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February 28, 2008

Excel Hacks: Display a "please wait" message

Excel Hacks, 2nd Edition Cover

Here's Hack #111, Display a "Please Wait" Message, from David and Raina Hawley's Excel Hacks, 2nd Edition. Millions of users create and share Excel spreadsheets every day, but few go deeply enough to learn the techniques that will make their work much easier. Yet there are many ways to take advantage of Excel's sophisticated capabilities without spending hours on advanced study. In Excel Hacks, you'll learn how to:

Reduce workbook and worksheet frustration--manage how users interact with worksheets, find and highlight information, and deal with debris and corruption.
Analyze and manage data--extend and automate these features, moving beyond the limited tasks they were designed to perform.
Hack names--learn not only how to name cells and ranges, but also how to create names that adapt to the data in your spreadsheet.
Get the most out of PivotTables--avoid the problems that make them frustrating and learn how to extend them.
Create customized charts--tweak and combine Excel's built-in charting capabilities.
Hack formulas and functions--subjects range from moving formulas around to dealing with datatype issues to improving recalculation time.
Make the most of macros--including ways to manage them and use them to extend other features.
Use the enhanced capabilities of Microsoft Office 2007 to combine Excel with Word, Access, and Outlook.

Hack #111: Display a "Please Wait" Message - Link

Related:

Excel Hacks, 2nd Edition @ the Maker Store - Buy now
Excel Hacks, Second Edition--New from O'Reilly: Hook Up with Excel Expert Hackers - Press Release

February 27, 2008

Excel Hacks: Display negative time values

Excel Hacks, 2nd Edition Cover

Here's Hack #87, Display Negative Time Values, from David and Raina Hawley's Excel Hacks, 2nd Edition. Millions of users create and share Excel spreadsheets every day, but few go deeply enough to learn the techniques that will make their work much easier. Yet there are many ways to take advantage of Excel's sophisticated capabilities without spending hours on advanced study. In Excel Hacks, you'll learn how to:

Reduce workbook and worksheet frustration--manage how users interact with worksheets, find and highlight information, and deal with debris and corruption.
Analyze and manage data--extend and automate these features, moving beyond the limited tasks they were designed to perform.
Hack names--learn not only how to name cells and ranges, but also how to create names that adapt to the data in your spreadsheet.
Get the most out of PivotTables--avoid the problems that make them frustrating and learn how to extend them.
Create customized charts--tweak and combine Excel's built-in charting capabilities.
Hack formulas and functions--subjects range from moving formulas around to dealing with datatype issues to improving recalculation time.
Make the most of macros--including ways to manage them and use them to extend other features.
Use the enhanced capabilities of Microsoft Office 2007 to combine Excel with Word, Access, and Outlook.

Hack #87: Display Negative Time Values - Link

Related:

Excel Hacks, 2nd Edition @ the Maker Store - Buy now
Excel Hacks, Second Edition--New from O'Reilly: Hook Up with Excel Expert Hackers - Press Release

February 26, 2008

Excel Hacks: Highlight alternating rows and columns

Here's Hack #21, Highlight Every Other Row or Column, from David and Raina Hawley's Excel Hacks, 2nd Edition. Millions of users create and share Excel spreadsheets every day, but few go deeply enough to learn the techniques that will make their work much easier. Yet there are many ways to take advantage of Excel's sophisticated capabilities without spending hours on advanced study. In Excel Hacks, you'll learn how to:

Reduce workbook and worksheet frustration--manage how users interact with worksheets, find and highlight information, and deal with debris and corruption.
Analyze and manage data--extend and automate these features, moving beyond the limited tasks they were designed to perform.
Hack names--learn not only how to name cells and ranges, but also how to create names that adapt to the data in your spreadsheet.
Get the most out of PivotTables--avoid the problems that make them frustrating and learn how to extend them.
Create customized charts--tweak and combine Excel's built-in charting capabilities.
Hack formulas and functions--subjects range from moving formulas around to dealing with datatype issues to improving recalculation time.
Make the most of macros--including ways to manage them and use them to extend other features.
Use the enhanced capabilities of Microsoft Office 2007 to combine Excel with Word, Access, and Outlook.

