Computers and Integration SCIO

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Computers and Integration SCIO is a Scottish charity and provides a professional friendly computer repair service and also a service for locals to get help with their computer, phone or tablet on a one to one basis. We are open from 9 in the morning until 4 in the afternoon on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday with computer repairs.

Services on offer include:

PC, Laptop Repairs and Upgrades — £45.

Audio cassette to CD or USB — £35

Conversion of VHS video tapes to DVD or USB — £40

Life Skills

Set the size of website text so you can easily read it
Access Live Life Aberdeenshire — The Digital Library
How to write a CV and look for work
Get video tutorials on a wide range of subjects
Get health information you can trust
Hum or sing a song and find out its name
Use the web to help you plan your trip
Get directions using Google Maps
View buildings and streets using Google Street View
Look up bus times
Look up train times
Understand bus and train times
Check the weather forecast for a place you want to go to
Report local problems to your Council
Send a letter or parcel
Use the web to find a postcode for a given address
Find your nearest post box
Use the web to find your local Post Office
Book an appointment with your doctor (or GP)
Book an appointment with an NHS dentist
Locate your nearest library
Create an Outlook.com e-mail address for yourself
Make a claim for Housing Benefit to pay your rent
Search and apply for jobs online
Browse a wide range of free ebooks to find one you like

Set the size of website text so you can easily read it

Making text bigger or smaller is a doddle in any web browser.

To make text bigger: just hold down the Control key on your keyboard and press the plus ( + ) key repeatedly until you re happy with the size of the text on the screen.

Likewise, to make text smaller: just hold down the Control key on your keyboard and press the minus ( - ) key repeatedly until you re happy with the size of the text on the screen.

For mobile devices: place your thumb and finger close together on the website content and move them further apart in order to make text bigger. Alternatively, move your finger and thumb closer together to make content smaller.


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Access Live Life Aberdeenshire — The Digital Library

From Live Life Aberdeenshire The Digital Library, accessible via https://www.livelifeaberdeenshire.org.uk/libraries/digital-landing-page/ you can download e-books, audiobooks, magazines and music for free in digital or electronic format.

You can also download local and worldwide newspapers for free accessible via Live Life Aberdeenshire The Digital Library and made available via Pressreader.

You can also access online reference and learning resources including biographies, dictionaries, and family history.

Over 3200 magazines can now be borrowed for free by library members via OverDrive and Libby. Live Life Aberdeenshire is a great money saving club or digital library made available to library members.

For additional electronic material, you can also visit https://www.livelifeaberdeenshire.org.uk/live-life-at-home/digital-library/.


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How to write a CV and look for work

Creating a CV is a good first step when looking for work. Most recruiters request a CV. But even if they don t, creating a CV makes you think about what your skills are and what experiences you bring to bear. So, creating a CV when looking for work is a must. Note that you can also upload your CV to recruitment sites and allow recruiters to come to you.

Creating a CV

Guideline 1 — Clearly put your name at the top and centre align it.

Guideline 2 — Add your contact information. For example, put your address and phone numbers under your name (including your mobile phone number). Also, include your e-mail address.

Guideline 3 — Create a heading called "Personal Details". Under this heading, write a statement that highlights your key skills and experiences. Think about how you ve added value to organisations you have volunteered with. Note that if you re out of work, doing voluntary work can really add value to your CV.

Guideline 4 — Create a heading called "Skills". Under this heading, use bullet points to highlight your key skills. Try and focus on transferable skills the skills you ve gained that will add value to other organisations. For example, if you ve got strong IT skills, mention it here. Most organisations look for staff that can proficiently use Microsoft Office. Also, if you ve got a driving licence, mention it here along with how many years you ve held it. The ability to drive can be an added benefit.

Guideline 5 — Create a heading called "Education and Qualifications". Under this heading, state your most recent, or important, qualifications, such as diplomas and degrees. Also, give the names of the educational institutions you ve attended along with the years spent at them. Also, give the results of your qualifications. For example, if you got a 2:1 at University, mention it here. Or if you passed an HND at College, mention that you passed.

Guideline 6 — Create a heading called "Work Experience". Under this heading, give the names of companies and organisations you ve worked for and how long for. If you have never worked, state what experiences you ve gained volunteering.

Looking for work

If you re out of work and want to work, there are a number of websites that can help you find a job.

