Widgenie - post graphs to your site
August 3, 2008 Posted by Beth in : Reviews , add a commentWidgenie (Beta) is an online tool that lets you upload data and create graphs that can be embedded or linked into your website, blog, iGoogle, or Facebook account. Right now, you can only pull in data you have saved in an Excel workbook (.xls or .xlsx format) or a .cvs file, but it says they’re working on tying it to live feeds from Google docs and Amazon’s Simple DB. (more…)
Back up that hard drive, Part 2
June 22, 2007 Posted by Beth in : How-to, Tips , add a commentThese are statements I’ve heard on the job that I never want any of you to have to utter:
“I thought I was backing up regularly, but when my computer crashed and we tried to upload the backup files, nothing was there!!”
“Yeah, I back up. How often? Every 6 months or so.”
“I sent my computer to [insert computer company name] for a keyboard fix and they had to replace my motherboard and OMG WHERE ARE MY FILES???”
“Back up? What does that mean, back up?”
You shouldn’t be thinking about backing up for the first time when your computer crashes. By then, it may be too late. Get in the habit of regularly backing up while your computer is still in good health, and you’ll be glad you did if it ever fails. (more…)
Fix your database CSV report woes using Excel
June 19, 2007 Posted by Beth in : How-to, Microsoft, Tips , add a commentThis article refers to Excel 2003, but should apply to most other versions as well.
I work for a large company that uses a vast mainframe system to track data. We’ve got programmers who’ve written fabulous scripts, so that we can just go click a button, make a couple of choices, and BAM - there’s a CSV file with the data we need to analyze. Problem is, the data is often not in a very useful format. The names are all upper case, first name and last name are in the same cell, phone numbers are regarded as generic numbers and are dropping zeros, etc. What a lot of people at my company don’t know, and that I try to help them learn, is that Excel has functionality specifically to help you work around these problems. (more…)
Recharge your Wii: Penguin United Wii Rechargeable Battery Combo
June 12, 2007 Posted by Beth in : Reviews , 1 comment so far
I just spent countless hours of my life playing Super Paper Mario on my Wii. What better way to test out the Penguin United Wii Remote Charging Dock and 2x Rechargeable Battery Combo? With normal gameplay on the Wii, you can wear out your Wii remote batteries pretty quickly. Rechargeable batteries are obviously a better option than regular batteries, but then you still have to take out the batteries, put them in the charger, and wait for hours for them to recharge. But the Penguin United rechargeable batteries are different. These packs replace the normal battery compartment on your remote, and the remote can sit directly in a docking station while recharging.
Accessorize Your Wii: Penguin United component cables and Sports Bundle
May 4, 2007 Posted by Beth in : Contests, Reviews , 2 commentsPenguin United sent me four items to review. I’m still testing the rechargeable battery set, so look for that review in the future, but here’s my thoughts on the other “accessowiis”:
24K Gold Plated Nintendo Wii Component Cable
This cable rocks. Since the Wii only supports up to 480p display resolution, it seems like it wouldn’t make that much of a difference if you used the standard cable or an enhanced cable. However, when I switched my Wii from the standard OEM cable to this gold-plated cable, the difference was immediately apparent. Lines were sharper and blacks seemed blacker. I also took the cable over to my sister’s house to test with their HDTV, and the difference was clear there too. It’s hard to tell in these crappy photos I took of my TV, but with the Wii-packaged cable, the blue line is kind of pixelated. With the gold-plated cable, the line is much smoother.
Why You Might Want to Wait to Upgrade to Windows Vista
April 16, 2007 Posted by Beth in : Microsoft, Opinion , 3 commentsI’m not a clueless computer user; actually, I’m a technology trainer, mostly with Microsoft Office software. But I’m also not a tech geek. My husband would laugh till he cried if I tried to claim I was. So you can guess that I haven’t yet explored all the ins and outs of Windows Vista, which is installed on my work-provided Dell Latitude D620 notebook computer. But lately I have been using it just enough to be finding reasons I dislike it.
This article isn’t written from a OS geek or tech support person’s point of view – I’m sure there are lots of great reasons they have for liking or disliking Vista. These are reasons from a reasonably savvy but typical end-user’s viewpoint. (more…)
Excel Things That Make Them Go “Oooooh!”
April 9, 2007 Posted by Beth in : How-to, Microsoft, Tips , 1 comment so farMy job involves teaching people how to use Microsoft Office. Mostly, I teach classes on Excel, since when we ask what people want to learn, the answer is usually, “Excel, Excel and more Excel.†So we give the people what they want. Now, I don’t know everything about Excel, but I do know a fair amount. And I’m always amazed at which features users are most excited about. Turns out, it’s usually not the most advanced or complex features. In fact, some of Excel’s simplest features get the biggest reaction in our classes. So here I’ve explained how to do 3 things that have the biggest “Wow!†factor for our users. (more…)
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.
Everybody loves the MOS?
September 1, 2006 Posted by Beth in : Certification , 2 comments
Let’s face it, like 115% of the world uses Microsoft products. So if you’re on a career path that requires heavy use or knowledge of the Microsoft Office suite anything that you can do to distance yourself from the average user is a Good Thing. There are all kinds of technical certifications out there, but the only approved certifications for Microsoft Office products are the Microsoft Office Specialist exams (MOS, formerly MOUS). This summer, I took 4 Microsoft Office Specialist 2003 exams, enough to achieve the “Master certification†status. This article is a summary of how I successfully prepared and is meant to help others who are interested in getting certified. (more…)
