Updating Photoshop RAW Plugin - OSX

Recent purchase of a Canon 60D meant I needed to be on plugin version 6.4.1 in order to read the CR2 file format. Never previously having to upgrade from 6.1 I jumped straight in.
Downloaded the .dmg, ran, fail ... error : updates not available.

After lots of trial and error I found installing each update sequentially, 1-3 and then finally .4 solved the problem. 

Adding Console to Windows 7 Context Menu

Windows 7 has the menu item 'open command here' when you shift, right click a folder.  As a Console user  I wanted to open this rather than the generic windows cmd.


In trying to actually find out about something else I stumbled across :


Computer\HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\cmd\command


Change (Default) to :


"\Console.exe" /s /k pushd "%V"
eg
"C:\Program Files\Console2\Console.exe" /s /k pushd "%V"


You can also put a pretty little icon on the menu :


Create string value :


Computer\HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\cmd\Icon and make data the path of the exe, dll with the icon.

JIRA Regex mail handler and Domino

I've been building a JIRA project to consolidate a number of tickets systems that we use. As a previous JIRA hater I started the project with some trepidation. After a month I've actually come right around. I've managed to build something which now has pretty much the same functions as the other bespoke domino systems we use/used and extra. Including some nice workflows for ops work which would impact dev and production.

Something thats bugged us all is the email reply into comments. Our primary mail client, Domino, really wants you to use reply with history, its top of all the menu's, its hard not to pick it. But doing this with JIRA means ALL the email, including history goes into the comment. When a few people get going on email the ticket very quickly becomes un-readable.

Using just 'reply' or 'reply internet style' can be made to work, but both require a conscious decision.

Looking for a way around this the regex mail handler looked promising. My initial attempt :

project=NAME, issuetype=##, createusers=false, splitregex=/From:/gi

Failed, the regex looks OK to me. A ticket with Atlassian came back with the suggestion :

project=NAME, issuetype=##, createusers=false, splitregex=/From:*/

Which works fine .. no more email junk even if the user replies with history.

Facebook privacy debate, face recognition.

I use Facebook, and I of course have obligatory 'friends' who actually aren't really friends at all. Some I have an interest in (see below) and some I just said yes to in the furor of Facebooks release and growth. Most are people I know, or did know, some I work with, some family, and then there are some real friends.

But nearly all the regular Facebook contributors I come across use it for two things:

1. How am I doing versus x ?
2. A replacement of sending junk email links to everyone in your address book*

* Notice how your inbox is no longer full of emails from 'friends', or in my case my mother, telling you to look at this link, watch out for this virus when you make a coffee and stir the spoon the wrong way which will allow access to all your bank accounts, credit cards and library membership. All stopped. Facebook, thank you !

I guess #1 is really social media feeding the basic human instinct of survival. Look at me I did this, I own this, I went here. Therefor I must be more intelligent than you as I have a better job, earn more money, and so I will survive, and you will not.

Maybe I'm being cynical and people just want to 'share'. Which is fine, but if your going to share or use social media to keep a score then please don't think that ticking that little box makes your data private.

What do you think the motivation is behind these companies ? Its to make money. How ? By having the most data and doing shit with it. Everything you do will be tracked. Pictures, links, status updates, wall posts. ALL will all be analyzed to the nth degree and used in a way to make money.

Face recognition is the latest headline news to hit the Daily Mail spin machine. How long do you think Facebook have been doing this privately ? .. Google already do it with Picasa. You chose to put your pictures on the web. A public place, with two billion users (correct at date of writing, 2 billion and 1, 2 billion and 5, I can't keep up !). And then you want privacy and protection ? - good luck, welcome to the future.

No, I'm the computer man !

