March 2008 Archives

Back From Colorado

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I just got back from a trip to Colorado where I got to hang out with my brother in Vail and then some high school friends and I went to Steamboat Springs.  Colorado has certainly delivered for me this year.  Most days had measurable snow fall and the trees were a ton of fun in Steamboat.  On Saint Patrick's day we were one of the first groups to hit the Minturn Mile and the snow was better than any other time I've done it.  Margaritas, salsa and chips at the Saloon were all that much sweeter!

I can't wait for next year!

Photos:



Symphony: Numbered Headings

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I want the headings in my documents to have heading numbers.  That way when I'm speaking to someone on the phone or via email, I can have them quickly navigate the document (e.g. "It's in the first paragraph of section 2.2 on page 14.").  If you're coming from Word, figuring out how to do this in Lotus Symphony isn't necessarily easy but this lesson should show you how.

Set Up
To get started, create a new Symphony Document with a few headings.  As of Beta 4, there are two styles that you'll want to stay away from they are called 1.Heading 1 and 1.Heading 2.  I'm not sure what the intention is with these headings but they'll just confuse things so forget they're even there (you can't delete them).  When you're done creating your document, it should look something like the following.


headings_start.jpg
Outline Numbering
If you're coming from Word, you're probably used to setting up numbering by editing your styles.  In Symphony you set up numbering with the Outline Numbering feature.  With Outline Number you will specify which styles correlate to which outline levels in your document.  In addition, you will be able to specify what if any text should be used to identify the outline level. 

You access Outline Numbering in your document through the Layout -> Numbering -> Outline Numbering menu item.  When you select that menu item you will see the following dialog box.

outline_numbering_start.jpgOn the left-hand side there is a list of 10 outline levels and an all inclusive 1-10 option.  In the center is where you'll specify how your outline levels are identified and on the right is a preview of what your outline headings will look like when you're complete.

For our example we want to every level to have a number and each heading show all the sub-levels (e.g. 2.1.2).  First select the 1-10 level on the left.  Next in the Number drop down menu select the 1, 2, 3, ... option.  When you're done you should see the following preview.

outline_numbering_numbered.jpgThat achieves the basic heading numbering that I was looking for. When you click Ok, your document should look something like the following.

headings_numbered_spaced.jpgNow that's looking much better but I don't like how close the heading numbers are to the text of my headings.  To fix that, go back into the Outline Numbering dialog box and select the Position tab. In that tab select the 1-10 levels options so our change is applied to all outline levels.  Next, increase the Minimum space numbering <-> text option to something like 0.15".  You'll see a rough preview of your change at the bottom of the dialog box which look something like the following.

outline_numbering_position.jpgWhen you click OK and give your headings some realistic titles, your document should look something like this.

headings_numbered_final.jpgNow any time you use your Heading1 through Heading10 styles, they should be automatically numbered for you.  Even better, you're well prepared for creating a table of contents.  I'm sure we'll get to that in a future entry.



Beer Bread

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When I was going to college in Boulder, one of my favorite treats was the beer bread at the Walnut Brewery.  I don't make it back to Boulder very often so I like to make the bread here in San Francisco using our very own Anchor Steam Beer.  The following is a slightly modified version of this recipe I found on the Daily Camera's web site.

Make sure you use a beer that you enjoy the flavor of.  This recipe really brings out the beer flavor.  I've found that really hoppy beers and stouts tend to make the bread a little bitter.  I also recommend a sharp cheddar; it makes the cheese flavor stand out.  It never hurts to experiment.

Ingredients
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup green onions
6 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon salt
16 ounces of your favorite beer
4 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder

Directions
  1. Spray the inside of a loaf pan with cooking spray.  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and set the rack in the middle position.
  2. Using scissors, cut the stems of the green onions into 1/8 to 1/4 inch slices.  Do not use the white part of the onion.
  3. In a large bowl mix all but 1 tablespoon of cheese with green onions, sugar and salt.
  4. In a separate bowl mix flower and baking powder together.
  5. Add beer to the cheese mixture.
  6. Combine the flour mixture with the cheese and beer.
  7. Transfer the dough to the loaf pan and sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese on top.
  8. Bake for 10 minutes then rotate and bake for 40 to 45 minutes longer.  Bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the loaf comes back with crumbs but no raw dough. 
Makes 1 Loaf
When you style your Symphony documents you should really use custom styles rather than individually styling your text.  By using styles you can update the look of your document without having to go page by page making changes.  A quick change of the appropriate style will propagate the change throughout your document.

