Greetings. Mark Dodge and Craig Stinson’s Microsoft Excel 2010 Inside Out (Microsoft Press, 2011; 1152 pages) is now available!

The book’s chapter-level Table of Contents and a stretch of Chapter 1, “What’s New in Microsoft Excel 2010,” can be found here.

In this post we’d like to share an excerpt from the book.  Enjoy!

 

CHAPTER 14

Everyday Functions

Understanding Mathematical Functions … 537
Understanding Text Functions … 544
Understanding Logical Functions … 550
Understanding Information Functions … 553
Understanding Lookup and Reference Functions … 555

This chapter describes some of the more useful functions Microsoft Excel 2010 has to offer. To keep this book from threatening the structural integrity of your bookshelf, we’ve had to make some hard choices about which functions to highlight. Therefore, this chapter (along with Chapters 15, 16, and 17) by no means represents a comprehensive reference. For complete information about all the built-in functions that Excel 2010 has to offer, you can use a number of on-screen tools, which are covered in “Using the Built-In Function Reference in Excel” on page 527. Appendix C, “Function Reference,” lists every function available in Excel, along with the basic information you need to put each one to use, and includes cross-references to any information available in this and other chapters.

For more information, see Chapter 15, “Formatting and Calculating Date and Time”; Chapter 16, “Functions for Financial Analysis”; and Chapter 17, “Functions for Analyzing Statistics.”

Understanding Mathematical Functions

Most of the work you do in Excel probably involves at least a few mathematical functions. The most popular among these is the SUM function, but Excel is capable of calculating just about anything. In the next sections, we discuss some of the most used (and most useful) mathematical functions in Excel.

Using the SUM Function

The SUM function totals a series of numbers. It takes the form =SUM(number1, number2, . . .). The number arguments are a series of as many as 30 entries that can be numbers, formulas, ranges, or cell references that result in numbers. SUM ignores arguments that refer to text values, logical values, or blank cells.

The Sum Button

Because SUM is such a commonly used function, Excel provides the Sum button on the Home tab on the ribbon, as well as the AutoSum button on the Formulas tab. In addition to SUM, these buttons include a menu of other commonly used functions. If you select a cell and click the Sum button, Excel creates a SUM formula and guesses which cells you want to total. To enter SUM formulas in a range of cells, select the cells before clicking Sum.

Automatic Range Expansion   Ever since the first spreadsheet program was created, one of the most common problems has been inserting cells at the bottom or to the right of a range that is already referenced in a formula. For example, suppose you type the formula =SUM(A1:A4) in cell A5 and then select row 5 and insert a new row. The new row is inserted above the selected row, thus pushing the SUM formula down to cell A6. It used to be that any numbers in the inserted cell A5 were not included in the SUM formula. A few versions ago, Excel changed all that. Now you can insert cells at the bottom or to the right of a range referenced by a formula, and Excel adjusts the formulas for you—and this is key—as soon as you type values in the inserted cells. In other words, the SUM formula does not change unless and until you type a value in the inserted cell, now or later. This adjustment also works if, instead of inserting cells, you simply place the formula away from a column of numbers—in fact, it doesn’t matter how many rows are between the formula and the values, as long as they are blank to start. (This does not work with formulas placed to the right of values that refer to columns.) If you type a value in the cell directly below the column of values that are referenced in the formula, the formula adjusts to accommodate it. Automatic range expansion works only immediately to the right or below a referenced range. Inserting cells at the top or to the left of a referenced range still requires you to edit the referencing formulas manually.

The SUMIF, SUMIFS, and COUNTIF Functions

The SUMIF function is similar to SUM, but it first tests each cell using a specified conditional test before adding it to the total. This function takes the arguments (range, criteria, sum_range). The range argument specifies the range you want to test, the criteria argument specifies the conditional test to be performed on each cell in the range, and the sum_range argument specifies the cells to be totaled. For example, if you have a worksheet with a column of month names defined using the range name Months and an adjacent column of numbers named Sales, use the formula =SUMIF(Months, "June", Sales) to return the value in the Sales cell that is adjacent to the label June. Alternatively, you can use a conditional test formula such as =SUMIF(Sales, ">=999", Sales) to return the total of all sales figures that are
more than $999.

The SUMIFS function does similar work to that of the SUMIF function, except you can specify up to 127 different ranges to sum, each with their own criteria. Note that in this function, the sum_range argument is in the first position instead of the third position: (sum_range, criteria_range1, criteria1, criteria_range2, criteria2, . . .). The sum range and
each criteria range must all be the same size and shape. Using a similar example to the one we used for the SUMIF function, suppose we also created defined names for cell ranges Months, Totals, Product1, Product2, and so on. The formula =SUMIFS(Totals, Product3, "<=124", Months, "June") returns the total sales for the month of June when sales of Product3 were less than or equal to $124.

Similarly, COUNTIF counts the cells that match specified criteria and takes the arguments (range, criteria). Using the same example, you can find the number of months in which total sales fell to less than $600 by using a conditional test, as in the formula =COUNTIF(Totals, "<600").

For more information about conditional tests, see “Creating Conditional Tests” on page 522. For more about using range names, see “Naming Cells and Cell Ranges” on page 483.

Using Selected Mathematical Functions

Excel has over 60 built-in math and trigonometry functions; the following sections brush only the surface, covering a few of the more useful or misunderstood functions. You can access them directly by clicking the Math & Trig button on the Formulas tab on the ribbon.

The PRODUCT and SUMPRODUCT Functions

The PRODUCT function multiplies all its arguments and can take as many as 255 arguments that are text or logical values; the function ignores blank cells.

You can use the SUMPRODUCT function to multiply the value in each cell in one range by the corresponding cell in another range of equal size and then add the results. You can include up to 255 arrays as arguments, but each array must have the same dimensions. (Non-numeric entries are treated as zero.) For example, the following formulas are essentially the same:

=SUMPRODUCT(A1:A4, B1:B4)

{=SUM(A1:A4*B1:B4)}

The only difference between them is that you must enter the SUM formula as an array by pressing Ctrl+Shift+Enter.

For more information about arrays, see “Using Arrays” on page 512.

The MOD Function

The MOD function returns the remainder of a division operation (modulus). It takes the arguments (number, divisor). The result of the MOD function is the remainder produced when number is divided by divisor. For example, the function =MOD(9, 4) returns 1, the remainder that results from dividing 9 by 4.

The COMBIN Function

The COMBIN function determines the number of possible combinations, or groups, that can be taken from a pool of items. It takes the arguments (number, number_chosen), where number is the total number of items in the pool and number_chosen is the number of items you want to group in each combination. For example, to determine how many different 11-player football teams you can create from a pool of 17 players, type the formula =COMBIN(17, 11). The result indicates that you could create 12,376 teams.

Try Your Luck   The COMBIN function can help you figure out just how slim a chance you have of drawing the elusive ace-high straight flush in a game of five-card stud. You express the number of 5-card combinations by using the formula =COMBIN(52, 5), resulting in 2,598,960. That’s not too bad when you consider the odds of winning the lottery. For a lotto game in which you select 6 numbers out of a total of 49, the formula =COMBIN(49, 6) reveals that there are 13,983,816 possibilities. You’d better keep your day job either way.

The RAND and RANDBETWEEN Functions

The RAND function generates a random number between 0 and 1. It’s one of the few Excel functions that doesn’t take an argument, but you must still type a pair of parentheses after the function name. The result of a RAND function changes each time you recalculate your worksheet. This is called a volatile function. If you use automatic recalculation, the value of the RAND function changes each time you make a worksheet entry.

