Thursday, March 31, 2011

FreeFileSync: powerful folder comparison and synchronization tool

This open source folder comparison and synchronization tool will compare files by scanning their contents or by file size and date; it can synchronize files and subfolders, process multiple pairs of folders at once, load/save folder comparison sessions, create batch jobs that can be run from the command line, and can handle cloned files (i.e. symbolic links or junctures). It also allows for custom syncing rules and command line option.

The utility has easy to understand, intuitive, interface with the two-pane "visual comparison" abilities.

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  • Compare files (bytewise or by date) and synchronize them.
  • No limitations: An arbitrary number of files can be synchronized.
  • Unicode support.
  • Network support.
  • Built-in support for very long filenames (more than MAX_PATH = 260 characters).
  • Synchronization database for propagation of deleted files and conflict detection
  • Support for multiple folder pairs with distinct configuration
  • Full support for Windows/Linux Symbolic Links and Windows Junction Points.
  • Lean & easily accessible UI: Highly optimized for speed and huge sets of data.
  • Algorithms coded in C++ completely.
  • All progress indicators optimized for maximum performance!
  • Create Batch Jobs for automated synchronization with or without GUI.
  • Focus on usability:
    • Only necessary functionality on UI: no overloaded menus or icon jungle.
    • Select all folders via drag & drop.
    • Last used configuration and screen settings are saved automatically.
    • Maintain and load different configurations by drag & drop, load-button or commandline.
    • Double-click to start external application (e.g. show file in Windows Explorer)
    • Copy & paste all grid data as text
    • Delete superfluous/temporary files directly on main grid.
    • Right-click context menu.
    • Comprehensive status information and error reporting
    • Sort file-lists by name, size or date.
  • Support for filesizes larger than 4 GB.
  • Option to move files to Recycle Bin instead of deleting/overwriting them.
  • Ignore directories "RECYCLER" and "System Volume Information" with default Filter. (Windows only)
  • Localized versions are available for many languages.
  • Delete before copy: Avoid disc space shortages for large sync-jobs.
  • Filter functionality to include/exclude files from synchronization (without requiring a re-compare!).
  • Include/exclude specific files from synchronization temporarily.
  • Automatically handle daylight saving time changes on FAT/FAT32 volumes.
  • Portable version available (selectable via installer).
  • Native 64-Bit version.
  • Check for updates from within FreeFileSync automatically.
  • Copy locked files using Windows Volume Shadow Copy Service. (Windows only)
  • Create regular backups with macros %time%, %date% within directory names
  • Copy file and folder create/access/modification times when synchronizing
  • Advanced locking strategy to allow multiple synchronization processes (e.g. multiple writers, same network share)

Screenshots (Click to Enlarge):






Wednesday, March 30, 2011

How safe are Mobile Phones?

Cell phones are almost as common as pocket change these days, may be even more common than pocket change, since widespread use of credit cards have reduced the personal dependence from the cash on a daily basis. It seems nearly everyone, including an increasing number of children, carries a cell phone wherever they go. Cell phones are now so popular and convenient that they are far surpassing landlines as the primary form of telecommunication for many people. Many of my friends entirely abandoned the conventional phone, and use their mobile phones for all purposes.

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The question over whether cell phones may pose any health risk for users has been debated for years, and researchers say the final answer could still be years away.  Since the wireless industry's early days, there have been fears that cell phones could be harmful to your health. Some 600 studies have been conducted on the health effects of cell phone use, but the results have been conflicting.

Several reputable organizations, including the World Health Organization and the National Cancer Institute, say there's no conclusive evidence that using cell phones can harm your health. Other independent research, meanwhile, indicates a link between health problems and cell phone use.

How does a mobile work?

Mobile phones (as well as wireless home phones) send and receive voice and text messages via radio waves. These waves � a form of electromagnetic radiation � connect your phone to a wireless network of fixed antennas called base stations. If you move out of range from one base station, the network will automatically connect you to a nearer one with a stronger signal.

The radiation given out by mobile phones is in the microwave range. It is very low level, but some experts believe long-term exposure could be damaging.

'Your phone is continually 'checking in' with its nearest base station to ensure a good connection � it's what we call a 'handshake',' explains Glynn Hughes, a former telecommunications engineer who now runs a wireless protection company.  'It's that short but powerful pulsing you can hear if your mobile is near the radio, which is your phone is trying to 'handshake' with its closest antennae, emitting radiation in the process,' he says.

Do Cell Phones Cause Cancer?

Wireless cell phones transmit signals via radio frequency (RF), the same kind of low-frequency radiation used in microwave ovens and AM/FM radios. Scientists have known for years that large doses of high-frequency radiation�the kind used in X-rays�causes cancer, but less is understood about the risks of low-frequency radiation.

Studies on the health risks of cell-phone use have produced mixed results, but scientists and medical experts warn that people should not assume no risk exists. Cell phones have been widely available for only the past 10 years or so, but tumors may take twice that long to develop.

Because cell phones haven't been around very long, scientists haven't been able to assess the effects of long-term cell-phone use, or to study the effects of low-frequency radiation on growing children. Most studies have focused on people who have been using cell phones for three to five years, but some studies have indicated that using a cell phone an hour a day for 10 years or more can significantly increase the risk of developing a rare brain tumor.

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Mobile Phones are Safe (Brief Overview of Related Studies)

