If you’ve got some math functions that need plotting, you can do it pretty easily with Function Plotter, available as both a Windows 8 app and Windows Phone 8 app.
Besides looking great, the app also gives you useful at-a-glance information automatically, such as maximum and minimum points, derivatives, antiderivatives, intersection points with a second function, integrals, and more. For those taking math courses or just needing to do some basic function plotting, Function Plotter makes it both easy and visually appealing.
Do beware, however, that there seems to be a range limit on the X and Y axis that can be displayed in the graph. I couldn’t seem to get the X-axis range to go past [-40,40], while the Y-aixs was able to go a little further to [-49.06,49.06]. I do wish the range options were more customizable, as currently you can only pick from a set list of symmetric ranges, so you can’t just view the positive X and Y quadrant, for example.
I would recommend using Function Plotter for quick plotting of functions with a beautiful interface.
Before you wonder how you can fix a problem of a product in another product that isn’t even out yet, let’s see what the hubbub is about. In Microsoft’s loved and hated Outlook program, the Internet Explorer engine was used to render HTML e-mails up through version 2003. Starting with Outlook 2007, however, Microsoft started using Word to both create and render HTML e-mails.
The decision to do this has a valid argument–content created and rendered in the same program will look identical for consistency. Unfortunately, Word’s support for HTML is deeply lacking compared to IE, causing many previously working e-mail messages to not be rendered correctly when Outlook 2007 was unleashed on the world. Even though there have been many complaints from users, this problem was never fixed as it was a design decision and not a bug.
Fast forward to today and Outlook 2010 is on the horizon. Microsoft has announced that they will continue to use Word as the rendering engine in the new Outlook, meaning there will be poor HTML e-mail support well into the future.
How You Can Help
The only thing we can do right now is to let Microsoft know how consumers feel about this decision. FixOutlook.org is a site dedicated to fighting for change on this issue. There are few possible solutions that Microsoft could implement, including reverting to IE as the rendering engine (unlikely at this point) or to boost Word’s rendering capabilities to be more standards compliant and closer to the level of IE. The site also lets you conveniently tweet a message on twitter to show your support and let others know of the cause. Let’s all make a racket about the issue until they agree to address it!
Backing up data is something everyone knows should be done, but often don’t due to laziness. That is, until disaster strikes and important data is lost. Those who have experienced such a scenario quickly learn to make regular backups to prevent a re-occurrence in the future.
Even if you know you should, backing up data can be time consuming and inefficient. Many data backup programs compress archives, which both takes a long time (and much processing power) to create and also makes the data harder to retrieve at a later time should you just need a missing file or two.
This guide shows you a method to easily backup your important files using jFileSync, free software that synchronizes files between different locations. I also recommend an external hard drive. Should you happen to already have a hard drive or other place with which to perform the backup, skip down to step 2. Let’s get started!
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The other day, I was minding my own business when I heard what seemed to be a miniature fire alarm. I thought something was odd and went to check it out since the noise was softer than I thought it should be. I couldn’t find what it was, but shortly after it started, a co-worker came rushing out of his office saying it’s a fire alarm. We start leaving the area, but as we got further, it was obvious that the sound was only from that one area. Another co-worker went to investigate and determined it was coming from an unattended iPhone sitting on the desk.
It appears the sound that caused the commotion was the Air Raid Siren ringtone. Along with that, there are also several hundred other siren ringtones. I don’t know why it kept going off without ceasing; maybe it was an alarm or something. It certainly gave us a fright though. With the above links, you can now frighten your friends too!
If you are a fan of the 2-line, 3-column view first introduced in Microsoft Outlook 2003 and wished that Apple Mail supported it, you’re in luck. WideMail is an add-on for Mail that enables custom 3-column views, including the one used by Outlook/Entourage.
After downloading and installing the plugin, you may notice that the view does not yet show up properly. While it enables 3 columns automatically, an extra step is required to get the 2-line functionality. Simply right-click (or Command-click) on the column header and enable “WideMail Column.” You may also want to disable the other columns to get it to look right.
Before uninstalling, however, you will want to be sure you’ve re-enabled the Subject column, as there is no way to get that back after WideMail is removed.
Alternative: Letterbox
There is also another widescreen Mail plugin available called Letterbox. While this one came first, there was no Leopard compatible version for a long time, paving the way for the introduction of WideMail to satisfy user demand. Now, a Leopard version is available, and you may want to give it a try to see if it suits your taste.
By default, OS X Leopard’s handy Quick Look feature does not support archives such as zip files. There was no way to know what was inside of one until you extracted it. The Archive Quick Look Plugin enables Quick Look support for all sorts of archive files, allowing you to preview the contents quickly before extraction. The web site is in both Japanese and English and contains installation instructions. Enjoy!
