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326 replies

by dklippert

Line it up straight


A slide looks best when the objects line up correctly. While it can be done by trial and error, it is easier to use the Grid and Guides feature.


Go to View>Grid and Guides.


Choose to put a check to select Display grid on screen and/or Display drawing guides on screen.


If you like using guides, you can produce additional guides by holding the CTRL key while dragging on an existing guide.


Extraneous guides can be dragged of the screen.

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by dklippert

Typographic connections

Fonts can be addictive. There can always be an imagined need for one more curly Q.

Here is a collection of possible links.

Luc Devroye joined the School of Computer Science at McGill University in 1977 as a young "snotnose."

" Please do not visit this disappointing web site. Most of the links are dead: they die faster than I can renew them, and there is nothing I can do about it short of giving up my daytime job and divorcing my family, and I love both of them too much for that.

Many link descriptions are boozy and fuzzy. Some opinions are simply pathetic, but I do not want to leave this world without making a fool of myself. To make up for the awful service, I am inviting any type lover visiting Montreal to my house for drinks."


Type Design, Typography, Typefaces and Fonts

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ASP and HTML


Pre-RSS, the predominate method of communication for members of a like minded group was through an emailed newsletter.


Word actually works fine with mail merge to email, but if you want to combine the data gathering and the distribution in a neat package, take a look at this tutorial.

Step 1 : Create a simple HTML Form where users can insert their email addresses and an ASP page which will receive the Form email address from the HTML page and insert it into the database.

Step 2 : Create a simple Access database to store user's email addresses.

Step 3 : A simple admin ASP page from where you can send email messages to all the users whose email addresses are present in the database.

Step 4 : An ASP page from where the users can delete their email addresses from the database if they later choose to.

Stardeveloper.com:

An ASP Tutorial to create your own News Letter

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Markup stuff

How to turn off balloons for comments and track changes in Word 2002 and Word 2003

This article describes how to turn off the balloons that appear for comments and track changes in the right side margin of your Microsoft Word 2002 or Microsoft Office Word 2003 document.

To turn off or hide the balloons for comments and track changes in the right side margin of a Microsoft Word document, follow these steps:

  1. On the Tools menu, click Options.
  2. On the Track Changes tab, do one of the following:
    • In Word 2003, change the Use Balloons (Print and Web Layout) box to Never.
    • In Word 2002, click to clear the Use Balloons in Print and Web Layout check box.
  3. Click OK to close the Options dialog box.

Note This process only hides the balloons for comments and track changes. These steps do not remove any changes.

Frequently Asked Questions About Comments

Using Tracking and Reviewing Features in Microsoft Word 2002/XP Tutorial

[Edited entry from 4/6/2004]

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Quick trick

To send an e-mail message to a number of people in your Contacts file, hold down the CTRL key and select the individual recipients.

Drag the selection to the Inbox icon on the
Outlook
bar.

A new blank pre-addressed e-mail form will open for you.

If you wish to schedule an appointment, drag the selection to the Calendar icon.

The definitive site for more information about
Outlook
is:


Slipstick.com

[

Edited entry from 4/24/2004

]

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An odd little trick

That innocuous little app, notepad, is not immune to problems.

Here's how to do it:

  1. Open up Notepad
  2. Type in this sentence exactly (without quotes): "this app can break"

  3. Save the file to your hard drive.
  4. Close Notepad
  5. Open the saved file by double clicking it.

Most people will see empty squares, but if you have the 'SimSun" font installed, you'll see Chinese (CJK) characters.

Turns out it works with any sequence of 4, 3, 3, and 5 lower-case alpha characters [a-z] separated by a space,

"xxxx xxx xxx xxxxx"

also works.

Here's the techy explanation:
Some files come up strange in Notepad

Also:
Aftermarket Pipes:
This API can break

WinCustomize.com
How to Break Windows Notepad

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Are you the only one awake?

When you prepared your talk you were sure that everyone would be excited to hear it.

"I sat in the back of the classroom, observing and taking careful notes as usual. The class had started at one o'clock. The student sitting in front of me took copious notes until 1:20. Then he just nodded off. The student sat motionless, with eyes shut for about a minute and a half, pen still poised. Then he awoke, and continued his rapid note-taking as if he hadn't missed a beat."

Perhaps you need more than PPT slides and a hoary joke.