The RANDBETWEEN function provides more control than RAND. With RANDBETWEEN, you can specify a range of numbers within which to generate random integer values. The arguments (bottom, top) represent the smallest and largest integers that the function should use. The values for these arguments are inclusive. For example, the formula =RANDBETWEEN(123, 456) can return any integer from 123 up to and including 456.

A MOD Example   Here’s a practical use of the MOD function that you can ponder:

1. Select a range of cells such as B5:F16, click Conditional Formatting on the Home tab on the ribbon, and then click New Rule.
2. Select the Use A Formula To Determine Which Cells To Format option in the Select A Rule Type list.
3. In the text box, type the formula =MOD(ROW(), 2)=0.
4. Click the Format button, and select a color on the Fill tab to create a format that applies the selected color to every other row. Note that if you select a single cell in an odd-numbered row before creating this formatting formula, nothing seems to happen, but if you copy or apply the format to other rows, you’ll see the result. Click OK.

We clicked the Conditional Formatting button and clicked Manage Rules to display the dialog box shown in the preceding figure. The MOD formula identifies the current row number using the ROW function, divides it by 2, and if there is a remainder (indicating an odd-numbered row), returns FALSE because the formula also contains the conditional test =0. If MOD returns anything but 0 as a remainder, the condition tests FALSE. Therefore, Excel applies formatting only when the formula returns TRUE (in even-numbered rows). For more information about conditional formatting, see “Formatting Conditionally” on page 309. You can also achieve similar results (with additional functionality) by converting the cell range into a table and using the table formatting features. For more information, see Chapter 22, “Managing Information in Tables.”

Using the Rounding Functions

Excel includes several functions devoted to the seemingly narrow task of rounding numbers by a specified amount.

The ROUND, ROUNDDOWN, and ROUNDUP Functions

The ROUND function rounds a value to a specified number of decimal places. Digits to the right of the decimal point that are less than 5 are rounded down, and digits greater than or equal to 5 are rounded up. It takes the arguments (number, num_digits). If num_digits is a positive number, then number is rounded to the specified number of decimal points; if num_digits is negative, the function rounds to the left of the decimal point; if num_digits is 0, the function rounds to the nearest integer. For example, the formula =ROUND(123.4567, –2) returns 100, and the formula =ROUND(123.4567, 3) returns 123.457. The ROUNDDOWN and ROUNDUP functions take the same form as ROUND. As their names imply, they always round down or up, respectively.

CAUTION!   Don’t confuse the rounding functions with rounded number formats, such as the one applied when you click the Accounting Number Format button on the Home tab on the ribbon. When you format the contents of a cell to a specified number of decimal places, you change only the display of the number in the cell; you don’t change the cell’s value. When performing calculations, Excel always uses the underlying value, not the displayed value. Conversely, the rounding functions permanently change the underlying values.

The EVEN and ODD Functions

The EVEN function rounds a number up to the nearest even integer. The ODD function rounds a number up to the nearest odd integer. Negative numbers are correspondingly rounded down. For example, the formula =EVEN(22.4) returns 24, and the formula =ODD(–4) returns –5.

The FLOOR and CEILING Functions

Using the Flexible MROUND Function   Suppose you want to round a number to a multiple of something other than 10—for example, rounding numbers to sixteenths so that when formatted as fractions they never appear with a denominator larger than 16. The MROUND function rounds any number to a multiple you specify.

The function takes the form =MROUND(number, multiple). For example, typing the formula =MROUND(A1, .0625) rounds the number displayed in cell A1 in increments of one-sixteenth. The function rounds up if the remainder after dividing number by multiple is at least half the value of multiple. If you want to apply this to an existing formula, just wrap the MROUND formula around it by replacing A1 (in the example) with your formula.

The INT Function

The INT function rounds numbers down to the nearest integer. For example, the formulas

=INT(100.01)

=INT(100.99999999)

both return the value 100, even though the number 100.99999999 is essentially equal to 101. When a number is negative, INT also rounds that number down to the next integer. If each of the numbers in these examples were negative, the resulting value would be –101.

The TRUNC Function

The TRUNC function truncates everything to the right of the decimal point in a number, regardless of its sign. It takes the arguments (number, num_digits). If num_digits isn’t specified, it’s set to 0. Otherwise, TRUNC truncates everything after the specified number of digits to the right of the decimal point. For example, the formula =TRUNC(13.978) returns the value 13; the formula =TRUNC(13.978, 1) returns the value 13.9.

AVERAGE vs. AVG   Some other spreadsheet programs use the AVG statistical function to compute averages. In some previous versions of Excel, typing the formula =AVG(2, 4, 5, 8) would result in a #NAME? error. Excel now accepts AVG, although when you type the function, an error dialog box appears, asking whether you want to change the function to AVERAGE. That’s still kind of rude, but it works. Presumably, one reason why Excel doesn’t just change AVG to AVERAGE for you is to remind you to start using the correct function name.

When you use this function, Excel ignores cells containing text, logical values, or empty cells, but it includes cells containing a zero value. You can also choose the AVERAGEA function, which operates in the same way as AVERAGE, except it includes text and logical values in the calculation.

 

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Contents at a Glance

1 Setting Up a Workbook

Creating Workbooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Modifying Workbooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . 7
Modifying Worksheets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . 11
Customizing the Excel 2010 Program Window . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . 15
Zooming In on a Worksheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . 16
Arranging Multiple Workbook Windows. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Adding Buttons to the Quick Access Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Customizing the Ribbon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . 20
Maximizing Usable Space in the Program Window. . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . 23
Key Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

2 Working with Data and Excel Tables

Entering and Revising Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Moving Data Within a Workbook. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Finding and Replacing Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Correcting and Expanding Upon Worksheet Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Defi ning Excel Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Key Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

3 Performing Calculations on Data

Naming Groups of Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Creating Formulas to Calculate Values. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Summarizing Data That Meets Specifi c Conditions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Finding and Correcting Errors in Calculations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Key Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

4 Changing Workbook Appearance

Formatting Cells. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84
Defi ning Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90
Applying Workbook Themes and Excel Table Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Making Numbers Easier to Read. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Changing the Appearance of Data Based on Its Value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106
Adding Images to Worksheets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113
Key Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

5 Focusing on Specific Data by Using Filters

Limiting Data That Appears on Your Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122
Manipulating Worksheet Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .128
Selecting List Rows at Random . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .128
Summarizing Worksheets with Hidden and Filtered Rows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .129
Finding Unique Values Within a Data Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .132
Defi ning Valid Sets of Values for Ranges of Cells. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Key Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141

6 Reordering and Summarizing Data

Sorting Worksheet Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .144
Organizing Data into Levels. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Looking Up Information in a Worksheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .160
Key Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165

7 Combining Data from Multiple Sources

Using Workbooks as Templates for Other Workbooks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .168
Linking to Data in Other Worksheets and Workbooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Consolidating Multiple Sets of Data into a Single Workbook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .180
Grouping Multiple Sets of Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .184
Key Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .187

8 Analyzing Alternative Data Sets

Defining an Alternative Data Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .190
Defining Multiple Alternative Data Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .194
Varying Your Data to Get a Desired Result by Using Goal Seek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .198
Finding Optimal Solutions by Using Solver. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .201
Analyzing Data by Using Descriptive Statistics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .207
Key Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .209

9 Creating Dynamic Worksheets by Using PivotTables

Analyzing Data Dynamically by Using PivotTables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .212
Filtering, Showing, and Hiding PivotTable Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .222
Editing PivotTables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .236
Formatting PivotTables. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
Creating PivotTables from External Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .250
Key Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257

10 Creating Charts and Graphics

Creating Charts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .260
Customizing the Appearance of Charts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .267
Finding Trends in Your Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
Summarizing Your Data by Using Sparklines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
Creating Dynamic Charts by Using PivotCharts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
Creating Diagrams by Using SmartArt. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .286
Creating Shapes and Mathematical Equations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .293
Key Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .301

