|
 You can do IT is a regular feature
of laterlife.com aimed at trying to help
laterlife visitors make the most of Information
Technology on or off the web.
Jackie Sherman who runs the
You can do IT Question & Answer
section is an IT trainer and author. Jackie has spent
her career in education and specialises in teaching
IT to adults. Her courses for adults include such
topics as MS Office, the Internet, e-mail and basic
web page authoring.
  Jackie
has also written the four books shown
here - you can find more details about these by
clicking on the cover images above. Jackie has
also been running a course specifically for over
50s.
 Via laterlife.com Jackie aims to
particularly help those new to IT and the web to build
up knowledge and confidence, so no question is too
basic. At the same time she will cover Q&As for the
more experienced user.
So if you would like to ask a question
of Jackie, why not email her jackie@laterlife.com
or if you have discovered something
which may be of interest to others in making the most
of the web, then she would love to hear about that too
jackie@laterlife.com
February 2008
Q: I use Excel but get confused with all the error
messages. Can you explain some of the more common ones?
A: These usually
appear when you try to create a formula and get something
wrong. Here are the five errors you are most likely to
encounter:
#NAME? – this appears when a text entry such as the name
of a cell, or the function name, is misspelt, or you leave out
the colon in a range of cells.
#VALUE! – this means you have made an incorrect entry,
for example text instead of a number
##### - this simply means the column is not wide enough
to display the result of a calculation. Just widen the column
and the answer will appear
#DIV/0! – you will see this if you try to divide a number
by 0 or by the address of a blank cell
Circular reference – when you enter the cell address of
the cell where the calculation will be performed, rather than
the range of cells alongside, this is the result. You need to
change the final cell address entry in the range and the
calculation can then be performed.
__________________________________________________________________________
Q: What are podcasts and how do they work?
A: This is the
name given to audio files e.g. radio programs that you can
download onto your computer or audio player and listen to
whenever you want to. The most well-known provider of podcasts
is the BBC, but you can also find them on many websites. (Videos
are available in a similar way and are referred to as vodcasts.)
If you want to receive podcasts on a regular basis, you can
subscribe to them free and, each week, the next instalment will
be sent to your computer automatically.
To receive podcasts, you first have to download appropriate
software such as iTunes, Google Reader or one of the many
strangely-named programs available free such as those found at
www.podcastingnews.com/topics/Podcast_Software.html. Then just
visit the appropriate web page, click to download a single
program or subscribe and you will receive the program regularly.
Nowadays, there are even websites such as Podnova or PodBlaster
devoted to organising and listing favourite podcasts so you can
find one easily.
Q: I want to switch to a different
utility provider. Do you
have any advice about the best way to do this?
A: I am afraid I
am no expert on how companies price their supplies, but I do
know that it is very easy to switch online and you may even be
paid to do so!
Before you start, dig out a few old bills so you know how much
gas or electricity you are using, what you are spending with
your current supplier, or what your monthly fixed payments
are. Then visit one of the many comparison sites.
According to Martin Lewis of
www.moneysavingexpert.com , some companies recently offering
cash-back if you switch through them include Energyhelpline,
Moneysupermarket and Uswitch, so visit those sites first to
check what they are offering and then carry out the
comparison. All you need do is enter your postcode, address and
supplier details and they work out how much you can save.
If you choose to go ahead, no physical processes are involved as
it is all done on paper by the various head offices. You have 7
days in which to change your mind once you agree to switch, and
they will then switch you over in about 6 – 8 weeks. Read the
terms and conditions, but usually you can switch again after 28
days without penalty, if your supplier suddenly decides to
increase prices. (Important if you don't want to stay with
nPower and then your new supplier follows the recent price
rise).
For many other money-saving tips, why not enter your email
address on Martin Lewis's website and get his regular updates?
View previous editions of
YoucandoIT
for more useful Questions and Answers
For a wealth of books on the web and IT generally,
visit Amazon
and under the books section select Computers and
Internet.
Don't forget to visit the general
laterlife features section called laterlife
interest
|
