So what did I do instead? I got violent, because violence solves everything!  I banged my iPod against my shifter in my car three times and tired it again just to see if it worked, and by golly it turned on, no more sad face and my music was playing!**  I about shat my pants I was so excited!  Now granted, it froze up every once in a while and gave the sad iPod face again, but no worries, do the simple solution again and it works!  Now after about three years, it doesn’t freeze up anymore.  It may not work the first time, but keep trying and it will eventually.

After some investigation on to why this works, it turns out that in the older iPods there is a small connector cable that becomes loose from the hard drive through normal wear and tear.  You’re simply just knocking that cable back into place so the hard drive can be read properly.  I have had this same iPod for 5 years now, and it works wonderfully, and have not needed to buy a new one.  Nothing flashy with it either, it is the generation 4 iPod, right before it switched over to color and became more complicated.  Now, would I LIKE a new iPod? Sure, but I would only really want one if I didn’t purchase it, and it was atleast 20 gigs like the one I have now is.

So before you go out and spend a whole lot of cash on a new iPod because you think you’ve lost yours forever, try this and see if it works!  Any questions, comments, feel free to ask!

**Automaticable, Apple, and the poster are in no way liable or responsible for any and all damages caused to your iPod, Car, or self, or anything else when trying any and all “violent” techniques in hopes to remedy the sad iPod face from the MP3 player.  Reader and User try these techniques AT THEIR OWN RISK.

• On the Go: Syncing your Data
• Bring New Life to Your ipod: Go Old School

Work’s getting tougher and tougher with longer hours, early mornings, late nights, and redeployment folks that don’t really want to be in their new location and learn how the new location works. I’m being placed as a point person more and more now, which is amazing.  I love being the leader of a stand and being able to control the flow of how things work, because I have definitely worked in stands where there’s no control or direction.  Now that I’m a point/run I am able to help my team work as a well oiled machine within at least 2 hours.  The start of the shift is usually a little rough because people don’t want to listen to me, just because I’m a college program student, or they’re extra hours or redeployment people and feel they’re exempt from learning anything new, but as soon as I inform them that they can either A) listen and work as a team or B) go home and lose the hours they’d be working that day, they usually choose option A and are glad they did.  I let them know that if it’s a new position for them that they’re on, I’ll be right there next to them to help them if they have any questions, as well as train them on how to work that position effectively and efficiently as possible.

I have also decided that I’m going to extend my program.  I just submitted my application to extend about an hour ago, and I’m really excited to hear the results back from them soon.  I either want to stay in my location doing QSR F&B (Quick Service Restaurant Food and Beverage) or move on to Attractions or even Parking.  We’ll see how things play out.  If I am accepted to extend my program, I’ll be down in Orlando until August 14th.  This is another 3 months added onto my program, which will be perfect because with work and classes right now, I have no time to really network myself and try to get myself into the professional internship, but this extra time on my program will put me in a position to where I can do that.  There’s just so much going on right now, and all of it good and that excites me!  Well, as the excitement continues, I’ll try to keep better track of what’s going on and keep all you kids back home updated!  Take care everyone and I hope you all had a wonderful St. Patrick’s Day!!!

• It’s Clogging Time
• The Princess Stole My Identity

So, I’m sitting here thinking, and I realize I only have about 32 more hours before I’m off on a flight, leaving the U.S.A. to go be in warm, 85 degree weather during some of the most brutal snow storms Chicago’s had in quite a while.  The family and I (yes, all automaticable bloggers) are taking a GLORIOUS trip down to Jamaica for my parent’s 25th wedding anniversary.  This is a trip that has been in the makings for about six months now, and I’m as gitty as a school girl.  With a brand new camera, and skin as white as the snow we’re leaving behind, I’m fully prepared for a 7 day, all expenses paid vacation in the Caribbean.  Our resort includes a poolside bar, sailboats at our leisure, a beach, and endless amount of sunshine.  I don’t want to brag or anything, but it’s supposed to be 85 degrees EVERY day that we’re there.

