Atahualpa Theme for WordPress 3.5.3

The Atahualpa theme for WordPress is now up to version 3.5.3 which supports the new 3.0+ menus.  Thus far I’m not getting the suggestion to upgrade automatically, but I downloaded it from the site.  I’m only using it on one site at this point because of some bugs, but it appears that this new version has cleaned up the problems.

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Change Endnotes to Footnotes in OO Writer

It’s easy to change the position of footnotes and treat them as endnotes using the dialog at Tools->Footnotes/Endnotes, but if they are endnotes, it’s a bit more difficult.  There are a couple of options given on the OpenOffice forum.  I had a document with over 800 endnotes that I wanted as footnotes.  I chose the option of unzipping the file, then replacing text:note-class=”endnote” with text:note-class=”footnote” in content.xml.

I would note that when rezipping the file, you have to remember not to just compress the folder, but rather than files/folders inside it.  The whole procedure is at the link above.

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Stats for Blogger

I had this in the back of my mind, but a user question brought it to the front.  There are now stats available on the Blogger platform.  If you have a Blogger/Blogspot blog, just go to your dashboard and you’ll find the link.

I’m a WordPress fan myself, as you can see from this blog, though I have a blog on Blogger just so I can test things and help people out.  This brings the stats score closer to even between the two!

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Freeware Security List

You don’t want to just do a search for security software.  It’s quite possible that you’ll find a tool that is useless, or even is malware itself.

Thus this excellent list of security software at Gizmo’s Freeware.  Several of these tools are ones I use and recommend.  There are, however, a number I haven’t used, so I can’t speak personally regarding every one.  Still, it’s an excellent place to start.

(HT:  Sun and Shield)

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Many PCs Still Running Windows XP

It’s 74%, in fact, according to this endgadget.com story.  Based on my own experience I would add that IT expense and software compatibility are the two keys.  Even though I’ve found that most software issues can be resolved without excessive effort, I did run into one case in which Quicken Home Inventory would not run on Windows 7, and it turns out it really won’t.  Nonetheless I still have a number of Windows XP computers running in client offices.

The only surprise here for me is that Microsoft® is going with the flow rather than trying to force the new operating systems on everyone.  I  think they’re wise.  Over time, people will upgrade, especially as they buy new hardware, and so the new gets to beat the old.

Posted in Information Management, Windows XP, Workplace Thoughts | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

HootSuite5 is Alive

Well, at least HootSuite5 has arrived!  I’m pretty happy with the new look and features, though I’ll have to use it for awhile to find out what my complaints are.  I always have complaints!

In general, however, the new user interface feels more logical to me.  There is less guessing as to where a particular feature might be located.  I’m going to find the better Facebook integration useful, and I like changing the theme.

Overall, the major reasons I like HootSuite remain.  It still provides an excellent way to organize tweets.  It’s not a separate app, so it doesn’t matter where I access my account, which is important since I use multiple machines (2 desktops and a notebook) for this, and it generally just works, an important feature which software designers often neglect.  (Including the folks at Twitter from time to time!)

Overall, I am very happy with HootSuite.

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HP Buying Palm

As a Palm owner I was glad to read in gizmag that HP is buying Palm.  I think there are some good things about the Palm, including the simple value of keeping the competition up.

I’m still thinking of a Palm Pre as my next phone.

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Blogging and Fair Use

There’s a good article on WebProNews that explains the legal basis for this concept in the United States, which has its foundation in the first amendment.  Note that this article applies only to the United States.

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Twitter to Offer Promoted Tweets

They will, according to the New York Times and many other sources.  It’s a form of advertising that they’re testing, designed to build revenue.  At some point Twitter was going to have to do something like this.  It was just a matter of time.

I’ll be interested to see how well it works for advertisers and for users.  I look at it from both perspectives.  Will the sponsored tweets get in the way of my stream?  I kind of doubt it.  There’s so much junk in there already that I have to use my various groups and filters to get to what I want to read.  On the other hand will people like me, who filter pretty rigorously, harm the value of the sponsored tweets?

Only time will tell.

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OpenSource iPad Alternatives

Opensource.com lists a few.

The TouchBook is available in the United States according to its support web site.

I wasn’t able to find confirmation that the iFreeTablet will be. It’s developed in Spain, and the English version of the web site shows signs of machine translation. It’s apparently available in Europe now.

The WePad comes from Germany and is not yet available.

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