View Recent Facebook Posts using Bookmarks

Facebook is something I use to keep in touch with friends and family, and I am slightly active on it. However, one thing that continues to annoy me is the lack of linearity - of timeline - in the news feed. About four years ago, FB changed the strucure of the posts to sort it with those posts with the most activity coming first, in descending order of reaction and comment.

A while ago I posted how to change the FB feed order in the side bar (here), but this is not a 'sticky' fix. Each time you go back in, you have to reset the feed back to "Most Recent". Go to another page, come back, reset. Rinse, repeat.

However, I want to see what is going on NOW, not six months ago, for when I do dip in. And there is a fix for both PC and mobile, kindly provided within the Facebook community, by Jahthree Pothole and Qazi Muhammad Asif, respectively:

• "Save this as a bookmark, or as a startup page in your browser. It always starts with 'most recent' https://www.facebook.com/?sk=h_chr (Pothole, 2014). The key is the "?sk=h_chr" ending, which you can append to any page or group address that you already have bookmarked
• "and for mobile user like m.facebook.com" (Asif, 2014)

When you load your page from the bookmark, the suffix will disappear. However, your feed view will be in 'most recent posts first' order.

Hopefully those two tips will work for you, as they worked for me.


Sam

• Reference: Pothole, J. & Asif, Q. M. (2014). How do I get my newsfeed to sort by most recent? Retrieved 6 December 2017 from https://www.facebook.com/help/community/question/?id=814642935216256

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PhD Antidote - what's your athelas?

Kanuka? or Athelas (Kingsfoil)

A recent post from a guest writer on the Thesis Whisperer caught my attention. Genevieve Simpson used the Gilmore Girls Netflix specials as an analogy to her PhD: the glowing spring of potential - the original 7 seasons - fast-forwarded to a disappointment with how it all turns out in autumn rather differently to what was 'promised' - the Netflix, ten-years-on thing.

Expectations may differ from reality in all walks of life :-)

I have never watched the Gilmore Girls, so following reading the post, I pootled off to YouTube and watched a few short clips, but it seemed pretty empty and air-headed. From that, I guessed I was not the target demographic. I did however, then watch a clip at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWzXSyE-4g8 from a guy's perspective which roundly enlightened me. The show seemed indeed empty and air-headed. No need to waste more time here.

However, what really interested me about Genevieve's post on Thesis Whisperer was the need for an empty and airheaded thing. I think this is a necessary antidote - an Athelas (Tolkien, 1954) - for the full-on, thoughtful and focused nature of PhD writing. Genevieve reminded me that I need to schedule in my own athelas to repair my 'wounds'; to recover.

And on reflection, I think that my athelas is a listening fix of murder mysteries & espionage thrillers: Jo Nesbo, Felix Francis, Daniel Silva, Ruth Rendell, Georges Simenon, Louise Penny, Adrian McKinty, Chris Brookmyre, Aline Templeton. I seem to remember a great fondness for Shortland Street - taped, to watch as a reward at the close of day - while doing my undergraduate degree.

My mechanism is different to Genevieve's, but the outcome will be - I hope - the same: providing a counter-foil - Kings Foil - so that balance is kept until the PhD process is complete.


Sam

References:

• McConnell, A. (16 December 2016). Gilmore Girls explained by a guy who only saw the first episode of the new Netflix show. Retrieved 22 November 2017 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWzXSyE-4g8 .
• Simpson, G. (22 November 2017). Gilmore girls, myself. Retrieved 22 November 2017 from https://thesiswhisperer.com/2017/11/22/gilmore-girls-myself/
• Tolkien, J. R. R. (1954). Lord of the Rings 1: The Fellowship of the Ring. UK: Unwin & Unwin.

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Prevention ideas for hard to prevent scams

Now this is an interesting scam: (a) Tauranga school teacher is in online relationship with South African (SA) man and groomed over time; (b) Golden Bay (GB) employee unwittingly loads key logging malware on their work computer via memory stick, and it infects the work network; (c) GB business email account compromised; (d) GB business email watched until large invoice comes in; (e) hackers intercept the GB business email and change payee details to Tauranga school teacher's account; (f) Tauranga school teacher pays 'transferred' GB business funds to SA man; (g) result: GB business out of pocket $7.5k + embarrassed Tauranga school teacher + happy SA man.

