Barrett

February 26, 2017

A Quick Way to Fix a Corrupted Word File

Why does it always seem that technology will fail you at the worst moment? Here’s a trick to help you the next time disaster strikes…

Repeatedly saving your Microsoft Word document doesn’t always help if your PC laptap unexpectedly runs out of power. Yeah, that happened to me last week at work…

My .docx file containing the results of a productive 90-minute team script-writing session got trapped when the file became corrupted. Well, it was kind of my fault, because my laptop was only running on battery power.

But to be fair to the faulty human, there was no warning… none at all.
Now, come on!
(My Apple products always warn me when I’m dangerously low on power.)

“Khaaannnn!!!”
Then, when I plugged in my laptop and rebooted, I couldn’t open up the script.
The computer ‘suggested’ the file was unrecognizable or it had been corrupted.
Uhhhh…
What do you do?
What do you do??!

We needed to get this script right over to our video editor as we had a really tight deadline. But part of the team was about to disperse to meet other commitments.

So I couldn’t just magically say, “Reassemble!”
That would take time. And time we didn’t have…

Suddenly, I was facing my own Kobayashi Maru* scenario!

Fixing the File, Stat!
The only option was to take the dead file into surgery and try to extract the data. So I brought the challenge to two tech experts in the room. I looked at them both and said, “You’ve got to come through on this. Please… work the problem!”
(I felt like Ed Harris in “Apollo 13.”)

For the first fifteen minutes, it didn’t look good.

But then, within a few moments of each other, they each came back, offering up a new file of mostly unreadable gobbly gook. But buried in their horrible ‘creations’ were the magic sentences from the script I needed.

We were saved!

Try This at Home
So of course, I was interested in the tech voodoo they used. They took different paths to the finish line, but the solution that surprised me the most was the one that used a Mac. And it was so straightforward.

The secret?

With your Apple computer, simply open the damaged Word file using TextEdit…

Do a ‘Control Click’ on the damaged file
Go to ‘Open With’
Then click on the ‘TextEdit.app’ option

And Voilà!

I tried it myself…
No, the results didn’t look pretty, but what I wanted was all in there.
(I just had to sift a little.)

TextEdit to the Rescue
So what did I learn from my little ‘experience?’
(Get your fortune cookie folder out.)

Yes, Murphy’s Law is alive and well.
But don’t forget it’s always darkest just before the dawn.

Never trust your PC laptop to run on battery for too long.
(Using pen and paper may not yet be such an antiquated concept.)

Always bring in the team to help you beat your Kobayashi Maru* test.

And most importantly, remembering Apple’s simple TextEdit as a repair tool can really save your day!

*This is a “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn” reference about handling the
‘no-win’ scenario.
(Apologies, if I’ve just stated the obvious. “Qapla!”)

February 19, 2017

Don’t Accidentally Do This on Your Keyboard

Your subconscious can really ruin your day. Especially when you’re typing away on your computer. Here are a couple of fixes to help set things straight…

Computer keyboard designers must have a really cruel sense of humor. Why else would you be able to unknowingly disable your keyboard’s functionality through some accidental, though not entirely random gesture?

For My PC Friends Out There…
On a PC laptop… you’d better not tap the top left corner of your touchpad twice… where the tiny LED light is. That will turn the touchpad off.
Sure, you can tap it twice again to turn it back on, but you first need to know the secret!
(A BIG clue is the LED light turns on when the touchpad turns off!)

Last week, a colleague of mine who’s more Mac-centric didn’t know the trick and was forced to Google the solution on a different computer.
(No, I didn’t know the answer either!)

And for the Apple Universe…
Don’t accidentally hit the ‘Option’ key five times. That will turn your keyboard off.
What?
(Yup.)

It all has to do with an accessibility feature called ‘Mouse Keys’ which turns your keyboard off and morphs it into a pointer controller.

So guess what the fix is…
Tap your ‘Option’ key five times again.

That’s it.
Your keyboard will come back to life.

Every time you hit your Option key five times, it toggles this feature ‘on’ or ‘off.’

‘X’ Marks the Spot?
I often tap the ‘X’ key a few times as a placeholder for something I intend to write later.

If you look down at your keyboard, you’ll see that the Option key is rather close to the ‘X’… perfectly positioned to receive your slightly misaligned finger.

So chances are you’re eventually going to fall into the same trap…

Listen for It
A big clue you’ve made this infuriating mistake is an audio effect that announces Mouse Keys has just been enabled.
(It sounds like an amused robotic mouse scampering across your desk.)

Option to Resume
So the next time you hear the chuckle of a computerized rodent, you shouldn’t be confused why your Mac has suddenly stopped working.