Sending IBM/Lotus Domino eMails from Excel

Heres your macro :

Public Sub emailme()
Dim noSession As Object, noDatabase As Object, noDocument As Object
   Dim vaRecipient As Variant
   Dim rnbody As Range
   Dim rnbody1 As Range
   Dim Data As DataObject
   Const stSubject As String = "P.O. Issues" ****
   Const stMsg As String = "Do you have an update on the following:"****  
   Const stPrompt As String = "Please select the range:"****
   vaRecipient = VBA.Array("your email address.com")****A MUST****
    On Error Resume Next
    Set rnbody = Application.InputBox("Please choose the range", Type:=8)
    On Error GoTo 0
    If rnbody Is Nothing _
    Then MsgBox "RNG is nothing" _
Else 'MsgBox rnbody.Address
rnbody.Select
Set rnbody1 = Range(rnbody, rnbody.Offset(0, 3))************
rnbody1.Select
   Set noSession = CreateObject("Notes.NotesSession")
   Set noDatabase = noSession.GETDATABASE("", "")
   If noDatabase.IsOpen = False Then noDatabase.OPENMAIL
   Set noDocument = noDatabase.CreateDocument
   rnbody1.Copy
   Set Data = New DataObject
   Data.GetFromClipboard
   With noDocument
      .Form = "Memo"
      .SendTo = vaRecipient
      .Subject = stSubject
      .body = stMsg & vbCrLf & vbCrLf & Data.GetText
      .SaveMessageOnSend = True
   End With
   With noDocument
      .PostedDate = Now()
      .Send 0, vaRecipient
   Set noDocument = Nothing
   Set noDatabase = Nothing
   Set noSession = Nothing
   'Activate Excel for the user.
   AppActivate "Microsoft Excel"
   Application.CutCopyMode = False
   MsgBox "The e-mail has successfully been created and distributed.", vbInformation
End With
End Sub

Replace the ***** parts with your particular details.


You may need to change the following line :

Set rnbody1 = Range(rnbody, rnbody.Offset(0, 3))************


This by default will use the first cell plus the 3 cells to the right.


I then applied that to a button, but another way I found was to put the following code in your worksheet {copy code,right click sheet tab name, select view code, & paste}


Any cell with the words 'Send Me' in can then be double clicked to invoke the macro.

Private Sub Worksheet_BeforeDoubleClick(ByVal Target As Excel.Range, Cancel As Boolean)
Select Case Target.Column
Case 1
If ActiveCell.Value = "Send Me" Then
ActiveCell.Offset(1, 0).Select
Call emailme
End If
End Sub

One gotcha I found was my installation of Excel didn't have the DataObject available.


From the Visual Basic editor, Tools, References.  
NB// If References is greyed out then Run, Reset and try again.

• Enable MS Forms 2.0

MonkeyTunes and Subsonic

Never an iTunes fan, in fact I'm a complete hater, I've always used MediaMonkey for local music management, and iPod/iPhone music sync.  Today in my never ending quest for home AV utopia I just took two more steps.  I think forward, but actually maybe not.

Wanting to control my music from the garden (yes I know iTunes has this) I found MonkeyTunes & SubSonic.

MonkeyTunes adds a plugin into MM which then uses the iTunes (irony) bonjour service so you can control your music from the regular iPhone iTunes remote.

Subsonic installs a web service which displays, and streams your music via the browser.

I'll probably use them both once.  But there you go.

No more Sky ! (the satellite service rather than another end of the world prediction).

My eBay Sky HD box started to go on the blink and as I begrudge paying the £20(ish) service charge for channels I never watch I decided to make the leap into FreeSat.

Amazon, 1 x Humax Foxsat HDR 500GB

The first time I tried to set it up it got stuck on the 'enter postcode' - which really only sets your local regional channel preference. But when it fails its also indicative of a dish alignment problem - oh no, maybe the Sky HD box was OK.

Second try, 24 hours later and everything went through fine. hmmm ..

So far so good, the box works fine. My only gripe is the remote control, you pretty much need to stand in front of the box, especially with the front flap closed. Going to investigate IR extenders.

Think I'll stick with the official firmware for a while aswell ..