GIVE YOUR MOUSE A WELL-DESERVED REST

What Happens When You Press the Windows Key? Discover 10 Keyboard Tricks.

Credit: Sergi Kabrera

Moving your hand from the keyboard to the mouse and back again might not seem like a very time-consuming chore when doing computer work. However, when this action must be repeated constantly, there are simple tricks that help us save time and energy. You don't need to be a hacker to learn these 10 easy keyboard shortcuts that will enhance your computer skills. Discover what all those keys with letters like Ctrl, Fn, and Alt are really for. And, if you stay till the end, we’ll show you a trick that will blow your mind!

Credit: Natalia Y.

Back in Medieval times when monks did it, copying text used to be an extremely time-consuming task. Quite a few centuries had to pass for us to be able to copy whatever amount of text we want, from a single character to a whole book or more.

The trick is simple: highlight the text you want to copy. Once the text is highlighted, press the Ctrl key and the letter C simultaneously. Once you do this, the text is saved and ready to be pasted anywhere you need it.

Credit: Scott Sanker

Pasting text previously copied allows you to move around words, paragraphs, pages, or whatever amount of text you want in no time at all.

Once you have copied -or cut- your text, the next step for pasting it wherever you want it to is really simple. Place the cursor where you want the text to start and click on that exact point. Then press the Ctrl key and the V letter, simultaneously. Once you do this, the text will appear in the place where you want it.

Credit: Matt Artz

Maybe you don't want to simply copy text and you want to cut it out entirely. There is a shortcut for this as well and it is as simple as the text copying trick.

To cut text, you must highlight the word, paragraph, or whatever amount of text you want to cut. Once the text is highlighted, press the Ctrl key and the X letter, simultaneously. Once you do this, the highlighted text will disappear but worry not, it is saved in the clipboard and ready to be pasted wherever you need it with the pasting trick (remember: Ctrl + V).

Credit: Jim Wilson

Have you ever had second thoughts and wanted to undo something? If only life was as easy as this Windows trick!

Simply press the Ctrl key and the letter Z. Windows will magically take a step back and undo what it has just done. Be it restoring something you deleted by mistake or going back, this simple trick will get the job done.

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Suppose you want to close a window on your desktop. Yes, you could take the mouse and reach for the small red X square in the corner of the window. Or, you could save a few seconds and do this instead.

Simply press our old friend, the Ctrl key and the W letter, simultaneously. The window that is at the front of your desktop will close automatically.

Credit: Aaron Burden

Imagine you need to highlight all of the text in a document. What would you do? Start from the top and start painting the whole thing down? Lucky you, there are faster, easier ways to do just that.

Just press the Ctrl key and the A letter, simultaneously. Abracadabra! The whole thing will be painted yellow for you to copy or cut, in no time at all.

Credit: Daniel Maquiling

Maybe you need to open the Start menu to find a program or an app or close the computer. What do you do? You take the arrow and go to the left corner at the bottom, to the Windows icon, right? No!

You can simply press the Ctrl key and the Esc key, simultaneously and the Start menu will unfold beneath your eyes without having to lift your fingers from the keyboard.

Credit: Jan Loyde Cabrera

A shortcut one wishes would exist in real life (much like Ctrl + Z), hitting F5 on your keyboard will produce a wonderful effect: the window that is upfront on your desktop will refresh itself and update to its latest status.

Whether you are expecting a money transfer and looking anxiously at your bank account, are eager to see the latest news online, or don’t want to miss out on something that is about to happen, pressing the F5 key will refresh the upfront window to its latest version.

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While the amount of files that we store in our computers has diminished since cloud storage became more ubiquitous, most of us still use folders to archive pictures, PDF files, text documents, and more. That is why having Windows’ magnifying glass ready at hand is very useful to find stuff in the least possible amount of time.

Yes, we can always go to the Start button and press the magnifying glass. But why do that when we can just press the Windows key and the letter S, to obtain the same result in less time?

Credit: Tadas Sar

Our computers are powerful devices that can handle multiple tasks at once: internet browsers, spreadsheets, dedicated software, open folders, photographs, and more, can all be floating on your desktop. So, what if you need to see or fetch something from the desktop? Are you going to be minimizing every single thing to uncover the surface? Nope! There is a shortcut for that too!

Simply press the Windows key (yes, that one you always wondered what it was for) and the D letter, simultaneously. Magic! The desktop is uncovered and clean for your perusal. Want to go back to what you were doing? Press Windows + D again.

