At home I start with: iGoogle, Google BlogSearch, my blog, and my facebook

To customize your opening tabs:

Click the Tools Menu
Click Internet Options
Click the General Tab
Type in or paste an URL that you want to use as your home page in the Home Page section.
Hit ENTER and type in another URL
Repeat until you have all the ones you want
Click OK
Close and Restart your browser to see them all open at once

Well well well... If you guys haven't yet discovered that apps can be now downloaded for FREE!
THis only works if you have a Jailbroken Ipod touch running firmware 2.0 / 2.1 etc...
I will be posting Jailbreak tutorials and Also on how to get cracked apps onto your Iphone/Ipodtouch!
Also any requests for tutorials will be considered just post them in the comments! XD

I made a short tutorial of how I did the lining.  I looked all over the net for a tute showing how to insert one side into another, sew, turn and have a nice, neat seam at the top... no dice.  Couldn't find one.  So I spent the better part of the morning ripping out seams until I got it right...then decided to take pictures and make a tutorial as I finished it up...

I hope it helps someone else in the future...

You'll find it in my Pages... It's here.

Have a look...

Welcome to Mr Cheese's iPhone Ramblings, the blog to get the latest tips, tricks and tutorials for iPhone and iPod Touch! Click a link in the bar at the top to get started!

Welcome to Issue #18, “Landscapes, Environments and Sets!”

Every project needs an environment to exist in, some projects are all about the surroundings themselves. But it is often an area that gets short changed or overlooked. So this issue we take a look at various ways to create environments and backgrounds for your projects. We have collected a nice variety for your enjoyment.

So grab your copy today.

Also be sure to check out our gallery of wonderful images submitted by very talented members of our community.

Table of Contents:
Baking AO Maps for Terrain Using Blender 3D
Game Physics and Paths
CNC Machining with Blender
Create Scenes with a Seamless Background
MAKING OF: A Big City For A Game
MAKING OF: A Fantasy Landscape
MAKING OF: The Scene Of A Dream
Interviewed - Roland Hess
And more . . .

Blenderart Magazine Mirrors can be found at:
www.blenderart.org

Read full version

Supplies Needed:
Fat quarter of fall fabric
1 - 12" x 12" piece of fall patterned paper
Package of double fold bias tape or long length of ribbon
Fabric strip scraps
Scrapbooking stickers or die cut letters

Instructions:
1. Cut your fat quarter into as many triangles as you need.  My triangles are cut 5" a 7".  You may choose to cut your triangles with pinking shears for an even cuter effect.

2. Cut your scrapbook paper into as many 2.5" squares as you need.

3. Sew your scrapbook paper onto your fabric triangle with a long straight stitch.

4. Lay out your triangles and pin into your double fold bias tape.  Sew along the length of your bias tape, securing your triangles onto the bias tape.

5. Take your scrapbook or die cut letters and place them onto the center of each scrapbook paper square.  My letters came on a sheet with tiny rhinestone embellishments so I added those for effect as well.

6. Hang your banner anywhere you would like it.

7. Take your fabric scrap strips and tie them in between each letter, trimming them shorter if needed.

Voila, a spruced up fall fireplace mantel ready for an apple cider scented candle and a vase full of fall leaves.

Black Hat search engine optimization is customarily defined as techniques that are used to get higher search rankings in an unethical manner.Also illegal  way . And always they break rules.

• breaks search engine rules and regulations
• creates a poor user experience directly because of the black hat SEO techniques utilized on the Web site
• unethically presents content in a different visual or non-visual way to search engine spiders and search engine users.

What is white Hat SEO methods

Techniques that are used to get higher search rankings in an ethical manner.Also legal  way . And always they adhere to rules.

What is gray Hat SEO methods

Techniques that are used to get higher search rankings in an unethical manner.Also legal  way . Can't directly say this breaks rules.

Gray hat SEO is SEO techniques that take more risks than white hat SEO techniques but aren't likely to get your site banned from search engines (although a search engine penality could result). They're questionable SEO techniques but not in the same category as black hat SEO techniques.

reference www.seoexpertcompany.com

Materials:
-junk mail
-scissors

1. Pick a piece of junk mail.

2. Cut out a perfect square that's about 6" X 6".  Try to pick out a section with a picture you'd want on a bookmark.  I picked asparagus.  The picture you want seen should cover one half of your square if you split it in half diagnally. 

