Copyright: Opera Multimedia - Milano


Help Contents for Homo sapiens

Welcome to Homo sapiens! To select a help topic shown below, click the topic name.

How to use Help

What's in Homo sapiens?

Basic Rules for Using Homo sapiens

The Structure of Homo sapiens

Navigating Homo sapiens

Contents

The groups of cards

Controls

Using the Homo sapiens Index

Options


The Index cards

You can use the Index cards to find

1.	the list of the sites where important archaeologic relics were found

2.	a particular subject

3.	the list of the cards with multimedia addings

Using the Index cards

To pop up the Index cards click the Index button of the Controls.

Choose the Index you are interested in among the Sites, the Clips, the Subjects. Each Index show the list of its items where you can choose. If you click an Index item, the corresponding card is highlighted. The Index card is automatically quitted. If the subject you have chosen doesn't appear in the list, it is not available.

Related topics

The groups of cards

Contents


Contents

Topics of Homo sapiens are divided into five areas of interest or sections, you can enter them from the main card of Contents.

Every section has its own detailed card of Contents, to be entered from the main card of Contents by passing with the mouse pointer on the related area and clicking when the  yellow sign appears.

All the Contents of each section, even if different in their subject, have active areas. When the mouse pointer reaches an active area, the arrow icon changes and you can see the title of the card that you can enter visualized on a yellow background.

1.	Physical Evolution allows you to explore the different phases of the physical evolution of man from Paleolith to present days.

2.	Cultural Evolution allows you to explore the different phases of the cultural evolution of mankind from the first and rough tools to more and more elaborate shapes of real artistic artifacts.

3.	Environment and Geological Time show a series of information that gives an idea of the places and the climatic conditions in which our ancestors used to live. This section presents also the data related to the different geologic epoches; to enter this information click the Geologic Time button at the upper right side.

4.	Reference Instruments allow you to analyse a specific subject by entering grouped cards (for instance, the story of human body comprehends the story of human face, foot and all  about the anatomical changes). Some groups of cards analyse the methodologies used by anthropologists to collect and study the elements that, taken altogether, allow us to reconstruct the story of mankind.

5.	Sites of Our Ancestors is a section that offers information about the most important sites where fundamental elements for reconstructing the story of mankind have been found. By clicking the time bar on your left, you can focus your interest on a particular hominid, while the button at the lower right side of the card displays the ten most important sites. Sometimes, by moving the mouse pointer over the Contents, a square area appears. It means that, by clicking it, the related area can be displayed in a bigger size to offer a better detail.

Related topics

The groups of cards

Index


Options

The Options are always available by clicking the corresponding button of the Controls. In the Options window you can see the Credits.

1.	History

By clicking the corresponding button you can see graphically the path you have done. You can choose to click a card or to see the path as a list of all the first level cards seen in navigating the application. The list is active, so when you click one of the cards you return to it.

2.	Copy

Copy function makes a copy of the text of the current card and of all the second level cards related to it in the clipboard. Then you can import the texts in your preferred word processor for you personal notes. This function is not active in the Contents cards.

3.	Print

Print function prints graphically the current card and all the second level cards related to it. This function is not active in the Contents cards. Please note that if you don't have a graphic printer, you can't print Homo sapiens cards.

4.	Enabling of the environmental sound

You have certainly noted that when you don't use Homo sapiens for a certain period of time, some environmental sounds are activated. You can choose to  enable this function or not.

5.	Title

Homo sapiens shows its title only the first time that it is activated after its installation. If you want to see again the preview, choose this Options control.

6.	Exit

This function quits the application.

Related topics

The groups of cards

Controls

Navigating Homo sapiens


Navigating Homo sapiens

Homo sapiens is organized in cards, each of them covers in depth a specific subject. The cards, in turn, are organized in related groups. You can move inside this structure as follows:

1.	Access by Contents to a group of cards

See the Contents section

2.	Access through the index to a single card

See Index Index section

3.	Activating a card that is not a first level card

When you are in a first level card, you can activate other related cards. See Cards  section for further details.

4.	Closing a card that is not a first level card

To quit a card that is not a first level card click in the upper left corner of the screen or press ALT+F4

5.	Jumping to a card of the same group

To enter a card of the same group of the current one, click the title of the card you want to see: you can read the titles in the blue tabs in the lower part of the card.

6.	Jumping to another group of cards

Every card of both the first and second level, has a link to another group of cards on a logically related subject. To activate that link, click the flint-shaped button at the upper corner of the card.

7.	Going back to the previous card

To go back to a previously seen card, click the Back button of the Controls.

8.	Going back to one of the previously seen cards

To see the path you have followed and go back to one of the previously seen cards, use the History function in Options.

9.	Back to the Contents

To enter directly the main Contents card, click Contents button of the Controls.

10.	Quitting Homo sapiens

To quit Homo sapiens you can do one of the following:

- double click the left upper corner of the main window

- press ALT+F4

- use the Exit function in Options

Related topics

Controls


Controls

At the right side of each first level card indexes are always available  the following functions:

Offers direct access to the main Contents card

Opens the Options window

Opens the window containing the alphabetical indexes of access to the cards of Homo sapiens

Goes back to the previously seen card. Please note that you can go back only from first level card and from index cards. Other kinds of cards are not activated. The back function, if used more than once, allows you to see the whole path backwards.

