I was recently tasked with improving the workflow of a process that involved using FTP to upload files to a server. The main part of the workflow that needed reworked was making the interaction with the FTP server more user-friendly/idiot-proof. In researching and accomplishing this task, I uncovered a few tools that warranted mentioning here so that it might help others that … [Read more...]
Digital Signage on the Cheap
There seems to be a lot of hoopla, brouhaha, and hullabaloo (or whatever you want to call the hype) about digital signage these days. Digital signage, at least typically with expensive systems, are a series of LCD monitors that are networked (either hard-wired or wirelessly) to a computer to display a variety of information. It might show what's currently scheduled inside a … [Read more...]
Interacting with Text Messaging Systems
Perhaps you haven't noticed the same trend that I have, but it seems a lot of radio stations are switching to text messaging instead of calling. Instead of saying "Be caller number 9 to win...", it is now "Text us and be the 94th texter to win." They are also offering different services like "We'll send you a text message with half-time updates for [your local football team]" … [Read more...]
Referencing Cells from Another Worksheet or Workbook in Excel 2007
Referencing cells in an Excel spreadsheet and using the data quickly for calculations automatically is one of the spreadsheet programs greatest abilities. What if your information is held in another worksheet or even another workbook? Can you reference the cells in different sheets or even different files? Yes, indeed you can. In this article, we'll start with the basics and … [Read more...]
Adding a Russian Cyrillic Phonetic Keyboard to Windows
I am in no way expert enough to thoroughly discuss the Russian phonetic keyboard versus the Russian keyboard that ships with Microsoft Windows by default, but working on a campus with international students and faculty I come across this stuff. Mostly, I apply a fix that I know about and I ask the user to test it out since I can't tell the difference. This Russian phonetic … [Read more...]