Thursday, December 31, 2015

Free Assistance

Worth a lot more than you pay for it


Here is a site that gives presentation hints. Also, free clip art, free templates, a forum, and quotations.
"There are always three speeches, for every one you actually gave. The one you practiced, the one you gave, and the one you wish you gave."
-- Dale Carnegie



PresentationMagazine.com:
Presentation Magazine



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Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Hip Replacement

Do it yourself


Well, not exactly.

The Northwest has a great PBS radio station in KUOW.

Here is a story about how surgeons work, including a blow by blow description of a hip replacement operation.
. . . "this hour: the surgeon's hands. How do surgeons keep their hands healthy? What kind of training do they go through to keep their fingers tactile and sensitive? How important is touch to successful surgery? Are the hands of surgeons gifted? Over the past month, we've been talking with people who use their head and their hands in their work. Our 'How To' series continues today with surgeons.

Guests

Richard Ellenbogen, M.D. chairman of neurological surgery at the University of Washington School of Medicine, the Theodore S. Roberts Endowed Chair in Neurological Surgery, the Chief of Neurological Surgery at Harborview Medical Center

Eric Froines, M.D., F.A.C.S. chief of general surgery, Capitol Hill Specialty Center Group Health Permanente"

How to Operate


For more information, here is a link to the University of Washington:

What is Hip Replacement?
A Review of Total Hip Arthroplasty, Hip Resurfacing, and Minimally-Invasive Hip Surgery.






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Tuesday, December 29, 2015

New Default Access Form Template

Set new standards



You can change Access's default form.

To set up a custom template,
  1. Create your template form by specifying all the properties you want to maintain from form to form.
  2. Then, save the form using any name.
  3. Next, select Tools>Options from the menu bar and select the Forms/Reports tab.
  4. Enter your template's name in the Form Template box to replace the Access default (Normal) and click OK.
The next time you create a form, Access will base it on your form template rather than the typical Normal template.

In Access 2007-10, click the Office button in the upper left corner and the click Access Options.
The design options are located under Object Designers: Forms/Reports.
The same thing can be done with Reports.

 

 (The settings are saved in the Access workgroup information file, not in a particular data base)

Also: MeadinKent.co.uk: Making a report template



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Sunday, December 27, 2015

History of the Internet

Time passes quickly


You can defend the Internet beginning in the early or late 60's. This link follows the history back to the invention of the "computer" in the 1700's to today.

Netcraft survey reports there are more than 74 million web sites online, while in 1993 only 130 web sites existed online.

A Computer History of the Internet Timeline

Also:
Here's a nice site:
The Living Internet

The Internet SOCiety:
History of the Internet

Also:
Internet History



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E-Mail Headers

How to read the code


Spam is as ubiquitous in email as it is in an Hawaiian restaurant.

These links may help you distinguish pork shoulder from the other stuff.


"This document is intended to provide a comprehensive introduction to the behavior of email headers.

It is primarily intended to help victims of unsolicited email ("email spam") attempting to determine the real source of the (generally forged) email that plagues them; it should also help in attempts to understand any other forged email.
It may also be beneficial to readers interested in a general-purpose introduction to mail transfer on the Internet. "


StopSpam.org:
E-mail Headers


"The ability to read and decipher email headers is a useful skill to learn for tracing messages to their original source and diagnosing many other problems. Headers may contain a lot of information but the most important information will always be contained in every email header."




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Saturday, December 26, 2015

Web Queries

Do You Question the Web?


This feature can make data acquisition a lot easier than Copy-Paste-Reformat-Try again.

"Generally, though, people tend to overlook the option of using the Web as a data source for Excel, be that source the Internet, an intranet, an extranet, or a Web Service. But they shouldn't. Web queries are an easy, yet remarkably flexible and predictable way of bringing data into Microsoft Excel from anywhere on the Web. You can point a Web query at any HTML document that resides on any Web server - or even on a file server, for that matter - and pull part or all of the contents back into your spreadsheet...When you start using Excel's Web queries, you will realize they are almost as limitless as the Web is.

Well Kept Secret

On the menu bar, go to Data>Import External Data. (In 2007-10, Data>Get Extrnal Data>From Web). Then, select Import Data to use an existing Web query or select New Web Query to build a new one.