11 Printing

Adding Headers and Footers to Printed Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .304
Preparing Worksheets for Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .309
Previewing Worksheets Before Printing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312
Changing Page Breaks in a Worksheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312
Changing the Page Printing Order for Worksheets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314
Printing Worksheets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
Printing Parts of Worksheets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .322
Printing Charts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326
Key Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327

12 Automating Repetitive Tasks by Using Macros

Enabling and Examining Macros. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .330
Macro Security in Excel 2010 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .330
Examining Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332
Creating and Modifying Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .336
Running Macros When a Button Is Clicked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 339
Running Macros When a Workbook Is Opened. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .344
Key Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .347

13 Working with Other Microsoft Office Programs

Including Office Documents in Workbooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .350
Storing Workbooks as Parts of Other Office Documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355
Creating Hyperlinks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .358
Pasting Charts into Other Documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .364
Key Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .365

14 Collaborating with Colleagues

Sharing Workbooks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .368
Sidebar: Saving a Workbook for Secure Electronic Distribution . . . . . . . . . . . 372
Managing Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .372
Tracking and Managing Colleagues’ Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375
Protecting Workbooks and Worksheets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379
Sidebar: Finalizing a Workbook. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .385
Authenticating Workbooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .386
Saving Workbooks for the Web . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .388

Introduction

For those of you who are upgrading to Microsoft Excel 2010 from an earlier version of the program, this introduction summarizes the new features in Excel 2010. One of the first things you’ll notice about Excel 2010 is that the program incorporates the ribbon, which was introduced in Excel 2007. If you used Excel 2003 or an earlier version of Excel, you’ll need to spend only a little bit of time working with the new user interface to bring yourself back up to your usual proficiency.

Managing Excel Files and Settings in the Backstage View

If you used Excel 2007, you’ll immediately notice one significant change: the Microsoft Office button, located at the top left corner of the program window in Excel 2007, has been replaced by the File tab. After releasing the 2007 Microsoft Office System, the Office User Experience team re-examined the programs’ user interfaces to determine how they could be improved. During this process, they discovered that it was possible to divide user tasks into two categories: “in” tasks, such as formatting and formula creation, which affect the contents of the workbook directly, and “out” tasks, such as saving and printing, which could be considered workbook management tasks. When the User Experience and Excel teams focused on the Excel 2007 user interface, they discovered that several workbook management tasks were sprinkled among the ribbon tabs that contained content-related tasks. The Excel team moved all of the workbook management tasks to the File tab, which users can click to display these commands in the new Backstage view.

Previewing Data by Using Paste Preview

One of the most common tasks undertaken by Excel users involves cutting or copying a worksheet’s contents, such as text or numbers, and pasting that data into either the same workbook or a separate Office document. Users have always been able to paste data from the Microsoft Office Clipboard and control which formatting elements were pasted into the destination; however, in versions prior to Excel 2010, you had to select a paste option, observe the results, and (often) undo the paste and try another option until you found the option that produced the desired result. In Excel 2010, you can take advantage of the new Paste Preview capability to see how your data will appear in the worksheet before you commit to the paste. By pointing to any of the icons in the Paste Options palette, you can switch between options to discover the one that makes your pasted data appear the way you want it to. Troubleshooting The appearance of buttons and groups on the ribbon changes depending on the width of the program window. For information about changing the appearance of the ribbon to match our screen images, see “Modifying the Display of the Ribbon” at the beginning of this book.

Customizing the Excel 2010 User Interface

When the Office User Experience team designed the ribbon interface for Excel 2007, they allowed users to modify the program window by adding and removing commands on the Quick Access Toolbar. In Excel 2010, you can still modify the Quick Access Toolbar, but you also have many more options for changing the ribbon interface. You can hide or display built-in ribbon tabs, change the order of built-in ribbon tabs, add custom groups to a ribbon tab, and create custom ribbon tabs which, in turn, can contain custom groups. These custom groups provide easy access to existing ribbon commands as well as custom commands that run macros stored in the workbook.

Summarizing Data by Using More Accurate Functions

In earlier versions of Excel, the program contained statistical, scientific, engineering, and financial functions that would return inaccurate results in some relatively rare circumstances. For Excel 2010, the Excel programming team identified the functions that returned inaccurate results and collaborated with academic and industry analysts to improve the functions’ accuracy. The Excel team also changed the naming conventions used to identify the program’s functions. This change is most noticeable with regard to the program’s statistical functions.

It is possible in Excel 2010 to create formulas by using the older functions. The Excel team assigned these functions to a new group called Compatibility Functions. These older functions appear at the bottom of the Formula AutoComplete list, but they are marked with a different icon than the newer functions. Additionally, the tooltip that appears when you point to the older function’s name indicates that the function is included for backward compatibility only.

When a user saves a workbook that contains functions that are new in Excel 2010 to an older format, the Compatibility Checker flags the functions and indicates that they will return a #NAME? error when the workbook is opened in Excel 2007 or earlier versions.

Summarizing Data by Using Sparklines

In his book Beautiful Evidence, Edward Tufte describes sparklines as “intense, simple, wordlike graphics.” In Excel 2010, sparklines take the form of small charts that summarize data in a single cell. These small but powerful additions to Excel 2010 enhance the program’s reporting and summary capabilities. Adding a sparkline to a summary worksheet provides context for a single value, such as an average or total, displayed in the worksheet. Excel 2010 includes three types of sparklines: line, column, and win/loss. A line sparkline is a line chart that displays a data trend over time. A column sparkline summarizes data by category, such as sales by product type or by month. Finally, a win/loss sparkline indicates whether the points in a data series are positive, zero, or negative.

Filtering PivotTable Data by Using Slicers

With PivotTables, users can summarize large data sets efficiently, such as by rearranging values dynamically to emphasize different aspects of the data. It’s often useful to be able to limit the data that appears in a PivotTable, so the Excel team included the functionality for users to filter PivotTables. The PivotTable indicates that a filter is present for a particular data column, but it doesn’t indicate which items are currently displayed or hidden by the filter. Slicers, which are new in Excel 2010, visually indicate which values appear in a PivotTable and which are hidden. They are particularly useful when presenting data to an audience that contains visual thinkers who might not be skilled at working with numerical values. For example, a corporate analyst could use a Slicer to indicate which months are displayed in a PivotTable that summarizes monthly package volumes.

Filtering PivotTable Data by Using Search Filters Excel 2007 introduced several new ways to filter PivotTables. Excel 2010 extends these filtering capabilities by introducing search filters. With a search filter, you begin typing a sequence of characters that occur in the term (or terms) by which you want to filter. As you type in these characters, the PivotTable field’s filter list displays only those terms that reflect the values entered into the search filter box.

Visualizing Data by Using Improved Conditional Formats

In Excel 2007, the Excel programming team greatly improved the user’s ability to change a cell’s format based on the cell’s contents. One new conditional format, data bars, indicated a cell’s relative value by the length of the bar within the cell that contained the value. The cell in the range that contained the smallest value displayed a zero-length bar, and the cell that contained the largest value displayed a bar that spanned the entire cell width. The default behavior of the Excel 2010 data bars has been changed so that bar length is calculated in comparison to a baseline value, such as zero. If you prefer, you can display values based on the Excel 2007 method or change the comparison value to something other than zero. Data bars in Excel 2010 also differ from those in Excel 2007 in that they display negative values in a different color than the positive values. In addition, data bars representing negative values extend to the left of the baseline, not to the right. In Excel 2007, the conditional formatting engine placed the zero-length data bar in the cell that contained the smallest value, regardless of whether that value was positive or negative. You have much more control over your data bars’ formatting in Excel 2010 than in Excel 2007. When you create a data bar in Excel 2010, it has a solid color fill, not a gradient fill like the bars in Excel 2007. The gradient fill meant that the color of the Excel 2007 data bars faded as the bar extended to the right, making the cells’ relative values harder to discern. In Excel 2010 you can select a solid or gradient fill style, apply borders to data bars, and change the fill and border colors for both positive and negative values. Another conditional format introduced in Excel 2007, icon sets, displayed an icon selected from a set of three, four, or five icons based on a cell’s value. In Excel 2007, users were limited to using the icons within each set and had no ability to create their own sets. In Excel 2010, you can create custom icon sets from the icons included in the program and, if you prefer, define conditions that, when met, display no icon in the cell.

