Take Screenshots with the Snipping Tool in Windows 7 & Windows 8

All of us have done our fair share of working with images. Both Windows 7 and Windows 8 offer an easy to use tool for taking more complex screenshots, named the Snipping Tool. In this tutorial I will share how to take screenshots using this tool, how to save, edit or email a shot, how to use the available markup tools and how to change the settings of the application.

Where to Find the Snipping Tool in Windows 7

Windows 7 offers numerous ways to get to the Snipping Tool. You can go to the Start Menu, chooseAccessories and then click Snipping Tool.

A second way is to type the word "snipping" in the Start Menu search box and click Snipping Tool.

Where to Find the Snipping Tool in Windows 8

In Windows 8, right click on the Start screen and click All apps. Then, go to Windows Accessories and you will find its shortcut there.

Obviously, you can type the word snip and the Start screen displays the appropriate results.

This opens the Snipping Tool application and its window looks similar to the screenshot below.

As you can see, the application looks almost identical to the Windows 7 version. Its features are the same in both operating systems. Only a few minor settings (e.g. the default ink color) are different than in Windows 7.

That’s why the remainder of this tutorial will be done using the version existing in Windows 7.

Snipping Tool’s Main Interface

The Snipping Tool window has three important buttons: New, Cancel and Options.

The New button allows you to select the type of screenshot that you want to take and take a screenshot. The Cancel button enables you to cancel the current action. The Options button allows you to customize different aspects of the application.

How to Take a Custom Screenshot

There are four types of captures found under the New button:

• The Free-form Snip enables you to draw an irregular line around an object or area.
• The Rectangular Snip allows you to take a screenshot shaped as a rectangle, by dragging the cursor around an object.
• Window Snip allows you to select a window (e.g. your Internet browser) or dialogue box (e.g. error message received from an application) and capture it.
• Full-screen Snip enables you to capture the entire screen, like the old-fashioned Print Screen key.

To share an example, let’s see how to capture a part of your Desktop using Free-form Snip. First of all select the Free-form Snip from the drop down menu and then choose the area that you want to cut.

Select the area that interests you by clicking and dragging your cursor. As you drag, the selected area is surrounded by a red border, if you are using the default settings.

When you release the mouse button, the captured area is automatically copied to the mark-up window, where you can annotate, save or share the screenshot.

How to Edit a Screenshot

This editing window offers useful tools for editing the capture you took. For example, if you are not satisfied with the quality of the picture you can always make a new one using New Snip button. Before saving your screenshot, you can use the ’Pen and Highlighter’ tools from the toolbar and add markup to the capture. The Eraser tool will remove marks made with the ’Pen and Highlighter’.

To save the screenshot, press the Save Snip button, select the location, complete the file’s name and choose the file type: PNG, GIF JPEG or HTML. The, press Save.

NOTE: If you want to find out more about file types, I recommend file-extensions.org.

You may email a screenshot without saving it to your computer, by using the ’Send Snip’ button on the toolbar. It gives you two options: E-mail Recipient and E-mail Recipient (as attachment).

NOTE: For using this option you need to have an account configured in your default email program. In case you don’t have an email address configured, I suggest saving the screenshot as an image and then sending it using your web-based email account (e.g. Hotmail, Yahoo! Mail, Gmail, etc).

How to Customize the Snipping Tool

When you start the Snipping Tool, you can click on the Options button to set your preferences on how the program should work.

Options is found also in the Tools menu.

The options are broken up into Application and Selections groups.

The Application section has a set of checkboxes that enable you to make the following changes:

• ’Hide Instruction Text’ - hide the instruction text in the main Snipping Tool window.
• ’Always copy snips to the Clipboard’ - copy all captures to the Windows clipboard so you can paste them into other applications (e.g. Word processors or image editors).
• ’Include URL below snips (HTML only)’ - save your snips as a Single File HTML or MHT documents. If a snip is taken from an Internet Explorer window, it also shows the URL of the webpage included in the screenshot.
• ’Prompt to save snips before exiting’ - gives you a heads up if you have any captures that you have not saved, prior to closing the program.
• ’Show screen overlay’ - if disabled, when you are taking a screenshot, the Snipping Tool transparent overlay disappears from the screen.