Activates Homo sapiens Help

Related topics

The groups of cards

Navigating Homo sapiens


The cards

In Homo sapiens you can find different kinds of cards. The cards displayed in full card are the first levels cards. A little coloured triangle indicates the section the card refers to. The triangles follow a cromatic code as shown below:

Physical Evolution

Cultural Evolution

Environment and Geological Time

Reference Instruments

Sites of Our Ancestors

The cards have the following functions inside:

1.	Widenings

Each blue-underlined word is active and, by clicking it, can give further information.  Sometimes, you will find buttons of a particular shape: by clicking them you can enter other cards.

The other kinds of cards are always displayed in as separated windows overlapping the main card. To disactivate them, click the upper left corner of the windows or press ALT+F4.

The other cards of Homo sapiens are:

-	the second level cards

-	the passports

-	glossary

-	the facts cards

2.	Controls

At the right side of the screen there are always 5 buttons allowing you to enter some functions of the system.

3.	Access to the cards of the samegroup

At the lower side of the card, if the card belongs to the group there are some blue tabs that refer to other cards of that group.

4.	Access to spoken passages

In the card you can find a loudspeaker-shaped button. By clicking it, you can hear an audio clip related to the subject of the card.

5.	Access to films

Some cards contain a film clip. You can see it by clicking the little arrow-shaped button at the upper right side of the card, pause the clip by clicking the button with two vertical lines in the middle or even stop it by using the right button with a little square figure.

6.	Jumping to another group of cards.

Each first and second level card contains a reference linking to another group of cards that treats a logically related subject. To activate the reference click the flint-shaped button at the upper right side of the card.

Related topic

Navigating Homo sapiens

Options

Contents

Index


Basic Rules for Using Homo sapiens

To get started:

1.	If the Contents card containing the five sections is not displayed, click the Contents button at the right side of the Homo sapiens window to see a table with five sketched scenes.

2.	If the Contents card is displayed, by passing with the mouse over every scene of the table, you'll see them enlightening one by one, each signed with the name of the represented section. Click one of them to enter one of the sections. You'll see another card with other choices you can make. Use the following table to guide you as you use the program.

Now we suggest you to read the Contents section of this guide: it will briefly describe you both the Homo sapiens functions and contents.

Related topics

The groups of the cards

Navigating Homo sapiens

Controls

Index

Options


Whats in Homo Sapiens?

What's in Homo sapiens?

Homo sapiens is divided into five sections, which are shown on the first card of the title:

Physical Evolution

Cultural Evolution

Environment and Geological Time

Reference Instruments

Sites of Our Ancestors

To choose a section:

If the Contents card is not displayed, click the Contents button at the upper right side of the opening window of Homo sapiens.

If the Contents card is displayed, click a section highlighted by the mouse pointer. You'll see another card with more choices you can make.

You can browse through the sections any way you like. Every section treats a particular topic: you can jump from a section to another by returning to the Contents cards or by clicking the buttons and the labels you can find in the various cards.

Related topics

Contents


How to use Help

This Help system is an online guide always available. It can help you using Homo sapiens. This topic introduces the basics you'll need to get started using Help.

1.	To jump to one of the Help topics

Click a topic title with a solid underline

2.	To display a pop-up description

Click a word or a phrase with a dotted underline. To close the pop-up window, click again the same window

3.	To scroll through text

Use the scroll bar or the PAGE DOWN and PAGE UP keys

4.	To search for a Help topic

Click the Search button, and then follow the directions in the dialog box to select an 	entry in the list and see the related Help topics

5.	To display the Help table of contents

Click the Contents button

6.	To quit Help:

Double click the control-menu box in the Help window or press ALT+F4


passport cards
The passport cards, that can be seen by clicking the corresponding passport icon in a first level card, offer information about the different hominids.


second level cards
The second level cards, like the first level ones, contain textual, visual and audio information on a specific subject, with widenings of the treated subjects. They can always be seen starting from the first level cards and by activating an active label.


glossary
The glossary contains a record of the main specific words of the subject and offers a brief explanation of them, mostly textually. The glossary can be activated from both the first and second level cards, by activating one of the blue highlighted words in the texts.


History
The graphical visualization of the path shows you the groups of cards that you have seen. The enlightened cards are the ones already seen, while the others are the ones not yet seen. You can click directly the card you are interested in. The coloured triangle at the bottom of the page highlights the section the group of cards belongs to.


facts cards
Some added cards (the facts cards) give further information. These cards can be entered by activating the corresponding icon in the first level cards.


The structure of Homo sapiens

The structure of Homo sapiens is based upon cards, each of them covers in depth a specific subject.

If you want to know more about a subject, Homo sapiens gives you different kinds of widenings: details about hominids, explanations of the words used in the text, curious details.

To move in the structure of Homo sapiens, you can use different instruments: the Contents card allows you enter the section  you are more interested in, while the indexes allows you to  search directly for the card you want.

At last, with the Options button, you can ask for visualizing the path you have done and you can go back to a previously seen card.

Related topics

The groups of cards

Navigating Homo sapiens


The groups of cards

The first level cards are organized in groups that cover a specific subject.

The titles of the cards of the same group are always displayed by the blue tabs at the lower side of the card. To enter another card of the group, click the tab with the corresponding title.

From a group of cards, you can go to another group from the indexes, from the Contents or by the links suggested by the flint-shaped button at the upper right corner of the card.

Related topics

Navigating Homo sapiens

The cards