Post #99
This is the 99:th post in my blog. Quite cool, since I wasn’t quite sure this blog would ever get off from the runway! It’s thanks to you, my trustworthy readers, that I keep going! Someday I’ll actually refine what this blog is all about, but until that day I’ll keep posting what I happen to be experiencing or thinking about at the moment.
Right now I’ve been immersed with the endless possibilities for configuring your Windows XP system. I’ve downloaded the following applications:
These applications help me with a number of tasks. The major thing I’ve tried to achieve is easy access to programs, folders and files. SlickRun offers this accessibility. It’s a little command line application that allows you to specify MagicWords that will allow you to run any command or open any file or folder you want with a easy combination of keys. The activation key for SlickRun can be configured. The default is windows+q, I changed it to alt+q instead, since I was more comfortable with it.
Invoking SlickRun with alt+q I can specify a MagicWord for any application, folder or file I have specified. I quickly added all my common application to it, like emacs, The journal, Hälsovakten, Opera, Windows Mediaplayer, Process Explorer, Acerose Password Vault, Samurize, VLC and Word. SlickRun offers you autocomplete which means you will only have to type as many letters as it will take to make your MagicWord unique. Once you’ve installed it and begun to use it… you can’t live without it!
I know that I’ve been implementing hotkeys and such to be able to start applications without using the mouse, but they all have failed due to two factors:
1) I could never remember the key I assigned to a specific task
2) There was no easy way to document and expand on the hotkeys I used
So… I use a combination of Samurize and SlickRun. Samurize is an application that allows you to create your own custom layout of things you wish to monitor on your system. I’ve chosen to monitor three files and the Windows mediaplayer (see attached screenshot). The three files are GTD-paradigms.txt, shortcuts.txt and slickrun.txt. GTD-paradigms remind me of which Getting Things Done items I still have to conciously apply. shortcuts are the keys I can use in different applications so I do not have to use the mouse so often. slickrun is a legend of strings that activate different things. I keep the legend so I will not forget the proper shortcuts and commands to alleviate me from mouse clicking throug the system to find a specific file.
The other problem is maintaining the lists, namely shortcuts.txt and slickrun.txt. I added them as MagicWords to slickrun. Like, ’shortcuts’ will run the command ‘C:\Program\emacs-21.1\bin\runemacs.exe’ with the argument ‘D:\Filarkiv\Q-R-S-T\Samurize\shortcuts.txt.’ And the same goes for slickrun.txt.
Now I can, with samurize, easily see which shortcuts and magic words I have to use. And with the SlickRun MagicWords I can easily access the files and changing them so they reflect the current status of shortcuts and slickrun magicwords!
There, the 99:th post. Hope it gave you something 
Next post I will try to do something spectacular. Otherwise I have the following programs to promote during fall and next summer:
FindeXter - which allows you to customize your windows, so the sidebar show something interesting
PlaceBarEditor -allows you to configure the maps shown when you get a save-file message or such
AutohotKeys - How to make custom programs that do the tasks you wish to have done.
TaskSwitchXP - To switch easily between programs, it gives a little preview of the window you wish to switch to.
Here’s a screenshot of my current desktop
I didn’t have Windows mediaplayer running, or else the fields to the right of ‘GTD PARADIGMS’ would have shown the current song being played, it’s total running length and how much was left of it. Very practical information to have!
