Links to useful Kapiti Coast sites

 

A comprehensive guide to e.g. local body affairs, strategies, events, timetables, weather forecasts, regional photos, organisations, directories, district electoral roll, property register, geography, history and maps of the Kapiti Coast.

Links for Seniors

Silver Surfer freeware and tutorials
This site is a link to free software to cover most of your user and maintenance needs. It also has free tutorials and links to free tutorials. Developed by a NZ senior for seniors.

 

Quick Reference Guide for Care and Handling of CD/DVDs
This is a commonsense guide for the handling of your backups burned to CD or DVD. It came from a seminar for PC users held at the NZ National Library.

Skype internet telephone
Skype is a little program for making free calls over the internet to anyone else who also has Skype. It's free (and easy) to download and use and it works with most computers. It can also be used for a small cost for inward and outward cellphone and ordinary phone calls from your computer. The only extra you need is alow cost microphone and headset. Great programme.


Serif software
Serif are giving the people what they want, as they say software With Imagination... for Free! That's right, 100% completely free software. No gimmicks. It's yours for free. Download today and start using the most user friendly software around. For desktop publishing, graphic design, image and photo editing, 3D animation and web design and publishing.

Firefox - rediscover web browsing
Firefox (free) empowers you to browse faster, more safely and more efficiently than with any other browser. Join more than 64 million others and make the switch today — Firefox imports your Favorites, settings and other information, so you have nothing to lose.

 

Avast! Home Edition
An excellentfree antivirus programme for HOME users. Automatic updating and inward/outward scanning.

Ad-Aware® SE Personal Edition
The free Ad-Aware is designed to provide advanced protection from known Data-mining, aggressive advertising, Parasites, Scumware, selected traditional Trojans, Dialers, Malware, Browser hijackers, and tracking components. With the release of Ad-Aware SE Personal edition, Lavasoft takes the fight against Spyware to the next level.


Picasa
Picasa is free software that helps you instantly find, edit and share all the pictures on your PC. Every time you open Picasa, it automatically locates all your pictures (even ones you forgot you had) and sorts them into visual albums organized by date with folder names you will recognize.Picasa also makes advanced editing simple by putting one-click fixes and powerful effects at your fingertips. And Picasa makes it a snap to share your pictures – you can email, print photos home, make gift CDs, instantly share via Hello™, and even post pictures on your own blog. One of the best image resizers!

Google Desktop Search -the WOW utility !
With Google Desktop Search, you can search the full text of your email, files, viewed web pages, and chats. Specifically, you can search email from Outlook 2000+ and Outlook Express 5+, files in TXT, HTML, DOC, XLS, and PPT formats (Office 2000+), chats from AOL 7+ and AOL Instant Messenger 5+ andweb pages viewed in Internet Explorer 5+.

Wises New Zealand Maps
Start from the New Zealand map and drill down to any city / town map, find a business in your area and get driving instructions. Sen d your friends a map of your location by email. A great free locator service.

 

Sticky note freeware
Very powerful, easy-to-use electronic version of those little yellow sticky notes. Now includes a version which allows for managing multiple sticky windows!

Act den (Digital Education Network)
A resource for online learning. Please 'click' around and enjoy their free software tutorials and high-quality online courses.

 

Tiny Personal Firewall
Tiny Personal Firewall represents smart, easy-to-use personal security technology that fully protects personal computers against hackers. Available FREE for home use.

 

35 Tips to Keep You Safe While Computing
Health professionals report an increase in computer related stress injuries that can lead to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, eyestrain and back injuries. These injuries have spread to the whole computer user population, including teenagers. Most of these injuries can be prevented by good computer use habits and a safe workstation.

 

A complete guide to digital photography
This site is well known for its free short courses on all aspects of digital photography. It is said to have over 4,000,000 visitors a year.

 

The Driver Guide
Drivers should be updated regularly. Finding the right device driver can be difficult.The Driver Guide have compiled a massive database archive of drivers and resources that is most comprehensive.Offers a huge searchable archive of over 70,000 driver files, manufacturer information, and links.

 

Book Filter
It's not quite like a book club, because there are no assigned books. Instead, members post book-related discussions, and those familiar or curious about the topic can join in the discussions - an ideal solution for folks who don't have time to read specific books by a specific date.

