Monday, March 13, 2017
Useful to Me
During the MP3 to CD conversion, I am often referencing one of my external hard drives. Until I read this article - https://www.howtogeek.com/howto/27903/how-to-pin-an-external-drive-to-the-windows-7-taskbar/ - it was cumbersome. I will be adding shortcuts to my EHDs tonight to make it seamless.
Sunday, March 12, 2017
The Big Toe Talent Deficiency Revealed
This video
led to the discovery of this video
and after watching both, the people involved in those two videos have more talent in their big toe than I do in my entire body. I wouldn't have the first clue how to create either.
led to the discovery of this video
and after watching both, the people involved in those two videos have more talent in their big toe than I do in my entire body. I wouldn't have the first clue how to create either.
Saturday, March 11, 2017
You Shouldn't Put Your Foot Under His Wheel
Just when I think I've seen all the youtube.com clips of Metallica, I find a new one.
Warning! F-bombs within!
Friday, March 10, 2017
Panic for a Moment
Yesterday, around 11:30 PM, I plugged in my y: EHD in to my laptop.
Nothing.
No light. No popup window saying that my laptop recognized a device had been plugged in.
Nothing.
My stomach immediately started churning.
I began to rationalize what it would mean if this EHD had 'suddenly' died. It can happen. An EHD is not a living / breathing entity. It has no personal vendetta against me or the files I store on it and doesn't care if it's providing a service to me or not.
I had a work-related email to address so I began to work on that.
But I also unplugged the USB cord and plugged it back in. I tried a different outlet in my workspace.
Nothing.
Then, since I drive less than 10 minutes to arrive at work, I decided to go home and try a different USB cord and a different plug. I hadn't eaten lunch and thought I'd grab a sandwich at home.
Instead, when I got home, I went to the den immediately. I tried a different USB cord.
Nothing.
I tried a different electrical plug from my box of cords.
Nothing.
I unplugged the electrical plug from the z: EHD and plugged that in to the y: EHD.
A light shone, not like the sun or like in the movies, but a light lit up on the y: EHD. I unplugged the USB cord from the Z: and plugged it into the y: EHD.
A popup window saying that my laptop recognized a device had been plugged in.
I began to feel better. I slipped a CD into the CD drive to be ripped and returned to work.
Later in the day, I looked at bestbuy.com & staples.com for a 4 TB portable EHD, thinking I would go purchase one after work. Neither local store had one in stock.
All of that happened yesterday. Today, when I plugged in the y: EHD, still using the z: EHD electrical plug and the z: USB cord, it all worked. Perhaps I can relax that the y: EHD is perfectly fine. Then, I opened Outlook and began reviewing my emails. An email with a link to this article - Best hard drive recovery software to retrieve data for free - was in my Inbox. Is that a signal that I still need to purchase another 4 TB EHD and use that instead of the current y: EHD?
Why do you think I have a browser window open to walmart.com right now?
Editor's Note: It appears Walmart.com doesn't want it to be easy to find a 4 TB EHD as the options for "size" on their website. It is not user-friendly for anyone seeking a 4 TB EHD when the options for "size" are as follows:
A return trip to Bestbuy.com yielded this result, which is for a larger 5 TB EHD:
Is not bigger a better option when considering a new EHD?
Nothing.
No light. No popup window saying that my laptop recognized a device had been plugged in.
Nothing.
My stomach immediately started churning.
I began to rationalize what it would mean if this EHD had 'suddenly' died. It can happen. An EHD is not a living / breathing entity. It has no personal vendetta against me or the files I store on it and doesn't care if it's providing a service to me or not.
I had a work-related email to address so I began to work on that.
But I also unplugged the USB cord and plugged it back in. I tried a different outlet in my workspace.
Nothing.
Then, since I drive less than 10 minutes to arrive at work, I decided to go home and try a different USB cord and a different plug. I hadn't eaten lunch and thought I'd grab a sandwich at home.
Instead, when I got home, I went to the den immediately. I tried a different USB cord.
Nothing.
I tried a different electrical plug from my box of cords.
Nothing.
I unplugged the electrical plug from the z: EHD and plugged that in to the y: EHD.
A light shone, not like the sun or like in the movies, but a light lit up on the y: EHD. I unplugged the USB cord from the Z: and plugged it into the y: EHD.