The second section, named Selection Options, allows you to make a few settings regarding the color palette :

• ’Ink Color’ - changes the color of the selection border when you create a snip.
• ’Show selection ink after snips are captured’ - when enabled, the selection border will be shown, using the color selected in the ’Ink Color’ option, around the snip.

Conclusion

Now that you know how to use the Snipping Tool, the coast is clear for you to take great looking captures.


References: http://www.7tutorials.com/how-use-snipping-tool

熬过了我们就结婚

有位心理学家曾写道，一个成熟称得上真爱的恋情必须经过四个阶段，那就是：共存、反依赖、怀疑、共生，之间转换所需的时间不一定，因人而易。

第一个阶段：共存。这是热恋时期，不论何时何地总希望能腻在一起。

第二个阶段：反依赖。一方想多一点时间做自己想做的事，这时另一方就会感到被冷落，总是因为一点小事去计较和数落。

第三个阶段：怀疑。这是第二个阶段的延续，要求更多独立自主的时间，总是觉得对自己不好了，没以前爱自己了。

第四个阶段：共生。这时新的相处之道成形，你们已经成为最亲密的人。你们在一起相互扶持、一起开创属于你们人生你们在一起不会互相牵绊，而会互相成长，他（她）就像是你的亲人。

但是，好多人都通不过第二或第三阶段，选择分手。其实很多事只要好好沟通就会没事，可是想太多和任性就是无法避免。

你发现了吗？你们本没有相同之处，外表不相像，性格也是南辕北辙，但是相爱然后在一起，日复一日，年复一年，你会惊讶你的眼睛竟有点像他的眼睛。他的微笑竟也有点像你的微笑。你们走路的步伐变得相似。你们说话的语气也愈来愈像。你们爱喝同一杯饮料。你们的口头禅变得一样。你们总能猜到对方下一句话是什么。原来我们会变成我们所爱的人。

你在不知不觉中让他改掉了他爱皱眉的坏习惯。这个改变，或许连他自己也不曾察觉。他在不知不觉中让你变得做事不再马马虎虎。你差点认不出自己。会在不知不觉中逐渐变成对方理想中的人，这种改变，绝对不是刻意的。两个人相处时间越久，气质也越相近，有一天你惊讶地发现，这样的你们多么默契。

或许再也遇不到这样的感情。深深爱着一个人的时候，你原来真的会一点一点失去自己，可是为什么你还会觉得快乐呢。大概是因为你在失去的同时，也赚了，你把他的气质和他的微笑都赚回来了。

朋友，你们走到哪个阶段了？世界上遇到唯一的你多么不容易，能不能不要轻言放弃。能不能一直走下去。请不要说下辈子，我多怕下辈子再遇不到你。所以就这辈子，就让我们一直在一起走下去。


References:

http://blog.voc.com.cn/blog_showone_type_blog_id_690740_p_1.html 

http://site.douban.com/widget/notes/8494144/note/222325081/ 

How to Burn CDs and DVDs in Windows Media Player 12

Windows Media Player 12 allows computers with built-in CD and/or DVD burners to quickly and easily create audio CDs, data CDs and Data DVDs. This functionality makes creating mix CDs and copying audio CDs for playback in car stereos and other CD players incredibly simple. Alternately, Windows Media Player 12 can burn data CDs for playback in devices that support .mp3 and .wma playback. Windows Media Player 12 can also burn pictures, songs and videos onto Data DVDs. Read on how to find out how to burn CDs and DVDs with Windows Media Player 12.

Note: Windows Media Player 12 does not support burning of VCDs or DVD-Video (i.e. discs for video playback when inserted into a DVD player). In order to burn standalone video DVDs, you will have to purchase or download third-party software.

With Windows Media Player 12, you can burn mixes or entire CDs onto a CD-R, CD-RW or DVD. To begin, insert a blank CD or DVD into your disc drive. If the autoplay window pops up, choose 'Burn an audio CD'.

Otherwise, simply open Windows Media Player 12.

Step 1: Creating a Burn List

When you insert a blank disc, the Burn List should appear automatically. If it does not, click theBurn tab in the top-right. If there are items left over from the last time you were playing files, click'Clear List' to start fresh.

To add songs to your Burn List, locate them in your Library. The easiest way to add songs is to drag and drop the album into the Burn List. Don't worry - this won't delete them from your Library.

You can also select each track individually and drag it to add it to the Burn List or choose multiple tracks and drag them into the Burn List.