Wow. The hackers picked the PERFECT invoice to hack: a TradeMe sale. This was a one-off payment to a new account (so the Golden Bay business wouldn't have the payment details already on record). The worst of it is that the business was unable to make a claim on their insurance, as, by the time the whole debacle was unwound by the Police, it was more than twelve months down the track.

In my view, the business did not act foolishly. Both the employee and the Tauranga school teacher did.

• The GB employee should not have loaded an unverified memory stick into the work system. Habitually using a sandboxed machine may have prevented the malware payload... although it is hard to know without knowing the technical details. The employee stopping to think about the potential ramifications would have helped.
• The Tauranga school teacher could have asked why the SA man could not have used PayPal; or checked the reference or the code on the deposit to her account and then checked with her bank. The 'if it feels too good to be true, it is too good to be true' dictum needs to be followed, particularly for internet romances. More suspicion and critical thinking are required when our only experience of someone is virtual.

So what could the business have done differently to have protected itself? ALWAYS double check account details with source over the phone. For a new payment, ask for a phone number to contact their accounts person. This simple addition may not save us, but it will add an extra layer of complication that might make a scam fail.

What else? We need to run malware and other checks regularly. Keep antivirus software up to date. Train our staff, and get them to read articles like the one below so they are regularly reminded how we all contribute to organisational safety.

This has made me cringe, as students often bring their work in on a memory stick, despite me asking them to upload their files into our online dropbox. There is nothing like a reminder to NOT let any unverified memory sticks into our networks. A timely reminder for me to get students - and clients - to follow the rules, with no exceptions on memory sticks, and to tell them why.

At home I use an old laptop for memory sticks. Also, when I lend memory sticks, I reformat them afterwards on that sandboxed machine, and this is a good reminder of why I should continue to do that.

And I would be interested to hear any other simple ideas that a small business could take to avoid such scams :-)


Sam

• Reference: Hindmarsh, N. (21 November 2017). Complex scam sees hacker steal thousands from unsuspecting Kiwis. Retrieved 22 November 2017 from https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/99085989/complex-scam-sees-hacker-steal-thousands-from-unsuspecting-kiwis

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Great Online Survey Tips

SAGE Publications Ltd puts out a research newsletter from time to time, and in a recent edition, interviewed Mario Callegaro who works for Google in London as a researcher, co-author of Web Survey Methodology (buy it here), and founder of http://www.websm.org/, a website designed to help researchers get their online surveys just right.

During the video, Mario talks about what online surveys are, the pros and cons of using them, and the use of online panels.



A very useful overview!

Sam

• Reference: SAGE Publications Ltd (2017). Mario Callegaro Discusses Web Survey Methodology. Retrieved 21 November 2017 from http://methods.sagepub.com/video/srmpromo/yoZr5z/mario-callegaro-discusses-web-survey-methodology?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_content=play&utm_campaign=methods17nov&utm_term=

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Take Aways from a FutureLearn Course

An inveterate MOOCer, I recently signed up to a three course writing programme with the University of Reading on the FutureLearn platform. I completed the beginner programme back in August, and in October started on the next level (here). I have written about my experiences on this particular course here and here.

As the last tasks on the course, we usually just get to say thanks to the moderators, complete the course survey, then pootle off into the sunset. I decided that I would reflect on what I had learned instead.

The course took me 8 weeks to complete - as I needed to take a couple of work breaks - over the five week course. As I went through, I printed to pdf - or downloaded - all the course resources. Where I had pdfed materials, I had popped text notes on them detailing what was useful, recording my discussion board comments, and linking ideas to future applications for my own learning (yes: I like to get value for money out of learning!).

So, to sum up the course and provide feedback to the co-ordinators on the final discussion board of the course, I went back through my notes, and made a list of all the things that I found useful, and fed it back:

1. Credible source questions: authority, audience, currency, accuracy and viewpoint ('agenda', I would call this last one - then if we replaced currency with au courant... or another word starting with 'a' meaning timeliness, we would have five As! And I think this may be worth another idea all on its own...)
2. The SQ3R model
3. Considering the building blocks of text: paragraph, sentence, clause, phrase, and word.
4. Paragraph structures: topic sentence leader, supporting sentences, concluding - or bridging sentence.
5. Body: working through situation – problem – solution.
6. Academic writing features: describing the situation; outlining the problem; considering solutions; evaluating solutions.
7. Structuring the introduction: segue from general to main issue, provide evidence, thesis statement, outline structure.
   And the conclusion: restating the main points, restating the thesis statement, and future implications/predictions.
8. Four questions to ask about tenses:
   a. Does the verb relate to the present, past or future?
   b. If the action or state started in the past, is there a present effect?
   c. Does the verb related to a completed action or state in the past with no present effect?
   d. Should I use an active or passive form?

