Here’s one I found today in the Wall Street Journal on studies into the nature of happiness … one more of those studies that essentially tell us our grandparents were right after all.
Is Happiness Overrated?
Study Finds Physical Benefits to Some (Not All) Good Feelings
The message I take away from this one is pretty simple: If you’re obsessed with being happy, you probably won’t be but if you manage your life well and do the right things, happiness will be the reward. It’s a familiar principle that works with other things like love, money, respect from your peers, etc …
Study Finds Physical Benefits to Some (Not All) Good Feelings
I thought about taking the blog down when I realized how long it had been since I posted here but instead, I decided to say goodbye to Facebook for awhile and devote those misspent energies to something a little more productive.
I started a new full-time job in January, which is another reason I’ve been away. Aside from the steady paycheck, it’s been a good opportunity to work on a new programming project. In this case, a web-based purchasing system complete with a SQL Server back-end, web services, a typed dataset providing the classes and a decent amount of leeway in design. It’s also been a refreshing change from Access 2007 as I’ve been able to update my .NET skills with Visual Studio 2010.
Still, I’ve been getting a little restless off-hours and finally decided to kick myself back into gear. A steady gig (with an hour commute each way) opens the door to the temptation of kicking back with Netflix during too many nights and that eventually leads to a very sad place so I’m trying to dust off a side project or two again and see what I can do with them. I really should go back to that Microsoft Access eBook I was working on back in December but working on SQL Server / Visual Studio during the day and Microsoft Access at night sounds a little too much like a double life to me and a backwards one at that.
So for now, I’ll just try to write a little something here each day. It might be something new I’ve discovered in .NET or maybe just an interesting link I’ve found during the odd moment when I needed to wrench my mind away from stored procedures and shared functions …
A visitor to the site asked about using ALT-TAB to switch between open Access windows. This refers to the “Windows in Taskbar” feature which was available in Access prior to Access 2007. You could set Access to display a button for every open Access window on the Windows Task Bar and use the standard ALT-TAB to switch between them. I usually disabled it because I didn’t like all of those taskbar buttons for the same program.
This feature is no longer present in Access 2007 / 2010, although it’s still available for Word and Excel. One option that is still available is the Ctrl-F6 key combination. Using Ctrl-F6 or Shift-Ctrl-F6 (for reverse order) you can switch between all open windows in your Access program, including forms, open tables and the database widow.
Of course, I usually design Access applications to keep only a couple windows open at a time and my forms have links or buttons that take the user back to the appropriate menu or screen. During design time, though, or when you’re creating a quick and dirty app for analysis, this can come in handy.
Here’s an interesting idea for a holiday gift …
1970′s Retro Candy Gift Box
Having grown up in the 70s, I remember things like FreshenUp gum and Pop Rocks although I always liked chocolate the best and went for the candy bars. They also have gift packs for the other decades from the 40s to the 90s.
I got a little sidetracked from the series of articles that I was planning on the development of JobSearch 2010. Actually, after finishing development on it, I might have been a little tired of looking at it and felt like doing something different. With all the features available in the program, however, it’s a rich source of material for articles and I still plan on getting back to it.
Meanwhile, I’ve been reviewing some of the other articles on the site and making some improvements where possible. If you’re new to Microsoft Access or need to explore a new area of it such as query building or report design, check out the Microsoft Access for Beginners series, the most popular feature on Drewslair.com.
Once you’re comfortable with Access, the next step is to learn about Visual Basic for Applications which will help you program more advanced features into your database programs. You can get started with VBA by checking out the Programming Microsoft Access series which explains the purpose of VBA, how to work with the development environment and various programming concepts.
JobSeach 2010 is now out of beta testing and version 1.01 is available for download. If you’re looking for a job or know someone who is, this is a great tool that can help you maximize your search. JobSearch 2010 includes contact management, lead tracking and flexible reporting all in one program … and it’s FREE! No obligation, no registration, no charge!
If you’d like to know more and maybe download JobSearch 2010, check it out at:
http://www.drewslair.com/jobsearch2010.shtml
Most of the articles I’ve written on Microsoft Access have been about designing database applications that are meant for regular use. One of the strengths of Access, however, is its ability to import and link to data from different sources. Excel does this too but with Access you can go on to query and report on the data in ways that Excel doesn’t readily provide. This can come in handy as part of an application but it’s also useful for quick analysis of new information. I found a new example of this the other day when I was looking over the website statistics for Drewslair.com …
Read more in - ”Crunching the Data: Data Analysis with Microsoft Access“
JobSearch 2010 is a personal job search organizer that enables you to manage all of your information in one easy to use program. With this tool, you can maintain complete detail on each lead and have it all instantly available at the click of a mouse or offline through one of the available reports. Never lose track of an opportunity again or be at a loss for the information you need on an interview with this free software from Drewslair.com.
The beta version of JobSearch 2010 is now available for download and testing. If you’d like to try it out and give your input on how it works for you, you can see the full details with screenshots at
http://www.drewslair.com/jobsearch2010.shtml�
or e-mail beta@drewslair.com with questions.
JobSearch 2010 - Run a more effective job search with this free software from Drewslair.com.
In addition to the free download, I will be starting a series of articles detailing the development process for JobSearch 2010 for those interested in learning more about programming and software development. So keep checking back because there will be more to come soon!
My latest project on Drewslair.com is JobSearch 2010, a program designed to help job seekers organize their searches and more effectively follow-up on opportunities. The program will enable users to gather information on job opportunities, companies, contacts and job search activities in one database where the information can be easily referenced and reported on. The program will feature user-friendly data entry as well as flexible search capabilities and reporting for individual leads and the search as a whole.
With this in mind, I am looking for beta testers who would be interested in evaluating the program both in terms of operation and usability. The ideal testers will fall into one or both of these groups:
- Job seekers who are fielding multiple leads from different sources, preferably leads requiring multiple activities such as the sending of resumes, follow-up contacts and one or more interviews
- Usability experts or people with software quality assurance experience
I’m not offering any compensation for testing this application or reporting issues although I do consider it an opportunity for professional networking with people who are willing and able to provide significant input into the design of the program. Once testing is complete and the program is available for download, those who participate in the testing and continue to use the program will receive full and preferential support. As the program is intended for the home user who is looking for work, the finished program will be offerred as a free download.
In order to run and test this program, you must have access to a personal computer on which you are authorized to install software and on which you can perform job search activities. The computer must have the following:
If you are interested in participating or would like more information, please contact me at acomeau@drewslair.com.
Reviewing the Programming Microsoft Access series, I suddenly realized I’d written nothing about enumerations. One of my favorite tools in VB and I completely forgot about it. Of course, they weren’t even included in Access 97 VBA so I’ll just assume that had something to do with it …
I also found that I’d linked to the wrong demonstration database so I’m glad it occurred to me to run through the series again. I’ll probably take the time to write up a couple of new chapters while I’m at it.