A popup window saying that my laptop recognized a device had been plugged in.
I began to feel better. I slipped a CD into the CD drive to be ripped and returned to work.
Later in the day, I looked at bestbuy.com & staples.com for a 4 TB portable EHD, thinking I would go purchase one after work. Neither local store had one in stock.
All of that happened yesterday. Today, when I plugged in the y: EHD, still using the z: EHD electrical plug and the z: USB cord, it all worked. Perhaps I can relax that the y: EHD is perfectly fine. Then, I opened Outlook and began reviewing my emails. An email with a link to this article - Best hard drive recovery software to retrieve data for free - was in my Inbox. Is that a signal that I still need to purchase another 4 TB EHD and use that instead of the current y: EHD?
Why do you think I have a browser window open to walmart.com right now?
Editor's Note: It appears Walmart.com doesn't want it to be easy to find a 4 TB EHD as the options for "size" on their website. It is not user-friendly for anyone seeking a 4 TB EHD when the options for "size" are as follows:
A return trip to Bestbuy.com yielded this result, which is for a larger 5 TB EHD:
Is not bigger a better option when considering a new EHD?
Thursday, March 9, 2017
You Make My Dreams Come True as I Shout!
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/entertainment/music/2017/03/02/hall-oates-bringing-north-american-tour-des-moines/98629806/
It's on the Monday after Karen's birthday.
It's on the Monday after Karen's birthday.
User Defined Variable in Title field
Recently, I created a RoboHelp project for a new system. When I did, I defined a user defined variable for the name of the system. Earlier today, I was informed the name of the system was being changed. I opened my RoboHelp project and changed my user defined variable to the new value and recompiled. I then discovered that while my TOC & text within the topics had been updated, the tile of the help system that displays had not changed.
I knew the title is set in the Title Bar field on the General tab, as shown below.
On a whim, I pasted the UDV into the Title Bar field:
When I recompiled, I saw this, which tells me I cannot paste the UDV into the Title Bar unless I would want the name of the tab to be extremely odd...
As I feared and as confirmed by RoboHelp guru Rick Stone, there is no magical way to tie the value in the Title Bar field to a User Defined Variable. That is disappointing, especially since the title of the topic allows inserting a User Defined Variable.
I knew the title is set in the Title Bar field on the General tab, as shown below.
On a whim, I pasted the UDV into the Title Bar field:
When I recompiled, I saw this, which tells me I cannot paste the UDV into the Title Bar unless I would want the name of the tab to be extremely odd...
As I feared and as confirmed by RoboHelp guru Rick Stone, there is no magical way to tie the value in the Title Bar field to a User Defined Variable. That is disappointing, especially since the title of the topic allows inserting a User Defined Variable.
Plucking the Peacock Feathers for My Tooting
From https://www.howtogeek.com/297724/how-to-find-the-instruction-manual-for-almost-any-device/:
This is the challenge I have pursued and conquered for the past 8063 days (22 years, 3 weeks, 6 days) as a technical writer. I could write the very best documentation, choose the very best words, choose the very best help authoring tool, and choose the best format to present the content to the audience, but if the user of said documentation cannot find what they need, it's an ineffective exercise and an ineffective use of my time.
The days of the paper manual are over. Many devices, like the iPhone, don’t even ship with manuals anymore. While this is definitely an improvement, no one has ever claimed corporate websites are well designed. There’s a little skill involved in tracking down an instruction manual!
This is the challenge I have pursued and conquered for the past 8063 days (22 years, 3 weeks, 6 days) as a technical writer. I could write the very best documentation, choose the very best words, choose the very best help authoring tool, and choose the best format to present the content to the audience, but if the user of said documentation cannot find what they need, it's an ineffective exercise and an ineffective use of my time.
Because This Will Be Useful
From https://www.experts-exchange.com/questions/29007394/Updating-Word-macro-and-adding-a-pop-up-error-message-when-applicable.html
And here's the answer:
Do you know what's really cool about this website? In the comment with the code above, there are these tools that are extremely helpful:
Totally helpful.
