There may be only one Snippy, but now there’s more than one place to see him!

We’ve just created for Snippy his very own “I love Snippy” group on Facebook for Snippy fans to ask him questions, look at rare pictures and just generally bask in his overall cuteness.

So if you’re on Facebook, and we know you are,  please stop by and say hello!

See Snippy’s Facebook group here

Just thinking…….

Two more days and we will be gone. It’s not real yet. My mind knows that we will begin life in another state, but my heart isn’t there yet. I was rethinking what I wrote last night about being so disappointed in the condition of parts of the home we are moving into. I’m not usually a sad or negative person, and I kept wondering why I was dwelling on this. I think it’s because my heart is still here, and I still think of this house as being “home”. Nothing else will compare, at least for a while.

Tonight was my last Wednesday night Bible class, and the ladies there gave me notecards and prayed for me and are making plans to help us pack Friday. A gift of love, of service, of spiritual encouragement: what a wonderful remembrance. That’s church as it “oughta” be!!

I was snippy with the Hubs tonight, I’m worried that he won’t finish his packing and that it will fall on my shoulders. Again, am I just tired? Emotionally spent? Naggy? I don’t like myself doing that. Yes, there is stress in a move, but that should not affect how I talk to my husband.

Father, deal with me. Just deal with me. Put me where I belong and fill my mind with Your words and counsel. Fill my heart with what You desire. Remind me that Your thoughts are not my thoughts, nor are Your ways my ways. Show me the way……..

To God be the glory…….
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I’m always looking for “Just 1 Number” – that single metric which shows immediately how the company is doing across all departments.  I thought I’d found it and wrote my first Benchmark column on the subject in September 2005.  I called it the SNIPPY which represents an index relating customer satisfaction to net profit.  I’m still fond of the SNIPPY, but I might be the only one.

However the June 2008 issue of Fortune Small Business calls the NPS a “magical metric. It’s called a Net Promoter Score and essentially it measures customer satisfaction and referrals.”

“Here’s how NPS is implemented.  First, ask your customers to rate you on a scale of 0 to 10 based on the question, How likely is it that you would recommend this company to a friend or colleague?  Then sort the responses into three groups:  promoters (9s and 10s), passive (7s and 8s) and detractors (0 through 6s).  The percentage of promoters minus the percentage of detractors equals your score.  A company with 75% promoters and 15% detractors, for example would have an NPS of 60.”

So now you’re wondering what a good score might be.  The article states “as a rule of thumb, score above 50 and you’re a star.”

You might well have this information at hand from client satisfaction surveys you’ve done in the past.  If you’re going to determine your own NPS score, be sure to separate current information (past 12 months, for example) from historic.  That way you’ll have a trend line. Also be sure to accumulate sufficient data to have statistical reliability.  Two clients, for example, would not be a very small sampling on which to base your assumption.

Read the entire article here:

http://money.cnn.com/2008/05/21/smallbusiness/customers_sell_for_you.fsb/index.htm

ScreenClick was great.  150 downloads from codepackage and 200 from Download.com on within 7 days of it’s release.

But I’ve always hated one thing about it myself; it’s interface is a bit too complicated. And I’d like to be able to share images I snap right after snapping them.

That’s where Snippy comes in.

Snippy hides as an icon near your clock. double click the icon and your screen becomes brighter. Drag your mouse to create a rectangle around whatever you want as an image. Lift your finger off the mouse and a window will pop up and show you the image you just snapped.

The image has already been copied to your clipboard, but you can still upload via FTP, email it as an attachment, or save it as a file. that’s it. the process takes about 30 seconds. no need to setup folders, destinations, etc.

We’re working hard to get Snippy ready for Everyday ‘09 SP1, which will be released summer of 2009. It will replace ScreenClick in the ED09 program, but you will still be able to download ScreenClick separatly from our website.

Tell us what you think

Dylan Taylor

Snippy can help. Snippy is a screen capture tool. This free download doesn’t require installing. Just download the small, executable file and double click it to start snipping. You will see a pair on scissors available in your Taskbar notification area on the right side.

