GIVE YOUR MOUSE A WELL-DESERVED REST

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

Image: 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!

Image: 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.

Image: 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.

Image: 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).

Image: 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.

Image: Ana Klipper

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.

Image: 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.

Image: 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.

Image: 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.

Image: Agence Olloweb

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?

Image: 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.

Snack travel

Where in the world is my lunch? 10 foods named after places!

Image: angela pham

We all love hamburgers, and wieners, but have you ever stopped and wondered how some of your favorite foods got their names? Many of the dishes we enjoy today are named after the places they came from or through some historical twist of fate. We’ll call these "food toponyms" because they tell us about the food itself, and the regions, cities, and people that helped shape its history. Let’s take a flavorful trip around the globe, exploring how 10 famous foods got their geographic names!

Image: engin akyurt

You might think of hamburgers as the ultimate American meal, and the immediate picture is that of a juicy meal sizzling on the grill. But their name comes from the German city of Hamburg.

The term hamburger originally referred to a "hamburger steak," which was a minced beef dish that sailors from Hamburg loved. When German immigrants arrived in America in the 19th century, they brought this treat with them.

But something so delicious couldn’t stop there: Over time, it evolved into the sandwich we know and love today, losing the steak and gaining a bun. Despite the evolution of the treat itself, the name stuck. Today, it’s hard to imagine a barbecue without them, right?

Image: Philippe Murray-Pietsch

If they are the same word, they are probably related, don’t you think? But is thisone of those times when language is trying to play a trick on us? Actually no, the bird you feast on every Thanksgiving is named after Turkey the country.

As the story goes, back in the 1500s, European merchants traded guinea fowls, which they imported through Turkish traders. Because of who imported them, the birds were known as "Turkey fowl" or simply "turkey."

So, where is the mistake? When European settlers in America encountered the wild bird we now call a turkey, they mistook it for the same bird. They eventually saw the differences, but the name had already stuck!

Image: David Trinks

To the eye, scallions don’t say much. Scallions, these simple green onions, are in fact really tasty. But we’re not here for the taste, we’re here for the story behind them!

The term scallion comes from the ancient port city of Ascalon, now part of modern Israel. The Greeks and Romans named these flavorful little onions after the city where they believed they originated.

Today, they are no longer exclusively tied to this region in the Mediterranean, but the name stayed with the vegetable. And even if they are not the first choice for amateurs, they are a great addition to some meals.

Image: Andrik Langfield

Have you ever been to Vienna? Do you wish you could travel there for a much-deserved holiday? Try a wiener and you’ll be enjoying a piece of the city. Wiener is actually short for "wienerwurst," composed of two words that translate to "Viennese sausage" in German.

The name comes from Vienna, the capital of Austria, where this type of sausage was very popular. However, when the wiener made its way to the country, it evolved into our praised hot dog. And of course, each state, and each city, found new ways to make their own version of it!

Image: Martin Moore

Cantaloupes today are one the juiciest summer snacks, but did you know they were first linked to royalty? Or at least that’s one theory.

This fruit gets its name from the town of Cantalupo, near Rome, where Pope Paul V reportedly cultivated the fruit in his papal estate.

However, this is not the only story behind it: Some say the name could also come from the French village of Cantaloup in Languedoc, which had its own connection to the fruit.

Regardless of which story we choose to believe, cantaloupes were a European sensation when they first appeared. Today, no summer goes by without thousands enjoying a delicious piece of cantaloupe!

Image: LikeMeat

Maybe you didn’t believe us the first time, but in America, each city you visit has its own version of a hot dog. And Coney dogs are just one of those!

Coney dogs are beloved in places like Detroit, but their name is pure New York. Specifically, they’re named after Coney Island, the famous amusement park destination.

However, the hot dog slathered in chili sauce is thought to have originated with Greek immigrants who settled in Michigan in the early 20th century. Why the name "Coney"? Most likely, they named their creation after the popular hot dogs sold at Coney Island as a way to attract customers.

Image: Towfiqu barbhuiya

We know these are not everyone’s favorites: Some love them, and some hate them. But nobody can deny that tiny as they are, they are packed with flavor. Which team are you on?

In any case, sardines made it to this list because they are named after the Mediterranean island of Sardinia. This fish was once found in abundance in the waters surrounding the island, making it a natural hub for sardine fishing. The name sardine soon became synonymous with these small, oily fish, no matter where they were caught.

Today, you’ll find canned sardines from all over the world, but the name keeps the link to their Mediterranean roots.

Image: shraga kopstein

Our next stop is an ancient place: Greece. Not to be mistaken with grapes, although they are sold as raisins too, currants are seedless fruits that grow on shrubs. Now, what is their connection to Greece?

Well, the name comes from the phrase raysons of Coraunte which translates to "raisins of Corinth." Corinth was a port city in Greece, where they were exported from.

As with many other foods, and thanks to many advances, currants now come from many places, and one of them is California.

From California to your house, but it takes you straight to Greece. Quite an adventure!

Image: Alexander Kovacs

Just reading the title is enough: Few things are so mouthwatering as buffalo wings. They had to be included in the article!

Buffalo wings are named not after the animal, but after the city of Buffalo, New York. They were first made in the 1960s at the Anchor Bar, where the owner cooked up some chicken wings in a tangy hot sauce. Tressa Bellisimo was her name and we love her!

The spicy snack became an instant hit. They were so popular that they were featured in a story in the New Yorker many years after they were created. By that time, the wings were already spreading across the country. The dish has since become a staple of American cuisine, especially during football season. Despite their widespread popularity, the wings always carry the name of the city where they were born and they do so proudly!

Image: Kristijan Arsov

Baloney has a birthplace, and that is Bologna, in Italy. The popular deli meat traces its roots to mortadella, a finely ground pork sausage with chunks of fat, first made in the Italian city.

When mortadella crossed the ocean and made it to America, it was re-invented in more ways than one, each more American than the other. The ingredients became a mix of chicken, turkey, beef, or pork, often the extra bits.

What about calling something "baloney" to mean nonsense? Well, the credit goes to Alfred E. Smith, New York’s 42nd governor, who used it to criticize President Franklin Roosevelt’s administration. Just like the treat, the phrase stuck!