Boomcity Tech-Centre

Scott Hastings Online Resources

This page contains a collection of useful documents, links, info and resources.

Email Support:

On behalf of myself and my employers, please feel free to contact me with any of your computer software questions with a brief reminder of where and when we met if we've never coresponded via email before and a detailed description of the assistance you require. Feel free to attach resonable size files to your email if you feel it can assist me in answering your questions.

Email Scott Hastings at Boomcity Tech Centre.

Tips & Tricks:

• The correct use of computers is to get work out of the way, not to get in the way of work.

A good chuckle, or great advice? Here are more tidbits from Scott's lectures:

• You must tell a computer what you want it to do.
• Find bigger buttons.They are easier to relocate and click.
• Keyboard Shortcuts and Right Clicks are very efficient.
• Always blame the computer. Never yourself.
• Never yell at a computer, it may hurt the computers feelings
• A computers soul is philosophic, it's personality is fact
• You cannot break a computer; for to err is human. Think of all those people involved in the creation of the computer & its programs, Computers have errors already, or are 'broken' before we ever get near them.
• If at first you don't succeed, click, click, again
• Using the mouse requires more hand eye co-ordination than the keyboard
• If using a computer was baseball; The cursor is the ball. Keep your eye on the ball
• The mouse was invented to make computers easier to use and access.
• The Comic Sans font should ONLY be used for Children's Birthday Invitations!
• The mouse has two buttons. The Left Click is for Actions. We use our Index Finger (the left click) to press a button to call an elevator, to make something happen. We use our left finger to point something out, to select somthing, or indicate a range (click and drag). Our Right Click gives us options.Read on...
• When using a mouse a right click will show a hidden menu. Also In computers a Black Triangle often indicates there is something 'more'. Click on Black Triangles or Right click Anything so view their hidden menus.. If you don't like what you see, press ESC (escape) or click somewhere else to close them.

Tutorials & Guides:

Scott Hastings' Online Tutorials and Handouts. These documents are primarily designed as supplimental information for Scott's Software Training. Please feel free to download any of them and use as a reference freely.

GENERAL:

• Favourite Keys - A list of Scott's Favourite Keyboard Keys

GRAPHICS:

• Graphics Overview - An overview of computer graphics, colour and resolution
• Pantone Convertion PDF's - Pantone Colors converted to Process (PDF files. 1 2) It's worth pointing out that most Adobe products can convert from Pantone to Process automatically.

ADOBE:

• Illustrator - Cutting Shapes with the Pathfinder Subtract from Shape Button
• Illustrator - Draw a Globe in 2D. Includes Longitudinal & Lateral Lines
• Illustrator - Joining Lines Join the ends of paths in Adobe Illustrator
• Illustrator - Create Patterns Customized Seamless Pattern Swatches for the Swatches Palette
• Photoshop's History System - Overview of Photoshop's History Palette and Brush

MICROSOFT:

• Windows Vista Overview - Although this documentation is designed for VISTA, most of the topics covered relate appropriately to Windows XP. Users of both Windows Vista or XP should find much of this document helpful in their day to day workflow. Some aspects of the reference may possibly prove useful to Mac O/S or Linux users as the major interface browsers are becoming more and homogeneous as they develop.

• Word 2003 Reference - A 10 page Reference document for Word 2003 with Screenshots. This PDF covers: Page Setup, Styles, Format Painter, Columns, Mail Merge, Versions, Table of Contents, Footnotes and Endnotes, & Auto-Correct. Also covers Selecting & Navigating using the Keyboard.
• Excel 2003 MEDIUM Reference - An 11 page Reference document for Excel 2003 with Screenshots. This PDF covers: Styles, Templates, Custom Toolbars, Workbooks, Worksheets, Charts, Names, Sorting Data, Filtering Data, and Subtotals.
• Excel 2003 ADVANCED Reference - A 9 page Reference document for Excel 2003 with Screenshots. This PDF covers: Defaults, Exporting to Word, Impoting text files, Names, IF function, fx Insert Function, Conditional Formatting, Pivot Table Reports & Charts, Comments, Protecting Worksheets. Associated Links and Downloads: Excel 2003
  • Table of Contents Generator - Copy and Paste the code into a blank Macro. Creates a TOC based on the names of the Sheets in the Excel Document Automatically.
• Office 2007 New Features Overview - A .PDF Presentation Created to help users learn all about the 2007 features of Outlook and Office. In September 2007 Scott presented this as a PowerPoint Presentation live in the Whister Hilton Resort Mount Currie Ballroom for the Society of Notaries Public of B.C. The PDF document is a printout of the Notes Included in the original PowerPoint 2007 Presentation (.pptx). The original 2007 Presentation is available below as well as a shortened 2003 version of the document.

• Associated Links and Downloads

• • 2003 Version of the Presentation
  • A cut down version of the Office 2007 Overview in .ppt format for 2003 users
  • 2007 Version of the Presentation
  • Full Original PowerPoint 2007 Overview created for PowerPoint 2007
  • PowerPoint 2007 Viewer
  • Microsoft's Website Download allows anyone to view 2007 PowerPoint files.

• Office 2007 Transition Package

• www.boomcity.biz/librarybooks/resources/OFFICE2007.zip
• Includes: Flash and Excel Conversion Guides, Transition Guides, 2003-2007 Compatibility Pack & a PDF version of the notes provided with the 2007 version of the above Office 2007 presentation.

WEB DEVELOPMENT

Check out the Web Development section and the materials at the bottom of this page. Press the END key

Links & Online Resources:

If you ever find useful reference sites please email them to the Tech Centre!

General

• Google Cheat Sheet - Must see for using the amazing search engine
• about.com - Information, goods, and services for just about everything
• Wikipedia - A free encyclopedia built collaboratively using Wiki software
• Acronymfinder - A free acronym definition website

Graphics

• John Lovett's Design Overview - The Elements and Principles of Design
• Graphic Comm Central - Graphic communication education and training.
• Scantips - Site about scanning, not very pretty. (Rest my case about Comic Sans)
• Truetype typography.com - A site regarding True Type fonts and their history

Web

• BlueHost - Website hosting company
• Go Daddy - Cheap Domain Names & Webhostings
• W3Schools.com - Start learning about how to write HTML, XML, and more
• Web.MIT.edu - MIT Web guidelines to help build decent web pages
• Mail To Hyperlink Syntax - A helpful reference for using the 'mailto:' hyperlink
• Cyber Light - Search Engine Optimisation, website creation, & links.

Training Institutes

• GIFTS - Gulf Island Film & Television School - Independant Film Boot Camp
• ctc Train Canada - Canadian Software Training Company
• Com-TechSolutions - BC Software Training Company
• VanArts - Vancouver Institute of Media Arts

TRAINING FILES:

These files are for use in Scott's instructor led classes.

Right Click and choose SAVE TARGET AS... to download a file

• Generic text: content.txt
• Images: badge.jpg, books.jpg, scientists.jpg & scientist.gif
• Redeye Keiran
• Scanned Image for OCR: scanned_image.jpg
• Excel training file: excel.xls

WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT:

THE Web Development Overview

The following reference materials are currently in an unfinished state.

• FLASH for Interface Design

• An overview of creating a flash gallery site. A collection of example Flash files saved incrementally to discuss the creation of a website using Flash CS3. Download the ZIP file and unpack to view the folder.