Date: August 28th, 2007

Author: Katherine Murray

Tell the truth, now. When you see a new worksheet arrive in your Inbox, your pulse doesn’t exactly quicken, does it? I’m guessing that you don’t lean forward in your chair, eager to open the file and see what exciting new numbers the worksheet is likely to present.

Or maybe you do have a pulse-pounding reaction how long does it take for viagra to work to worksheets, but it’s due to anxiety, not excitement. What am I supposed to see in all this data? How hard is this going to be to decipher? Am I really smart enough to figure all this stuff out? What time is lunch?

You can lessen this type of math anxiety for those who view your worksheets by using some simple techniques in Excel to get your data message across clearly. Here are a few tips to get you started.

Note: This information is also available as a PDF download.

#1: Give your worksheet a good title

The ultimate goal of your worksheet is to present information in a way others will understand, right? Give readers a head start by titling your worksheet clearly. A good title lets readers know immediately what the content of the worksheet is going to show them — that way, they won’t have to work so hard. “2008 Projections” isn’t bad, but it leaves a lot of things out. What kind of projections? Sales? Hired Employees? New Store Openings? Be as clear as you can and, if necessary, add a subtitle. And if you plan to circulate the worksheet by e-mail, be sure that you title the worksheet file with something that reflects the content of the sheet itself. That way, when people open the file, they’ll know what to expect.

#2: Wake people up with color

Sure, black and white does the trick. But. It’s. Boring. For those of us who aren’t numbers people to start with, pouring over a black-and-white grid stuffed with an ocean of numerals is torture. Jazz it up by splashing a little color on the page. Choose an energizing color — green, orange, purple — for your column heads. Do something special with the title — maybe format it in a complementary color, add a picture at the top, put a background behind it to make it pop. Just be sure the color you add doesn’t actually detract from the readability of the page. You want the color and design of the worksheet to draw people into the page, not make them forget what they’re looking at.

Excel makes it easy to add a picture to the background of the worksheet as well. This is really a neat effect, if you have a reason to use it. As a general rule, don’t put pictures behind your data just for the fun of it — readers have to work harder to see what’s in the foreground. But if you want to promote something fun, such as a summer sales competition, you can raise the energy by adding a special picture behind the scenes.

#3: Let the format lead the eye

Have you ever felt your heart sink because you’ve got five minutes to prepare for a meeting and the worksheet you’re looking at makes no sense? Chances are, the problem is one of three things:

The way in which you format your worksheet can solve all three of these potential problems for you. As a general rule, the largest items on your page will get the first look. Then, the eye will look for the next largest, and the next largest after that. The actual content — the data in the cells — is likely to be what your readers see last.

You can use this idea to your advantage when you plan the format of your page. Make the title stand out, good and bold, and make sure it says something clearly about the content you’re showing. Next, enlarge the column and row heads just a bit and put them in a second color. Readers will quickly scan the column and row headings to get a sense of how the information on the worksheet is organized. This will help them see what’s most important on the page and where they should begin.

If you have extra information you want to be sure readers see — for example, a note explaining why you’re displaying projected 2008 data even though it’s only 2007 — you can set it off by enclosing it in a border or using a second color. This will draw the reader’s eye to the note after they’ve taken in the most important items on the page.

#4: Apply a theme

Excel 2007 benefits from the hip new (or should I say, expanded and improved) themes feature that has been added throughout the core Office 2007 applications. Themes exist in Office 2003, but they were limited in design and functionality (and much less fun).

When you apply a theme to your Excel 2007 worksheet (by clicking the Page Layout tab and choosing Themes), you make a design choice that includes the font, color, table style, and effects of the information on your worksheet. The great thing about this feature is that you can dramatically change the look and feel of your information simply by opening the Themes gallery and clicking another choice.