Hack #21: Highlight Every Other Row or Column - Link

Related:

Excel Hacks, 2nd Edition @ the Maker Store - Buy now
Excel Hacks, Second Edition--New from O'Reilly: Hook Up with Excel Expert Hackers - Press Release

February 25, 2008

Make a remote connections to Windows Home Server

Windows Home Server may seem like an unusual piece of software, but it's worth playing around with if you are considering a home server for your Windows systems. You can get a 120-day evaluation version from Microsoft, and OEM versions are available from retailers like Newegg.com. Here's a Windows Home Server hack from Preston Gralla's Big Book of Windows Hacks. This one shows you how to connect remotely to your home server so you can keep an eye on things back at home. Hack #129 - Link

Related:

Big Book of Windows Hacks @ the Maker Store - Link
Big Book of Windows Hacks--New from Make: Tips & Tricks for Unlocking the Power of Your Windows PC - Link
Hack #156 from Big Book of Windows Hacks: strip down your Windows installation - Link
Big Book of Windows Hacks #16: a grab bag of Vista interface hacks - Link

Excel Hacks: Reduce workbook bloat

Here's Hack #15, Reduce Workbook Bloat, from David and Raina Hawley's Excel Hacks, 2nd Edition. Millions of users create and share Excel spreadsheets every day, but few go deeply enough to learn the techniques that will make their work much easier. Yet there are many ways to take advantage of Excel's sophisticated capabilities without spending hours on advanced study. In Excel Hacks, you'll learn how to:

Reduce workbook and worksheet frustration--manage how users interact with worksheets, find and highlight information, and deal with debris and corruption.
Analyze and manage data--extend and automate these features, moving beyond the limited tasks they were designed to perform.
Hack names--learn not only how to name cells and ranges, but also how to create names that adapt to the data in your spreadsheet.
Get the most out of PivotTables--avoid the problems that make them frustrating and learn how to extend them.
Create customized charts--tweak and combine Excel's built-in charting capabilities.
Hack formulas and functions--subjects range from moving formulas around to dealing with datatype issues to improving recalculation time.
Make the most of macros--including ways to manage them and use them to extend other features.
Use the enhanced capabilities of Microsoft Office 2007 to combine Excel with Word, Access, and Outlook.

Hack #15: Reduce Workbook Bloat - Link

Related:

Excel Hacks, 2nd Edition @ the Maker Store - Buy now
Excel Hacks, Second Edition--New from O'Reilly: Hook Up with Excel Expert Hackers - Press Release

February 22, 2008

Knoppix Hacks: Install Windows patches securely

Knoppix Hacks, 2nd Edition Cover

Here's Hack #94, Download Windows Patches Securely, from Kyle Rankin's Knoppix Hacks, 2nd Edition. Knoppix Hacks offers a collection of tips and techniques for using the enormous amount of software Knoppix offers--not just to work and play, but also to troubleshoot, repair, upgrade, and disinfect your system without having to install a thing. The book includes scores of hacks covering both the standard Knoppix live CD and the feature-rich DVD "Maxi" distribution (included with this book). In this book, you'll learn how to:

Investigate features of the KDE desktop and its Internet applications
Save settings and data between reboots with persistent storage
Use Knoppix as a system administration multitool to replace failed servers and more
Use the CD/DVD as a rescue disc to repair filesystems or a system that won't boot
Rescue Windows systems with Knoppix to back up files and settings, hack the registry, and more
Explore other live CDs based on Knoppix
Use Knoppix to automatically detect and configure hardware
Remaster Knoppix to include favorite software and custom branding

Hack #94: Download Windows Patches Securely - Link

Related:

Knoppix Hacks, 2nd Edition @ the Maker Store - Buy now
Knoppix Hacks, Second Edition--New from O'Reilly Media: Using the Linux Live CD to Hack, Repair, and Enjoy Your PC - Press Release

February 21, 2008

Knoppix Hacks: Wipe a hard drive

Here's Hack #59, Wipe a Hard Drive, from Kyle Rankin's Knoppix Hacks, 2nd Edition. Knoppix Hacks offers a collection of tips and techniques for using the enormous amount of software Knoppix offers--not just to work and play, but also to troubleshoot, repair, upgrade, and disinfect your system without having to install a thing. The book includes scores of hacks covering both the standard Knoppix live CD and the feature-rich DVD "Maxi" distribution (included with this book). In this book, you'll learn how to:

