OVER 2 YOU, 082 (28/05/02)

THE PALM DIET

I recently read a news story concerning a program for a Palm PDA that calculated nutritional and exercise information from basic dietary data inputs to help with balancing your diet. I would like to know if such programs exist for a PC?

Jamie Crossland, via email

We are project managers for h-Life a EU Information Society Technologies sponsored project. Aimed towards health promotion and illness prevention h-Life is an online intelligent personal health assistant. Users will be able to enter their personal health, medical condition and lifestyle information into the secure system, which then profiles them and recommends bespoke dietary plans and fitness recommendations. 24/7 access is enabled through PC and mobile devices, which will also give action prompts and reminders when pre-defined measurement levels are exceeded.

h-Life will also be a source of general information on medical topics, healthcare, lifestyle and nutrition. Formulation of the system is well advanced although not yet available. Some details are available on the project website www.h-Life.org

Michael Cooper,

HERALD TRIUMPH

I have been trying without much success to construct heraldic shields on screen.  Some of the devices shown on them (lions rampant, etc) are extremely tedious to draw 'freehand' and the results are appallingly amateurish. Does anyone know of a software program that will enable me to reconstruct the image of an armorial shield in accordance with its correct heraldic blazon - i.e. the technical description?
Peter Davies, Reading

The "Home Views Clip Art" collection has several shields, parts of shields plus many "charges" which may be added. The graphics are supplied as Windows Metafile Format (*.wmf) files and all can be copied and edited to suit one's requirements. "Home Views" is a British clip art collection and is therefore a joy to use, having none of the irritations found when using US biased clip art collections. For further information contact: http://homepage.ntlworld.com/rt.allen/hv/index.html

Mr. K. Grant, Edinburgh

KEY QUESTION

I teach part-time at an Adult Education College and need a diagram (not a photo) of a Windows Keyboard that I can distribute to my students. It needs to either have descriptions of key functions - or space where I can add my own.  The drawing or diagram must show the Windows keys, Application key, Function keys, number pad, etc in addition to the alphabet keys. I've spent hours trawling the net - with no result.

Christina Williams, via email

I did a quick search using Google and turned up the following: www.ncl.ac.uk/ucs/docs/pdf/G02.pdf

Nikko Irrelevant,

AIR TRAFFIC ON THE WEB

Does anybody know how the real time air traffic control map for the Heathrow area can be accessed for display in an iMac?

Barry Hill, via email

I wonder if Mr. Hill is referring to Flight Path UK, which NATS demonstrated at last year's Farnborough Airshow? This was to be a web based service showing a slightly time delayed picture of UK airspace and
air traffic using information from NATS radars. Apparently, this project has been put on indefinite hold due to security and legal concerns. If Mr Hill aspires to be a virtual Air Traffic Controller, then there are two organisations which provide simulations using real time weather data and virtual aircraft flown by flight simulation enthusiasts: International Virtual Aviation Organisation:
http://www.ivao.org/
and Virtual Air Traffic SIMulation:
http://www.vatsim-uk.net/vatsim-uk/
You can participate in these using MacRadarScope (Mac OS and OS X):
http://www.simclients.com/macradarscope/
Jeff Ross, Stockport

EROTIC BUT NICE

Recently I have been investigating some of the erotic sites on the net and they are unsatisfactory. As an elderly and housebound widower in need of entertainment I would like to find something gentler, in the way, perhaps, I might visit the Follies Bergere or similar if in Paris, but going to Google on such a search gives reams of crudity. Can anyone recommend anything, which has class and style?  The cost of entry is of little importance.

Richard W., via email

The Tight Skirts Page http://ds.dial.pipex.com/town/street/

zh84/other/index.html this celebrates the fashions of the 50's, when women were shapelier and were not afraid to flaunt their hour glass figures. It also features present day models displaying their curves in tight dresses.

For those of my generation who in their youth were fascinated by the mysteries of ladies' underwear, try: The Girdle Foundation -

http://www.geocities.com/pastform/page1/fifties.html

J.B. Somerset

HOUSE ON THE LINE

I would like to make a simple line drawing of my house to use on headed paper.  As I'm not artistic enough to do this freehand, is there any way that I can create an outline by tracing this from a digital photo?

Simon Foster, via email

To get an outline "drawing" from a computerised image, use the "Colorise" option found under the Fun/Special Effects heading in MGI Photo Suite; or its equivalent in other graphics software. Some initial sharpening, gamma strengthening etc may be helpful. This will quickly produce the outline drawing of the house, the diagram drawing of the keyboard etc.

