Let's face it, most of the time we computer people are pompous farts who hate to RTFM (Read the fucken manual). We prefer to fiddle with the software first, rather than taking the patient approach to handle such a fragile artefact. In an era where we are faced with yearly updates of the same new software (Office, Windows, Acrobat, FIFA) the urge to plunge directly to work is irresistible. Yet, no matter how deeply we may indulge in the intricate details of such complex creations, the designer always manager to surpass obvious logic and hide one or two wonderful features. With this thought in mind, this week I've decided to give more credit to the efforts of these programmers and explore some of the new and obscure features of commonly used software.

The morning tracks lead to Acrobat and I couldn't resist pressing the "Read Out Loud" option. Hilarious! Now stop for a second and take a look at your keyboard. Which is the whitest key? If the windows button figured amongst the likings of the scroll lock then here are a few tips you might use.

[Windows]

Open the start menu

[Windows] + [D]

Minimise / restore all windows

[Windows] + [E]

Load Internet Explorer

[Windows] + [F]

Find all files dialog

[Windows] + [M]

Minimise all windows

[Windows] + [Ctrl] + [M]

Reverse previous operation

[Windows] + [R]

Open the run dialog

[Windows] + [Break]

Open the system properties dialog

[Windows] + [F1]

Open windows help

[Windows] + [Tab]

Cycle through buttons on the task bar