Investigate features of the KDE desktop and its Internet applications
Save settings and data between reboots with persistent storage
Use Knoppix as a system administration multitool to replace failed servers and more
Use the CD/DVD as a rescue disc to repair filesystems or a system that won't boot
Rescue Windows systems with Knoppix to back up files and settings, hack the registry, and more
Explore other live CDs based on Knoppix
Use Knoppix to automatically detect and configure hardware
Remaster Knoppix to include favorite software and custom branding

Hack #59: Wipe a Hard Drive - Link

Related:

Knoppix Hacks, 2nd Edition @ the Maker Store - Buy now
Knoppix Hacks, Second Edition--New from O'Reilly Media: Using the Linux Live CD to Hack, Repair, and Enjoy Your PC - Press Release

February 20, 2008

Knoppix Hacks: Install multimedia codecs

Here's Hack #39, Install Multimedia Codecs, from Kyle Rankin's Knoppix Hacks, 2nd Edition. Knoppix Hacks offers a collection of tips and techniques for using the enormous amount of software Knoppix offers--not just to work and play, but also to troubleshoot, repair, upgrade, and disinfect your system without having to install a thing. The book includes scores of hacks covering both the standard Knoppix live CD and the feature-rich DVD "Maxi" distribution (included with this book). In this book, you'll learn how to:

Investigate features of the KDE desktop and its Internet applications
Save settings and data between reboots with persistent storage
Use Knoppix as a system administration multitool to replace failed servers and more
Use the CD/DVD as a rescue disc to repair filesystems or a system that won't boot
Rescue Windows systems with Knoppix to back up files and settings, hack the registry, and more
Explore other live CDs based on Knoppix
Use Knoppix to automatically detect and configure hardware
Remaster Knoppix to include favorite software and custom branding

Hack #39: Install Multimedia Codecs - Link

Related:

Knoppix Hacks, 2nd Edition @ the Maker Store - Buy now
Knoppix Hacks, Second Edition--New from O'Reilly Media: Using the Linux Live CD to Hack, Repair, and Enjoy Your PC - Press Release

February 19, 2008

Knoppix Hacks: Rock out with Knoppix multimedia

Here's Hack #18, Rock Out with Knoppix Multimedia, from Kyle Rankin's Knoppix Hacks, 2nd Edition. Knoppix Hacks offers a collection of tips and techniques for using the enormous amount of software Knoppix offers--not just to work and play, but also to troubleshoot, repair, upgrade, and disinfect your system without having to install a thing. The book includes scores of hacks covering both the standard Knoppix live CD and the feature-rich DVD "Maxi" distribution (included with this book). In this book, you'll learn how to:

Investigate features of the KDE desktop and its Internet applications
Save settings and data between reboots with persistent storage
Use Knoppix as a system administration multitool to replace failed servers and more
Use the CD/DVD as a rescue disc to repair filesystems or a system that won't boot
Rescue Windows systems with Knoppix to back up files and settings, hack the registry, and more
Explore other live CDs based on Knoppix
Use Knoppix to automatically detect and configure hardware
Remaster Knoppix to include favorite software and custom branding

Hack #18: Rock Out with Knoppix Multimedia - Link

Related:

Knoppix Hacks, 2nd Edition @ the Maker Store - Buy now
Knoppix Hacks, Second Edition--New from O'Reilly Media: Using the Linux Live CD to Hack, Repair, and Enjoy Your PC - Press Release

December 21, 2007

Essential hacker stocking stuffers

Like most of us, you've probably got some last-minute shopping to take care of. Or maybe there's a special someone in your life who keeps asking you for gift ideas and you need to start dropping hints to avoid another button down and a neck tie. Whatever the reason, here's a quick and dirty hacker gift guide with a variety of gift ideas that should put a smile on someone's face.

Make sure to add your own favorites to the list in the comments area and pass it along. I'm focusing primarily on smaller items that are available in local stores, but feel free to toss in whatever you think is important and shouldn't be missed.