Now, being it the holiday season, we were torn at first, at what to do about “The Big C” (Christmas), but in the end, we decided…..we’re skipping Christmas.  Yes, I know, shocking, because every year we have Christmas Eve at our place, and 45 people will all be disappointed this year because Santa will be coming down the stairs this year, instead of the elevator.  The fact that we’re skipping Christmas this year, is kind of difficult.  All my friends are asking me what I want for Christmas, and the only good answer I have come up with is “A Tan.”  I’m saving a bunch of money for not having to buy any gifts this year, but I can’t seem to put a close to 2008, even with New Years on its way.  Without Christmas, my year just doesn’t seem to be complete.  Oh well, Jamaica will still be fun, and I’ll be tan for my arrival in Orlando.

So here’s the deal, starting January 7th, I’m leaving the cold once again to live in Orlando, Florida for 5 months.  I have been offered (and I graciously accepted) an internship at Walt Disney World.  I will be working in Quick Service Food and Beverage, but I won’t know which exact park or where IN the park until I arrive down there.  The new tab I was talking about is for the Coop-Internship side of things, where I have to keep in contact with a faculty member at my college so they know I’m actually doing something down there instead of just enjoying the warm weather.  I’ll try to post ATLEAST once a week, and there will also be pictures to support my posts.  This is an exciting thing for me, because it’s an opportunity of a life time, and will give me direction and motivation on what I really want my future to hold.  With that being said, it’s now close to midnight on Saturday and I only have 30 more hours, before my flight leaves for Jamaica.

A Bon Voyage to you all, as well as a Happy Chrismahanukwanzakah with a Jolly good New Year!

• The Princess Stole My Identity
• Wishes Do Come True

Tasque is dubbed as “a simple task management app (TODO list) for the Linux Desktop.”  It is a simple program with the ability to integrate with a variety of other task-management services, including RememberTheMilk.  It’s a clean, unobtrusive interface, and it’s exactly what I needed to stay productive.

Tasque is a relatively new program, but has grown substantially since it’s incarnation.  It has been integrated into the latest GNOME desktop, and will be available for Ubuntu Intrepid Ibex, due out in October.  Luckily, there is also a repository which you can add to receive the latest Tasque program in Ubuntu Hardy:

• From the taskbar, navigate to System > Administration > Software Sources
  

• Enter your administrator password when prompted, and in the new window, click on the “Third Party Software” tab
• Click on the “Add…” button, and enter the following line:

  deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/tasque-packagers/ubuntu hardy main

  

• Click on “Add Source”, and then “Close”.  The available software will be updated automatically.

Now that we have the repository set up, we can actually install Tasque.  In a terminal, enter the following command:

sudo aptitude install tasque

After it’s installed, you can run it by navigating to Applications > Office > Tasque.

The first time Tasque is launched, you will need to choose the plugin to use.  Select “Remember the Milk”, and then press “Click Here to Connect”.

A browser launch, and you will need to log in to Remember the Milk and allow Tasque to access your account data.  When you’re finished, return to Tasque and select “Click Here After Authenticating Tasque”.

At this point, your Remember The Milk tasks should be loaded into the Tasque interface, where you can edit existing tasks or add new ones.

You can also assign or change the due date on any of your tasks.

And when you’re finished, you can mark a task as completed.

• Introducing: Pwdhash Sharp 0.8.4
• Keeping Organized with Remember The Milk

• Did You Download Firefox 3? Show it Off!
• Firefox 3 Download Leaked Early in Ubuntu Hardy

I would like to make a habit out of posting Excel tips, so if this first installation seems rudimentary to you (it is Excel 101, after all), make sure you check back for more advanced tips over time. But don’t run off too fast, even Excel 101 might teach you a thing or two.

Although most features I will outline here will work in Excel 2003 and 2007, a few Excel tricks will be marked as one or the other. This doesn’t necessarily mean the tricks can only be done in 2007, but that it is much, much easier to do so in the newest version.

