Here are some simple tips for basic computer users.

• Nobody is going to give you half of $80 million to help them liberate the funds of a deceased millionaire from Nigeria or anywhere else.
• You can enlarge the text on any Web page. In Windows, press Ctrl and the plus or minus keys (for bigger or smaller fonts).
• The number of megapixels does not determine a camera's picture quality; that's a marketing myth. The sensor size is far more important.
• You can hide all windows, revealing only what's on the computer desktop, with one keystroke: hit the Windows key and "D" simultaneously in Windows, or press F11 on Macs.
• On most cellphones, press the Send key to open up a list of recent calls. Instead of manually dialing, you can return a call by highlighting one of these calls and pressing Send again.
• You can tap the Space bar to scroll down on a Web page one screenful. Add the Shift key to scroll back up.
• You can use Google to do math for you. Just type the equation, like 23*7+15/3=, and hit Enter.
• On the computer, * means "times" and / means "divided by."
• Google is also a units-of-measurement and currency converter. Type "teaspoons in 1.3 gallons", for example, or "euros in 17 dollars". Click Search to see the answer.
• You can switch from one open program to the next by pressing Alt+Tab
• Whatever technology you buy today will be obsolete soon, but you can avoid heartache by learning the cycles. New iPods come out every September. New digital cameras come out in February and October.
• Just putting something into the Trash or the Recycle Bin doesn't actually delete it. You then have to *empty* the Trash or Recycle Bin.
• You don't have to type "http://www" into your Web browser. Just type the remainder: "nytimes.com" or "dilbert.com," for example.
• Come up with an automated backup system for your computer. There's no misery quite like the sick feeling of having lost chunks of your life because you didn't have a safety copy.