  1. According to some studies, the use of a cell phone can slightly decrease the risk of developing the brain tumors glioma and meningioma.
  2. Cell phone radiation, like radio, TV, and visible light radiation, is non-ionizing and cannot cause cancer. Ionizing radiation, including x-rays and ultraviolet light, produces molecules called ions that have either too many or too few electrons. Ions are known to damage DNA and cause cancer. Cell phone radiation lacks sufficient energy to add or remove electrons from molecules, and therefore it cannot ionize and cause cancer.
  3. Cell phone radiation levels are tested and certified by the manufacturer to meet the safe levels established by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Random tests of phones on the market by FCC scientists further ensure that radiation levels meet FCC guidelines.
  4. Cell phones do not cause cancer or other health problems. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), US Government Accountability Office (GAO), and numerous other agencies have concluded that there is no evidence in the scientific literature proving that cell phones cause brain tumors or other health problems.
  5. If cell phones were causing cancer we could expect a rise in the rate of brain and other related cancers. However, according to the National Cancer Institute, there has been no increase in the incidence of brain or other nervous system cancers between the years 1987 and 2005 despite the fact that cell phone use has dramatically increased during those same years.
  6. Many activities that distract drivers are much more dangerous than talking on a phone. Research shows that cell phone use is a factor in less than 1% of accidents and that adjusting the radio or CD player, talking with passengers, or eating, and drinking while driving are all responsible for more accidents than cell phones.
  7. Studies correlating head tumors and cell phone use show inconsistent results, may have been tainted by recall bias (participants not remembering how often and for how long they have used their cell phones), and have not been replicated. Most studies have not found any association between cell phone use and the development of head tumors.
  8. Cell phones increase personal safety by providing an easy means of contacting others during an emergency. According to an American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) poll, 56% of people over the age of 65 cite safety as a reason they have a cell phone.
  9. Despite popular belief, it is safe for persons with a pacemaker to use a cell phone. According to the American Heart Association, the radiofrequency emissions (RF) of cell phones available in the United States do not affect pacemaker functioning during normal use.

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Mobile Phones are NOT Safe (Brief Overview of Related Studies)

  1. Studies have shown an association between cell phone use and the development of glioma, a type of brain cancer. According to one meta-study there is a "consistent pattern" connecting cell phone use and the increased risk of developing brain cancer.
  2. Many studies have found that long term cell phone use increases the risk of tumors of the head. According to one Swedish study, the risk of acoustic neuroma (a tumor formation on the nerve near the ear) was greater on the side of the head that the cell phone was held.
  3. Using a cell phone while driving, even with a hands-free device, is unsafe and can make accidents more likely. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that driving distractions, including the use of cell phones, contribute to 25% of all traffic crashes.

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  1. The radio frequency (RF) emissions from cell phones have been shown to damage genetic material in blood cells which is a common precursor to cancer.
  2. Driving while talking on a cell phone is as dangerous as driving drunk. According to researchers at the University of Utah people who drive while talking on their cell phones are as impaired as drunk drivers with a blood alcohol level of 0.08%.
  3. Children are at an increased risk for adverse health effects from cell phone radiation. One study has shown that children under the age of eight absorb twice the amount of radiation into their brain tissue as adults due to their lower skull thickness.
  4. The radiofrequency radiation from cell phones can damage the DNA in sperm. Cell phone storage in front pockets has been linked to poor fertility and an increased chance of miscarriage and childhood cancer. According to the Cleveland Clinic Center for Reproductive medicine, semen quality "tended to decline as daily cell phone use increased."
  5. Long term cell phone use can increase the likelihood of being hospitalized for migraines and vertigo by 10-20%.
  6. The use of cellphones by people with pacemakers is unsafe. According to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), radiofrequency energy from cell phones can create electromagnetic interference (EMI) that may disrupt the functioning of pacemakers, especially if the cell phone is placed close to the heart.
  7. Lithium-ion batteries, used in most cell phones, can explode from exposure to high heat, or from overcharging a faulty counterfeit battery. These explosions have caused injuries and started fires.

What can you do to reduce your risk?

Confusing, mixed results? Sure. There is no substantial proof that mobile phones are dangerous to your health, but that does not mean that the risk does not exist on long-term scale. Therefore, being proactive and reducing your exposure to the radiation they produce is definitely a good idea. There are several recommendations how can you limit your exposure to the potential threat without giving away the convenience of using the device:
  • Keep calls to a minimum, especially when talking to young children.
  • Avoid using your phone in areas of poor reception. Calling when you're in an area with good reception allows your phone to transmit with less power, meaning lower radiation.
  • Get into the habit of using your fixed landline phone (but not cordless) when you know you'll be on a long call.
  • Send a text message in place of a call where possible so you're not bringing the phone close to your head.
  • Use a 'hands free' device for calls. Keep your phone on a desk or table a good distance away from you and put it on speakerphone.
  • Never keep a switched-on phone in a breast or trouser pocket. Studies have shown that mobile phones might affect male fertility. Mobiles can interfere with pacemakers but little research has been done into their effect on healthy hearts.
  • Turn your phone off at night and stick to a conventional alarm clock for your wake up call. If you have to keep it on, place it away from your bed.
  • Choose a low radiation phone. The American Environmental Working Group (EWG) lists all phone models and their SAR rating (specific absorption rate).

Sources and Additional Information:

Taking Care of Alzheimer's Late Stages Patient

In the later phases of Alzheimer's disease (AD), it becomes evident that in spite of the best care, attention, and treatment, your loved one is approaching the end of life. At this stage, a patient can no longer communicate directly, is totally dependent for all personal care, and is generally confined to bed. Unable to recognize once cherished people and objects, or to verbally express basic requirements, the person with Alzheimer's completely depends on sensitive caregivers to advocate, connect, and attend to her needs.

Many caregivers finally acknowledge their own needs for significant help. This period may last from a matter of months to three years, and calls for revised strategies, tough decisions, and an expanded team. Understanding and anticipating these changes provides a framework from which to proceed.

Advanced illnesses, physical safety needs, and the 24-hour demands of final stage caring often prompt additional in-home interventions or out-of-home placement. Although many caregivers want to keep their loved ones at home, this requires stamina, space, and considerable support from others.

Although there are no right or wrong answers, multiple changes can be especially difficult for a patient with advanced dementia. Adjustment to placement is easier before the end stage. Care and placement decisions should reflect the patient's current needs, plans for her eventual death, and the caregiver's health, financial, and emotional needs.

When patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) reach the final stages, their caregivers have grieved physical, cognitive, and behavioral regression for years. Many struggle to make difficult treatment, placement, and intervention choices through a prism of continuous and profound loss. As your loved one's serious decline becomes more evident, the skills and understanding cultured during caregiving can keep you engaged and committed.

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Late Stage Symptoms

The late stage of Alzheimer's may last anywhere from several weeks to several years. Intensive, around-the-clock assistance is usually required. Caring for the person with Alzheimer's disease is most successful when the focus is on preserving quality of life and dignity and treating the person with compassion and respect.