I have created a simple spreadsheet to help demonstrate the following Excel tricks:

• Automatically add subtotals (Excel 2003 & 2007) - If you have been manually summing columns with data broken out by day, month, region, or any other data type, you are about to save yourself a ton of time. Select all of your data, including your column headers, and go to the data tab at the top of your screen. In there you should see an option called Subtotal (this is in the “Outline” box in Excel 2007).

  

  Here I decided I wanted to sum the number of calls and sales I have made for every month. You can also choose other options, such as to count and average the selections.

  

  After you hit “OK” you will have new rows inserted in bold with subtotals already calculated.

• Use an outline to “wrap up” data (Excel 2003 & 2007) – Now that we’ve created subtotals and saved ourselves a ton of time, it would be a shame to waste even more time scrolling up and down our spreadsheet trying to find those subtotals. Maybe you noticed after you subtotaled your data that a new column appeared on the left hand side of your screen with a 1, 2, and 3 in boxes. This is called an outline and can be used to “wrap up” data at the click of a button. Hit the “2″ box, and your spreadsheet will roll up, only showing the new subtotals you have created.

  

  Hit the “3″ to show all of your information again.

• Use Conditional Formatting to enhance your data (Excel 2007 only) – This tip is marked 2007 only, though it is possible to recreate almost all conditional formatting in 2003 if you know intermediate and advanced Excel commands. On the Home tab, there is a button in the Styles section called conditional formatting.

  

  If you click there you will see options called Highlight Cell Rules, Data Bars, Icon Sets and more. Here I have selected Color Scales that will show which months are good (green) and which are bad (red) as far as sales go.

  

  You can apply many different rule sets to excel sheets. If you have multiple conditional formatting rules you would like to apply, make sure to use the “Manage Rules” option at the bottom of the Conditional Formatting menu to set priorities and to create more advanced formatting rules.

• Automatically Format as a Table & Make it Presentable (Excel 2007, though possible in Excel 2003) – If you need to share this data with your boss or a client, you probably want the data not only easy to read, but attractive as well. Excel 2007 has made it simple to do just that. After you’ve added subtotals to your data and everything is where it needs to be, select the data you have been working with. Right next to the Conditional Formatting button you will find the Format as a Table button.

  

  Here you will find a huge list of or styles and colors, from light to dark, that will automatically format your data so it looks presentable. But this isn’t all the Format as a Table option does. After you create your table, a new Tab at the top of your screen will be created called “Design.”

  

  Under here you can easily darken, bold, or highlight certain rows or columns, add a grand total row at the bottom, as well as work with a number of other options. You will also notice, now that you have a table, that each of your headers has a new drop-down list of ways to sort the data. Convenient, huh?

  

I think that is enough Excel learning for one day. If this is all new to you, you have a lot more to play with. Have fun with the conditional formatting and the table formats, as there is a huge list of options available to you.

Keep checking back for more installments of Excel 101 and eventually we will start moving on to more advanced topics.

• Lock Down Your Ubuntu Computer with A Bluetooth Cellphone and BlueProximity
• The Top 12 SEO Firefox Extensions

With the weather turning nice I’m becoming more and more optimistic and becoming less stressed. Finals should be pretty much a breeze this year due to the classes and the requirements that they have for me. I gave two huge project presentations yesterday that I worked for 6 hours straight on over the weekend, and I found out immediately afterwards that I had aced both of them. I feel a sense of accomplishment this semester through all the trouble and stress that my classes brought me. I feel I did the best I could in all my classes and I’m not afraid of anything that future classes throw at me.

I used to sit in my room with the blinds closed to keep the heat in my room so it doesn’t get too cold, but I came home the other day and my mom had opened them, and I realized how beautiful of a view out my window I have. There’s a beautiful backyard with trees lining the perimeter of the half acre backyard, thick green grass, a flower island in the middle of the yard, and horseshoe pits in the back. I could probably sit and look out my window all day and watch the birds, squirrels, chipmunks, and the neighbors cats run through our yard all day and be content.

