Review of Excel for iPad
I spent some time (a lot of time, actually) with Excel for the iPad, and reviewed it for Macworld: There are any number of spreadsheet apps available for the iPad, but recently the market changed...
View ArticleHow to: Simplify value pasting in Excel
I tweeted this over the weekend, but thought it might be worth a bit more explanation here. By default, when you copy and paste something in Excel, Excel defaults to pasting everything from the copied...
View ArticleAn AT&T Family Share Plan/iPhone 6 cost calculator
In my article on the (possible) vanishing monthly discount for AT&T Family Share Plan users, I included a table with some cost estimates for a given phone and service. Given the popularity of that...
View ArticleSpan one large image across multiple printed pages
I was looking for a way to print a large image across multiple pages, so I could make my own do-it-yourself poster-size printout. By way of background, I wanted to print a huge virtual fire, to cover a...
View ArticleFolderizing Office 2016
In case you missed it, Microsoft just released Office 2016 for Mac. Well, released if you’re an Office 365 customer. I am, so I downloaded the release version today. I’d been playing with the betas,...
View ArticlePresenting the Apple TV (4th Generation) Password Tester
Earlier, I sent out this hopefully-humorous tweet about the difficulty involved in clicking one’s passwords into the new Apple TV password input screen: Presenting LIMNOPHILE, a 10-character yet...
View ArticleA spreadsheet to track full-year running miles
To help with my 2,016 miles in 2016 running project, I created an Excel workbook to track my progress. A couple people have asked for the workbook, so here it is…with some caveats and instructions....
View ArticleRandomly merge lists in Excel
This morning, while working on a customer request, I had to create a list of words by randomly choosing words from two lists, and then mashing them together. This isn’t something that I’ve ever done...
View ArticleUse the keyboard in Excel’s Paste Special dialog box
When I’m working in Excel, I spend a lot of time in the Paste Special dialog box—pasting formulas, pasting all but formats, pasting only formats, etc. You can call up the dialog with a keyboard...
View ArticleAn even easier way to use Excel’s Paste Special dialog
I recently explained how to use the keyboard in Excel’s Paste Special dialog box, and this is a great timesaver on its own. But I use Paste Special a lot, especially with Formats, Formulas, and Values,...
View ArticleA much-improved run-tracking Excel workbook
About two years ago, I created a basic-but-functional run tracking workbook (created in Excel). It worked well, and helped me through my 2,016 mile year in 2016. I didn’t run nearly as much in 2017 (on...
View ArticleHow to copy non-visible formula results from Excel
I use Excel for a ton of stuff, both personal and work. As an example, on the work side I use an Excel workbook to track our apps’ hidden prefs—which are set using a long ugly Terminal...
View ArticleThe 2020 edition of my Excel run tracking workbook
At the end of 2016, I first posted about my run tracking Excel workbook. That first version was crude, but functional, and I used it to track every mile of my “2,016 miles in 2016” running goal. I...
View ArticleHow to securely hide worksheet(s) in an Excel workbook
Important note: Please see the comments—the method I discuss here is secure from casual users. However, the Excel files are just zipped XML files, so it’s possible to unzip them and open them with a...
View ArticleDownload and track Amazon purchases over time
Recently I was trying to enter our Amazon purchase details into Quicken—the transactions download automatically, but they're generically assigned to "Shopping." I was using Amazon's order history page...
View ArticleAvoid a text selection bug in Excel
I like Excel. I cover it often here, and I use it in projects where it probably would make more sense not do to so. Like my current task, which is developing a stats tracking package for a billiards...
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