Wetware Solutions
free expert computer tips for everyday users

We’re inaugurating a new blog category called “Paperless Office.” Many businesses have become interested in going paperless, but the impulse has its critics, chiefly among “old school” workers who feel very strongly that they can’t do without paper. Well, let’s lay the foundation for our new blog category by laying at least one misconception to rest: “going paperless” doesn’t mean you have to go without paper.

All it means is that you don’t need to have your documents on paper in order to read them. The only requirement, in other words, is that all your important documents be computerized: either because they originate as electronic files on a computer or because they have been scanned into a computer.

The point is to make it possible for users on your network to access files without ever having to leave their computers. This includes remote workers, too. The way you do that is by implementing policies and procedures for “going paperless.” If a particular worker then feels the need to print a file so he can work off the hardcopy, he can do so.

Of course, paper and toner costs are going to go through the roof if each worker starts creating his own hardcopy of records that used to be shared as part of a master file. For that reason, administrators will want to optimize ways in which their workers can review at least some documents online (e.g., by providing users with large LCDs, good indexing/search tools, methods for annotating computer files, and so forth). With those methods in place, workers can hopefully be weaned off paper, which is how you ultimately achieve “the paperless office.”

What on earth does “macaca” mean? Who’s George Allen and what’s this fuss about Allen’s recent video interview that has everyone talking? YouTube.Com provides all the answers in living video. Here’s one of Allens gaffe:

Launched in February, 2005, YouTube.Com is a video file sharing community owned and operated by YouTube, Inc. of California. The web site is now a virtual library containing millions of video clips, from funny home-grown music videos and political statements to hurricanes and other tragedies, including the events of September 11.

Whether you’re seeking education, entertainment or merely the opportunity to decide for yourself whether a political candidate made racist comments during a video recorded address, YouTube is a valuable resource. Be sure to check it out. (You might also want to check out “macaca” in Wikipedia. Hmm, interesting word choice.)

I’ve said in the past that Firefox is just a better browser. Now, I’ve discovered it also let’s me open more than one home page, instantly.

I have several web sites I routinely check as soon as I log on, but two of them top the list: CNN.Com and LiveScience.Com. All I have to do in order to get Firefox to open these sites up right away is enter their URLs in as my home page(s) separated by a verticle bar or pipe (|) character. That’s the shift character above the back slash on a Qwerty keyboard (extreme right, second row from the top).

In Firefox, you set your default home page(s) as follows:

• Click Tools on the main menu.
• Click Options.                      *********************************************
• Select the General button or tab.
• At the top where it says location(s), you can do two things:
• * Type in your URLs separated by the vertical bar (|) no spaces in between; for example: http://www.cnn.com/|http://www.livescience.com/ or
• * If you already have just the home pages you want open in separate tabs, click “Use Current Pages” button, which is a lot easier and avoids typos. The tab group will be saved as your default home pages.
• Then, click OK.

That’s it. You can have more than two home pages. Just be aware that slower connection speeds may not like too many pages opening up at one time. Also, if you’re in an office setting and sharing a network connection, even T1, everyone logging in at the same time and opening multiple browser windows at the same time might hammer a few servers and bottleneck some connections. Moderation is a good practice, even in setting default home page(s). But isn’t this cool?