OVER 2 YOU 192 (10/08/04)

ABOUT TIME

I use an Excel worksheet for the Timekeeper's script in Cowes Week yacht racing.  Can anyone help me to superimpose a running time clock, and a repeating countdown stopwatch, on the worksheet as it is being used at full
screen size on my laptop?
George Brown, via email

This problem can be solved using VBA (in Excel Visual Basic
Editor). First enter the following in the first sheet of his Excel file:

Cell A1: "=NOW()"
Format Range("A1:A3") with the required time format.
Cell A2: "=A3-A1"
Cell A3: Enter the time to count down to.

Then open the Visual Basic Editor and insert a module in the
VBAProject for his file and type the following code in the
declarations portion:

Sub Procedure1()
Application.OnTime Now + TimeValue("00:00:01"), "Procedure2"
End Sub

Sub Procedure2()
Worksheets(1).Cells(1, 1).calculate
If Worksheets(1).Cells(2, 1) > 0 Then Procedure1
End Sub

Finally: Run Procedure1. Note that this is not a clock as such, but it evaluates the computers clock every second and a bit.

Graham Gidney, via email

I had need of something similar a while back and I stumbled across several ingenious solutions on the Engineering Tips website at:

www.eng-tips.com/gviewthread.cfm/

pid/770/qid/93902. These include simple macros and links to commercially available programs.

Ben Craven, via email

A Google search for stopwatch add-ons for Excel bought up the following freeware programs, which I suspect you correspondent might find useful:

www.freedownloadscenter.com/

Business/MS_Office_Add-ins/Excel_Stopwatch.html

and

www.freewarefiles.com/programs.php? ProgramID=9616&category

id=8&subcategoryid=83

Charles C. Grady, via email

It might be possible to use or adapt a countdown timer for this sort of application. There’s a simple freeware program, in the form of a downloadable zip file at the following web site:

www.tushar-mehta.com/excel/software/countdown/

Rob Abrahams, via email

INFECTION RECORD

Yesterday I was sent 53 emails with the Netsky virus attached. Today there were over 80 of them in my Inbox. Fortunately they were all safely intercepted by my anti-virus software, but I would like to know if this is some kind of record?

Henry Philips, via email

It certainly is not! I run a small personal website dedicated to Classic Suzuki Motorcycles, the site is very popular, I get spammed a lot, as well as sent many viruses.  One day a few weeks ago I was sent 1275 emails to one of my email addresses. Four were genuine, and the rest were all messages containing a virus.  1153 (if I remember correctly) were all from the same email address - a second hand car dealership in the Midlands.  I have to change my published email addresses regularly!

Adrian Baker, via email

Only 80 viruses in a day, is that all! About two weeks ago my personal email address was bombarded by an estimated fifteen hundred virus laden emails. I couldn’t believe how fast they were arriving and I gave up trying to count them so the exact figure might be even higher. I can’t understand why I was targeted. My email address bears not the slightest resemblance to any company or organisation that I am aware of and as far as I know I haven’t upset anyone. The emails came from five different addresses but they all turned out to be bogus. I complained to my Internet service provider and within 24 hours the flow had stopped but I never did find out from whom they were sent, or why.

M. L, via email

FORM FILLING

I am the Chairman and acting Clerk for the Parish Council. Various agencies send me forms, returns and questionnaires etc. by email in PDF format. Currently I have to download, print and complete the form by hand, take a photocopy for my files and then return it by post. I would prefer to complete these forms on screen, store a copy on the computer and return them by email. Can anyone recommend a cheap software program that would enable me to easily fill out PDF forms? I am using Windows XP and Word.

Alan Jury, via email

For a huge list of pdf related products look up: www.pdfzone.com, hover over the Buyers Guide tab, click on Search PDF Products in the drop down menu and choose the All Products link in the next screen.

Reading between the lines of Alan Jury's question I detect a slight annoyance with the way he is being taken advantage of by outside agencies, who, purely to convenience themselves, are adding unnecessarily to both his workload and postage costs. If he wishes to 'get back' at the senders of the PDF questionnaire forms: while they are in Word format he can edit and customise them as he wishes, delete bits, change the order of paragraphs and questions, add his own questions etc. What fun could be had!

Peter Killick, via email

IN THE FRAME

I want to use my digital camera to take photos of framed prints, with clear glass in front. Can anyone suggest how I can avoid, or remove reflections of the camera in the photograph?

John Lyon-Maris, via email

My solution would be to use a flatbed scanner for prints up to A4 in size. The light source is parallel with the scanning head, which neutralises reflections from shiny surfaces and frame glass etc. Failing that I believe you can get an aerosol spray, that’s used by photographers, to reduce the glare and flare from shiny objects. You should be able to obtain this form any decent photographic supplier.

Michael Daley, via email

CAN YOU HELP

I am interested in knots and have managed to find books about knots and rope work at my local library but I am wondering if there are any CD-ROMs or websites (though I not at present connected to the Internet) that deal with this subject as I have no idea where else to look?

Arthur Brewer, via email

Using Excel I am frustrated by the limits of three conditions under "Conditional Formatting" and seven nested formulae. I use conditional formatting to ascribe different colours to parts of a horizontal bar used for planning and need more than three. A seven-deep nested formula is also seriously restricting. I've tried QuattroPro12 and OpenOffice and searched the discussion pages without luck. Any suggestions?

Michael Falter, via email