It was quite surprising how much you can pack away in a few weeks. I feel very lucky: I have been able to piggy-back on those who pay because they want the certification, while I audit the materials and suck up the learning.

What a deal!


Sam

• Reference: University of Reading (2017). Intermediate Guide to Writing: Week 5-20 What next? Retrieved 11 November 2017 from https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/english-for-study-intermediate/1/steps/253712

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Facebook's Annoying FB Messenger Invites

I don't know if you have been plagued recently by what seem to be FB friend requests, only to find that I have added people to Messenger by stealth mode. I don't WANT to add those people to messenger.

So I did a hunt to find out how to UNadd them to Messenger. Yes, I am deleting Messenger contacts. And it feels good ;-D.

Seriously though, getting rid of unwanted messenger contacts can be done quite easily, but you do need to do it on desktop. The steps are as follows:

Go to Facebook on your desktop

Double click the Messenger icon to open it

Click on the unwanted contact. The settings gear icon will appear.

Right click over the settings icon and click Delete. Job done.

It is very easy when we know how :-)


Sam

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Four Riders: Blame, Contempt, Defensiveness, and Stonewalling

Benjamin West - Death on a Pale Horse, 1817

In a post on the HBR Blog, Monique Valcour referred to a piece of work done by John Gottman, called the "A-BCDs", or "the four horsemen of the apocalypse"**.

I had not run across this before, but was quite struck by the idea of these four riders to help us keep conversations tracking well. Gottman outlines this as Avoiding the following behaviours in meetings: Blame, Contempt, Defensiveness, and stonewalling. What a quartet (quintet really, as avoid is counted).

The HBR "Management Tip of the Day" emailer contained this fraction of Monique's article, and it was so clear, I decided to record this so that I don't forget it. What HBR's mailer said was (8 November 2017):

• Blame. Try not to make assumptions about what your colleague is thinking, and don’t make groundless accusations. Keep the conversation focused on facts.
• Contempt. Acknowledge when you’ve lashed out in exasperation, and do your best to avoid making judgments.
• Defensiveness. Take responsibility for your part in the conversation. Are you open to input, or do you interpret new ideas as criticism?
• Stonewalling. Commit to listening and contributing with an open mind, instead of avoiding an unpleasant topic or refusing to participate fully in the conversation.

After reading this list, I felt that in my main education sector work, we tend to get stonewalled in meetings. Decisions have to be made so far up the food chain that we rarely know when something finally gets put in play. However, it also reassured me that the other behaviours don't tend to happen, and that is quite a cultural boost.

We can probably build some checks and balances around the stonewalling though, so we track progress. We have little influence over how long decisions take, but we can be the squeaky door which gets the most oil :-)

Let's mind our A-BCDs out there.


Sam

References:

• HBR (8 November 2017). Management Tip of the Day: Avoid These 4 Behaviors That Derail Conversations. Retrieved 8 November 2017 from https://hbr.org/newsletters/management-tip?spMailingID=18412516&spUserID=ODI5MDQxMTUwS0&spJobID=1140238203&spReportId=MTE0MDIzODIwMwS2
• Valcour, M. (22 May 2017). 8 Ways to Get a Difficult Conversation Back on Track. Retrieved 12 November 2017 from https://hbr.org/2017/05/8-ways-to-get-a-difficult-conversation-back-on-track?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter_daily&utm_campaign=mtod&referral=00203&spMailingID=18412516&spUserID=ODI5MDQxMTUwS0&spJobID=1140238203&spReportId=MTE0MDIzODIwMwS2

** should be gender neutral as "the four riders of the apocalypse" I feel. And yes, language does matter :-)

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Making use of the Send To menu

As usual, Ed Bott from TechRepublic has come up with another pearl. In a recent emailer, Ed explained in simple terms how we can customize Window's "Send To" menu.

He talked about how we can right click files or folders, then, using the Send To option on the menu, move - or copy - the selected items to a particular place. Interestingly, this is something that I have never utilised, aside from sending items to email. Now that Ed has explained this, I realise that I have been missing a productivity trick for YEARS.