3. Flip junk mail square over and fold in half diagonally so that your good side is facing the outside.


Orient your paper so that the half of your good side you don't want seen is on top. 

4. Fold left corner up to top corner.  Repeat with right corner. 

5. Unfold folds made in last step.  Next, fold one layer of top corner straight down till top corner meets bottom edge.  This fold will line up with the creases made in step 4. 

6. Unfold center fold (made in step 3).  Fold top corner down to meet center. 

7. Refold center fold.

8. Refold along creases made in step 4.  When held down this should make a perfect square. 

9. This is the only slightly tricky part, but it's not too hard.  Hold bookmark as shown in picture and slip bottom left hand flap in pocket between the two top layers.  Repeat for right hand flap.

10. Admire your new bookmark!

11. Place it in your book.

If you make anything we've shown you in a tutorial, feel free to email us comments or pictures!  We'll feature anything you make on our blog.

2. Kopiujemy warstwę tła (CTRL+J).

3. FILTER - BLUR - GAUSSIAN BLUR - radius: ok. 9-13.

4. Zmniejszamy Opacity/Krycie do ok. 50-65%.

5. Dodajemy Layer Mask/Maskę warstwy.

6. Wybieramy narzędzie Brush/Pędzel (klawisz B) z następującymi ustawieniami.

7. Na utworzonej masce przy użyciu pędzla zamalowywujemy obszary zdjęcia, które chcemy wyostrzyć. Ja wybrałem twarze postaci na zdjęciu. Im wyższe Opacity/Krycie pędzla - tym maskowany obszar będzie ostrzejszy.

8. Gotowe zdjęcie z efektem delikatnego rozmycia.

Supplies: Wool roving, warm water, soap, ribbon, hair tie, wool yarn (optional)

Setup: The soap has always been a point of confusion for me. I kept asking myself "what kind of soap?" and I went to a lot of websites before I finally found one that specified dish soap. I've made my past few falls with a little bit of hand soap, and they seemed to come out all right. I've also read that a higher pH makes the wool felt better, but I don't know if that's true because I just use whatever I find around the house.

1. Cut the wool roving into strips that a little bit under twice the length of the finished product. They need to be twice the length because they'll be folded in half, but they also seem a little longer once they've been straightened out and felted, so cut them a little short.

2. Gently split the roving into thin strips. I find it easier to work with them thinner, but it'll also take longer to make enough for a full set of falls. It takes a little bit of experimentation to find what works best for you. The roving should tear apart easily, but be a little bit careful so it doesn't wind up thinner or thicker than you intended.

3. Soak the strips in the water for a minute or so.

4. Pull one end of the wool out and roll it in your hands to help make a finished tip, then as you pull the rest out of the water, gently squeeze it between your fingers to get some of the water out.

5. Lie it out on your towel and then roll it like you're a little kid making a Play-Doh snake. I find it works better to roll it only in one direction, and when I get to the end of the towel, I pick it back up and move it to the beginning again. I think this may just be because of some quirks with the roving I buy, so it's another thing you might want to experiment with. While you roll, if the wool seems to get too dry, don't hesitate to dip it in again. It's a pain to roll one strand for too long, but if you skimp here, you'll wind up with frizzy, poofy dreads.

6. Set it aside to dry. Continue this step over and over and over and over and over... Then let them all dry overnight. Don't handle them while they're still wet (the insides take forever to dry) because that's another good way to wind up with fuzzy dreads. Learn from my mistakes!

7. To do rope-style dreads with roving, following the above steps using thin strands. This is also a good way to plump up wool yarn that is too thin or limp to pass as finished dreadlocks. Take two or three strands (or more, I guess) and pinch the ends in one hand. Then take the end of one of the strands and twist up tightly, so that when you stop holding it taught, it starts to twist up on itself. Switch that end to your other hand, so that you've got both ends held tightly, and continue to twist the rest of the strands (this is a thousand times easier with a second pair of hands). Make sure you twist them all the same direction. Then take the ends in opposite hands again, and gently twist them together in the opposite direction that you originally spun them in.