Just click these scissors anytime you need to capture something on your screen. With a click and drag select the area to be copied to your clipboard. Open Word, or another application and paste. Viola! An image of your screen capture appears in your document. You can also right click on the scissors to access the settings. That’s it. Very simple. Very easy to use. Here’s a very short screencast on how to download, start, and use Snippy.

I use SnagIt for my screen captures. Since I spend a lot of time publishing handouts on various tech tools, I need something with more features. SnagIt is awesome. If you are often capturing snapshots of your screen, this tool is worth purchasing. There is a 30 day free trial available for download.

En la entrada anterior he estado probando Snippy pero como véis no realiza captura de pantallas con el fondo transparente, con lo cual como no tengas una bitácora blanca se ve realmente feo.

Information About Brian Steel:
Brian Steel is a Spanish translator and editor living in Australia. He is currently an ex-devotee of the Indian Guru, Sri Sathya Sai Baba of Puttaparthi, India. Brian Steel is an obsessive, rambling and nitpicking critic who cannot make a sober or consistent argument against his former guru. While Brian Steel was a devotee of Sathya Sai Baba, he wrote the following books favorable to the guru’s cause and movement:

• A Basic Dictionary for Sai Baba Devotees and Others
• The Sathya Sai Baba Compendium. A Guide to the First 70 Years
• The Powers of Sathya Sai Baba

Although ex-devotees refer to Brian Steel as a “scholar” and a “linguistics expert”, he does not list any credentials on his websites (nor have any publishers made mention to any credentials he may possess). Therefore, the “scholar” and “expert” claims attributed to Brian Steel are unsupported, subjective statements not rooted in fact.

Brian Steel is the webmaster for the following websites/blogs:

• bdsteel.tripod.com
• briansteel.net
• brianestil.wordpress.com
• briansteel.wordpress.com

Brian Steel’s Comments About The English Translations To Sathya Sai Baba’s Telugu Discourses:
Brian Steel wrote a long-winded article about the “packaging” of Sathya Sai Baba’s discourses. While wading (knee deep) through Brian Steel’s article, I discovered that his entire argument is inherently flawed. To prove my point, let us look at some actual quotes from Brian Steel regarding the English translations to Sathya Sai Baba’s Telugu discourses:

bdsteel.tripod.com/More/packagenew04.htm Brian Steel: “SSB’s actual words, sentences, and speaking style, have often been submerged in a heavily edited, polished and sophisticated written version.”

bdsteel.tripod.com/More/packagenew04.htm Brian Steel (Regarding The Editing Of Sathya Sai Baba’s Discourses): “1. Change of sentence style from simple to more complex and sophisticated; 2. Condensation of the spoken original; 3. Enhancement or clarification of sentences or paragraphs; 4. Relocation of information to an earlier or later paragraph, making the whole Discourse more cohesive and stylistically sophisticated; 5. Omission of words, sentences, pages, or facts; and 6. Editor’s additions and adornments.”

bdsteel.tripod.com/More/packagenew04.htm Brian Steel: “The changes are such that the two products, while conveying (more or less) the same spiritual concepts, are very different sets of communications, as if from two different persons. As has already been hypothesised, this calls into question the exact nature of SSB’s words, for those devotees who wish to quote from written sources alone, or to study the precise words of wisdom in Study Circles. (That, in fact, is ironic: Devotees in SSB Centres all over the world spend regular hours minutely analysing and commenting on short sections of SSB’s Discourses. The concepts, sentences, and phraseology are commented on in minute detail and squeezed for deep spiritual meanings, in the sincere belief that the words and style (as well as the concepts) are SSB’s!”

bdsteel.tripod.com/More/packagenew04.htm Brian Steel: “It is not therefore surprising that many (perhaps most) devotees seem to regard the volumes of Sathya Sai Speaks reverently as ‘Gospel’ truth. However, it may come as a surprise to them (they may even be offended) to be told that they are NOT being given a close translation of SSB’s words in these official magazines and printed volumes, but a very highly edited version (with significant additions and omissions, as we shall see), produced by Organisation editors – initially Kasturi himself, later other equally erudite close associates of Baba.”