#5: Don’t cram your charts

What would we do without charts in Excel? Charts are a saving grace for those who need to provide their information in the easiest possible way for readers to understand. A chart quickly shows readers what’s most important in your data (or at least, what’s most important in what you want to show right now) and presents each data item in relation to other items in the chart.

One mistake that Excel chart novices often make is to try to show absolutely everything under the sun in a single chart. You’ve got one shot, right? The best way to ensure that your readers will keep viewing your information is to make sure they understand what they’re looking at. And that means paring your chart down to the essentials and not littering the bars or pie slices with all sorts of labels and percentages and other nonessential items. Show what you need to get your point across and no more. Your readers will thank you for it.

#6: Diagrams are helpful

Excel 2007 includes another way to show your data visually. Now you can use SmartArt to create professional-looking diagrams for flowcharts, org charts, and much more. Creating a SmartArt diagram is similar to creating a chart — you choose the type of diagram you want to use, add your text, and then add bars, lines, suns, moons, whatever. You can tailor the diagram in an almost unlimited number of ways (including adding pictures to the shapes in the diagram).

#7: Take advantage of conditional formatting

I admit that I am easily amused by simple, colorful things. So I love the improved conditional formatting in Excel 2007. This is another feature that’s been dramatically enhanced and made easier to use in the newest version. Now you can use a variety of visualizations to help show trends in the data you’re presenting. You can use symbols, color bars, and more. To add conditional formatting to your worksheet, select the cells you want to showcase and click Conditional Formatting in the Styles group of the Home tab. Select the style of formatting you want to apply, and Live Preview will show how the formatting will look on your data. Nice.

#8: When in doubt, spell it out

If you are working on a complex worksheet and just can’t see how everyone will understand what you want them to focus on without a note or two, you can easily add comments to cells in the worksheet. Simply select the cell or range you want to add a note to, right-click, and choose Insert Comment. A small text box opens on top of your worksheet so that you can type the note you want to add. Your readers will know a comment exists at that point in your worksheet because a small red triangle appears in the upper-right corner of the cell. When a reader hovers the mouse pointer over the triangle, the note opens.

#9: Frame it

It’s an old trick, but it still works — if you want to draw a reader’s eye toward something on the page, box it. Newspapers do it, magazines do it, Web pages do it. If the design is done well, readers think they are getting something “extra” in that little box — and we all love getting something extra.

Select the cells you want to border and right-click on your selection. Choose Format Cells and select the Border tab. Test out different border styles and choose one that frames but doesn’t overwhelm your worksheet design. Click OK when you’ve found the style you want to use.

One caveat: Use the box idea sparingly. If you create more than one box on the page, readers might get confused about which one to read first and maybe even give up on reading any of it.

#10: Invite feedback

Finally, if you really want to make sure people are getting the message of your worksheet, ask. E-mail one or two coworkers and ask them to take a quick look at your data; then find out whether:

• It was easy to understand what the worksheet is about.
• They could clearly see what was most important on the page.
• They have any suggestions for ways you could make it easier to understand.

So what’s the result of all this? People will smile at you more when they pass you in the hallway, because you made their day easier — and helped them feel smarter — by making your information easier to understand. And who knows, you might even get a free lunch out of the deal.

Katherine Murray is the author of many computer books (including the in-the-box documentation for Microsoft Office 2007 Professional and Small Business Editions). Her most recent book, Microsoft Office Word 2007 Inside Out, with coauthors Mary Milhollon and Beth Melton (Microsoft Press, 2007), has just hit the stands. She also writes digital lifestyle articles for various Microsoft sites and publishes a blog called BlogOffice that shares Microsoft Office ideas, how-tos, and tips.

Date: November 13th, 2007

Author: Susan Harkins

PowerPoint is a powerful presentation package, but most of us don’t use it often enough to learn its many timesaving tricks. The good news is that you don’t have to be an expert to get more mileage out of PowerPoint features. Here’s a look as some of the shortcuts and tricks you can use to put PowerPoint to work for you.