8. If the rope is spun tightly enough, it shouldn't unravel, but I like to be on the safe side and soak it still holding onto the ends.

9. Pull it out and then roll one end at a time. Make sure to roll with the direction of the twist. Pin one end down and roll the other end toward one. Then flip it around and repeat, that way you're always rolling it to keep the twist toward you. If you roll with both hands at once, one end will roll tightly while the other comes undone. Make sure to do a little extra work on the tips to keep them together.

10. So once everything is rolled and dried, now you get to attach it to the hair tie. You can substitute ribbon or elastic for a hair tie, I just use the hair tie so I can wrap it around my ponytail. I use the really tight, tough hair ties so that it holds itself up without any pinning. Arrange your dreads about how you'll want them to look on the finished piece. I like to use variety in length, thickness, and color, and I normally use two or three layers. Lay them out in the order they'll be tied onto the elastic, bottom layers first.

11. Take a long strand of ribbon, fold it in half, and then tie it to the hair tie. Then tie it around the center of your first dread. Then continue to tie on the rest of the dreads, making sure that the ribbon gets looped over the tie each time.

12. Once you get to the end of your first row, continue to keep tying them on, but pull the ribbon between the strands that are already tied on.

13. When you're done, double-knot the ribbon and clip the ends. Voila!

Press Ctrl+B to open Color Balance, set Color Levels of each Tone Balance:

You will get the result:

Open the texture below

Move it to your picture, then change blend mode to Multiply

Use Eraser tool to erase unsuitable areas (face and body of the lady)

Continue to open the texture below

Move it to your picture then change blend mode to Overlay, use Eraser tool to erase unsuitable areas.

You will get the result:

Now you can add some text to the picture.

This is my final result:
(Click on the picture below to see full size)

Courtesy of photoshop-garden

I did manage to get this done just before the worst of it hit us.  It's a simple one layer, cuttlebug embossed Christmas card.  I have had a few questions about how I've made some of my cuttlebug cards...so I thought I'd share this card and a few photos.  I hope this helps clear up any questions and inspires your own cuttlebug embossed cards!

Unfortunately, I won't have time to post anything new in the next couple of days, as it is Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend! I will be a bit busy, urmmm, eating!! ;)   So I hope you all enjoy today's post and see you back here Monday!

The main question I've had is how to get that top part of the card embossed (on a top folded card). It may not be obvious, but it is not difficult, so have a look below!

A standard 4.25 x 5.5 will fit just nicely through the cuttlebug.  The embossing folder slips in from the side, over the face of the card with the card open flat. I make sure the embossing folder is up just high enough to meet the crease, so I get a nice clean edge of embossing at the very top when the card is folded.

I only turn the handle until the part of the card I want embossed is a third of the way through, stop, and turn the handle in reverse to get it back out.  You may want to do a trial run with scrap paper to get the feel of where you will want to stop, depending on how much of the top portion you want embossed.

I am sometimes left with a slight half formed imprint, which is easy to take care of.  I use a flat round edge to gently smooth it out.  It doesn't take much pressure to "erase" the impression.

For a really clean edge and a stylish look too, I use my Scor-Pal to emboss a line just under the cuttled embossing.  I find it just gives it a nice finish!

For this particular card, I went on to add the embossed squares using my 2X2 folders.  I started with the middle square to get the centering right.  Then I stamped the snowflake circles in Sterling pigment ink, added silver embossing powder and heat set it.

I hope you've enjoyed today's tutorial with the cuttlebug!  These types of cards are so fun and the possibilities are endless with all the varieties of embossing folders available!   Be creative and have fun!!

You can see more of my cuttlebug cards HERE and HERE, AND to see ALL of my cuttlebug embossed cards in one place look HERE.

FOLLOW some HOT links to fabulous cuttlebug cards!

Heart Prints

Mel Stampz

Scrap 'n Stamp

Acetate card

Thanks for stopping by today!

the syntax is this 5555555555@carrier.com

use the table below to find the right information.

Congratulations! 100% of 6C Students have turned in their Summer Reading Journals!

Students received grade printouts earlier this week and at this point, all late work should be turned in.