Reading Material:

Make: The Best Of - a killer collection of the best 75 projects from our favorite magazine.
The Dangerous Book For Boys - this is a great book for sharing with your kids. Chock-full of essential information like how to tie knots, play poker, use a compass, build a tree house, and relate to girls.
Knoppix Hacks, 2nd Edition - the swiss army knife for your computer.
Illustrated Guide To Astronomical Wonders - ideal for anyone who's interested in knowing their way around the universe.
Also check out other books from the O'Reilly Hacks Series - Link

Gadgets:

Asus Eee PC - this ultra-tiny Linux laptop is just starting to appear in stores - Hacks
Linksys WRT54GL Router - the L in the GL stands for Linux. It's a $60 router that can be customized to do more than it's thousand dollar big-brothers - Hacks
Western Digital MyBook World Edition External Hard Drive - any extra storage is really nice to have, but this network-available drive contains mirrored RAID storage and a mini Linux computer that can run a web and database server - Hacks
iPhone or iPod Touch - did I really put that here? - Hacks
Broadband Mobile Card from Verizon or Sprint - they are getting super
popular, and heck, they are cheaper than an iPhone.
Nokia N95-3 - the winner of our most hackable mobile phone survey - Hacks

Toys:

Air Hogs Havoc Heli Laser Battle - remember the Picco-Zs and their clones from last year? Here's two of them in a single package, enhanced with a trigger that let's you zap your friend's heli down.
E-Sky Lama V4 Helicopter- Yeah, I'm crazy for helicopters right now. The counter-rotating models like this one are about $100, ready (and easy) to fly, and very hackable.
WowWee RoboSapien V2 - fun for the kids. More fun with a soldering iron - Hacks

Gear:

2GB or larger micro SD card, plus various SD and USB adapters - perfect for scooting files around, the size of a finger nail, and you can put a full Linux distro, anti virus software, or a Puppy Linux virtual machine on it - Hacks
Mini Multimeter - always handy.
Bike Multitool - a good one will pack allen and hex wrenches, screw drivers, and a knife into a pretty small package. Perfect for voiding warrantees in a pinch. Oh, and there's a chain tool, too - Link, Link
Soldering Tools - whether it's a new Weller or just a pair of helping hands, it'll be welcome in any stocking - Link, Link

What have we missed here? Add your wishes to the comments. Then find a completely non-tacky way to get this list into the hands of someone who wants you to be a happy hacker.

May 19, 2007

Maker Faire: visit the Hacks book author booth

We've set up a booth for Hacks authors to answer your questions about hacking your stuff. Stop by the booth and learn from (show us your hacks, too, please!) the authors of Retro Gaming, Wireless, Google Maps, Mapping, Network Security, Car PC, Digital Video, Knoppix, and Ubuntu Hacks. The Hackszine bloggers will be there as well. Hacks booth schedule - Link

April 3, 2007

Call for Hacks: Mac Tips for the Rest of Us

Mac OS X Leopard

Last month, I issued a Call for Hacks for our new Windows Hacks book in the works, but don't you Mac users and hackers think we're leaving you out. We're working on a Big Book of Apple Hacks too, and author Chris Seibold could use your help.

Notice I said "Apple Hacks," not "Mac OS X Hacks." Bigger in size, broader in scope, and even more useful than traditional Hacks books (such as the original Mac OS X Hacks, the third book we published in the series, just over four years ago), we're looking to give Mac power users everything they need to get the most out of their operating system, its related applications, and the hardware it runs on or connects to. This means that everything Apple-related is fair game, from applications (such as Mail, Safari, iCal, Front Row, or the iLife suite) to hardware (such as Apple TV, Mac mini, iPod, the MacBooks, or Intel desktops). And yes, of course, you should expect to see a good deal of Leopard hacks, as well as some stuff for Tiger users who aren't ready to upgrade.

So, click the Suggest a Hack link in the sidebar, or drop Chris a line to send us your best tips and tricks. If your hack is accepted, you'll get geek-cred bragging rights by becoming part of the O'Reilly Hacks community of contributors.

Related:

Call for Hacks: Windows Tips for Everyone

March 20, 2007

Twitter for Make/Craft/Hacks

Bre @ Makezine writes:

Some people are obsessed with twitter these days. We're not endorsing it, but if you're a twitterer and you want to stay up to date with the makezine blog, the craftzine blog, and the hackszine blog, then you can follow them on twitter and get updates about posts while mobile or on im. Whenever a new post goes up, it'll get twittered with the title of the article and the url of the post.

