Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Web Accessibility Report

Make it easy



"Accessibility, the design of HTML documents for accessibility by people with disabilities, is such an important aspect of the Internet today that the Worldwide Web Consortium (W3C) has adopted a set of guidelines for designing accessible Web sites. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) closely follow Section 508 of the U.S. Rehabilitation Act.

For some Web sites, adherence to the WCAG is not optional; it is a necessity. Expression Web/FrontPage 2003 has tools for evaluating the accessibility of an entire Web site, identifying elements that violate the guidelines, and finding ways to correct the violations. The accessibility checker provides all of this functionality in a single dialog box.

To access the accessibility checker on the Tools menu click Accessibility (Accessibility Reports).

You can use the accessibility checker to check a single page or an entire Web site. The accessibility checker checks for varying levels of accessibility and specifically for adherence to Section 508 of the U.S. Rehabilitation Act. You can check for errors or warnings, and you can add a manual checklist."

Expression Web Accessibility

MSDN:
Adding Rules to the Accessibility checker


Making Your Web Site Accessible to the Blind
Test your site:
Cynthia Says



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Tuesday, February 27, 2018

You are What You Eat — With

Old Food Tools


Even before we had Ron Popeil to provide our cutlery, there were knives, spoons, and later forks.

California Academy of Sciences:
The History of Eating Utensils

A History of Eating Utensils in the West:
A Brief Timeline
"Henry Petroski, in The Evolution of Useful Things, makes the argument that it is not so much that necessity is the "mother of invention" as that invention takes place in response to dissatisfaction at the shortcomings of an already existing way of doing things.

The eating utensils we use and the ways we use them are the result of centuries of experimentation."

Medieval and Renaissance Eating Utensils and "Feast Gear"


Ron Popeil (aka Ron "But Wait!" Popeil)

"Born in 1935, he was for all practical purposes orphaned three years later when his parents divorced and he and his brother were shunted to a boarding school in upstate New York.

The one memory of this period is of a Christmas when parents were taking their children home for the holidays. Ron peered through a window at the long, straight road leading to the school, hoping to see his father's car approach. It never did."




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Monday, February 26, 2018

Task Manager

When your machine has the snivels


There's a lot of stuff going on in the background that you might want to know about.

That's where the Task Manager comes in.
"There are a couple of ways to show the Windows Task Manager: hold down the Ctrl and Alt keys and press the Delete key - Task Manager will then open some versions of Windows, in others you will be presented with a small dialog box that has a button you can click to open the Task Manager; alternatively you can right-click on empty space on the Taskbar and select Task Manager from the menu."

Here's the Vista/Windows 7 version:




From the BloodyComputer:

Task Manager 1

Task Manager 2



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Sunday, February 25, 2018

Slideshow Accesability

Hearing and vision enhanced


Dave Paradi has an article about how to design PowerPoint shows for those with limited hearing or vision.

With PowerPoint presentations becoming more of a standard way to communicate information of all types, we need to keep in mind that our first responsibility is to our audience. We need to use the ideas above to make sure that we make our presentation accessible for everyone.

Making Accessible Slides



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Saturday, February 24, 2018

Mail Your Calendar

Save a calendar as an iCalendar file


  1. In Calendar, select a calendar to make it the active calendar in the view.

  2. On the File menu, click Save As.

  3. Type a name for the iCalendar file in the File name text box.

  4. A summary of the calendar name, date range, and detail level appears next to More Options.

  5. From the Date Range list, choose the amount of calendar data to include in the iCalendar file, or click Specify dates to enter a custom date range.




  6. From the Detail list, choose the amount of detail to show the recipients.
    Optionally, click Show to see Advanced options.

  7. Click OK, and then click Save.
E-Mail Calendar 

Share a calendar  

Share Outlook



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Friday, February 23, 2018

Migrate to Word 2007++

Move the parts.


If you've been having trouble with converting to Word 2007+, this might help.

This topic discusses migration considerations for Microsoft Office Word 2007+, including:

  • Migrating files to the new file format

  • Migrating AutoText entries

  • Migrating customizations

  • Migrating Add-ins

  • Migrating AutoCorrect entries

  • Migrating the data key
Microsoft - Migration considerations

Changes in Office 2013

Changes to Office 2016




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Wednesday, February 21, 2018

Page Break CSS

Before or after


You can put a break on a web page like you can in a document.
A Cascading Style Sheet makes it simple

"The stub-ends left when paragraphs end on the first line of a page are called widows. They have a past but not a future, and they look foreshortened and forlorn."

Orphans are parts of a paragraph that begin on the previous page. An orphan has a future, but no past.