Plot and Character Quiz

We have been studying plot and character for the past several weeks. We will review all we have learned Monday/ Tuesday, and we will have a quiz over plot and character Wednesday/Thursday of next week.

I will hold a tutoring session from 3:55- 4:45 Monday, October 13 for students who feel they need additional assistance on these concepts.

Nonfiction

Next Friday, we will begin to look at tools and tips for navigating nonfiction texts. We will begin by exploring our textbooks and then, we will look at biographies. I have asked students to bring a biography about the person they are researching for history fair to class October 20/21. They will have to visit a public library to find a book as the biographies in the POMS library are on hold for library use only. If students are having difficulty finding a book, they should see me and I will make arrangements with them depending on their circumstances. Please e-mail me at aparker1@houstonisd.org if you have any questions.

Scholastic

October Scholastic book orders are now available. Students have received fliers and online ordering is available though Friday, October 17. Use the following information to access the online ordering page:

www.scholastic.com/parentordering

Class User Name:     msparkersclasses

Password:     pinoak

In terms of websites we are also required to make them accessible to all people in accordance with section 508 standards. If you are interested in reading more I would suggest you take a look at Jim Thatcher's site which provides a really nice overview and tutorial on how to ensure your site is accessible.

I just found Minow's article which is dated but does remind me of the need to add descriptive text to all the alt tags.  WC3 provides a great list of evaluation tools.   I began by running the AccessKeys color tool to check the contrast between color brightness between text and background colors.   I thought we would pass 100% since the theme is black and white but the test showed that we need to change the light blue color we're using for the heading tags.    I'll be using this tool again.

How to Edit the My Courses List on the Welcome Page in Blackboard

-Angel Brady

TUT ~ PTU Spring Fever Scrapkit HERE

TUT BY LADY RAVEN CREATIONS

ÓSarah M A Feldsien

This tutorial was written by myself

Any similarities to other tutorials are purely coincidence

Please give credit to the tut writer and the scrapkit creator

when using this tutorial

Things you will need to do this tutorial:

SPRING FEVER SCRAPKIT

Mask 0.121

Mask 09-07-swirel

Tube of Choice

First Open Paper 10

Dup twice and close

Open Paper 1

Dup once and close

Crop center of Copy of Paper 10 (pink)

Resize to 1280 X 525

Shrink

Open Copy 2 Paper 10 ~ Copy

Click on Copy of Paper 1

Paste as New Layer

Promote Layer 1 to background layer

Send Top layer to Bottom so dark layer is on top

Image Resize 500 X 500

Mask on top layer (pink) 0.121-Wicked

Merge Group

Merge Visible

Mask 09-07-swirel

Merge Group

New Raster Layer

Frame 2 Copy and close

Select Image again

Paste as New Selection

Place where desired

New Raster Layer

Pick Tube of choice

Copy and Close

Paste as New Selection and place where desired

New Raster Layer

Frame 4

Copy and Close

Paste as New Selection

Place where desired

Tag 5

Copy and Close

Paste as New Selection

Place where desired

Border 2

Duplicate and close

Resize to desired size

Copy

Paste on the Layer with the Pink Frame

Place as Desired

Butterfly 1

Duplicate and Close

Resize to desired size

Copy and Paste as New Selection on the Tag

New Raster Layer

Arrange ~ Send to Bottom

Flood Fill with your Pink Background

Lower opacity to 40

Merge Visible

Place watermark where desired

Merge Visible

Save as JPEG

Select Your  Middle Background you made

Opacity to 60

New Raster Layer

Then Grab Swirls ~ The top swirl

Rotate Right

Copy

Paste Into your background

Merge Visible

Image Effects ~ Seamless Tiling ~ Edge ~ Vertical ~ Default

Save as JPEG

Import all Into Letter Creator and place as desired

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial as much as I enjoyed creating it!

Brightest Blessings and Darkest Dreams

LadyRavenCreations

ÓSarah Feldsien

To get all my tutorials email saphirevixen@gmail.com and place YOUR TUTS in the subject!

I know we all love GLITTER so here’s a list of 101 ways to use Stickles courtesy of the lovely ladies on the scrapbook.com boards….

