When LinkedIn acquired Lynda.com, those with $30/month premium memberships were granted free access. Those who don't need the benefits of a LinkedIn premium account (or who don't want any LinkedIn account) are locked out of Lynda.com. Or are they? Quick answer: You probably have access to Lynda.com and a lot more at no cost.
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The good news is that many library systems offer free access to Lynda.com to all library members, and the access works from your home computer -- not just computers in the library. So start by checking with your local library.
If your library doesn't offer access to Lynda.com, visit the websites for other libraries in your area. I'm lucky to live in an area where 17 library systems have formed a consortium that allows them to share resources: books, CDs and DVDs, and a wide array of on-line sources. The library systems in the consortium range from those with a single building, many with 3 or 4 branches, and the Columbus Metropolitan Library with 21 branches.
Libraries often are willing to issue credentials even to those that live outside the main service area. The Columbus Metropolitan Library, for example, will issue a card to any resident of Ohio. The same is true for the library system where I live. So even if your local library doesn't offer access, you may be eligible for membership in a library that does.
If your impression of libraries is that of a place that has only books, you should visit a library soon. You'll find plenty of books, CDs, and DVDs, of course. But many of your library's resources are available from your home. Most libraries now offer Digital Downloads from Overdrive and various other resources from OCLC.
Digital Downloads: Print offerings include popular fiction, nonfiction, reference and technical books. Audio offerings include fiction, self-help, motivational and classical music. Video offerings feature travel, instructional, concerts, classic feature films. Disney Digital Books are also available. Some audio books and classical music can even be burned to CD.
The digital offerings may surprise you with a wide array of content organized in databases. The number of available resources varies from one library system to another. My local library offers more than 150 databases.
26 reference and research databases such as the Oxford English Dictionary, Britannica Library, Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary, and Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations.
One of the more remarkable offerings is the Oxford English Dictionary.
Subscribing to the OED's on-line service would cost nearly $300 per year (first-year subscribers usually get a big break).
The OED is considered to be the main historical dictionary of the English language. Published by the Oxford University Press, the dictionary traces the historical development of the English language. As such, it is a comprehensive resource for scholars and academic researchers. The OED describes usage in its many variants of English used around the world.
A second edition, published in 1989 in 20 volumes consists of 21,728 pages.
This started as an article about Lynda.com, so let's take a look at what's available now.
First, I have to note that the quality of the programs is good, but it seems not to be what is was when Lynda Weinman owned the company. There's a lot of value here, nonetheless.
There are specific tracks for several learning paths, such as 3D animation, photography, illustration, website design, marketing, and small business management.
Users can select a specific track and view the programs by various instructors or use the search function.
The Lynda.com library offers selections such as audio and music, computer assisted design, marketing, photography, and website design; topics ranging from character animation and game design to textures and visual effects; and programs designed for specific applications such as Photoshop, After Effects, and Excel.
Prior to the LinkedIn acquisition, Lynda.com offered standard and premium subscriptions. The primary difference was that premium subscribers could download exercise files to follow along with the instructor. Standard subscriptions cost $25/month and premium subscriptions were $35/month.
Library accounts are premium subscriptions, so users can download the exercise files.
It's also possible to search for programs by specific authors. I spend quite a bit of time in the photography training section. San Francisco photographer Ben Long is one of my favorites, but there are dozens of instructors who have provided content. In some cases, there's just a single program from an author but some of the more prolific authors have many programs. Richard Harrington and Chris Orwig both have more than 90 programs. Deke McClelland and Tim Grey have nearly 40. Julianne Kost has more than a dozen.
If you want to learn about almost anything, Lynda.com is a good starting point and, if you don't find what you need there, check your library's other resources.
Windows 95 was the first (and so far, only) revolutionary version of Windows. Windows 3.11 was the last of the DOS-based windowing environments that sat atop the old OS. Lines of people queued up on August 24, 1995, the release date to buy Windows 95.
Because it offered much improved support for graphics, Microsoft partnered with Corel to highlight those improvements with a version of Corel Draw that was released on the same day Windows 95 did. The partnership foundered several years later when Corel developed an office suite to compete with Microsoft's.
The graphical user interface in Windows 95 had features not seen before on Windows. Robust (for the time) memory management was introduced and the operating system introduced preemptive multitasking. This is something Apple was unable to match until OSX was released. "Plug-and-play" features, although primitive, were introduced along with the Task bar and the Start button.
Microsoft's extended support for Windows 95 ended on December 31, 2001.
If you still have an old Windows 95 CD (or set of floppies) hanging around, you could set up a virtual machine and load the old OS there just to see how far we've come in 23 years. Of you could download Felix Rieseberg's Windows 95 emulator.
It installs as a virtual machine so it won't interfere with the existing Windows installation.
The app now even supports "floppy disks". Yeah, your computer probably doesn't have a floppy disk drive, but you can tell the operating system to mount a disk image file as drive A.
The download is small (about 150MB), so the download and installation will take only a few minutes. This isn't limited to Windows users, though, there are variants for Linux systems and MacOS computers. Networking isn't supported but you'll find Minesweeper, Solitaire, and Paint. Rieseberg is working on the network stack and hopes to get the version of Internet Explorer that came with Windows 95 running.
If you want to give it a try (and remember not to expect much from an emulator for an operating system that was developed 23 years ago), you can download it from GitHub.
Virtual private network provider Nord recently released a useful article for parents about how to teach your children to be safe on the internet. It's a worthwhile read because it may remind you to be more cautious yourself and may offer reminders of things you've forgotten.
It's a 7-step plan that begins with the importance of setting a good example that your children can follow. Do you share too much on social media or check your phone too often? You'll be reminded to keep yourself informed about threats by reviewing information from reliable cyber-security sites.
The article reminds us that it's never too early. "If your child already knows how to play a video on YouTube or is able to download a gaming app without your help, they also should learn how to do it safely."
Few people like rules without context. Step 3 is explaining why safe behavior is important. When people understand why you want them to do something, they're much more likely to follow through with the correct behavior.
The fourth point addresses the benefits and dangers of social media. Points to remember and teach include not accepting friend requests from people you don't know, not sending your pictures to strangers, making sure that only your friends can see what you post on Facebook by default, turning on timeline review to check posts you are tagged in before they appear on your Facebook timeline, not including addresses and other personal information in your profile, and not using social media logins to authorize apps.
Passwords are step 5: "Create strong passwords together." If you don't have a method for creating strong, memorable passwords, learn one and then teach your children the technique.
Step 6 involves managing privacy settings. Most social media, messaging, or email services allow their users to manage their privacy settings, so sit down with your children and adjust the settings to make the profile as safe and private as possible.
The final step addresses free public Wi-Fi. I've written previously about installing a virtual private network application on every mobile device and making sure it's turned on when you're using a public Wi-Fi system. Nord provides a very good VPN.
To read the full article, visit the Nord VPN website.