bdsteel.tripod.com/More/packagenew04.htm Brian Steel: “Have the printed Discourses always been so distant from the original spoken versions in both style and content?”

bdsteel.tripod.com/More/packagenew04.htm Brian Steel: “In view of the minute attention accorded by devotees to all of SSB’s words and actions, we may ask once more: How is it possible for SSB’s ‘words’ – as opposed to his teachings – to be quoted with any accuracy?”

bdsteel.tripod.com/More/packagenew04.htm Brian Steel: “However, as we are now beginning to see, particularly with the ‘Premsai’ evidence, what is eventually printed for wide circulation really becomes more of a hybrid form, a condensation (and sometimes a selection) of SSB’s words, ideas and concepts, significantly enhanced by the editors’ language and stylistic skills.”

bdsteel.tripod.com/More/packagenew04.htm Brian Steel: “Glib spokespersons and devotees-in-denial should compare these 8 official literal translations with the official packaged versions to get further evidence of the degree of packaging of their guru’s words.”

Brian Steel Completely Contradicts Himself:
Based on the quotes cited earlier, Brian Steel clearly stated that the English translations to Sathya Sai Baba’s Telugu discourses are not what Sathya Sai Baba actually and literally said in Telugu. Brian Steel cited about a dozen examples to illustrate his point. The examples that Brian Steel used do show that those particular English discourse sections were heavily modified and/or edited. Consequently, according to Brian Steel, the English translations are not the actual words and phrases used by Sathya Sai Baba in his original, Telugu discourses.

It is Brian Steel’s opinion that Sathya Sai Baba’s discourses are “packaged, highly edited, polished, condensed, enhanced, inaccurate, distant, different, adorned, significantly added to, snipped and hybridized”. These points are important to remember, because after Brian Steel made his case against the integrity of the English translations, he flip-flopped and cited these very same flawed English translations (yes, the ones he said were “packaged, highly edited, polished, condensed, enhanced, inaccurate, distant, different, adorned, significantly added to, snipped and hybridized”) to attribute literal inaccuracies and discrepancies directly to Sathya Sai Baba!

When it comes to Brian Steel’s “packaging” sermon, the English translations are inaccurate, changed considerably and do not reflect what Sathya Sai Baba literally said in Telugu. However, when it comes to perceived contradictions and inconsistencies, Brian Steel cited these very same “packaged” English translations as accurate and factual references to critique what Sathya Sai Baba actually said in Telugu. Brian Steel is trying to have it both ways. He can’t.

As if Brian Steel’s contradictory argument is not embarassing enough, he does not speak, understand or write Telugu. Consequently, Brian Steel is at a sore disadvantage in that every single fault he finds in the English translations are implausible guesses as to what Sathya Sai Baba might have said in Telugu.

Brian Steel is basing his critiques solely on the English translations. One would think that the only rational approach to critiquing Baba’s discourses would be to have a person who is fluent in Telugu to point out the alleged discrepancies. However, Brain Steel does not know Telugu. Therefore, Brian Steel’s entire works of contrasting, comparing and critiquing is of little practical value. This sums up my entire argument against Brain Steel’s “packaging” sermon.

Translation Considerations And Hermeneutics:
Brian Steel has personal problems with the way Sathya Sai Baba’s discourses are “packaged”. Brian Steel casually dismissed the intricacies and perplexities that often face language translations. There are many devotees and ex-devotees, students and ex-students (for example, Meenakshi Srikanth) who have claimed that Sathya Sai Baba is a brilliant and excellent Telugu orator who’s simple, poetic and elegant style reveal a profound mastery of the Telugu language. Anyone who is bilingual can clearly understand the translation obstacles in maintaining the purity and essence of the original written or spoken word. This can clearly be seen in the Old Testament where there are numerous contradictions that must be reconciled with the original Hebrew words. However, even then, Hebrew scholars disagree with each other on hermeneutics. Such is the case with the translation hurdles that must be overcome when translating Sathya Sai Baba’s discourses from simple, poetic and elegant Telugu (which are full of subtle, complex nuances) into English.