In the last stage of Alzheimer's disease, a person usually:
  • Little to No Memory: Short- and long-term memory is severely impaired.
  • No recognition of family or friends. The person may not recognize him or herself in the mirror. They may think that their spouse is a stranger or the person in the mirror is a stranger.
  • Great Difficulty Communicating With Others: The person may be unable to speak or understand words.
  • Difficulty Remembering How to Eat: The person may have difficulty coordinating the steps of biting, chewing, swallowing, etc. Despite good nutrition and meal supplements, typically there is weight loss.
  • Difficulty with Coordinated Movements: The person may walk unsteadily. Fumble when grasping objects, to be unable to hold onto objects. Needs assistance walking and eventually becomes bed-ridden or chair-bound.
  • Increased Frailty: Muscles may weaken and people are susceptible to infections, pneumonia, and other physical illnesses.
  • Loss of Bowel and/or Bladder Control.
  • Upset Sleep Cycle: The person may be able to sleep only with the help of sleep medications.
  • Needs full-time help with personal care, activities, or interactions, including toileting.

General Recommendations

End stage changes are often more difficult for family members than patients. Intricate and highly personal decisions can shift focus from comfort and dignity to unresolved personal or relationship issues. Following are tips for making patient-centered determinations in this last period of life:
  • Prepare early as possible for the inevitable outcomes. The AD journey is eased considerably when placement, treatment, and end-of-life conversations are held in the first stages. Consider using the Five Wishes process to guide and formalize your discussion. Seek financial and legal advice while your loved one can participate. Consider hospice services, spiritual practices, and memorial traditions before they are needed. When caretakers simply implement their loved ones' preferences, they are free to emphasize care and compassion.
  • If your loved one did not prepare a living will or advanced directives while competent to do so, act on what you know or feel his wishes are. Make a list of conversations and events that illustrate his views. To the extent possible, consider treatment, placement, and decisions about dying from his vantage point.
  • Family members vary in their capacities for emotional openness and expression. When stress and grief are heightened by a loved one's deterioration and withdrawal, conflict may result. If you are unable to agree on living arrangements, medical treatment, or end-of-life directives, ask a trained doctor, social worker, or hospice specialist for mediation assistance. Prolonged disagreement can impact your ability to grieve and hamper your well-being.
  • Choosing a primary decision maker and a communicator to manage information facilitates family involvement and support. Even when families know their loved one's wishes, implementing decisions for or against sustaining or life-prolonging treatments requires communication and coordination.
  • If children are involved, make efforts to include them. Children need honest, developmentally appropriate information about your loved one's condition and any changes they perceive in you. They can be deeply affected by situations they don't understand, and may benefit from drawing pictures or using puppets to simulate feelings, and hearing stories that explain events in terms they can grasp.
  • Insuring a loved one's final years, months, or days are as good as they can be is not just a series of resource and care choices. Learning to live through grief, celebrate your accomplishments, and honor your loved one's life will shape your emotions and determine your tasks.
  • Passage through the final stage of Alzheimer's disease is affected by several factors: economics, family and friends, care options, and caregiver resilience. Ideally, the patient's pain is well controlled, interactions acknowledge her remaining emotional presence, caregivers and other family members are supported, and there is time for a calm, peaceful goodbye. Your tasks may include the following actions.

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Partnering to manage pain

Even in the last stages, patients with Alzheimer's disease communicate discomfort and pain. Pain and suffering cannot be totally eliminated, but you can help make them tolerable.

Managing pain and discomfort requires daily monitoring and reassessment of subtle nonverbal signals. Especially when a dramatic decline in functioning occurs, families may choose to discontinue other medical interventions and focus on palliative care for the pain and symptoms associated with dying. With adequate help, this care can be provided at home.

Subtle, behavioral changes can signal unmet needs. Communicating written observations, times, and events to your medical team will provide valuable clues about your loved one's pain status. The soothing properties of touch, massage, music, fragrance, and a loving voice can also reduce pain. Be open to trying different approaches and observe your loved one's reactions.

Connecting and loving

Sharing human kindness through the final stages of Alzheimer's disease takes many forms. Even when patients cannot speak or smile, their emotional memories remain.

Staying calm and attentive will create a soothing atmosphere and communicating through sensory experiences such as touch or singing can be reassuring to your loved one. Contacts with pets or trained therapy animals bring pleasure and ease transitions for even the most frail. Surrounding a loved one with pictures and mementos, reading aloud from treasured books, playing music, giving long, gentle strokes, reminiscing, and recalling life stories promote dignity and comfort all the way through life's final moments.

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Caring for yourself

As impossible as it may seem, taking care of yourself during your loved one's final stages is critically important. Research shows spousal caregivers are more likely to experience despair while adult children find fulfillment through their caregiving roles. In any case, it is important to learn how to adjust, feel whole again, and move on.

Ironically, the extended Alzheimer's journey gives families the gift of preparing for, and finding meaning in their loved one's end of life. When death is slow and gradual, many caregivers are able to prepare for its intangible aspects, and to support their loved ones through the unknown. Even with years of grief, others find themselves unprepared and surprised when death is imminent.

Talking with family and friends, consulting hospice services, bereavement experts, and spiritual advisors can help you work through these feelings and focus on your loved one. Palliative care specialists and trained volunteers assist not only on the dying person, but also caregivers and family members.

From the moment of a loved one's Alzheimer's diagnosis, a caregiver's life is never the same. It can, however, be happy, fulfilling, and healthy again. Replacing lost relationships, using your experience to help others, and gaining new perspective will help your return to normalcy.

Can you take care of the person with Alzheimer's disease at home?

At some point you may need to re-evaluate your approach if you want to keep your family member at home, or it will be the best for everyone to consider the special accommodation. Definitely, economic reasons come in action, since long-term care for Alzheimer's might be very expensive, you might not be able to comply with the required monetary obligations.
  • Is qualified, dependable support available to insure 24 hour care?
  • Will your home accommodate a hospital bed, wheelchair, and bedside commode?
  • Are transportation services available to meet daily needs and emergencies?
  • Is professional medical help accessible for routine and emergency care?
  • Are you able to lift, turn, and move your loved one?
  • Can you meet your other responsibilities and your loved one's needs?
  • Are you emotionally prepared to care for your bed-ridden loved one?

