drive, SSA users are
able to experience the benefit of such a powerful solution, on
their own systems, and see tangible results in hours, not the
weeks or months typically associated with new BI/Reporting
solutions.”

: 5:05 am: adminLiving With Software

How do you convert outsourcing leads into clients? You may need to make the case for outsourcing.

“Businesses today are kicking into survival mode,” says Bill Allison, managing director for the Pacific Southwest Management Solutions & Services Group at Deloitte & Touche. “With a sluggish economy and increased competition, shrewd executives turn to outsourcing as the most cost-effective strategy to meet the bottom line and seek a higher return on investment.”

Outsourcing, especially in the information technology (IT) arena, is a mechanism that allows businesses to compete effectively and sustain market dominance in the future.

According to Allison, it is something most midsize companies should think about if they want to be poised for success. Here are four arguments he suggests you can make in favor of IT outsourcing.

1. Time efficiency -

Technology allows businesses to create effective solutions when faced with a challenge. Generally the more demanding and complex the business, the more important the technology infrastructure becomes. Still, there are companies that continue to run their business on an IT infrastructure that has not been upgraded in years. These companies are jeopardizing their pecking order in a competitive marketplace. Ultimately, these companies spend too much time on IT problems stemming from a dated system, and too little time focusing on the customer.

Outsourcing eliminates the challenge of fixing IT problems (e.g. the system is inefficient, the space capacity is limited), as well as the time spent on recruiting and retaining skilled IT work force. Dedicating less time to IT issues allows a business to deliver a higher rate of customer satisfaction and more time to focus on new opportunities.

2. Cost-effectiveness -

Outsourcing can be based on leveraging an external service provider’s economies of scale and expertise. Many companies share a platform for outsourcing, meaning they reap cost benefits by sharing the provider’s data center services and IT infrastructure already in existence for its other clients. This enables the business to accomplish new projects that were once considered too expensive.

3. Rapid time to market -

A company that launches a new startup division will typically require highly automated processes. Outsourcing places those responsibilities on to a team of outsourcing experts who can quickly and successfully link the company’s system to its vendors and customers. An outsourcing provider can get you up and running with a single, seamless solution to support multiple users in different geographic locations.

4. Best practices -

The ability to create and sustain shareholder value is what businesses want. Outsourcing helps achieve that, but you need to be careful about what you outsource and whom to outsource it to. Outsource correctly, and you can position your company to outshine your competitors and make your investors happy.

However, outsourcing decisions that are not carefully strategized will prepare you for declining market share and decreasing margins. Businesses considering outsourcing should develop an “internal characterization.” If you were your own customer, what would you like to see improved, emphasized or removed altogether? An honest answer usually requires a fresh, outside perspective that is handled by an unbiased party qualified to take a holistic view of your business.

Internal characterizations performed with in-house personnel might capture the issues, but peering into the mirror can be more effective with a neutral set of eyes. A mistake to be avoided is basing your outsourcing decisions on what you think you are good at, instead of what you should be good at.

As for deciding whom to outsource to, ask yourself, “What is the basis of competition in the outsourcing vendor’s industry?” Is your vendor appropriately integrated to deliver against the dimensions of performance that matter most to you? If so, you have made the right choice. If not, look elsewhere.

Henry DeVries is a marketing coach and writer specializing in lead generation for professional service firms. An adjunct marketing professor at UCSD since 1984, he is the author of “Self Marketing Secrets” and the recently published “Client Seduction.” Visit http://www.newclientmarketing.com or e-mail questions to henry@newclientmarketing.com.

© 2005 Henry DeVries, All rights reserved. You are free to use this material in whole or in part in pint, on a web site or in an email newsletter, as long as you include complete attribution, including live web site link. Please also notify me where the material will appear.

The attribution should read:

“By Henry DeVries of the New Client Marketing Institute. Please visit Henry’s web site at http://www.newclientmarketing.com for additional marketing articles and resources on marketing for professional service businesses.”

: 4:36 am: adminArts & Crafts

Have you ever gone in to buy some paper for painting and been overwhelmed by the choice? You would think it would be a simple thing to buy a sheet of paper, wouldn’t you? Well, it can be if you know what the different choices mean and how it can affect your finished painting.

Manufacturers have created a whole range of paper products for the artist. So many choices that unless you know what some of the terms mean it can be very confusing.

When you want your painting to last for a long time always go for acid-free. This is the type of paper used in archives.

The next thing is the surface texture of the paper, whether you want a fine texture or rough. You may be asking “How do I know? I just want something to paint on!”

The texture you choose will depend on your style of painting. If you like to have a lot of detail in your paintings you will need a smooth textured paper - in which case you want one that is ‘Hot Pressed’.

If you use a lot of watercolour (or watercolour style) washes then the paper you should choose will be ‘Not’. That means ‘Not hot pressed’. It has a bit more texture than Hot pressed papers.

If you paint a lot of landscapes and/or like granulation (which happens when the colours separate while they dry) you will probably like using Cold pressed papers. These have the roughest texture.

Papers are sold in weights. This affects the thickness of the paper. Papers that are less than 300-lb or 640gsm (grams per square metre) will need to be stretched before painting. If you don’t stretch the paper it will buckle when wet making painting difficult and the paint will dry in the hollows giving a disappointing result.

Stretching paper needs to be done in advance and the paper allowed to dry before you use it. You will need a clean drawing board, some 1½ inch wide gum strip, and water to soak the paper in (the bath is handy for this).

