Get Organised: Arrange your Start menu shortcuts into folders

If you’re anything like me you have a thousand and one programs installed on your PC. I like having a program to do everything I could possibly imagine, but when I can only see a few square inches of my wallpaper every time I click on the Start menu, I know I have a problem.

I was always reluctant to organise my start menu as it seemed like a bit too much work to establish and maintain, for minimal payoff. However, about a week ago I bit the bullet and gave it a go. Now I’m stoked with my new setup, as finding the program I need is a real breeze.

The key point to sorting your programs is that there is no right or wrong set of sort folders. Simply use what feels best to you. I started with a logical set of folders, then started moving the programs in. If I couldn’t find a suitable folder for a particular program, I simply created one. Now I have a setup with the following folders:

• Apps – generic folder for miscellaneous applications (e.g Nero, mobile phone drivers)
• Downloading – any downloading related apps (e.g FlashFXP, eMule)
• Games – for the small number of games I have installed
• Guitar – apps related to learning the guitar (e.g Guitar Pro, Jamorama)
• Internet – all my internet related apps (e.g Firefox)
• Power Apps – powerful application suites (e.g MS Office, Macromedia Product Suite)
• Security & Performance – all my security and performance apps (e.g ZoneAlarm, Spybot)
• Music – any music/mp3 related apps (e.g Tag&Rename, foobar2000)
• Video – any video related apps (e.g Media Player Classic)

I find this works extremely well for me, but like I said, it’s about what works best for you.

Now to the process of setting this up. It’s a little tricky as some programs install themselves for all users, whilst others install specific to the account you’re using at the time. This is the procedure for moving the majority of programs:

1. Ensure that you’re using a Windows account with Admin privileges (if not, you won’t get past step 2)
2. Right-click on the Start button, then click ‘Explore All Users’
3. Double click on the ‘Programs’ folder
4. Create the sort folders you think you’ll need by clicking File>New>Folder
5. Click and drag each of the existing program folders into the relevant sort folder
6. Close the window when you’re done

Now, for any other programs which installed themselves for a specific user, the process is the same but in step 2, select ‘Explore’ rather than ‘Explore All Users.’ Simple.

The last step is the maintenance. Fortunately, most programs give you the option to select the Start Menu folder when you install them. If this is the case, choose the applicable directory and you’re away. Otherwise, you’ll have to manually move the shortcuts once the install is complete (do this by following the same steps as above, but without the need for step 4).

So what about you? Do you find it useful to sort your programs in the Start Menu? Do you have a better system? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Thanks for reading!
-Howo

How to: Use the Google Toolbar to search a web page

I’m a huge advocate of Google products, and there are none that I use more than the Google Toolbar. This handy toolbar is a must for anyone who uses IE or Firefox to browse the net, as it makes web searching and using any online Google tools a breeze.

One thing I love about the toolbar is that every search term immediately appears as a button on the right hand side of the toolbar as soon as you type it. When reading any of the pages that Google has returned in your search, you can click the button to automatically jump to each occurance of that term on the page. This feature is a huge time saver and one I use constantly.

What I’ve discovered is that this feature can be used as a replacement for the standard browser ‘Find’ function (found by hitting ctrl-s in your browser). Whilst the find feature in Firefox is great, I hate the ‘Find’ box that pops up in IE. It’s ugly and untidy; I can’t believe they left it in for v7. So I bypass its use completely.

If I need to find a word on any page I’m browsing, I simply type it into the Google Toolbar search field. No need to hit ‘Go’…..just click on the button that appears on the right, and the browser will jump to that term if it appears anywhere in the current page.

Neat, fast and easy. Just the way I like it!

Thanks for reading!
-Howo

Ashes Series 2006/07 – First Test, Gabba

Australia have won the toss, and should win by 250-300 inside 4 days.

Game on old chaps!

How to: Use and/or operators in an eBay search

As an avid eBayer, I’ve often been frustrated by the search function that they offer. In Google and other search engines, I love to use ‘and’ and ‘or’ to relate my search terms in order to get the exact results I’m after. For example, a search for ‘ski or snowboard’ would return anything with the word ‘ski’ or the word ‘snowboard.’ In eBay, however, this will return anything containing the word ‘ski’ and the word ‘or’ and the word ‘snowboard.’