Lastly, you can also right-click a song or group of songs and click 'Add to' and choose 'Burn List'.

Click the text that reads 'Burn List' to name your disc. This will show up on CD players that support CD text. You can also drag and drop songs in your Burn List to reorder them.

Step 2: Choosing a Disc Type

With Windows Media Player 12, there are three different types of discs you can burn:

• Audio CD - Audio CDs hold roughly 80 minutes of music regardless of file size in terms of megabytes. For example, it doesn't matter if your Burn List consists of 1 MB songs encoded at 96 Kbps or 3 MB songs encoded at 196 Kbps - all that matters is how long the songs are. Audio CDs are readable by computers and are playable in any CD player, regardless of which format the files were in before you burned the CD. For example, if you burn .wma files onto an audio CD, the disc will be playable in CDs and stereos even if they do not support digital audio files.
• Data CD - Data CDs are readable by computers and CD players that support playback of digital audio files. These can hold significantly more songs than an audio CD, but the songs will not be playable on standard CD players. Data CDs tend to hold about 700 MB worth of data, regardless of the length of the song.
• Data DVD - Data DVDs are readable by DVD players that support playback of digital audio files. You can also burn images and video files onto a DVD. However, these will not be readable by standard DVD players. Data DVDs are primarily intended to be readable by computers. Most DVDs hold about 4 GB of data, regardless of length.

To choose which type of disc to burn, click the 'Burn options' icon in the upper-right hand corner and choose it from the drop-down menu. You may also want to adjust some of the burn options by clicking 'More burn options'.

Step 3: Choose Burn Options

In the 'Burn Options' window, there are a number of options:

• Burn Speed - This changes how fast your disc is burned and will not affect the end product. We recommend choosing a slower burn speed, regardless of how fast your burner is. This takes a bit longer, but helps prevents skips and failed burns (which essentially waste a disc). Slower burn speeds are best for playback in car stereos or older devices with lesser skip protection capabilities.
• Automatically eject the disc after burning - This is self-explanatory.
• Apply volume leveling across tracks - This option attempts to normalize the volume levels so each track is about the same volume. This is useful when making mix CDs pulled from several different albums. This only applies to audio CDs.
• Burn CD without gaps - By default, most burners will insert 1 to 2 seconds of silence between each song. Check this to omit these gaps. When selecting this option, keep in mind that not all burners support this feature. Gapless burning also increases the chances of skips and failed burns.
• Add a list of all burned files to the disc in this format - Choose from .wpl or .m3u. In supported CD players, this will allow the device to read and display the track information, such as artist and album name. This only applies to data CDs.
• Use media information to arrange files in folders on the disc - This option will arrange the songs into folders, similarly to how they are in your Library. This only affects data CDs and is convenient when burning data CDs with many, many songs, as it saves you from hitting skip over and over. However, note, that your CD player must support folder navigation for this to be a benefit.

Step 4: Burn Your Disc

Once you're satisfied with your settings, click Apply and OK. Next, click 'Start burn' to begin.

When the burn begins, the status will be displayed at the top of the Burn List. Click the blue underlined text to see the status of each individual track.

And that's it! Once your burn is completed, you'll be able to use your audio CD, data CD or data DVD in any compatible computer or device.

Conclusion

As you can see, Windows Media Player 12 makes burning discs incredibly easy. The discs you burn with Windows Media Player 12 can be played back in car stereos and standard CD players as well as disc players that support .mp3 and .wma playback. Once you choose your burn settings, you can burn discs with just a few clicks using any song from your Library.


References: http://www.7tutorials.com/how-burn-cds-and-dvds-windows-media-player-12

極少人知道手機的隱密功能!!!

◎ 手機功能代碼：

１、當不喜歡別人打攪自己的時候，又不想關機，給大家一個辦法，使自己的號碼變成空號。

輸入＊＊２１＊９９９９９９＃，按打電話時候的撥出鍵。當別人撥打你的電話時候就你的號碼就變成空號了。再輸入＃＃２１＃，在按撥出鍵 又正常了。

PS：這個功能電訊公司是不收費的，應該是手機號碼的一個漏洞。可以當場實驗，如果覺得好用就轉給你好友，以後不想接聽那個令你傷心的她/或他的電話的時候，就用得到了。

２、識別手機質量的好壞先按＊＃０６＃，然後在你的手機上會出現一個序列號給你，你就數到第七個和第八個數。假如你的第七個和第八個數是下面對應的兩個數，那麼你的手機質量的好壞就確定了。

