PowerPoint Keyboard Shortcut: Shift-F3

Many of you may know this already but I just learned this today and found it so useful I wanted to share it.

If you select some text in PowerPoint and hit Shift-F3, it will automatically cycle through the capitalization options.

This article provides some details and examples.

This saves so much time!

Will Middle Name Usage Ever Become Popular?

With the world's population always growing, and name combinations becoming smaller, will the usage of the middle name in everyday speak become more populare? Or will unique first names, like Pilot and Kal-el continue to keep the middle name unnecessary?

Best Places to Look at World Skylines

James Blakeway, author of Skylines of the World, has been photographing city skylines for 20 years. He put together his list of best places to view the skyline.

Adler Planetarium is his #1 spot for Chicago. I would have to agree that it's a close second, only behind "on a boat" or "from the lake".

Denied From AdSense

When I first launched this blog, I was clicking through the various options and found a link that said, "Monetize". *It's hard to miss because it's one of the main tabs at the top. I clicked through and applied, filling out all of the required information and was denied! The error I received was "Difficult Site Navigation."

I think this was reported because at the time, I didn't even have my first post up so Google's automated system must have thought there were no links and therefore no navigation. I realize that this blog will never have the traffic of a perezhilton or an engadget but I thought, "after I get some content up, I'll reapply or ask them to re-review my site."

Maybe I need a privacy policy? Maybe I need to "own" the site for 6 months or longer? Maybe I don't have a "content rich" site? Again, I know I won't get the traffic to even make any dollars but now it's more of a quest.

I tried the help, the forums and the online form but to no avail. It seems as though this is an issue that falls outside of the standard issues and therefore there is no automated help for it. I hate automated help systems. They assume that your problem will fall into some predetermined bucked and that the system can answer it all for you.

Well it's not working so I'm asking if any readers (if there are any out there) know where or how to find the answer.

My "New" PS3

So I finally joined the "next generation" of gaming by getting a PS3 last night. I'm only 3 years late. I've had a Wii for a while and liked that but it always seemed a bit obnoxious, even for a casual gamer. I'm and old school type of gamer: I like to lay on my couch and not wave my arms around to get my character to swing a sword.

When I plugged in the PS3, I was immediately impressed. Wireless controls, simple internet connection setup (wired), and great picture. It was everything I assumed it would be and more. I can turn it on and off from the control, without having to get up. I can surf the web. I can play music, look at my pics, and what movies and TV shows. It has one of the best bluray players out there. Oh and it plays games.

It has demos! I can try a game before I buy it. And best of all, I can do all of this while sitting on my couch! I've tried 10 games tonight alone.

The next trick is to set up the media server piece and I've got a full system. It doesn't seem to be too hard, based on the blogs.

This is what gaming and a game system should have been from the start. Is it the best system out there? Probably. The hard drive is upgradeable, you can run other OS'es, it has USB ports that work with keyboards, webcams, etc.

Is it worth $400+. No way in hell.

Lego Star Wars Complete Saga - One Big Game of 52 Pickup

I've been playing the Lego Star Wars Complete Saga on the Wii for a few weeks now and I would summarize it like this: One Big, Continuous Game of 52 Pickup. The game is pretty fun. It's a pretty faithful adaptation of the movies. Any liberties taken work into the story well. Overall it's a good game. My only gripe is the constant collection of "studs". These aren't required but they're highly recommended. And are required if you'd like to complete the mission with Jedi status.

During the course of the game, you wind up destroying and moving things that release studs. You have to run around in circles, picking up all of the lego pieces before they flash and disappear. This happens throughout the entire level, in multiple locations and times. It basically turns into one big game of 52 pickup.

Running in circles throughout the entire game will just make it a longer game than it needs to be.

Don't Forget About Quincy Jones

With the media mania surrounding Michael Jackson's death, I've heard very little about Quincy Jones, the man behind the music. If you don't already know, Quincy produced the Thriller album. Otherwise known as the biggest selling album of all time. He was behind all the songs that everybody dances to: Thriller, Billy Jean and Beat-It. Play one and try not to dance or sing along. Jones came up with the basslines that make everybody want to dance. They're creepy and soulfull at the same time. Who could forget about Vincent Price's voice?? He used a drum machine and made it sound like a real drummer with rolls and snare hits that were a welcome addition. All of it in perfect synchronicity. Not only with itself but with the 80's. It was a great sound that mixed a bit of the 70's with the "future" of the 80's sound. It paved the way for all music afterwards.

And he was born in Chicago giving this whole story a home town connection.