Ed goes on to explain that the Windows Send To options straight out of the box aren't very useful (a reason why I have probably never used them). However, Ed has a hack to fix that. He says:

"if you create a shortcut, you can customize that list to your heart's content. The secret is to open the Run box (Windows key + R), type the command shell:sendto, and then press Enter. That opens the folder filled with everything you see on the Send To list.I typically delete the Fax Recipient entry and add shortcuts to Notepad, WordPad, and some of my most-used document folders."

Now, how is that for being useful?!


Sam

• Reference: Bott, E. (8 November 2017). Customize the Send To menu. Retrieved 9 November 2017 from http://enews.techrepublic.com/hostedemail/email.htm?CID=47803537747&ch=3E51C455867043A5250471936AAA7324&h=e371a09ec1009098e79f6ef7695f8e42&ei=WPXjfYogN&schema=echo3

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UBI - Universal Basic Income

I have noted an increasing commentary around the planet about a universal basic income (UBI). A UBI is where a country's government pays all citizens a base salary that can be lived on - say $20k/$30k per annum for EVERYONE. Children from birth. People can go and get themselves a paying job as well, or run a company, or work for a charity, or have a family, or paint, or become an engineer, retire at 15, or read to the blind: but, because they are a citizen, they are fully supported throughout their lives by their country. I had thought that Switzerland was going to vote in a UBI a few years ago, but the proposal was defeated.

The idea is that this is funded from company taxes. Any companies that trade in your country have to pay their due taxes for the privilege of selling to your people, creating waste etc. The government then passes those taxed company profits back to the citizenry. Robotics, AI, all those issues go away, as does social welfare, to a large degree, as people do not need to be employed: they have enough to live on. The 'ordinary person' gets more than minimum wage, but can chose to go and earn more if they want to. There is no personal income tax: this is funded from commerce. GST would probably carry on though.

Of course, the trick to this system is getting companies to pay their fair amount of tax in the first place. If companies did pay their intended amount of tax instead of wasting resources in avoiding it, countries would have enough money in government coffers to cover a UBI easily. But we would have to globally clamp down on companies being able to avoid/evade local taxes - by being registered offshore, or in tax havens - for this to work.

It is an interesting idea, and one I hope to see develop over time. It is going to mean some quite radical change to inter-governmental co-operation though. And I can't see that happening in a hurry.

Sam

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Deep Learning

Image thanks to Paddlechicka, n.d., from
Kathy Sierra, Creating Passionate Users, 2006

A career colleague of mine recently shared a Medium article on LinkedIn, which centred, beyond instrumental imperatives, around a core message on the deeper benefits of learning.

Having just attended the Career Development Association's Symposium (CDANZ), where we had a robust discussion on professional development, one early paragraph in the Medium article really struck me:

"The difference between the professionals and the dreamers is that the professionals actually become students of their craft. They live and breathe learning and improvement. It’s not just 10,000 hours of it, either. Becoming a student means developing your deep work abilities. It means you practice deliberately" (Moore, 2017).

Isn't that a lovely thought? That "[b]ecoming a student means developing your deep work abilities. It means you practice deliberately" (Moore, 2017). This ties in quite nicely to what both Professor Michael Arthur and Judith Jamieson said in their respective key notes at the CDANZ symposium. What great managers - and career practitioners - have that sets them apart is intellectual curiosity. If we constantly feed our own curiosity about our profession, then we are displaying professional behaviour.

However, it is not just curiosity that we need to be professional. Moore quoted Epictetus, a Greek philosopher, who said “If [we] want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid" (1 November 2017). Being prepared to learn with a beginners mind (Daft, 2008, Kuhn, 1970) is a very important part of remaining professional. Always being a naive inquirer (Miller & Rollnick, 1991). Then as things change in our profession, we update our knowledge. When we stop doing that, it is probably time for us to move on to something new.

Something else that struck me from Moore's article was the attitude of others to our learning. This related to those who are single-minded enough to pursue their own self-development:

"First they laugh at you. Then, they criticize you. Finally, they brag to others how they know you" (Moore, 2017).

This is an interesting point. Sometimes people who are very focused on gaining mastery have little time left in their lives for anything other than becoming the best at their own game. I personally feel that there is a difference between mastery and professionalism. One can become all consuming (mastery), and the other remains practice.

My friend, Mike Dooley, said that this idea of deliberate practice could be "a view of study as a 'good in itself', which would liberate it from the dictates of someone other needs/ends (the economy, an employer, status, gaining a diploma....)". I particularly like this view of study as a 'good', as an end in itself. This is probably what professional organisations are trying to embed; that part of being 'professional' is the deliberate practice of continual self-development.

