While analysing an Excel sheet the other day, I needed to combine two columns so that I could get names in the format firstname lastname (the list had been provided as lastname,firstname). As it happens, doing so is relatively easy. You do it on a cell by cell basis, by using basic excel commands.
Category: Tips & Tricks
Start a new Google Doc/Sheet/Slide deck straight from the address bar
I recently learned of a nifty little trick for users of Google’s Workspace services (i,e. Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms etc.): You can start a new document, spreadsheet, slide deck and so on from the address bar of your web browser. Simply enter the appropriate command (below) into the address bar, hit return, and watch as… Continue reading Start a new Google Doc/Sheet/Slide deck straight from the address bar
Improving your Google-fu
Search engines can be a great way of finding what you’re searching for. Using them to their fullest extrent, however, requires a bit of knowledge about how to structure your searches. These examples are some that I use on a regular basis:
How to block everyone who likes a tweet on Twitter
I am a relatively active Twitter user. One of the things I do in order to keep Twitter a fairly enjoyable place, is to actively use the Block feature. I usually leave it at blocking individual users, but some tweets are simply so nasty that I don’t only want to block the user that tweeted… Continue reading How to block everyone who likes a tweet on Twitter
Microsoft Teams: Dial tone when calling in to meeting
Since starting to use Microsoft Teams, I’ve been encountering an issue when calling in to meetings; when joining a meeting, I’d get a loud buzzing on top of the meeting audio. Said buzzing was reminiscent of dial tones of yore. Digging into it a bit, I found that the buzzing ceased when I exited Skype… Continue reading Microsoft Teams: Dial tone when calling in to meeting
Mapping a local folder to a Windows drive letter
A little while ago, I needed to simulate the File Explorer presentation of a network share in order to illustrate a point to a very non-technical customer of mine. Luckily, this is very easily accomplished through the use of either the subst or net use command line commands.
Outlook: Mark deleted messages as read
A pet peeve of many users of Outlook is the fact that deleted messages that were unread when being deleted are counted in Deleted Items. Like the behavior when going from one unread email to another in the Reading Pane, there is a setting for this. Here’s how to change the behavior:
Outlook: Disable the send without location prompt
Like many others, my work days are – to some extent – made up of meetings with others. It’s not uncommon for these meetings not to have an assigned meeting room, and I find it annoying that Outlook asks me if I want to enter a meeting location:
Deleting entries from the Run MRU List
If you’re like me, you use the run menu. A lot. One of the features I like about the run menu is that it stores your recently used commands in a list, called the Most Recently Used list (MRU for short). From time to time, I like to remove superfluous items from that list. Here’s how:
SCCM: Find client BIOS information
With some regularity, I find myself needing to fetch information from the BIOS of a client computer, preferably without having to go onsite to do so. This may be because I need to know what BIOS version the client is running, the serial number of the computer, or when it was manufactured. If you’re running… Continue reading SCCM: Find client BIOS information
WordPress: Remove broken links
As a general rule, I don’t do much in the way of SEO (search engine optimization) on this blog. I’m not trying to sell anything, readership numbers are largely irrelevant to me, and I am not serving any ads. While I wouldn’t mind having a readership in the tens or hundreds of thousands, the fact… Continue reading WordPress: Remove broken links