101 Ways To Use Stickles

1. You can use Stickles to outline the letters in your titles.

2. You can use Stickles to outline the patterns, pictures & designs on your patterned paper s.

3. You can add a little shimmer by spreading it around with your finger!

4. You can use Stickles on handmade cards.

5. You can use Stickles to make flowers glittery.

6. You can use Stickles to make “glitzy photo corners!”

7. You can use Stickles to make firework photos glittery!

8. You can use Stickles to make the “trails” from butterflies and dragonflies.

9. You can use Stickles to doodle dots and stitches.

10. You can use the clear one which is AWESOME on stickers etc. to really make them look special.
The Basic Grey cardstock stickers become 3-D and really spectacular!!

11. You can use Stickles to outline the veins in leaves.

12. You can use Stickles to add to the clothing on Bella stamps to make the girls look ready for a night on the town!

13. You can use Stickles to make brads sparkly!

14. You can use Stickles to make ribbon sparkly!

15. You can use Stickles to make icing on cupcakes and cakes shimmer.

16. You can use Stickles to make waves look 3-D.

17. You can use Stickles for making cherries/fruit shimmer as if wet.

18. You can use the color Orange to make the “fire” on the end of a birthday candle!

19. You can use Stickles to make rain drops or water drops from a watering can.

20. You can use Stickles to make fairy dust around a fairy’s wand.

21. You can use Stickles to decorate your kids school supplies instead of buying designer stuff.

22. You can use Stickles to cover entire cutouts.

23. You can use Stickles over the designs on grunge board. It looks great!

24. You can use Burgundy Stickles as the perfect color to add blood droplets on your Halloween LO’s.

25. To cover clear embellishments entirely and make them oh so sparkly!

26. You can use Stickles under transparencies, to adhere them. Looks great for bubbles.

27. You can use Stickles for decorating t-shirts. When they’re worn down, ripped or you tired of them, cut out the design and scrap it. More mileage this way.

28. You can use dots made with Stickles to border a page!

29. You can use Stickles for slug trails.

30. You can use Stickles for snail trails.

31. You can use Stickles to decorate tennis shoes.

32. You can use Stickles to decorate buttons.

33. You can use Stickles to decorate ribbons.

34. You can use Stickles to make a spiderweb sparkle in a Halloween LO.

35. You can use Stickles on handmade tags.

36. You can use Stickles to add bling to hats or crowns.

37. You can use Stickles to make jewelry gleam!

38. You can use Stickles to make belts shine!

39. You can use Stickles to add pizazz to purses & some shine to shoes!

40. Add Stickles to all or any misc accessories! (whether it be in a LO or IRL…That’s up to you! LOL!)

41. Add stickles dots to decorate lots of things, especially stamped swirls or flowers.

42. You can use Stickles generally anywhere on your LO, just to add some bling!

43. You can use Stickles to highlight just one letter in a title and make it POP!

44. You can use Stickles to make a circle or square of dots to frame closely in on a face or object in a photo.

45. You can add Stickles to the center of flowers.

46. You can run Stickles along swirly-swirls!

47. You can use a line of Stickles to make a thin (or thick!) border around anything (or everything!) on your page.

48. You can use Stickles to highlight the shadow on stamped letters.

49. You can use Stickles to stamp with them!

50. You can use Stickles to embellish concert LO’s.

51. You can use Stickles to make flourishes on your flourishes and make them look embossed.

52. You can use your Stickles to add bling to a star.

53. You can add them to flames to make them shimmer, glow & come alive!

54. You can use the color Cotton Candy to enhance…Um, well, Cotton Candy!

55. You can use the Candy Cane Stickles for…Candy Canes!

56. You can use the Icicle Stickles for…Icicles…

57. You can use Waterfall Stickles for…Water & Waterfalls…

58. You can use Orange Peel Stickles for…Oranges…

59. You can use Stickles to make the lines of a shooting star!

60. You can use Stickles on flowers to make them sparkle!

61. You can use Stickles as paint (dot a little then spread with paintbrush)

62. You can use Stickles to make a proper Disco Ball!

63. You can tear paper snow for cards or layouts & run Stickles along the top edge of the snow.

64. Stock up on the white/frosty colored Stickles…Stickle the paper or the ghost shape flakes…You can also stamp snowflakes and put Stickles in the center of the snowflake.