Finally, with Excel 2010 you can create conditional formats that refer to values on worksheets other than the sheet that contains the cell you’re formatting. In previous versions of Excel, users had to create conditional formats that referred to values on the same worksheet.

Creating and Displaying Math Equations
Scientists and engineers who use Microsoft Excel to support their work often want to include equations in their workbooks to help explain how they arrived at their results. Excel 2010 includes an updated equation designer with which you can create any equation you require. The new editor has several common equations built in, such as the quadratic formula and the Pythagorean theorem, but it also contains numerous templates that you can use to create custom equations quickly.

Editing Pictures within Excel 2010

When you present data in an Excel workbook, you can insert images into your worksheets to illustrate aspects of your data. For example, a shipping company could display a scanned image of a tracking label or a properly prepared package. Rather than having to edit your images in a separate program and then insert them into your Excel 2010 workbook, you can insert the image and then modify it by using the editing tools built into Excel 2010. One very helpful capability that is new in Excel 2010 is the ability to remove the background elements of an image. Removing an image’s background enables you to create a composite image in which the foreground elements are placed in front of another background. For example, you could focus on a flower’s bloom and remove most of the leaves and stem from the photo. After you isolate the foreground image, you can place the bloom in front of another background.

Managing Large Worksheets by Using the 64-bit Version of Excel 2010 Some Excel 2010 users, such as business analysts and scientists, will need to manipulate extremely large data sets. In some cases, these data sets won’t fit into the more than one million rows available in a standard Excel 2010 worksheet. To meet the needs of these users, the Excel product team developed the 64-bit version of Excel 2010. The 64-bit version takes advantage of the greater amount of random access memory (RAM) available in newer computers. As a result of its ability to use more RAM than the standard 32-bit version of Excel 2010, users of the 64-bit version can store hundreds of millions of rows of data in a worksheet. In addition, the 64-bit version takes advantage of multicore processors to manage its larger data collections efficiently. All of the techniques described in Microsoft Excel 2010 Step by Step apply to both the 32-bit and 64-bit versions of the program.

Summarizing Large Data Sets by Using the PowerPivot (Project Gemini) Add-In

As businesses collect and maintain increasingly large data sets, the need to analyze that data efficiently grows in importance. More powerful computers offer some performance improvements, but even the fastest computer takes a long time to process huge data sets when using traditional data-handling procedures. A new add-in, PowerPivot for Excel 2010, uses enhanced data management techniques to store the data in a computer’s memory, rather than forcing the Excel program to read the data from a hard disk. Reading data from a computer’s memory instead of a hard disk speeds up the data analysis and display operations substantially. Tasks that might have taken minutes to complete in Excel 2010 without the PowerPivot add-in now take seconds. PowerPivot relies on the Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services engine to produce its results, so discussion of it is outside the scope of this book. If you would like to learn more about PowerPivot, you can visit the team’s blog at blogs.msdn.com/powerpivot/.

Accessing Your Data from Almost Anywhere by Using the Excel Web App and Excel Mobile 2010

As the workforce becomes increasingly mobile, information workers need to access their Excel 2010 data as they move around the world. To enable these mobile use scenarios, the Excel product team developed the Excel Web App and Excel Mobile 2010. The Excel Web App provides a high-fidelity experience that is very similar to the experience of using the Excel 2010 desktop application. In addition, you can collaborate with other users in real time. The Excel Web App identifies which changes were made by which users and enables you to decide which changes to keep and which to reject. You can use the Excel Web App in Windows Internet Explorer 7 or 8, Safari 4, and Firefox 3.5. With Excel Mobile 2010, you can access and, in some cases, manipulate your data by using a Windows Phone or other mobile device. If you have a Windows Phone running Windows Mobile 6.5, you can use Excel Mobile 2010 to view and edit your Excel 2010 workbooks. If you have another mobile device that provides access to the Web, you can use your device’s built-in Web browser to view your files. A full discussion of the Excel Web App and Excel Mobile 2010 are beyond the scope of this book.

I have a CSV file with the following contents: START,FILE -This is a test,-This is a test 2010 +This is a test,+This is a test 2010 END,FILE In Excel, if I do a File/Open, and open the CSV file, the values "-This is a test" and "+This is a test" produce a #NAME? "error". Is there a way to control how Excel 2007 interprets a leading "+" or "-"?

Name: Dreamscape P-51-B Mustang V15 Type: 3D Models Author: Dreamscape Studios Price: $110.00 File types: 3dm 3ds asc dwg dxf flt lwo tex max obj skp stl u3d w3d Description: The Mustang model B was the first fitted with the Rolls Royce designed and Packard built Merlin V12 V-1650-8 with a dual super charger. See complete details

Name: Dreamscape P-51-B Mustang VBM Base Model Type: 3D Models Author: Dreamscape Studios Price: $80.00 File types: 3dm 3ds asc dwg dxf flt lwo max obj skp stl u3d w3d Description: The Mustang model B was the first fitted with the Rolls Royce designed and Packard built Merlin V12 V-1650-8 with a dual super charger. See complete details

Season gets an F from me, and Mac gets a F- if I could go lower for Macs grade I would. Mac don't even get the K for his name from me.

My job can get a little hectic, but there are some days when I think, "Wow am I lucky!" The other day was one of those days -- a care package arrived from Nancy Baggett. Nancy is working on a cookie book for me, and she sent me a huge box of samples to try. That turned into an office tasting party. But first, I have to do a little bit of bragging for Nancy (because she's pretty modest). Her latest book, Kneadlessly Simple, was voted to Amazon.com's list of customer favorites for 2009. Congratulations, Nancy. You deserve it.

Back to the cookies. I can already tell this is going to be a great book. I can't spoil anything yet because the book won't be out for a while, but these treats were minty, herby, spicy, chocolatey... you name it. The biscotti above had lavender in them.

So which were my favorite? That honor goes to these biscotti. I know, they look like standard biscotti, right? Well, they're anything but standard. I haven't tested the recipe myself yet, or even seen the recipe yet, but these were simply amazing. Perfect biscotti. Maybe Nancy will write about it on her blog before the book comes out.

A countyh election board has determined there's evidence showing former "American Idol" runner-up Clay Aiken may have voted illegally in this fall. But officials don't

Ron Lieback
Staff Writer

More than 111,000 Harley-Davidsons are being recalled, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The NHTFSA reported that certain 2009 and 2010 touring models, built from June 6, 2008, to Nov. 19 of this year, have front fuel tank mounts that may distort in reaction to a crash, causing a fuel leak.

If this fuel is ignited, it could cause serious bodily injury or death to the rider of the motorcycle, the report said.

