Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Excel VBA: Ignore Merged Cell Warning

Excel can be annoying sometimes. Take for example the stupid alert letting me know I'm trying to do something with a merged cell. Sometimes this sort of thing is good to know but more often than not, I know what I'm doing and want to do it without being nagged about it. So, for future reference, if you want to suppress the merged cell alert just enter this VBA code in your workbook:
Application.DisplayAlerts = False

Pit Happens

This is why we can't have affordable health coverage and why malpratice lawsuits are often rediculous and in need of reform. Dennis Kucinich is suing House cafeteria for $150k because a pit in an olive in a sandwich caused him injury. Sorry Dennis, but pit happens.

Find Merged Cells in Excel without using VBA

1. Open a Find and Replace Menu (Ctrl + F).
2. Next to the Find What Field is a Format Box, Click it.
3. This opens the Find Format Menu screen which looks very similar to the Cell Format Tabs and screens
4. On the Alignment Tab, remove any ticks in the Wrap Text or Shrink to Fit boxes.
5. Leave a tick in the Merge Cells Box (tick mark should be bold) and click the OK Button to return to the Find and Replace screen.
6.Ensure you are searching Within: Workbook and Look in: Values and the Find what: box is not populated.
7. Now click the Find All Button and ALL merged cells are shown in the lower window and are selectable to jump to their location.

How does a non-tangible asset bubble burst?

The ERI Economic Research Institute, Inc. released this past years largest salary increases by profession. We all know that health care is expensive and is continuing to be more so but is it any wonder why when of the top 20 largest increases 70% of them (14) relate to the medical profession? Not so surprising 3 others relate to academics (fortunately 1 was a non-magement role). I can understand these increases in the medical field to a degree since they are concerned the new health care bill will eventually cap their salaries at some point (much like how insurance companies are franticlly trying to raise premiums). If the caps do hold (which they never do) then I guess it wouldn't be so bad but its unfortunate that we narrowly focus only on the money instead of the reasons why costs are so high. Sure doctors are highly educated and are worthy of their wages but many regulations exist that force up healthcare costs. Release the AMA and other governing bodies abality to control how many doctors are allowed into the field, end the war on drugs and drasticlly drop the price of drugs and peoples need to get a perscription are just two examples of how the government could restore freedom and lower costs and flip side is people will then have to be resposible of their new found freedom(s).