Basically what I’m getting at here is that through all the stress and hard work that have been hitting me this entire semester, I’m glad that it’s finally over and I have a bright, relaxing summer to look forward to. The warm afternoons, the stormy nights, the bonfires, the hookah parties, or just relaxing on the screen porch, falling asleep in the chase lounge are all things that I have to look forward to. So all you college students out there fretting over finals and worrying about grades and their futures, take a step back and look at all the good things you’ve done so far and all the great things in the future that lie ahead of you. Realize that ultimately they’re just grades and a beige piece of paper, and that what you should be worrying about is how many times your going to ride Superman at Six Flags this summer.

• New Guy
• My Sleeping Problem, Your Solution

Firebug

Firebug is a powerhouse Firefox extension for SEO, but it is also a must-have extension for web development. This tool allows you to view the html and CSS of any page element at the click of a button. Not only can you view the code behind a page simply by rolling your mouse over the element, but you can also manipulate the code and see a real time update of what your changes would look like. I find this SEO extension amazingly useful for client presentations where I want to show a “before and after” screen shot, even if the “after” hasn’t been implemented yet. [ get firebug ]

IE Tab

Between checking how pages render and the number of sites that are still not Firefox compatible, I find myself forced to use Internet Explorer all the time. One of the main reasons I have grown to hate IE is because I lose all of my customization and functionality from my SEO Firefox extensions. IE Tab fixes this problem. At the click of a button you can render any page in IE while still using Firefox. You lose any on-page extensions, but all of your toolbars and browser functions will still be available. This has saved me a ton of time and effort while doing SEO work through Internet Explorer. [ get IE Tab ]

Rank Checker

Released through SEObook Tools, Rank Checker does for free what many companies pay thousands of dollars for. Check your keyword ranking in Google, Yahoo, and MSN for any number of sites. Not only does this tool allow you to save your keyword lists, but it also generates historical rankings data every time you run it. This tool is still in its infancy, but it has a ton of potential and has already made my life a whole lot easier. [ get RankChecker ]

RankQuest SEO Toolbar

One of many toolbars available for SEO, RankQuest has a ton of useful options. There are validation tools to check links and html for errors, content tools to evaluate keyword density and text ratios, and meta tools to find keywords and analyze meta tags. There are also popularity, search engine, and SEM tools, but in the interest of keeping this as short as possible, you might as well take a look at all of the options yourself. This is a very powerful toolbar to have at your disposal for your SEO research. [ get RankQuest SEO Toolbar ]

SearchStatus

This is one tool I like to keep active no matter which Firefox profile I am using. SearchStatus is unobtrusive and does not slow down my browsing at all. At the click of a button I can show information such as indexed pages and backlinks on the 3 major search engines, highlight nofollowed links on the page, show a link report and more. Although some of the options here overlap with other extensions, it is still very useful because it is something I can call up on demand. [ get SearchStatus ]

SEO For Firefox

The first of two search engine extensions that I will outline, SEO For Firefox gives your search results more power. When searching on Google or Yahoo!, each result will load a wealth of information underneath the description, giving you competitive data in an instant. Information for each search result includes page rank, links (broken down into .edu and .gov as well), Technorati, Alexa info and more. Another feature of SEO for Firefox that I use frequently is the ability to highlight ‘nofollow’ links automatically in any color you choose, which is information I like to know about most pages I visit. [get SEO For Firefox ]

SeoQuake

This is the extension most similar to SEO For Firefox, but with a few important differences. Like SEO For Firefox, SeoQuake will show page rank, inbound links, site age, and social results inline with search results on Google and Yahoo!, as well as MSN. What makes SeoQuake more powerful to me is that it also includes a floating toolbar at the top of any pages you visit that includes all of that same information. The SeoQuake toolbar is nice because it loads dynamically on the page itself, and can be minimized or closed if you want more viewing space. Another extremely powerful option on SeoQuake is the ability to order your search results not only on relevancy as Google forces you, but you can sort by page rank, inbound links, indexed pages, or any other data point SeoQuake provides you. This makes competitive research a breeze, and is something I don’t know how I ever lived without. [ get SeoQuake ]

