Does it squeak?

I’ve been conducting some public training courses in various aspects of computers and their uses. As a personal mental work-out it’s great: however hard you prepare, unexpected questions come from all angles. For instance, you keep talking about the mouse, but what is it? Why is it called a mouse? What crazy person thought of it? Let’s see if we can get some help…

Not exactly catsmeat

TechEncyclopedia has had an honoured place on the Gateway for as long as I can remember. The claim is that it holds definitions for “more than 20,000 IT terms”. I haven’t tested the number, but I bet it’s true because this is a website to rely on. So are mice on the menu here?

The TechEncyclopedia entry on “mouse” is a model of its kind. A five-word basic definition is followed by some history, an explanation of why it’s called a mouse (because it looks a bit like a mouse – duh!), and lots more techy stuff for those that want it. There’s a picture of the first mouse, looking more like a miniature angle grinder, and a line-up of bizarre mice which somehow didn’t catch on.

Some of the definitions raise more questions than answers – no criticism, these things are sometimes, necessarily, complicated – and there are linked microsites which get into very deep waters indeed. But if all you need is a basic definition of a straightforward piece of hardware or software, this should be your first port of call.

By the way, if the first thing you get is a full-page advert, you can easily skip it.

(From the Gateway to websites, select “Computers & the Internet”. TechEncyclopedia is a Key Link.)


Hair today, united tomorrow

Talking of why things are called what they are called, Digital Unite used to be called Hairnet, and I’ve no idea why. Probably a snappy acronym. No matter – now it’s Digital Unite and it’s good at its job, which is to help “people over 50 use IT - from internet & email to social networking & blogs.”

They do this in a number of ways, but probably the most useful to the people we’ve been training in the library is that they can supplement group sessions with one-to-one help and advice on the things they most want to do with computers.

If you click the “Tutors and Training” button on the website, you will see the “Find a Tutor” feature. This has changed: previously you could pop in your postcode and get a list of tutors. Now, presumably to fend off the attentions of machines which access and misuse such lists, you have to send them your details; either a nearby tutor or Digital Unite themselves will contact you (alternatively you can phone a freephone number).

This is not a free service: they quote a price of “around £25 per hour, plus travel”. Discounts, although mentioned, are unspecified. But for a beginner or for someone wanting specialised advice, if they can afford it, this is probably 25 quid well spent.

(From the Gateway to websites, select “Computers and the Internet” Digital Unite is under “Accessibility”.)