BRINY TALES

10 Surprising Facts About Earth's Seas

Credit: Jakob Owens

Although Earth’s oceans cover over 70% of the planet's surface, they still remain largely unexplored. Shocking natural phenomena and alien-looking creatures populate their waters, baffling both scientists and explorers.

Dive with us to explore the depths of our seas as we uncover 10 intriguing facts that will leave you in awe of the wonders hidden beneath the waves.

Credit: The Tampa Bay Estuary Program

Unlike most conventional seas, the Sargasso Sea in the North Atlantic Ocean is distinct for its lack of coastline boundaries. Instead, it's defined by its relatively calm waters and a characteristic floating mass of seaweed called Sargassum, which provides vital habitat for various marine species. A true "floating forest", it has fascinated as much as worried early sailors and adventurers due to the lack of winds and seaweed so dense it could hide shallow waters, or even entangle a ship.

Credit: Dave Herring

Situated between Israel and Jordan, the Dead Sea is renowned for its extreme salinity, reaching levels nearly ten times higher than regular seawater. This high salt concentration renders it inhospitable for most aquatic life, hence its name, but it also allows swimmers to float effortlessly. Some even claim its waters and the unique climate of the region might have several health benefits, particularly for people experiencing respiratory issues.

Credit: Cristian Palmer

Oceans play a vital role in producing oxygen for our planet. Through photosynthesis, marine plants, particularly phytoplankton, generate a significant portion of Earth's oxygen supply. In fact, roughly 50% of the oxygen we breathe daily comes from the oceans, way, way more than all of the planet’s tropical rainforests combined! Which, by the way, according to recent estimates rounds up around a meager 6%.

Credit: NOAA

Beneath the waves lie countless shipwrecks, submerged cities, and archaeological artifacts waiting to be discovered. In fact, according to researchers, there’s an estimated three million shipwrecks lying in the bottom of the ocean! Also, since the invention of scuba diving, hundreds of submerged settlements and buildings from times past have been discovered underwater in various locations on the planet. Atlantis might be more myth than history but, as always, there’s an inch of truth to the tale.

Credit: Manny Moreno

Stretching over 1,400 miles along the coast of Australia, the Great Barrier Reef is the largest living structure on Earth. Composed of billions of tiny organisms known as coral polyps, it constitutes an extraordinary reservoir of marine biodiversity, and it is so large that it is even visible from space! However, the future of the Great Barrier Reef hangs in the balance as warming ocean temperatures pose a grave threat to its survival.

Credit: NASA

Ocean currents play a crucial role in regulating Earth's climate by redistributing heat around the globe. From the warm Gulf Stream to the cold Labrador Current, these currents influence weather patterns, marine life distribution, and even the functioning of the planet's ecosystems. Monitoring their patterns is akin to listening to the planet’s heartbeat, and understanding the complex dynamics behind the currents is essential today for predicting climate change and its impacts.

Credit: Naja Bertolt Jensen

Located in the North Pacific Ocean, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a vast expanse of marine debris, primarily consisting of plastic waste, bounded in place by large swirling currents in the middle of the ocean. The spiraling trash patch already spans an area twice the size of Texas, and over time the tons of plastic debris break down into tinier and tinier pieces, polluting marine life - and ultimately the entire planet - with dangerous microplastics.

Credit: Matt Paul Catalano

Tsunamis, often triggered by underwater earthquakes or volcanic eruptions, are colossal waves capable of wreaking havoc along coastlines. These powerful phenomena can travel across entire ocean basins at speeds exceeding 500 miles per hour. However, despite being often depicted as giant breaking waves, tsunami waves are actually more similar to a rapidly rising tide, taking shores by surprise and making them even more deadly.

Credit: Michal Mrozek

At a staggering depth of about 36,000 feet, Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench holds the title for the deepest point in Earth's oceans. This abyss plunges deeper than Mount Everest is tall! Its mysterious depths have been explored with the help of deep-diving submersibles, remotely operated vehicles, and sonar bathymetry, but its true extent remains largely uncharted. As of 2022, only 27 people have descended to Challenger Deep - including film director and explorer James Cameron.

Credit: NOAA

In the depths of the ocean floor, hydrothermal vents spew forth superheated water laden with minerals and gasses. Despite the extreme conditions, these vents support thriving ecosystems teeming with unique and often bizarre forms of life. Creatures like tube worms, giant clams, and blind shrimp have adapted to survive in this harsh, otherworldly landscape. In fact, some scientists speculate that all life might have originated in these extreme habitats - and that if we are ever to discover life on other planets, exploring similar environments could greatly enhance our chances of success.