Unless you have unlimited text messages, you'll want to set it up with im or the internet. Twitter can generate a lot of text messages if you set up that option in the settings.

Big thanks to Kosso, rss wizard, who helped put this together.

Makezine on Twitter - Link
Craftzine on Twitter - Link
Hackszine on Twitter - Link

March 6, 2007

Call for Hacks: Windows Tips for Everyone

Img M634

Preston Gralla's latest article for PC World provides Windows tips and tricks for everyone, not just the early adopters of Vista:

Whether you've jumped to Vista or are sticking with XP, our tips will make your computing faster and safer--and even a little more stylish.

This is the kind of inclusive view we like to see in the world of Windows hacking.

Preston is the author Windows XP Hacks, across two editions, and is now hacking away at his next Windows Hacks book, which promises to be bigger, broader, and better, covering not only XP and Vista, but pretty much anything you can think of using within, or attaching to, those operating systems.

He can't complete such an immense task on his own, so he needs your help. If you have a great hack (or multiple hacks) you'd like to contribute to the book, let him know. Anything Windows related is game, including any Microsoft software or hardware, so click the Suggest a Hack link in the sidebar or drop him a line directly at preston [at] gralla [dot] com. If your hack is accepted, you'll get geek-cred bragging rights by becoming part of the O'Reilly Hacks community of contributors.

Preston's Windows Tips @ PC World:

February 27, 2007

Hacks Authors' Blogs: One Feed to Rule Them All

Hacks Authors' Feed

Ed note: In this guest post, veteran Hacks series author Paul Bausch takes on a challenge that's been on my todo list for a while, providing a solution that should be of immediate interest to all readers of this site and just might serve as a seed for future hacking around here.

I have a shelf full of O'Reilly Hacks books across a wide range of subjects. I contributed a couple in the Web Applications category, but I also have Hacks books about digital photography, hardware, scripting languages, gaming, and operating systems. The series has introduced me to a number of authors who are doing unusual things with technology in their particular area of expertise. I thought it would be interesting to follow each of these authors outside of the Hacks series by subscribing to their blogs, collectively. I figured it would be a good way to keep up with areas of technology that I'm not necessarily tuned into. I have a collection of blogs that I read to keep up with what's happening in Web Applications, but I don't have a sense of what's going on with gaming, for example.

So I went on a mission to gather the Hacks authors' blogs using the tools I know best: Web Applications. I started with an Amazon power query for books by O'Reilly with "Hacks" in the title via the Amazon API, and ended up with a list of 80 authors' full names. I plugged each name into Google by hand, adding the word "blog" (or if that didn't turn anything up, "hacks"). Then I visited the blog to make sure it was the Hacks author I was looking for, clicked the orange feed button in the Firefox address field to get the feed URL, and copied the URL to a text file. I ended up with a list of 40 feeds. (A 50% blogging rate among an arbitrary group isn't too shabby.)

I plugged the feeds into Google Reader, and renamed each feed the author's full name. Here's what the final list looks like (click for larger view):

Here's the list of feeds as OPML if you'd like to try it: Hacks Authors.

I've only been tuning into this list for a few days, but I'm already getting to know these authors in a new way. And I was right—I am finding out about developments in tech areas I don't normally tune into. I especially found Brian K. Jones's recent post about Fighting Specialization appropriate, something I wouldn't have seen otherwise.

Related:

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See all of the books in the Hacks Series!

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HACKS:

Excel Hacks: Display a "please wait" message

Excel Hacks: Display negative time values

Excel Hacks: Highlight alternating rows and columns

Make a remote connections to Windows Home Server

Excel Hacks: Reduce workbook bloat

Knoppix Hacks: Install Windows patches securely

Knoppix Hacks: Wipe a hard drive

Knoppix Hacks: Install multimedia codecs

Knoppix Hacks: Rock out with Knoppix multimedia

Essential hacker stocking stuffers

Maker Faire: visit the Hacks book author booth

Call for Hacks: Mac Tips for the Rest of Us

Twitter for Make/Craft/Hacks

Call for Hacks: Windows Tips for Everyone

Hacks Authors' Blogs: One Feed to Rule Them All

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