Links: Mud Pie Day 2009 Edition

My youngest, a kindergartener, had Mud Pie Day today (they do bubbles, throw footballs, play Frisbee, eat pudding, mess with sand and much more.

• 99 Essential Twitter Tools: Yikes! Sounds to me more like 99 ways to get sucked in twitter some more…
• 72 Stunning Business Cards That Will Blow You Away: Consider me blown.
• Alternative to expensive software: Don’t need to spend $$$ in Photoshop or need all of its power features? You can see a list of alternatives and filter them by license such as free, open source and commercial, by platform and by tag.
• 25 logos with hidden message: Cool stuff.

And for fun because we’re allowed…

• Amazing photographs from a high point of view
• You Can’t Please Everyone: One star Amazon reviews of movies, music and literature.
• Cards of Change: What people do to their business cards when they no longer work for the company on the card.
• Award winning stop motion: Do it again: Wow! Talk about patience!

Speech-to-Text Software Translation Misadventures

Typed note: This is sad. People said my first speech-to-text software entry was funny and I wasn’t even trying to make jokes Seriously, I agree the software does funny translations of my speech.

First the script, then the translation.

Script
Official test number two. I’ve revised the script from the original. I usually write contractions, but decided not to use them while speaking. So I put them back in.

This post shows you what I said and what the software heard. Instead of striking out the software’s mistakes and put the correct version in brackets, I present you with this script followed by the software’s version. Here we go…

For those of you not familiar with speech to text software, you begin by training the software with your voice. I completed a long training program — broken down into shorter sessions over a two-week period — using a chapter from Dave Barry’s cyberspace book. My deaf accent needs more help than the average user.

A little background: I was born deaf and had 12 years of speech therapy. I took public speaking classes and even taught a few while I was in college.

I’m trying the speech recognition software. I’m hopeful it’ll catch what I say. So far, it’s not perfect. It looks like it needs more training. I’m itching to get back to writing articles.

I haven’t been able to write because of my hand surgery. The doctor says I need to lay off using my hand because of swelling. Plus, a pin had to stay in it for six weeks. The pin comes out of my hand today — it better!

So maybe I won’t need this. I’ve learned that I can’t speak my writing as well as I can type it. Writing by speech feels unnatural to me.

I’m ready to get back into my routine. However, I’ll need to attend physical therapy a few times a week for at least six weeks. I’ll know for sure after my doctor’s appointment. My hand feels stiff and achy, so it’ll be a while before it feels normal again.

I may still have to wear the current splint until I see the physical therapist. At least, typing won’t hurt as much without the pin around to stab the insides of my thumb. Trying to keep my hopes reserved, but I have loads of work to do for my clients.

The software works better when I speak one word at a time — that is, say a word and wait for the software to capture it instead of speaking in slow sentences. That’s what I’m doing in this paragraph. I originally used parenthesis, but it wouldn’t get it right or even brackets.

I wish everyone a happy and healthy 2009.

Translation courtesy Dragon Naturally-Speaking

Officinalis past number two. And lid by the script from the original. I usually write contractions, but decided not to use them speaking. Let them back in.

Cisco shows you what I said and what the software road. Instead of striking out the stuff where is bakes and putting the correct version in brackets, I present you with this script a that of stuff where is version. Here we go…

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A little background Cohan I was born deaf and had 12 years of speech therapy. I took Pavitt speaking classes and even taught a few Beilenson college.

I’m trying to speech recognition software. I’m hopeful it’ll catch what I say. So file, it’s not perfect. It looks like it needs more training. I’m itching to get back to writing articles.

I haven’t been able to write because of my hand surgery. The doctor says I need to lay off use and my hand because of swelling. Plus, a pin hypos a.m. it for six weeks. That can come out of my hand today — it that a! Such

So maybe I want needless. I’ve gone that I can’t speak my blighting as well as back and type it. Writing by speech TOs unnatural golf Tilney.
Mulan (”new line” command)

I’m ready to get back into my routine. However, I’ll need to attend physical therapy a few times a week flippy six weeks. I’ll know for sure after my doctor appointment. My hand because Steffes and achy, but it at the end file and put the ocean Lamar again.

