by Nancy Carroll Gravley
A column for people who remember what
the world was like before there was color.....
Current Column
Nancy's (Alternate) Holiday Gift Guide - November 30th
Archived Columns
Check out Nancy's complete index of all her columns for the most complete list of tips anywhere. The list is categorized and is a great reference when you are looking for help! |
Teaching 400(+) People to Use a Mac - November 18th
October 2005
Nancy's Guide to iChat (and Adium) - October 14th
September 2005
The Letter Bag - September 30th
More OS X System Preferences - September 23rd
August 2005
Avoiding Phishing Scams! - August 26th
Tiger System Preferences - August 12th
July 2005
Keep Frequently Used Disks Organized with Disk-it - July 29th|
Playing Dominoes On Your Mac - July 27th
A Crossword Game for your Mac - July 1st
May 2005
Nancy's Tiger Thoughts for the Bifocal Crowd - May 31st
April 2005
A (Near)-Complete List of Mac Keyboard Shortcuts - April 22nd
March 2005
Reader Questions & New Tips - March 28th
Four Cool Web Sites - March 18th
January 2005
Fancy Footwork with TextEdit - January 28th
More Tips and Hints for OS X - January 21st
December 2004
MacFamilyTree: Recommended Genealogy Software - December 30th
Get a New Mac? Erase Your Old One! - December 29th
November 2004
Software to Put Under the Tree, Part II - November 23rd
Software to Put Under the Tree, Part I - November 10th
Reader Letters: Help, Arrogance, & Weirdness - November 3rd
October 2004
Mariner Write: Word Processing for the Rest of Us - October 11th
September 2004
Announcing Nancy's Hints & Tips Book - September 14th
August 2004
Working With Font Book in Panther - August 26th
July 2004
Hints & Tips For Mac Apps - July 28th
Back to School, New Software, & a New Apple Store - July 22nd
The Final Mac Stories, Including the 87 Year Old Mac User - July 20th
May 2004
More Mac Stories - May 28th
Nancy's Mac Story Contest Winners - May 11th
April 2004
Nancy's (Over 50) Contest & Some Tips - April 9th
Another Good Book, & A Bad Multifunction Printer - March 10th
February 2004
How To Be A Graphic Designer Without Knowing How -- Sorta - February 17th
January 2003
Bookmarks, A Free Game, & A Database - January 22nd
Review: Old Fart's Guide To The Macintosh - December 22nd
It's All About The MUG, Zoom, & Rechargeable Batteries - December 15th
November 2003
Xmas Presents...For Yourself! - November 13th
October 2003
A Mouse With A Retractable Tail, Browser Tips, & Software Update - October 22nd
September 2003
Something Neat, Something Helpful, Something Weird, & Something New - September 26th
August 2003Some Basic, Some Cool, & Some Handy Mac OS X Tips - August 19th
July 2003
The Bifocals Guide To The iTunes Music StoreJuly 2003 - July 25th
May 2003
Two Dandy OS X Apps, & Some Beginner OS X HintsMay 2003 - May 30th
April 2003
Getting Started With Mac OS X - April 18th
March 2003
Nancy's Basic Tips For Using Keynote - March 13th
January 2003Impressions From My First Macworld - January 14th
December 2002Getting Involved With A MUG - December 13th
November 2002Hints & Strategies For Buying On eBay - November 15th
More Hints & Strategies For Selling On eBay, Part 2 - November 8th
Hints & Strategies For Selling On eBay - November 1st
Things Nobody Remembered To Tell You - October 16th
August 2002Basic Web Page Creation Tips - August 28th
July 2002The Bifocal Guide To Mozilla Surfing - July 24th
A Compendium Of Information For New Users - July 11th
Farewell To Kings: A Great Mac Card Game - May 29th
Creating Logos & Instant Messaging In OS X - May 22nd
Burning Files To CD, The Bifocals Way - May 15th
March 2002