65. You can add Stickle to anything that you stamp!

66. You can use Stickles on paper piercings.

67. You can use Stickles on diecuts.

68. When using jewels, outline the jewel with Stickles.

69. You can use Stickles to outline a journal box.

70. You can use Stickles to decorate a cast.

71. You can use Stickles to decorate gift bags.

72. You can use Stickles to decorate wrapping paper.

73. You can use Stickles on feathers for Mardi Gras or Las Vegas LOs.

74. You can use Stickles with a stencil instead of ink.

75. You can print out stuff from Google, then add Stickles and top with Diamond Glaze to make homemade sparkly stickers!

76. You can apply Stickles to the top of Thickers.

77. When glitter comes off of stickers/paper, you can fill it in with Stickles to make it back to normal!…You can use Stickles to glue more glitter on top of the sticker!

78. You can use Stickles to make the eyes on a Disney Princess cut with your Cricut.

79. You can use Stickles to create rays of sunshine!

80. You can use your Stickles to create a rainbow!

81. You can use Stickles to make a heart (or hearts) shine!

82. You can use Stickles to make stars glitter & shine!

83. You can use Stickles to make moonbeams shine!

84. You can use Stickles on diecut Christmas trees to make the bulbs sparkle & shine!

85. You can add Stickles to your own Christmas ornaments or Christmas ornaments as gifts!

86. You can use Stickles to add shine to a trophy.

87. You can use Stickles to a title block.

88. You can use Stickles to add sparkles to a Shamrock.

89. You can use Stickles to add sparkles to an Easter Egg.

90. You can use Stickles to add rays of light to a Christian cross.

91. You can use Stickles to create firework frame around something (For example, a name or an object!)

92. You can use Stickles to make fish glimmer.

93. You can use Stickles to make water reflect (ocean, lake, waterfall, ripples, streams, fountain, aquarium, etc.)

94. You can use Stickles to make a reflective mirror.

95. You can use Stickles to highlight Art Deco from the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s or 90’s found in the backgrounds of pictures.

96. You can use Stickles to highlight a monogram.

97. You can use Stickles on inchies.

98. You can use Stickles on tear bears.

99. You can use Stickles to add bling to automobiles.

100. You can use Stickles on your Disney Princess pages.

101. You can use Stickles on everything & anything & as long as you still have Stickles to use!

Thanks for stopping by!  Have you tried Stickles yet?  You'll love them...I have them in EVERY colour!  LOL!

Dalam tutorial kali ini, penulis akan mencoba berbagi langkah-langkah untuk dapat mengaktifkan fitur (layout) Arabic pada papan ketik (keyboard) -- baik di Linux (KDE) maupun Windows.

Mengaktifkan Fitur Arabic di Windows

Walau jarang menggunakan Windows, alhamdulillah penulis masih berkesempatan mencoba mengaktifkan fitur Arabic di dalam sistem tersebut. Sebelum kita lanjutkan, Anda harus menyiapkan CD instalasi Windows Anda (atau pinjam juga silahkan) karena akan diperlukan nanti untuk menambah fitur bahasa lain, termasuk Arabic.

Mari kita mulai. Munculkan jendela konfigurasi bahasa melalui:

Control Panel > Regional and Language Options > Languages

Setelah itu, aktifkan opsi "Install files for complex script and right-to-left languages (including Thai)" (lihat Gambar 1). Klik Apply (Anda akan diminta untuk memasukkan CD instalasi Windows).

Sekarang kita akan mencoba menambahkan bahasa Arab ke dalam Windows Anda. Pada jendela yang sama, tekan mouse pada tombol 'Details...'. Di jendela baru yang muncul (Gambar 2), klik tombol 'Add...' untuk menambahkan bahasa yang Anda inginkan. Kali ini, kita akan menambahkan bahasa Arab (Arabic -- AR). Tekan OK setelah penambahan dan pengaturan selesai Anda lakukan.