And they still have to well koans land until last it that this to a therapist. At least, I can want her as much without a pin around to stab the insides of my thumb. Trying to keep my thoughts Goudreau, but loads of work to do from my clients.

The software looks better when I speak run road at a time — that is, say a road and leaked for the software to capture it instead of speaking in Schroer (Typed note: when I said “sentences” the software thought I said “center this” and formatted as such.).

That’s what I do when and as you not laugh. I originally used to(, but it wouldn’t get it right well even practice (Typed note: oh sure, this time it got the parenthesis after “used to”.).

I wish every one a happy and healthy 2009.

Links: 2008-12-31

Last links of 2008!

• Running an Effective Code Review: Exhaustive guide to software reviews.
• Ultimate 80s Movie Quote Quiz
• New Sidewalk Art photos: You’ve probably seen these before. New set plus the steps in creating one [Link: ThirdHyphen].
• Listropolis: All your lists are belong to us.
• Factory Balls: Addicting game where you create balls to match the ball on display.
• Snowflakes as you’ve never seen them before
• People who died in 2008
• The End

Speech to Text Software: Attempt Number One

This post will show you what I said and what this stuff where code [Line spoken should be, "the software heard"]. I strike out the software’s mistakes and picked [put] the correct version in practice [brackets]. Here we go…

For those of you not familiar with beast to pick up where [speech to text software], you begin by planting the stuff where [training the software] with your voice [for]. I completed a puce shim at this Nilan my guess asked them to wood made the top then the average user. [I completed a few sessions of this knowing my deaf accent would need more help than the average user].

Victim … err… product is Dragon NaturallySpeaking 9 Preferred. I opted to go with v9 instead of 10 to save cash and not worry about crashing problems it supposedly has.

Needless to say, I’m not to let that [I'm off to a bad start].

I’m trying the speech recognition software. Unhorsed for get a pass when I say [I'm hopeful it'll catch what I say]. Starla far [so far] it’s not perfect. It looks like it needs blood twanging [more training]. IM into this to write auto close [I'm anxious to write articles].

I have not been able to write because to [of] have my hand touchingly [surgery]. I have t will [it typed "two," so I said "backspace backspace" and "o"] may [lay] off use and [using] my hand because of Salonika [swelling].

Let’s go back to planning [training].

(Conducted more training… another attempt…)

Comeau nutcake [communicate]

I talk to my clients regularly and ensure they are happy with my luck [work]. I’ve gone [learned] from mistakes and client platform things [preferences]. I aim for high quality and provide personal sofas [service].

Bill pays not to worry [Build A Lot 3 review (awesome game, by the way)]

Linked [I couldn't wait] to play this game. The previous two games Laden [captivated] me. I could not imagine it could get better. That [but] it did.

We talked a to Gravenhurst and you [Return to Ravenhearst review (another superb game)].

To blame for is it that it’s week he is as gay yeah [Return to Ravenhearst is the best Mystery Case Files game yet]. If you compare at the first list week he file game to the latest [the first game to the latest...]

That’s still the see at clout a.m. it [cursing here. No translation as this is a family friendly blog].

MP3 of the above script (opens in new window so you can follow script). I talked slower than usual for the software’s stake.

How to Make Microsoft Word Stop Ignoring Mouse

This quirky problem has happened often enough that it warrants a post of its own. The problem doesn’t happen on my desktop running Microsoft Windows XP with Office 2003. It occurs only on the laptop running Microsoft Vista with Office 2007.

I can’t tell you if it’s a Vista problem, an Office problem, or both. If your mouse works everywhere except Microsoft Word and possibly other Microsoft products, here’s an easy fix worth saving. After it happened twice, I figured I needed to save the fix information so I don’t chase it down every time.

