SlickRun + Playing Travel Agent

Recently I've discovered SlickRun. This great app lets you launch products, web pages, and is a small global floating window that can sit anywhere on your screen. It can also serve as a small notepad for throwing text in there (better than launching notepad.exe).

I highly recommend it.

So, the other night I was playing travel agent and realized what a pain in the neck it is to use the travel sites out there. Most have appaulling date/time pickers and require many mouse clicks to simply search for a flight.

I've set up a MagicWord for SlickRun that accomplishes this task very elegantly. All you need to do is type:

fly sydney to london may 05 - 25

And you get a ton of search results.

Just create a MagicWord called "fly" and set the url to:

http://www.mobissimo.com/onebox_process_air.php?onebox=$I$

Love it.

 

SlickRun + Playing Travel Agent

Recently I've discovered SlickRun. This great app lets you launch products, web pages, and is a small global floating window that can sit anywhere on your screen. It can also serve as a small notepad for throwing text in there (better than launching notepad.exe).

I highly recommend it.

So, the other night I was playing travel agent and realized what a pain in the neck it is to use the travel sites out there. Most have appaulling date/time pickers and require many mouse clicks to simply search for a flight.

I've set up a MagicWord for SlickRun that accomplishes this task very elegantly. All you need to do is type:

fly sydney to london may 05 - 25

And you get a ton of search results.

Just create a MagicWord called "fly" and set the url to:

http://www.mobissimo.com/onebox_process_air.php?onebox=$I$

Love it.

 

Medical Science Proves Laughter really is "The best medicine"

In a paper being presented in an American Physiological Society session at Experimental Biology 2006, Lee S. Berk of Loma Linda University, reports that not only is there real science and psychophysiology, but just the anticipation of the "mirthful laughter" involved in watching your favorite funny movie has some very surprising and significant neuroendocrine/hormone effects.

You can read the release here.

Bottom line is, a good belly-laugh improves your overall health and your immune system. It also reduces stress. 

At work, a laugh every day, seems like good preventative medicine to me.

If you're having trouble laughing, perhaps this old ASCII quote from a 90's era BBS will help:

ACHTUNG!
--------
Das machine is nicht fur gerfingerpoken und mittengrabben.
Ist easy schnappen der Sprinngwerk, blowenfusen und
poppencorken mit spitzensparken.
Ist nicht fur gewerken by das Dummkopfen. Das rubbernecken
sightseeren keepen hands in das Pockets.
Relaxen und watch das blinkenlights...

 

Medical Science Proves Laughter really is "The best medicine"

In a paper being presented in an American Physiological Society session at Experimental Biology 2006, Lee S. Berk of Loma Linda University, reports that not only is there real science and psychophysiology, but just the anticipation of the "mirthful laughter" involved in watching your favorite funny movie has some very surprising and significant neuroendocrine/hormone effects.

You can read the release here.

Bottom line is, a good belly-laugh improves your overall health and your immune system. It also reduces stress. 

At work, a laugh every day, seems like good preventative medicine to me.

If you're having trouble laughing, perhaps this old ASCII quote from a 90's era BBS will help:

ACHTUNG!
--------
Das machine is nicht fur gerfingerpoken und mittengrabben.
Ist easy schnappen der Sprinngwerk, blowenfusen und
poppencorken mit spitzensparken.
Ist nicht fur gewerken by das Dummkopfen. Das rubbernecken
sightseeren keepen hands in das Pockets.
Relaxen und watch das blinkenlights...

 

Using Google AdSense? Get Ready for your 1099-MISC

I got a Google AdSense 1099–MISC last week. I tried entering it into TurboTax I was surprised that it said that I had to file a Schedule C (never done that before). Anyway, I found this website which explains what Google AdSense revenue means for your taxes.

Basically, if you make more than $600 on AdSense revenue you are now a small business.  TurboTax makes filling out the Schedule C easy enough. For me it turns out that my business will not be a “passive activity” since I spend more than 100 hours a year on my website and other related stuff and I’m the only person in my “business” that does this. Supposedly I now get to deduct any related “business expenses” such as hosting fees, DNS registration and so on.  We'll see.

 

Using Google AdSense? Get Ready for your 1099-MISC

I got a Google AdSense 1099–MISC last week. I tried entering it into TurboTax I was surprised that it said that I had to file a Schedule C (never done that before). Anyway, I found this website which explains what Google AdSense revenue means for your taxes.

Basically, if you make more than $600 on AdSense revenue you are now a small business.  TurboTax makes filling out the Schedule C easy enough. For me it turns out that my business will not be a “passive activity” since I spend more than 100 hours a year on my website and other related stuff and I’m the only person in my “business” that does this. Supposedly I now get to deduct any related “business expenses” such as hosting fees, DNS registration and so on.  We'll see.

 

Windows Live Local Street-Side

This is pretty amazing stuff.

 

Windows Live Local Street-Side

This is pretty amazing stuff.

 

Super Mario Bros Race

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6590364564874563352&q=super+mario+race

Maybe it was the "Danger Zone" Kenny Loggins music towards the end, but I actually thought this was quite exciting.  Two guys racing Super Mario Bros. 1.  Watch the full 5 minutes..