Windows Tips & Tricks
Windows Tips & Tricks library. These hints & tips will enrich your computing with Windows.

 

Google News (NZ version)
Google News presents information culled from approximately 4,500 news sources worldwide and is updated continuously throughout the day.You can trace the history of a developing issue by clicking the "sort by date" function.

 

Teaching ICT Skills to Third Agers and Feedback (a PDF file will open)
These two sites review 'learning in later life'. They are useful reminders for adult learning trainers.

 

Introducing MailWasher
The easiest way to check and manage your e-mails before you download them. MailWasher is a free powerful email checker with effective spam elimination.
The safe way to stop unwanted viruses and bounce e-mails before they get to your computer.

 

The Internet Public Library
Get help in navigating the Internet to find information you actually need and can use (approximately 1.5 million people use the Library each month).

Speak like a Geek !
Here are some of the basic terms that you will encounter when discussing the Internet.

Internet4Classrooms
A collection of on-line learning tutorials including MS Office, Works, operating systems, graphics, internet and web page development. Look in the on-line practice modules.

What you need to know about!
This is a 'Directory' site which includes a diverse range of learning subjects, including hobbies and reference material.

BJ Pinchbeck's Homework Helper
This site (managed by a teenager) is essential to keep grandparents ahead of the grandchildren!

Guide to Effective Searching of the Internet
Tutorials on how to use search engines effectively.

Get started with scanning
Everything a beginner needs to get started scanning plus advanced tips and tricks for black and white scanning, color scanning and special effects.

 

Computer Training Tutorials
Explanations, tutorials and tips about computers and the Web. Courtesy of the Central Kansas Library System.

 

Civil Defence Emergency
Download your household emergency checklist from the publications on this site.

 

Looking for New Zealand Government and Council services?
This site links you to the information you need to get services. See the services that Government and Councils offer. Find contact details for government organisations. Get involved and have your say. Learn about the country, the people and the system of government.

 

Push Play
Push Play is about New Zealanders enjoying the benefits of healthy active lifestyles. It's never too late to start being active - find out more.

Viruses and hoaxes
The sites above are up to date links for the latest viruses and most common hoaxes circulating on the Internet.

 

Spybot-Search & Destroy
A 'free' (donationware) programme that searches your hard disk and registry for so-called spy- or adbots; that is, little modules that are responsible for the ads many programs display. Many of these modules also transmit information, including your surfing behavior on the Internet.
If SpyBot-S&D finds such modules, it can remove them. In most cases the host still runs fine after removing the spyware/adware. It can be a replacement for Ad-Aware, which is no longer being updated.

 

Free Tech Support/Help
Try these links to sites that range from tuning your PC online, providing reviews and answering all your computer related questions.

 

The Freeware Book Project
It is a project that originated in the summer of 2002 to showcase great freeware sites and resources in an electronic book format (it is also a browser). It is a resource that is 100% freeware and 0% spyware or adware or in anyway shape or form ad supported. Look particularly at the 'tutorials' link in the Departments section for an incredible range of free tutorials on all computer subjects.

 

WordWeb
A free quick and powerful English thesaurus and dictionary for Windows. It can be used to lookup words from almost any Windows program, showing definitions, synonyms and related words. You can search for words matching a pattern, find and solve anagrams, and optionally search a large number of extra word lists.

 

RefDesk
Described as the single best source of facts on the Net. Have a look if you don't believe it!

 

Arts & Letters Daily , SciTech Daily and Business Daily
These three complementary sites have all received rave reviews. They have a mass of links to relevant magazines, newspapers, book reviews, music, diversions (anyone for a crossword!) and other sites.

 

Microsoft Template & Design Galleries
A huge collection of templates and designs to cover all your needs for cards, newsletters, brochures - in fact any like thing you can think of -for free!

 

World Wide Words
Find out here why should someone abstracted be said to be in a brown study ;
why a noisy pursuit is called a hue and cry ; why we're having a lot of significant moments these days; what is financial phobia ; what Ichthyophagous means.

 

Seniors and Computers
This website is designed to help retired people use their computers better. The site has some useful learning links.