what others do with talent, I do with obstinate fixation
If you are a Google Desktop and Launchy user like me, you’ll know that the Win+Space hotkey doesn’t work in Launchy if Google Desktop is installed — even if the GD hotkeys are “disabled”.
Well, here’s the answer. You’ll have to hack the registry, but it works good. Here’s the gist.
Adobe Photoshop has a nice posterize command built-in. Not so in Fireworks. I searched high and low for a nice way to do it. In desperation I posted an entry on the official Adobe Fireworks message board and Ilya Razmanov was posted exactly what I needed.
Here’s the steps with pictures to illustrate his technique:
1. Open a cool photo in Fireworks (Yes, Ray Allen is cool, if you didn’t already know).
![[ray allen]](http://sprignaturemoves.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/act_ray_allen.jpg)
2. Add this effect: Adjust Color -> Levels
![[posterize example 1]](http://sprignaturemoves.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/ff-posterize1.jpg)
3. Set the max value in Output Level to 4
4. Add another effect: Add this effect: Adjust Color -> Levels. This time set the max Input Level to 4
6. Voila! Here’s what you get. You can tweak the levels on both sides to get the amount of posterization you want.
![[pdfsam]](http://sprignaturemoves.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/pdfsam.jpg)
OK, so I have PDFs of several receipts that I need to fax into my health insurance company for flexible spending reimbursement. The Windows Fax “printer” doesn’t allow me to string together multiple files, so I’m in a pickle.
I don’t have Adobe Acrobat, so I start Googling with “(combine|merge) (pdf|pdfs) -mac -apple -purchase -demo -trial -shareware -acrobat”
I find pdfsam, download & install it, add my PDFs, set the output file, click Run and, bam, a merged PDF. Sweet.
I tried another option as well — pdftk. If you’d rather go the commandline route, this’ll work just as good.
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Have you ever had a program show in the taskbar as running, but not show anywhere on the screen? (I’ve only had it happen in a dual-screen environment, but I suppose it could happen with a single screen.)
Anyway. Alt-Space is your friend.
Hit Alt-space, choose Move and then use the arrow keys to move the window back to the visible screen.
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If you are like me and often have a lot of apps open in Windows, here’s an easy way to get more room in your taskbar. If you’re wondering why my taskbar is dark gray, I’m using the Zune theme for Windows XP.
®= right-click, © = click, © © = double-click
1. ® on an empty place on the taskbar, © Properties
2. © Customize next to the “Hide inactive icons” checkbox
3. Note the Behavior column
4. Next to each “Hide when inactive” entry change it to “Always Hide”
5. © OK twice and you’re done. Voila. Nice, huh?
No tags for this post.I have time tracking worksheet that I use at work. It looks something like this:
| Task | Total Hours | Friday, 9/7/2007 | Saturday, 9/8/2007 | … |
| Status Report | 5.25 | 1.5 | 0 | … |
| Staff Meeting | 12.5 | 1.5 | 0 | … |
| … | … | … | … | … |
Since I don’t work on Saturday or Sunday, I’d like to hide all columns that have a date that’s a Saturday or Sunday.
Here’s a little VB macro that will do the trick:
Sub header()
Dim eCol As Integer
Dim i As Integer
eCol = Cells(1, Columns.Count).End(xlToLeft).Column
For i = 1 To eCol
With Cells(1, i)
If IsDate(.Value) Then
If (Weekday(.Value) = vbSunday) Or _
(Weekday(.Value) = vbSaturday) Then
.EntireColumn.Hidden = True
End If
End If
End With
Next i
End Sub
h/t Rowan
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Just bought a new Dell SK-8135 keyboard off of eBay. I have one at work and like it a lot.
It has some buttons on it that are sort-of configurable — if you don’t mind poking around in the Windows Registry.
Start -> Run -> regedit
Browse to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\AppKey
Make your changes, reboot and you’re good to go.
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Here’s another installment in my Spriglet series.
Nothing’s more embarrassing than emerging from the bathroom with your zipper down. To combat this possibility, I always, just after opening the bathroom door, poke my finger inside the zipper flap directly under the button of my pants. If my finger goes in, I turn right around and take care of it. If it stops, I let out a sigh of relief and continue on to what I was doing before nature called my name.
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Spriglet #5: Have a print job in Windows that just won’t go away? Here’s how to fix it:
®= right-click, © = click, © © = double-click
If you’ve ever seen my car, you’d know that it’s not something that I obsess over at all. In fact quite the contrary — I don’t care about it that much. It gets me from here to there. It’s not pretty but it’s functional.
I try to invest in it as little as possible. There’s more important things to spend money on, IMO.
So, anyway–I found a way to make my windshield wipers last longer than recommended (every 6 months). When they start “skidding” across the windshield, I stop (usually at the gas station) and take them off and 1) switch the right and the left and 2) flip them over so that the end that’s on the top is now on the bottom.
Turning off your car when the wiper blades are upright makes them a little easier to change.
Worked like a champ in the torrential downpour on the way to work this morning. Voila! No skidding.
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Spriglet #3: OK, this is borderline O.C.D., but it’s something I’ve gotten into the habit of doing. Whenever I get out of my car, I always immediately put my keys in my pocket and then pat my pocket just to here the keys jingle. Guess I started doing it after I locked my keys in my car. Haven’t locked them inside it since.
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Spriglet #2: After a long and strenuous evening of impromptu furniture move-age, you’re shocked to notice the scattered carpet divots all over the room. Simply place an ice cube on each carpet divot and let it melt. As the carpet dries, the divots pop back up.
Some wise person once said:
Moving your furniture around all the time is a sign of mental instability.
That being said, the carpet divots are really a sign of deeper mental issues. You might want to seek out professional help.
No charge for that one. 
h/t: scott
No tags for this post.I’m busting out a new category. Spriglets. That’s right.
What is a spriglet you ask?
Well, Solomon has his book Proverbs. I have Spriglets — nuggets of wisdom from yours truly.
Spriglet #1: Strategic cereal divots prevent milk overspray. Simply use your finger and make a divot in the middle of your cereal. Aim for the divot when pouring your milk. Voila! No mess.
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