I am extremely proud to present you with my brand new FingerTips newsletter - what do you think? I designed it myself after many many hours of digging around for templates and designs without finding exactly what I was after.

This time, in addition to my usual roundup of shortcuts, websites and virus alerts, I explain Blogs and give you some great links for starting one. Also, so info on a new computer-cruise I'm hosting! I'd love to meet some of you...

Thanks for your lovely messages about my little boy, Miles - he's already 8mths, crawling and climbing everything - he's just a delight to all including his 4yr and 12yr old sisters and doting Dad.

Now FingerTips has had a makeover, it will be coming to you more regularly. Dare I commit to weekly?

Short for the term ‘web log’, a blog is an online journal – a collection of entries published by the owner. The practice of blogging has really taken off, and you’ll find a blog to cover every topic of discussion or interest. You’ll even find some which are not of interest at all – even to the bloggers themselves!

The main annoyance when it comes to blogs you like is if they are rarely updated. There's nothing worse than hunting down a blog to find it was last updated over a year ago.

If nothing else, blogs can be a great way of keeping your family and friends up to date with your travels! Have a go at creating your own by visiting some of the free blogger sites:

Get a Blog Going

• www.blogger.com
  
• www.blogsource.com
  
• www.iblog.com
  

• www.loobylu.com - the crafty virtual home of a very talented Melbourne mum, illustrator and toy maker named Claire....
  
• www.getmega.com/megablog - my very own blog - started so I could research the whole world of blogging, and now I can't stop! Although I do have to share with someone called Yvonne.. hmmm...
• www.readymade.com/blog - for people who like to make stuff (cute DIY)
  
• www.domesticgoddess.ca - one of the most popular food related blogs - full of recipes, advice and all things nice!

Fancy a 9-day Pacific Islands cruise? Sounds like something you've always wanted to treat yourself to, but never dared, huh?! What if I told you you'd be able to combine a cruise with a few days of computer lessons? Conducted by me!

No need to rub your eyes in disbelief - it's for real. Departing 30 August 2006 on Australia's largest cruise ship, the Pacific Sun, we'll enjoy an exclusive cocktail party, visit gorgeous islands and sample all the ship's activities. In your lessons on board with ME, you'll learn how to navigate around Windows, get the best Internet and email tricks and find out how to conquer your digital camera!

Put together by a professional cruise agent, this is the enriching break you'll find hard to pass up. Visit my website for the full itinerary, prices and a booking form.

While putting together this issue of FingerTips, I received an email from subscriber: Wayne A asking for recommendations on good anti-spyware/adware programs. At the very same time, I had Spybot going in the background and was just about to load Adaware! So I thought it was a good time to remind you all to run these handy utilities.

Spyware and adware are little annoying programs that find their way onto your computer via your internet surfing. These nastly little programs will watch your surfing habits in order to display relevant advertising to you. They slow down your computer and are about as necessary and helpful as a virus - ie: NOT.

Once installed, use the link in both programs to download the latest updates, then run Spybot first. Reboot, then run Adaware.

Both programs will recommend that you remove any issues they find, and you should take that advice (they backup what is removed, so it's pretty safe!)

If you're running Windows, you should visit the Windows Update site to get all available patches and updates.

While writing this, Adaware found 43 'critical objects' on my own PC and I had great pleasure in killing them all off!

If you're in Melbourne and you need a PC HealthCheck, I have some very friendly Ms Mega helpers who can come to the rescue. Call 1300 734 904. Charges apply.

Have you caught the new Channel 10 morning show yet? 9-11am weekdays, it's live and it's a really modern, fun look at what's going on around us. I'm the official 'technology expert' on Wednesdays at 10:30am discussing the usual technology topics.

Some websites I've come across this month that you'll be sure to find amusing and helpful!

• The Subservient Chicken - if you've got a high speed internet connection, this one will have the family cracking up. He really does do what you tell him!
• How Stuff Works - one of my all time favourites has had a makeover recently. It's not as quirky now, but still keeps you glued for hours finding out things you'd never think to ask about! How DO they get the lead into a pencil?
• Do you have some great eBay-worthy stuff lying around the house at home but the thought of using eBay makes you roll your eyes skyward and take a deep breath? In Melbourne, and coming to all states soon you can drop your goods into a Simply Sold store! They'll do all of the hard work for you... (they take a percentage, but what did you expect?!)

Lost the Volume control icon?

Many people have asked me how to get back the little speaker icon that used to be in the bottom right corner of the screen (the system tray).

They never seem to know how it disappeared, but you can bet it was an over-zealous mouse drag by one of the kids or something like that. To get it back:

In Windows XP:

• Alt + D takes you directly to the address bar... just type your url and Enter to go
• When you need to get to a website that ends in a simple '.com' without any '.au' on the end, just type the main part of the domain name into the address bar, then use the shortcut Ctrl + Enter. You'll see the address is completed automatically for you, taking you to the site instantly.

In Outlook, Ctrl + Shift + E creates a new folder. Good for a bit of housekeeping! And while you're at it, you can select a random group of emails by holding down the Ctrl key while you click them. To select a group - click the first email, then Shift + click the last one in the group.

Thanks for getting down this far!

The brand new version of my book: Conquer Your Computer is released on Feb 28 - it's twice as thick as the first one, and even has the spiral binder you all asked for, making it easier to hold open at the computer. I'll have special advance order details for you next week.

xx Mega