AutoHotKey – Easily Create An HTML Link

I’m huge fan of AutoHotKey which saves me a ton of time in not having to type repetitive keystrokes. Basically, it helps me be a better keyboard ninja.

Often for blog posts, I need to encapsulate a link with a HTML <a> anchor tag. So that http://Mehul.net becomes <a href=”http://Mehul.net” target=”blank”>http://Mehul.net</a>

So I’ve hacked up the following AutoHotKey script which allows you to highlight a link and press Control+Shift+L and it automagically converts into an HTML <a> anchor tag.

Copy this script into a autohotkey script. Load the script. Select an HTML link and press Control+Shift+L.

;-------------------------------------------------------------
; Create A Link -- Ctrl+Shift+L
;-------------------------------------------------------------

^+l::
{
Send, ^c
Sleep 50
var=% "<a href=""" . clipboard . """ target=""_blank"">" . clipboard . "</a>"
clipboard=% var
Send, ^v
Return
}

To learn more about AutoHotKey, check out these LifeHacker posts:

Turn Any Action into a Keyboard Shortcut

Hack Attack: Knock down repetitive email with AutoHotKey

I’m a Creator and Social Manager

Taking up Travis’ suggestion, I took the color career test and got the following results. Surprisingly, it is not too different than my day job:

----------------------------------------------------

Best Occupational Category

You're a CREATOR

Keywords

Nonconforming, Impulsive, Expressive, Romantic, Intuitive, Sensitive, and Emotional

These original types place a high value on aesthetic qualities and have a great need for self-expression. They enjoy working independently, being creative, using their imagination, and constantly learning something new. Fields of interest are art, drama, music, and writing or places where they can express, assemble, or implement creative ideas.

CREATOR OCCUPATIONS
Suggested careers are Advertising Executive, Architect, Web Designer, Creative Director, Public Relations, Fine or Commercial Artist, Interior Decorator, Lawyer, Librarian, Musician, Reporter, Art Teacher, Broadcaster, Technical Writer, English Teacher, Architect, Photographer, Medical Illustrator, Corporate Trainer, Author, Editor, Landscape Architect, Exhibit Builder, and Package Designer.

CREATOR WORKPLACES
Consider workplaces where you can create and improve beauty and aesthetic qualities. Unstructured, flexible organizations that allow self-expression work best with your free-spirited nature.

Suggested Creator workplaces are advertising, public relations, and interior decorating firms; artistic studios, theaters and concert halls; institutions that teach crafts, universities, music, and dance schools. Other workplaces to consider are art institutes, museums, libraries, and galleries.

2nd Best Occupational Category

You're a SOCIAL MANAGER

Keywords:

Tactful, Cooperative, Generous, Understanding, Insightful, Friendly, and Cheerful

This very social type enjoys working in groups, sharing responsibilities, and being the center of attention. Fields of interest are instructing, helping, nurturing, care giving and instructing-especially young people. They discuss and consider feelings in order to solve problems, lead, direct, persuade, guide, organize and enlighten others.

The year 2008 in photographs – boston.com

Check out this set of pictures from Boston.com. It shows greats photos of events both happy, momentous and extremely tragic.

And this is only the first part. I'll have to keep an eye out for parts 2 and 3:

The year 2008 in photographs (part 1 of 3)

2008 has been an eventful year to say the least - it is difficult to sum up the thousands of stories in just a handful of photographs. That said, I will try to do what I've done with other photo narratives here, and tell a story of 2008 in photographs. It's not the story of 2008, it's certainly not all stories, but as a collection it does show a good portion of what life has been like over the past 12 months. This is a multi-entry story, 120 photographs over three days. Watch for part 2 and part 3 tomorrow and the next day. (40 photos total)

FoodFeed.us and Twitter

When twitter first came out, I thought I wouldn't want to know what my friends were up to all the time. Well, that was one misconception I had about twitter. Twitter is pretty cool, when I have time to pay attention to it.

This new service foodfeed.us looks interesting. It allows you to post from twitter, updates on what you're eating. I'll use it as a food tracker for now but part of me wonders if this is like TMI (too much info). [Btw, if you're mind immediately wonders if there will be feeds for other necessary body functions, then please drop me a line so I know I'm not alone ;-) .]

FoodFeed.us

Plan vs Planning

I saw an article on goal achieving (yet again) and one of the items it mentioned was planning for the next day, week, etc. I casually asked my friend if he planned his days. He sent me this interesting quote from Eisenhower:

In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.

I asked him what he thought the difference between plan and planning meant and I like his explanation:

ME: "Does he mean it's more important to go through the act of planning and then dump the plan which comes out of it?"

Friend: "not dump the plan, but not to treat the plan as a set of instructions. Circumstances often invalidate the plan, especially longer term plans, but the act of planning prepares the planner for the future even when they have to stray from or abandon the original plan."