Some minor cleaning up to remove odd specs or to harden up keyboard outline is easily carried out. Suitable text legends can then be added if and where required, with emphasis such as Bold, Italic and variations of colours.

Another use for it is to produce outline drawings from relatively random group photos such as weddings. Names can then be added directly to the individuals, avoiding errors due to say mis-numbering etc. In this use, I rotate the diagram to a convenient angle to allow the names to be added at a comfortable viewing angle normally within the lower body height of the front rows; and from immediately above the heads of the other rows. Font size may have to be varied to accommodate all of the names, particularly for non-front row persons. The diagram is then returned to "horizontal".
Alex Dow, Cowdenbeath

If you were to trace over the colour photo, then transfer it to white paper, you could then scan it into your pc and work it size wise etc from there.

Peter Barcroft,

FLAT RATE

My wife looks after the accounts, tax, service charges etc for some flats in London for overseas owners. Can anyone recommend a SIMPLE system that will enable her to keep the accounts in apple pie order, and profit and loss figures? She would also like the facility of putting in the value of a property, using the Halifax Scale and automatically get the value at a specific date. David Hodges, via email

I keep such records using a Works Spreadsheet where in the first column is entered the Gross Rent and subsequent columns automatically then show the Agent's commission (10%) and VAT (17.5% of the 10%).  Any Outgoings are then entered into Col. 4 and the next then calculates the Net Income (column 1 minus columns 2,3 & 4).  The final column then calculates the "Outstanding amount" which is the  original cost of the flat less the Net Income. If your reader would care to contact me I'd be happy to send him a
floppy copy of this spreadsheet.
Rob Voysey,

I've used basic Quicken for property management work about 6 years and it does everything Mr Hughes is looking for (and more) at a few mouse clicks. It's easy to learn (numerous tuition books available if needed) and the system of categorising expenses and designating classes adapts perfectly to property. It's also very cheap - not sure but think basic Quicken 2002 is about £50.

Mike Isaacs,

GETTING A BEARING

It should be possible to compute bearings and distances on Ordnance Survey maps by just entering the six figure map references of start and finish points.  Does anyone know how?  Do I need a program or just a formula?
Cliff Mallinson, North Somerset

Readers with an interest in the technicalities of map references, projections and coordinates can find a wealth of information at www.gps.gov.uk, a dedicated site set up by Ordnance Survey. It is aimed mainly at surveyors and GPS developers, but many of the services are available free to members of the general public. For a more general overview of maps and map reading, the main Ordnance Survey site - www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk - contains a wide range of advice and onward links.
Scott Sinclair,

USING OLD PCS

I have a small collection of four PCs, from 386 to Pentium 1, all of them perfectly serviceable but woefully out of date by current standards. I have promised them to my son’s school and a local charity shop – not that either seemed terribly impressed -- but I was wondering if anyone could come up with a suggestion for using at least one of them in a practical way, doing something around the house, even if it’s only switching the pump in my fish pond on and off? I would like to get back just a little of my initial investment

Doug Steele, via email

While not recouping Mr Steele investment, I suggest he discuss the setting up of a club at his son's school for the repair and maintenance of surplus computers for the benefit of those who cannot afford to purchase a new one. Such a club provides enjoyment and useful experience for the students and a practical way of helping the local community.

Our local secondary school school's club accepts such computers, repairs them as needed, loads software, then lends them out to disadvantaged families and retirement homes. The later find them especially entertaining and useful for email and genealogical and historical research. A note of caution, provision must be made for ongoing maintenance for the on-loan computers. A minor software problem can be baffling to the non-technologically oriented. 

Sue Sanchez, St Roch Dog Rescue,

CAN YOU HELP?

I have some fairly detailed maps (with contours), which I would like to convert into relief maps. I drew the originals with CorelDraw - i.e. they are vector diagrams - and I need a program to 'raise' the contours, smooth the surface and cast realistic shadows. Only the directly overhead 3D view is required. Any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated.
H Smith, via email

I have a membership list in Excel. It has Mr and Mrs Bloggs with their details in one row and Mrs Bloggs of the same details in the next row. This is when they are both members but have individual membership numbers. The problem is how to ensure we send mailings only to Mr and Mrs Bloggs. Presently, the address gets two mailings as a second goes to Mrs Bloggs.

Robin Tucker, via email

Does anyone know of a program that helps in the preparation of a table plan for formal dinners for large numbers without the need to cut up little pieces of paper to move people around until you get it right and then having to write it down?
Richard Hopkinson-Woolley, via email