Strange cloud

The one basic rule to work with data in excel

If you decide to work with Excel there are several things you have to think of when you start. Believe it or not,but you have to keep in mind only one rule: Keep the layers separated!

Layer 1: data
Layer 2: operation (calculations)
Layer 3: representation (results)

I also tend to mix up this logical layers but by separating the data, the operational view and the representational view you will have some things easier lateron, e.g.: As your data layer doesn't have an impact on your representation layer, the adding of data columns does not alter the dashboard or representational view.

So the layering and separation will help you in maintaining your excel charts, it will make you  more flexible and the documentation a lot more easier.

But I can tell you right away: You will have to learn some things fast. Amongst these things are matrix formulas, the indirect functions and various lookups. Is there anything you want to add?

Blogging with Android

At some point you want to try blogging from your Android phone. I tried out two apps on my HTC Desire. Of course there are many more. But I was also looking for a solution for blogspot.

Bloggerdroid
Bloggerdroid is a simple app, which is perfectly suited for taking a picture and write some lines.

No formatting, no help with links and you have to have a Google account. Works fine.



Blogaway
Is a sophisticated app, which supports also drafting and commenting. I really like this app, as you can store drafts on your phone.






You can find both on the Android market. Tell me what you think.

Qwitter Therapy

You can receive messages for all kind in Twitter. But you never know if someone unfollowed you. Well, the people at http://useqwitter.com/ started these and they are good. They even offer therapy :-)
I received the first email today. It did not make me sad, it was one of these advertising twitters with no input at all. So remember: Even quiting can have a positive aspect (and I am not talking about smoking).

What to read this summer...

So you managed to read all the books from your reading list? That's good. But before you hit the road to the next library, bookstore or just visit your favorite online bookdealer: What will you read next?
I hate this question and usually I end up visiting the store with a hunger for printed letters. You know the saying: Never shop hungry.
These are the times to remember links like http://www.yournextread.com/ (which also has a german flavor - to my delight) and http://bookseer.com/. But these are not the only ones: http://www.booklamp.org/, http://www.whichbook.net/ also come to my mind.

What do you use?

A simple LOG trick

Have you ever wondered or wished how to get the date and time into an diary-like file (a real diary, phone log or similar)? Actually it is easy, if you use the Microsoft Editor which comes with Windows.

1. Open the Editor and create a new file
2. Put ".LOG" into the first line
3. Save this file (you can give it the extension .log, but .txt will work as well)

Finished. Everytime you open the file the current date and time is added automatically. I use this to keep track of unregular input to projects. So nothing gets lost and you can still keep track of the timeline.

This is not the only version. Keep in mind, that most software dedicated to writing will offer the entry of date and time using a menu and if you are lucky there is even a shortcut. But it still requires action. The LOG trick is free and requires your input only.

Stay productive

Do you really want know what you write like?

I stumbled across this interesting page last week. You paste a piece of textinto a window and the page tells you who you write like.
I tried some entries into my blog and it gave even more interesting results when using real emails. But it really is fun and you should try it too: http://iwl.me

btw: I write like Dan Brown, Isaac Asimov and others  - This blog post is like Cory Doctorow
Who are you ;-) ? Seriously: I want to know

Things go wrong...

When you try to write a short entry using your phone, and touch the wrong place of the screen when nothing is entered at all :-)
Published with Blogger-droid v1.4.8

Things I learned from Twitter

Do you get caught by yourself using the #s and @s twitterstyle in your Mails, Tickets or notes? I have to say: Guilty!
It doesn't matter which medium I use. Even when writing with pen on paper I tend to leave the visual clues. I already used the @ before I used Twitter (or knew Twitter even existed), but in a sense of adressing a location, lateron a person. In the last few months I started to use the # for topics or enumbered lists. I quit with the numbered lists (An won against Wikipeditis ;-)
So what comes next? What do you think? Which semiosis from the online world will break into the real world?
At least I came across this posting with lifehacker, which tells you what you learn from Twitter: K.I.S.S. ( I hope you do not have to google that).

Thinking in timezones

I happen to work at an office in the middle of Europe, having contacts in different time zones. In the beginning it was very hard to remember which cities are in what time distance to the current time zone. http://everytimezone.com/ solved the problem. In addition to a nice visualization you get a tool which makes planning of contacts with partners possible - in their time zone.

Translate using the cloud

I came across Linguee a while ago (thanks to Imre). The Idea is very good: Using other translation to translate. So you have good chances to translate from German to English and back. See the top menu to change the initial direction of the translation.

Smart Measuring with Android

I often discovered myself asking how tall is this and what are the measurements of this and that. The solution is often simple: I used my steps, my arms, my thumbs and even my GPS to estimate distances. I even sometimes guesstimated some distances.
Mostly I was right. Today I discovered these two nice applications by Androidboy.

Smart Measure
With Smart Measure you can estimate the height of objects using the phone's camera.








Smart Ruler
Simply lay objects to the screen and measure them by sliding a ruler with your finger.
If you check out these two tools, you will see: Even if you do not use them on a daily basis they are fun to use.

Feed your blog to Twitter

There is definitely the point, where you ask yourself: How do I get the updates in my blog into Twitter? As long as it is not much, there is the option to do it manually. But wait! Why should you do it manually if some service does it for you?
Over at twitterfeed.com you can find a simple solution. Create a login, provide the RSS-Feed from your blog and there you go.

Alea iacta est

There always has to be a beginning and the journey starts with the first step. This is the first step and if you come back again and again you will find my thoughts, the things which fascinate me. These might not always be things you will find fascinating, but as you continue to read you will see: Somehow it makes sense...