Archive for the ‘efficiency’ Category

Here is a short-cut that helps to solve a technical problem I have had for years.

There is no easy way to quickly create multiple folders.  Using the mouse requires a click on the New sub-menu and then selecting Folder from a long list of possibilities.  If you need to create multiple folders, it’s too slow.

Since the ’80s, the quickest way to make a folder utilizes the MD command.

md folder1
md folder2
md folder3

But the MD command requires the command prompt.  Before this short-cut, getting to the command prompt in a deep folder required a lot of typing. 

1 - go to the command prompt
2 - change to the desired drive
3 - CD to the correct folder

In Vista, a new Shift-Right-Click item has been added to Explorer.  From any folder a shift-right-click will give the option to open a command prompt in the current folder.

TSPY=2.29

Recently I talked about keeping several computers, in different locations up-to-date with the latest versions of my files.  Microsoft’s Mesh has solved this problem.  Yesterday, I received my invitation to participate in the closed beta.  I didn’t have to pull any strings or call in favors to get the invite.  I went to the web site, filled out the request and waited for a few days.  It was worth the wait.

Once I had the account, I logged into the Mesh site.  I was presented with the picture above (without my computers that have been added).  I went to each of my computers and clicked the Add Device button.  A system tray program was installed and that computer was a part of my mesh.

Next I went to my Live Desktop.  This is where I can share resources between computers.  By clicking the Create New Folder icon a “mesh-share” is automatically created and shared among all the computers in my mesh.  A short-cut to this share is added to my desktop and any files dropped into that folder are automatically synchronized on each computer in my mesh.

I started with my presentations, since I have a lot of them.  I copied them into a mesh-share called Presentations.  Here is where it gets really cool.  From another computer I opened a PowerPoint that was in the mesh-share.  I didn’t copy it to the computer; I merely opened it.  I made an adjustment and saved it.  The final version was instantly available to all the machines in my mesh.

In Windows Explorer, a new right-click item is added to the menu.  It’s called “add folder to live mesh” and it permits any mesh member to synchronize a local folder with other computers on the mesh.

On top of the file synchronization, mesh adds a remote control feature to any computer on the mesh.  I can already do this with a combination of VNC and Hamachi.  I did test out the feature in mesh just to see how it works.  It was slower than VNC.  I also had a problem connecting to my home desktop with dual monitors.  The remote display was resized to the equivalent of one screen (half the normal size).  There may be a way to fix this, but I didn’t see the need to invest the time to research it as this remote control solution will be a backup for what I already use.

I am still playing around with all the features of Microsoft Mesh.  I will certainly add a post as I become more proficient in its use.

I asked my students how they move files from home to school.  I expected the most common method to be a USB drive, but I was surprised to hear that most still email files.

I consider email as a last resort when it comes to file management.  It’s inefficient because of the background processes involved.  There are also file size limitations.  UF gives every user 100 MB of email space.  It doesn’t take much to fill 100 MB.

I am waiting for an account on Microsoft’s new Live Mesh.  Once I have an account there, I will be able to synchronize files across multiple computers in multiple locations.  That will be ideal.  I can create a PowerPoint file at home and it will automatically be copied to my laptop, tablet and office desktop.  Likewise, I can update the PowerPoint on my office desktop and the new version will be copied back to my machines at home.

For local file synchronization, I have been using Microsoft’s SyncToy 2.0 beta.  By hand-configuring the Windows Scheduler, I can automatically sync my files every night.

I have a few files that I use over and over.  Using Microsoft’s SkyDrive, I have placed those into a more permanent online storage area that is accessible from anywhere.  With the drag-and-drop control in IE, SkyDrive is about as easy to use as a local file manager.

Drag

Drop

The files here are not automatically synchronized, but manage them much more easily than with email attachments.  Plus, Microsoft gives everyone 5 GB for free.

The next time you use the Google, add this to the end of your search URL: &as_qdr=d

Instead of this:

http://www.google.com/search?q=”how+to+create+a+great+powerpoint”

Make it like this:

http://www.google.com/search?q=”how+to+create+a+great+powerpoint”&as_qdr=d

Google then adds a time sensitive drop down box at the end of your search window.  In this way, you can see how many people have posted about a topic in the last 24 hours, week, month, etc.  It makes it easy to find the latest post about a specific topic.

How many first-year teachers have the benefit of being in one room all day?  If you are a middle or high school teacher, the odds are you will be using more than one computer every day because you will be moving from room to room.

Here are a few things you can do to make sure you have your technical tools with you wherever you are.

1 - Setup a Protopage

Protopage is a very customizable web page.  Access requires only a browser.  Every computer I use has the browser configured to go to my Protopage as the start page.  Protopage has all the links I use over and over along with my RSS feeds, notes to myself, local weather and just about anything else that deals with using a computer on the Internet.  I can use my home desktop and create a new note on my Protopage.  When I go to my laptop that note is there too.  It is also automatically on my university desktop and my tablet computer because those computers start at my Protopage.

If I run across something interesting and I want to review it later, I copy and paste the link into my “To Be Reviewed” list on my Protopage.  As I have time to look at these sites, I remove them from this list.  The good ones move to my second tool.

There are other “start page” tools out there: Pageflakes, Netvibes, iGoogle, etc.  I have tried them all and Protopage is the most customizable.

2 - del.icio.us

When I run across a site that I know I will reference in the future, I add that site to my del.icio.us links.  My links have good descriptions and tags so I can usually find something quickly.  Since del.icio.us needs only a browser, I can get to my links from any computer.  Note that links to the sites I use multiple times daily (webmail, Blackboard, calendar, etc) are on my Protopage.  This is because Protopage permits me to permanently place those links in the top left corner of the page.  Links in del.icio.us are sorted in reverse chronological order (last one entered is at the top).  That makes those links I use every day a little harder to get to in del.icio.us.

3 - USB Flash Drive

I carry one of these all the time.  Actually I have a couple with me most days.  If I have files I need throughout the day (Word documents, spreadsheets, PowerPoint files) the USB drive is an easy way to get them from one computer to another computer.  This is especially true when getting files from home to work.

I also have Hamachi running on my home and office computers.  This creates a VPN between my home computer and my office computer.  I can actually get to my home computer’s hard drive while I am at the office.  That can be handy, but it is probably more than most people will bother with.

4 - My Blog

I noticed this when I was getting ready for the eTech conference.  I have written about so many different topics in my blog, I end up going back and looking at those things when I need a refresher.  I talked with John about this a couple of years ago.  When I put it in my blog, it is a permanent record that I can easily refer to in the future.  This source doesn’t necessarily have to be a blog, but you need somewhere to write your extended thoughts so you can find them later.