More Internet Oddities

I always marvel at how much interesting STUFF one can find on the Internet. The process of finding can be entertaining, too. Serendipity should be most people's drug of choice. It's a wonderful high, only mildly addicting; no hangovers, no dirty needles. The flashbacks are fun.

My latest serendipity trip led me to a guide to life in prison. Bound and Gagged is a sort of Hitckhiker's Guide to the Slammer.

How to talk like a prisoner.

Need help getting paroled?

Peter Collins has been serving a life sentence with a minimum parole eligibility of 25 years (he's in year 22 or 23 now). While imprisoned, he has educated himself in the field of Graphic Arts. Some of his efforts include:

* Wildlife Paintings
* Pen and Ink Drawings
* Face Painting
* Cartooning

Examples are available on his website.


I was looking for an image of lemmings to accompany an editorial. After a few minutes of looking and linking, one cartoon jumped out at me. I left the google search pages and went to the site where the image was located. On a sidebar menu on that page were some links.... and those links led me to the slang and parole pages. And so it goes.

Windows Shortcuts

Long before Windows was a viable product, PCs, Macs, and other desktop computers used mice for navigation. Then, and now, I find it aggravating to take my hand from the keyboard, move it to the mouse, use the mouse, move my hand back to the keyboard, and resume typing.

As an alternative to the above process, here are some common keystroke combinations that speed up navigation by avoiding the mouse. Suggestion: print this and tape it to your monitor... right next to your list of passwords.

Alt + Tab = switch application/cycle trough all open apps
Alt + Ctrl + Del = Task-Manager/Windows Security
Windows Key + M = minimize all windows
Windows Key + Shift + M = undo minimize all windows
Windows Key + D = show desktop (pressed again = toggle back)
Windows Key + R = opens Run window
Windows Key + E = Explorer (normal Windows Explorer, not IE)
Windows Key + F = opens Find window
F3 = opens Find window
Windows Key + Ctrl + F = opens Find Computer window
Windows Key + Pause(Break) = opens system dialog
Tab = cycle through task bar
Windows Key = open Start menu (pressed again = close Start menu)
Windows Key + L = lock computer

General Shortcuts

Alt + F4 = close program/shutdown
Ctrl + F4 = close document
Ctrl + Esc = open Start menu
Ctrl + a = highlight all content in active window
Ctrl + c = copy marked item(s)
Ctrl + v = paste
Ctrl + x = cut marked item(s)
Ctrl + y = redo
Ctrl + z = undo
Ctrl + Tab = cycle trough tabs (i.e. in FireFox)
Ctrl + N = new window/document (i.e. in IE/MS Word)
Ctrl + T = new tab (i.e. in FireFox)
F1 = help
F5 = refresh (i.e. desktop in windows; send/receive mails in Outlook Express)
F10 = enable menu bar options
Alt + Space = enable main window’s system menu

E-Z Bar Codes

Question: How can I make it simple for my staff to create barcoded labels? I want them to be able to enter a series of item numbers, and then print out the approprite barcoded labels in the format *(number)*.

Answer: I'd use a spreadsheet created using Microsoft's Excel or OpenOffice's Calc. The programs are virtually identical, except for price. Excel is expensive. Calc is free. Both are available as a parts of office product suites.

How To Do It
• Download and install a "Code 39" Bar Code font. You will need this to produce the barcodes.
• Create a new spreadsheet
• You will only use two columns: column A and column B
  column A
  • is for user input
  • needs no formatting
  column B
  • is the source for the printed labels
  • format:
    • font=(your installed barcode font)
    • font-size= (your choice) 36 pt is common
    • number category=text
  contents of cell B1:
  • =CONCATENATE("*",TEXT($A1,0),"*")
• copy B1 to as many cells in column B as needed
• examples:
  • B3 formula should read =CONCATENATE("*",TEXT($A3,0),"*")
  • B6 formula should read =CONCATENATE("*",TEXT($A6,0),"*")
  • and so on
• after that is working correctly, lock the cell contents for all cells in column B
• Upon entering a value in a cell in column A, the adjacent cell in column B should display the barcode for the value in column A.

What the formula means:
• =CONCATENATE means to join several text strings into one text string.
• in this case the text strings are *, (text equivalent of contents of cell A1), and * (again);
• the concatenate function requires
  • separating strings with commas
  • using quotes around special characters - such as *
• TEXT(value,format) means
  • to convert a non-text value OR a reference to a cell containg a non-text value to its equivalent text, formatted as described in the 'format' portion of the formula
  • in this case, the value is A1, a cell which contains a value which can be converted to text
  • in this case, the format is zero, which means that the resulting text should contain no numbers after a decimal point - and no decimal point

The Ed Schultz Show

The Ed Schultz Show, a radio program featuring Straight Talk from the Heartland, makes him a 21st Century Teddy Roosevelt. He believes the salvation of the American people lies in their voices, not in the parties. He represents the thousands of Americans whose collective beliefs are the foundation of the United States.

Almost unique in talk radio, Ed is neither a radio-wing whacko nor a convicted felon. His show is syndicated all around the USA. Like so many good people these days, Ed is a recovering right-winger.

Ed launched "News and Views," a regional "conservative" talk show in 1992. His fearless approach to topics and innate ability on radio quickly catapulted him to the top of the ratings chart. Ed was the lead talent for KFGO AM which won numerous awards including "The Marconi" (News/Talk/Sports Station of the Year), "The Peabody” in 1997, and two individual "Eric Sevareid" Awards (First place Talk/Large Market) in 2002 & 2003.

Ed's views starting shifting left-of-center upon meeting Wendy, a psychiatric nurse, now Ed's wife and assistant producer. For one of their first dates, Wendy invited Ed to join her for lunch at the Salvation Army shelter where she worked so he could witness the "bums" he so often chastised on his show.

Ed's epiphany was found in the faces and stories of the people he met, and his views began to change.

As he questioned his dyed-in-the-wool right-wing beliefs, he and Wendy took "News and Views" on the road in the Big Eddie Cruiser, a customized motor home, to connect with the people of the Dakotas and Minnesota. They met families and farmers. People losing their farms, struggling to make ends meet and keep their way of life. Ed determined that America could do better and it was on that trek that Ed found his true, progressive voice. He shut down the "News and Views" radio program.

In an industry where the conservative voice is king, Schultz's popularity, talent and progressive political bent has helped him become the dominant progressive radio voice of the nation. The Ed Schultz Show made its debut on January 5, 2004, and is now heard on nearly 100 affiliate stations across the nation (including 8 of the top 10 largest markets).

An avid hunter/fisher, Ed refers to himself as someone who knows that reeling in a 30 pound salmon is a bigger Rush than a fistful of Oxycontin.

In the Seattle area, on KPTK 1090 AM - the local Air America affiliate . His wisdom blasts out to Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia, Bellingham, Whidbey Island and the San Juan Islands. In addition, Ed reaches the rest of Washington, plus most of Oregon's population, via KPTQ 1280 and Portland's KPOJ 620 AM.

Ed's program is carried also on another hundred or so stations nationwide, and on XM Satellite Radio Channel 167 and Sirius Satellite Radio Channel 143.

Optical Illusions

Rapid afterimage