Monday, February 18, 2013

How to Send a Group Message on an iPhone



The iPhone allows for "Group Messaging" (allowing a single message to be sent to multiple contacts).

To enable this on the iPhone, go to Settings > Messages > Group Messaging and turn it on.



Then to send a group message:

1. Open Messages

2.  Tap the create new message icon at the upper right.

3.  Tap the add contact icon at the upper right (looks like a plus sign).

Continue step 3 until you have added all contacts to your group.



4.  Type your message and tap the send button.

The message you typed will be distributed to all the contacts you chose in step 3.

Witty "Out of Office" Email



Some of the best "Out of Office" email automatic responses:

I am currently out of the office at a job interview and will replay to you if I fail to get the position. Please be prepared fro my mood.


You are receiving this automatic notification because I am out of the office. If I was in, chances are you wouldn't have received anything at all.


Sorry to have missed you, but I'm at the doctor's having my brain and heart removed so I can be promoted to our management team.


I will be unable to delete all the emails you send me until I return from vacation. Please be patient, and your mail will be deleted in the order it was received.


Thank you for your email. Your credit card has been charged $5.99 for the first 10 words and $1.99 for each additional word in your message.


The email server is unable to verify your server connection. Your message has not been delivered. Please restart your computer and try sending again.  (The beauty of this is that you will be able to see how many people did this over and over)


Thank you for your message, which has been added to a queuing system.  You are currently in 352nd place, and can expect to receive a reply in approximately 19 weeks.


I've run away to join a different circus.



Friday, February 15, 2013

Keyboard Special Characters




Here are some special characters you can get using the number pad on your keyboard:

Hold down the ALT key and enter the number on the number keypad.

      ☺ = 1

    ☻ = 2

     ♥ = 3

     ♦ = 4

     ♣ = 5
     
     ♠ = 6

     • = 7

     ◘ = 8

     ○ = 9

     ◙ = 10

     ♂ = 11

     ♀ = 12

     ♪ = 13

     ♫ = 14

     ☼ = 15

     ► = 16

     ◄ = 17

      ↕ = 18

     ‼ = 19

     ¶ = 20



VB.Net - Close Excel and Kill Process

How to make sure all Microsoft Excel processes are stopped after completing and Excel project using VB.net.

Here is a code example:

Dim app As new Application
Dim wb As Workbook
Dim sheet As new Worksheet

"Do Excel project"

sheet = Nothing
wb.Close()
app.Quit()
wb = Nothing
app = Nothing

For Each proc In System.Diagnostics.Process.GetProcessesByName("EXCEL")
    
     If proc.MainWindowTitle.Trim() = "" Then
          proc.Kill()
     End If

Next

This code will stop all Excel processes running on the machine.

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Book of Corporate Life

1. In the beginning was the Plan.

2. And then came the Assumptions.

3. And the Assumptions were without form.

4. And the Plan was without Substance.

5. And darkness was upon the face of the Workers.

6. And the Workers spoke among themselves saying, "It
    is a crock of crap and it stinks."

7. And the Workers went unto their Supervisors and
   said, "It is a crock of dung and we cannot live with
   the smell."

8. And the Supervisors went unto their Managers saying,
   "It is a container of organic waste, and it is very
    strong, such that none may abide by it."

9. And the Managers went unto their Directors, saying,
  "It is a vessel of fertilizer, and none may abide its
   strength."

10. And the Directors spoke among themselves, saying to
     one another, "It contains that which aids plant growth,
     and it is very strong."

11. And the directors went to the Vice Presidents,
     saying unto them, "It promotes growth, and it is very
     powerful."

12. And the Vice Presidents went to the President,
     saying unto him, "It has very powerful effects."

13. And the President looked upon the Plan and saw that
      it was good.

14. And the Plan became Policy.

15. And that is how crap happens.

iCloud Back Up for iPhone


What is iCloud?

According to Wikipedia, iCloud is "a cloud storage and cloud computing service from Apple, Inc."  iCloud allows users to back up the settings and data on any iOS devices running iOS 5 or later.

General iCloud Overview

After you have enabled the iCloud backup service on you iPhone you can set it to automatically run a daily backup of any data or settings on your device.

However the backup will only run if the device is connected to a Wi-Fi internet source and the screen is locked.

There is unlimited free storage of any purchased apps, music, books, etc.

Each account is given 5 GB of free storage for any additional applications.

How to select which applications to back up using iCloud?

1.       On the Home Screen, tab "Settings"
2.       Tab iCloud
3.       In this screen you can choose which applications to back up by toggling the on/off.



Other iCloud Settings

1.       On the Home Screen, tab "Settings"
2.       Tab iCloud
3.       Tab Storage & Backup

                Here you can:
·         see the storage you have and what is available
·         toggle the backup service on/off
·         Run a manual backup (you must be connected to wi-fi internet)



How to restore from iCloud?

When setting up a new device you will be prompted to "Restore from iCloud Backup".  Then simply enter you iCloud account and password. Then choose the backup you wish to restore from.