 

Super Mario Bros Race

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6590364564874563352&q=super+mario+race

Maybe it was the "Danger Zone" Kenny Loggins music towards the end, but I actually thought this was quite exciting.  Two guys racing Super Mario Bros. 1.  Watch the full 5 minutes..

 

Remeber remember the fifth of November

Saw V is For Vendetta the other day, which is mad as hell and out to rile up a politically lethargic audience.  The movie is powered on ideas which are not computer-generated, although the special effects are the best i've seen since the Matrix.  Would see it again.

 

Remeber remember the fifth of November

Saw V is For Vendetta the other day, which is mad as hell and out to rile up a politically lethargic audience.  The movie is powered on ideas which are not computer-generated, although the special effects are the best i've seen since the Matrix.  Would see it again.

 

Shortcut Keys

Once a year I happen to learn about a new shortcut key that just amazes me. Usually it’s because it’s something I didn’t know was possible or was possible but required to many mouse clicks. Recently I learned of control-space and had that same reaction.

Control-Space

In Microsoft Word, selecting text and typing Control-Space will clear the formatting. Since I do this dozens of times a day when copying/pasting text into Word Mail this is super handy.

Control-+ (NumPadPlus)

This will cause any item list control in Windows to “Auto Fit” I use this all the time in the explorer shell to make all the columns in details view automatically fit to the items in the list.  As far as I can tell, this shortcut is not documented anywhere.

WindowsKey-E

This will launch the Explorer Shell to the My Computer View. I do this dozens of times a day.

WindowsKey-D

This will display the desktop and hide all application windows.

WindowsKey-L

This will Lock your desktop or switch user if you have FUS turned on.

Alt-F1

In Outlook this will hide the folder list, giving your reading pane more room to view a message.

WindowsKey-Q

If you have Office Communicator, this will expand it from the Tray and place focus in the Word Wheel Control so you can quickly initiate a chat.

Control-Alt-M

If you have Windows Desktop Search, and the Taskbar Toolbar visible, this will place focus in that control.

 

Shortcut Keys

Once a year I happen to learn about a new shortcut key that just amazes me. Usually it’s because it’s something I didn’t know was possible or was possible but required to many mouse clicks. Recently I learned of control-space and had that same reaction.

Control-Space

In Microsoft Word, selecting text and typing Control-Space will clear the formatting. Since I do this dozens of times a day when copying/pasting text into Word Mail this is super handy.

Control-+ (NumPadPlus)

This will cause any item list control in Windows to “Auto Fit” I use this all the time in the explorer shell to make all the columns in details view automatically fit to the items in the list.  As far as I can tell, this shortcut is not documented anywhere.

WindowsKey-E

This will launch the Explorer Shell to the My Computer View. I do this dozens of times a day.

WindowsKey-D

This will display the desktop and hide all application windows.

WindowsKey-L

This will Lock your desktop or switch user if you have FUS turned on.

Alt-F1

In Outlook this will hide the folder list, giving your reading pane more room to view a message.

WindowsKey-Q

If you have Office Communicator, this will expand it from the Tray and place focus in the Word Wheel Control so you can quickly initiate a chat.

Control-Alt-M

If you have Windows Desktop Search, and the Taskbar Toolbar visible, this will place focus in that control.

 

AirBus A380

Great video detailing the making and testing of the new AirBus A380.
 

AirBus A380

Great video detailing the making and testing of the new AirBus A380.
 

Bridge Climbing

 

Bridge Climbing

 

Consolidated Blog

Well, i've updated this site with the old entries i'd done for blogger.  If anyone is interested in coverting from blogger -> dasBlog, here's how i've done it:

1. Got a copy of the atom.xml file on my blogger site http://matthewgoodman.blogspot.com/atom.xml
   
2. Create a console application, which references the dasBlog.Web.Runtime.dll
   
3. Parse the atom.xml, extracting all "entry" nodes and extract relevant infomation e.g. CreatedDate, Contant, Title.
4. For each node parsed, created an instance of the Runtime.Entry class, populate properties, and save using saveEntry method.
5. Generates a whole bunch of xml files in web/content directory, which can be copied directly on to the webserver hopsting this site.  
   

Took about 20 mins, and have attatched the solution (VS2005) for those interested.

 

BloggerToDasBlogConverter.zip (208.84 KB)

Consolidated Blog

Well, i've updated this site with the old entries i'd done for blogger.  If anyone is interested in coverting from blogger -> dasBlog, here's how i've done it:

1. Got a copy of the atom.xml file on my blogger site http://matthewgoodman.blogspot.com/atom.xml
   
2. Create a console application, which references the dasBlog.Web.Runtime.dll
   
3. Parse the atom.xml, extracting all "entry" nodes and extract relevant infomation e.g. CreatedDate, Contant, Title.
4. For each node parsed, created an instance of the Runtime.Entry class, populate properties, and save using saveEntry method.
5. Generates a whole bunch of xml files in web/content directory, which can be copied directly on to the webserver hopsting this site.  
   

Took about 20 mins, and have attatched the solution (VS2005) for those interested.

 

BloggerToDasBlogConverter.zip (208.84 KB)