This results in having to do multiple searches of the same category for different types of items, which is annoying and wastes time. A couple of days ago I finally figured out how to include multiple search terms in the same search by implying the ‘or’ relationship. For the ‘or’ operator, simply put all your search terms in brackets, separated by commas. So the above example would look like:

‘(ski, snowboard)’

You can then extend this by including the and operator (remember, a space between words is interpreted as ‘and’ by eBay). So, if I was to search for ‘(ski, snowboard) goggles’ it would return anything containing ‘ski’ and ‘goggles’ or containing ‘snowboard’ and goggles’. Take this even a step further by including a second set of brackets, for example:

‘(ski, snowboard) (goggles, gloves)’

A simple tip, but one which I am already putting to great use. If you have any eBay tips of your own, please be sure to let us all know by leaving a comment below.

Thanks for reading!
-Howo

Get involved: Motivate your team with team building exercises

Well, it’s been too long since I’ve posted here, about a week I think, and I’m a bit annoyed at myself for letting that happen. The reasons for this are two-fold: firstly, my project is getting much more intense and I’ve been super busy, meaning that time to research and write posts is at a severe premium. Secondly, for a fair whack of this time I’ve been out of the office participating in team building activities. And this brings me to today’s post topic.

‘Team Building Activity’ is a title which can represent any one of a number of varying activities, from an afternoon at the pub sinking jars and playing stick, to professional tutors teaching new skills and competencies. So what works best? Why should teams go to the effort and expense of organising a team building activity? Is there really anything to gain for the participants?

From personal experience, team building activities can be both rewarding and educational. So far some of the activities I’ve been involved in are:

• Presentation skills course
• High achiever presentation
• Learn to sail course
• Lawn bowls
• Volunteer work for charity (sorting Christmas presents for underprivileged children)
• Karaoke
• Clue based treasure hunt
• Afternoons at the pub

Obviously some of these were more aimed at fun whilst others were aimed much more at professional development. I believe it’s important to address both sides of the coin, as everyone likes to have fun, but many also yearn to develop themselves and their career. In some cases, we’ve been able to combine both aspects into a single day which is enjoyable and rewarding for everyone. Presenting these opportunities to the entire team can benefit both the individuals and the organisation.

It’s also important to organise regular events for the team. It’s very easy to slip into a monotonous pattern at work where energy levels and morale may drop as projects take hold and deadlines loom. However, I’m a strong believer in the old saying that ‘A happy worker is a productive worker’, and organising team building events is a great way to promote higher morale levels within your team. It’s also a great way of allowing all team members to spend social time together, getting to know each other and strengthening personal and professional relationships. The benefits of these to the professional environment are numerous and far reaching.

Often the drawback to such activities is getting the time off work and the funding to organise them. All I can say is that it doesn’t hurt to ask. The sailing course I went on was a result of a comment made by one team member with respect to team morale; within a month or so we were out on the water and the atmosphere in the office since has changed for the better. Other activities have been outside of work hours and have been self-funded. The bottom line is, we had fun and we did it as a team.

So I guess my tip for today is to rally your team, hassle the boss and get out and have some fun. It’s great for all involved and can really improve the enjoyment and energy levels around the office. You might also pick up a few new skills in the process.

Thanks for reading!
-Howo

How to: Deliver meaning with Email Subjects

Ahhhh email, forever the source of information, inspiration, entertainment and even frustration, both in the workplace and at home. Already, in the relatively short life of this blog, I have published numerous posts about various aspects to effectively using email in the workplace. Today, I would like to address the equally important yet far more often overlooked aspect of email: the Subject.

First and foremost, I think one of the biggest problems with the subject of an email is that it sits at the top of the email when initially composing it. This seems logical, in the sense that it is the first thing that the receiver sees, however it generally leads to the subject being the first part of the email that the author fills out. Due to this, it is often way to vague or broad, and generally lacks meaning. A common misunderstanding is that anything vaguely relevant will suffice as an email topic. I severely disagree.

The email subject should give a clear representation of the contents of the email, and more importantly, how this email affects the reader.

Allow me to explain. If I get a new email, the first thing I want to know is ‘What is required of me?’ Do I have to reply, do I have to execute some other form of action, is it just for my information, or is it a reminder about something? I want to know this without having to open the email. After all, time is precious but emails are numerous, and I need some way to instantly decipher what I need to do with each email. The easiest way I have found to address this problem is by using a prefix, followed by a colon (:), then a succinct description of the content/purpose conveyed in the message body.