The English Translation Is The Proof Plate For Other Languages:
There are two times when Sathya Sai Baba’s Telugu discourses are translated into English. The first time is when a translator gives an on-the-spot translation while Sathya Sai Baba is speaking. The second time is after the discourse when the original Telugu discourse is re-translated (from audio tape) into English for publication. This accounts for the discrepancies between what one hears during the discourse (on-the-spot translation) and what one reads after the discourse (examined translation). Apparently, Brian Steel does not understand this.

The English translations are proof plates for translations made into other languages. Consequently, the English version must be edited so that it presents the most direct and concise version of the discourse. This allows for a more accurate and consistent translation into other languages.

Brian Steel also faulted the translations because they present “an inaccurate picture of Baba’s public speaking personality and style”. No translation can convey a person’s “public speaking personality and style”. If people want to know Sathya Sai Baba’s “public speaking personality and style”, they should watch a video or watch him in person. No one can accurately assess a person’s “public speaking personality and style” by reading his/her words on paper.

“On-The-Spot” Notes And A 0.04% Error Rate:
Brian Steel cited devotee’s “on the spot notes” made during Sathya Sai Baba’s discourses. This goes from bad to worse. Anyone who has ever heard one of Sathya Sai Baba’s discourses knows that many times Sathya Sai Baba cuts off the translator before he finishes translating. Not only that, but Sathya Sai Baba’s discourses are fast paced (something Brian Steel acknowledged). To keep up with the English translation (or make one’s own translation) is a difficult thing to do! Making notes is bound to result in profound errors on the part of the person who is trying to keep up with the discourse.

On Brian’s appendix page (at bdsteel.tripod.com/SSB/apx.htm) one will find comparisons between various versions to Sathya Sai Baba’s discourses. One of the examples used by Brian Steel is a Yugadi Discourse that was translated from Telugu into Tamil and then translated again from Tamil into English (talk about being desperate to find errors). This is bound to end up with substantial errors. These are the extents to which Brian Steel is willing to go to prove that there are alleged discrepancies in Sathya Sai Baba’s discourses.

It isimportant to point out that out that there are approximately 1,200 discourses published between 1953-1997, hundreds of discourses published between 1997-2003 and about 90 discourses published between 2003-2004. There are also over a hundred Vahinis and hundreds of discourses given during the Summer Showers. Conservatively, there are 1,600 discourses and speeches given by Sathya Sai Baba from 1953-2004. Brian Steel has found discrepancies in three full discourses and snippets from other discourses (not numbering more than 60 on his and other Anti-Sai websites). This would comprise discrepancies in 0.04% of Sathya Sai Baba’s discourses! Even so, I have not seen how any of Brian Steel’s cited discrepancies detract from Sathya Sai Baba’s main message.

Brian Steel Attempted To Cite “premasai” As An Authority:
Brian Steel cited what he contended were “literal translations” taken from the internety.com/premsai website (which is no longer online). This site was run by unnamed devotees who published “thoughts for the day” and Sathya Sai Baba’s discourses in nine languages. Brian Steel argued that these premasai translations were “literal translations” based on the authority of unknown devotees who made that claim. Brian Steel knows nothing about the translators (including their names). Since Brian Steel does not speak, write or understand Telugu, he cannot say, with any certainty, that the translations on the “premasai” website were “literal translations”. How does Brian Steel not know that these devotees may have enhanced or edited the translations to reflect their devotion to Sathya Sai Baba? How can Brian Steel accept the word of devotees when he considers them mislead, given to excessive exaggerations, belonging to a cult and being brainwashed? These are the un-scholarly standards with which Brian Steel attempted to make a case against Sathya Sai Baba.

