Other more comfortable computer space options for seniors include sitting in La-Z-Boy-type chair, a couch, or a bed. By using a laptop table or tray you can sit back, put your feet up, and enjoy your computer in comfort. Your body will thank you, and your computer time will be much more pleasant. Options that work well for lap tables and trays include specially designed computer accessories, small wire shelves, or cutting boards. You can also opt to leave your computer on a table but use your mouse on a small tray or stiff pad on your lap. Small cutting boards work well, and a clipboard works in a pinch. If you look around your home you're sure to find something.

--> Cool Tip: Most users do not know that they can attach a second keyboard to their laptop computers. If you have your computer on a table, you can sit back with a tray in your lap for your mouse and extra keyboard. Compact or mini keyboards without the ten-key on the side work best for this set up because you will have more room for your mouse. <--

Mouse vs. Touchpad

Since they both do the same things, the decision to use either a mouse or a touchpad—or both—is up to you. Most senior laptop users attach a mouse to their laptop computers, and prefer to use it instead of the touchpad.

The biggest drawback to the touchpad is the tendency to accidentally brush it while typing on the keyboard, causing all kinds of trouble. I have a key on my laptop that allows me to deactivate my touchpad so that won't be a problem. Another drawback to touchpads is sometimes having to use two hands for certain actions, but with a mouse it would take only one.

While most people are happy with a regular mouse, there are other options in addition to the touchpad if neither work for you. There are trackballs and trackpads, as well as specially-made mouse devices that allow you use a mouse at a different angle that may work better for you. Some of your options are displayed later on this page. Use the one you are most comfortable using.

Mouse Tips

--> A Click Is Just A Click

A mouse "click" is just that, a click. There are some people who push the mouse button and keys on the keyboard like they were pushing buttons on a blender or a manual typewriter. It's no wonder they get tired. The mouse and keyboard keys have spring action so they pop back up when you release them. Probably the only times you will ever need to hold down the left mouse button is when you are highlighting text, dragging and dropping files or images, or using a scroll bar. All other times just lightly press and release, nice and quick.

--> The Mouse Is Not A Hand Rest

Your hand should just lightly rest on the mouse, is not made to be a hand rest. If you find that you seem to be accidentally clicking the mouse often, try lightening your hold on it. Try a more relaxed seating position in general, or try a vertical-style mouse—there are a couple of examples shown below.

--> Wired Vs. Wireless Mouse

Deciding whether to use a wired or wireless mouse is solely your choice, depending on your preference and situation. A wireless mouse is more neat and tidy, with no cord to hassle with. On the other hand, since it takes batteries to run a wireless mouse, if you forget to turn it off one day and come back days later, you may find a dead mouse. Be sure to keep extra batteries on hand. Also worth noting, we've found that the batteries on a wireless "AA" mouse will last longer than one with "AAA" battery size.

Keyboard

Fortunate are the people who know how to type, they are already familiar with most of the keys on their computer keyboard. But for everyone else, at the very minimum especially if you want to spend some productive time on your computer, get familiar with the layout of the letters, numbers, and a few of the special keys, even if you are at the one or two-fingered "hunt and peck" stage. It will greatly improve your computer experience.

While knowing how to type is certainly helpful, there are many more keys on a computer keyboard and it can be confusing. Below is a keyboard image with a basic layout of a computer keyboard. Your keyboard will have differences. Certain related keys have been grouped together by color for simplicity. Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia, has a concise explanation of computer keys, at the beginning of a longer article, you can visit here: Keyboard Layout. On that page is also a link to a larger image of the keyoard shown below.

For the senior generation there's a memory of decades past when personal communication was limited to telephones and handwritten or typewritten postal mail. Mass communication included radio, newspapers, magazines and television, all offering limited choices.

Computers and internet technology can bring the world right to your computer screen. The amount of information available on any topic is vast. The opportunities for entertainment and shopping are unlimited. The possibilities for connecting with others are numerous. And options for creativity are exciting. (Check out our Cool Links page for ideas.)

Today's personal computers—and smartphones and tablets, which are actually specialized portable pocket computers—are a giant leap in technology. They allow people to connect with others, and to a huge selection of information, shopping, and entertainment options using digital technology. This technology makes it possible to share and view text, photos, graphics, video, and audio using various types of hardware (your actual device) and software (programs or applications—"apps").

It should be expected that using a computer is more complex than using an old-fashioned telephone, a television, or even a car. It takes practice, persistence, and patience to really get proficient. But even with learning just the basics, you can get a lot of enjoyment and use from your computer.

Admittedly, computers can be persnickety, they need things done a certain way. The learning process is all about you learning how to communicate with a computer, and not the other way around. But you can push fear aside. It's most unlikely that the mistakes you make will permanently harm your computer.

And don't forget, you can find answers to most of your computer difficulties—and anything else you want to know—online by using Google or one of the other search engines. You can even ask Google a question. So while the learning curve can be steep at times, if you stick with it, you will not be sorry. It may even add a fun new dimension to your life.