 

The following makes/model years are affected:

FLHP   2009-2010
FLHPE   2009-2010
FLHR   2009-2010
FLHR SHRINE   2009-2010
FLHRC   2009-2010
FLHT   2009-2010
FLHTC   2009-2010
FLHTCU   2009-2010
FLHTCU SHRINE   2009-2010
FLHTCU W/SC   2009-2010
FLHTCU4-CVO   2009
FLHTCUSE4   2009
FLHTCUSE5   2010
FLHTCUTG   2009-2010
FLHTK   2010
FLHTP   2009-2010
FLHX   2009-2010
FLHXXX   2010
FLTR   2009
FLTR3-CVO   2009
FLTRSE3   2009

Dealerships will install braces to reduce the distortion free of charge, and will be begin servicing bikes as soon as Monday, Dec. 14. Owners of effected models may call Harley at 1-414-343-4506.

According to The Motor Company's yearly earnings statement from January, Harley has shipped about 101,887 touring motorcycles total to dealers in 2008.

Posted December 8th, 2009 by Matthew Weinberger Over the past few years, Dell has made multiple software acquisitions. You remember the names — Silverback, Everdream, etc. But now, Dell Cloud Evangelist Barton George is starting to tell people how those deals fit together into a $450 million cloud and SaaS (software as a service) push. First, a little [...]

(AutoMoto365.com) According to Lotus team boss Tony Fernandes, the much anticipated driver line up for their debut season in the pinnacle of Motorsports...

Driver needed for local Taxi Cab/Limo service in Northwest IN and surrounding Chicagoland areas. Hours may vary between days and nights. Must have IN Public Passenger Chauffeur's License. Must have good driving record and be over the age of 25 in order to meet insurance requirements. Must be able pass physical and eye exam. Will be subject to random drug and alcohol testing. A criminal background check will be performed. High School Diploma or GED required. Experience is a plus. If interested please include your name, address and phone number in the reply and an application will be mailed to you.

There's a great post by Fran Melmed at Fistful of Talent on the problem with diversity training.

Many of the problems in diversity programs stem from politically correct zealots who divide more than they unite; wimpish executives who are willing to accept any nonsense in the name of diversity; a sloppy lumping of diversity with equal employment opportunity; and a failure to address discrimination problems in a serious and practical manner.

Whether you’re feeling sassy or sweet, Exile has you covered this week. Gossip Girl looks much sweeter than the name implies with its long ringlets.

Naoko has a lot of attitude in its full razor-cut layers.

Name: Dreamscape P-51-B Mustang V13 Type: 3D Models Author: Dreamscape Studios Price: $110.00 File types: 3dm 3ds asc dwg dxf flt lwo tex max obj skp stl u3d w3d Description: The Mustang model B was the first fitted with the Rolls Royce designed and Packard built Merlin V12 V-1650-8 with a dual super charger. See complete details

Name: Real Cheetah skin 3d texture Type: Textures Author: 2D-3D-Art Price: $7.00 File types: jpg Description: High quality image of 300 dpi. Real cheetah fur. See complete details

Name: Dreamscape P-51-B Mustang V14 Type: 3D Models Author: Dreamscape Studios Price: $110.00 File types: 3dm 3ds asc dwg dxf flt lwo tex max obj skp stl u3d w3d Description: The Mustang model B was the first fitted with the Rolls Royce designed and Packard built Merlin V12 V-1650-8 with a dual super charger. See complete details

Hundreds of government supporters shouted insults and pro-Castro slogans at about 50 wives, mothers and other female relatives of Cuban political prisoners as they marched Wednesday through a crowded Havana neighborhood in the name of human rights.

Pro-government crowd pursues Cuban rights marchers HAVANA ? Hundreds of government supporters shouted insults and pro-Castro slogans at about 50 wives, mothers and other female relatives of Cuban political prisoners as they marched Wednesday through a crowded Havana neighborhood in the name of human rights. There were no injuries among the “Women in White,” a political opposition .... Source article on Gaea Times at  : Cuban government supporters shout down small march by wives of island political prisoners.

New call-to-action domain and TV campaign from Rubbermaid.

When I started in PR, I worked in arts and entertainment and called myself a publicist. And I was proud of the title.

Then I switched to the corporate agency side and became a PR consultant who practised media relations. It didn't take me long to realize those two were pretty close to the same thing. In fact, while we offer many types of communications counsel, media relations/publicity has, for a long time, been the cornerstone of what we do.

But these days with MSM in transition, it doesn't take an Amazing Kreskin to predict that our comfortably familiar landscape is fading. And great chunks of it are just plain disappearing; morphing into something new.

So with PR in rapid-evolutionary-mode (REM), perhaps it's time to dream big and rethink what what we do and where we're heading.

And for me (and many other people) that means a shift to social media. I have to say direct-to-influencer connecting has re-energized the profession, encouraged us to learn (and enabled me to teach) and caused us to look at what we do through a less-filtered lens. It's also given the profession a voice and helped us step out of the shadows.

But in order to truly change, we need to rid ourselves of our shackles - notably our reliance on pure media relations. Sure, that will always be a part of our repertoire. But if we want to survive and thrive, we need to do so much more:

• Really start listening (that means opening our minds)
• Get better at telling visual stories
• Become less text-reliant, while still being the guardians of grammar and voice - we can't ever forget how to write with clarity and style
• Master new techniques - video/audio production, designing and coding a website
• Join communities, participate and connect
• Issue a full-on challenge to marketing and advertising. Maybe I'm biased, but I feel we really are the naturals to understand and get around in this space.

So what should we call this new entity? Truth is, I'm not sure.

Social media? I like it, but there's a day where that could seem faddish. Digital relations? Sounds like PR for the AI set. Social relations? A bit too much like someone who plans parties for the DAR. Social networking? Too much like self-help. Networked relations? Are your cousins on Facebook too?

Part of me still likes the term public relations - that is if we go back to its original definition.

Or maybe we need a completely new moniker. And if so, do you have any ideas what it should be called?

i don't really remember much about. i borrowed it from my library about 5 years ago and i believe it was written sometime in the early 90's. The prologue starts out with this kids parents getting killed in this cabin and the little kid see it. Then it moves to these teens going to the cabin for the weekend. The evil in the cabin kills them with what they are afraid of. One girl has the this black hole that form all over her body and snakes come out of them. this other girl gets pulled into the evil black smokey stuff and her leg breaks then shes gone. There are some boys that die in the book to but i can't remember how. The last person to die is the main girl she gets stuck in a dumbwaiter and it fills with water. the book end with things going black for her. if anybody know this book pleas let me know. Thank you!

I was given the following information in class:
"
This original painting - of which this is an etching - was done by one of H.P. Lovecraft's favorite artists. Who is that artist? What is the name of this painting? Why is it included as part of a class called "Reformation and Revolution"
"
Here is a link to the picture.
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/NeybAuHeBxFgRf1sn3ZUOw?feat=directlink

I am not looking for an answer to the questions asked in the prompt!! I simply need the name of the author and the title of the piece.

Thanks!

I cant log on from my blackberry or on my computer. Whenever I try logging on, it gets stuck on "transferring", and then I get this message: "Connection Error. Please try signing on again. Try Auto-configure or change your settings manually." which is complete BS because I can log into any other AIM screen name except for mine. I tried restarting my computer, my internet, and reinstalling AIM. I reset my password. Then I tried logging into AIM with my old password, and it says invalid password, so I know it worked. I try logging in with my new password, and again it says "Connection Error. Please try signing on again. Try Auto-configure or change your settings manually."

Now is the time to shower your man with deliciously seductive gifts of love.  We've put together a collection of ideas that range for gourmet food treats to sweet stocking stuffers, spy cameras to Love baseballs, gourmet popcorn to bacon-chocolate pancakes, and cooking accessories and gadgets he will love adding to his kitchen. Happy shopping!