Sources and Additional Information:



Saturday, March 26, 2011

100+ Ways to Battle Blogger's Block

Why do you blog? Do you blog for money? Do you blog for fun? Actually, the purpose of your blogging will largely define the strategy you apply. I blog for both: fun and money, but fun goes first. Therefore, each of my 20 blogs I started because I liked the topic, because I wanted to learn more about, and because I was more or less confident that the same topic will be interesting for my readers.

But, overtime, your interests change, you feel that there is nothing more you can say on the topic, and you just do not want to discuss the topic any more. Here it comes blogger's block. If I feel like that, I usually put the blog on the passive preservation mode, remove it from the active blogs list and focus on other topics. Overtime, my perception might change, I might find a new perspectives or the new line of discoveries on the topic, thus become interesting in the blog again. These blogs are returned to the active list. Other blogs will remain on the passive lists forever, supported by by-monthly posts just to keep them alive. In any way, if I do not feel like writing on the particular blog or topic, I just skip it and go to the next. Well, it is my way of coping with blogger's block.

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BloggingBookshelf is offering more than 100 professional advices on how to battle the Blogger Blog in their free eBook. You can download the brochure from the following link:

Should you disclose your Depression at Work?

Sometimes a job is just a job, but for most people it is much more. We spent in our office with our coworkers or customers more time than with our family. Occasionally, we give away at work so much of our internal energy and emotions, that coming home you feel totally "empty" and exhausted. Our workplace is our second home and often provides our second family. It can be either the provider or the destroyer of our self-worth. We define ourselves to a great extent by our work - after all, what is one of the first questions we are asked when we meet someone new? "What do you do?"

The work might be stressful and tiresome for all, but for people with depression it may become unbearable. Some can barely drag themselves to work every day, considering that as inevitable evil, required only to keep the paycheck coming monthly. If they work in an individual office, they might notice themselves just sitting and blankly staring at their computers. If they are in the service industry, they might find themselves snapping at their customers, venting negative emotions out of the soul. In any case, depressive episodes affect their concentration abilities, which in certain jobs, like construction or operating machinery, can be disastrous. No matter of how employees are good and knowledgeable, the noticed behavior and attitude eventually will be noticed and reported, which most likely will cost them their jobs.

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Should you disclose your Medical Conditions to Coworkers, Management, and HR?

There are just two approaches you can choose dealing with the situation: you either disclose your condition at work or you don't. In either circumstance, you should get treatment for depression, of course, if you aren't already.

There is no one distinctive correct answer to the question, because each case is different, and the decision should be made after detailed consideration of your medical condition, character of your occupation, relations at workplace, and other multiple supplemental factors. It is highly recommended to get professional advice from your therapist on the topic. But still decision should be yours, as you will feel the possible consequences of that, and no reversed action can be made, as soon as your depression becomes a public knowledge. You do understand that you cannot be absolutely sure that confidentiality can be obtained, and the disclosed information may leek to the party, you would like to be unaware on your illness.

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There are several issues to consider before you use one or another approach.

Reasons not to disclose

Some people choose to be fairly open about their depression at work. In many cases, they might notice a distinct chilling in someone's attitude towards them after the disclosure. You have to be ready to the unpredictable reactions from your colleagues and supervisors. Compassion and understanding might be also accompanied with attempts to avoid taking join projects with you and moving you to less important project tasks. Partially that might be to decrease a pressure on you, but also to great extent to find more reliable performer for the task.

Remember that you are always running a risk when you disclose your depression to anyone at work, even if you are promised to keep that confidential. You may feel that if you've comfortably discussed details of your love life with a co-worker or co-workers, you should be able to discuss anything. You should not count on that. Mental illness falls into a whole new category of true confessions. The subject is still taboo, and is still misunderstood by many people who haven't had a friend or family member who has a mental illness. There is no doubt that it could affect your potential for advancement. 

Your employer definitely recognizes the fact that the happy employees are productive employees. So it's in a company's best interests to make sure workers get what they need to be healthy � mentally and physically. However, a stigma still surrounds mental illness. Depending on the atmosphere and environment you work in, disclosing depression can seem like asking for trouble in many cases. Your coworkers may see it as an excuse; your boss may think of you as weak, and you might even be the subject of gossip. Of course, this shouldn't be the case. But who hasn't worked at a company where acting human � instead of like a cog in the machine � was viewed as a flaw? Any kind of personal issues were frowned upon; nothing mattered except the work.

As a general note, unless you take the medications, impairing your performance in the course of your job, you are not required by Law to disclose your conditions to your employer.

Some work cultures are more difficult, if not impossible, in which to disclose your mental illness. I have received several heartbreaking emails over the years from people in the U.S. military who were afraid to even seek treatment for their depression, even from a non-military doctor, for fear that they would be exposed somehow. I'm sure they were right to be concerned.

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Reasons you should disclose

One guideline is to be open only when it would be worse to keep quiet. In other words, if it's clear that your performance has suffered and you are afraid that you are going to be fired, you need to disclose your condition. Definitely, bringing your condition up at the moment when you are in the process of being fired due to your performance won't protect you, because you didn't give your company the opportunity to accommodate your condition. The ADA requires employers to make accommodation to an employee with a "known condition."

"I think we've come a long way in terms of identifying that depression is an important issue in the workplace," says Dr. Michelle Riba, M.D., a professor of psychiatry at the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor. "But for the individual who's working in an office or another situation, one really needs to think about why any medical condition would be discussed. Not that there's anything wrong with disclosing, but one has to be really clear about what one hopes to gain."

The Americans with Disabilities Act prevents employers with 15 or more employees from discriminating against people with serious health problems (including depression), and it requires them to accommodate disabled employees. In order to be protected by the law, however, employees must disclose the nature of their disability to their employers.

Another reason you might want to disclose your depression is if you know of another employee who disclosed that they are mentally ill and were treated fairly. In this situation, it's better that your employer know than letting them think that you are simply a poor performer.

"Assuming your employer is understanding, it's always better to tell about your depression," says Andrew Solomon, author of The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression, noting that if your company provides mental health coverage, there's a better chance you'll get a positive reaction when you disclose your depression.

