Announcements

Road Trip! Road Trip!

You wanted it - we've got it! We have the current edition of Rand McNally's Road Atlas on CD ROM!

I've used a lot of different trip planners and map programs, but after just a few minutes with this software, I knew it was going to be my new favorite! It's incredibly easy to use, fast, full of information, and fun. After it's installed, you don't even need the CD in the drive to run it (that in itself is a breakthrough for this kind of software).

This program will make planning your next trip a breeze! Like most trip software, it can plan a route and give you an estimated drive time. However, unlike many I've used, it actually gives you an accurate estimate of how long it's going to take to get to where you're going. I "planned" a trip I took last summer and the estimated arrival time was amazing - within 10 minutes on an 8 hour trip!

The route planner is really smart too. Most trip software plots the most direct route - which isn't necessarily the fastest. This software thinks like we do - plan the fastest route, but don't take me through a million small towns to do it!

The trip planning is all well and good, but the best part is the Nearby Attractions feature. Just tell the program what types of attractions you're interested in and it displays a list of everything in the area. It includes stuff like golf courses, hotels, parks, historic attractions, skiing, tennis, kids attractions, restaurants, outdoor activities, and more! Incredibly handy! A simple click and it's marked on the map.

Not only does it tell you what's in the area, but also gives you detailed descriptions about the attraction. Now, these aren't just a quick sentence - we're talking several paragraphs of information. It's like a digital travel agent! I actually found some local attractions I never knew existed (and I've lived in this area for over 25 years)!

It also includes a fantastic search engine, detailed maps of 83 major US cities, and of course the ability to print your maps and itinerary. Stop planning your trips with a paper road atlas and guesswork (it's soooo 90s)! This takes trip planning to the next level. I love trips and have been playing with this constantly since I installed it.

This is the current version and has a retail value of $49.95. Your price? Just $14.97 and US shipping is FREE! Is that a deal or what? Here's the link for more info:

http://www.worldstart.com/store/road-atlas.htm

PS - Don't wait on this one! It was an overstock deal and we can't get any more at this price! And you know we've been selling out on a regular basis lately...

MS Office 101

Did You Know...

... that in MS PowerPoint Ctrl + Enter does something really cool?

For my keyboard people here's a little item I ran into today while doing some good old PowerPoint work.

While working, I found that Ctrl + Enter will move you from text box to text box within your slide.

Very cool—this one can save you some mouse-to-keyboard time.

But, there's a catch.

(Of course—isn't there always?)

If you hit Ctrl + Enter while in the last text box on the slide, another slide—of the same layout as the current one—will be inserted into your presentation.

Bad thing if you DON'T want another slide, but let's face it, that's a catch that could turn out to be positive if you learn to manage it carefully.

If only all of life's "catches" could have a good side...

Office Tip of the Day

Setting Slide Transitions Quickly in MS PowerPoint

If you're a PowerPoint user then you probably have, at one time or another, done some work with slide transitions.

As I've worked with people I've noticed that they go through the routine of viewing a slide in the slide view (one slide at a time), use the Slide Show menu / Slide Transitions choice to set the transition effect, then move to the next slide and repeat the process.

This, without a doubt, works, but if you've got a long presentation it can take forever. (OK, maybe forever is a bit of an exaggeration, but if you've got 30 slides that's just how it feels!)

Would you like a more efficient way to set these transitions?

Was that a "Yes" I heard? (Once again, thanks for playing your part here.)

How about a bonus where you can also select Preset Animations at the same time?

Sound good? Yeah, it did to me too.

So, where do we find this wonderful little time-saver?

I've got two words for you.

Slide Sorter.

Slide Sorter?

Yep, the Slide Sorter is the answer to your time issues.

Open your presentation and switch to the Slide Sorter view. (View menu, Slide Sorter or the Slide Sorter button located in the bottom left corner of PowerPoint window.)

Now, just to be sure that you have the toolbars you need, make sure that in the View menu / Toolbars choice that both the Animation Effects and Slide Sorter choices are checked.

If one of them appears as a floating toolbar, simply grab the title bar and drag it into the toolbar area. It will settle in there just like all the other toolbars.

At any rate, you should have both of these toolbars:

Now that you have the necessary equipment, let's get to the transitions and effects.

You begin by selecting the slide(s) where you will apply a transition and / or effect. To select multiple slides either click / hold the left mouse button to drag a selection rectangle or use the Shift key with left clicks.

Now let's apply the fun stuff.

Slide transitions can be found in the drop-down list below the words No Transition.

Text effects can be applied from the drop-down list below the words No Effect.

Symbols will appear under the left corner of the slide. The symbol on the left indicated that a transition was set and the one on the right indicates that you've set an effect.

If you wish to apply a Preset Animation (text effect plus sound) simply click the type you wish to set from those available on the Animation Effects toolbar. (The bottom toolbar pictured above.)

You may find that this toolbar will change its options based on the elements of the slide highlighted. (I know, just what you needed... rules that change as you go along. Like you don't already have enough of those!)

And that's it.

You can change as many slides as you want—as quick as can be—without all the flipping back and forth between slides and the repeated opening of the Transition window.

Welcome to PowerPoint life in the fast lane.

~ April