No, it isn’t frozen with fear.
You just need to provide a gentle reminder five times with the ‘Option’ key to keep on going…

February 12, 2017

What The LEGO Ninjago Movie and Star Trek: Discovery Have in Common

As both media properties switch distribution platforms, it’s clear that change is coming. Properly communicating some of those details ahead of schedule is always critical. Otherwise, you’ve got worried fans writing posts like this…

I just watched “The LEGO Ninjago Movie” trailer online. It’s based on the cartoon TV series about five young ninja warriors and their sensei who battle evil forces.

LEGO movies are seemingly starting to churn out faster than your kid can build a 500-block LEGO fortress. First there was “The LEGO Movie,” which I thought was a super fun family flick. Now, “The LEGO Batman Movie” has just been released to solid reviews, and “Ninjago” comes to theaters in September.

If you like these LEGO movies, (or your kids do) this should all be great news, right? My six-year-old son loves to watch the Ninjago TV series, and I can’t even imagine how excited he’ll get when I reveal there’s a movie version coming out.

But I’m not sure I’m going to tell him.
Well not yet.

And why not?
Well, I’ve identified a little problem in the trailer…

This is Not My Son’s Ninjago Universe
The voices of the animated characters in the movie are voiced by different actors than in the series.

While this might appear to be a subtle change, I’m not so sure I like it.
Plus, the animation design aligns a closer to the LEGO movie universe. Again, not in huge ways, but it’s noticeable.

Now, it’s not the first time a TV series has been changed or ‘upgraded’ as it morphs into a big-time movie. Often there’s a bunch of years between the two… So change is inevitable. But we’re talking about a current cartoon series about to release its seventh season.
(“Hands of Time”)

Shouldn’t the Ninjago transition to movies be a little more seamless?
(And speaking of the seventh season, my boy is extremely eager to know when it’s being released. Any ideas out there?)

Now I get that the producers of the LEGO movies want to create a product that’s distinct from and ‘better’ than its TV counterparts. (Otherwise, why would you choose to spend some serious money to schlep your family to the cinemaplex when you can stream it all for ‘free’ on your iPad.
(With a Netflix subscription)

I get why you’d sign up some big time talent like Jackie Chan to play Sensei Wu to help the marketing team sell more tickets.

“Jackie Chan?! COOL! Let’s go….”

But they’ve messed with my son’s Ninjago universe.

This is ‘another’ Ninjago.
…An alternate reality Ninjago.
…A ‘Kelvin’ Ninjago.

The Needs of the Many
Truthfully, I’m not sure that my son will really care about any of this.
But obviously I do…

Yeah… I think this actually may be more about me.
I‘m not a big fan of gratuitously messing with a formula that already works…

Which is why I’m still concerned with what’s happening with the new “Star Trek: Discovery” series.

Even from the distance as a “once and always Trekie,” I acknowledge that the Star Trek formula needs to continue to evolve as the original blueprints eventually ran out of steam with “Star Trek: Enterprise.”

Yes, the new movie series took some big-time chances to mix things up a bit. But J.J. Abrams successfully rebooted the franchise in a fresh way with its “Kelvin’ alternate timeline, while also respecting the original ‘Prime’ timeline.

“Discovery” is apparently not connected to the new movies in any way.
It reportedly takes place in the pre-Kirk ‘Prime’ timeline.
(Ten years before the original five-year mission.)

Have you got that?
…Because I don’t.

The timeline split off on the day of Kirk’s birth.
Right?

So this assumes the original timeline still exists somewhere… intact.
(Fascinating.)

Hailing Frequencies Are Open
The problem is I still have no sense or feeling about this new Trek.
And it’s launching in May.

Sure there’s casting announcements and some vague plot elements.
(Young Sarek will be a part of the story.)

But the whole kit and kaboodle still feels like a black hole to me.
The marketing machine has given us almost nothing to get us excited about.

Okay….
What I need is a decent trailer to settle me down a bit…
(And something more than concept animation…)

Maybe a few photos with the actors in uniform. Something!
Come on guys!

I know all about “The LEGO Ninjago Movie,” and that’s not coming out until September!

Settle Down, Barrett
It seems clear “Star Trek: Discovery” is going to be somewhat ‘disruptive.’
But I’m a little worried, because it continues to be so quiet.
Like something’s wrong.

The new “In Production” teaser makes me feel slightly better…

But it still doesn’t give much up.
Except a promise to maintain the tradition…

Birthday Wish
Change is inevitable… Whether we’re talking about animated Spinjitzu masters moving to the big screen or some version of the two Federation universes moving back to the small screen.

As a father of a kid and as a kid at heart, all I ask is to simply respect the ‘elemental powers’ that have made both franchises successful.

From there you can’t go wrong…
And your fans will continue to feel like it’s their birthday every time they tune in…

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