I couldn’t resist posting on February 29th a little piece I wrote, well, about four years ago… February 29th has come and gone with its usual fanfare being celebrated quadrennially. That is, except every century when we skip the leap day, except every four centuries when we keep it. Huh? Perhaps I should back up…More
What are the odds?
$1.3 billion! That’s quite a hefty jackpot for the next Powerball drawing, even if the number is deliberately inflated to raise the hype. Still, the lump sum payout is estimated to be $806 million; not a bad day at the office. The odds are posted around the web, but how are they determined? The updated version of…More
Similes and Alt+Esc
Occasionally, from the mind fog of an early morning, a jumble of words makes its way out of my subconscious. Observe: He has the charisma of a bowl of shredded wheat. Sadly, Ron Weiskind of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette can lay claim to an earlier rendition of the phrase. Curse you Google… As useful as a simile, as…More
12/27/2015 = 42365?
Happy third day of Christmas! ‘Tis the season for celebrating with friends and family, a bit of introspection, and a good a cup of coffee. Best wishes to you and yours! And now, for something completely different. What is 12/27/2015? My calculator tells me 0.000220567962503446. My calendar tells me there are four days left in the year. Half…More
Control + Arrow
An easy way to appear to have ninja skills in Excel is to skip around a spreadsheet without a mouse. With this easy trick, you can channel your inner Kal-El and leap 16,833 columns or 1,048,575 rows in a single bound. Open a new spreadsheet Hold down the “Ctrl” button (and don’t let go!) Hit the right arrow key “→”…More
Hello World
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” – Lao Tzu Here’s to first steps and stumbling our way into what may be.More
mikeshafer.blog 