Soak the paper in the water until it is saturated, this will take less than a minute. Place the paper onto the board and smooth it out from the centre to the edges.

Cut pieces of gum strip to fit the length and the width of the paper, plus a couple of inches. Dampen the gum strip and use it to stick the longer edges of the paper to the board, and then do the shorter edges. Smooth out the paper and the gum strip and leave it to dry naturally and on the horizontal. Do not place it near a heater!

If you just want to paint without needing to prepare the paper, there are pads of ready stretched paper that save you having to do this yourself. These pads have the paper glued around the edges and you paint on the top of the pad. Once you’ve finished the painting and it is completely dry, a knife is inserted at one of the edges and moved around the sides to cut through the glue and free the top layer.

It is a good investment to buy good quality paper. It is much easier to use, and gives a better result.

Next time you need to buy paper think about how you like to paint, and it will be much easier to decide on the type of paper to buy.

Catherine Calder is the author of the Acrylic Painting Course.
The simple step-by-step way to learn how to paint. Quick and easy.
Check out ‘Painting Surfaces – The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly’
in The Special Reports section at
http://www.learnanddo.com/acrylic.asp

: 3:44 am: adminLiving With Software

Through my experiences, the resistance from Asia companies and businesses (towards outsourcing) is that they are not convinced that through outsourcing certain functions of their business processes can bring about significant savings in their operating cost. Yet an uncanny feeling I got from them is that the root is not about cost but about control. The context of doing business in Asia is of control. The greater the illusion a company in Asia has about control, the greater the resistance it will have towards outsourcing. The typical paradigm is that if they can see it, they can control it.

Outsourcing to them is to abdicate control (because they can’t physically see what the outsourcing vendors are doing). They sincerely believe they have everything under control while to an outsider, the business is in disarray. Thus, the management of a typical Asian business thrives on the faith that they are indispensable. Another observable characteristic of an Asian company is that the foundation of which the company is built on is on an individual’s perspective (not as a corporate entity). Thus, in approaching Asian company with the outsourcing paradigm, the outsource vendors have to bear in mind the cultural sensitivities as follow;

1) They are not features-oriented. Plainly, they need to know how things are done and the results the vendor is going to deliver. (Not about all the whistles and bells that come along as a “package”.)

2) They must be involved in every aspect. They might even call three times a day to check on work progress.

3) Disappoint them once is all it takes for them to drop you like a bomb.

4) They are blind to “premium” pricing, only discounts, discounts and more discounts.

5) To them, the deadline for project completion is always yesterday.

After painting such a picture about a typical Asian company, I must say that once you can effectively take care of the above-mentioned concern, you find yourself gaining more than a customer. You gain a long-term friend.

I would be posting more articles on how to build a long lasting relationship as a service provider. So until then, stay on your toes.

Michael Kuan - EzineArticles Expert Author

Michael Kuan is an Account Manager with Checkmate Data Services Pte Ltd in Singapore. The company specializes in providing business process solutions to South East Asia’s businesses and companies.

: 3:41 am: adminLiving With Software

Just as we were getting comfortable with our cozy, fuzzy version of MS Word, along comes Word XP. This article explains some of it’s important new features and how to make the most of them. Time to get your sneakers on and let’s get off to a running start with Word XP.

Multiple Documents
In older versions of Word, new documents took over the entire Word window. With Word XP, each new document opens in a separate window. It’s easy to switch between documents by simply choosing a document from the list on the ‘Window’ menu. The ‘Arrange All’ command from the ‘Window’ menu conveniently lets you view all open Word documents at the same time. You can also switch which document is currently active by pressing [Alt]+[Tab].

The Word XP Task Pane
With the XP version, Microsoft decided to change some of the screen layout. For example, the Word XP task panes display on the right hand side of the document you’re working on. The options that display in these panes vary depending on your most recent commands. In earlier versions of Word, a lot of these commands would have been displayed in dialog boxes.

Moving the Toolbars
If you have a preference for where a toolbar should appear, you can easily move it by first clicking on the left edge of the toolbar. The mouse cursor will turn into a four-headed pointer. Then, to move the toolbar, simply drag it to where you want it to appear and click to place it there.

Finding What The Buttons On A Toolbar Do
To get the name of any button on a toolbar, simply hover the mouse cursor over it. You can also bring up additional details of what the buttons do by choosing “What’s This?” from the “Help” menu. The mouse cursor will turn into a “?” symbol. Move the cursor and click on any button (or other Word object) to bring up details on it.

Adding Buttons To A Toolbar
It’s a little complicated but you can add buttons to any toolbar. Start by picking “Toolbars” from the “View” menu. Then pick “Customize” and bring the “Commands” tab to the front. Next, select an item from “Categories” and an item from the list of “Commands”. Drag the command to a toolbar. This will create a new button. The new button will only have a text label. Once you’ve added the default button, right click on it and pick “Default Style”. The new button will become a plain square. Right click on the new button again but this time, pick “Change Button Image” and select an image of your choice. Finally, gasp, pant, close the “Customize” dialog box.

Thankfully, it’s a little easier to remove a button from a toolbar: Start as before by picking “Toolbars” from the “View” menu then select the “Customize” option. Finally, simply drag the button you want removed off from the toolbar.

Peter Kitson manages the Business Software Books project at: www.business-software-books.us A collection of business software books and tutorials available for free download.