"A good relationship with your boss is an indicator you can go public," recommends Gabriela Cora, a psychiatrist and MBA who practices at the Florida Neuroscience Center in Fort Lauderdale. But will you have the same good relationship with your boss after your disclosure, remains a big question…

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Summary

As a general concept, most experts say if you're diagnosed with depression, do not immediately tell about that your coworkers, manager, or Human Resources. Claire Miller is the director of the American Psychiatric Foundation's Partnership for Workplace Mental Health. She says you should only tell your employer if your anti-depressants make you so sleepy that you need a later start to your workday, or if your depression is affecting your job performance. However, if you do feel that your performance has degraded as a result of your illness, do not wait until you get a bad review! Also find out the company's stance on mental health � there might be a professional on staff you can see � or you could take a leave of absence.


Sources and Additional Information:


Phantasmagoria � apply funny professional effects to your images

Phantasmagoria is a free and full of fun, light weight image editing application. It is focused on allowing the users to apply versatile, professional looking effects to the existing images, creating artistic effects and attractive outcomes.

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Main features:
  • 100 % free for personal, non-commercial use!
  • Runs on any Java-enabled platform (including Windows, Mac OS X and Linux).
  • Supports a wide range of image formats.
  • Contains dozens of cool effects.
  • Lets you easily edit and improve your images.
  • Create graphics, including textures and highly stylized text.
  • Export directly to Flickr, with support for tagging, descriptions, privacy level, etc.
  • Get automatic Twitter updates after doing something with your images
  • Broadcast new uploaded images on Flickr with Twitter, including link.
  • Try before installing; install-free version available!

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Friday, March 25, 2011

Free the Internet - Blog Carnival at Collection of Web Freebies - 19th Ed.

Welcome to the 19-th, March 25, 2011, edition of the "Free the Internet" Blog Carnival. Some statistics: submitted articles � 134, published articles - 29. I want to thank all the authors contributing to the issue. Some articles were excluded from the review, since their topic of discussion did not match the main target of the carnival. I am sorry, that not all submissions were accepted, as some of the excluded articles carried a significant value. As one of the submitted articles carried a link to the potentially dangerous site, I want to ensure all the readers that all articles were tested and evaluated, and all the posted links are safe to visit.


freesoftware presents 6 Free Online Event Management Websites posted at I Love Free Software, saying, "Here are 6 best free online event management websites that provide free online event registration, and completely free online event management to manage all aspects of your events."


Glen Lynam presents Essential FREE applications for you Microsoft Windows based PC Part 1 posted at Geekator, saying, "The best free apps"


Kate Croston presents 10 Great Sites to Swap Stuff posted at Internet Service.


Blog income presents How Can I Convince You To Do A Daily Blog Backup? posted at We Build Your Blog, saying, "I want you to take the backing up of your blog very, very seriously."


Melissa Dupree presents Free Online Backup Software Applications posted at Masters in Computer Science.


Scott Dixyy presents 21 Cool iPhone Apps for Digital Artists posted at Masters in Art Education, saying, "Check out these 21 iPhone apps we think digital artists will love. You'll find both apps for creating work and those for enjoying the work of other artists, as well. There are sure to be plenty of apps here that you really want for your own phone."


Jessica Miller presents 10 Common Misconceptions About Skype posted at Internet Service Providers.


Vicky Polk presents 13 Free Sites to Help Improve Your Communication Skills posted at Online Counseling Degrees, saying, "Hey Michael, Here is my submission for the next carnival. It is hosted on a degree site, however I made sure the article is on a stand alone page, with only the content, no sidebar or spam or anything. Let me know if you have any concerns or feedback before the carnival. I'd love to work with you. Thanks!"


Jena Ellis presents 10 Free and Addictive Games for Your Droid posted at Online Certificate Programs.


Bridget Nicholson presents 20 Cool Brain Blogs Every Marketer Should Read posted at BSchool.com.


Vidal presents Chrome or IE? posted at NotAnEgghead, saying, "Which do you prefer: IE or Chrome? LinkedIn Discussion."


Graham Alice presents 60 Essential Links for Quit-Smoking Support posted at Masters in Health Care.


Kate Croston presents 10 Internet Shows All About Technology posted at Internet Service.


freesoftware presents Free Wordpress Hosting posted at I Love Free Software, saying, "Dreamhostapps provides free wordpress hosting to host Wordpress blog for free. Learn how to setup a free Wordpress blog with Dreamhostapps here. Thanks for taking time to include this article in your carnival."


Allen Delper presents Stylish Tweets: 55 Must-Follow Fashion Twitter Feeds posted at AAS Degree, saying, "Fashion folks are an eccentric bunch and even those at the top love to share the daily details of their loves. Twitter has become the unofficial hub of the online fashion community and these are the names you need to follow to keep updated with all of your favorite fashion news."


Glen Lynam presents Utilizing a Skydrive account for your free 25GB of online file storage space posted at Geekator, saying, "Utilizing a Skydrive account for your free 25GB of online file storage space"


Elisa Gabbert presents 10 Early ISP?s and What Has Become of Them posted at ISP Finder.


Alison Doyle presents Top 5 VoIP Providers and How They Work posted at My ISP Finder.


Donna Cullen presents 10 Ways to Prepare for Chat Roulette posted at Top Dating Sites.


Mary Edwards presents 10 Reasons Not to Text Your Lover posted at Best Dating Sites.


Katie Gilbert presents 50 Best Blogs for Gender Studies Majors posted at Online Colleges and Universities Education Database.


Laura Backes presents 10 Ways to Measure Your Time Spent Online posted at Internet Service Guy.


Charles Chua C K presents Ehttp://ping.fm/gBNtKffective Ways to Be Productive Online posted at All About Living with Life, saying, "technology"


Bernice Frankel presents 15 Portable Apps Every Engineer Should Have on Their USB posted at Master of Engineering, saying, "It's always helpful to be able to travel light, especially on a business trip. One of the easiest ways to make this happen is to travel with a portable USB drive rather than a laptop. For engineers, this can be especially helpful."


Melissa Delaney presents 10 Really Juicy Internet Gossip Sites posted at Bundled Package Deals.


Nishadha presents How to increase Twitter followers free and paid methods updated Mon Mar 7 2011 5:23 am CST posted at Restoring Your Finances and Your Faith, saying, "Free ways to increase twitter followers and some paid ways to do them automatically"


Suzanne Davies presents 20/10 : The Top 20 iPhone Photography App Blog Posts and the Top 10 Android Photography App Blog Posts posted at Photography Degrees, saying, "Smart Phones are all the rage these days, and it is hard to do a complete 360 without seeing one (if it is not already in your own hand). That being said, the cameras on most smart phones are creeping up to the levels of advanced digital cameras."