The only paging properties supported by Internet Explorer 7, Safari 3 and Firefox 2 are page-break-before and page-break-after.
The page-break-before and page-break-after properties enable you to say that a page break should occur before or after the specified element. The following example starts a new page every time an h1 heading is encountered and after every .section block.
h1 {
page-break-before:always }
.section {
page-break-after:always}


Etiquette of Pagination



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Convert Fonts

A type change



PowerPoint has a feature that allows you to replace any of the fonts being used in a presentation
You may want to do this to change the look of a show, or because the type face is not available on another machine and not embeddable.

Go to Format>Replace Fonts.

Choose one of the fonts you are currently using and its replacement.

Look over your presentation before saving it. Sometimes a different font will change the spacing on a slide. You may have to reformat a few slides

RDP Slides.com:
Troubleshoot font problems


Informit.com:
Working with Text in PowerPoint



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Tuesday, February 20, 2018

Convert Access Macros to VBA

Macros to Modules


Before Access 2000, the speculation was that Access would lose "Macros" and enter the exclusive world of VBA. It hasn't happened yet.

If you have macros in a database that you would like to convert to code, doing so is easy.

In Access 97: Right-click on the macro in the Database window and then choose Save As/Export from the shortcut menu. Then, select the Save As Visual Basic Module option button and click OK. You are then given the option of adding error handling functions and comments to the new module. Select the options you want and click Convert.

In Access 2000/2002+: Right-click on the macro in the Database window and then choose Save As from the shortcut menu. Enter the name of the module you want to create in the text box and choose Module from the As dropdown list. Next, click OK. You will be given the option of adding error handling functions and comments to the new module. Select the options you want and click Convert.

In 2007 go to Database Tools and look in the Macros group.


Pearson Informit:
Taking More Control of Access
By Gordon Padwick.

Access 2007 introduced a new type of macros called embedded macros. Embedded macros are macros that are stored on an event instead of as a separate object. Embedded macros support name fix-up and are used extensively through-out our templates. They are largely targeted to information workers that don’t write code but useful for developers that are trying to perform some simple actions.



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Monday, February 19, 2018

Itsy Spifires

Bitsy bombers


Here's a collection of paper airplanes that will get you expelled/fired any day of the year.
"They're cute. They're zippy. They're the ultimate time-wasters. Created by paper airplane world record holder and engineer Jeff Lammers, authors of the World Record Paper Airplane series, this calendar features a full year of palm-sized flying machines and detailed folding instructions. Perfect for stirring up a little mischief at the office. 4 1/2" x 5 1/2".


365 Tiny Paper Airplanes Calendar 2011



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Sunday, February 18, 2018

What the ####

Truncated Numbers


Access has a new option that will show octothorps when the column is too narrow to display the entire value. When this option is not enabled, you see only part of the values in a column rather than ####.

You'll find the selection under Access Options when you click the Office button.
Go to Current Database and make your choice.





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Friday, February 16, 2018

Font Lister

A look see


I haven't seen, lately, how many fonts you can have on a machine, but I know it's a lot more than earlier versions.

Here is a free download that will create an HTML file that will show all the fonts installed on your computer.

"Using FontList, you can change the predefined sample text, exclude seldom used fonts from the list and change the path for the HTML file.

In your browser, you can change the style of a font and zoom in on a font. You can also view the character map of a font. And, for some, maybe the most important feature, you can create a print out of all your fonts.




FontList



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Is Phishing Phat?

Hand over the keys



The scofflaws of the world are littering e-mail boxes with fake messages that look like the real thing. They're fishing for your bank account keys.

A company named Sophos.com has an anti-spam/anti-phishing product. They also have a collection of Phish mail with instructions about how to respond.

Email Threat Info Center

Take a phishing IQ test at SonicWALL Phishing IQ Test




(These are BabyPhat socks. As far as I know they're both real and pfat)






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Thursday, February 15, 2018

Match Format Paste

Copy/Paste formatting in Word, PowerPoint or Excel



When you copy information from a Web page or another document, the formatting will also be copied.

To match the formatting of the target document, copy the text and place the cursor where you want to insert the copy.

Then, go to Edit>Paste Special, and select the Unformatted Text option.
(Click the arrow under Paste in the Clipboard group on the Home tab in 2007+)

The clipboard text will be pasted to match the target.

Another way when using Word 2002 + is to click on the "Smart icon" that appears at
the lower right corner of the pasted text. You can then choose to keep the original formatting, match the destination formatting, keep text only, or apply a new style.

An additional way to transfer just the formatting between documents is to highlight the text with the formatting you wish to copy and then hold down the Ctrl key and the Shift key and press the C key (Ctrl+Shift+C). Release the keys. Select the text you want to have formatted. Hold down the Ctrl key and the Shift key and press the V key (Ctrl+Shift+V). Only the formatting is copied, not the text.
In Excel use Edit>Paste Special and select the "Formats" option.