Symphony Documents provides you with an easy way to view all of the styles available in your document.  To view the list go to Layout -> Style List...  This will pop-up a window with the list of all your styles as seen below:

style_list_floating.jpgI'm not a huge fan of windows floating around when I'm trying to work on a document.  I prefer to have all my information embedded in my primary window.  Fortunately you can dock the style list.  While holding the control (ctrl) key, double click on the gray area of the Style List.  As the next screen shot shows, this will dock the list on the left hand side of your primary window.
style_list_docked.jpgTo un-dock the style list, just ctrl double click on the bluish gray area of the Style List.

This doesn't seem to be a great use of screen real estate if you're not using styles frequently or if you don't have that many styles to work with.  It would be great if we could dock the style list in the Text Properties panel on the right side.  I have not found a way of doing that in the current release. 

You can move the Style List so it appears on the right side of your document.  To do this, hold the ctrl key while you click and drag the docked Style list to the right hand side of your document.  The Style List will snap to the right of your document and to the left of the Text Properties pane as seen below.

style_list_docked_right.jpgLastly, you can also minimize the list without completely closing it.  In the middle of the vertical separator between your document and the Style List there is a small arrow that will contract and expand the list.




Lotus Symphony

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Last fall IBM introduced their Lotus Symphony product (re-introduced really).  This time around Symphony is a reworked version of the Open Office suite of business applications (word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation) integrated with the Eclipse application framework.  I've been a huge fan of Eclipse since it first appeared as a replacement for the IBM Visual Age development environment.  Eclipse has since grown into a multi-purpose framework for developing cross-platform applications.

So, why am I writing about this?  Well, I've become increasingly frustrated with Microsoft Office and I'm at the point where I think it's time to make a fresh start.  Given the amount of time I have invested in learning Office, that's not a decision made lightly.  Symphony is still in beta release so my hope is that IBM will listen to user feedback and make an office suite that meets my needs.

As I go about my learning process I'm going to post my experiences here.  Hopefully I'll be able to provide some useful information for others making the transition.  Stay tuned...


YouMail

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There are a million applications out here on the internet.  From dancing chickens to naming babies there's something for just about everyone.  Maybe I work too much but I've found that the quiver of sites and applications I use is actually quite small.  One of the applications I use on an almost daily basis is YouMail

The best thing about YouMail is I don't really have to do anything for it.  Unlike Facebook or MySpace where I feel like I should be writing on someone's wall or taking a test to see if I'm a vampire, YouMail actually works for me.  It replaces the horrific voicemail service that comes with my Verizon mobile phone account (it works for most other providers too). 

Setting YouMail up is pretty easy.  The site will walk you through all the steps you need to have your missed calls forwarded to a new number.  If you miss a call and someone leaves you a voicemail, you'll receive a SMS message.

Why is it better than Verizon's crappy voicemail (I imagine other cell phone providers are just as bad)? 

  • I can record personalized greetings for everyone that calls me.  This may sound trivial but it's a blast.  I haven't done it yet but it seems like an awesome (tongue in cheek) way to break up with somebody.
  • When I check my voice mail, I don't have to listen to a long winded speech telling me all about my messages.  I'm sure this is just a ploy by the cell phone companies to get me to burn my minutes and it really ticks me off.  With YouMail, you hear a little chime, a message count and you're off to the races.
  • When you get your SMS notification, it has the caller ID information of the caller.  This is great for when you're out of service range and all of a sudden have new voice mail.  You'll know exactly who was calling.  When I was recently in Canada, caller ID would work sporadically but YouMail always told me who left a message.
  • You can review your voicemail online and you can have them emailed to you.  I haven't used these features much but I imagine it would be incredibly useful if you're overseas.
  • It's free!  Well, you get a little ad in your SMS message but it's very acceptable.
  • Did I mention you can record personal greetings for your callers?
I've been using this service for about a year now and the only time I missed a message was when I switched from Verizon to AT&T and then back to Verizon.  I have to imagine that was more my fault than theirs.

Check it out, it's fun.