For example, I may have to send an email to my people leader asking them to approve my annual leave that I have entered into the payroll system. I could use the subject “Annual Leave.” It relates to the broad subject, but gives no indication of what is required of the reader, or specifically what the email may be about. This would need to be followed by some kind of instruction in the email body, which requires the reader to open the email. Instead, I would use something like “FYA: Please approve my annual leave in payroll.”

Immediately this conveys that action is required of the reader (FYA = For Your Action), and that this action involves logging into the payroll system to approve my leave. In fact, the reader could effectively action my request without even reading the message body (if I even included one). I could have not even bothered with an email body, and simply appended <EOM> to the subject, indicating End Of Message (i.e no text in email body).

Now, there are a couple of limits to this situation. First and foremost, don’t use abbreviations unless the audience knows what they mean (or at least include enough extra info to enable them to figure it out). Secondly, consider the audience, as brevity can sometimes be interpreted as rudeness. I guess the bottom line here is use common sense and you will be ok.

There is a brilliant article written quite a while ago by Merlin of 43 Folders about Writing sensible email messages (what a great word – sensible). This article is a brilliant read; some great points on email subjects, amongst other things, and of equal value are the comments left by some of the readers; there’s some great tips and ideas there. And on this note, I guess my main tips can be summarised into the following:

• Include an appropriate prefix. Examples I use are FYI: (For Your Information), FYA: (For Your Action), Link: (if I am sending a hypertext link to something) or Reminder: (self explanatory).
• Don’t include a body if it’s not needed. Instead, append <EOM> to the subject line.
• Be clear and succinct in the subject line. The subject should clearly convey the meaning and purpose of the email but it shouldn’t be longer than about 6-8 words.
• Change the subject line if appropriate. Often an email might be replied to and forwarded numerous times, and the actual content or purpose may change. If this is the case, don’t be afraid to change the subject line to indicate the updated meaning.

I’ve found that implementing these basic tips invokes a quicker and more accurate response, and also gives my emails a more professional feel. You’ll also notice that I have tried to use a similar approach to my blog post titles; if I’m missing the mark, don’t hesitate to let me know!

Also, a great way to start using some kind of system like I have described is to send an email to your team with a few of the basic pointers that you’re about to implement. That way, everyone is on the same page so they can interpret your subjects, and even have a go at implementing the system themselves.

So, what about you? Which abbreviations do you use, or which tips/tricks can you recommend when it comes to email subjects? Let us all know by leaving a comment below.

Thanks for reading!
-Howo

Get arty: Decorate your walls with Blik Surface Graphics

Andy of Camarilla fame has recently been making some pretty mean contributions to Australian music, fashion and design blog Lost At E Minor. I was having a browse the other day and discovered a post on one of the coolest home design products I have ever seen; wall decals. I didn’t know it at the time, but the post was courtesy of the Adogg himself.

 Anyway, he posted about Blik Surface Graphics from the US.

 These are the most badass thing that your bedroom walls (or any other walls, for that matter) have ever seen. The best thing? They are self adhesive, yet totally removable, making them one of the only more permanent decorating options available to renters like myself. They come in a heap of design and colour options (including some wicked Eames styles for us retro lovers), so there really is a design for everyone.

The price is a little exy, at around US$40 and up per set, so after postage and conversion it’s a bit steep to get some out here. But a bit of careful research has revealed that there is a boutique shop in Darlinghurst, Sydney, that stocks a limited range of Blik decals (as well as some other brands). Check out Via Alley for more info (there are even some on sale!).

I was instantly bowled over by both the concept and the designs that this mob have come up with, to the point that I felt compelled to post about it right here on Howo’s Tip of the Day. I think I feel a purchase on the way!

Thanks for reading!
-Howo

How to: Make the most out of your lunch hour

For a while I’ve been meaning to write a post on that glorious one hour timeslot in the middle of the day that we all know and love as lunchtime. In many ways I think that what you get up to in your lunch hour is quite important; not just for your own piece of mind but for your productivity and wellbeing levels for the rest of the day. I’ve just returned from my weekly lunchtime game of 500, and thought that there would be no better way to kick off this post than sharing this weekly habit with my readers.