While some of us are still struggling to make the shift from a fixed, "I'm done" mindset to a growth, if we are professionals, we need to move to an "I'll always be developing" mindset.

And practice deliberately :-)


Sam

References:

• Daft, R. L. (2008). The Leadership Experience (4th ed.). Thomson South-Western.
• Dooley, M. (4 November 2017). A reminder of the wide and deep benefits of applied study, beyond instrumental imperatives. Retrieved 4 November 2017 from https://www.linkedin.com/groups/3711595/3711595-6331935456061685762?midToken=AQGAxGsctAQ4_g&trk=eml-b2_anet_digest-hero-24-hero%7Edisc%7Edisc%7E0&trkEmail=eml-b2_anet_digest-hero-24-hero%7Edisc%7Edisc%7E0-null-az11i%7Ej9kfwzjt%7Ef9-null-communities%7Egroup%7Ediscussion&lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Aemail_b2_anet_digest%3BGPQpxj3NQH2JE3fgbS0FfA%3D%3D
• Kuhn, T. S. (1970). The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (2nd ed.). The University of Chicago Press.
• Miller, W. R. & Rollnick, S. P. (1991). Motivational Interviewing: Preparing people for change (2nd ed., 2002). The Guildford Press.
• Moore, A. (1 November 2017). If You Don’t Become a Student First, You’ll Never Be Great at Anything. Retrieved 4 November 2017 from https://medium.com/the-mission/if-you-dont-become-a-student-first-you-ll-never-be-great-at-anything-6560cc7e72d0
• Paddlechica (2015). How to be an Expert. Retrieved 5 November 2017 from http://paddlechica.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/paddlechica_how_to_be_an_expert.png
• Sierra, K. (2006). How to be an expert. Retrieved 5 November 2017 from http://headrush.typepad.com/creating_passionate_users/2006/03/how_to_be_an_ex.html

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Lead paragraphs with words, not numerals

There are lots of rules about using numbers in writing. Generally, writing manuals and style guides tell us to write out whole numbers from zero to nine in words, with numbers from ten and up as numerals. A secretary in a past workplace told me that, and I have used it ever since.

However, recently I read some student work where paragraphs led with numbers in places, and I was surprised at how much I disliked seeing a paragraph start with a numeral. I felt that we shouldn't start paragraphs with a numeral; that we are better to write "A significant majority of respondents - 90% - see the provision..." not "90% of respondents see the provision...". This 'rule' applies in all circumstances aside from dates, where we may write “2017 held many challenges...”. However, we will probably still find this more difficult to read. It is easier to read "The many challenges of 2017 were...".

The really interesting thing was that I have no idea WHY we don't start with numbers. I thought that I could easily go and find out online, but I have not yet been able to find out where this 'rule' comes from. It might just be as prosaic as it is easier to begin a paragraph with text than with numbers. Perhaps we automatically look for a numbered list when we see a number, to so avoid that, we don't lead off with one. Or something.

As I have mentioned, I have been undertaking a FutureLearn course on technical writing from the University of Reading (here). One of my fellow students suggested we avoided starting sentences with a number because having text with a capital letter better prepared the reader for what was to come.

I have no definitive answers as yet. Will keep you posted!


Sam

References:

• APAStyle (n.d.). When are numbers expressed in words? Retrieved 25 October 2017 from http://www.apastyle.org/learn/faqs/numbers-as-words.aspx
• Joshi, Y. (23 Jan 2014). Scientific writing: Avoid starting sentences with a number or abbreviation. Retrieved 25 October 2017 from https://www.editage.com/insights/scientific-writing-avoid-starting-sentences-with-a-number-or-abbreviation

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Planning what to write

I have been undertaking part of a series of FutureLearn papers on technical writing (view the course here) from the University of Reading. As part of this second unit, those of us on the course have been exploring our ideas and finding out each other's opinions on the discussion boards.

We were asked a question about which of the following we agreed with, and why. Whether we felt that:

• I like to write a detailed plan for my essay before I start writing. I stick fairly close[ly] to the plan
• I write a rough plan and then start writing. As I write, I find my ideas evolve, so my first draft might end up looking quite different to what I had planned.
• I don't write a plan for essays. I just start writing and see where the writing leads me.

My response was that I did a mixture of 'just starting to write', followed by 'writing a plan'.

One of my fellow students was quite surprised by my response - perhaps thinking of me as being controlled and planned from my other answers, I suspect. He asked me about how I 'fixed my writing plan' which really made me pause to think.