iPhoto, The Bifocals Way - March 5th
January 2002
How I Got Burned Out Trying To Burn A CD - January 23rd
December 2001
What Happens When You Combine Gambling With A Board Game? Monopoly Casino - December 14th
November 2001
Games, Holiday Suggestions, & Learning A Basic The Hard Way - November 16th
October 2001
Another Mac Success Story - October 24th
September 2001
Nancy's Guide: How Do I Do That On A Mac/PC? - September 27th
A Day Late And A Dollar Short, But Running As Fast As I Can - September 13th
August 2001
Word Tips, Broadband Info, Removing Mac OS X, & More - August 31st
Nancy's Stats On Seniors & Their Macs - August 23rd
July 2001
Recommended Web Sites & The Further Adventures Of The Little Performa That Could - July 30th
June 2001
Cremation, Faulty E-mail, & Comics - Now How Is She Going To Pull All That Together? - June 20th
May 2001
Make Your Own Mah Jongg Tiles (Mac & Mac OS X) - May 16th
Commonly Used Terms Related To The Internet - Part II - May 9th
Commonly Used Terms Related To The Internet - Part I - May 2nd
April 2001
Nancy's Nifty Newbie JavaScript Web Tips - April 25th
Feedback On Reshaping The iMac Line & A Newbie Mac Radio Tip - April 18th
Reshaping The iMac For The Digital Hub - April 11th
Nancy's Mac Basics Quiz (& Cheat Sheet!) - April 5th
March 2001
OS X? What's That? Looking At OS X Through Bifocals - March 28th
My E-mail Is DOWN? The Apocalypse Has Begun... - March 21st
More Information About CD-R/W Disks & Some Browser Tips - March 14th
The In's & Out's & Do's & Don't's Of CD-R Media - March 7th
February 2001
Backing Up Computer Information - February 28th
A Mac Success Story - February 21st
Nancy's Guide To Mac Help Web Sites, Part II - February 14th
Nancy's Guide To Mac Help Web Sites, Part I - February 7th
January 2001
Mac Games For The Winter Blahs - January 31st
E-mail Basics, Part III: A Printable Guide For New Mac Users - January 24th
E-mail Basics, Part II: A Printable Guide For New Mac Users - January 11th
E-mail Basics: A Printable Guide For New Mac Users - January 3rd
December 2000
New Mac For Christmas? Printable Guide For New Mac Users - December 27th
Enough Mac (& Other) Holiday Links To Choke A Microsoft Exec - December 20th
Even More Shareware Games For You Or For Gifts - December 13th
Shareware Games Suggestions & More Tips For You - December 6th
November 2000
More Shortcuts & Other Reader Hints - November 29th
88 Keyboard Shortcuts & Commands, Part II - November 15th
Keyboard Shortcuts & Commands - November 8th
Date & Time & Other Helpful Hints - November 1st
October 2000
A Few More Tips For New Users - October 25th
Truck Driver: I Am Not Alone Because I Have My Mac Laptop - October 18th
Nancy's Guide To Internet/Web/Chat Abbreviations - October 12th
USB Peripherals & Adding A Forward Delete Key To Your iMac - October 6th
September 2000
Holiday Help, Lefty-Tips, & Cool Sites - September 27th
Images Through E-Mail, 22 Copies Of SimpleText, & Folders - September 20th
I Just Can't Help Myself - A Head Start on Holiday Ideas - September 13th
Reader Tips To Help Your Mac - September 6th
August 2000
Why Did My Computer Do That? - August 30th
ScrapIt Pro: A Handy Application For Your Mac - August 23rd
How A Group Of Strangers Sold A Mac At A Wedding - August 16th
Mike's Cards: A Great Mac Card Game - August 9th
Pay Attention Now, There Is Going To Be A Quiz - August 2nd
July 2000
Cool Sites For Hot Weather - July 26th
I Gave my Daughter An iMac, & All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt - July 19th
Letters - July 12th
How To Add Attachments To Your E-Mail Messages - July 6th
June 2000
