OVER 2 YOU, 111 (03/12/02)

ARCHERS ABROAD

I live abroad and regularly listen to the Archers on the Radio 4 web site. However this requires the use of RealPlayer software, which I find intrusive and unreliable. Does anyone know of an alternative that will allow me to get my daily fix of the goings on in Ambridge, without messing around with my PC and accessing my internet connection without permission?

Trevor Lacey, via email

Try the BBC Radio Player on http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/radio4_

promo.shtml

On this site the BBC are now giving us Radio on Demand where many programmes on Radios 1, 2 3 & 4 as well as Radio Scotland can be listened to at any time after they are broadcast up until the time of the next scheduled broadcast. There is also a 'Pause' and 'Skip 5 minutes' facility. The latest episode of the Archers is featured which would enable him to listen at a time suitable to him.

A R Grieve

Radio 4 is available on the Astra 2A satellite, transponder 5, at 28.2 East, whose footprint covers all of Europe plus the Canary Islands and parts of North Africa. The transmission is completely free to air, no cards required, so the cheapest entry-level digital satellite receivers will work. See www.astra.lu for details of the footprints, dish size required etc plus lists of the free to air radio and TV stations available. I regularly enjoy sun, sangria and the Archers this way, even at my age.
N J Rowland

EXCEL SCRIPTS

Does anybody know how to get Excel to show a negative minutes and seconds value? My work involves timing TV scripts - having done an initial estimate of a scene length, I enter it formatted as minutes and seconds. In the next column when the scene is recorded, I enter the actual time the scene lasted. In the third column is a formula to show the difference between the two, which when it’s a negative figure appears unhelpfully as ‘#####’. Is there any way round this?

Helen Stephens, via email

By default, Excel (for Windows) uses the 1900 date system. In order to represent "negative" time values, you should change to the 1904 date system. This can be achieved (in Excel 2002) by going to Tools -> Options -> Calculation and checking the "1904 Date System" checkbox. For more information visit http://support.microsoft.com and search the
Knowledge Base for article 182247 ("XL: Negative Date/Time Value Displayed as Pound Signs (###)"). The direct link to this article is
http://support.microsoft.com/

default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;182247.
Mike Ormond, Microsoft UK

Thanks for the challenge! This formula should enable Helen Stephens to show negative minutes and seconds when subtracting two times.  The result is a number for positive values, but a string for the negative case. A1 & B1 are the two times -

=IF((A1-B1)<0,("-"&TRUNC((B1-A1)*24*60,0)

&":"&TRUNC((((B1-A1)*24*60)-TRUNC(
(B1-A1)*24*60,0))*60,0)),A1-B1)
Bryan Bowen

This can be solved by using an IF function, combined with deducting from 24:00. As an example, if one time is cell C4, the other cell D4, then the countdown difference will remain positive by using: IF (C4>D4, C4-D4, TIME(24,0,0)-(C4-D4)). The countdown cell should be formatted (cell format/time with the first option (in Excel 2000) for which the program's example is 13:30.
Allan Beardsworth, via email

One possible solution: In the column after the current time difference, use the ABS function to get rid of any negative results. Then use Conditional Formatting on the new column to display (say) red text if the original result was negative. Assuming the new column is "D", then the formula will be "=ABS(Cn)" and the Conditional Formatting is "Formula is - =Cn<0" where "n" is the row number. Positive differences will show black and negative red.   You'll also need to use normal cell formatting to set whatever "time" display you need.  If you want to get a total time difference for a list of individual timings, SUM column C and use the above on column D.
Bryan Peak

I can’t find a way to overcome the Excel defaults. However, here is a work-around: Assume she places estimated and actual times in cells B2 and C2. The formula for the difference in cell D2 is then:

=CONCATENATE(IF((B2-C2)<0,"- ","+ "),ROUNDDOWN(ABS(B2-C2)*24*60,0),"m

",ROUNDDOWN((ABS(B2-C2)*24*60-ROUNDDOWN

(ABS(B2- C2)*24*60,0))*60, 2),"s")

