Since we have a wide array of people using a wide array of software here, I wanted to ask if you use any of software in unorthodox/clever ways (or have cute examples of others doing so)? Unique use cases, exploitations of rarely used features etc etc

Some examples:
- Using Excel as an art/drawing tool => http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2017/12/tatsuo-horiuchi-excel-artist/
- Using Twitter as a type of personal note taking/thought capturing system => https://twitter.com/chumulu

When I worked writing Computer Aided manufacturing for circuit boards, one of my colleagues used the software to print his Xmas cards.

People use my Hyper Plan software for all sorts of things I never considered, such as visualizing share portfolios and planning novels.

--

Andy Brice
https://www.hyperplan.com

indeed, Hyper Plan can be used for a lot of things.

You can use a very odd username on forums and use them as your notebook and search forums via google for the username, specially in long dead threads. Some forums do not bring an old thread after a new post.

Also can setup a private account on instagram, refuse any followers, so only you see the account posts.
Post notes as text, links, pictures, video, audio (as video etc), etc, so becomes a personal multimedia server/diary notebook accessible from many OS platforms, from anywhere.

This is the second post today with an advert as part of a note.

I hope it is the last. They're invasive, and IMHO inappropriate for this forum.

Daly

Did you mean Andy's post about HyperPlan, Daly? I don't think that's quite fair: Andy contributes a fair amount to the forum, and his contribution in this case produced an interesting reply from washere. Or were you talking about something else?

I think blatant, out-and-out advertising is irritating, but this forum attracts some really interesting stuff from independent developers (e.g. SheetPlanner) which we wouldn't otherwise hear about. So it acts as a visibility-boosting platform for them, and a CRIMP-itching opportunity for us. And a useful feedback opportunity for the more switched-on developers as well (e.g. Pierre).

Don't you agree?

Cheers,
Bill

I agree with Bill. All the various developers who contribute to this forum do so with sensitivity to overly promoting their products. Their insights add immensely to the forum and I hope we never discourage their participation.

Steve Z.

MadaboutDana wrote:

Did you mean Andy's post about HyperPlan, Daly? I don't think that's
quite fair: Andy contributes a fair amount to the forum, and his
contribution in this case produced an interesting reply from washere. Or
were you talking about something else?

I think blatant, out-and-out advertising is irritating, but this forum
attracts some really interesting stuff from independent developers (e.g.
SheetPlanner) which we wouldn't otherwise hear about. So it acts as a
visibility-boosting platform for them, and a CRIMP-itching opportunity
for us. And a useful feedback opportunity for the more switched-on
developers as well (e.g. Pierre).

Don't you agree?

Cheers,
Bill

I’m guessing it’s not Andy posting that is an issue, but what gets embedded in the posts here sometimes. If you’re not using a content blocker you see an advert. Different one every time the page refreshes. All the ads look to me like scams.

I usually get software-related ads or things related to any recent (non DuckDuckGo) web searches if I turn off my ad blocker. The Google ads are targeted to each user. However, if there is something offensive or the placement of ads is problematic, I can attempt to adjust the settings.

In Instagram, switching accounts is easy. Can follow one's other multi private accounts to get quick access too.

TreeSheets (free) is quite good at multi use, can pretty much create any chart or card based system, etc. Most play a little while but give up as the basic commands are unusual. But only need a few to get going.

emailing oneself photos of passports, tickets, documents etc before travel is good. Can password protect in a zip file for safety.

I've used unopened self-emails to myself as reminders a few times. Hard to miss.

I have memory clipboards running on Windows and android but sometimes when browsing on the phone & not wanting to leave browser, use the site editpad.org to copy-paste multiple URLs & might end up writing notes too, then select all & copy too paste in note apps.

Chris, what I see when I look at this site on an iPhone is that the ad that normally appears in the green sidebar instead appears in the middle of a random posting. (I.e, the ad appears to be part of Andy's post, but I know that's not the case.)

Chris Murtland wrote:

However, if there is something offensive or the
placement of ads is problematic, I can attempt to adjust the settings.

Installing Ad Blocker or UBlock Origin ought to solve the problem. I've never seen an ad on this site. According to my UBlock Origin stats, Google Syndication (an ad server) is blocked. That's undoubtedly the source of the ads that Daly objects to seeing.

Ah, okay, I usually browse the site on a desktop. I will take a look at the mobile layout, which needs to be updated in any case.

Paul Korm wrote:

Chris, what I see when I look at this site on an iPhone is that the ad
that normally appears in the green sidebar instead appears in the middle
of a random posting. (I.e, the ad appears to be part of Andy's post,
but I know that's not the case.)

washere wrote:

TreeSheets (free) is quite good at multi use, can pretty much create any
chart or card based system, etc. Most play a little while but give up as
the basic commands are unusual. But only need a few to get going.

Thx for sharing!

emailing oneself photos of passports, tickets, documents etc before
travel is good. Can password protect in a zip file for safety.

Email as file repo is surprisingly robust.

Email as file repo is surprisingly robust.

When I am travelling I keep a USB key on a lanyard around my neck. Any sensitive files are encrypted into self extracting .exe files using Axcrypt:
http://www.axantum.com/AxCrypt/

These files self-extract when you double click on one of the .exe and supply the correct password. That means they have strong encryption but you don't even need AxCrypt to decrypt them.