Vosges: Holiday Truffle Collection with Jonathan Adler Ornament: $6
Give our new, limited edition Holiday Truffle Collection adorned with a keepsake Jonathan Adler ornament. This truffle collection pays homage to Victorian holiday traditions that brought family and friends together after months of preparation to celebrate the most precious holiday. The limited edition ornament depicts the peace sign inside a circle.

John & Kira's Drunken Chocolate Figs - $36
We love this combination! Noted for their extremely thin skins and sweet, almost candy-like taste, our Spanish figs are filled by hand with a silky dark 64% Valrhona ganache flavored with Whiskey and enrobed in a thin layer of dark 54% chocolate. The Calabacita variety of fig is grown by a family owned company in "Los Llanillos" in the village of Almoharin located in the Extremadura region of Spain.

VIVRE: Love Baseball by Bergino - $25.00
For the sports fanatic in your life we present: The baseball--cornerstone of America's favorite pastime. We give it a cool makeover to remind us of some timely priorities sure to hit home. Handmade to professional standards. White graphics on red suede.

VIVRE: Digital Spy Camera by Minox - $249.00
Go ahead, have a little fun. With a resolution of five million pixels, this minimalist masterpiece features a bright viewfinder for fast shots in the worst-lit conditions, and an integrated flash that switches on at twilight automatically. Includes an additional external flash that can be connected to its side. Image data can be saved on micro SD memory cards of up to 16 GB in addition to the internal memory. Measures 86 x 29 x 20 mm.
 

Riedel O Trio Red & White Wine Glasses - $36
Pick him up Riedel's TriO Red+White ($36) - a laid-back glass that  is a multi-purpose workhorse--from water to ice tea to mixed drinks, from your favorite rosso (or rouge) to a quaffable bianco or crisp blanc. Thin, perfectly balanced and a pleasure to drink from, it is an every day, go-to glass that can take whatever you pour.Set includes 3 Riedel glasses cleverly packaged in a triangle- shaped box.

Buonissimo! Cookbook - $13.57
Tasty and easy italian Food for Every Occassion by Gino D'Acampo is filled with tempting dishes sure to please. The book has five sections, beginning with Romantico, elegant recipes for two. "This was the easiest chapter for me to write," says D'Acampo, "as Italians are born with a natural romantic style."

Tusk Handle Corkscrew: $135
Vintage inspired and crafted with an authentic tusk from a warthog for a handle, this corkscrew also features a custom-made, knife-edge cork thread made from stainless steel. Exquisite, unique and the perfect gift for your favorite oenophile

Dean & DeLuca: Duck Foie Gras Au Torchon: $60
A gfit for the true gourmand in your life. Dean & DeLuca's duck liver is prepared in the classic torchon style, in which the foie gras is seasoned with port wine, wrapped in a kitchen towel or torchon, and cooked sous-vide in order to achieve optimal flavor and texture. It is at its best when served chilled in 1/4" slices with crusty French bread, cracked pepper and a little sea salt.



Black River Caviar - Price Varies
A favorite among top chefs including Laurent Torondel (BLT), Scott Conant (Scarpetta), Alexandra Guarnaschelli (Butter), David Chang (Momofuku) and Mario Batali (Babbo & Otto), to name a few, Black River Caviar is the first "wild-raised," caviar on the market, a term coined to describe the company's sustainable practices and ideal birthing environments. Black River Caviar comes in specially wrapped, custom-packed tins, available in sizes ranging from 30 grams ($102) up to 500 grams ($1,575).  Deliveries are made within 24 hours via FedEx.

Vosges: Caramel Marshmallows and Beer - $55
Samuel Smith's Imperial Stout is in the style of the Russian imperial stout which was originally brewed in Great Britain to satisfy the tastes of the Czar's court; the great connoisseurs of Champagne, caviar and the art of the table. Need we say more? This beer is a rich, flavorful, deep chocolate color and scented with a roasted barley nose. The complexity of malt, hops, alcohol and yeast, compliment our sweet Madagascar vanilla bean marshmallow and caramel nuttiness. Some Restrictions on Delivery

Vosges:Mo's Bacon Chocolate Chip Pancake Mix - $12
The newest member of the bacon + chocolate family combines the Mo's Bacon Bar with fluffy flapjacks. These buttermilk pancakes are spotted with chunks of our most popular Exotic Candy Bar, which combines applewood smoked bacon and Alder sea salt with deep milk chocolate. Treat your lover to these unbelievable pancakes for a holiday breakfast in bed treat.




Spice up your holidays with the perfect stocking stuffer--gourmet flavored salt and pepper from Beyond the Shaker.

Bolivian Rose Salt - $10.99
The glistening crystals of Bolivian Rose will bring salty-dazzle to almost any dish.  Bolivian Rose is harvested by hand in the pristine Andes Mountains, and its color evokes the peaceful calm of pink quartz. This salt is perfect on seared red snapper filets, fresh mozzarella, or the rim of a strawberry margarita.

Fumee De Sel - $13.99
Fumee de Sel marries two culinary delights, salt and wine, in a taste-forward union.  Our sumptuous Fumee de Sel is slow-smoked over chardonnay oak barrels imparting a subtle sweet tone to this balanced salt.  A sprinkle of  this gourmet salt adds complex flavor and smokiness to root vegetables, on chopped salad with blue cheese, or in a poultry marinade or brine. 

Polished Pewter Fortune Cookie - $26
Slip your lover a flirtatiously naughty note in Artist Herbert Hoover polished pewter fortune cookie. Choose from one of twelve pre-printed time-honored fortunes (You will step on the lands of many counties) - or add your own custom fortune to give the present a personal touch

Cheese of the month: $495
Cheese is, in our humble opinion, one of the most wonderful foods in existence, and Dean & DeLuca has been fortunate to travel the world looking for the finest varietals available. Of course, when they find something truly fabulous they can't wait to share it with you, which is why we present this three-month, six-month and nine-month gourmet gift idea. 

KitchenCue DVD Cooking Tutorials - $29.95 per DVD
Learn the basics of cooking and your kitchen will be limited only by your imagination. Kitchencue's technique-based interactive DVDs empower you like none other, elevating your cooking skills to the next level. A gift for anyone interested in cooking....and for yourself if you are the recipient of these meals!

Fissler Magic Vegetable / Noodle Colander - $95
Surprise your lover with the finest in European cookware. The Fissler colander is a beautifully designed, high-quality and professional-grade kitchen accessories. Click on the link above for retailers in your area. 


Candy Cane Brownies  - $19.95
Another cool stocking stuffer for your sweetheart. These Candy Cane Brownies are made with deep, dark chocolate laced with just the right hint of peppermint. Yummy!

Dean & DeLuca: Chocolate Covered Caramel Apples  - $48
There is nothing like a crisp apple dipped in butter-rich caramel to bring you back that childhood holiday spirit. An  American tradition dating from the 1950s, these apples up the ante with a final flourish of dark or milk Belgian chocolate. Made exclusively with tart Granny Smiths, a treat for even the most discerning ghosts and goblins.


Gourmet Popcorn for Foodies - $34.99
He will love finding these treats in his holiday gift stocking or basket: Luscious flavored popcorn:
Just imagine the tantalizing flavors of Fleur de Sel Caramel, Ginger Sesame Caramel, Black Truffle + Aged White Cheddar, Madras Coconut Curry + Cashew, and Chiplote Caramel + Almonds. Just Divine! 




DEAN & DELUCA Spice Tin Candles - $55
This "Spice Tin" is filled with some of our favorite scented candles. Fill your surroundings with the fragrance of Lavender Flowers, Thyme, Tarragon, Basil, Rosemary, Black Pepper, Clove, Coriander and Shiso Leaf. Each box comes with nine 2-oz. candles that each yield 20 hours of exquisite illumination.