The format should be set to General or Text. Note that she won’t be able to do any maths on this expression because it’s text composed of the extracted components of the time. However, her original formula for the time difference (B2-C2), although not displayed correctly, could be displayed as a number with the General format, and a number of them could be added together to get a total time difference. The above formula could then be applied to this cell.
Dave Parker, Whitchurch, Aylesbury

WIDESCREEN POWERPOINT

Our local Arts Centre shows films using a video projector. Most of the films are in 16:9 widescreen ratio. Before the film there is a PowerPoint 'slideshow' made up of announcements of forthcoming events, exhibitions, scanned leaflets, etc., and these are obviously in the standard 4:3 PowerPoint ratio. It is therefore necessary to access the projector menu and alter the ratio settings before showing the film, which detracts from the general video presentation. Can anyone think of a way to modify the PowerPoint input to give a 16:9 ratio widescreen view?

Brian Hemingway, via email

The PowerPoint aspect ratio problem can be simply solved by going to File, Page Setup and selecting 'custom' from the 'Slides sized for' dropdown box. He can then set the slides to any size and aspect ratio he wants including 16:9 (e.g. 32cm x 18cm). I notice that very few PowerPoint users adjust the slide size between 'A4
paper' and 'On-screen show', which I suspect are the two main uses, even though the finished result can be significantly different (especially in terms of blank space at the sides).
Vivian Dunn

Forget PowerPoint. Get 'Pictures to Exe' which is a very fast way to create snappy, correctly formatted 16:9 announcements etc, prior to your show. If your compiler is even moderately handy with a computer he can easily add a musical background without difficulty.  The program is cheap, only about £18, more details can be found at: http://www.picturestoexe.com/forums/index.php and try a free download to get the hang of it.

Warren S.H.Monks

MISSING BELT

I have an old Phillips reel-to-reel tape recorder and quite a number of tapes but I can't play any of them because the machine's drive belts have perished.  Is it possible to buy drive belts?  If so, where?

Jeremy Quinlan, via email

As a further reply to Jeremy Quinlan's question about supplies of drive belts for obsolete tape recorders and record players, he will find every belt he ever needs at Turntable Basics of Minnesota, USA. The website is www.turntablebasics.com  and the company can be e-mailed at tim@turntablebasics.com . I have used this supplier for Connoisseur record deck belts, which seem to be unobtainable from anywhere in the UK.   The response
is excellent, with delivery time from order about four days. On-line payment through "PayPal" was used to avoid any delay in ordering.
Norman Bennett

ON LINE STATIONARY

I have recently started my own business and presumed I could now design and order my new stationery online. However, various search engines have supplied me with only very slow and unreliable sites (which I'd better not name!). Can anyone recommend a fast, easy-to-use online print design system -- preferably not too expensive -- or am I still best off using high street print shops?

Stuart McGregor, via email

I recommend Surfprint at www.surfprint.co.uk as they gave me 100 cards free. I found it very simple easy to use. When I ordered my stationery it arrived 3 days later, the quality was excellent, as opposed to previous companies I had tried, some of these other so called online print shops delivered products either smudged or ragged at the edges.
David Buchanan

CAN YOU HELP

Does anyone know of a web site where you can 

compose music online, on manuscript paper? I have 

been looking for ages.  

P.H.Evans, via email

I wear two behind the ear Widex analogue hearing aids.  I have been denied the use of a mobile phone because every one I try to use results in a high pitched noise rendering reception to be totally inaudible.  Has anyone else
experienced this problem and how have they solved it?
Geoff Jackson, via email

I am trying to create an Access database of the major events within my family history showing date, title, major players etc. with a brief description of the event and the option of viewing a group of relevant photographs. Can anyone suggest an easy way of displaying photographs as a page of thumbnails and/or a slide show from within an Access application?

R. Kilvo, via email