You will likely find the following websites useful:


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Get video tutorials on a wide range of subjects

Do you want to learn how to boil an egg? Do you want to learn how to write a cheque? Do you want to learn how to play the guitar? Well, you can learn any of these things. Thanks to Wonder How To (or rather www.wonderhowto.com ) you can get how-to videos showing you how to do these tasks and a whole lot more.


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Get health information you can trust

Certainly, the web is an amazing resource – you can look up anything. You can even get advice on how to improve your health. But be warned, there are websites out there with dodgy information. And, there are criminals trying to peddle fake pills.

So, to keep you fit and healthy – and ultimately alive – we ve compiled a list of health information websites you can trust.

Broadly speaking, you can trust the following websites:

Of course, if you re feeling very unwell, you should always consult your doctor.


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Hum or sing a song and find out its name

Have you ever heard a song and wondered what it was? Have you ever been frustrated at not knowing its name? Well, if you have, your days of being frustrated are over, as long as you ve got a microphone to hand. Yes, thanks to midomi (or rather www.midomi.com ), you can hum, or sing, a song and instantly find out its name.


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Use the web to help you plan your trip

If you re going on a journey somewhere, or just thinking of going on a journey, you can use the web to help you plan your trip.

In particular, you can:


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Get directions using Google Maps

If you want to go somewhere that you haven t been to before, you can get turn-by-turn directions with the aid of Google Maps.

To get started with Google Maps:

Step 1. From the top of the "Google" home page, click the 9 dots to the right of the page and then click Maps .

Step 2. From the "Google Maps" screen, click "Get directions".

Step 3. In the textbox marked "A", type in the starting point of your journey (most likely the address of your home).

Step 4. In the textbox marked "B", type in your intended destination.

Step 5. When you ve entered a start and end point for your journey, click "Get Directions".

After you ve clicked "Get Directions", you should see a map of your journey alongside turn-by-turn directions.


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View buildings and streets using Google Street View

If you want to view a building, place or street that you haven t seen or been to before, you can do so using Google Street View. And what s more, you can view a building as if you were standing in the street just outside it.

To get started with Google Street View:

Step 1. From the top of the "Google Maps" screen, type in the address, or postcode, of the building you want to view.

Step 2. Hit "Enter" to view the location of your designated building on a standard street map.

Step 3. From the lower right-hand side of the visible street map, click on the "yellow man".

Step 4. Keep your left mouse button held down, and drag the "yellow man" over the map. Don t let go of your left mouse button just yet.

Step 5. Drag the "green circle" that appears next to the yellow man to the spot you want to take a closer look at, and then release your left mouse button.

You should now be able to see what your designated building looks like from the street outside it. But if you can t: hold down your "left" mouse button and "move" your mouse around to change your viewing angle.


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Look up bus times

To look up bus times:

Step 1. Go to https://www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/roads-and-travel/public-transport/bus-information/.

Step 2. From the Bus Information page on the Council s website, click "Bus timetables".

Step 3. Type in the name of where you live for bus times and hit Enter.


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Look up train times

Step 1. Go to http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/.

Step 2. Type in where you want to travel from and to in the relevant boxes.

Step 3. Select your travel dates and time of day, then click GO.

Note that if you have a disability of some sort, and are likely to travel by train a lot, you can get lower train fares. For more information on this, go to https://www.disabledpersons-railcard.co.uk/.


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Understand bus and train times

Bus and train timetables can be confusing to look at. And if you misinterpret them you can end up missing your last transport link home and being stranded somewhere you d rather not be.

So, if you re planning on going somewhere by bus or train, you should plan your trip carefully. In particular, you should make a note of:


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Check the weather forecast for a place you want to go to

If you want to go on a day trip somewhere, you can use the web to check the weather forecast before you set off.

For instance, to check the weather forecast for Inverness:

Step 1. Launch "Google" and search for "BBC Weather".

Step 2. From the "BBC Weather" website (www.bbc.co.uk/weather), under "Find a Forecast", type in "Inverness".

Step 3. Click Search to find out what the weather is like in Inverness.


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Report local problems to your Council

Are you fed up tripping over cracks in the pavement? Are you fed up walking in the dark due to street lights that don t work? Are you fed up seeing graffiti?

If you are, don t put up with it. You can easily report these problems to your local Council.

Just launch "Google" and search for "Fix My Street" to easily and anonymously report problems with:


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Send a letter or parcel

If you want to post a letter, or parcel, to someone, there are several things that you need to do.