Brian Steel And The Sathya Sai Baba Birthday Debate:
Sathya Sai Baba Birthday Debate – A Full Response

Brian Steel – Email Correspondence:
Click Here to view my email correspondence with Brian Steel and his immature reactions to my article about him. Brian Steel is a person who is highly critical of others. However, when others write something critical about him, he hurls insults and throws flaming hissy fits without even being properly or fully informed (admittedly)! One would think a so-called “scholar” and “linguistics expert” would respond more intelligently and soberly. Apparently that is not the case with Brian Steel.

• RELATED LINKS:
• Dinakaran’s Blog: Brian Steel Lamentable Attempt To Defend Himself
• Email Correspondence With Brian Steel – Page One
• Email Correspondence With Brian Steel – Page Two
• Critics And Skeptics Of Sathya Sai Baba – Brian Steel

He hecho esta presentación con PowerPoint y luego he aprendido a alojarlo en SlidShare, como un trabajo de la evaluación final recojiendo todas las herramientas que he aprendido a utilizar a lo largo de todo este curso en clase de Redacción y Diseño de Prensa de 4º.

I’m just really zoned out today. It’s been a long one and it’s not that any thing has really happened, it’s just one of those days.

I’ve been working on putting together a DVD from our vacation pictures and videos and the songs just don’t seem quite right but I can’t worry myself over something so trivial. It will just have to do.

G is ill and not feeling well today so he is coming off as snippy. You know, I really don’t know if it is him or me. It could just be me. I’m so glum that I can’t even write. I’m off to bill my boss for the month of April and finish my videos.

Hace más de dos años empecé a conocer las posibilidades que nos ofrecía la Red a través de programillas sencillos que te ampliaban las posibilidades del editor de textos. Es el caso de snippy: software gratuito con el que puedes hacer recortes de partes de lo que tienes en la pantalla.

Hay que descargarlo (se suele situar en el escritorio y su símbolo es unas tijeras) pero ocupa muy poco (84 k.) Si se cliquea encima, otras tijeras pequeñas se sitúan en la barra de tareas inferior derecha. Al hacer clic sobre estas tijeritas, el cursor se convierte en un lápiz.

Si “recortas” a mano alzada la parte de la pantalla que necesitas y luego vas a un texto de Word o al Paint, lo podrás pegar(control+V) sin problemas. Generalmente, aparecen con un borde que se puede eliminar, o cambiar de color, si manipulas el settings que se abre al hacer clic sobre las tijeras pequeñas con el botón derecho del ratón. Es muy importante también la opción save as pues te permite cambiar el formato de la captura.

Otra aplicación interesante es que, una vez que el cursor se ha convertido en lápiz, si mantienes apretado el botón “Shift” de las mayúsculas, la captura tendrá forma rectangular.

Y ¿para qué sirve? A los alumnos les gusta pues es sencilla y con ella “tunean” sus textos de forma más personal que con las fotografías; se pueden hacer collages con partes de diferentes caras, paisajes; lo he utilizado para incluir detalles de fotografías en un Power Point, para capturar fotogramas de vídeos…
Y ¿en lengua? Para ilustrar textos instructivos o para trabajar con tutoriales (manuales de uso de algún aparato o programa…).

En fin, ha pasado mucho tiempo desde entonces y lo sigo utilizando. Si tú te inicias ahora en esto, puede ser un buen comienzo.
En aquellas épocas la Red era muy confusa, aunque también más pausada; estaba más aislada, aunque todo era más venturoso; tenía más dispersión, aunque descubrir sencillos programas como este era muy ilusionante… recuerdo que tardé días en desmenuzar todo sobre snippy (aunque también entonces hubiera tardado horas en escribir este post que he escrito hoy en treinta minutos).

Gracias a un comentario del siempre atento Antonio me entero que Snippy no funciona con Windows Vista… otro ejemplo de que la Red y la informática, en general, son demasiado inestables y que es a nosotros a quienes nos toca darle sentido y seguridad con  pequeños proyectos.

