Filter RSS Feeds with Feed Rinse
Most of the news I read is pulled from many different sources. For technology, I like to read Ars Technica and AnandTech, while I stay current on Asian news with Yahoo and the Japan Times. But there are often too…
Google Sites and SSL/HTTPS
For those of us that run websites based on Google Sites, the recent boost in search rankings for HTTPS websites, and the subsequent devaluing of unsecured HTTP websites, may have hurt us. However, there is no way to enable HTTPS…
Dell XPS and Microsoft Narrator
I bought a Dell XPS 11 a while back for its super-slim form and excellent display. So far, it’s been a pleasure to use. However, I recently ran into a problem where the volume buttons started triggering Microsoft Narrator. I…
Feedly and IFTTT
Before, integration between Feedly and IFTTT worked for free. Now, it does not. Instead, use Pocket as a go between. Save to Pocket, then use Pocket to post to WordPress or connect to your other services. As a bonus, tagged…
Portable Apps and Relative Shortcuts on USB Drives
Those of us who use portable apps on our USB drives often run into the following problem: when using another PC, the shortcuts often don’t work anymore. To work around this issue, use relative paths for shortcuts. To create this,…
COUNTIF, Comparisons, and Cell References
While using the COUNTIF/COUNTIFS functions in Excel, I ran across a problem where the formula wouldn’t run. Needless to say, this is very frustrating. A simple numerical comparison works fine: =COUNTIF(A1:A10,”<10″) But a comparison using a cell reference does not…
Reality
Kids have a wonderful sense of what’s possible and what’s not. A lot of them ask if I have children, and I point to the nearest kid and say that it’s my son or daughter. We all laugh a little.…
What to do with WMF files: Convert WMF to JPG
Windows MetaFile files are vector image graphics that appeared along with Windows XP. However, they suffer somewhat from security problems and obsolescence, meaning they are not well supported in later versions of Windows. There are two ways of quickly managing…
Foreigner
Americans love to talk about how exciting, beautiful, or fun their experiences were in foreign countries. Many people especially love to talk about those experiences with natives of the visited country. Japanese people are no different. Sometimes they tell me…
Parenting
Sometimes I ask children about their parents to get to know them. Most of them say things like “my dad is as tall as you” or “I don’t know how old my mom is.” One time, I asked a 2nd…