Dean & DeLuca: Truffle Lovers- $135
White Truffle Oil to anoint whatever inspires you. Rich truffled egg Tagliatelle Pasta to toss with butter and Parmesan. A mince of tuber aestivum, mushrooms and olives to spread on grilled meats. Acaccia Honey flecked with truffle to drizzle on cheese and a unique cream that blends truffle and artichoke.

I’ve been spending a lot of time lately digging through digital crates looking for new and exciting artists to feature. Here is a group from Denmark that was introduced to me by a fellow blogger today. Everything about them is interesting, from their name to the imagery and melodies. Let me know how you feel [...]

Hi, I've grown tired of my Apple TV and how it fails with my Flip video home movies. So I've begun researching ways to stream from my Mac Mini to my PS3. Specs: o Mac Mini with Leopard o Media stored on external USB drive o Wired network via Airport Extreme o Newest gen 80GB PS3 with latest firmware I'm looking for HOWTO's or success stories for those out there streaming from a Mac to a PS3. What software are you using? Is it "set it and forget it" once it's all setup? If it is twitchy, how so? Usable? TIA. Apps I've tried (in order of desire for them to work): *MediaLink* http://www.nullriver.com/products/medialink Boy, this seems like the most professional of the choices. And it seems a lot of people are using it. For me, though, I've only been able to play a song from my iTunes library once. Up until then, and after as well, a ton of DLNA errors. I did install it on my MacBook that has about 30 songs on it - very small local library. And I didn't get errors using MediaLink. Also was able to browse my substantial MacBook iPhoto library. Is it possible MediaLink has problems with external drives or very large (8224 songs, 120 movies, 340 TV episodes) libraries? *EyeConnect* http://www.elgato.com/elgato/na/mainmenu/products/software/EyeConnect.en.html This also seems like it'd be a good option. Unfortunately it simply never worked for me. *Twonky Media Server* http://www.twonkymedia.com/TM_server_download.html Twonky is a good name for it. I get it installed and can't even load up the server view in the browser. Nonstarter. *PS3 Media Server* http://ps3mediaserver.blogspot.com/ People seem to speak pretty highly of this, but it sure seems to me that there is a lot of fiddling to even get close to getting it to work. I got it to find my PS3, but never could stream from it. And when I tore down my 2-linux-machine NAS setup for a TB external drive of media hooked to my Mac Mini, I was really hoping twiddling with archaic software was in my past. *PlayOn via VMWare Fusion* http://www.playon.tv/playon/ Here's where I get especially sad. I install PlayOn via a Windows XP virtual machine on my Mini, and it Just Works (tm). Well, I wasn't able to stream my own content - more DLNA errors, I think. (Keep in mind I was going through External Drive > Mini > Samba Share > VMWare > Network Share > PlayOn.) But the Hulu, Netflix, CBS, ESPN, and YouTube content was golden. To the point where I may consider buying PlayOn and booting up Windows when we want to watch Hulu on the TV rather than or little 13" MacBook like usual. --- So I'm at a loss. Companies are out there charging for software to do exactly what I want, and I'm happy to pay for the software. But none of it seems to work! What's a boy to do? What did you do?

Some miscellaneous links after surviving shoveling the remnants of the “Iowa Death Storm of 2009.”  I heard the name from Grant Young and thought it sounded good.  I had a good 14 inches at my house. Des Moines Register: Coverage of the “epic” storm & reader submitted pictures of snowdrifts. Rasmussen Reports: Tea Party Tops GOP [...]

WORDS FROM THE HERO? I was just originally "Just" going to post the Instrumental version of "Do you think about me" for this post, and decided to put my taste aside and just post up the entire song / video + the Instrumental version of his new Lp "Before

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Hi, first of all, I'm really sorry, I started posting and forgot I had to introduce myself properly, right? My name's Lorena :) I'm 18 years old since November, 20th 2009 :P HoH too :) :deaf: I was born in Peru and I'm still living here! I study Tourism at the university =) I'm honest and respectful! I want the same from you, people, wish we can have a great friendship :D Thanks for reading!

Certainly it has been a season to forget in Washington. Not that much was expected when the season began, but the lackluster performance of the skins has fans wanting answers.

Many will blame Jim Zorn. Zorn's future is very unclear in Washington after starting the season with the easiest schedule in football history, Washington has a 2-5 record. Zorn has to shovel if not all then most of the blame for this. Week to week, the offensive and defensive game plan doesn't equate to any production. Zorn has done one of the worst jobs in the league using his timeouts.

He's done a worst job using the personnel he does have. Clinton Portis only has 120 attempts rushing the ball on the season. Just a few years ago Joe Gibbs rode the legs of Portis to the playoffs and wild card victory.

Most will blame Daniel Snyder. I just strongly believe you cannot blame a owner who wants to spend money. Daniel Snyder is not out there calling plays or playing football. What he is trying to do is buy the best football team money can buy.

When Zorn was hired, none of the big name head coaches (Shannahan. Gruden, or Cohwer) were available or I'd assure you he would of thrown big money any of those coaches way.

I do blame him for bringing in Sherman Lewis this season to call plays. If Lewis was brought in then they should of just fired Zorn and allowed Blatche to take over head coaching duties. Now you have a powerless head coach and a joke of a football organization.

The blame should instead be spread out. The offensive line injuries have absolutely crippled the Redskins. The Redskins two top lineman have gone out for the year in Samuels and Thomas, after already losing Pete Kendall and John Jansen this off season. This has left the skins with terrible pass protection and sub par rush blocking ability.

Jason Campbell has also been terrible and that may be an understatement. His accuracy is completely off and the Camobell that started off the 2008 season is gone. The six seasons with six coordinators has apparently completely fried Campbells brain. His ability to audible off of a blitz package, is completely lost and has no ability to throw the long ball.

Portis and Cooley have also had down years for this team, while none of the '08 Draft Picks have stepped into a star roll.

So we look to next year...

There may be too many problems for one year to fix. The first step will be rebuilding your offensive line in the draft. If the guy the Redskins want is not available with their first pick then there second and third round picks must be used on offensive lineman. The Redskins have a slew of expiring contracts this upcoming season, with two players they most likely look to resign (Carlos Rogers and Rocky McIntosh).

A Look Into The Redskins 2010 NFL Draft

1st Pick: Jake Locker-QB-Washington-I look for the Redskins to draft Locker, Clausen, Bradford, Tebow or one of the QBs. Jason Cambell will be a free agent at years end and the Redskins will have no intentions of resigning him. Kyle Orton will be the best available free agent so I look for them to put the QB position as their top priority in the draft. Hopefully, by it being a top priority the Redskins don't make a stretch on Tebow or Bradford and waste a pick.

2nd pick: Jason Fox-OT-Miami-Fox is a big, strong ox that has anchored the line for Jacoy Harris. Fox will be the beginning of rebuilding a declining offensive line with no depth. If the Redskins are able to bring in Fox, then I look for them to cut one of the more expensive lineman. Maybe sign another free agent this offseason as well.

The Redskins do not have a third round pick. The Redskins will most likely spend most of there second day picks on offensive line and maybe one project qb, as Todd Collins also will be off the books.

A Look in to the Redskins Free Agent Moves

Offensive Line
There will be tons of high quality offensive lineman available for the redskins to go after. Such names as Jahri Evans, Logan Mankins, Marcus McNeil, Kevin Mawae, and on will all be on the market. However, with great lineman come expensive contracts. To stay under the cap, it's very unlikely with the Redskins to sign a top tier lineman. If the money is not available look for them too still bring a second tier guy such as Nick Kaczur, Deuce Lutui, Ryan Cook, or Alex Barron.