Note: This information is also available as a PDF download.

#1: If you don’t like the design, pick another

You can build a presentation from scratch, but most of the time a design template is more than adequate. These templates apply consistent design and formatting attributes from the first slide to the last. Click the Slide Design button on the Formatting toolbar to open the Slide Design task pane to get started. (In PowerPoint 2007, choose a design template from the Design group.)

You’re not stuck with a design once you choose it. At any time, even after the presentation is complete, you can choose another design. Simply select the one you want; you won’t lose any content.

You can also change the design for only selected slides, without actually removing the template from your presentation. In the Slide pane or Slide Sorter View, select the thumbnails that represent the slides you want to change. Next, click on the drop-down arrow beside the desired design in the Apply A Design Template list and choose Apply To Selected Slides (Figure A). (There’s no drop-down arrow in PowerPoint 2007; just right-click on the design.) PowerPoint will immediately update the selected slides.

Figure A

#2: Hone for focus

Resist the urge to crowd as much text as you can onto a single slide. If a busy slide doesn’t overwhelm your audience, it will most certainly distract them. Instead of listening to you, they’ll read ahead.

Once you have a rough draft of your presentation, review it with the following goals in mind:

By following these steps, you may reduce content by as much as half, and your presentation will be more focused.

#3: Don’t forget The end!

When you come to the end of your presentation, what comes next? If you click out of Slide Show View, your audience will get a behind-the-scenes peek at your work, and you probably want to avoid that. Instead, end your presentation with a slide that maintains the presentation’s master slide details but displays a simple message such as Thank you for your support or Thank you for coming.

Of course, the end slide doesn’t have to display a message. A blank slide might be adequate. You might even consider combining two end slides: Display a short thank you, or otherwise appropriate message, and follow it with a blank slide. That way, if you click out of the message slide, you’re still covered.

Professional presentations include a slide dedicated to ending the presentation. It protects you and cues your audience.

#4: Create your own AutoContent template

The AutoContent Wizard is a great place to start when you’re not sure what a presentation should cover. This wizard creates a new presentation using built-in templates, and you can customize the results.

What you might not know is that you can add an existing presentation to the AutoContent Wizard’s library. To do so, complete the following steps:

1. Launch the wizard by choosing New from the File menu.
2. Click the From AutoContent Wizard link in the New Presentation task pane.
3. Click Next in the wizard’s first pane.
4. Choose the most appropriate content template category and click Add (Figure B).
5. Locate your presentation file and click OK.

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6. Quit the wizard.

At this point, the presentation you added is available to use as a content template. Don’t let a good, generic presentation go to waste. Most likely, you’ll have to customize it, but that’s true of any content template you choose.

The AutoContent Wizard isn’t available in PowerPoint 2007. Instead, use a themed template. Choose File from the Office menu and select New to get started.

Microsoft offers more free templates.

#5: Send a presentation to Word

PowerPoint can print views, but you can’t modify the results much. For instance, you can print handouts or even individual slides, but PowerPoint just prints a hard copy of your exact slides. If you want to enhance or format handouts, send the presentation to Word, which offers more flexibility. To do so, complete the following steps:

1. Choose Send To from the File menu.
2. Select Microsoft Office Word from the resulting submenu.
3. In the Send To Microsoft Office Word dialog (Figure C), choose one of the many send options. The Outline Only option sends only the content.
4. Click OK.

Figure C

Once your content is in Word, you can apply formatting and printing options that aren’t available to you in PowerPoint.

In PowerPoint 2007, you use the Publish command to send content to Word. Choose Publish from the Office menu and then choose Create Handouts In Microsoft Office Word.

When you do supply handouts, consider handing them out at the end of the presentation instead of at the beginning. Some people will pay more attention to your handouts than your presentation.