０２or２０是很差的手機

０８or８０是好一點兒的手機

０１or１０是非常好的手機

００代表是原產公司生產的，是質量最好的手機（原裝手機）

１３代表是阿賽拜疆生產的，是非常非常差的手機

３、隱形的備用電池你的手機電量不足了，為了讓它能夠繼續使用，按＊３３７０＃鍵，手機會重新啟動，啟動完畢後，你就會發現電量增加了５０%。這部分隱藏的備用電量用完了你就必須得充電了，再次充電的時候，隱形的備用電池也同時充電，下次電量低的時候又可以用這個方法。知道這個在緊急情況下如果手機電量不足非常管用。

◎車用遙控器落在車裡了？

你的車用遙控能打開吧？如果可以，在你有一天將車用遙控器落在車里而且備用的遙控又在家裡的話，你會發現有個手機真方便，用手機撥通家里人的手機，將你的手機拿在離車門一英尺的地方，同時家里人拿著遙控器在他的手機旁邊按響遙控器上的開鎖鍵，這邊你的車門就可以打開了。這個方法不管你把車開得離家有多遠都奏效。

◎緊急情況

全世界的手機都可以撥打的共同緊急救援號碼是１１２，假如你發現自己所在的地區無手機信號覆蓋，同時你又遇到了緊急狀況，用你的手機撥打１１２準沒錯，因為這時候你的手機會自動搜索所有可用的網絡並建立起緊急呼叫。特別有趣的是，即使你的手機是在鍵盤鎖定的狀態，你同樣可以撥打１１２。試試吧！

◎手機被偷了？

有個辦法讓小偷也用不了，嘿嘿！查看手機的序列號，只需鍵入＊＃０６＃，１５位序列號會出現在手機屏幕上，全世界的每一台手機都有一個獨一無二的序列號，把這個序列號記錄下來並保存好。

有一天如果你的手機不幸被偷了，打電話給手機提供商，並提供你的手機序列號，他們會幫你把手機屏蔽，這樣即使小偷換了ＳＩＭ卡，仍然無法使用，你的手機對小偷來說變得一無是處。

如果全世界每個手機持有者都這麼做，那麼偷手機就沒有意義了。

在澳洲，警方甚至建立了一個被盜手機數據庫，如果你的手機被找到了，就可以歸還給你了。

◎日常維護必用：

１、手機電池不要等到沒電才充電

一般我們都會有一種想法就是手機的電池電力要全部放完再充電比較好基本上是沒錯的，因為我們在以前使用的充電電池大部分是鎳氫（ＮｉＨ）電池，而鎳氫電池有所謂的記憶效應若不放完電再充的話會導致電池壽命急速減少。

因此我們才會用到最後一滴電才開始充電。但現在的手機及一般ＩＡ產品大部分都用鋰（Ｌｉ）電池，而鋰電池的話就沒有記憶效應的問題。

若大家還是等到全部用完電後再充的話反而會使得鋰電池內部的化學物質無法反應而壽命減少。

最好的方法就是沒事就充電讓它隨時隨地保持最佳滿格狀態，這樣你的電池就可用的又長又久喔。這是從廠商那得到的訊息，並經過本身測試而得。

２、當手機正在充電時，請勿接電話

原因是手機在充電時，來電接聽的話會有潛在的危險。

印度有一個３１歲在保險公司任職業務經理的年輕人，十幾天前在手機還接著充電器的時候接聽電話，過了幾秒大量的電流經過手機，這個年輕人被摔落到地面，家人發現時，手指燒傷、心跳微弱、已經失去意識，經緊急送到醫院後，醫生宣佈到院死亡。

行動電話是目前大家最常使用的現代發明，然而，我們也必須要警覺到儀器致死的危險。

３、手機剩一格時不要使用

收訊滿格與只剩一格時相比，發射強度竟然相差１０００倍以上，所以常講手機的人要注意哦！

大家都知道手機的電磁波一直是讓人擔心的問題，而手機的設計為了在收訊較差的地區仍能保有相當的通話質量，會加強手機的電磁波發射強度，當收訊滿格與只剩一格時相比，發射強度竟然相差１０００倍以上，電磁波強度高達０.６Ｗ（瓦特），０.６Ｗ究竟有多強呢？