Web Query

Also see:
Vertex42.com:
Excel Web Query Secrets Revealed

Integrate Far-Flung Data into Your Spreadsheets with the Help of Web Services

And:
Web Queries and Dynamic Chart Data



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Friday, December 25, 2015

Insert>Fields

Tiny code snippets


Microsoft has included a number of code pieces that you can use without having to haul out the VBA editor. These codes handle such things as page numbers, Table of Contents, Merge data and more.

"Some 80-plus fields are built into Word that provide information about the file and the user; store, display, and manipulate reference information; and link the document to other applications - all without a bit of code."


Automate Word Documents with Minimal Code
By Cindy Meister


Cindy Meister is a Word MVP.

She also works with bobbin-lace. Here is a sample of a Honiton lace butterfly.

Also:

AddBalance.com:
Using { Fields } in Microsoft Word

GMayor.com
Formatting Word Fields with Switches

In 2007-10 you can use the =(Formula) field.
On the Insert tab look for Quick Parts:





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Thursday, December 24, 2015

Frame that Slide

More PP bling

Face it; we've seen every graphic in ClipArt and every background color combination. Putting a frame around an ordinary object can make it pop.

Here is a link to instructions about how to frame your pictures. There is also a download for extra frames.





Create Picture Frames in PowerPoint
by Geetesh Bajaj



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Wednesday, December 23, 2015

GIF Editor

Free tool


Here is an online GIF image editor. You can create animated GIF files and save them to your site or your machine.

There is nothing to download. All the work is done on line.





"Create your own special effects with any GIF -- even animated ones! Resize it, colorize it, optimize it, and jazzercise it -- then save it and take it with you. You name it and you can do it!

It's simple! Using the easy-to-use pull down menus. Simply follow the instructions to load any GIF and then manipulate the image using the GIFMagic menus. It's that easy."


GIFMagic



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Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Change Properties in Form View

Alterations on the run


As you work with a form, you will, sometimes, find controls would benefit from minor tweaking. You may want to change the color of a text box, change the font that's used, or remove scroll bars.

You may have been told switch to Design view to make changes. However, you can display the property sheets for a control while you're in Form view.

To do so, click the Properties on the View menu, Right-click, or press [Alt][Enter].
As in Design view, the displayed properties relate to the control that is selected on the form. The property changes you make are reflected on the fly.
You will be prompted to resave your form when you close it.



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Monday, December 21, 2015

Seniors Surf Too

No Internet age limit


You don't have to show a drivers license (expired or not) to wander through cyber space,but. . .





As the oldest Baby Boomers turn 60, marketers and the media are waking up to the power of older consumers. Unlike today's seniors, Boomers are dedicated Internet users and broadband fans. As they approach the next phase of their lives, they will challenge companies to keep up with their ever-demanding ways, both online and off.

Also see:
King County Seniors on line

Pierce County Seniors



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Sunday, December 20, 2015

Control Panel

Be empowered


"Control Panel provides a set of special-purpose administrative tools so that users can configure the Windows, applications, and services environment. It includes default items in Control Panel for common tasks, for example, Display and Add Hardware. User-installed applications and services can also insert their own icons into Control Panel.

There are two view options for Control Panel: Category View and Classic View.

Category View displays Control Panel icons according to the type of task that the user wants to perform.

Classic View displays Control Panel icons in a view that is familiar to users of previous versions of Windows."


  1. Click Start, and then Settings

  2. Click Control Panel.

  3. Click Appearance and Themes, and then click Folder Options.

  4. Open Folder Options.

  5. Under Tasks, click "Show common tasks in folders", and then click OK.

  6. In the Control Panel box in the upper-left corner of Control Panel, click "Switch to Category" or "Switch to Classic View".
Go to View and choose how you want the contents to be displayed. "Icons" is the Classic view, but details will show the purpose of each entry. For more information about Control Panel icons, see:
  • Accessibility Options
  • Add Hardware
  • Add or Remove Programs
  • Administrative Tools
  • Date and Time
  • Display
  • Folder Options
  • Fonts
  • Game Controllers
  • Internet Options
  • Keyboard
  • Licensing
  • Mouse
  • Network Connections
  • Phone and Modem Options
  • Power Options
  • Printers and Faxes
  • Regional and Language Options
  • Scanners and Cameras
  • Scheduled Tasks
  • Sounds and Audio Devices
  • Stored User Names and Passwords
  • Speech
  • System
Microsoft Product Documentation:
Control Panel



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Saturday, December 19, 2015

Make a List

How to check it


January is the month that bird watchers try to find as many birds as they can.

