FactsOfIsrael.com Screensaver - User's Manual

This page contains the FactsOfIsrael.com screen saver User's Manual which is the official and complete guide to the screen saver.

Please note that some of the options outlined below will only work if you have purchased the full version of the screen saver.  If your trial version has expired, please purchase a license by clicking here - you'll be helping FactsOfIsrael.com in its support of the State of Israel.

Overview

Our screen saver will display a different fact of Israel every few moments when your computer goes into screen saving mode. The application can also run in stanalone mode (like any other program). It is an interactive application that gives you full control over its options. As most screen savers do, it will fill your whole screen and automatically resize itself to your screen resolution. Here's a screenshot of the screensaver:

Section A - Images

Every time a new fact appears, an accompanying image will show up in Section A. The order in which the images and facts show up are completely random and most of the time there's no link between the image and the fact.

Under the image, one sentence will give a brief overview of what the image is all about as show below:

Section B - Facts

The heart of the FactsOfIsrael.com screen saver is section B - the facts. 399 facts were compiled including facts about the history, geography, demography, economy, and agriculture of Israel and the Middle East.

The facts are not shown in any particular order and are not linked to the images displayed in Section A. The screen saver will simply randomly pick one fact out of its pool of 399 possible facts and display it for a few moments.

If one of the facts captures your interest, or if you doubt the authenticity of the fact, I strongly encourage you to do more research on your own. The books section of FactsOfIsrael.com has reviews of books available for anyone that wishes to know more about Israel and the Middle East.

Interactive Fact Navigation buttons

If a fact and/or an image show up and you feel you don't have time to read the fact, you may at any time click on the 'Pause' button. Only the facts and images will pause, while the background music (if turned on) and the digital clock will continue. At this point, the text "Paused" will appear to the right of the fact number, and sections A and B will stay paused until you click on "Next" or "Pause" again.

Furthermore, you may also skip to the next fact and image by clicking on the "Next" button.

Background Music Control

After registering the full version of the FactsOfIsrael.com screen saver, you will have the option of turning on the background music.

Over 50 Jewish and Israeli melodies are included, and songs are played randomly. The music control allows you to skip to the next melody, stop the music or re-start it.

Closing the Screen Saver

If you wish to close the screen saver, simply click on the 'Close' button on the right of the screen. Please note that if your screen saver is password protected, you will have to enter the password.

Settings

The FactsOfIsrael.com screen saver has a few parameters that you may change. You may access the settings screen in the following way:

- Click on Start / Program Files / FactsOfIsrael.com-ScreenSaver / Configuration. The screen saver tab should show up (there are other ways of accessing the same screen, for example - right click on your desktop and choose 'Properties', and then click on the Screen Saver tab. Or click on Start / Settings / Control Panel, and then click on Display. Then click on the Screen Saver tab)

The FactsOfIsrael.com screen saver should be automatically selected, but if it isn't, simply choose "FactsOfIsrael-ScreenSaver" from the dropdown. You should then see the following screen:

Click on the "Settings" button and you will see the following:

Delay

The default display delay between facts is 10 seconds. You may change this delay and set it to 20, 30, 40, 50 or 60 seconds. Click 'OK' to save your changes or 'Cancel' to ignore them.

Expand Screen Saver to Multiple Monitors

The FactsOfIsrael.com supports systems that are setup with multiple monitors. If you check the "Expand screen saver to multiple monitors", the screen saver will automatically resize itself over all monitors configured on your system. For more information on multiple monitors, click here (if you have Windows 98) or here (if you have Windows XP).

Registering

Please note that most of the above functions are only available if you have purchased the full version of the FactsOfIsrael.com screen saver.

If you are running the trial version, some of the options will be disabled. After the trial period is over, or at any given time, you may click on the 'Register' button. This button is available both on the settings screen and on the screen saver itself. Once you click on 'Register' you will see the following:

After you install the trial version, you have 30 days to check out the images, facts, and some of the functions of the screen saver. After the trial period, the screensaver will still work, but a few promotional messages will be displayed between facts. To disable the promotional messages and gain access to all features, simply register your copy.

Continue Unregistered

The 'Continue Unregistered' button allows someone in the trial period to continue trying the FactsOfIsrael.com screen saver without purchasing a license.