It just happened again. I can’t use the mouse to highlight anything or move the cursor. Yet, I can still close Word and click menu items. When the problem happens, I closed Word and receive a pop up asking if I want to search for a solution or restart. Neither, but I restart it.

Tim Anderson’s ITWriting has the solution:

1. Close Word and Outlook (ignore the pop up message by clicking X)
2. Start / Run and type regedit
3. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Word\Data
4. Rename this key (I call it “baddata”).
5. Restart Word.

All is right with the Word again. For how long? Who knows.

Button Placement on Forms and Popup Windows

How many times did you complete a form only to push the “Clear” button instead of “Submit”? What about “OK” vs. “Cancel” on a popup window? (Raises both hands — one for each.)

Why does this happen? Do we expect one button on the left and the other on the right? Are they too close together?

Jakob Nielsen reports that Windows applications put OK first, Cancel second while Apple places OK last. In this case, he advises developers to design OK/Cancel based on the platform they design for. The above screen shot comes from Thunderbird in Windows. The below image comes from Microsoft Word.

For Web forms, I suggest using one button. Of course, circumstances may prevent that. For example, you’re completing an order and you’re on the last page. Ecommerce sites certainly don’t want to give you another button to cancel the order, but users need assurance that they’ve canceled the order by pressing “Cancel Order” rather than just closing the window.

From my experience, I tend to read popup windows and zip through Web-based forms. I always assume software developers don’t create their popup windows the same way. But online forms — that’s another story. Silly, isn’t it? We shouldn’t expect Web designers to create forms the same way either.

Here, Nielsen gives two guidelines that make sense:

• Name a button based on what it does. Instead of “OK,” consider “Yes” when the dialog box asks if you want to do something.
• Highlight the most often used button except in cases where the action is drastic (of course, I can’t think of an example at the moment).

I think one more guideline would help especially where Web-based forms come in:

• Avoid putting the buttons close together: This forces us to pay attention and lowers the incident of “mouse slippage” that causes us to accidentally select the wrong button.

Many of us hit “Enter” when we finish a form or to begin searching (after entering keywords). Take care to prevent the application from executing something big when someone presses “Enter.”

You have to give Microsoft credit for its Windows XP shut down dialog box as shown below. Three options appear (Stand By, Turn Off, Restart) and each in a different color (yellow, red, green respectively) plus a Cancel button in gray and away from the others.

As users, we should look closely these windows and form buttons. In our fast-paced and overloaded world, we forget. Hence, keeping buttons at a reasonable distance from each other can give us the visual cue to look at the buttons.

What works for you? What doesn’t work?

The Easy and Hard Way to Start a Blog

In all these years, I don’t think I’ve ever posted anything about starting a blog. Someone emailed me asking how to get a blog and start blogging. So here you go.

There’s an easy way and there’s a hard way.

The Easy Way

Here you just fill out a form, make a few choices, and you’re in business. This solution uses a developer-hosted solution. That means the company or developer of the blog application hosts the software and blogs. These require no installation and minimal set up (after all, your blog needs a name or something). My first blog took the easy way approach using blogger.com.

Advantages

• Easy.
• Fast.
• Painless.
• No tech knowledge needed.
• Free or cheap.

Disadvantages

• At the mercy of the host’s server, which hosts thousands of other blogs.
• No personal domain name. Sure, you can pick a name. But instead of www.meryl.net, you get meryl.bloggingservice.com.
• Risk business reputation. Businesses without their own domain name communicate they’re cheap and not serious about building the business.

Easy Way Blogs (known as developer-hosted)

• Blogger.com: URL is in the form of yourname.blogspot.com. My first blog used Blogger.com.
• WordPress.com: URL appears as yourname.wordpress.com. This blog runs on WordPress. Offers paid upgrades.
• TypePad: From SixApart, the folks behind MovableType. URL is yourname.typepad.com.
• Other developer-hosted blogs.

