Web Watch

February 2010

from Alice Muir
 

Alice's Winter Warmers

Over the past few months, I’ve come across a variety of very different, but really usable and versatile sites. This has come about largely through excessive web-crawling whilst snowed in by the recent blizzards and big freeze! Some other rather nifty sites have become very popular lately too, and are worthy of drawing to your attention. These are not just information-based sites, there are high-quality, user friendly, FREE facilities up for grabs too - Open Office, Skype, and Moodle being particularly worthy of note. All sorts of direct help is available for you on these sites, from setting up a group forum, to up-loading your word documents, pictures, video or slide shows for others to see and use, to allowing you to have face-to-face chats with someone on another continent or just down the road!

All of these sites have something worthwhile to offer, but they are quite diverse. So I’ve pulled them all together in my ‘winter warmers’. I hope something catches your eye, and makes some aspect of your life or work easier, or just adds a bit of warmth and diversion to these cold and darker winter days for you. Happy web-crawling in 2010!

BBC CLICK www.bbc.co.uk/click
§ Keeps you up to speed on the very latest technology.
§ Follow their latest news and alerts on Twitter, or look at ‘best bits’ on Delicious.
§ Reliable and detailed guidance and tips on everything from buying a lap-top to Wi-fi, Bluetooth and photo-editing.
§ Reviews, information and news on the very latest gizmos and gadgets, as well as developments we can expect soon, or even sooner!

SKYPE www.Skype.com
§ Excellent for making video calls anywhere in the world, completely FREE.
§ Talk face to face to the grandchildren in New Zealand, or a client in the USA – high quality image and sound.
§ Audio calls, messaging and conferencing.
§ Download the software from the Skype website FREE in a few moments, and you’re ready to roll…

BLOGGER  www.blogger.com
§ Create your own blog space ( web-log, which you can write straight on to, any time, about anything).
§ User friendly, and flexible; post your own text, photos, audio, slide shows, for your use, or for friends or clients.
§ You can even have your own linked website and web address, FREE.
§ Allows you to have your own ‘followers’, who can then receive your new input automatically, and comment on it too ( similar to a ‘social networking site’).

GOOGLE DOCS   http://docs.google.com
§ Create, save and share your work on-line; edit from anywhere, FREE.
§ Provides compatible applications to create documents, spreadsheets or presentations.
§ Collaborate or share with selected colleagues, friends, or clients in real time.

OPENOFFICE   www.openoffice.org
§ FREE, and does everything Microsoft Office (MO) can do.
§ Same look and feel as MO.
§ Can install in all your computers, free.

MOODLE   www.moodle.org
§ A wonderful user-friendly tool for you to create your own on-line learning site; a boon for trainers, tutors, teachers, coaches, lecturers, and so on.
§ Developed by Martin Dougiamus, from Perth, Australia, as an open and FREE way to promote learning, and empower ‘teachers’.
§ MOODLE is available FREE to anyone, anywhere in the world to use, and is a comprehensive and cutting edge ‘virtual learning environment’ or VLE.
§ Use for your own on-line courses, or ‘blended’ learning ( mix of conventional and on-line), a group forum, for assessment, or as a community database, and much, much more. Check it out. Make it your New Year Resolution.

Let me know about any website or on-line feature which might be of interest to other members.
You can contact me at Alice Muir Training, on alice_muir@btinternet.com , www.stresstrain.co.uk , www.stress-confidence.com, or Tel 07904 492 217

You can also follow my motivational and reflective TWEETS on TWITTER at  www.twitter.com/stresstrain
 
Alice Muir.
Chartered Psychologist.


Alice Muir is a Chartered Psychologist, Associate Lecturer with the Open University, member of ISMA, author of 'Teach Yourself Relaxation', and owner of 'Alice Muir Training'.

