Passing the SAS Base 9 Certification Test March 31, 2007
Posted by Bryan in : Certification , 10 commentsI completed the SAS Base 9 exam just after it’s production release last July. Since I’m often seeing questions regarding the certification tests on the SAS listserv, I thought I would post some of my thoughts regarding the experience. Call it a preemptive strike.
First, let me say I definitely recommend the prep guide, available here. As with all SAS Publishing books it’s expensive and dense, but the practice exams are helpful and it remains a useful reference after you’ve used it to pass the test. SAS also offers online test preparations which are similar to the prep book, but integrate actual syntax writing and a comprehensive practice test. They are more than twice as much, but when I was preparing SAS was offering a free 90 day “desk copy” to educators. That offer appears to be gone, but a list of current discounts on prep materials and exam fees is available here.
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Dealing With the Computer & Battery Recycling Dilemma March 29, 2007
Posted by Jeff in : Tips , add a comment
We’re all trying in our own little way to save the earth. Some of us buy a hybrid car (cause electricity comes from magic, no pollutive by products there, huh?), some of us try to be less wasteful in other ways. My contribution? I have a cardboard file box full of old batteries. Some are rechargeable laptop batteries that refuse to charge, some are old cell phone batteries, some are those little mercury button cells from various electronic gadgets, laser pointers, etc. Regardless, I have a lot of old batteries. Why? My conscious won’t allow me to throw these old batteries in the regular trash, and another reason? I have no idea where the hell to dispose of these safely. Now that my wife is bugging me to get rid of stuff, I had to take positive steps.
Whacking the Wii March 28, 2007
Posted by Bryan in : Humor , 4 commentsStick with me here.
In the beginning Nintendo visualized a great, revolutionary, “change the way we think about video games”, gaming console. Someone said “Such a revolutionary device needs a revolutionary name. It will be called a ‘Wii.’”
Then, during development came “With a console and approach this creative, we can’t just call the player profiles ‘avatars’, we need something better.” And the term ‘Mii’ was born.
Finally, thirty seconds after the first pictures of the new, sleek, “change the way we play video games”, controllers were released someone thought, “This is really unique, let’s call it something cool and related to the product it interacts with.” Which was followed by the first utterance of the word “Wiimote.”
Fast forward to twenty minutes ago, when, as I sat in front of my computer doing technology related research, like a holy grail shimmering over the towers of the Castle Corbenic descended upon me the next phrase that would become part of the sacred Wii
lexicon:
All hail the sacred word: Whacking
Blessed be the sacred definition: (v.) To hack a Wii.
And the people shouted: “Let us whack our Wii’s in the name of all that is holy. Let our Wiiwhacking be an homage to all creation.”
Fellow netizens, you have been given the Word. Go forth and promulgate.
Wiki War March 27, 2007
Posted by Tara in : News , 3 commentsThe free online encyclopedia and Web 2.0 phenom Wikipedia now has some competition with this week’s launch of Citizendium. Larry Sanger, alleged co-creator of Wikipedia, has launched the new site which is similar to its predecessor and is an answer to many of the problems that Wikipedia readers and contributors face: vandalism, content inconsistencies and serial overwriting. (more…)
Get the Photoshop Experience You’ve Always Wanted March 26, 2007
Posted by Leslie in : News , add a commentSoon you can have the all of the Photoshop with none of the price tag.
In a move to compete with Google’s Picasa web application and the free digital imaging software Gimp, Adobe has plans to create a web version of Photoshop that users can access for free. How can they make it accessible for free? They are planning a complex ad share set up that would finance the use of the software online in exchange for ad views, though that is subject to change. (more…)
Apple TV Customers Already Cracking The Shell March 25, 2007
Posted by Leslie in : Hacks, News , add a comment
Apple TVs shipped March 20th, and Apple TV customers are already cracking, hacking, and upgrading their new toy. Lucky for us, they are also blogging it and making videos about it. Since I chose to wait to get one - in case they add some upgraded features - I’ve been tracking and bookmarking the information being put online. I want to be able to go back to my “Apple TV Unleashed” folder later on and do some of these upgrades myself.Hopefully, keeping a similar folder in your browser’s favorites will help you find your own solution to your Apple TV questions. Please keep in mind that cracking the shell on your new Apple TV to upgrade the hard drive or perform some of these other upgrades and hacks will definitely void your Apple Care warranty.
How-to: Essential Windows Backups March 24, 2007
Posted by Jeff in : How-to, Tips , add a commentBacking up windows is always a crapshoot. You’re never quite sure if you’ve got it all. Because of the sheer quantity of data people have - MP3’s, Movies, Software downloads, etc. - it’s almost impossible to back up every drop of data unless you’re using some expensive tape system like DLT. Backing up a 200GB hard drive onto 50 DVD ROMs isn’t really practical. In this article, I am going to attempt to give you some pointers on making this process as painless as possible combined with a checklist of vital files you must backup. And don’t throw away those DVD ROMs yet.
Some things are better left un-computerized (At-A-Glance Technology) March 22, 2007
Posted by Jeff in : Opinion , 2 commentsAs an I.T. manager who has worked on some pretty big networks, I find that perhaps some things might be better left un-computerized. There’s a whole science I would like to call “At-a-Glance” technology. To better illustrate At-a-Glance technology, picture an instruction manual, on-screen versus printed and bound. It’s difficult to make notations in the on-screen version. (Plus if you have to share your monitor with others, they may not appreciate the black sharpie scribbles all over the screen). On the other hand, if you have the same manual printed and bound, it’s quite easy to jot down helpful notations next to the paragraphs. That in a nutshell is at-a-glance technology.
How-to: Customize Your Toolbars for Keyboard Shortcuts March 18, 2007
Posted by Beth in : How-to, Tips , add a commentIf you like to use keyboard shortcuts, you know that some keyboard shortcuts aren’t really that “short.” What’s that? Is CTRL+S the extent of your shortcut skills? If you want to learn some cool keyboard shortcuts before you start customizing check out The Best Keyboard Shortcuts You’re Not Using. Anyway, let’s say you’re in Excel and you want to color your text red. You have to select the cell, press Ctrl+1 to open the Format Cells menu, and use the right arrow to move to the Font screen. Then you use Tab a bunch or Alt+C to move to the color drop-down list, use the down arrow a few times to select red, and press Enter. Then you Tab to OK, and press Enter again. That sure was quick wasn’t it? Err, yeah. Is that really faster than using a mouse? There’s gotta be a better way!
Luckily, there is. You know your toolbars? Those cute little things at the top of your screen with the tiny icons? Well despite what your mother told you, you don’t have to accept the default configuration. Instead, you can customize the toolbars to move the icons you use the most to the front. Then you can use keyboard shortcuts to access them lickity split. And if there’s something you need that’s not on the toolbar? You can add it. Here’s how.
The Best Excel Keyboard Shortcuts You’re Not Using
Posted by Beth in : Tips , 6 commentsIf you want to use Excel like a pro, you gotta use keyboard shortcuts (sometimes called hotkeys). If you don’t use Excel a lot, you may wonder, what’s the big deal about using a mouse? Does it really save that much time to keep your hands on the keyboard? In a word - yes. As a financial analyst recently told me, it can be the difference between going home at 9 pm and going home at midnight. (Although why you’d want to work a job that keeps you that long in the first place is a mystery to me….)
You may already know some common keyboard shortcuts, like Ctrl+C to copy or Ctrl+Z to undo. But maybe you don’t know the shortcuts listed below. At my day job, I teach people how to use Excel. These are the keyboard shortcuts that get the most “Oooooh!” responses in my classes.
