Windows Explorer Command Window

There are some PowerToys or registry settings you can make to add a context menu in Windows Explorer to open up a command window for the selected folder.  Two built in methods in Windows 7 are:

1. <Shift>Right-click to bring up a more detailed context menu containing “open command window here”
2. Edit the address path in a Windows Explorer window and enter “cmd”

WordPress plugins

I love WordPress.  I use it for all my web sites.  Most hosting services offer it for free.  I manage three  primary Wordpress sites.  My own blog, laketravislacrosse, and laketravisparents.

Below are plugins I recommend for WordPress

Members highly recommended for collaboration.
NextGen Gallary for simple photo management.  Can be used to rotate through images.  I use it to highlight VIP sponsors.
iFrame. Wordpress doesn’t allow iFrames for security reasons.  This plugin supports iFrames which are necessary for embedding things such as a Google Form or PayPal buttons.
AWPCP for Classified Ads
Exclude Pages From Navigation.  I found this plugin searching how to remove pages that showed up in the Classifieds Menu created by the AWPCP plugin.   Previously, I had made pages private to keep them from showing up in the menu which is related to the theme I am using.  Now with this plugin I have better control of whether a page should be on a menu or not.

Why use Android?

This is why Dave uses it.

I use it to test our Android version of TabbedOut.  I was able to buy a no contract phone for about $150 and sign up for a 200mb data plan for $15/month.  That compares to $200 for an iPhone and about $90/month total plan.  I don’t use my phone as a computer so 200mb is actually plenty.

Working with Adobe Illustrator Files (.ai)

I received a logo created with Adobe Illustrator but didn’t have anything to view it.  Or so I thought.  Jon has a great post on how you can view .ai files by renaming them as PDF files.  He recommends InkScape as a free opensource vector based editor that can import .ai files.

Confluence for collaboration

My company is standardizing on Atlassian products such as Jira (for issue tracking), and Confluence for Wikis and collaboration.   I have yet to use a system that works better than a simple blog with categories, pages and RSS feeds.  I mean what is better than subscribing to a Page, Category (or tag) and contributing to the comment thread of a post you are interested in.

So far, I’m finding Confluence’s support for blogs leaving much to be desired.  Starting with the fact you can’t subscribe to feeds with many readers since they require authentication and many (such as Google Reader) don’t support authenticated feeds.

Here is one option that uses a proxy

I tend to agree with Scott that a wiki without RSS feeds is a non starter.  Email notifications?  I find it funny that Confluence promotes itself as a solution for email chaos but then offer it as the primary mechanism for notifications.

You should completely drain your battery once a month

“For proper maintenance of a lithium-based battery, it’s important to keep the electrons in it moving occasionally. Be sure to go through at least one charge cycle per month (charging the battery to 100% and then completely running it down).”

“Apple does not recommend leaving your portable plugged in all the time.” It adds that, if you don’t drain and recharge your Mac laptop in the course of normal usage, “Apple recommends charging and discharging its battery at least once per month.”

Of course, many iPhone users find that it’s easy to completely run the battery down…

WordPress Notes

Recommended settings:

Settings…Media… Uncheck Organize my uploads into month- and year-based folders.

Always obfuscate email addresses.  Create images of the address or use javascript email obfuscator

Roles and Capabilities

Recommended Plugins
Members highly recommended for collaboration.
AWPCP for Classified Ads
iFrame. Wordpress doesn’t allow iFrames for security reasons.  This plugin supports iFrames which are necessary for embedding things such as a Google Form or PayPal buttons.
NextGen Gallary for simple photo management.  Can be used to rotate through images.  I use it to highlight VIP sponsors.

WordPress Feeds

Control-Click conflict in VMWare Fusion and Windows

I finally figured out how to get to do mulitple selections in lists on Windows when running in a VMWare virtual machine under Windows (VMWare Fusion). The Mac does not allow you to remap this sequence but under VMWare Fusion…Preferences…Keyboard & Mouse…Mouse Shortcuts I can turn off the Secondary Button Mouse Shortcut and it will allow Control – Primary Button to do it’s normal thing in Windows.

Windows Explorer Preview Font

Windows Explorer in Windows 7 has a Preview mode that will attempt to display the contents in a right pane of the currently selected file. It uses the current font size of the Notepad program. To turn on file preview you select the icon in the toolbar area just to the left of the Help icon. It is a small square divided into 3 rectangles.

Computer setup 2010

Five years ago I recommended THESE programs to install on a fresh Windows install.
My recommended list has changed to this:

Filezilla
Beyond Compare
WinZip
7-Zip (for RAR files)
Skype
Sony Movie Studio HD Platinum
Picassa
SumatraPDF (Blazingly fast, no annoying ads or requirements to upgrade or requirements to install Adobe Air)
CutePDF