Contact: alice_muir@btinternet.com, Tel 07904 492 217.
Websites www.stresstrain.co.uk, and www.stress-confidence.com.
You can also follow my positive and motivating tweets on www.twitter.com/stresstrain

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Web Watch

November 2009

By Alice Muir
 

Alice's Autumn Assortment

( for Stress Awareness Day, November 2009)

As it's a special day, I've pulled together some relevant and usable sites to help put the 'E' into StrEss AwarEnEss day. From stress management, to relaxing music and images, from sources of support, to how to feel happier, from information and updates about stress, to jumping off points for further research into the subject. I do hope you find something you like, even the sticky toffees!

www.workstress.net
 National Work-stress Network's website; a not for profit organization.
•Authoritative and comprehensive, updated frequently with information, 'Hot Tips', press releases, legal case findings, and comments.
•High quality resource and interactive site; extensive links page; useful and busy discussion area; e-zene to sign up to.
•Frequent up-dating on new resources, health and safety issues, bullying, corporate accountability, legislation , and so on. On-line magazine.

www.worlddatabaseofhappiness.eur.nl
~The World Database of Happiness is an ongoing register of scientific research on the subjective enjoyment of life, funded by donations, and organised via Erasmus University, Rotterdam.
~Almost complete coverage of the literature up to 2008. Includes not only journal articles, but also books, dissertations, conference papers and unpublished research reports
~Data and information on over 200 countries worldwide - 'States of Nations' and 'Trends in Nations' available.

http://www.hse.gov.uk

Site of the UK's Health and Safety Executive
•Up-to-date books, press releases, leaflets, links, and lots, lots more
•Check out http://www.hse.gov.uk/stress/research.htm regularly for new research findings.
•You can access the Health and Safety Executive's 'Stress Solutions Discussion Group', open to anyone with an interest.You can join this very useful on-line forum, to keep at the cutting edge of stress. E-mailed ‘digest' of content available, to save time.
•Subscribe FREE for stress e-bulletin every 2 or 3 months.

www.aleph1.co.uk

•Good explanation on use of biofeedback for stress.
•Explains using biofeedback for other conditions such as stammering and blushing.
•Links to much more information on biofeedback in USA, Europe and Israel.
•Can sign up for free US based Webzine.
•Information about workshops and activities you can attend.

www.natures-desktop.com

•Hundreds of beautifully relaxing pix.
•Plants, animals, bugs galore (if that's your thing), landscapes, particular countries in the world, or parts of the UK, night scenes, day scenes et. etc.

www.mind.org.uk

Site of The National Association for Mental Health (MIND) with good links to a wealth of local, Scottish, and Welsh sister organisations.
•Free downloadable detailed information leaflets.
•Regular news and press releases, and excellent links. Legal advice line.
•Well stocked on-line shop with booklets from on a range of relevant topics.

www.desktopnexus.com

•Dedicated to building the best wallpaper site on-line.
•Thousands to choose from, including mind-teasers, fantasy, relaxing imagery, and hundreds of games.

screensavers.com

•31 different waterfall scenes for PC screensavers. Lovely.
•Also has a crackling log fire - includes video footage and sounds from a real fire. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the sights and sounds of your own roaring fire.

www.learnoutloud.com

•100s of free audio and video downloads on almost every subject e.g. health and fitness, time management, relaxation, meditation, mental health, spirituality.
•Free downloads from motivational writers and speakers too.
•Also 1000s of links to more free audio and video downloads relating to numerous famous authors as diverse as H.G. Well, Mark Twain, Douglas Adams, Deepak Chopra and the Dalai Lama.

EARTH TV www.earthtv.com

•Thousands of live webcams showing people, places, weather, scenery, and special events from all over the world, with relaxing music throughout.
•Timelapse techniques used to good effect.
•Includes a count-down to the football World Cup in South Africa which kicks off in June 2010, using cameras focussed on four World Cup stadiums in Durban, Johannesburg, Cape Town and Pretoria.
•You can watch 2010 arrive all round the globe!

**********************************************************************************
Alice Muir is a Chartered Psychologist, Associate Lecturer with the Open University, member of ISMA, author of 'Teach Yourself Relaxation', and owner of 'Alice Muir Training'.

Contact: alice_muir@btinternet.com, Tel 07904 492 217.
Websites www.stresstrain.co.uk, and www.stress-confidence.com.
You can also follow my positive and motivating tweets on www.twitter.com/stresstrain