Had any luck with that new Christmas gift, yet?

By BRIAN BETHEL Staff Writer

There it is: Your new, Christmas computer. Just six days old.

Scary, isn't it?

What the heck are you supposed to do with this thing? After spending all that hard-earned cash, there's supposed to be <I>some<I> benefit, right?

Well, sure. After you're done playing with whatever bundled software came with your PC or Mac, there are plenty of things you can do with your new machine.

To help get you started, here is a list of 10 cool things you can do with your new computer. Heck, even old-timers might find something of value here.

Note that many of these activities require a connection to the Internet. If you don't have online access, get it. Trust me.

OK, here we go:

1. Learn the operating system. No matter what type of computer you have, your first task should be learning the basics of the operating system that makes it go. Great books are available for those interested in learning.

Knowing more about how your computer works - and how to get better performance out of it - will extend your enjoyment of your new machine for years.

2. Send a web greeting card. There are plenty of free sites out there that allow you to send colorful, animated greetings to friends and family - usually for free.

Just find a fill out a form, and your sentiments zip through the ether straight to your loved ones' hearts. A search with a good engine like Yahoo! will help you find cards-a-plenty.

3. Balance your checkbook. Automated software to keep track of your cash flow, loan payments and other financial data is cheap and worth its weight in gold. Perfect for teaching kids about financial responsibility, too, since many financial programs can keep track of more than one set of records.

4. Play an online game with friends from around the world. We know this is really the reason you bought your computer. From cribbage and canasta to high-tech wonders such as Diablo (Blizzard), Myth (Bungie) or Quake 2 (id Software), it is now easier than ever to play games on the Internet. Meet people from all around the world, befriend them and then beat the socks off of 'em with your gaming prowess.

5. Plan a trip. Mapping software these days is so sophisticated that not only can it show you the fastest and safest route to your destination, it can even tell you what you might find along the way.

Complete the experience by making hotel and other travel arrangements online.

6. Learn a new language (or brush up on an old one). Software is out there for practically every language still spoken (and in some rare cases, not spoken for centuries). Niftier programs actually have the ability to "listen" to you speak and compare your pronunciation to that of a native speaker.

7. Trace your family tree. Good software programs are available at a reasonable price to help you sort out family records and organize them effectively. Web sites devoted to family histories abound and can be excellent resources on how to start and where to go for information.

8. Experience the wonders of the cosmos. From Hubble Telescope images to Mars and beyond, plenty of astronomical information, geared for novices and experts alike, is available on the web.

The best sites contain detailed background information, video clips, still pictures, interactive displays and other goodies to make all that learning fun.

Also, excellent shareware (try before you buy) programs are available to help you trace everything from satellites to those ever-popular "billions and billions of stars" that spin endlessly above us.

9. Write a REAL letter. Sure, e-mail is great. But there's still something special about getting a real, honest-to-goodness letter. Your new computer (and printer, of course) can make the process less painless.

Dress up your missive with creative typestyles, and use your word processor's handy spell checker to make sure your "i's" are always before your "e's." (Except after "c," or that "neighbor" and "weigh" thing.)

10. Create something new and wonderful. This is really the point of computers, the way I see it. Whether your interest is in writing, art or music, computers now have tools to help you create wonderful things that can touch the soul or simply let you have some fun.

Whether or not you ever show your creations to anyone, the simple act of making something - even if it is with the humble paint program included with every copy of Windows - can be an incredibly rewarding experience.

From web pages to symphonies, there's a whole lot of creativity just waiting to spring forth from that little beige box.

11. (So I lied about 10 cool things.) Scan in family photos. Photo scanners are cheap (you can get one for as little as $99 these days), and with hard drives getting bigger and other storage mediums becoming cheaper and cheaper, you can store a lot more.

There is an infinite number of things you can do with that sparkling new machine of yours. From these examples you can see that to try to do everything your computer is capable of is an exercise in futility, but it should also reassure you that your new computer is a great investment, not only for you but for each and every member of your family.

Given the proper software and time, it's one of the few purchases that really can be something unique for everyone.

Until next, Computerphiles.