Access Combo box bug

Had an interesting bug in MS Access. Very complicated system with many forms started to crash Access on loading several of the forms. Mostly it affected my ability to update the system, but yesterday it became critical because some users could no longer work with it. I decided the database had to be corrupt so started from scratch, importing queries and code (things that were just text) and rebuilding the forms. Luckily for my use of time, Access crashed as I was adding a tweak to a field in pretty much the first real form. I had changed it from a text box to a combo box, displaying the name field from a personnel table instead of the ID. Realising I'd probably pinned down the bug, I created yet another new database, added just two tables, a form for one table and on it a combo box linking to the other table. Crash!

Amazingly, typing a basic description of that scnario into Google yielded several hits, pointing me to a Microsoft hotfix, kb945674. The description pretty much matched my experience. I downloaded and installed it and in the new database the problem went away. Unfortunately the "proper" database still crashes, probably because the buggy version of Access created the combo box. Oh well, at least I can rebuild it now.

Quite how Microsoft managed to break something so basic when releasing Office SP3 I don't know!

I own my bank!

Now my government has seen fit to use my (future) money to buy my bank, I guess they can hardly refuse to lend me (my) money next time I need some.

One of the conditions of the bail out is that banks return mortgage lending to last year's levels. Isn't that what caused the crisis in the first place?

Another condition is that the banks post no dividends. So investors get no returns and they go buy someone else's shares. Bank shares go down and the government loses (my) money. What part of capitalism does the government not understand?

The world has ended!

Today the world ended. You didn't realise because you didn't watch the switch on of the CERN LHC. However, sure as eggs is eggs you are now either in Heaven or in Hell. Can't see the difference? Well, that's because you make your own Heaven or Hell. At work tomorrow does the coffee machine work? That's Heaven. Hell is an email from the MD with a new "inspirational message".

Student loans

First, how many people realise that the interest rate on student loans is not the low headline rate that the government advertise and the media report, but the much higher "real" rate that is currently close to the after tax savings rates you get from high street lenders? With inflation letting rip it could soon be cheaper to lend YOUR money to your student daughter than have her take out a student loan.

Next, try phoning the student loan company. It takes an hour to get through, then they point out that they only act as agents for the local authorities who actually process your daughter's application so all they can do is offer platitudes.

I hope your darling isn't going to a "recruiting university" aka a low ranking poly or FE institute because if she is, you, and she, are wasting your time and money. See Mondays' Independent.

PS Just took daughter 2 to Warwick. My list of worthwhile universities just expanded - Bristol, Lancaster, Exeter and now Warwick (AKA Coventry Uni - don't be put off!).

Outlook 2007 won't close and other problems

Yesterday I set up a new user on an existing PC and encountered a bizarre error. Outlook would not close, either by clicking the close button or by using File->Exit. Only Task Manager worked.

Googling for a solution yielded a few suggestions, one of which involved disabling add-ons in the trust center. Opening the trust center hung Outlook completely. Some posts referred to a non-functionalreadingpane. Yes. I had that too. None of the suggested fixes worked for me (they didn't work for a lot of others either). Just one contributor had the solution - after 3 hourts of reading user group posts and trying out their suggestions.

There was a clue that I missed. On startup, Outlook was still posting a "configuring user accounts" message, even though it had apparently done that and the actual email part of Outlook was working. Also, at one point, I received an "a dialog box is open" message but no dialog boxes were apparent.

The solution was to End Task Outlook, open Word, enter the user's name and initials when prompted, and then re-open Outlook. All problems went away. Evidently Outlook was failing to "show" the new user name dialog but nevertheless waiting under some circumstances for input from it.

Thee are times when I'd like to punch some token Microsoft programmer.

Just for the smell of it

If you own a house with a garden, build a pergola and train jasmine over it. Sit under it in the evening and have a meal, a drink, a chat. The scent is almost overpowering at this time of year - worth the time you spend stopping it taking over completely.

Barack Obama is white - shock

Barack Obama's mother was white, so that makes him white, yes?

Or not - what is so amazing about African blood that one drop of it makes you black?

Actually, his father was a Kenyan moslem, so maybe he has Asian blood. (Indian/Bengali clerical workers emigrated to Kenya in Empire days to help run the government and local businesses). Hey, Obama is Asian!