Laura Backes presents 10 Common Ways Your PC Gets Infected with Viruses posted at Internet Service Guy.


Melissa Delaney presents 10 Places to Find the Latest Celebrity Gossip Online posted at Bundled Package Deals.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of free the internet using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.


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Thursday, March 24, 2011

Sleep Deprivation Makes you Happy!

UC Berkley is making the top Google search line today. The interest is evoked by a new intriguing research, offering not widely accepted viewpoint, that sleep deprivation may offer a positive effect on your mood and psychological well-being. Everybody knows that a sleepless night can make us cranky and moody. But a lesser known side effect of sleep deprivation is short-term euphoria, which can potentially lead to poor judgment and addictive behavior, according to new research from the University of California, Berkeley.

According to a report from UC Berkeley's Newscenter, UCB and Harvard researchers discovered that a night spent awake rather than asleep created heightened activity in the mesolimbic pathway, a brain circuit driven by dopamines, those neurotransmitters associated with happiness, decision-making, and motivation. The findings were published this week in the Journal of Neuroscience at http://ping.fm/chYKX.

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While this link might not be widely known to the general public, it is not new and unique on the scientists' monitor. Nearly 30 years have passed since Anna Wirz-Justice, MD, first prescribed a night without sleep for a severely depressed 80-year-old woman. "She used to just sit around all day, feeling suicidal," says the Swiss neurobiologist. "She hardly spoke or moved.''

The remedy worked.  By the next morning, the elderly woman "was talking and moving around as if she were actually another person," Wirz-Justice says. "She told me that at about two or three in the morning, she felt like a black cloud had been lifted from her shoulders."

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But there was a problem: Patients tended to relapse into depression as soon as they did get a good night's sleep. And, up today, there are no reliable approaches to preserve the sleep deprivation positive effect on a long run.

In the recent study, the researchers were also motivated by curiosity over why so many patients with clinical depression feel more positive after sleepless nights. So they used functional MRIs to study the brains of 27 healthy young adults, half of whom had slept well the previous night and the other half of whom had stayed awake all night.

"Participants viewed numerous images, including pleasant scenes (for example, bunnies or ice cream sundaes), and were asked to rate the pictures as either neutral or positive. Across the board, those who had skipped a night's sleep gave more positive ratings for all the images while the well-rested participants gave more moderate scores," reads the UCB Newscenter report.

The trouble is that the type of positivity prompted by all-nighters is based on short-term dopamine spikes and can thus spur overly optimistic choices that might have disastrous results. A new tattoo, a dip in the bay, or a motorcycle ride with a stranger can seem like great ideas in the blaze of that morning-after buzz.

"When functioning correctly, the brain finds the sweet spot on the mood spectrum. But the sleep-deprived brain will swing to both extremes, neither of which is optimal for making wise decisions," said Matthew Walker, associate professor of psychology and neuroscience at UC Berkeley and lead author of the study.

"After a good night's sleep, the frontal lobe regions are strongly connected to the dopamine reward regions, but that's not the case after a night of no sleep," said Walker, who is also the principal investigator at UC Berkeley's Sleep and Neuroimaging Laboratory. Located in UC Berkeley's psychology department, the sleep lab focuses on cognitive aspects of the sleeping brain using a multimodal imaging approach, including functional MRI, neurophysiological, and psychophysical techniques.

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"The elastic band of sleep deprivation can only be stretched so far before it breaks," Walker warned.


Sources and Additional Information:


Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Gammagard May Help Preserve Cognitive Abilities, and ever Reverse Alzheimer's

A decades-old drug made from human plasma appears to slow the decline of mental skills in people with Alzheimer's disease, suggest results from a small preliminary study.

The drug is called Gammagard. It's a form of intravenous immunoglobulin, or IVIG, drugs that are usually used to treat immune system disorders.

Researchers believe the drug can replenish a depleted pool of natural antibodies against beta-amyloid protein, which forms the sticky plaques that riddle Alzheimer's patients' brains.

In the new study of 24 patients, scores on a standard test measuring the disturbances of memory, language, attention, and other cognitive skills that are hallmark symptoms of Alzheimer's disease dropped an average of slightly more than five points in those treated with IVIG. That compares with a 15-point decline in patients who initially received placebo and switched to IVIG, says Norman Relkin, MD, of Cornell Weill College of Medicine in New York City. The IVIG treatment also appeared to slow the rate of brain shrinkage by about 45%.

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General Research Outcomes

Alzheimer's disease patients treated with Baxter International's Gammagard for 18 months:
  • Showed better cognitive function and less brain enlargement than those given a placebo.
  • Patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease who received the intravenous medication in a Phase II study averaged about 1.36 points higher than patients who initially received a placebo on a test of mental abilities.
  • On a second cognitive performance test, patients who received Gammagard declined by about 9.15 fewer points than placebo patients.
  • MRI analyses also showed patients treated with Gammagard saw a 6.7 percent decrease in annual ventricular enlargement in their brains, compared to a 12.3 percent rate in patients on a placebo.


Gammagard Benefits

Relkin says Gammagard produced "benefits like I've never seen before." He says he had one patient, a former piano player, who played the same four compositions over and over. "Four to six months into the study, he sight-read a new piece for the first time in years. Over the next few months, the patient continued to improve his repertoire," Relkin says.

Since IVIG has been around for years, its side effects in the general population are well known: headaches, rashes, and blood pressure elevation.

"By and by, it's well tolerated," Relkin says. "But we don't yet know the side effect profile in an elderly, Alzheimer's disease population."

One thing that is known: The treatment is expensive -- about $2,000 to $3,000 per treatment. And patients in the study received infusions up to twice a month, depending on the dose, for 18 months.

In the study, eight patients received a placebo and 16 got one of four doses of Gammagard every two to four weeks. After 12 weeks, patients in the placebo group switched over to Gammagard at the same range of doses.

Patients were evaluated every three months using standardized Alzheimer's tests and MRI scans.