This is only one kind of list. This link helps you create a list of 453 Washington state birds and more.

There's also a list for a motorcycle first aid kit.

Checklists for Motorcyclists


Also see:
Pack Light

And read this book to get yourself ready. (Maybe next year.)

The Big Year : A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession



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Friday, December 18, 2015

Big Year, The

A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession


By Mark Obmascik
ISBN 0743245458
Free Press; (February 4, 2004)



About the Author
Mark Obmascik was the winner of the 2003 National Press Club Award for environmental journalism. He has a story tellers ability to, not only describe the setting, but to draw the reader into the adventure.

Book Description
2.4 million people keep what is called a "life list" of birds they have seen. In the USA, some 50 million people lay claim to being bird-watchers or 'birders,' spending billions of dollars on birding-related travel and membership fees every year. A few compete in one of the world's quirkiest contests — the race to spot the most species in North America in a single year. And 1998 wasn't just a big year. It was to become the greatest birding year of all time.

Quote

"Every year on January 1, a quirky crowd of adventurers storms out across North America for a spectacularly competitive event called a Big Year — a grand, grueling, expensive, and occasionally vicious, "extreme" 365-day marathon of birdwatching.

For three men in particular, 1998 would be a whirlwind, a winner-takes-nothing battle for a new North American birding record. In frenetic pilgrimages for once-in-a-lifetime rarities that can make or break their lead, the birders race each other from Del Rio, Texas, in search of the rufous-capped warbler, to Gibsons, British Columbia, on a quest for Xantus's hummingbird, to Cape May, New Jersey, seeking the offshore great skua. Bouncing from coast to coast on their potholed road to glory, they brave broiling deserts, roiling oceans, bug-infested swamps, a charge by a disgruntled mountain lion, and some of the lumpiest motel mattresses known to man. "

Conversation: 'The Big Year'
(with streaming video interview)



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Thursday, December 17, 2015

Animate Window Size

So cool!


The following macro has little or no practical computing value, but it can add a "way cool" element when a worksheet is unhidden.
There are three states that a worksheet can be in; Minimized, Maximized, and Normal.

This macro will gradually resize a worksheet from small to Maximized. The worksheet appears to be growing:

Sub SheetGrow()
Dim x As Integer
With ActiveWindow
.WindowState = xlNormal
.Top = 1
.Left = 1
.Height = 50
.Width = 50

For x = 50 To Application.UsableHeight
.Height = x
Next x

For x = 50 To Application.UsableWidth
.Width = x
Next x

.WindowState = xlMaximized
End With
End Sub


From AutomateExcel.com:
ActiveWindow.WindowState
(By Mark William Wielgus)




Also fun:

Sub SheetGrow()

Dim x As Integer, xmax As Integer

With ActiveWindow

.WindowState = xlNormal

.Top = 1

.Left = 1

.Height = 50

.Width = 50



If Application.UsableHeight > Application.UsableWidth Then

xmax = Application.UsableHeight

Else

xmax = Application.UsableWidth

End If

For x = 50 To xmax

If x <= Application.UsableHeight Then .Height = x

If x <= Application.UsableWidth Then .Width = x

Next x

.WindowState = xlMaximized

End With

End Sub



# posted by Joerd



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Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Hot Spot in Your Pocket

Or at least nearby


It'll cost about $1,000, but think about the bragging rights!

"I love the fact that more and more devices are sporting built-in Wi-Fi. The lone hitch: Wi-Fi is useless without a hotspot.

What if you could marry the short-range power of Wi-Fi with the huge coverage areas of high-speed cellular services such as EV-DO to create a portable hotspot?
Since EV-DO works at freeway speeds, you could even give Internet access to an entire road-trip caravan.