Navegando por Internet a veces uno encuentra una pequeña aplicación que por su simpleza y utilidad vale la pena guardar como un tesoro.

Este es el caso de Snippy una tijera digital que nos permite hacer capturas de pantalla con suma facilidad. El agradable encontronazo se lo debo al blog Con el ordenador a cuestas, software libre en educación.

Como no me gusta repetirme como el ajo os remito primeramente al artículo donde encontré Snippy. En este blog podéis encontrar otras aplicaciones de software libre y además portables estupendamente documentadas en español.

Añadiré unas anotaciones mías.

Snippy es un pequeño ejecutable de 100Kb. Al no instalarse podemos considerarlo como portable y agregarla a nuestra memoria USB portátil.

Su funcionamiento es simple como el mecanismo de un botijo. Lo ejecutamos y se nos agrega una pequeña tijera al lado de nuestro reloj en la barra de herramientas. Cuando queramos capturar una porción de nuestra pantalla basta con activar Snippy haciendo un clic sobre esta tijera o con la tecla de atajo, por defecto F11. El puntero del ratón se nos transformará en un rotulador, en el caso de captura a mano alzada- Freehand region, opción por defecto. O bien en una cruz, captura en modo rectángulo – Rectangular region. Podemos cambiar de una opción a otra manteniendo pulsada la tecla de mayúsculas, esa de la flechita. En caso de error con pulsar ESC volvemos al cursor normal. Arrastramos el cursor para seleccionar el área a capturar y voila ya está.

Por defecto Snippy nos anexiona un borde rojo de 4 pixels a la captura pero cambiar estos y otros parámetros es tan sencillo como hacer un clic con el botón derecho sobre las tijeritas negras de Snippy. Recordemos que una captura de pantalla siempre queda en memoria hasta que la pegamos. Por ejemplo, abrir Paint, edición, pegar.

En principio Snippy realiza las capturas en JPG en el temporal de windows. Esa carpeta está en c:\Documents and Settings\nuestro usuario\Configuración Local\Temp. C:, es la unidad donde tengamos instalado Windows y nuestro usuario, es pues eso mismo, nosotros o el nombre de nuestra sesión.
Advertencia: Tienes que tener activado mostrar archivos ocultos para ver la carpeta Configuracón Local.

Para evitarnos el tener que abrir un programa, como por ejemplo el Paint, y pegar la captura, bien podemos abrir la carpeta tempola a lo bruto y sacar los jpgs de allí. O mejor hacer algo más elegante como bóton derecho sobre la tijera, Save as… y elegir el formato de salida y el destino.

Una fantástica aplicación de software libre que vale la pena guardar en tu USB. Espero que os guste.

Y ya sabéis Loiet dijo, Loiet dice….

Does anyone else remember the Snip, Snap, Snurr books? I need to find them for my nephew.

There’s really no snurr in this post, but I wanted to say “snap!” for Snippy. The Librarian in Black blogged about this tool earlier in the week and it’s the kind of thing that’s simple, but so handy for trainers.

Snippy allows you to mark out a little region of a webpage that you want to copy to the clipboard and then paste into a training document. It’s one of those simple little things that can make a big difference to a trainer.

Since this isn’t really a political blog, I’m just going to cut and paste some of my fave sentences and make a brand new block of text:

I answer with three scary words that tend to end the discussion: President Dick Cheney. Then again, Cheney would probably think of moving into the Oval Office as a demotion. Cheney can just blow it all off. Rice was “incensed,” according to The Post, while Powell didn’t learn of the order — which had enormous implications for U.S. foreign policy — until he heard it announced that evening on CNN. His response: “What the hell just happened?” What happened was that Cheney took him to school. Students of public administration should have to take a course called “Cheney.” Take Cheney’s penchant for secrecy, which seems to border on the maniacal. He keeps papers pertaining to everyday business in huge Mosler safes. Is this loopy? No… Sunshine is for losers. And above all, he knows how to survive.

That was fun! Source.