Brain Metabolism

Dr. Lisa Mosconi, assistant professor of psychiatry at New York University Medical Center, worked with the New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell group on the analysis of brain imaging data from the study. She reported that Gammagard -treated participants had observable changes in brain metabolism. While energy metabolism in the brain was an exploratory endpoint in the study it was preserved or improved in 10 out of 13 patients after six months of Gammagard-S/D and Gammagard-Liquid treatment.

"Brain metabolism usually decreases progressively in patients with Alzheimer's disease," said Dr. Mosconi. "The changes on PET scans of these Alzheimer's patients after six months of Gammagard-S/D and Gammagard-Liquid are encouraging."

Reversing Alzheimer's

On top on the generally positive research outcomes, there was few really outstanding personal conditions improvement in some participants. There were even some patients that showed noticeable reversal in Alzheimer's symptoms. One patient, a pianist, was formerly only able to remember and play about four songs. After the 18 month trials, family members reported that the patient had started to learn new songs.

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Second Opinion

The results are "very encouraging," says Stephen Salloway, MD, a professor of neurology at Brown University who was not involved with the research.

"To see any signal [that the drug is working] in a study this small is unexpected," he tells WebMD. "This is the type of response we are hoping for."

But another researcher urged caution.

"This is a very small phase II study whose purpose is really just to establish the correct dose," Ron Peterson, MD, director of the Mayo Alzheimer's Disease Research Center in Rochester, Minn., tells WebMD. "In the past few years alone, several Alzheimer's drugs that made it to this stage failed to pan out in further testing."

A larger phase III trial of 360 patients pitting the drug against placebo is under way, according to Relkin.

The study was funded by Baxter, which makes Gammagard.

Risk Disclosure

Gammagard is contraindicated in patients with known anaphylactic or severe hypersensitivity responses to Immune Globulin (Human). Patients with severe selective IgA deficiency (IgA < 0.05 g/L) may develop anti-IgA antibodies that can result in a severe anaphylactic reaction. Immune Globulin Intravenous (Human) products have been reported to be associated with renal dysfunction, acute renal failure, osmotic nephrosis, and death. Patients predisposed to acute renal failure include patients with any degree of pre-existing renal insufficiency, diabetes mellitus, age greater than 65, volume depletion, sepsis, paraproteinemia, or patients receiving known nephrotoxic drugs. Especially in such patients, IGIV products should be administered at the minimum concentration available and the minimum rate of infusion practicable. While these reports of renal dysfunction and acute renal failure have been associated with the use of many of the licensed IGIV products, those containing sucrose as a stabilizer accounted for a disproportionate share of the total number. Glycine, an amino acid, is used as a stabilizer. Gammagard does not contain sucrose. Gammagard is made from human plasma. It may carry a risk of transmitting infectious agents, viruses, and theoretically, the Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) agent.

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Sources and Additional Information:


Friday, March 18, 2011

66 Free MS Excel Spreadsheet advanced editing tools in Extools

Introduction


ExTools is a free add-in software program for Microsoft Excel (for Windows). It is designed to make your work with Excel more productive as it provides many features that make spreadsheet editing much easier. Using this adds-on, you can perform complicated spreadsheet tasks easily even if you've never had Microsoft Excel training or read any Excel tutorial.


It's 100% free software. No malware, no spyware, no nag screens, no messing with Windows registry and doesn't collect any info from your PC.


Main Features


  • Many tools and utilities that add power to Excel. They can be accessed from the ExTools menu and also the worksheet pop-up menu.
  • "Undo" function is provided for many of the tools.
  • Extools is made up of many tools. No unnecessary tools are loaded during Excel startup, therefore speeding the startup process. During working, Extools will automatically manage its own memory usage. You do not need to manually unload any tools, it will be handled transparently in the background.
  • Compatibility: Extools is designed for Excel 97, 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2007.