We’ve been playing 500 once a week for a few months now, and I love it. We’re fortunate to have a brand new and well designed workplace that has several in-house cafes and many flexible and creative collaboration spaces, which means there are plenty of good spots to settle and play a few hands of cards. I’ve found that 500 is a perfect lunchtime game for many reasons:

• It gets me away from my desk
• It keeps my brain active but working differently to normal
• It’s a good way to meet people from across the organisation
• It’s competitive
• Yet still social

What we’ve found thus far is that it’s actually hard to get a lunch hour each week when all 4 of us can play, which is actually a blessing in disguise. When we need a replacement, one of us can usually bring along a friend or colleague, who typically hasn’t met the rest of the playing group. As a result, over the last couple of months I’ve met a fair range of people from across the organisation who may well come in as handy contacts one day. Sometimes I even sneak a quick online game at my desk.

I’m a huge advocate of getting away from my desk and out of the building at lunchtimes; fresh air and natural light seem to be grossly underrated in the corporate world but I really value their importance. Some of the other things I like to use my lunchtime for:

• Catching up for lunch with friends or past workmates from other departments or companies
• Playing 6-a-side soccer in a social work comp
• Getting my shopping done
• Appointments
• Social games of pool
• Catching up on reading and internet time
• Writing this blog
• The odd sneaky reeb

So far I’m not convinced on the merits on getting really physically active at lunchtime. I used to enjoy playing soccer but felt that the physical exhaustion I felt for the rest of the afternoon really made it hard to work as effectively as I normally do. As a result, I think exercise is best left till after work and on weekends. But I imagine a lot of people would disagree with this comment. Either way, I see getting out of the office and using the time for a practical purpose as far and away the best way to make use of my lunch hour.

Unfortunately, I’m a little uncreative when it comes to my lunch hour, as you can see above, and I’m wondering what else I can do in my lunch hour to really make the most out of my time. So, over to you my trusty readers. What do you get up to in your lunch hour? What’s the best way to get busy, get active or get productive? Let us know with your comments below.

Thanks for reading!
-Howo

Don’t like your life? Get a Second Life

My girlfriend told me about this yesterday and I just find this concept so bizarre that I feel compelled to post about it. I had never heard of this ‘Second Life‘ before, so it was quite an eye opener. Basically, after downloading the Second Life software, you create a person in this virtual world and by spending real money, you can buy property, set up businesses, and embark on a career. There is a great Wiki entry for the Second Life n00b as well. But as the official site puts it:

Second Life is a 3-D virtual world entirely built and owned by its residents. Since opening to the public in 2003, it has grown explosively and today is inhabited by a total of 1,288,782 people from around the globe.

The aspect that I find hard to fathom is the website’s claim that “Thousands of residents are making part or all of their real life income from their Second Life Businesses.” They do this by earning ‘Linden Dollars’ (the Second Life currency) and converting these to US dollars via Second Life and third party currency converters. This says to me that there are thousands of people out there who don’t have a real life; they live their life vicariously through their Second Life. Is this really a healthy way to live? Are there people out there who literally ‘give up’ on their real life and try to create a better one in a virtual world?

Now, I don’t know if I’m the only one, but this concerns me a little. Has society really come to the point where people prefer to live in a virtual world, with no sense of taste, touch or smell and without real human interaction? Do they prefer to participate here rather than participate in the real world around them? What happens if the Second Life servers crash, or if a malicious user sets free a Second Life virus of plague proportions? What will these people do with themselves with no income, no real life, no real friends?

I am assuming here that the heaviest users dedicate all their time to their Second Life, but considering that everything within the Second Life world must be created by the users, using the 3D client provided, I think this is a fair assumption to make.

I would love for someone out there to do a study on the kinds of people who use this service; basic demographics, usage patterns, amount of real income generated, and for me the really interesting part would be a comparison of their real life to that of their Second Life residents.

I am even thinking of conducting a bit of a social experiment myself, by signing up for one of the ‘First Basic‘ accounts, which is free, and investigating what this virtual world really is about. My main issue is whether I have enough time to do it, but if there are enough people who would be interested in my findings then I might just give it a go. Think this is a good idea? Please let me know.

Thanks for reading!
-Howo

Flemington, Race 7

12. Pop Rock
11. On a Jeune
23. Maybe Better

Roughie: 21. Mandela