Now I can surf for as long as three hours without being tethered to anything but a cell signal. The project isn't cheap, but prices for the components and service are sure to come down in the next year or so. In the meantime, you can find me in the hills around Southern California. I'll be the one surrounded by PSP-packing hikers."





Popular Science:
Be Your Own Hotspot
By Mike Outmesguine



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Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Animate Chart

Make data more moving


Wipe away the drool that develops when looking at Office 2007 formatting and deal with what we've got.

When you try to animate the chart be aware that not all of the animations work. "Fly in" does not work. "Box" does.

"You can add some animation to your chart for dramatic effect. You can animate the chart as a whole or animate elements of the chart."

  1. In normal view, display the slide that has the chart you want, and then select the chart.

  2. On the Slide Show menu, click Custom Animation to open the Custom Animation task pane.

  3. In the Custom Animation task pane, click the Add Effect down arrow, point to Entrance, and then click an effect.

  4. In the Custom Animation task pane, select the animation you applied to the chart, click the down arrow, and then click Effect Options.

  5. On the Chart Animation tab, in the Group Chart list, click By element in series.

  6. Click OK.

  7. Now, if you click Slide Show and click through the presentation, you’ll see the animation in real time.
Office.Microsoft.com:
Present sales reports in PowerPoint

Also see:
Ungroup and Animate

Ellen Finkelstein:
Animate Tables



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Monday, December 14, 2015

Parameter Queries Deux

Another look at parameters

The ability to use dynamic criteria in a Query makes Access even more valuable.

Access Parameter Query Tutorial video that walks the viewer gently through the process.


(Parameter queries are also referenced here:
Parameter v. Form)

How to create a parameter query

Using Parameter Queries



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Sunday, December 13, 2015

Yeah, Sure, That's My Email

A lie will set you free


Dodgeit.com allows you to create throwaway email addresses. It then delivers the email that comes into the resulting mailbox as an RSS feed that you and everyone else who can guess at your throwaway email address can read.

Pick a throwaway address, say: NotMyAddress@dodgeit.com Give that address out to inconsequential sites.

Check NotMyAddress from homepage of Dodgeit.com.

Subscribe to an RSS feed to keep an eye on the mailbox.

Also see:
Protect Your Address



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Saturday, December 12, 2015

Justify Clean Up

Minimize white space


When a document is formatted with columns, the text is often Justified. This can lead to a messy layout of words and letters.
"When justifying text in Microsoft Word use the hyphenation feature to improve the look of your page. (Without hyphens). . . unnecessary 'white space' is distributed throughout. When hyphenation is turned on the overall typographic color of the page is much more even. To enable this feature in Microsoft Word do the following: After you have justified the columns in your document, choose from the "Tools menu" > Language > then from the dropdown menu, choose "Hyphenation", then choose "Automatically hyphenate document"





FontBlog:
Typography Tip #2


BTW, this goes along with one space after punctuation.
Bill Hill - There is only one space after a period



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Friday, December 11, 2015

Hide Digets

Simple obfuscation


The kid said,
"Daddy, I know the secret password!
It's star, star, star, star!"
****
You can use functions to hide parts of sensitive data.

Social Security Number 555-55-5555

=CONCATENATE("***-**-", RIGHT(B2,4))

Combines the last four digits of the SSN with the "***-**-" text string

(***-**-5555)



Credit Card Number 5555-5555-5555-5555

=CONCATENATE(REPT("****-",3), RIGHT(B3,4))

Repeats the "****-" text string three times and combines the result with the last four digits of the credit card number

(****-****-****-5555)

Microsoft Office Online:
Display only the last four digits of identification numbers



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Thursday, December 10, 2015

Form Design

Fancy functionals


Here is a discussion about how to design a form for use on the web.

"Computers are supposed to make our lives easier, not more difficult. As usability-conscious designers, we can make our users' lives easier by thinking about the way people interact with our websites, providing clear direction, and then putting the burden of sorting out the details in the hands of the computers—not the users.