Selesai sudah. Anda sudah dapat mengganti layout papan ketik Anda menjadi Arabic (AR), yaitu dengan menggunakan shortcut Alt+Shift. Silahkan Anda coba, dan Anda akan melihat bergantinya ikon pada sistem tray sesuai dengan layout yang sedang aktif (EN > AR, dan sebaliknya) -- seperti pada Gambar 3a dan 3b.

Mengaktifkan Fitur Arabic di Linux (KDE)

Menambahkan Layout Arabic pada Keyboard

Di sini penulis menggunakan KDE dalam distro Slackware 12.1 (KDE 3.5.9). Untuk dapat mengaktifkan layout Arabic -- mudah saja -- pilih (Gambar 4):

K Menu > Settings > Regional & Accessibility > Keyboard Layout

Setelah itu, Anda tinggal menambahkan layout Arabic ke dalam kotak Active Layouts (pilih Arabic, kemudian klik Add >> -- Gambar 5).

Yup, selesai. Untuk mengaktifkan layout Arabic (ARA), Anda hanya perlu meng-klik ikon layout di System Tray (lihat Gambar 6a dan 6b). Begitu pula cara untuk mengembalikannya ke layout semula (US).

Mengatur Keyboard Shortcut

Menggunakan mouse untuk sekedar mengubah layout penulis rasakan cukup mengganggu, terutama juga bagi Anda yang senantiasa fokus pada keyboard untuk bekerja. Karena itu, kita dapat memanfaatkan fasilitas shortcut untuk melakukan pengubahan layout (dari US ke ARA, dan sebaliknya).

Pada konfigurasi default, shortcut untuk mengubah layout pada keyboard adalah Alt+Ctrl+K. Silahkan dicoba, dan Anda pun akan mendapatkan ikon telah berubah (US > ARA). Bagaimana untuk mengembalikannya ke layout US? Silahkan dicoba lagi. Bisa? Tidak bisa! Ini dikarenakan tombol yang Anda tekan bukanlah Alt+Ctrl+K, melainkan Alt+Ctrl+ن (sudah berubah ke layout Arabic, kan.. :roll: ).

Agar dapat tetap menggunakan tombol 'K' untuk berganti-ganti layout -- baik US ke ARA ataupun sebaliknya -- maka kita harus melakukan pengaturan shortcut. Kali ini, pilih (Gambar 7):

K Menu > Settings > Regional & Accessibility > Keyboard Shortcuts

Pada jendela konfigurasi yang muncul, pilih bagian "Keyboard" (Gambar 8). Di sini Anda harus menambahkan Alternate Key, yang akan digunakan untuk berpindah dari ARA ke US. Masukkan kombinasi Alt+Ctrl+'K' dengan mode layout ARA teraktifkan (Gambar 9). Anda akan melihat bahwa yang tercatat di sana bukanlah karakter 'K', melainkan sesuai dengan layout yang sedang aktif saat itu (ARA). Setelah selesai simpanlah dengan menekan tombol OK, dan Anda sekarang sudah dapat melakukan penggantian layout selalu dengan kombinasi Alt+Ctrl+'K' (tombol K).

Penutup

Demikianlah tutorial yang dapat penulis berikan. Setelah fitur Arabic ini aktif, tentu selanjutnya banyak dari Anda yang akan bertanya: bagaimana menggunakan layout Arabic ini? Untuk menjawab pertanyaan tersebut, penjelasan singkat dan cukup sederhana dapat Anda lihat di tulisan penulis yang lain dengan judul "Menulis dengan Huruf Hijaiyah".

Ada lagi? Ada! Anda tahu Touch Typing -- mengetik menggunakan 10 jari? Dalam ketik-mengetik menggunakan layout Arabic ini, Anda juga dapat menggunakan teknik tersebut. Keuntungan yang dapat Anda rasakan setelah menguasai teknik ini adalah efisiensi. Ya, karena Anda sudah tidak perlu melihat keyboard -- cukup fokus pada layar monitor.

Salah satu program latihan Arabic Touch Typing yang penulis temukan adalah di www.aktub.com. Alhamdulillah, saat ini penulis sudah dapat mengetik -- baik huruf Arab maupun Latin -- tanpa perlu melihat papan ketik lagi. :)

Semoga bermanfaat!