Q. I know this is a very basic question, but can you explain how to copy and paste something from a Web page? I hear that phrase all the time, but I'm not sure how to do it. Thanks, Mr. M.

A. Before you can copy text to a new location, you have to select (highlight) the text you would like to copy. There are a number of ways to accomplish this, but the method I use is to position my mouse cursor at the beginning of the text I want to select. Then, holding down the left mouse button, I move (drag) the cursor to the end of the desired text, then release the button. As an alternative, you can left-click at the beginning of the desired text, hold down the Shift key and click once at the end of the text. Everything between the first click and the second click will be highlighted. If you want to select all the text on a given page, press CTRL + A.

To copy the highlighted text, click Edit > Copy, right-click and select Copy, or press CTRL + C. It will appear as if nothing happens, but your selected text has been placed on the Windows clipboard. Trust me.

To Paste the selected text in a new location, click your mouse in the location where you want the copied text to appear, then click Edit > Paste. As an alternative, you can right-click and select Paste, or press Ctrl + V.

Copying and pasting is not the same as cutting and pasting, which is another term you may have heard. Cutting and pasting removes text from its original location and places it in a new location. Copying and pasting places a second version of the selected text in a new location, so you will have the same text in two places.

Q. I get my cable Internet access through AT&T, but I don't have cable television service. A couple of weeks ago I got a letter from Comcast saying that they were taking over from AT&T and that unless I signed up for cable TV, they will raise my Internet service $15 per month. I've decided to go with DSL from another provider, but is there anything I can do to protest Comcast's heavy-handed tactics?

A. I can understand being miffed with Comcast, but for what it's worth, many cable companies charge non cable-TV customers an additional $10 (or more) for Internet access. "Bundling" is the name of the marketing game these days and you can generally save money by obtaining combined services from one vendor rather than taking the ala carte approach.

As far as complaining, you can write letters to Comcast, contact your Congressman, the FCC, and your state Corporation Commission, if it makes you feel better, but between you and me, I wouldn't waste my time. The $15 is not that out of line and there is nothing improper about offering discounts for bundled services as a marketing incentive.

Mr. Modem's Sites of the Week:

Lookup Directory
Look up ZIP codes and city names, find crime statistics, climate averages, AM-FM and TV stations, access current demographic data, look up Canadian and U.S. addresses, determine the distance between ZIP codes or the ZIP codes and area codes within a given radius. More than enough information to cause your eyes to glaze over and your head to spin.
http://tinyurl.com/d3lupj

StrangeBanana
A strange site, with a strange name, but one that automatically redesigns itself each time you click the Refresh or Reload button. Why? I have no idea, but it's very interesting in an “I-really-need-to-get-a-life” kind of way.
http://tinyurl.com/7x9s3

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