My response to the question surprised me. I hadn't realised that there was some hidden knowledge for me to find in my writing process. Upon reflection, I realised that I don't start with a concrete plan at all. In fact, I start with an almost blank canvas. As I first explore the literature, I read and take notes in a way that begins my writing. The information from this initial phase may not end in my final work. My initial trawling and researching is combined with writing, and the process is iterative.

As a result, each time I set out to write, I do almost two literature reviews. The second one begins as the first is taking shape, and the second builds upon the first. The first trawl of the literature starts to build a picture of what I need to find out, then, as I am discovering the field, I also start to understand enough to start planning out how and what I should write. I often draw up a concept map in this overlapping phase so I can lead myself through the landscape - eg here - which helps me to map out the relationships and develop my main argument.

As a usually fairly planned person, my fellow student's question really made me reflect deeply about why and how I approach this differently. I have learned something new about myself, and I was surprised at how organic my writing process is. The 'yet to be discovered' thing is WHY I write this way, and what the benefits and costs may be to me in taking this approach.

Writing is a skill that needs honing. I am sure that there are as many methods as there are writers... but, like any craft, we can learn different techniques to increase our mastery. I probably need to try other writing approaches to see if I can write more efficiently and effectively. I may be like the person carrying four bricks at a time by hand, compared to using a hod and carrying a dozen... or - even worse - my four bricks by hand might have its mirror with the man on a forklift, carrying 440 on a single pallet. This will need more exploration: I do want to ensure that I see full benefit for my creative endeavours.

Mind you, regardless of how we get there, providing our end point meets our goals, I think we have succeeded :-)

Sam

• Reference: University of Reading (October 2017). Intermediate Guide to Writing: Week 5-02 From planning to drafting. Retrieved 2 November 2017 from https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/english-for-study-intermediate/1/steps/249496/comments?page=3#comment_24362628

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Excel tab name repeated in sheet cell

To streamline my student's research report - or article - marking at the end of their projects, I use a rubric set up in a spreadsheet. Not only does this spreadsheet outline all the items I am seeking within my students' work - so performing the function of a checklist for them in preparing their document, but it also totals the ticked items, section by section. It also makes marking much, much easier.

Once marked, I pdf each sheet and upload it into Moodle with the student's mark. I don't provide detailed feedback at the end of the course: as a supervisor, there have already been many weeks of conversation about what constitutes 'quality' work, supported by constructive feedback, exemplars and experiments. What students need now is a mark, and moderators will need an indication of how the learning outcomes have been allocated and marked against.

Additionally, I seek permission each year from students who have gained an A grade to share their research reports or articles with the next cohort of students. I encourage current students to examine past student's work to see where it was strong, and where it could have been improved, using my marking sheet, which is appended to those past submissions.

While the marking sheet works well, I am always looking for ways to reduce administration further. Recently I was setting up my marking sheets for the end of the semester, and wondered whether, if I named all my spreadsheet tabs with my student names, whether each sheet could then pick up the student name in the "name" field at the top of the spreadsheet. To my delight, after a quick google search I found that I could indeed do that, using a fairly simple formula:

=MID(CELL("filename",A1),FIND("]",CELL("filename",A1))+1,255)

All I have to do now is to appropriately name each tab for each student, and their name now automatically appears in the - now - protected name field.

It works a treat!


Sam

• Reference: ExtendOffice (8 May 2017). Reference the current sheet tab name in cell with formula. Retrieved 25 October 2017 from https://www.extendoffice.com/documents/excel/2618-excel-reference-tab-name.html

If anyone wants to see how this spreadsheet works in action, you can download a copy here. Please note that, while the spreadsheet is protected, there is no password.

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Changing Samsung photo storage location

When using a Samsung phone with an SD card installed, operating system software updates tend to mess with our settings. There have been a number of times when I have had to reset my storage location for photos and videos back from device storage to SD Card. Again.

The trouble is that the updates that cause all the pain tend to be quite far apart. In between, I forget how to make the changes. I keep going to look for the storage location in the phone's application manager, and not in the Camera app settings. The best way for me is to then write a blog post, where all I have to do when the same-old, same-old happens again is it to look it up on my blog.

So, to change the default storage location for the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 camera, simply:

1. Start the Camera app
2. Tap Settings (the gear icon)
3. Tap Menu (...)
4. Tap Storage Location
5. Select "SD Card"

And we are done.


Sam

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