My current macro code (see code below) finds all instances of the following three string formats (which are work order #'s) in a Word 2010 file (the file can be anywhere from 10 to 100 pages) and pastes them into a new Word file, one string per line:
AAA-#### (where AAA could be any letter from A – Z, followed by a dash, then 4 numbers)
####-####### (4 numbers, followed by a dash, then 7 numbers)
AAA-##-#### (where AAA could be any letter from A – Z, followed by a dash, 2 numbers, a dash, then 4 numbers)
Two changes I would like to make to the above current macro:
I would like to update the macro so it only searches for one of the three text strings above (as the other two text strings have since become obsolete) to then paste into a new Word file, one string per line:
####-####### (4 numbers, followed by a dash, then 7 numbers)
I would like the macro to generate an error message as a dialog pop-up box at the first instance it comes across a text string that does not follow the approved format as outlined above (####-####### [4 numbers, followed by a dash, then 7 numbers], with the error message that includes the problem text string (work order #) to assist the user in locating the erroneously-entered work order number in the document and fixing it. Once the user corrected the work order number, the user would then re-run the macro.
The two instances of wrongly formatted strings for the macro to detect and generate an error message are as follows:
####-###### (4 numbers, followed by a dash, then 6 numbers)
####-######## (4 numbers, followed by a dash, then 8 numbers)
The error message will ensure going forward that we are not missing any work order numbers being transferred by the macro to the new Word file due to the user mis-keying in the work orders by accidentally adding or subtracting one digit.
I've attached a sample Word file showing the two examples of wrongly-formatted text strings that can occur and for which I would like the macro to generate an error message.
And here's the answer:
Sub Extract_WOs_ADCs()
'
' Extract_WOs_ADCs Macro
'
' Keyboard Shortcut: Ctrl+y
'
Set Activedoc = ActiveDocument
strRes = ""
Dim reg As Object 'VBScript_RegExp_55.regexp
Dim Match As Object ' VBScript_RegExp_55.Match
Dim Matches As Object 'VBScript_RegExp_55.MatchCollection
' instanciation
Set reg = CreateObject("VBScript.RegExp")
With reg
.Global = True
.MultiLine = True
.Ignorecase = True
.Pattern = "\b\d{4}-(\d{6}|\d{8})\b"
Set Matches = .Execute(Activedoc.Range.Text)
End With
For Each Match In Matches
ActiveDocument.Range(Match.firstIndex, Match.firstIndex + Match.Length).Select
MsgBox "Value: " & Match.Value & " is wrong"
Exit Sub
Next Match
reg.Pattern = "\b\d{4}-\d{7}\b"
Set Matches = reg.Execute(Activedoc.Range.Text)
For Each Match In Matches
strRes = strRes & Match.Value & vbCrLf
Next Match
If strRes <> "" Then
Set newDoc = Documents.Add
newDoc.Range.Text = strRes
Else
MsgBox "No Matches"
End If
End Sub
Do you know what's really cool about this website? In the comment with the code above, there are these tools that are extremely helpful:
- Select all
- Open in new window
Totally helpful.
Wednesday, March 8, 2017
Introducing Bootsnake and the Girl....
Oh, to live in the Twin Cities so I could join this Ideal Band. From CL > minneapolis > hennepin co > community > musicians....
Drummer needed for live (Mpls)
Looking for a drummer for live. We have a new album and need a drummer to help live. Video below.
Tuesday, March 7, 2017
You Should Purchase Flare?
I routinely receive emails from Madcap Software, the company that sells Flare, which is a direct competitor to RoboHelp. Usually, I don't invest a lot of time, if any, in reviewing the email, but I just did. When I went out to the case study for HP - http://www.madcapsoftware.com/case-study/hewlett-packard-enterprise-uses-madcap-flare.aspx - I wasn't blown away. In fact, the first help system I reviewed didn't have icons in the output:
So then, I went to look at another example, and saw an entirely different look & feel from the first system:
Now, I understand that there are different audiences and such, but it looks as if the authors at HP really don't know what the hell they are doing. First of all, there's the icons not displaying in the first screen capture; in the second screen capture, the layout of the glossary is totally different. That took me back to the case study where I read this:
To me, that tells me that whether you use Flare or not, there will be inconsistency. Why is the Glossary in the first screen capture laid out with the letters across the top while the Glossary in the second screen capture does not have those letters? If Flare is such a great tool, why would it allow icons to not display and why would the authors chose to have two Glossaries with different layouts?
I don't have the answer.
