This formula is designed to extract asset numbers from monitors (a) and computer numbers (b) after the help desk program dumps summary fields.  First is goes through and looks for the monitors and if it doesn’t find any the error function runs the search for computers.  The trick is that not only numbers are returned but words as well so after you put the formula in you have to do replaceall to change the words to nothing.

=IF(ISERROR(MID(D1,SEARCH(“a?????**”, D1),8)),(MID(D1,SEARCH(“b?????**”, D1),8)),(MID(D1,SEARCH(“a?????**”, D1),8)))

If you were paying attention to my blog today (which you most likely weren’t), you would have noticed that I was having issues trying to put ad space on my sidebar. Just last week I decided that I wanted to switch back to using Adsense. Boy, was that ever a mistake. I was quickly reminded why I had started using ProjectWonderful in the first place. However I had a problem, my ads kept getting pushed off to the right of each sidebar. Nothing seemed to work.

Finally today I figured out a quick and dirty solution.

Earlier this week I received my Xbox 360 back from Microsoft for it’s RROD.  Eagerly I sat down to play on my console only to discover that in the two week period of not having a 360, my controller was stepped on and a analog joystick was broken.  Yes, I was disappointed that my controller was broken and I set out to work out a way to fix it.

I did a little research and found out that if you have an original Xbox S type controller that you are willing to part with, you can fix your more expensive 360 controller on the cheap.

You see it turns out that the analog joystick pickups are the same in each controller, so it is simply a matter of cracking each open and swapping in the working part.

I am posting this from http://vaxcave.com/?p=443

It was just too good to pass up.

[quote="Vaxcave.com"]Apparently there is a “30 second skip” command that is available to the Motorola DCT6412 III PVR. If you have this version of the Comcast brand (and other cable carriers, to be fair) you can use the following instructions to map the 30 second skip feature to a button.

Make sure the PVR is on. Press and release the “Cable” button.
Press and hold the “Setup” button. Release after the “Cable” button blinks twice.
Using the number pad, type “994″ and look for the “Cable” button to blink twice.
Press and release the “Setup” button.
Using the number pad, type “00173″.
Press the button that you wish to have the FFW feature mapped to. I recommend a button that isn’t used normally. I used the “HD Zoom” button in the lower right corner.
The best part about this feature is that it’s not a fast forward feature. It indeed jumps forward 30 seconds immediately. It’s great.
[/quote]

I have this obession of controlling all my audio video equipment from the comfort of my couch. I have a remote for my tv, audio system, cable box, xbox 360, xbox (soon to include the power on hack) and ps2 (does this have a power on hack?). Oh, I even have a remote controled a/v switch which is pretty cool but not in use at the moment.

The real trick here is to get as many devices working with 1 single remote as best as they can. That means turning the tv, audio receiver and cable box on and off at will with the single push of a button.