"Adult learners can keep tuned in to a lecture for no more than 15 to 20 minutes at a time, and this at the beginning of the class. . .
As the lecture proceeded attention spans became shorter and often fell to three or four minutes towards the end of a standard lecture."

Both of these studies note the severe lapse of attention 15 to 20 minutes into a lecture. Given that students have an attention span of around 15 to 20 minutes and that university classes are scheduled for around 50 or 75 minutes, instructors must do something to control their students' attention. We recommend building a "change-up" into your class to restart the attention clock.

Joan Middendorf and Alan Kalish
Teaching Resources Center
Indiana University

The National Teaching & Learning Forum:

The "Change-Up" in Lectures

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No more three fingers

If you are tired of crunching down three keys to logon your machine, here is the way to get rid of Ctrl+Alt+Delete.

It does involve a registry hack so be careful and back up the entries before doing this.

  1. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
  2. Value Name: DisableCAD
  3. Data Type: REG_DWORD (DWORD Value)
  4. Value Data: (0 = Require Ctrl+Alt+Delete, 1 = Disable)

For more tricks try Winguides.com:
Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete Before Logon

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How does your site score?

Here are a collection of tools that can be used to analyze your web site for validity.

Sorry, it doesn't check for source information reliability.

Readability Test

The readability test analyses a Web page to determine how readable it is.

CSS Analyzer

The CSS analyzer tests for basic accessibility errors such as color contrast and units of measurement.

Luminosity Contrast Ratio Analyzer (Beta)

Tests whether foreground and background colour combinations are sufficient using a new algorithm developed by Trace R&D Center.

Color Contrast Analyzer

The color contrast analyzer tests whether the contrast between the background and the foreground is sufficient.

Image Analyzer

The image analyzer tests Web pages to ensure that images have been specified properly.

Link Analyzer

The link analyzer lists all links on a page with an icon to indicate whether or not the link resolved successfully.

Juicystudio.com:
Quality Assurance

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One improvement?


Much of what's new in Excel 2003 is technically interesting, but probably will go unused is a majority of installations; i.e. XML data exchange, Sharepoint, and Smart documents.

One of the smaller new features might be used more often; that's the enhanced list management tools.

Microsoft has a 20 minute course, if you have Office 2003 installed, "How to use Lists in Excel 2003."

Though on reflection, it's not such a big deal. See John Walkenbach's comment at:
Excel 2003 Review


(If you don't have Office 2003 or an Active X browser, you can't see the information.
Here's the explanation: Troubleshoot why you can't see some pages on Office Online.)

There is, also, a Quick Reference card.

Toggle Total Row button

This button automatically totals the last column in the list. You would just click the Toggle Total Row button. Voil?! Excel would add an additional row with the word "Total" and with the sum.

Multiple Lists

When you use the List command, you can have more than one list on a worksheet. You can add or delete a row in one list without adding or deleting a row in a list next to it, an ability new in Excel 2003.

Multiple Sorts

You can also sort those lists separately, because using the List command automatically gives each list its own AutoFilter arrows.
For Office 2007:

You cannot find the Excel List feature in the new Microsoft Office Excel 2007 Ribbon.

The Excel List feature still exists, but it has been renamed. Excel lists are now called Excel tables.

To create an Excel table (previously known as an Excel list), select the range that you want to turn into a table, and then do one of the following:
  • On the Insert tab, in the Tables group, click Table.
  • Keyboard shortcut In addition to CTRL+L, you can now press CTRL+T to create a table.


The List toolbar no longer exists (of course) and you can't insert SubTotals in a table.

Lists turned out to be another one time feature.

[Edited entry from 4/5/2004]




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Correct the protected

Unfortunately, Word's protection feature disables a huge number of important functions, even if you only protect a single section of a document.

Besides the spellchecker, many other items on the View, Insert, Format, Tools and Table menus are disabled, as well as most items on the Drawing, Database, Visual Basic and Picture toolbars.

This
MS Word MVP FAQ Site
 article lays out the steps needed to


Enable the spellchecker in a protected document
.

One of the important elements is "NoReset=True". The act of removing and then re-protecting a document will reset the data without this line.

In Office 2007 Protection is found on the Review tab:

[

Edited entry from 4/10/2004

]

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Erase the future

If the need should arise to clean out your calendar and start fresh, here's how.
You don't have to erase all appointments. You can choose which groups deserve oblivion.