So then, I went to look at another example, and saw an entirely different look & feel from the first system:
Now, I understand that there are different audiences and such, but it looks as if the authors at HP really don't know what the hell they are doing. First of all, there's the icons not displaying in the first screen capture; in the second screen capture, the layout of the glossary is totally different. That took me back to the case study where I read this:
The information engineering team also makes extensive use of snippets, variables, and conditional tags in MadCap Flare to maximize content reuse for its different outputs.
To me, that tells me that whether you use Flare or not, there will be inconsistency. Why is the Glossary in the first screen capture laid out with the letters across the top while the Glossary in the second screen capture does not have those letters? If Flare is such a great tool, why would it allow icons to not display and why would the authors chose to have two Glossaries with different layouts?
I don't have the answer.
WM Season is ON
SPOILER: "It doesn't really feel like WrestleMania season until Undertaker arrives."
Okay. Read more.
Okay. Read more.
Star Wars Meets Calvin & Hobbes
http://www.popularmechanics.com/culture/movies/a25560/star-wars-calvin-hobbes/
Editor's Note: It is with great surprise that such an iconic comic strip like "Calvin & Hobbes" label had to be added because of this post.
Editor's Note: It is with great surprise that such an iconic comic strip like "Calvin & Hobbes" label had to be added because of this post.
Awesomeness from Veritas who is based in Des Moines
There was a time - December 2015 - when joining this band as its drummer was something I was thinking about pursuing. I had some email conversations about auditioning but I bailed. Hearing this, though, it makes me wonder what could have been.
This is really strange. I was writing this post as I was listening to the tune and didn't get back to youtube.com to pick another video before this tune began:
That is really strange.
This is really strange. I was writing this post as I was listening to the tune and didn't get back to youtube.com to pick another video before this tune began:
That is really strange.
Judging the Cover by the Original
I had never heard Iggy Pop so when I saw that Metallica played "T.V. Eye" with Iggy Pop in Mexico City, I watched the original first:
Then I watched the cover.
Damn You Steve
I have many talents. Watch this video.
I do not have the ability to create the animation that Katy Davis (AKA Gobblynne) http://www.gobblynne.com did.
Zero.
None.
Well done, Katy Davis (AKA Gobblynne), very well done.
I do not have the ability to create the animation that Katy Davis (AKA Gobblynne) http://www.gobblynne.com did.
Zero.
None.
Well done, Katy Davis (AKA Gobblynne), very well done.
When A is Unequal (in EVERY way) to B
In my Indeed Job Alert email, I saw this:
Ever curious, I went out to the ad to review it and what I viewed made ZERO sense! How does a company advertise the position "User Experience Writer" with this description:
The analogy that sprang to my mind was to release a movie trailer that has "Star Wars" as the first words that are seen, but the first character you see is Captain Kirk.
DUH!!!
User Experience Writer has absolutely nothing to do with that text?!? Read the original ad below:
Working at TaxAct used to be a good idea as taxes are not something I know a lot about and so I had always thought, in the deep crevices of my mind, that working at TaxAct would require me to master a new subject matter. It would be added to the list of other industries I've worked in:
Editor's Note: The decision to use the labels "idiots" and "stupid people" are a result of extensive arguments behind-the-scenes.
Ever curious, I went out to the ad to review it and what I viewed made ZERO sense! How does a company advertise the position "User Experience Writer" with this description:
The Manager, Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS) is responsible for the management, configuration, testing, security, business process design and maintenance, data integrity, and end-user system training for various Human Resource systems. This role manages data integrity, feeds, and reporting. The position leads and unleashes the capabilities of Workday.
The analogy that sprang to my mind was to release a movie trailer that has "Star Wars" as the first words that are seen, but the first character you see is Captain Kirk.
DUH!!!
User Experience Writer has absolutely nothing to do with that text?!? Read the original ad below:
Working at TaxAct used to be a good idea as taxes are not something I know a lot about and so I had always thought, in the deep crevices of my mind, that working at TaxAct would require me to master a new subject matter. It would be added to the list of other industries I've worked in:
- life insurance
- hazardous materials management
- telecommunications & billing
- equine management
- fleet management
- medical devices
- education
- disaster recovery (current)
Editor's Note: The decision to use the labels "idiots" and "stupid people" are a result of extensive arguments behind-the-scenes.
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