The Hard Way

This takes more work and may require hiring a pro to help you through the whole process of…

1. Registering a domain.
2. Creating a design (or creating a template from your site’s design to work with the blogging application). Sure, you could use the free templates for starters, but many spam-like blogs use these templates and they may turn away visitors at first glance. Plus, you lose out on branding opportunities when using a template.
3. Installing the blogging application.
4. Adding plug-ins to make it easier for you to manage.
5. Helping you get started, if needed.

I run this blog on WordPress and Bionic Ear Blog on MovableType.  They both have strengths and weaknesses.

Advantages

• Branding.
• Easy to remember domain name.
• Builds credibility.
• Less blog downtime than a hosted blog solution — depends on your web site’s host.

Disadvantages

• Not free. Factor in the costs of buying a domain name, signing up with a host provider, and creating a design (if you don’t use templates).
• Not easy.
• Not fast UNLESS you already have a domain and a Web site. Then you just need to install the app with your current design.
• More work in maintaining: Software upgrades, plug-in updates, etc.

Hard Way Blog Apps (known as user-hosted)

• Movable Type
• WordPress.org
• Drupal
• Other user-hosted blog software.

Of course, businesses need a valid reasons for starting a blog and determine its purpose before running with it. Is a Blog Right for Your Business? Part I and Part II.

Links: 2008-07-18

• Merriam-Webster releases new words to its Collegiate Dictionary including…
  • Air quotes: My brother makes fun of me whenever I do this — which ain’t often.
  • Edamame: What took so long?
  • Fanboy
  • Malware: Yuck, but at least we all know what its name is other than dirty rotten stinkin’ software.
  • Mental health day: Gee, “I don’t feel well” doesn’t cut it anymore? Or is it a way around that so you don’t curse yourself? After all, “mental” doesn’t have to mean a cold.
  • Texas Hold’em
  • Webinar: Now maybe we’ll stop hearing the 20 variations of this.
  • And for the most interesting one: mondegreen. Along the lines of a malaprop except in this case it’s when someone misheard something not the unintentional misuse of a word or phrase (pornography instead of photography).
• Making the Most of Tough Times: Never, ever become complacent.
• Copyblogger Tagline Clinic
• 21 Ways to Make Your Blog or Website Sticky
• Copywriting: The 10 Magic Words
• 3 Steps to Successful Writing on the Web

And for fun because we’re allowed…

• 70 Amazing Business Cards
• Rice Field Art
• Kid safe browsers
• Fuel Savings Calculator
• Vaudeville Nation: I loved reading about vaudeville and catching TV programs about it. I still have an old tape from 1983 called Parade of Stars Playing the Palace. I wish it would come out on DVD as the tape is full of commercials and weather interruptions. Plus, the quality is going downhill.
• Take a Staycation as an alternative to pricey vacations.

Games up for Grabs at Blog 8th Birthday Bash

It may be this blog’s birthday, but the presents will go to readers like you. All the birthday details here. Here are the games up for winning!

• Reflexive contributes a total of 10 copies of three games! Some are for Mac.
  • Big Kahuna Reef 2: 4 copies (2 Mac and 2 PC)
  • Ricochet Infinity: 2 copies (PC)
  • Airport Mania: 4 copies (2 Mac and 2 PC)
• One full copy of Orchidia PC game from Joyboost. See Meryl’s Orchidia review.
  • One full copy of Spinword PC game from Joyboost.
  • One full copy of Astraware Classic Collection, which includes Astraware Sudoku, Astraware Solitaire, and Astraware Board games. Astraware is one of Meryl’s favorite — if not the best — developer of handheld software.
• Two full copies of Magic Farm Game PC games from Oleg Kuznecov of Meridian’93.
• Unicorn Castle from PC game from Oleg Kuznecov of Meridian’93.
• One copy for a reader and one copy for a guest blogger. My Magic Farm review.
• One Alawar PC game package including full copies of Virtual Farm, Curse of Montezuma, and Alex Gordon.
• Full copy of First Class Flurry PC game from Chanon Sajjamanochai of Viquagames. Meryl’s First Class Fury review.
• Full copy of Lex Venture: A Crossword Caper PC game from Mark Kanter of Bang Out Games. Meryl’s Lex Venture: A Crossword Caper review.