Order-Online

When you click on the 'Order-Online' button, your preferred browser will open and you'll be taken to this page. You may then purchase the full version of the FactsOfIsrael.com screen saver and all of the functions above will work. Please note that one license corresponds to one computer - if you'd like to have the registered versions at home and at work, you must purchase two licenses.

Register

Once you have purchased a license for the screen saver online, you will receive an email with the Unlock Code. Please make a note of the Registration Number (at the top right in red), you'll need it to receive the Unlock Code. Please note that registrations are processed in batches and that it may take up to 72 hours for the Unlock Code to be sent (it'll generally take just a couple of hours).

Using the email you received, enter your Unlock Code and Username in the appropriate text boxes. Then click 'Register', and you should receive a message confirming that you have just registered the full version. Congratulations!

Support

Please note that FactsOfIsrael.com is not affiliated with any government, company, or institution. This is simply a personal attempt to give information on Israel and the Middle East.

For the above reason I cannot possibly help everybody with installation issues, support questions, etc... Please make sure you download and install the trial version of the FactsOfIsrael.com screen saver and that it works to your satisfaction before you purchase a license.

Support will definitely be given to those that purchase a license, including the handling of the Unlock Code, the registration process and more.

Conclusion

The FactsOfIsrael.com screen saver and its accompanying site www.FactsOfIsrael.com, cover the basic facts on the State of Israel and the Middle East. This includes maps, the history of the region, statistics, and more.

Although this screen saver covers facts, FactsOfIsrael.com is subjective. It is my point on view on how and which information should be presented. I tried to make this site concise and to the point, similar to an "Israel for dummies" book if such a book existed. I built this site from what I knew on Israel and the Middle East and from additional research, but please let me know if you feel any of the facts listed here are incorrect.

Please note that FactsOfIsrael.com is not affiliated with any government, company, or institution. This is simply my personal attempt to give information on Israel and the Middle East.

Why was the FactsOfIsrael.com screen saver created?

My name is David Melle and I decided to create this screen saver and its accompanying site after realizing that although many people are passionate about the Israeli/Palestinian/Arab conflict, many are also clueless about the history, stats, and even the basic facts on Israel and the Middle East.

I lived in Israel for 10 years, from 1987 to 1997. In December of 1997 I moved to San Francisco, CA, home of the San Francisco 49ers, Giants, and where hundreds of technology companies innovate every day in the Silicon Valley.

I made many friends: bright, educated, and simply fun people to be with. My problem, and the reason for this site to exist, is that a few times I ran into some folks who hated Israel with a passion. They fully supported the Palestinian/Arab cause no matter what happened in the past or in the present, and some didn't even acknowledge the right for the State of Israel and its people to exist!

I entered into many arguments with my friends, and after much fear, anger and anxiety, I realized that some didn't know anything about the conflict. They had seen a few headlines that mentioned the occupied territories or the settlements, or they had been reading an anti-Israeli magazine such as "The Economist", and now they felt that they were experts on the issue, and the world would be a better place without the State of Israel and Israelis.

If you hate Israel so much that the above lines already made you angry, stop here - you are probably not interested in facts and you'll dismiss this screensaver and the Web Site as Israeli fascist propaganda anyway. But if you are looking for some basic facts on Israel and the Middle East, continue on.

Please note that the amount of information on the State of Israel and the Middle East is enormous. There are many sites out there and dozens of books that will go into far more details than what you'll find in the FactsOfIsrael.com screen saver or in the site.

I took my best shot at presenting what I felt was important and relevant for someone that wishes to better understand the conflict. These Web site's pages are made of facts: facts about the State of Israel, facts about people and armies, facts about the borders and the political structure of the Middle East.

On the Web site, whenever I could, I linked back to a site or book that would confirm the fact. That said, the mere fact that I am choosing what facts are outlined make this site and its content extremely personal.

Thank you for taking the time to check out the screen saver or the Web site, and let's hope for better days with peace for Israel and its neighbors.

David Melle
dmelle@factsofisrael.com
http://www.FactsOfIsrael.com

Version 1.1, first official release: April 2002
Version 1.5, UI update and 200 additional facts: October 2002