List of Features

  1. Favorite Files -This tool lets you store shortcuts to your favorite files. Once a file is added to this folder, you will be able to open it just by double clicking the file inside the list box.
  2. Favorite Text Clips - This tool lets you store text clips for later use. Use it to save frequently used phrases, and you will be able to insert it to a selected cell by double clicking the clip item in the Favorite Text Clips' list box. 
  3. Delete Empty Cells in Columns - This tool will help you to delete empty cells within selected columns. Non empty cells will be shifted up to fill in the space.
  4. Transpose - Use this tool to convert a vertical range to horizontal and vice versa.
  5. Reverse Order - Reverses the order of cells for selected column or row. Example : 1 2 3 4 5  -->  5 4 3 2 1.
  6. Check for Duplicates - This tool looks for all duplicate entries in the range you select. Duplicate entries can be highlighted or deleted.
  7. Multiple Selection Copy - Excel allows only a single range to be copied. Now you can copy multiple ranges.
  8. Save Selection as File - You can save a selection to a Excel, Comma delimited (CSV) or Text file with this tool.
  9. Save Selection as HTML - You can save a selection to a HTML table with this tool. HTML tags for a table representing your selection will be generated and saved to a HTML file you specify. You can then open/view the source of this file and copy to your HTML project for further modification.
  10. Save Selection as Picture - You can save a selection as GIF, JPEG or PNG file format with this tool. The graphics conversion filters are provided by Microsoft Office. If in any case, you can't save to the above picture formats, you may have to re-install Office.
  11.  View - Interactively change the view settings for your worksheet with this tool. 
  12. Compare Worksheets - Use this to find the differences between two worksheets from any open workbooks. A new report workbook will be generated to list the differences, and you can also choose to highlight the differences on the original sheets too.
  13.  Create Worksheet Map - Use this to create a map that will show the content type of each cell of the active worksheet. This map is a worksheet (new workbook) that summarizes the data type of the cells in the active worksheet.
  14.  Sort Sheets - Use this to sort the worksheets in the active workbook in ascending order.
  15. Delete Empty Sheets - Sometimes you may receive files containing many empty worksheets. Use this tool to delete all empty worksheets with a single click.
  16. Hide Blank Rows/Columns at End of Sheet -Use this tool to set the scrollable area of a worksheet. You may use it to hide all the rows below and all columns to the right of the used area.
  17. Unhide All Hidden Rows/Columns - All hidden rows and columns of the active worksheet will be unhidden in a single click with this tool.
  18. Unhide All Hidden Sheets - All hidden sheets of the active worksheet will be unhidden in a single click with this tool.
  19.  Remove Hyperlinks on Worksheet - Use this tool to remove all hyperlinks on the active worksheet. The original text will remain, only links will be removed.
  20.  Reset Last Cell - If you delete the contents at the end (last cell) of your worksheet, Excel may still remember it incorrectly as the last cell. To find the last cell, press Ctrl + End on the keyboard, if Excel activates the wrong last cell, you need to reset it.
  21.  Save and Backup - This tool will save and also create a backup copy of your workbook. The backup copy can be created in any folder or drive you specify. Also, by default, '.bak' extension will be added to the original file, which can be changed if necessary.
  22.  Close all Saved Workbooks - This tool closes all workbooks that have been saved and have no changes.
  23.  Close and Delete Current Workbook - With this tool, the current or active workbook will be closed and then deleted from the hard drive. Before deleting, a message box will be shown to ask for confirmation.
  24.  Close all Workbooks without Saving - All open workbooks will be closed without saving, therefore, all changes will not be recorded. Before closing, a message box will be shown to ask for confirmation.
  25.  List all Fonts - This tool creates a new workbook and lists all the available fonts. Sample text in the actual font is provided too.
  26.  Clear Recently Used Files List - This clears the listing of recently used files from the Excel File menu.
  27.  Conditional Select Cells by Value - This tool will help you to select cells based on specified criteria.
  28.  Conditional Select Cells by Format - This tool will select cells based on the specified format of a reference cell.
  29.  Conditional Select Rows by Value - This tool will select whole rows based on the value of cells in a reference column.
  30.  Select Cell with Max Value - This tool selects the cell containing the maximum value within a specified search range.
  31.  Select Cell with Min Value - This tool selects the cell containing the minimum value within a specified search range.
  32. Select Last Cell - This cell has the highest row number and the highest column number in the used range of a worksheet. In Excel, you can press Ctrl + End to select the last cell, but sometimes, but sometimes Excel may not be able to keep track of the last cell correctly.
  33.  Select Cells with Error - This tool finds and selects all cells that contain error in the active worksheet.
  34.  Select Used Area - Selects the used range of the active worksheet.
  35.  Select to Right - Extends selection from current cell to the right-most non-empty cell.
  36.  Select to Bottom - Extends selection from current cell to the bottom-most non-empty cell.
  37. Select all Sheets - Selects all worksheets of the current workbook.
  38.  Select all Empty Sheets - Selects all empty worksheets of the current workbook.
  39.  Text � Case - This tool converts the case of cell contents to Upper case, Lower case or Proper case.
  40.  Text � Insert - This tool inserts any specified text into selected cells which already contain some other text. You can choose whether to insert the text at the left, right or starting from any position of the current cell content.
  41. Text � Trim - This tool trims the cell contents of selected cells. You can choose to trim/remove the space characters to the Left or Right of the cell contents, remove extra spaces or remove all spaces.
  42. Text � Remove - This tool will remove any specified characters from selected cells. Note that you can specify more than one character to be removed.
  43.  Text � Combine - This tool will combine the contents of adjacent columns into one cell.
  44. Copy Cell Formula as is - By default, Excel will create formulas using relative referencing, and when any formula is copied to another cell, Excel will adjust the formula address to reflect the new cell location. Use this tool to copy any formula to a new location without changing the formula address.
  45. Convert Formula to Constant Value - This tool will convert cells containing formulas to its current value. The formulas in the cells will be lost.
  46. Convert Between Absolute and Relative Reference - Use this tool tool to convert the reference style of your formulas. The available reference types are Relative, Rows Relative Columns Absolute, Rows Absolute Columns Relative and Absolute.
  47.  Perform Math Calculation on Selection - Use this tool to perform mathematical calculations on cells inside a selection. The result of the calculation can be written back as formulas or constant values.
  48. Unit Converter - This tool is used to convert from/to metric units.
  49. Round Numbers - This tool rounds numbers to specified number of decimals.
  50. Convert Percents to Numbers - Converts numbers formatted as percents to general number format ( the percentage sign '%' will also be removed).
  51. Convert Numbers to Ordinals - Converts whole numbers to ordinals (Example: 1st, 2nd …). Fractional numbers will be rounded to whole numbers before being converted.
  52. Convert Numbers to Text - Converts numbers to its equivalent text/string.
  53.  Convert Between Roman and Arabic Numbers - Converts numbers to Roman/Arabic. Example : 9 <-> IX , 10 <-> X …
  54. Insert Random Numbers to Selection - Inserts random numbers to cells in selection. You can specify the minimum and maximum value of the random numbers being generated.
  55. Set Subscript/Superscript - Sets the last character of cell contents to subscript or superscript.
  56. Word Wrap On/Off - Toggles word wrap on and off for selected cells.
  57.  Center Vertically - Use this tool to quickly center cell contents vertically within the cells.
  58. Print Multiple Sheets - This tool allows you to select multiple sheets from any open workbook for printing.
  59.  Set File Path as Header/Footer - This tool allows you to set the full file path as the header/footer for the sheets in the active workbook.
  60. Number of Days Between Two Dates - This tool calculates the number of days between any two dates you specify.
  61. Add Days to A Date - This tool calculates the end date after adding a specified number of days to the start date.
  62. Calculator - This comes together with Windows. If you can't get it to run, check Windows installation.
  63. Character Map - This comes together with Windows. If you can't get it to run, check Windows installation.
  64.  Delete Empty Rows - Select a range and any empty rows can be deleted. Note that the WHOLE row will be deleted if it's empty.
  65.  Google Search - Right click on any cell containing text and click Google Search from the pop-up menu. The cell's text will be sent to Google and the search results will be displayed in a new web browser window.
  66.  List All Filenames in Selected Folder - There is no easy way to grab actual names(in text and editable form) of all files within a folder. This tool will allow you to select a folder, then all the names of the files within the folder will be listed in a new workbook.

Screenshots


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If you are using MS Excel on a regular basis, but do not want to go deep in the program capabilities investigations, this utility will be right for you. While listing all the features, I took mental notes on how many of them will be useful for me. By the end, I counted 14. Not bad at all! I am sure that your "must have" list will be different, but you will definitely find some attractive features.


Download page (choose a version based on installed Excel): http://www.excel-extools.com/download_extools.php