Blog 8th Birthday Celebration Prizes

Wow! Meryl is overwhelmed at the generosity of donated prizes and guest blog posts in celebration of this blog’s 8th birthday on June 1, 2008. Thank you for helping me (the blog) give her a little break. If only she would take a vacation OUTSIDE of Texas. That’s another battle.

There’s still time to contribute a prize (Help us get Meryl to jump out of a plane! Keep reading.) or to an article. Here are the upcoming guest bloggers and prizes.

Guest Bloggers

• John Hewitt of poewar.com
• Janet Lee Johnson of janetleejohnson.com
• Peter Bowerman, the The-Well Fed Writer author
• Yuwanda Black of InkwellEditorial.com
• Paige Eissinger, one of 2smartchix.com
• James Chartrand, one of the menwithpens.ca
• Bob Younce, The Writing Journey
• Jamie Grove, How Not to Write
• Anne Wayman, The Golden Pencil
• Yvonne Russell, Grow Your Writing Business
• Jon Phillips of Spyre Studio and Freelance Folder
• Joanna Young of Confident Writing

Prizes - Almost $6000 as of June 25

If we get We received $5000 worth of prizes by June 1 (birthday), so Meryl has to jump out of a plane at Skydive Dallas. This is no easy task for Meryl as she’s afraid of doing such a thing (she’d do the tandem jump complete with a video). Looking at a later June date.

She did it!

Now $5000 sounds impossible, but we have two sponsors that are coming who should help things along.

Prizes added June 26, 2008

It’s never too late to add a prize… well, maybe 2009 would be ridiculous.

• Softpowerhouse donates three copies of PowerReuse, a document assembly software designed for boosting productivity for professionals.

Prizes added June 16, 2008

• Five copies of Andy King’s Website Optimization.

Prizes added June 4, 2008

• Four copies of Business Daffynitions: Humor from the Workplace, one copy of Wit and Wisdom of a Regular Joe, and one copy of New Idiot-Proof Guide to Customer Loyalty from Joe Heuer, the Rock and Roll Guru.

Prizes added June 2, 2008

• Two full copies of Unicorn Castle Game PC games from Oleg Kuznecov of Meridian’93. One copy for a reader and one copy for a guest blogger.

Prizes added May 29, 2008

• Custom blog design by Jon of Spyre Studios and Freelance Folder. Prize includes:
  • typical blog layout.
  • design mock-ups (usually two to four designs)
  • coding: css and xhtml valid
  • Provides the design files (PNG/PSD if needed)
  • Built on WordPress (the person would need his/her own domain name and hosting plan)
  • 30-day support + PDF ‘how your new WP theme works’
  • WP installation and plugin configuration
  • link in the portfolio section of spyrestudio.com
• Reflexive contributes a total of 10 copies of three games! Some are for Mac.
  • Big Kahuna Reef 2: 4 copies (2 Mac and 2 PC)
  • Ricochet Infinity: 2 copies (PC)
  • Airport Mania: 4 copies (2 Mac and 2 PC)

Prizes added May 23, 2008

• AWAI’s Nick Usborne’s Million Dollar Secrets for Online Copywriting
• How to Make a Living as an SEO Writer from Yuwanda Black
• Access to Teaching Sells for two months from Copyblogger Brian Clark
• 80 Photoshop Brush Packs from Jacob Cass
• Five ebooks on writing from Anne Wayman

Prizes added May 22, 2008

• $800 DVD set from marketing extraordinaire Seth Godin. The guy admits he skipped the books so he can get Meryl closer to jumping off a plane (yes, the plane is way up in the air, not on the ground).
• AWAI’s Accelerated Program for Six-Figure Copywriting
• $450 basic WordPress customization package from Kim Beasley.
• One $100 gift certificate to Amazon from Mark Wegner of The Diamond Games — the guy responsible for me starting the separate games section.
• Lifetime subscription for RadioTime.com RedButton software — TiVO for radio where you can pause and record live radio.
• One full copy of Orchidia PC game from Joyboost. See Meryl’s Orchidia review.
• One full copy of Spinword PC game from Joyboost.
• One full copy of Astraware Classic Collection, which includes Astraware Sudoku, Astraware Solitaire, and Astraware Board games. Astraware is one of Meryl’s favorite — if not the best — developer of handheld software.