#6: Reverse those points

You probably know that you can display bullet points one at a time by choosing an animation scheme in the Slide Design task pane. Specifically, choose Fade In One By One from the Subtle section. What you might not know is that you can display bullet points in reverse order. The easiest way to reverse point order is to choose Show In Reverse in the Moderate section of the Animation Scheme task pane.

It’s a good idea to spend some time viewing all of the Animation Scheme options. It won’t take long, just a few minutes. Being familiar with all the effects is the key to using each appropriately. In addition, where animation is concerned, less is better than more — go easy and use animation only when you have a specific reason to and not just because you like a particular scheme.

You’ll find animation options on PowerPoint 2007’s Animations tab in the Animations group. Use the Animate drop-down list to choose the desired effect. The interesting advantage in 2007 is that as you choose an effect, PowerPoint displays it, so you can see it at work before you select it.

#7: Beware of busted GIFs

PowerPoint 2000 was the first version to support animated .gif files, but the viewer didn’t. (PowerPoint Viewer is a support application that lets others view your PowerPoint presentation, even if they don’t have PowerPoint installed locally.) Unfortunately, the older viewers don’t support .gif files. This limitation has the potential to spoil your otherwise flawless presentation.

The good news is that more recent viewers do support .gif files. In fact, they offer full-feature support all the way back to PowerPoint 97. If you’re still using an older version of PowerPoint — 97, 2000, or XP — the latest viewers will run your presentations, .gif’s and all. Microsoft offers a list of the different PowerPoint Viewer versions.

#8: Reverse slide print

Most printers allow you to print in reverse, but you can’t always get to individual printer options — especially with networked printers that are configured for all users by an administrator. If printing options are limited, you can still have PowerPoint print your slides in reverse order, with or without help from your printer:

1. Choose Print from the File menu. (In PowerPoint 2007, choose Print from the Office menu.)
2. Click the Slides option in the Print Range section.
3. Enter the range of slides in reverse order. For instance, if you want to print slides 1 through 10 in reverse order, enter 10-1 instead of 1-10. It’s an easy solution to implement.

PowerPoint will remember this setting until you change it or exit the presentation. Even if your printer has a reverse option available, you might find the PowerPoint route easier to take if you consistently print the same range of slides during the same work session, as your printer might not remember the setting.

#9: Reduce file size

PowerPoint files can be huge. If you send them via e-mail, you might find it takes a while to upload and download a presentation, especially if you or a recipient is still using a dial-up connection.

You probably use special software to compress the file before sending. You can also reduce the size of the original file by deleting the slide thumbnails. To do so:

1. Choose Properties from the File menu.
2. Click the Summary tab.
3. Locate the Save Preview Picture check box at the bottom of the dialog box (Figure D) , deselect it, and click OK.

Figure D

Doing this will save a huge hunk of KBs, even before you compress the file. If you disable the thumbnails, you can’t preview the file in the Open dialog box, but that seems like a small tradeoff for the KB savings.

This option is harder to find in PowerPoint 2007. From the Office menu, choose Prepare and then Properties. From the Document Properties drop-down list, choose Advanced Properties to find the Summary tab. You’ll still save some space, but not as much.

# 10: Control the pointer from the keyboard

During a slide show, PowerPoint hides the pointer five seconds after you display each slide, and then it disappears. When you click to view the next slide, the pointer becomes visible for another five seconds. You can control pointer display by clicking the icon in the bottom-left corner of the screen, but that’s a bit distracting in the middle of a presentation. Instead, consider controlling pointer visibility from the keyboard:

• Ctrl + H hides the pointer immediately.
• Ctrl + A displays the pointer immediately.

Once you use Ctrl + A to display the pointer, it’s fixed. There’s no five-second delay. You must use Ctrl + H if you want it to go away.