我無法具體描述它對你的腦袋會有什么不良影響，但可以換成兩個例子來比較：

（１）把喇叭直徑約４公分左右的小型收音機音量開到最大然後貼在耳朵上，那樣的噪音能量一般為０.２５Ｗ，不到０.５Ｗ。

（２）把手指頭放在輸出強度０.１Ｗ的雷射光前面（相當於光纖網絡的幹線能量）幾秒鐘內你會有灼痛的感覺，你能長時間忍受上述這兩種狀況嗎？

◎手機一進水，請切記不要作任何按鍵動作，尤其是關機（一按任何動作，水馬上會跟著電路板流串），正確的方法為馬上打開外蓋，直接將電池拿下，直接強迫斷電，可保主機板不被水侵襲。這個常識非常重要，故轉告各位，使大家的手機可用久一點。學一學吧！以後以備不時之需啊！

◎如何讓手機電池起死回生

當你的行動電話電池使用時間變短（記憶效應或老化）時，你是否會再買一顆電池來更換呢？下次當你碰到這種情況時請省下你的錢，告訴你一個很有效的方法不妨試試看：

（１）把電池用報紙包起來再放進塑料袋裹包好放入冷凍庫三天（報紙可吸收多餘水份）

（２）三天後取出常溫下放二天

（３）二天後將電池充電，充飽後裝進行動電話裹測試（預估可救回８０%～９０%）本訊息由知名電池廠商工程師透，根據測試過的朋友指出效果相當有效！

至於有沒有效果，反正電池快沒用了，而且冰箱人人有，各位朋友不妨試試看吧！

◎給你的手機做個ＣＰＲ吧！

手機是否常斷電？或是明明充飽了電沒多久就又沒電了？一定懷疑過是不是手機的壽命終了？別擔心，它只是一時"心跳停止"，只要一塊小小的橡皮擦就能起死回生了！

把電池取出後用橡皮擦把電池上的接點（黃銅片）擦乾淨，再裝回手機上，你會發現真是太神奇了！它竟然活過來了！還像顆新的呢！

真的很有用，提供大家做參考！ 

References: 

https://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=447801877280 

http://rumor.nownews.com/rumor/rumor.php?eid=6014 

http://5i01.com/topicdetail.php?f=37&t=1733081&p=1 

Microsoft Unveils a New Look

In advance of one of the most significant waves of product launches in Microsoft’s history, today we are unveiling a new logo for the company.

It’s been 25 years since we’ve updated the Microsoft logo and now is the perfect time for a change. This is an incredibly exciting year for Microsoft as we prepare to release new versions of nearly all of our products. From Windows 8 to Windows Phone 8 to Xbox services to the next version of Office, you will see a common look and feel across these products providing a familiar and seamless experience on PCs, phones, tablets and TVs. This wave of new releases is not only a reimagining of our most popular products, but also represents a new era for Microsoft, so our logo should evolve to visually accentuate this new beginning.

The Microsoft brand is about much more than logos or product names. We are lucky to play a role in the lives of more than a billion people every day. The ways people experience our products are our most important “brand impressions”. That’s why the new Microsoft logo takes its inspiration from our product design principles while drawing upon the heritage of our brand values, fonts and colors.

The logo has two components: the logotype and the symbol. For the logotype, we are using the Segoe font which is the same font we use in our products as well as our marketing communications. The symbol is important in a world of digital motion (as demonstrated in the video above.) The symbol’s squares of color are intended to express the company’s diverse portfolio of products.

Starting today, you’ll see the new Microsoft logo being used prominently. It will be used on Microsoft.com – the 10th most visited website in the world. It is in three of our Microsoft retail stores today (Boston, Seattle’s University Village and Bellevue, Wash.) and will shine brightly in all our stores over the next few months. It will sign off all of our television ads globally. And it will support our products across various forms of marketing. Fully implementing a change like this takes time, so there may be other instances where you will see the old logo being used for some time.

We’re excited about the new logo, but more importantly about this new era in which we’re reimagining how our products can help people and businesses throughout the world realize their full potential.

Posted by Jeff Hansen
General Manager, Brand Strategy, Microsoft 

References: http://blogs.technet.com/b/microsoft_blog/archive/2012/08/23/microsoft-unveils-a-new-look.aspx