Quarterback
I doubt they will bring in Orton or Pennington really the only two big names on the market, if they're really even big names. However, with Collins gone I look for the Redskins to bring in a Charlie Batch type player.

A couple other ideas are Duante Culpepper, Jon Kitna, or Rex Grossman. This QB would be used to allow Colt and Locker (or whoever) time to develop.

Wide Receiver
Things could get interesting here. The Redskins need a starting wideout target in the end zone. Braylon will most likely resign with the New York Jets. That still leaves Vincent Jackson and Brandon Marshall available. The Redskins do not need a WR, but if they were able to move Moss, Rande El, Kelly or Thomas it would greatly help the offense to have an endzone threat.

Remember also that the Redskins tried to trade anything and everything for Chad Ochosinco and Anquan Boldin.

I think Snyder to grab one of these top wideouts, a list that includes Braylon Edwards, Terrel Owens, Vincent Jackson, or Brandon Marshall.

Many things can be done to make the 2010 season a much better one for Washinton. The question has always remained in Washington, will Snyder lose Vinny and get a real gm and coach? If the answer is yes, then Snyder has a team in place, with the right moves this offseason and hiring the right coach, to make a playoff run next year.

If Snyder instead takes a softer route keeping his buddy and gm around, bad moves will be made again and the Redskins will be even worst next year without Campbell.

This article was written by single44threat at RST, and you can see the original copy by clicking here .

I don't care where your from or what your name is... You aren't hardcore. Can I kindly direct you to the metal forum.

Listing one domain a day starting today. Today’s domain name is annuityfund.us for $250 USD. Please email the owner by clicking this link… Submit this to Script & StyleStumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUponPost this to MySpaceShare this on FacebookTweet This!Subscribe to the comments for this post?Mark this on BlogMarksSubmit this to Twittley

“We believe that we know something about the things themselves when we speak of trees, colors, snow, and flowers; and yet we possess nothing but metaphors for things — metaphors which correspond in no way to the original entities.” Friedrich Nietzsche, On Truth and Lies in a Nonmoral Sense “We may given the name ‘data’ to all [...]

Suicide bombing inspired by religio-political ideology of the Islamists is a nightmare for Pakistanis today. I am not sure if we are desensitized or are getting used to terror when I get the question “How many?” whenever an idiot blasts himself taking life of dozens. The first thing to do is to make sure there is no public [...]

Sony Alpha A550 DSLR reviewed: new tricks, new trade-offs originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Dec 2009 22:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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More on our snake-bitten CHARACTERS pilot for NBC in 1979.

Okay, we cast the girl. Maggie Roswell. But now we needed the guy who would be her comedy partner. Details of the pilot premise here.

As with the girl, we saw a bunch of guys – some incredibly talented – and Matriarch nixed them all. After she shit all over the screen tests she gave us the name of the couple she wanted. The actress was Ms. Broadway and the guy was an emerging LA actor. Did we like them? Her for sure. Him, it was hard to tell from his reel. But at that point we would have taken Trigger if he weren’t stuffed.

We fly Ms. Broadway out to LA, spend a delightful day trying to cajole her into doing our pilot. She was leaning against it but said she’d mull it over. Back to NY she flew to star in her Broadway play the next night.

We inquired about the guy. His agent said he wasn’t interested. He had just had a bad experience with a pilot and didn’t want to do a series at the moment.

We reported this back to Matriarch who screamed at us again. “You’re producers! Convince him! He’s the only one I’ll approve!” and again she slammed down the phone.

So we call the agent again and arrange a dinner with the actor. For four hours we reassure him that this pilot experience would not be like his previous one, that we are straight-shooter and he can trust us. Eventually, he gives in and says he’d do it – but only because we seemed to have the integrity the other producers lacked.

The next day business affairs and his agent begin negotiating the deal.

Meanwhile… Ms. Broadway is still on the fence. One of her concerns was who would her co-star be? Matriarch messengers over a tape of the actor. Ms. Broadway doesn’t like him.

So right in the middle of negotiations NBC pulls their approval and the deal is dead. To this day I am mortified. You live and learn. Today if that happened I call Matriarch and tell her she can take the pilot and shove it right up her ass. Either the actor is approved or we walk.

But then we were young and green. And stupid. A day later Ms. Broadway decides to pass.

So now we have neither.

Matriarch’s next choice is Jeff Altman. Nice guy, talented, but not right for this role. We pass. She slams down the phone again. Altman then gets cast in another NBC pilot that becomes PINK LADY AND JEFF. That show gets picked up instead of ours. A girl singing group from Japan (unknown to American audiences) that spoke broken English singing bad cover versions of Donny Osmond songs and doing comedy skits with Jeff Altman. It was a super train wreck (as opposed to SUPERTRAIN wreck, which was also picked up).

Finally, we catch a break. Philip Charles MacKenzie (pictured: above) walks into our office. He’s PERFECT. So perfect that even Matriarch has to approve him.

At the Department of Education headquarters in Washington, officials no longer refer to the No Child Left Behind law by name.

When food is labeled with the amount of fat that it contains, it makes you think twice. Why don’t they do that in restaurants? Jon Feinstein, with his series Fast Food, takes popular fast food items and strips away logo and name. He presents the food as if floating in a void, unsure of what [...]

Snoop Dogg thinks he has the hardest job in the world. The "Drop It Like It's Hot" hitmaker - whose real name is Cordazar Calvin Broadus - insists that juggling fame with leading a regular life is not as easy as it looks and he wants his fans to realize how "difficult" it is to be him.

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Bill Belichick is aggravated.  After a dismantling in the Big Easy and dropping a squeaker in Miami, he's miffed, PO'd, in a bad mood, grumpy... you name it.  None of it's good, especially for the players.  Like I've discussed before, Bill Belichick didn't suddenly have a brain fart and forget how to coach.  As some of you have posited, it's possible there's some coaching issues with the OC position and Bill might be taking on too much, but I think we have a talent issue here.  Looking specifically at our defense, they're young and lack the experience to keep points off the board, especially in the second half.  The offense?  They're simply not scoring enough points.  That and some blown 4th and whatevers, but we've beaten that to death.

Moving on to the Panthers...

Belichick's peaved, so peaved he sent four players home.  He's upping the ante and making sure players are listening.  This is it right here, I tell you what.  We need to win out to prevent Miami from crawling all over us:

Here's where the issue is -- The Patriots have four games left. If the Dolphins run the table, and it's not outrageous to think they could, then New England can't afford to lose another game. Because then, Miami will hold tiebreakers, as it did last year, and repeat as division champs.

We can't let that happen, which is why it's is so important to set a tone after 2 losses on the road.  This Sunday at 1pm ET, we face off against another NFC South team, the Carolina Panthers.  We know our AFC rivals far better than those from the NFC.  Matching up every 4 years, it's hard to get a handle on the Panthers as a rival.

Looking at their last game against the Bucs, Matt Moore struggled to establish an air game against a decent Buccaneers passing defense, going 14/20 and 161 yards, no TD's and one pick.  Rookie RB Jonathan Stewart picked up a significant number of yards, 120 and a TD, against a bottom-of-the-barrel Tampa Bay run defense.  Looking at Carolina, they're 6th in pass defense and 26th in run defense.  What does that say?

Bill, if you're listening, DO NOT ABANDON THE RUN GAME.  Pound the rock and pound it hard.  Send Laurence Maroney in as point and keep the ball on the ground.  Carolina has a very good passing D and it simply doesn't make sense to try and exploit something that may give us trouble, especially when it hasn't been one of our strong suits of late.

There'll be more to come.  For now, let's start learning a bit about this team.  Look for more info in the coming days and make sure to use the Q & A FanPost our fine rival blogger has setup.