Susan Sales Harkins is an independent consultant and the author of several articles and books on database technologies. Her most recent book is Mastering Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express, with Mike Gunderloy, published by Sybex. Other collaborations with Gunderloy are Automating Microsoft Access 2003 with VBA, Upgrader’s Guide to Microsoft Office System 2003, ICDL Exam Cram 2, and Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Microsoft Access 2003, all published by Que. Currently, Susan volunteers as the Publications Director for Database Advisors. You can reach her at ssharkins@gmail.com.

It seems like everyday, I get at least one e-mail genuine viagra without prescription with a question about routers. The questions range from “Which router is the most secure?” to “What does wireless B, G, N mean?” and so on.

Well, it's pretty obvious to me that a lot of you out there would like some clarification on routers. I will do my best to answer as many questions as I can here today. Here we go!

What do the letters mean? About half of the e-mails I receive ask about the letters on the end of the wireless router. Most routers you find today are listed as Wireless B, Wireless G or Wireless N. Those letters indicate the protocol the wireless router uses to communicate with the wireless computer's network card. The letters also represent the speed and range of the wireless router.

Wireless G routers are the most common as of now. They are what most people get and they are the most reasonably priced. They usually have a good enough range to work inside your home or out on your patio. They support speed much faster than what your ISP can supply as well. Even more, you will never experience any slow downs when using a wireless G router.

Wireless N routers are the new, long distance routers. They will connect more reliably over a larger range and work better in homes with thicker walls and through basement floors. They have three antennas and also cost quite a bit more. If you feel like you will have signal issues in your home, wireless N is the way to go. But, there's also a catch.

When it comes to wireless G and N, they work the best when connecting to a computer that has a network card of the same type. Most computers that come with wireless cards have a built in wireless G card. That means if you buy a wireless N router, you will not see the same dramatic increase in range. When looking for a router, it's important to know what kind of wireless card you have. If you're setting up a new network, you should buy matching network cards and routers. If you're buying a new computer with a wireless network card, you should ask the sales person about the protocol for what the computer's card will support.

Which is more secure? Well, there are many varieties of wireless routers on the market today. I have written before about how to make your wireless connection secure, but does it matter which type of router you buy? Yes and no. In most cases, the brand of wireless router will not change the security abilities of the router. Most companies make routers with varying security standards. Some are easier to configure and some are more advanced.

No matter which brand you choose, you should look for a few things in a router when it comes to security. First, check the box to see that it is a router and firewall combination. That means it will provide security by blocking ports that are not being used. That provides a great deal of security. Secondly, make sure the router has the proper wireless security features. The router should support wireless encryption, including WPA and WEP. It should also support MAC filtering and it should have the ability to turn off the SSID broadcast. Those features may not be listed on the box, so you might need to do a little research before you buy. There you go!

A lot of emphasis is put on sunset photography. But, if you stop and think about it, it’s difficult to get a different, yet engaging shot from a sunset. Therefore, how about thinking lateral? You know, taking pictures long after the sun has gone down. And that's exactly where twilight photography comes into play. The best thing to do is wait 15 to 20 minutes after the sun has dropped below the horizon before actually snapping a picture. Your results may vary and it could take as long as 40 minutes after the sunset for any magic to really happen. So, before you go out into the night, here are a few tips that will keep you from unnecessary hassles. Let's take a look!

Get All the Tools

By this, I mean a rock steady tripod, a fully charged battery (with at least a couple spare batteries just in case it runs out of juice) and a good amount of patience.

Arrive Before Sundown

Twilight photography is mostly about landscapes with people, trees, etc. acting as silhouettes to contrast the setting and infuse more life into those images. Therefore, it’s important to study the natural landscape where you're shooting. And that's why it’s best to go before sundown to study your location's highs and lows. You should also keep the time of the season in mind before you venture off. Days could be warmer, but nights can get cold. That is particularly true if you're shooting at high altitudes where the temperature drop after sundown is fast and dramatic.

Now that you're all set up, look around and see if there is a lake nearby, a giant rock that resembles a human, bird, animal, etc. that might make for some interesting shots. It could even be the unique pattern a tree’s branches create. Anything interesting is worth capturing, so take note of everything.