What's So Special About "Paste Special"? Video

Paste Special can also be used with graphics.

You can change Word's default behavior; choose whether to paste Inline or Floating.

Microsoft Word MVPS FAQ



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Wednesday, February 14, 2018

Spreadsheet Bloat

Formatting bloat



Avoid applying formatting to more than just the active area of your worksheet. Extraneous formatting will confuse Excel about the last cell in the spreadsheet.

Depending on your OS and specific configuration, you could see symptoms ranging from Excel not responding to various error messages concerning page faults, low virtual memory, and access violations. You may see a warning message; "Too many different formats."

To resolve this issue, make sure you select only the particular range of cells you want formatted when you apply specific formatting or select Format>AutoFormat.

You can use Ctrl+End to see where Excel thinks the last cell is.
For more information, check out:

How to reset the last cell in Excel

Also see:

Spreadsheet Diet

Microsoft:
Formatting Cleaner Add-in



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Tuesday, February 13, 2018

Reading Level Check

Abrogate Obfuscation


Writing a blog or designing a web page should be done with an eye on the complexity of the language.

For broadest appeal, it should be around an 8th grade level.

This site is at about the 10th grade.


Reading Level

(Avoid one of the reading level sites that offers to put a graphic on your site. The icon links to an ad for "payday" loans.)



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Monday, February 12, 2018

Rename Files

Add Info


When you download pictures from your digital camera, they end up with incomprehensible name such as IMG_0284.JPG, or _MG_2640.CR2.

To make them more useful:


  1. Select all those files from Xmas. You can use Ctrl to group them, or use Ctrl+A to select all the files in that folder.

  2. Right click the selection and choose Rename.

  3. Pick a descriptive title, such as 2014 Xmas Party.

  4. Hit Enter

  5. All of the selected files will be renamed "2014 Xmas Party.JPG”, "2014 Xmas Party.CR2”, "2014 Xmas Party(2).JPG”, "2014 Xmas Party(2).CR2”, "2014 Xmas Party(3).JPG” "2014 Xmas Party(3).CR2”.

    The extensions will remain the same.




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Sunday, February 11, 2018

Copy Access Data to New Records

Fewer steps


The Paste Append feature is often overlooked in Access.

This feature lets you quickly create new records that copy existing information from other records.

To see one way to use the feature, open a table in Datasheet view.
  1. While holding down the [Shift] key, select adjacent fields with data you want to copy. You can also select fields from adjacent records.
  2. When you've finished, press Ctrl+C to copy the data.
  3. Then, choose Edit>Paste Append (Paste>Paste Append in 2007+)
  4. Click Yes when Access asks for confirmation.
You'll now have an appropriate number of new records in the table that contains the information you copied.



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Friday, February 09, 2018

Security Questions

2009-2013

This article provides an overview of the security features offered by Access 2009-2013, and explains how to use the tools that Access provides for helping to secure a database. This article also links to more detailed content about various security features.
  • What's new in Access security
  • Use an Access database in a trusted location
  • Package, sign, and distribute an Access 2010 database
  • Enable disabled content when you open a database
  • Use a database password to encrypt an Access database
  • How security works with databases from earlier versions of Access opened in Access 2010
  • Run unsafe expressions (disable sandbox mode)

Introduction to Security



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Wednesday, February 07, 2018

Privacy is Gone

Hide that search


We're not alone in the great world-wide internet.

"In 2006, AOL unwittingly divulged the personal lives of 650,000 customers by publishing their search histories as research data. Despite AOL's attempts to anonymize the info, the New York Times quickly outed a 62-year-old lady in Georgia whose searches revealed her dog was wetting the upholstery."

Slate.com



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Tuesday, February 06, 2018

More than Sudoku

Game with Excel


"IT may be the biggest tool in the Office, but Microsoft Excel can be cool too"

Here's an article on off-prescription Excel.

Play with Excel

Here are some of the games you can play for free:

  • Excel fun

  • 3D Viewer

  • Battleship

  • Blackjack

  • Breakout

  • Golf Stats

  • Mastermind

  • Maze

  • Minesweeper

  • Reversi

  • Rubix

  • Slots

  • Sudoku Solver

  • Tetris

  • Video Poker
ExcelTrick.com  

Mashable.com



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Monday, February 05, 2018

25 Chickens and a Rooster

Small change(s)


Changing The Present is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit website offering gifts that make a difference.

Fund A Business
Loan for a woman

International Medical Corps.
Your gift of $200 can help IMC to give a deserving woman a loan to start her own business. Through a proven "community investment" model, women pay back their loans not to IMC, but to a community bank that consists of the pooled contributions of a group of women.

Expand A Business
Loan for a mother
Foundation for International Community Assistance.