It's that last part that we're going to focus on here. We've all heard and read about big usability mistakes time and time again: "Don't use images or flash for navigation," "Don't use Javascript for links," and I certainly hope we're all applying those lessons in our work. It's often the smallest usability quirks, however, that create the biggest annoyances for users, especially when it comes to HTML forms. Follow these guidelines, and you'll be off to a good start."

  • Use the right field for the task
  • Give them room to type
  • Shorten your forms and question "mandatory" fields
  • Mark mandatory fields clearly
  • Provide descriptive labels for all of your fields
  • Let the computer, not the user, handle information formatting
  • Use informative error messages
  • Don't return users to an altered form
Sensible Forms
Brian Crescimanno



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Wednesday, December 09, 2015

Stars on Your Desktop

Space image wallpaper


NASA is wandering around space snapping photos with an advanced form of a Brownie SureShot.

Here is a collection of interstellar portraits and space art the can be used as wallpaper to be viewed as you warp thought the Internet.



Veil nebula

SpaceWallpapers.net



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Tuesday, December 08, 2015

Troubleshoot PowerPoint

Live on tape


On occasion, Microsoft presents Webcasts on interesting subjects.


  • Unfortunately they are usually offered at inconvenient times for people with real jobs.

  • Fortunately they are offered in a form that you can download or watch "on-demand".
Here's one on how to find and fix problems with PowerPoint presentations.
"This Support WebCast will define troubleshooting issues in Microsoft PowerPoint and provide an overview of when and how to use available resources such as product Help and Microsoft Knowledge Base articles. We will also discuss how to determine where a problem is occurring and how to troubleshoot specific issues such as printing, opening a file, installation, movies, and starting the program."
Troubleshooting fundamentals i n Microsoft PowerPoint

Here is a list of available downloadable webcasts

On-demand Webcasts



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Monday, December 07, 2015

Where in the World is

Your spy dollars at work


The World Factbook

The World Factbook provides a 'snapshot' of the world.

The online Factbook is updated regularly - generally weekly - throughout the year.

A 46 Meg zipped version is also available.


The World Factbook is in the public domain and may be used freely by anyone at anytime without seeking permission. However, US Code prohibits use of the CIA seal in a manner which implies that the CIA approved, endorsed, or authorized such use."


When you find yourself worrying about the local car wash spilling drainage into the storm sewer, look at some of these environmental concerns:

Azerbaijan
Local scientists consider the Abseron Yasaqligi (Apsheron Peninsula) (including Baku and Sumqayit) and the Caspian Sea to be the ecologically most devastated area in the world because of severe air, soil, and water pollution; soil pollution results from oil spills, from the use of DDT as a pesticide, and from toxic defoliants used in the production of cotton


www.CIA.gov



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Sunday, December 06, 2015

Access on Line

Free Basic Instruction


Microsoft has developed a very good collection of tutorials and samples for Office applications. They're located at Office.Microsoft.com

Even if you haven't upgraded to, these suggestions will work with most earlier versions.

For Access look at:
Access

If you have avoided Access in the past, a least glance at "Getting started with Access and Database applications"
Also:

AccessTraining Modules

These are 30 to 55 minute demonstrations.


"When you click Practice in Access at the bottom of this page, a practice database will download to your computer and open in Access, and a separate window with practice instructions will appear alongside."





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Saturday, December 05, 2015

Protect Your Address

Keep the bots at bay


"Spam is an incredible problem and it is getting worse - your e-mail address is a commodity and if you put it on a web page, it WILL eventually be found, spammed and sold to other spammers. The problem is that you have a web page and you need to make it possible for people to send you e-mail from your page but you don't want to get bombarded with spam - what can you do?

First you need to understand what is likely to happen. The most likely scenario is that an e-mail harvesting robot will find your page and look though it trying to find e-mail addresses. This robot may be programmed to look for a particular list of possible characters on either side of the @ in your e-mail address or it may look for the "mailto:" in your e-mail link or any number of other tricks."


