Hello everyone

Welcome to another edition of Kenja's Newsletter.

Last issue of the newsletter (Easter edition Volume 2 Edition 25) was so late that, I decided to just post it to the website and proceed with the current issue. The gifts from the last newsletter issue are also included with this issue.

Site Related News:

The old screensaver section (screensavers by other creators) was shut down a couple of weeks ago, and in its place I created Kenja's Creations Screensavers. This section features only my own screensavers, available as Freeware, Careware, and some Shareware versions (detailed explanation of terms can be found at the screensaver section). Screensavers so far include one each African American, Native American, Cats, Wolves, Animals, Stained Glass and Horses. More screensavers will be added in the next couple of weeks.

Kenja's Theme Creations is currently being updated to a new look and has also received two new desktop themes called "Remember When" (Christmas) and "Buy Beef" (Thanksgiving). These were scheduled to be released last year, however due to scheduling and changes to the website did not make it. In the next few weeks and months I will release another 20 desktop themes to include African American, Egyptian, SciFi, Native American, Teddies, Animals and Fantasy.

There was also a temporary problem with the greeting card section on both kenja.com and pastlivesrevealed.com over the last couple of weeks (the card servers were down). This too has been fixed and all cards are now fully functional again. If you have any suggestions as to what type of cards you would like to see added at either site, send me an email. All suggestions will be taken under advisement. *smile*

Check out the Adorable Teddies in Print. All are hand signed and numbered, vary in size from 15½x11¾ inches to 17½x12 inches and come on high-quality cardboard like art print paper. Preview pictures have been adjusted in size and the Teddy House and Teddy Dollhouse allow for a larger preview of the whole picture instead of just one room.

The Gifts:

The Stationery (offered in EML Format packaged into ZIP to decompresses to any directory you choose and regular EXE format that will decompress to your Outlook folder on your hard drive) includes an original scrolling bordered background, and a midi. The Wallpaper is a matching piece for 800x600 screen settings, also best viewed in high color of 16-bit or better. Graphics for both Stationery and Wallpaper gift are original creations made with PSP 7 (used various tubes and filters for effects).

If you are new to EML format Stationery, read the EML Help section for further instructions.

* PLEASE NOTE: Gifts are only for actual subscribers (available for 5-7 days with each issue) and not for visitors to the newsletter archive at the website.

*** NOTE*   I use Zip Magic to compress Stationery and/or Desktop Theme files into EXE format. If you ever get a password prompt during installation... ignore it and proceed. They are not password protected! For more help with installation(s) visit the Help section at either Stationery, Theme Help, and the Hotbar Skin Tutorial sections.

*** PLEASE READ IMPORTANT NOTICE ABOUT LINKS ***

Various Sites of Interest:

Here I will talk about a few useful sites (no software) I came across in the last few months. Hope you find them as helpful and/or entertaining as I did:

• They say that a name can tell you about someone's character and/or personality. If you would like to find out what your name means, try Acrophonology and You and try the Acro Pet site if you would like to find out the meaning of your pets name. Another great site for name analysis is the Kabalarian Philosophy site. This is also a huge database (links are at the bottom of the page) that carries over 525,000 names, sorted alphabetically or by country/nation of origin. Great site to visit if you are an expecting parent or pet owner. *smile*

• Handspeak: A Sign Language Dictionary is a great and very informative site about the art of hand signing. For instance, did you know that you can teach your baby basic sign language, way before he/she speaks (something I will try myself on a friend's baby who is currently in the "huh... huh... huh" stage... and yes, I know I will 'pay' for this remark! *laughing*). Anyway, people and/or kids are not the only ones who can benefit from sign language, but also animals (dogs, cats, birds, etc.), dolphins and wales in the marinas etc. This site is a great resource and offers many easy to follow instructions, examples and stories.

• While we are still somewhat on the topic of pets, visit the Pet Education website for all sorts of great information for pet owners (mostly cats and dogs). Here you will find hundreds of articles on various topics ranging from general health, alternative & holistic medicine, behavior & training, exotic pets (lizards, fish, ferrets, etc.), newsletter, catalog and much more.
  With the travel season and summer almost upon us, make sure to check out the TravelPets website for traveling tips, pet friendly national and international hotel listings, and a free newsletter.