Original Prizes

• One $80 gift certificate to Amazon from Meryl ($10 for every year)
• Full version of Microsoft Expression Studio 2.
• Tara Calishain, two books
• Peter Shankman: signed copy of his book, Can We Do That?! Outrageous PR Stunts That Work–And Why Your Company Needs Them
• Lou Rosenfeld: Rosenfeld Media’s Luke Wroblewski’s Web Form Design.
• Lou Rosenfeld: Rosenfeld Media’s Indi Young’s Mental Models.
• Ted Demopoulos: Two copies of Secrets of a Successful Blogging System digital audiobook with What No One Ever Tells You About Blogging and Podcasting (in which Meryl appears).
• Problogger Darren Rowse provides a copy of his book, Problogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income.
• Men with Pens: one custom banner for a blog or website created to the winner’s specs and preferences, valued at $200. They ask for a 7 to 10 day turnaround from the point that the winner transmits her/his specs.
• Two full copies of Magic Farm Game PC games from Oleg Kuznecov of Meridian’93. One copy for a reader and one copy for a guest blogger. My Magic Farm review.
• One Alawar PC game package including full copies of Virtual Farm, Curse of Montezuma, and Alex Gordon.
• Full copy of First Class Flurry PC game from Chanon Sajjamanochai of Viquagames. Meryl’s First Class Fury review.
• Full copy of Lex Venture: A Crossword Caper PC game from Mark Kanter of Bang Out Games. Meryl’s Lex Venture: A Crossword Caper review.
• Microsoft Expression Software (more details coming soon).

How You Can Win

The contest has three (ouch, not “two” as I put in the first entry — Boy, I was not off to a good start with my notes about this. I also messed up the email I sent to friends and colleagues about this.) parts: Readers, prize sponsors, and authors.

1. Readers get entries for a chance to win prizes by simply leaving valuable comments, linking to this blog and its sponsors from their own blog, and telling others about it by Stumbling, Digging, and all that (keep track of what you do so you can get an entry for each one!).
2. Readers part 2: Some prizes will be available only to those who comment. These prizes are those with specific requirements that not everyone has. For example, software may only be available for Windows users and not Macs. I will put these up in a blog entry and anyone who comments within five days of the blog post (to be fair to those on vacation) will get an entry for the prize of the blog entry. These are the ones where you can win more than one! Comments must be at least 30 words to ensure they’re valuable to readers.
3. Prize sponsors: Automatically get 10 entries for donating a prize and links to their sites. Readers gain entries for linking to sponsors, which means more linkage!
4. Authors get entries into author-only prizes for their contributions. Articles can cover any of the following:
   1. Writing
   2. Freelancing
   3. Marketing
   4. Web site design, usability, etc.
   5. Technology

Participation rules coming soon. Meryl needs to take care of her clients. Here are the entry guidelines. If you want to contribute a prize or an article, we’d appreciate hearing from you by June 1.

Here are the guidelines for articles — and yes, it’s OK to have a longer article, but we’re trying to respect your time.

Guest Blogging Guidelines

* 400-800 words
* Self-promotion / bio goes in last paragraph (About the Author).
* Material must be original (it’s OK to re-use material with modifications) and first published on this site. 30 days after publication, you can re-use the article anywhere you please.
* I reserve the right to edit or reject the article for any reason (rare as most of you are great writers.)
* Due June 1 (willing to negotiate if needed).

The list will be updated as more offers come in. Thank you to everyone who stepped up.