Anyway's, as a little reminder to myself to go through the act of planning, I've posted this entry. Thanks goes to my friend Drew.

Jott's Web 2.0 Sites Integration

I started using Jott.com this week and it's useful. I tried it November 07 but the transcription service wasn't that great and I didn't get my email very quickly. Seems they've worked the bugs and it's worth checking out again. As I setup more contacts, I noticed that I could even twitter from my cell phone now. That's cool. They also have a ton of other sites integrated like blogger, Xpenser, and bunch more which I've never heard of. Here's the full list:

Anne Lamott: Put the puppy back on the paper | 43 Folders

Merlin Mann mentioned this in one his podcasts and since then it's been a helpful reminder that I've adopted as well. So in my office (@ home currently), I have this reminder posted to the wall. My wife asked me the other day what it meant because she was bothered by it.

The idea is to gently remind yourself to get your focus back. I can easily let my mind wander at the slightest distraction. So this tip is very useful for me when my focus needs to be readjusted:

Next time you start to beat yourself up for all the things that aren’t working out or all the ways you’re falling short in your own eyes, try thinking about that puppy and what might be the best way to guide it back to the paper.

Anne Lamott also has the concept of the "shitty first draft" (sfd). This a great starting point for just about any project or post. Start by dumping some thoughts/ideas on paper or index card. Then move on to the second draft, third, etc. It's a way to get you to do some kind of action on whatever needs to get done. And action is really what it's about.

G.I. Joe always said that knowing is half the battle. As a kid it made me wonder, "Wtf is the other half?"

It's the doing.

Anne Lamott: Put the puppy back on the paper | 43 Folders

Why Your Free Time is Boring - lifehack.org

Very interesting article that might change your perception of work and play.

I certainly enjoy my job but you have to find and sometimes even create that happy place. 

Why Your Free Time is Boring - lifehack.org

Things I wish I’d known when I was younger - lifehack.org

Although it's good as a refresher too:

Most of it doesn’t matter.

The greatest source of misery and hatred in this world is clinging to past hurts.

Waiting to do something until you can be sure of doing it exactly right means waiting for ever.

Following the latest fashion, in work or in life, is spiritual and intellectual suicide.

If people complain that you’re too fond of going your own way and aren’t fitting in, you must be on the right track.

If you make your work your life, you’re making your life into hard work.

The quickest and simplest way to wreck any relationship is to listen to gossip.

Trying to please other people is largely a futile activity.

Every winner is destined to be a loser in due course.

You can rarely, if ever, please, placate, change, or mollify an asshole.

Everything takes twice as long as you plan for and produces results about half as good as you hoped.

People are oddly consistent.

However hard you try, you can’t avoid being yourself.

When it comes to blatant lies, there are none more egregious than budget figures.

The loudest noise in the world is the sound of people whining.

 

Read more here:

Things I wish I’d known when I was younger - lifehack.org

Windows Live Writer Beta

This little windows app lets you create your blog entries in a nice little editor on the desktop rather in the browser.

I'm writing from the app now and I have to say its pretty cool.

I used it for another blog on a long message and it did great.

 You can download it here.

Go Speed Reader

I'll admit that I don't read as often I would like to. It just seems like there is too much crap to watch on TV or YouTube. The last book I read was Freakonmics. Great book. Gets you thinking even if you don't agree with it.

I'm a slow reader but this book took me two months to finish. However, I only really read it for about 20 minutes a day and the information is worth comprehending. But I'm still pretty slow to average reader.

So I was happy to discover this link to improve your reading speed with comprehension. The article was so interesting that I actually read it and not just file into my Del.icio.us links that I will probably never read.

Take a look at this interesting article on doubling your reading rate.

I'll report back on if it works for me but don't hold your breath. It will take me some time to master but I immediately liked what he said about the subvocalizing.

Btw, speaking of good books, this one looks good too:
Survival of the Sickest

I have mad 8th grade math skills!

You Passed 8th Grade Math

Congratulations, you got 10/10 correct!

Could You Pass 8th Grade Math?

I used paper to solve most of these and I guessed on one question but it was a smart guess using elimination. Hey at 2:42AM, I don't care.

Single spacing after a period

There is a video on MSDN Channel 9 where a guy, I think his name was Bill Hill talking about typography and why you should always use single spaces after a period. Well I'm trying. But after 20 years of double, it's hard to change.

After some digging I found the video. It's kind of interesting, plus he's got a cool accent:
http://channel9.msdn.com/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=10849

Remove comments...

This new feature of the blogger is nice. I like. I didn't even know but I had this comment below on one of my old posts:

I found your blog when I was googling for love and romance articles. I also visited an interesting site at http://@FDFDF.FDF that is also related to local swingers and has some useful tips for singles, check it if you’re interested.