Space: The Final Frontier & How You Can Help - June 28th
Odds, Ends, & Important Stuff - June 22nd
Things I Learned To Do The Hard Way (I Had To Ask My Daughter) - June 14h
iTools: A Great Tool For Beginners - June 7th
May 2000
More Spiffy Web Page Tips - May 31st
Take Your Right To A Mac For Granted? The Mac In Poland - May 24th
Make That Web Page Spectacular - May 17th
In The Land Of Macintosh - May 10th
Search Directory Tips & More On DVORAK Keyboards - May 3rd
May 2000
Mouse Tips, iMac Updates, & A Great Typing Program - April 26th
Yet More About Lefties & A Web Site For New Users - April 19th
Making Your Mac Desktop Look Bigger - April 12th
Making Your Mac Desktop Look Bigger - April 5th
April 2000
Downloads, Fonts, & Reader Comments - March 29th
Two Great Mac Success Stories - March 22nd
For Your Parents: How To Make Your Cursor Big - March 16th
A Must Have Application For Anyone Who Uses Images - March 8th
Tips, Short Cuts, And The Occasional Miracle - March 1st
February 2000
Having Fun With Sound - February 23rd
OneApp Slide Show Reviewed & More On Computer Eye Strain - February 17th
Working With Icons & Avoiding Physical And Eye Strain - February 9th
PDF Files & Online Tax Forms - February 1st
January 2000
More On Mac Chess, Parental Computers, And What Are Cookies? - January 26th
Tips For Getting Your Parents To Want To Use A Computer - January 19th
Chess And Your Macintosh - January 12th
Basic Computer Skills and Fun with MacBrickout! - January 5th
December 1999
A Capacious Catalog Of Computer Tips - December 29th
Goodbye, Old Friend - December 22nd
Giving Your Parents A Mac? Print This Out For Them! - December 15th
Useful Apps For Your Mac - December 8th
CopyPaste: A Godsend For Power Users & Novices Alike - December 1st
November 1999
More Tips For Mac Novices - November 24th
Update: The Septuagenarian Computer Novice And His iMac - November 17th
Computer Pioneers III: Kay, Gates, Jobs, & Woz - November 10th
Computer Pioneers II: Hewlett, Packard, and Cray - November 3rd
October 1999
A Guide To Computer Pioneers - October 27th
Nancy's Web Tips For The Holidays - October 20th
Tips For The Web - October 14th
Sending HTML Files Through E-mail- October 6th
September 1999
Looking at Hacking From Both Sides - September 29th
Using VersionMaster To Find Mac Programs - September 22nd
Building An Easy Web Page III, Adding Extras - September 15th
Building An Easy Web Page II, Basic HTML - September 8th
Building An Easy Web Page - September 2th
August 1999
Two More Auction Sites Reviewed - August 25th
Two Mac Success Stories From Real-Life - August 18th
Solitaire Games Reviewed and Venturing Into Auctions on the Net - August 11th
Macintosh Computers The Great Equalizer - August 4th
July 1999
Review: Print Explosion 1.0, A Mac-Only Graphics App For Consumers - July 28th
I Got My Photos Back on a CD! Now What Do I Do? - July 21st
Mac Battery 101 And Other Basic Tips - July 14th
Mac Activities For A Hot Summer Afternoon - July 7th
June 1999
More About Slides and Help on Adjusting Memory - June 30th
More Great Game For Your 68K Mac - June 25th
A Man and His Machine - The Dilemma of a First Time User - June 16th
Games You Can Play On Your 68K Mac - June 9th
How To Create A Slide Show - June 2nd
May 1999
Computer Viruses and What To Do With Them - May 28th
Making Tool Bars And Launchers Work For You - May 19th
Beginners: How To Make Tables With ClarisWorks (AppleWorks) - May 12th
My Must-Have Tips For Your Mac - May 5th
April 1999
A Hunting We Will Go - April 28th
How Norton Utilities Saved My Mac/More Y2K - April 21st
Make Your Mac Work For You - April 14th
A Mac Y2K Primer For The Novice - April 7th