Take Some Test Shots

What your mind perceives may not really turn out to be what you think. Therefore, it’s best to test out your subjects using different settings and different focal length options, such as telephoto to wide angle. Set your camera on a tripod and compose your image. After you set your camera into the full manual mode, set the aperture, shutter speed, ASA and white balance. You'll want to set your ASA as low as it will go, which is not less than ASA 100. You should also set your f-stop somewhere between f8 and f13. Next, lock your focus on the portion of the image you think is the key element. Check your focus and then check it again. After that comes the most important thing: turning off the autofocus so that you have more room to focus on what you want to see and nothing else. That's where your shots become unique and stand out from the usual sundown photos.

You should test shoot for only ten minutes after sundown and not before. Of course, the pictures won’t be as good as you'd expect, but remember, they are only test shots to get your camera ready and to check on your composition and settings.

Get Your White Balance Going

Since most of you probably use the JPEG mode to shoot pictures, white balance is key to a good landscape photograph (it's not necessary if you're shooting in RAW). Use your camera’s LCD screen to judge colors and contrast. At this point, some photographers drop their white balance to 2,800 degrees generic viagra K, even if only to increase the saturation of blue tones. Then again, that is largely subjective. You need to do what suits you best, but the white balance will significantly change the way you take your pictures. You should then take a few more test shots to see if you’ve picked an appropriate white balance and exposure. Keep taking pictures until you've found your sweet spot!

Keep Clicking

Now, your test shots are over and you're ready for the real thing. Here again, you need to keep taking pictures, because you never know what you might end up with. You should start between 20 and 25 minutes after sundown. Of course, there are exceptions to the rule, but in most cases, a half hour window is all you need to get your twilight pictures singing and dancing! You should continuously tweak your exposure time and keep clicking away to capture the fleeting moment in which you could treasure for life. My advice is to keep shooting even when things appear to be dull and monotonous. Why, you ask? Well, the cycle can be quite unpredictable. Something that's dull one minute could turn into the most spectacular image, so you have to keep clicking!

Patience is Key

At the end of the day, twilight photography requires a lot of patience, because you're shooting nature, which is something you can’t control. The best way to cope with that is to keep clicking, keep changing settings and continue shooting until at least one hour has passed after sundown. Once you decide there’s nothing more to it and you don’t have the energy to carry on, you should pack up your bags and call it a day.

And Finally…

After you transfer all of your pictures to your computer, you shouldn't delete the images that appear dull at first sight. If you give it some time, you may find that some of the images have a certain quality that makes them unique. That’s the magic of twilight photography!

With Windows Vista's popularity still on the low side, Microsoft is trying anything they can think of to boost their new operating system's sales. Unfortunately, they have found one method that most of us will have a hard time accepting. On June 31, 2008, Microsoft will basically "kill off" their famous operating system of Windows XP, taking it off the market all together.

This fate was expected, since XP was originally released in 2001, but with the push of Vista, the loss will be even harder on Windows users. Windows XP users can still continue to run the operating system for as long as they want, but product support from Microsoft will end on April 14, 2009. That's also generic viagra without prescription when it will become even harder to buy the XP operating system.

So, why would Microsoft remove Windows XP from the market? Well, like most software corporations, Microsoft is out to make a profit, while also providing the newest and most up to date software to their customers. Since Vista is their latest version of Windows, they are trying to make it the most popular operating system on the market. Therefore, they are removing the older versions of Windows from the market to make more room for Vista.

Also, larger enterprises have been slow in transitioning their computer systems from Windows XP to Windows Vista. Microsoft hopes that by removing Windows XP, those larger organizations will finally make the move over to Vista.

For those of you who are looking at buying a new computer and want Windows XP installed on it, you'll want to grab a copy before June 2008. Just giving you a heads up!