For instance, you need to:


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Use the web to find a postcode for a given address

If you don t know the postcode for a given address, you can use the web to find out.

To find a postcode for a given address:

Step 1. Go to https://www.royalmail.com/find-a-postcode.

Step 2. From the "Postcode Finder – Find an Address" page, type in the address of the building you want to find a postcode for and hit Enter.


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Find your nearest post box

If you don t know the location of your nearest post box, you can easily find out where it is.

To find your nearest post box:

Step 1. Launch "Google" and search for "dracos postbox finder".

Step 2. From the "Dracos" website, in the search box in the top right, type in a street, area or postcode.

Step 3. Hit "Enter" to see all your nearby post boxes on a map.


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Use the web to find your local Post Office

If you need to send something big, bulky and heavy through the post, you ll need to take your item to your local Post Office.

To find your local Post Office:

Step 1. Go to https://www.postoffice.co.uk/.

Step 2. From the "Post Office" website, under "Find your nearest branch" type in a postcode, town or street name and then hit the red search button.

Step 3. Click the red Search branches button to view the address of your nearest Post Office on a map, together with opening hours.

Step 4. You need to click "Branch details" for a given branch to view opening hours.


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Book an appointment with your doctor (or GP)

If you re not feeling well, or if you need to see a doctor for some reason, you can book an appointment with your local doctor s surgery.

To book an appointment with your local doctor s surgery:

Step 1. For a list of doctor's surgeries in the NHS Grampian area and to obtain contact details, go to https://www.communitypharmacy.scot.nhs.uk/media/3794/nhs-grampian-surgery-list-sept-2020.pdf.

Step 2. Write down the address, phone number given or e-mail address – most GP surgeries have an e-mail address.

Step 3. Phone your doctor s surgery and book an appointment.

When you phone your doctor s surgery, make sure you have a piece of paper and a pen handy. This is so that you can make a note of:


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Book an appointment with an NHS dentist

If your teeth are causing you pain, you can get emergency dental treatment on the NHS. Yes, even if you re not registered with an NHS dentist, you can still get emergency treatment.

To book an emergency dental appointment, phone either:

When you book an appointment to get your teeth looked at, make sure that you have a piece of paper and a pen handy. This is so that you can make a note of:


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Locate your nearest library

Libraries can be useful places to go. They do more than just loan books. You can get magazines and local newspapers, access to computers and free Wi-Fi access so you can connect your phone to the Internet.

To locate your nearest library:

Step 1. Go to https://www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/libraries/locations/.

Step 2. Click "Find your local library".

Step 3. Select the location of your local library. For example, if you live in Inverurie, click "Inverurie".


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Create an Outlook.com e-mail address for yourself

In order to send and receive e-mail messages, you need to have an e-mail address. One of the best e-mail services around is known as Outlook.com.

To create an Outlook.com e-mail address:

Step 1. Go to www.outlook.com.

Step 2. From the Outlook.com website, click "Create account" (you'll find the link in the top-right-hand corner).

Step 3. In the "New email" box, type in a name you want as your e-mail address.

Step 4. In the "Create password" box, type in a password. Make sure it is hard to guess, but not too hard that you will forget it. It needs to be something that you will remember as you'll need it to log-in to your e-mail account.

Step 5. Click "Next" and continue to follow the on-screen steps.


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Make a claim for Housing Benefit to pay your rent

If you are on benefits or a low income, you may be able to claim Housing Benefit to pay some or all of your rent.

To make a claim for Housing Benefit:

Step 1. Go to https://www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/benefits-and-grants/housing-benefit/.

Step 2. Click "Housing Benefit" and then "Apply for Housing Benefit".

Step 3. Click "Start a new calculation/claim".

Step 4. Answer all the questions as truthfully as you can.

Note that to make a claim for benefit you will likely need:


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Search and apply for jobs online

If you are out of work and want to work, there are a number of websites that can help you find a job.

You will likely find the following websites useful:


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Browse a wide range of free ebooks to find one you like

If you like reading, then you should check out hundredzeros.com as it provides a wide range of free Kindle ebooks.

With Kindle ebooks you can read them on just about any platform, from a desktop PC to a phone with Amazon's range of reading apps.

To get Amazon's Kindle reading app for your computer, go to https://www.amazon.co.uk/kindle-dbs/fd/kcp.

Computers and Integration SCIO, 4 St James's Place, Inverurie, Aberdeenshire, AB51 3UB

Charity No. SC010617