Added income from a $50 loan can help a Tanzanian mother expand her business and feed her children more nutritious food.. And you're providing a self-employment loan, not a gift. Your donation will build discipline, responsibility, and self-confidence as women create their own business.


Rent A Market Stall
Loan for a woman
Foundation for International Community Assistance.

With a $100 loan, a Haitian woman can rent a market stall and increase her income two-fold. And you're providing a self-employment loan, not a gift. Your donation will build discipline, responsibility, and self-confidence as women create their own business.


Support Development
25 chickens & rooster
Operation USA.

Give the gift of life – literally! Giving a loan to purchase and raise animals, such as cows, rabbits, sheep, chickens and roosters is the perfect gift for someone who cares deeply about providing opportunity and empowering a family to lift itself out of poverty.

ChangingthePresent.org



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Sunday, February 04, 2018

Meeting Methods

More than name tags


Outlook has tools to facilitate:
Appointments, Meetings, and Events


Here are a few of the suggestions:

  • Turn a message into a meeting request
  • Update a meeting request
  • Automatically process requests and responses
  • Counter-proposals for Meeting Times
  • Cancel meeting if you are an attendee
  • Troubleshoot meetings
One of the subjects is: Outlook meeting requests: Essential do's and don'ts
Here are a few of the items:
If you change it, update it:

After modifying one of your own meeting requests, remember to click Send Update to send the updated request to all recipients.
Don't move meeting requests:

Don't move a meeting request from your Inbox to a different folder before you accept or decline the request or before the meeting appears in your calendar. Soon after a meeting request arrives in your Inbox, a piece of Outlook code -- nicknamed the "sniffer" -- automatically adds the meeting to your calendar and marks it as tentative. This is a fail-safe to keep you from missing the meeting in case you don't see the request in your Inbox. However, the sniffer doesn't reply to the meeting organizer. You still need to do that by accepting, accepting as tentative, or declining the request. If you or a rule that you create moves an incoming meeting request from your Inbox before the sniffer can process the request, the meeting never appears in your calendar, and you might miss the meeting.
Get a fresh start:

If a meeting series requires several changes -- a new organizer, a different frequency or time slot, the addition or removal of attendees -- just cancel the series and create a new one. Don't try to modify the original meeting request.
Also:
Slipstick.com:
Scheduling Resources

And:

Meeting Name tags



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Saturday, February 03, 2018

Viewer

Portable PowerPoint



If you have to show your presentation on a machine that does not have PowerPoint installed, you can use " Package for CD. "

Before 2003 it was named "Pack and Go."

Go to File> Package for CD ...
The Dialog box will walk you through the process and offer to include the PowerPoint Viewer.

PowerPoint Viewer

The problem with the earlier versions of PowerPoint, through 2002, was that the viewer only handled the features available in PowerPoint 97.


The PowerPoint 2007 Viewer lets you view full-featured presentations created in PowerPoint 97 and later versions.
Here is the download location for the PowerPoint 2007 Viewer:

PP 2007 Viewer

PowerPoint 2010 Viewer


PP Tools:
Downloads and descriptions for other versions



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Friday, February 02, 2018

Medical Untruths

They say it isn't so


For instance:
Everyone must drink at least eight glasses of water a day

This advice is thought to have originated in 1945 from the Nutrition Council in the US, which suggested people needed to consume 2.5 litres of water a day. But the water contained in food, particularly fruit and vegetables, as well as in milk, juice, coffee and soft drinks, also counts towards the total.

Reading in dim light ruins your eyesight

Generations of parents have warned their children not to read in poor light, telling them that it could somehow damage their sight. Though dim lighting can cause stress in the eye, the important thing to remember, say the researchers, is that the effects are not permanent. "Suboptimal lighting can create a sensation of having difficulty in focusing. It also decreases the rate of blinking and leads to discomfort from drying. The important counterpoint is that these effects do not persist."


And more:

The Guardian:
Medical Myths



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Thursday, February 01, 2018

Resize Form

It's fitting


When you switch between Design and Form views, the size of the form is dictated by the size of the Design view window, not the size of the form sections.

You often need to expand the window to be able to see the rulers and scroll bars in addition to all of the sections. This means you're left with wasted space when viewing the form in Form view, assuming that you forget to shrink the window back down.

A solution to this annoyance is to use the Size To Fit Form feature.

Simply view the form in Form view and choose Window>Size To Fit Form from the menu bar. If your view of the form is maximized, the menu option will be unavailable and you'll need to click the Restore Window button on the form window to enable the choice.

Once Access has resized the form, you can save its current dimensions by clicking the Save button.

With Access 2007+ go to the Office button, choose Access Options and click Overlapping Windows. The Size To Fit Form icon will appear on the Home tab.





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