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Thousands separator in Excel as thin space instead of comma
On days when I look at a lot of numeric data in Excel, usually the data arrives with a hodgepodge of formatting, even with differences on a cell-by-cell, not just column or row, basis. Before I really dig into the data, I often find myself reformatting, even re-arranging, into a spreadsheet that helps me see…
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What harms us, really, according to the Stoics?
Marcus Aurelius, then Caesar of the Roman Empire, wrote the following while stationed in modern-day Austria around AD170 while his troops were at war with the locals: [4.8] Anything that doesn’t make a person worse in himself doesn’t make his life worse either, and does him no harm, external or internal. Marcus Aurelius, Meditations: The…
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Mosquitos & Eucalyptus
When I was a child, everyone around me would be slapping at mosquitos and black flies, but the bugs would never land on me. I’ve never known why, and these days I’m just as much a host to an opportunistic mosquito as anyone. Today, my wife connected the dots. It was the eucalpytus. I grew…
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How do you reason about your position on COVID-19?
Politics, executive orders, barbers, mask-shaming, freedoms, powers, and egos aside, experiences around the world have taught a few lessons on how to greatly reduce COVID-19 infections. Wear a mask when you are with people outside your household. Minimize time indoors with multiple people. Move activities outdoors when it makes sense. Wash your hands often. If…
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COVID-19, Personal Values, and Performance Continuums
Many people would sooner die than think—in fact, they do so. Bertrand Russell That quote has come grimly to mind these days. It is printed on the back of a book that I try to review annually: How to Think Straight by Anthony Flew. So, let’s think about our behaviors and our values at this…
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How to update Ford SYNC with a Mac
I have a 2013 Ford Fusion. I like the car, but SYNC, the media system (think phones, etc.), is really bad. I thought updating the software would help. Here’s how that went. Throughout this whole experience, I had to keep reminding myself of two facts to properly lower my expectations. Ford is a car company,…
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“Sportsmen’s Club” is okay
A side project of mine is to keep up rangelistings.com, a website that provides a list and map of shooting ranges in each of the Unites States. So I see all kinds of variations of names for shooting ranges, and this theme sticks out to me: ABC Sportsmans Club ABC Sportsman’s Club ABC Sportsmans’ Club…
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The lesser of two evils is still evil
Real leaders have moral codes that reflect a deep care for the well-being of others, instead of a moral code that swirls around selfish ego, fear, greed, and attachment to their own agendas. Where, oh where, are those leaders?
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On voting in the 2016 U.S. presidential election
To cast a meaningful vote at this stage, it must be for one of the two main candidates, Clinton or Trump, informed by discerning the principles by which each will govern.
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Mind map of Shooting Sports
The labels and groupings we use for the shooting sports would benefit from some thoughtful organization. Here’s my current approach at diagramming how the terms, like IDPA, IPSC, and Silhouette, are related.