Wait - a lot of British colonials married local women so a proportion of Indian middle classes have mixed parentage. Maybe Obama is ENGLISH! Like the majority of White Americans!

Does it matter? He's a top US lawyer and one of the brightest of his generation - so maybe he'll make a good President - whatever his genetic history.

Sailing

It was "Oh my god" windy today (severe weather warnings in force) and only a dozen teams turned up at the club and just half a dozen boats went out to race. I got a 1st and a 2nd and didn't capsize in either race. It would have been easy to wimp out but then I'd have had to conclude I was getting old. Instead I had a smile on my face all the way home.

Life is for living!

Things to stump your teacher

A couple of times one of my daughter's teachers has challenged the class to come up with sensible questions they can't answer. Here are two good stumpers which rely on the fact that you can do the research beforehand, or don't have to provide an answer yourself:

Maths teachers

Take two three digit prime numbers, multiply them together, then ask the teacher to factorise the answer. Finding the primes could be tricky but I'll give you a few memorable ones:
127 (2^7-1), 257(2^8+1), 499, 599,601,911.
So, choose 127 * 911 = 115697. See how long it takes teach to factorise that...

History teachers

Ask "name the great grandparents of..." and insert your favourite King or Queen. This one relies on the fact that the female line can be very obscure. It took at least a day to get the great grandparents of Henry VIII. Choose Victoria and you might find the task impossible as the lines disappear into minor German Duchies.

If I have to explain this once more...

Microsoft Excel. You have a big spreadsheet, essentially a table of data like your third quarter financial results, your product catalogue or the scores from the weekly pub quiz. Its too big to see all the data at once.

Select the single cell that is below the row of column titles and to the right of any row titles (like the competitors' names) Drop down the "Window" menu and click "Freeze Panes". Now the row and column titles will stay on-screen while you scroll around the rest of the data.

Now select any cell in the table, drop down the "Data" menu, click Filter and then AutoFilter. Drop down arrows appear next to the column titles (it's a good idea if your column titles are all on one row, if not make them one row and use text wrapping to use multiple lines in that row). You can filter the list on any column to show, for instance, all the Automotive division's products.

Finally, with the table filtered in some way, go to the bottom of a numeric column, select the next cell down and click the AutoSum toolbar button (Greek Sigma symbol). Instead of a "Sum()" functionyou get a"Subtotal(9,)" function. Complete the range and accept the formula. The total will include only the filtered data.

For some odd reason this AutoSum subtotal trick only works for Sum (the button default). If you want a count (COUNTA), use Sum then replace the 9 by 3. The online help system has a handy list of subtotal function numbers, just search for "subtotal function".

A rare problem with Amazon

I buy most things from Amazon. They're easy to find, sell almost anything, and easy to buy from. So when I needed a new hard drive I just ordered one. I was surprised that it arrived somewhat under-packed. In a thin PET case like you get croissants from the bakery, then wrapped in a standard cardboard book sleeve. Moulded in the PET were the words "Handle with care". I don't think having it fall 1m from the letterbox to my floor in that packing met any reasonable definition of "care" let alone what the postal service had done to it previously. Not surprisingly it is DOA.

An email to Amazon's customer services received the reply that they were perfectly happy with their packing methods. Well I'm not and once I've had a refund from Amazon I won't buy any more disk drives from them. Their customer feedback on drives is littered with tales of early life failures. Maybe also due to bad handling during delivery.

City of hassle

Spent a week in Marrakech. Nice to get away but even better to get back to a country where there are prices on goods that you can trust.

If you are tempted by Morocco aim to tour. There are marvellous things to see but you can cover the main sights of Marrakech in three days (two if you don't want to shop).

If you do go to Marrakech, do take the Rough Guide map, which is much more accurate than other tourist maps. At times fine details make the difference between walking confidently to your destination and allowing time for someone to decide to clain £5 for guiding you around the corner. Also take plenty of cash, you can be caught out by power failures at the ATM or unexpected "must have" purchases.

We took a minibus tour to the Ourika valley - the high spot of the week. Can't describe it, but look out for the bridges and soft drink cooling apparatus.

Bet you can't getout of the country without a photograph of the Koutoubia mosque minaret...

Opening

I have to put something in here, so I'll just say I was really pleased to beat my main competition at the sailing club today. Something about old age and wisdom beating youth and enthusiasm.