Watching the news these days is enough to get anyone reaching for the sharp cutlery. The old Four Horsemen – war, pestilence, famine and death – have teamed
up with a new chum called climate change to wreak havoc worldwide.
Luckily, everyone has the ability to change the world in their own little way and your PC can help you do just that. Whether you want to give money to
charity, actively take part or simply become more informed, the web provides a perfect way to start taking the action you always said you would.
Everyone knows about the major charities, but there are also local ones who are desperate for support. Organisations such as Save the Children and the
Disasters Emergency Committee do great work, but so do those lobbying on issues closer to home, such as those concerned with Post Office or amenity closures.
Many need computer-literate volunteers, and you and your Windows Vista PC and know-how could be an invaluable resource for them. For example, you could help
them set up a newsletter using Windows Mail. If you’re interested in supporting causes in your area, look at Guidestar,
which lists thousands of UK charities.
Ethical computing
Microsoft is taking the lead in promoting ethical computing through the new Windows Live and MSN services, pledging to donate a portion of its advertising
revenue for every conversation held on Windows Live Messenger 8.1 to a range of charities. The service hasn’t launched in the UK yet but take a look at Live Messenger to find out more. There’s also a Windows Live Search feature that pays the NSPCC for every search you make.
Set your default search page to Clicks Count to make a difference to children’s lives.
If you want to do a little more to help the progress of humanity, you can give up some of your spare processing power to research institutions. Folding@home
is an initiative set up by academics at Stanford University, who are researching incurable diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, cancer and cystic fibrosis.
They require immense processing power for their work, so the idea is to spread the load among thousands of home users. Already, nearly 50 research papers have
been published using the results of Folding@ home, which has meant progress in the understanding of previously incurable diseases.
There are so many different ways to help charities now, it’s hard to keep track, and a lot of companies are doing their best to attract customers with ethical
mission statements. Online auction site eBay has started a charity service, whereby sellers can opt to donate a percentage of their cash to charity.
Unfortunately, eBay itself doesn’t donate any of its fees to charity, but it’s the thought that counts. Besides, good deeds aren’t all about giving money;
being a good Samaritan and caring about the environment will also earn you altruistic Brownie points.
Environmental care
Most computer users leave their machines unattended for up to 30 per cent of the time, which costs the same as constantly running a 100-watt light bulb.
Windows Vista has a host of power settings, which enable you to control how long it takes for your PC to go to ‘sleep’, the low power mode. This is kinder to the
environment yet still keeps your unsaved data safe.
If you have recently upgraded to Windows Vista, you may still have your old PC lying around because you’re not sure how to get rid of it. Throwing it away has
lots of unpleasant consequences for the environment, but there are alternatives.
Computer Aid is a charity that collects unwanted computers and sends them to schools and organisations in
developing countries. The charity securely wipes all PCs with MODapproved software, so there’s no danger of sensitive data being retrieved.
Staying with the theme of unwanted goods, the web site Freecycle enables you to advertise your unwanted junk to people
who can put it to good use. So instead of lugging those old shelves down to the tip and adding to Britain’s landfill problem, just advertise your belongings on
the site and wait for someone to come round to take them off your hands.
Make a charity mailout
1. New Group. To create a charity mailing list, you can use Windows Contacts to store all your supporters’ details. Just open Windows Contacts
and click New Contact Group to start your list.
2. Who's Who. Give your group a name so you can differentiate between contacts for your charity and your own friends and family. You can also edit
details for the group by clicking Contact Group Details, where you can enter the address, phone number and web site of the charity.
3. Detail. You’re now ready to start entering your mailing list’s details. You can do this by manually typing the email address in at the bottom.
Alternatively, if you have the charity’s inbox set up in Windows Mail, just right-click on a message and click Add to contacts. These can easily be added
to the contact group at the touch of a button.
4. Mail Out. When your contacts are added simply right-click on the group in Windows Contacts, then click Action > Send Email. Windows Mail
will then open a new message with all of your contacts, ready for you to compose your email. Why not draft the mail in Microsoft Office Word first then copy and
paste it?
5. New Support. Hit Send to beam your newsletter to addressees all over the world, and watch the new support flood in. Now you’re free to sit
back and bask in the warm feeling of a good deed done.
© Copyright Future Publishing Limited.
Reg No. 2008885 England. 30 Monmouth Street, Bath, BA1 2BW. All rights reserved