--

Andy Brice
https://www.hyperplan.com

Sorry, yes, it hadn't occurred to me that Daly might be talking about external ads -- I use ad blockers of various kinds on all my browsers, so I rarely see ads!

I have a tiny USB Micro-SD Card reader, for a couple of dollars, on my keyring amongst other gadgets. The advantage with these as opposed to USB Flash memory is that you can carry as many tiny Micro-SD cards as you want, data or protableapps. So as much memory to carry in tiny Micro-SD cards as needed. Using the famous portableapps program with it's Windows style popup menu of portable apps which reads the PortableApps on the USB (or even better the Micro card in usb diongle as in my case) as the correct drive, which is what I do.

You can also make self extracting exe files from any data files/folders with 7-zip which is completely free with no curtailed feature for 30 days or monthly pricing upgrades etc. Just click the SFX option. With or without password. With AES-256bit encryption. Also if you have bought (or trial version of) WinRar, it too has SFX options to make self extracting exe files/folders, again with or without password.

7-zip is completely free though and Open Source so it will always go on as it is hugely popular and some devs will always pick up the workload.


SFX in Win GUI, can be done via command-line too:

https://i.stack.imgur.com/z5i79.png

https://www.7-zip.org/download.html

Bill, I am not speaking about Andy's post, but the fact that two of the posts have actual advertisements in them, which seem to have nothing to do with the people who wrote the posts.

Andy, as you say, makes a positive contribution to tbe forum.

Daly

MadaboutDana wrote:

Did you mean Andy's post about HyperPlan, Daly? I don't think that's
quite fair: Andy contributes a fair amount to the forum, and his
contribution in this case produced an interesting reply from washere. Or
were you talking about something else?

I think blatant, out-and-out advertising is irritating, but this forum
attracts some really interesting stuff from independent developers (e.g.
SheetPlanner) which we wouldn't otherwise hear about. So it acts as a
visibility-boosting platform for them, and a CRIMP-itching opportunity
for us. And a useful feedback opportunity for the more switched-on
developers as well (e.g. Pierre).

Don't you agree?

Cheers,
Bill

As I explained to Bill I have no concern with Andy or anyone else's post.

By the way your post had an ad in it from a consulting service. Maybe the ads just showing up on Android.

Daly

Stephen Zeoli wrote:

I agree with Bill. All the various developers who contribute to this
forum do so with sensitivity to overly promoting their products. Their
insights add immensely to the forum and I hope we never discourage their
participation.

Steve Z.

MadaboutDana wrote:
Did you mean Andy's post about HyperPlan, Daly? I don't think that's
>quite fair: Andy contributes a fair amount to the forum, and his
>contribution in this case produced an interesting reply from washere.
Or
>were you talking about something else?
>
>I think blatant, out-and-out advertising is irritating, but this forum
>attracts some really interesting stuff from independent developers
(e.g.
>SheetPlanner) which we wouldn't otherwise hear about. So it acts as a
>visibility-boosting platform for them, and a CRIMP-itching opportunity
>for us. And a useful feedback opportunity for the more switched-on
>developers as well (e.g. Pierre).
>
>Don't you agree?
>
>Cheers,
>Bill

Steve, the ad in your post is from JIRA Consulting Services.

Daly

Chris, I have never seen these ads before. But they appear full l width of the msg about halfway thru the post, or just before the quoted portion is shown. The ads are invasive, and quite literally break a post into parts.

Daly

Also,
Chris Murtland wrote:

I usually get software-related ads or things related to any recent (non
DuckDuckGo) web searches if I turn off my ad blocker. The Google ads are
targeted to each user. However, if there is something offensive or the
placement of ads is problematic, I can attempt to adjust the settings.

Chris, the ad in your post actually appears at the top of your post.

Daly

Daly,

You really should install an ad blocker to make this problem go away. Unless you expect Chris to disable ads for the site, the solution must come from your end.

It *is* strange that you're experiencing so many ads now, when apparently you weren't in the past, or at least chose not to complain about them before.

Bob, nothing strange - other than ads appearing in posts.

I complained as soon as they began appearing.

I do not want to deprive Criis of revenue from ads.

I will be using an ad blocker.

What we "really should be doing" is perhaps figuring out why ads now in posts when they weren't before.

Daly


bobmclain wrote:

Daly,

You really should install an ad blocker to make this problem go away.
Unless you expect Chris to disable ads for the site, the solution must
come from your end.

It *is* strange that you're experiencing so many ads now, when
apparently you weren't in the past, or at least chose not to complain
about them before.

XL Notes is now abandonware but it still works reliably with Excel 2010 and it turns Excel into an astoundingly good outliner/note taker. What it does is turn each cell of an Excel spreadsheet into a full word processing document using either simple text or Word formats. Use it as a substitute for Excel's comment function. I've been happily using it for at least 7 years without problems.

If you're interested, you can still find it -- together with a patch to register it (since the developer is no longer around) -- from a Google search. XL Notes V.2 is what you want. Avoid the later (and unreliable) V.8

Daly de Gagne wrote:

Chris, the ad in your post actually appears at the top of your post.

Strange, no ad seen here (other than the usual one on the left and at the bottom of the window).
Daly, perhaps try a different browser, I suspect a browser "add-on", perhaps silently installed when you installed a software

Pierre