For Microsoft Office Outlook 2003

  1. Start Outlook 2003, and then click your Calendar folder.
  2. On the View menu, point to Arrange By, click Current View, and then click By Category.
  3. On the View menu, point to Expand/Collapse Groups, and then click Collapse All.
  4. In the Table pane, right-click each category, and then click Delete. This deletes every item that belongs to each category.

After you delete all of the items in all of the categories, the Calendar folder is empty.

How to delete all Outlook Calendar items

Outlook 2007 appears to work the same way:

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Access style

With all the news about database spying, here's some information about protecting your own Access db.

Don't tell the New York Times.

This is Margaret Blauvelt's TOC from Mendoclick.com:

  • General Protection from Unauthorized Users
  • Protect your Logon Identity
  • How to Change your Password in Access
  • User Logon, Security and Data Integrity
  • The Access Workgroup Security File
  • Object Permissions and User Logon
  • Access Sessions and the Workgroup File
  • Joining to another Workgroup Security File from within Access
  • Opening a Database from the Command Line
  • Opening a Database from a Shortcut
  • Backup
  • Compact and Repair

Mendoclick.com
Access Security for End Users

Support.microsoft.com:
Frequently asked questions about Access security warnings

For Access 2007:
Data Security in Microsoft Access 2007

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What do steam and paper have in common?


I find origami and paper sculpture intriguing.


Ed Bertschy provides a template that can be downloaded and printed on good paper to be used in the construction of a paper steam engine.

This paper steam engine is based on a Riches and Watts nominal 2 1/2 horsepower vertical A-frame double acting simple slide-valve steam engine circa 1870-75. The original engine was used to drive a water pump to irrigate the fields of Norfolk. If this model had a scale, it would be roughly 1:19. I had to double the size of the eccentric and strap in order to make it buildable. Everything else is close to scale, but changed in design and appearance because, well, paper isn't iron.

Everything will work on this engine, the flywheel turns, there really is a slide valve in the valve chest, the piston works, the cranks and the connecting rods, eccentric and strap all work if built carefully. The final model stands about 12 inches high. I hope you have as much fun building it as I had designing it.


Paper Steam Engine

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Is the Web any place for a PowerPoint Show?
How should a PowerPoint file be saved for use on the web?

The University of Wisconsin-Stout ran an experiment.

Tested Methods

Save as HTML or Web Page [Not Recommended]
PowerPoint Presentation (*.ppt) [Recommended]
PowerPoint Show (*.pps) [Not Recommended]
PowerPoint Animation (*.ppa) [Not Recommended]
Pack-n-Go [Not Recommended]
ASF - Streaming

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by dklippert

Adjust how it looks

Sometimes the performance of Windows XP can be tweaked by adjustinga few settings.

  1. Right Click the My Computer Icon
  2. Choose Properties
  3. Go to Advanced>Performance>Settings

Pick one of these options:

Let Windows choose what's best for my computer

Restore settings to Windows choice.

Adjust for best appearance

Turn on all visual effects

Adjust for best performance

Turn off all visual effects

Or uncheck these settings:

  • Fade or slide menus into view
  • Fade or slide ToolTips into view
  • Fade out menu items after clicking
  • Show Shadows under menus
  • Slide open combo boxes
  • Slide taskbar buttons
  • Use a background image for each folder type
  • Use common tasks in folders

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by dklippert

Split between worksheets

While this problem is alleviated in Excel 2007 with its 1,048,576 rows by 16,348 columns, The old XL versions are still here.

Text files with a large number of records are better handled in a program like Access. Having said that, there can be times that these lists must be imported into Excel. If the file has over 65,536 records, the data will not fit on a single worksheet.

Here's a Microsoft Knowledge Base article with the macro code needed to bring oversized text data into Excel and split it into multiple worksheets:

Sub LargeFileImport()      'Dimension Variables      Dim ResultStr As String      Dim FileName As String      Dim FileNum As Integer      Dim Counter As Double      'Ask User for File's Name      FileName = InputBox("Please enter the Text File's name, e.g. test.txt")      'Check for no entry      If FileName = "" Then End      'Get Next Available File Handle Number      FileNum = FreeFile()      'Open Text File For Input      Open FileName For Input As #FileNum      'Turn Screen Updating Off      Application.ScreenUpdating = False      'Create A New WorkBook With One Worksheet In It      Workbooks.Add template:=xlWorksheet      'Set The Counter to 1      Counter = 1      'Loop Until the End Of File Is Reached      Do While Seek(FileNum) <= LOF(FileNum)         'Display Importing Row Number On Status Bar          Application.StatusBar = "Importing Row " & _             Counter & " of text file " & FileName          'Store One Line Of Text From File To Variable          Line Input #FileNum, ResultStr          'Store Variable Data Into Active Cell          If Left(ResultStr, 1) = "=" Then             ActiveCell.Value = "'" & ResultStr          Else             ActiveCell.Value = ResultStr          End If                    'For Excel versions before Excel 97, change 65536 to 16384          If ActiveCell.Row = 65536 Then             'If On The Last Row Then Add A New Sheet             ActiveWorkbook.Sheets.Add          Else             'If Not The Last Row Then Go One Cell Down             ActiveCell.Offset(1, 0).Select          End If          'Increment the Counter By 1          Counter = Counter + 1      'Start Again At Top Of 'Do While' Statement      Loop      'Close The Open Text File      Close      'Remove Message From Status Bar      Application.StatusBar = False   End Sub

Importing Text Files Larger Than 16,384/65,536 Rows

Notice the code about 17 lines from the bottom of the macro.

'For xl97 and later change 16384 to 65536.

Also, after import, the data must be parsed. Use Data>Text to columns.

Also:

Daniel Klann:

Importing large text files (more then 65,536 rows) into Excel

If you have not worked with macros before, Dave McRitchie has a tutorial:

Getting Started with Macros and User Defined Functions

[Edited entry from 4/14/2004]

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Stand behind your documents

Backup/restore or transfer AutoCorrect, AutoText, Macros, and other critical files from one version of Word and Windows to another

  1. Normal.dot:
    Stores formatted AutoCorrect entries, AutoText entries, keyboard shortcuts, menu customizations, custom toolbars, styles, macros.
  2. acl file:
    Stores unformatted AutoCorrect entries (the majority of your AutoCorrect entries).
  3. custom.dic:
    Words you add during spellcheck.
  4. Templates you create (.dot files).

From ProductivityTalk.com:

MS Word's critical files

Word comes with a supplemental macros template that includes the AutoCorrect Utility. The utility is used to backup and restore entries. If you only do the backup portion, it will create a regular Word document that you can print..

In Word 2002/2003: it's part of the support.dot (included on Office installation CD)

AutoCorrect Utility

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While you still have any

Hoax e-mail, at one time, threatened to overflow offices and homes with deleted electrons.
Some of the offers and "insights" seemed so real and they came from respected senders.

If you have doubts about claims that:

  • We should Boycott 7-11
  • That California Bill AB 2651 Outlaws Christian Foster Parents?
  • There are Formosan Termites in Mulch from New Orleans?
  • Bush won an honest election

Or any other spam claims, take a look at:

BreaktheChain.org

Another spot to check is:

Snopes.com

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Disable AutoExpand

When you type an entry in a combobox control Access will typically attempt to complete the entry based on the control's lookup list.

This is controlled by the AutoExpand property, which is set to Yes (-1) by default.

Although such behavior is helpful, it can cause problems if your value list contains several items that are close in spelling, since it's easy for users to accidentally let Access choose the wrong item.

You can avoid errors by setting the control's AutoExpand property to No (0) in Design view or using VBA to set the property equal to 0.

Once you've made the change users are forced to type the entire entry or select an item using the combobox control's dropdown list.

(Works the same in Access 2007)

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They said - "Imposible!"

Forget high school geometry. A triangle can have more than on ninety degree angle.

Here's how it was done:


IllusionsEtc.Blogspot.com

"Caution!!!! Some of the optical illusions on this blog may cause dizziness or possibly epileptic seizures. The latter happens when the brain can't handle the conflicting information from your two eyes. If you start feeling unwell when using this website, immediately cover one eye with your hand and then leave the page. Do not close your eyes because that can make the attack worse."


Site map

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Thousands of items


If you find the need for Armed Forces photos and art, here is the place to look.
Regardless of your opinion about their present mission, the military does present a spectacular visage.


"06/17/06 - An F/A-18E Super Hornet aircraft sits at the ready as storm clouds pass overhead aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) in the Philippine Sea June 17, 2006.
(
U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate 2nd Class Aaron Burden
)

All of these files are in the public domain unless otherwise indicated. However, we request you credit the photographer/videographer as indicated or simply "Department of Defense."


HqDA.Army.Mil - Clipart

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