Computers are a wonderful tool. I wouldn't want to live without one. But even with all the good that computers bring into our life, there are dangers that we must be aware of, from viruses to scams, and even some data collection practices. We can learn to protect ourselves when we are online as best as possible, it's the smart thing to do.

Privacy

It may not have always been this way, but for now, the first rule of computers is: Assume you have no privacy. Thanks to data collection practices, data on you and your online habits is being tracked somewhere. It might be your search history, or shopping habits, or numerous other data. Be aware that Windows 10 tracks your every keystroke and Cortana request.

Anti-Virus Software

One of the first lines of defense against viruses and other malware is installing good virus-protection software. Your computer may have come with it already installed. There are many goods ones to choose from, and a couple offer free versions like AVG and Avast. Here is a good web site from AV-Test, an independent IT-Security institute. They test anti-virus software and then publish comparison results in an easy-to-read chart format to help you decide which one to choose: av-test.org.

Passwords

Strong passwords are another proactive defense. The better your password, the less likely it can be easily hacked. It's hard to believe but the most common password is 123456. Other common passwords are "password", "qwerty", and "111111". Please don't use anything like these. The safest passwords are just a random string of characters, like gL1?758Uth98! But they are hard to remember unless you use a password manager. Find a happy medium.

Below is a list of some commonly known do's and don'ts for creating safer passwords:

Password Do's
-DO make long passwords. They're harder to crack, about 12 characters long at least.
-DO use a mix of upper case letters, lower case letters, numbers and punctuation marks like: ! ? ' ( ). On most account systems "A" and "a" are not the same.

Password Don'ts
-DO NOT use any personally identifiable information, like your name, your spouse's or kid's name, or even your dog's name. Don't use birthdates, anniversary dates, or telephone numbers.
-DO NOT use any passwords based popular culture, like movie stars, sports teams, song titles and the like.
-DO NOT use the same password and/or username on multiple web sites.
-DO NOT reuse passwords.

Here's an example: Say your password is "Brownie," the name of your dog. You could change it to something like this: "BrowniE?1Dog2!" –a much stronger password. It's easy to think of a phrase or sentence. Use upper and lower case letters, then separate the words with a punctuation mark, and throw in a couple of numbers.

Hovering Over Links

One nice feature that web browsers have that aids in being safe online is the ability to see the web address of where a link on a page or email leads before you click on it. Whenever you "hover" (place your mouse over but do not click) over a link, a line of text appears near the lower left edge of the browser window. It will be a "www" type address, and you can use this info to verify if where it says it leads is true.

Email

There are a few general rules about using email more safely. The email providers are pretty good at stopping the worst emails–the ones containing viruses–but there is plenty of spam and scams to be on the lookout for.

-- I never open any email that my email provider puts in my Spam folder, unless I know who it is from, I was expecting it, and it was mistakenly put in the Spam folder.

-- In general, don't open email from unknown senders.

-- Don't click on links in emails unless they are absolutely trustworthy. Hover over links to see where they are going.

-- Nobody from Nigeria or anywhere else is going to send you any money, these elicitations are scams. Ignore them.

-- And you haven't won any lottery that you did not enter.

-- Your bank will not send you an email saying they are going to cancel your account unless you click on some link and update your account immediately, or anything similar. If you want to go to web sites, go there directly, not through an email link.

Shopping

Shopping online is fun and easy. You can order just about anything online and have it delivered to your door. With many of the "brick and mortar" stores closing in many towns, ordering online may soon be a necessary choice. The best advice here is to only do online business with reputable sellers, and names that you trust. For another line of defense, you can get a credit card with a low limit, to use only for your online purchases. And If you sign in to an account, especially shopping or banking accounts, be sure to sign out.

Scams

There are many computer scams. Use your life experience and common sense to avoid being deceived. Beware of people online who are not who they say they are. One of the latest scams is called the Technical Support Scam. With this one, someone calls you on the phone and tells you that they are from Microsoft or some other computer company. They tell you that your computer has a virus and they offer to fix it remotely from their location for a fee--your name and credit card info is what they are after. Do not fall for this, do not give them your credit card number, it is a scam.

For more information about scams of all kinds, including computer scams, you can visit the U. S. Federal Trade Commission's Consumer Information Scam Alert web page.

Some web sites, like banking, shopping, map/weather, and game sites, will have various user controls. These controls allow you to make choices or customize the information being displayed.

Click on the arrow to the right of a Drop Down menu to see the available choices, and select one.

Radio Buttons, which are round, show your choices, but you can select only one.

You can select as many Check Boxes as you like. Map sites frequently use these to select the overlays you want to view.

The BTHQ Sandwich Menu to the left is for fun only.

The best way to learn about computers and web sites is to experiment and explore. What are your interests? What do you want to know? Visit our Cool Links page for ideas to get you started.