Server Spy

This simple, lightweight extension does only one thing, but does it well. In your bottom toolbar Server Spy will indicate to you what brand of HTTP server the page you are visiting runs on. This is just one more piece of information at your fingertips that wasn’t available before. [ get Server Spy ]

Split Browser

Although this is not an SEO extension by any means, Split Browser does help with SEO work immensely. If you want to compare two sites side by side without having multiple windows open, Split Browser is your new best friend. Open new “tabs” on the top, bottom, left, or right of your current viewing area. These new split tabs can be resized in any number of ways. I especially like using this to compare an original site to one I have manipulated using Firebug. [ get Split Browser ]

Tamper Data

Tamper Data lets you view and modify HTTP/HTTPS headers and most parameters, as well as view load times and priorities. This is great for doing a site analysis since you can pinpoint exactly what is holding up load times on specific pages. [ get Tamper Data ]

Web Developer

As the name states, this is not only an SEO Firefox extension, but a web development extension as well. This extension adds another toolbar to your window and will allow you to manipulate pages and pull information quickly. Functionality includes that ability to disable page features such as Java, CSS, page colors, and almost any other universal page element, as well as displaying information such as alt tags, link details, div orders, and comments all directly on the page being viewed. I could write an entire post about all of the features of the Web Developer Firefox extension, so for more information you should probably check out the link to the extension itself. [ get Web Developer ]

ProfileSwitcher

I put this last on the list not because it is the least useful tool for SEO, but because it has made my life so much easier when I am not working on SEO. The extensions outlined above may slow down your browsing speed considerably, especially in search engines, since they pull so much extra information from the web. Because of this, I need an easy way to set up and switch Firefox profiles so when I am casually browsing the Internet I am not slowed by all of my SEO extensions. ProfileSwitcher has made this job easy. [ get ProfileSwitcher ]


These extensions are the ones I use on a daily basis doing SEO work, though the list is definitely not exhaustive. I know there are a ton of options out there for SEO Firefox extensions, so if you find that I have left a must-have extension off the list please let me know. I will be adding any additional extensions to the list as they are referred to me.

For more info on SEO and other topics, check out the rest of the posts by Kyle Wegner and the automaticable crew.

• Browser Review: Flock – The Social Browser
• Excel 101: 4 Tricks Everyone Should Know

One of the drawbacks of using RSS is you don’t always see the author’s intended formatting of each story since each RSS reader translates the data a little differently. Also, if you are a fan of participating in the comments on different sites, you will still need to visit each site to do so, as the comments are generally not included in each feed.

Anyone who frequents even a handful of blogs will be able to tell you of the benefits of using the RSS feed on sites. It saves you the time and energy or scouring the internet for new content and will also allow you to cover a lot more content in much less time. If you’d like to subscribe to automaticable’s RSS feed, you can click here or on the red button in the upper right hand corner of your screen. And just FYI, that button (usually orange) is the universal symbol for RSS, so any time you see that symbol you can click on it and have updates imported to your RSS reader automatically.

• Browser Review: Flock – The Social Browser
• The World’s Best Blogs (according to me!)

The reason why they’ve won my vote is how robust they’ve made their service. You can have multiple lists organized in tabs, for which you can have unlimited tasks. Each task can be tagged, recurring, have a due date, priority, notes– you name it. It’s full options, but without being complicated. The interface is very Web 2.0, which brings me to the real kicker– integration. They’ve set it up so you can access your lists from just about anywhere– on-the-go with your PDA, on your Google homepage, and even through Gmail and Google Calendars. This is what really won my heart. For something as simple as to-do lists, they’ve really done it right, and kept it simple at the same time.

• Organize Your ToDo List in Ubuntu with Remember The Milk and Tasque
• On the Go: Syncing your Data