| ;) Announcements 
 I'm *Really* 
        Excited About This One! Oh, do we have an 
        AWESOME title in! It's Home Depot's 
        Home Improvement 1-2-3 - and it's very, very cool.  This interactive CD 
        ROM guide has over 250 projects! It uses video, animation, narration, 
        and photographs to help guide you though just about any home improvement 
        project you can think of. It covers: 
         
          | Plumbing | Electrical | Painting |   
          | Staining | Cabinetry | Walls |   
          | Countertops | Ceilings | Shelving |   
          | Floors | Storage | Exterior 
            Maintenance |   
          | Weatherproofing | Insulation | Wallpapering |   
          | Planning 
            / Design | Doors | Windows |  And tons more! Each project takes 
        you step by step through the entire process. It's like having an expert 
        right at your finger tips.  It works like this. 
        Let's say you were going to install a new ceiling fan. You just go to 
        the electrical section and select the Mounting Ceiling Fans project. From 
        there, it takes you though the entire process - everything you need to 
        know and then some - step by step. It has excellent illustrations and 
        narration to help guide you through the process. It makes it so easy, 
        even I could do it! In addition, it also 
        tells you what type of stuff you're going to need (tools, materials, aspirin, 
        etc) and how long the project would take based on your skill level. It 
        even has a "work smarter" section that give you the pros and 
        cons of installing whatever it is you're going to install. Of course, 
        it also includes safety information too - live to fix another day, right? Heck, you can even 
        print the project out and take it with you!! This is the BEST home 
        improvement CD ROM I've ever seen. If you do any do-it-yourself type projects, 
        this is a must have. I still can't believe how impressed I am with it! 
        I had a few projects I was hesitating about doing around the house, but 
        now that I've seen how to do them, I'm going to give it a try.  Now for the price. 
        This retails for $39.95, the publisher sells it direct for $29.95, you 
        can get it from us for only $16.97 with FREE US Shipping! That's over 
        55% off! This is a current title and works all versions of Windows. Oh, 
        be sure to check out the combo deal we've put together too (details at 
        the site). I attracted a lot 
        of attention in my office with all my "Oh, this is soooo cool", 
        and "Wow, that's just great" type comments. In fact, everyone 
        I've show this to has wanted one!  If you've ever been 
        involved with a project and got stumped, this CD would have come in handy. 
        I can't begin to tell you how much time, money, and frustration it would 
        have saved me! Click 
        Here Now For More Info!!  PS - Don't miss out! 
        Everyone I've shown this to has bought one! It's absolutely awesome and 
        I can't recommend it highly enough. Remember, we have a 30 day satisfaction 
        guarantee. If you don't like it - even after you try it - we'll take it 
        back! You have nothing to lose! Sorry for going on 
        and on, but I can't remember the last time I was this excited about a 
        piece of software :-) ;) MS 
        Office 101
 Let's go back a bit 
        in time
 Step into the time machine, sit down, and relax. We're going 
        back to July 11th when the Office 101 tip focused on MS Word double-spacing. (You can see the original 
        tip in the archives located at http://www.worldstart.com/archives/ms-office-tips/2002/07-11-2002.htm 
        .) At any rate, a couple 
        of readers sent in a quick keyboard shortcut for double spacing that will 
        save you tons on time with the mouse. Use these key combinations: Ctrl + 1 = 
        single-spaced (On current paragraph or highlighted text.) Ctrl +2 = double-spaced 
        (On current paragraph or highlighted text.) Ctrl + 5 = 
        one-and-a-half spacing (On current paragraph or highlighted text.)  There you go! Mouseless 
        spacing, yeah!  ;) Office 
        Tip of the Day
 Cute 
        Hiding Trick The title sounds a 
        little like a three-year-old hiding in the closet, giggling, waiting to 
        jump out at you and yell "boo," doesn't it? Well, as cute as it 
        sounds, it's not.  Since I began writing 
        this newsletter, I've had several readers submit to me that they hide 
        text and information in documents and worksheets by setting the font to 
        match the background color (you know, white text on white background, 
        etc
) This technique will 
        allow the document to be printed or read by others without the hidden 
        data showing - after all, white text on white paper doesn't show. To hide information 
        simply type text or data as normal. Once the section to be hidden is typed, 
        highlight the section. Now you will need 
        to change the color of the font. One way you can do this through the Format 
        menu, Font choice. Use the drop-down color list in the middle of 
        the screen to choose the color that matches the background. ;)
 The other way you 
        could change the font color is through the Font Color button 
        on the formatting toolbar. ;)
 Click the down arrow 
        and select a color from the palette to match the background. Now that the data 
        is hidden how can you see it? To read data hidden 
        this way in MS Word you will need to either select everything (Ctrl 
        + A) and change either the font color (as instructed above) or the 
        document's background color.  To change background 
        color go to the Format menu, Background choice and choose 
        a color from the palette that will contrast the hidden text. (Keep in 
        mind when choosing a new background color that selecting "black" 
        will hide the original black text that was visible.) One way to read data 
        hidden this way in MS Excel is to select the cell and read the information 
        in the formula bar located above the worksheet. (If you can't see the 
        formula bar then go to the View menu and select Formula Bar.) ;)
 Another way to see 
        the information is to select the cell(s) with hidden information and then 
        use the fill button to change the cell color to contrast. (If you're not 
        sure where the hidden information is then select all cells and then change 
        the fill color.) ;)
 Well, that's it - 
        the whole trick. I've known of at least one instance where a student did 
        this on a computer at school leaving the teacher perplexed. They asked 
        me for help when the Word program would only print blank white spaces
. 
         I can see some good 
        use for this in files that you use frequently. (Frequently so you won't 
        forget where you've hidden information.) One reader submitted it as an 
        alternate to hiding columns or rows in Excel. In Word headers and footers 
        might be a place to put some of the hidden information, which would leave 
        little room for accidental erasure. Anyhow, it's a great 
        way to show your creativity.
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