MailMe
PHP Form Mailer With Spam Blocking


<script language="JavaScript">
<!-- Begin user = "myaddress"; domain = "mydomain"; document.write('<a href="\">');
document.write(user + '@' + domain + '</a>');
// End -->
</script>
<noscript>
Here goes some text that can be seen if Javascript is disabled.
</noscript>

Also:

Software Listing: Mailto
Mailcrawlers and protectors



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Friday, December 04, 2015

Score Templates

Free business advice


SCORE is a nonprofit organization providing small business advice and training.

SCORE's 10,500 volunteers have more than 600 business skills. Volunteers share their wisdom and lessons learned in business. Our volunteers are working/retired business owners, executives and corporate leaders.
  • SCORE offers Ask SCORE email advice online.
  • Face-to-face small business counseling at 389 chapter offices.
  • Low-cost workshops at 389 chapter offices nationwide.
  • "How to" articles and business templates
Here are some of the available templates:
A Business Plan for a Start-up Business
Microsoft Word
A Business Plan for an Established Business
Microsoft Word
Bank Loan Request for Small Business
Microsoft Word
Break-Even Analysis
Excel
Competitive Analysis
Microsoft Word
Financial History & Ratios
Excel
Loan Amortization Schedule
Excel
Opening Day Balance Sheet
Excel
Personal Financial Statement
Excel

Projected Balance Sheet
Excel
Start-up Expenses
Excel
4-Year Profit Projection
Excel
12-Month Cash Flow Statement
Excel
12-Month Profit and Loss Projection
Excel
12-Month Sales Forecast
Excel

SCORE Template Gallery



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Thursday, December 03, 2015

RSS with Your Web Site

Roll your own

If you like the idea of building your own RSS feed, read on.

"Learn about RSS and how to programmatically create an RSS file for your FrontPage 2003 Web site. The download that accompanies this article contains a VBA project and an XSLT file that you can use to generate and display RSS feeds.

If you spend any time on the Internet, you have probably heard of RSS, and you may decide that you need an RSS feed for your Web site. An RSS feed is an Extensible Markup Language (XML) file that people can use to keep up to date with the content on a Web site. RSS feeds are frequently associated with weblogs (blogs), but you can use them for any Web site.

If you have a Web site that contains content that you frequently update, such as articles or stories, you may want an RSS feed to help your customers keep up with your updates. This article explains the XML behind RSS and provides a Microsoft Office FrontPage 2003 Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) project that you can use to programmatically generate an RSS feed for your FrontPage Web site. The download for this article includes an Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformation (XSLT) file that you can use to display the RSS XML file in a browser."

Microsoft Developers Network:
Creating an RSS Feed for Your Web Site



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Wednesday, December 02, 2015

Glossary

What does it all mean

We live in a world based on jargon and acronyms. For a little relief, try this site.

Microsoft Office, Microsoft Windows, and Microsoft Windows Mobile-based devices are covered and more.
  • Security Glossaries
  • Multimedia Glossaries
  • Partner and Business Glossaries
  • Technical Glossaries
  • Non-English Language Glossaries
Microsoft Glossary Information Center



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Tuesday, December 01, 2015

If We're in Trouble

It's Probably Because People No Longer Really Listen


Yes, now we can add Iraq to the evils perpetuated by PowerPoint.



"Not only is it easier to throw together a stack of PowerPoint slides than it is to write that 10,000-word document, it is much easier to leave out or gloss over parts of the project that might not survive close scrutiny if they were described in complete sentences. Can you say "weapons of mass destruction?" If we cut to the heart of this current controversy about whether Iraq really had WMD, whether the U.S. honestly believed Iraq had WMD, and who got it wrong, I'm sure we'll end up with a guilty PowerPoint stack. In that stack, you'll find a slide containing the words "Iraq" and "WMD" but taken out of context, there is no way of knowing what the presenter even intended the slide to mean. Thus, we have plausible deniability through PowerPoint."



For eight years from 1987-95, Robert X. Cringely wrote the Notes From the Field column in InfoWorld, a weekly computer trade newspaper. He is also the author of the best-selling book Accidental Empires: How the Boys of Silicon Valley Make Their Millions, Battle Foreign Competition, and Still Can't Get a Date.
Most recently, Cringely is the host and writer of the hit PBS-TV miniseries "Electric Money."


If We're in Trouble

Robert X. Cringely 
(http://www.cringely.com)



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