  Military.com website covers all branches of service (Army, Air Force, Navy and Marines) and is not just for people who are connected to the military. If you are looking for a job as a civilian with the government, want to join the military services, scholarship information, get a free email account (yourname@military.com), Personnel Locator, read about military related news topics, chat with people in the military community, etc., than this is the place for you.

Graphics and HTML Tools:

This section includes a mixture of graphic filters for programs like Paint Shop Pro, Adobe Photoshop (and other compatible programs), and some tools for creating your own homepage. I will start with the graphics and work my way down to the HTML related things (more on this topic in the next issue as well):

• A full working version of the popular graphic filter made by Alien Skin, called "Eye Candy 3.0" is being offered as a time limited promotion at Planet Photoshop website. This special edition contains 21 fully-functional filters that will help you create great effects. While you are on Planet Photoshop, make sure to check out their extensive tutorial sections (beginners to intermediate), download their free actions (sort of like filters but only for Adobe Photoshop users), and visit their graphic community.

• Ever scanned a picture to place on the Internet and have no clue on how to get rid of the excess white trim around your picture? In that case, InstaCropper may just be the answer to your problem. This little program will trim off any excess white trim on your pictures with ease (great program for beginners). Best of all, the program is Freeware, supports both JPG and BMP picture formats and is only 864 KB in size.

• Redfield Plugins offers two freeware filters for Adobe Photoshop, Paintshop Pro, and other compatible graphic programs called Jama 3D and Lattice Composer. This site also offers free web graphics, samples and tutorials on how to use these filters. These filters are great and a must have. *smile*

• Anyone who wants to make a homepage or stationery should definitely check out the Infinity Textures website. Here you will find (click on the "download" button in the left menu) TeraLogic Texture Maker 32 v2.0 (this Freeware is a seamless tile generator program and download size is a little over 1 MB), the freeware of Infinity Texture Explorer, and the Tex Sample Packs totalling 250+ images (seamless tiles). This program is a must have, as it is easy to use and can generate 100's of tiles at once by choosing just a few options.

• Fuzzy Software offers two programs, their HTML Editor called "Fuzzy Logic HTML Editor", and a program called "Fuzzy Logic Bulk Emailer" (for anyone who is thinking about or already has a mailing list). Both programs seem to be equipped with all the right features and options, though I have not tried them yet myself. However they are free and you can register them on their website for free support and updates.

• CoffeeCup Free HTML also has a free version of their popular HTML editor (I use their retail version for some of their Java Scripts). This free version comes with pre-made templates, 35 web graphics, 50 buttons ( including bullets and arrows), List Designer, built in FTP (File Transfer Protocol), and Wizards for Fonts, Colors and Meta Tags (download is about 2.2 MB). While you are there, you may also want to get their other free programs like the Zip Wizard, Viewer Plus, Wireless Web Builder, HTML Editor for Linux and/or Free FTP.

  Now I just bet I confused a lot of you with all this HTML, Java and FTP talk. *smile* If that is the case, then I suggest you look at a few web based tutorials found at TrainingTools.com. To download the courses and/or the exercises you will have to become a paying member (about $25.- per month), however you may use and read these tutorials off their website. Tutorials cover the following subjects: Flash 4 & 5, Fireworks 3 & 4, VB Scripting, Miva Merchant, Dreamweaver 2.0/3.0/4.0, JavaScript, HTML, HoTMetaL PRO 6.0, PhotoShop 5.5, and FrontPage 98 & 2000.

*** IMPORTANT NOTICE ABOUT URL's (LINKS), PRIVACY AND/OR MAINTENANCE ***
This Newsletter and/or its Author are not responsible for the Maintenance and/or the Privacy Policies of websites listed within the Newsletter Issue(s)! At the time of publication, all listed URL's (Links) for websites and/or programs are in working condition and are accessible. The sudden unaccessibility of a website and/or program may be due to sudden traffic increase and/or other temporary causes I have no control over. Try the URL (Link) for any given program and/or website again at a later time.    Thank you!

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