March 1999
Get A Fax Without A Fax/Modem - March 31st
A Guide To Making A Will Online - March 24th
A Beginner's Guide To Internet Mac Shopping, Part II - March 17th
A Beginner's Guide To Internet Mac Shopping, Part I - March 10th
Give This To Your Parents: Search Engine Searching Explained - March 3rd
February 1999
Start Up Sounds On Your Mac - February 24th
Apparently Some Of You Can Do Some Things Better Than Me - February 17th
Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better.. I Can Do Anything Better Than You...- February 10th
Pitfalls, Pratfalls, and Dumb Luck, Part II- February 3rd
January 1999
Pitfalls, Pratfalls, and Dumb Luck, Part I- January 27th
Floppy This! A Guide To A Virtual Floppy- January 20th
Keeping Up With Friends And Family- January 14th
How The PC Dragon Stole My Magic Mac Kingdom- January 6th
December 1998
Adding Pictures To Your Documents- December 30th
The Further Adventures of Stuffit and an Introduction to GraphicConverter- December 23rd
Making Stuffit A Little Less Stuffy- December 16th
What to Give, What to Give?- December 9th
Odds, Ends, and Accouterments- December 2nd
November 1998
AOL Vs. A Local ISP- November 25th
How to Use Your Mac to Facilitate an Old Fashioned Holiday- November 18th
How to Use Your Mac to Keep Up With Your Government- November 11th
Demo's, Shareware, and Freeware. Oh My!- November 4th
October 1998
Of Children And Experts- October 28th
Creating Family Trees- October 21st
Trivial Thoughts From Me-Worthy Thoughts From Readers- October 14th
Software For Fun And Profit- October 7th
September 1998
Searching On The Net And Other Mac Adventures- September 30th
The Top Ten Reasons I Like My Macintosh- September 23rd
Finding People On The Net (With Your Mac)- September 16th
My First Mac Was A Typewriter- September 9th
Copies of Nancy's book Tips, Hints, and Solutions for Seasoned Beginners Using Apple Macintosh Computers With OS X are available in PDF download versions for US$9.57 and in print version for $18.15 plus $4.00 shipping. To view sample pages and get ordering information visit the September 14, 2004 column.
Check out Nancy's complete index of all her columns for the most complete list of tips anywhere. The list is categorized and is a great reference when you are looking for help!
|
Nancy has a Master's degree in Human Services Administration and prior to her retirement she worked for almost 30 years in field of mental health and mental retardation. She has been a Mac user for 11 years, and has recently developed an avocation of teaching basic computer skills in both group and one-to-one settings.
Most Recent Computing With Bifocals Columns
- Nancy's (Alternate) Holiday Gift Guide - November 30th
- Teaching 400(+) People to Use a Mac - November 18th
- Review: iRemember Digital Scrapbooking - October 31st
Other "Computing With Bifocals" Columns
Observer Comments
Recent Headlines - Updated Saturday, December 10th, 2005
- Sat., 11:15 AM
- TMO To Go Podcast - Weekly Roundup: Dec. 9th, 2005
- Fri., 7:55 PM
- iPod Drives Global Chip Sales Up
- 7:00 PM
- Google Earth beta for Mac OS X leaked
- 2:00 PM
- Review - PowerBlock
- 1:15 PM
- Apple Hot Deals Update For ClubMac, MacMall, PowerMax
- 12:00 PM
- Mac Gaming News - Gamepedia: Mac Game Database
- 10:50 AM
- nGenuity Pledges Apple Safari, Firefox Support
- 10:10 AM
- Apple/Sirius Deal Unlikely
- 9:10 AM
- Analysts: 5G iPod Matching nano Sales
- 7:50 AM
- OmniGraffle 4.1 Adds Intel Support
- 12:00 AM
- System Utility iPulse Adds Support for Intel Processors
The Mac Observer Reader Specials
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