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Mysteriously Moving Margins in Word

In Microsoft Word 2008 (and older versions), if you put your cursor in a paragraph and then move a tab or indent marker in the ruler, the change applies to just that paragraph. If your markers are closely spaced, you may have trouble grabbing the right one, and inadvertently work with tabs when you want to work with indents, or vice-versa. The solution is to hover your mouse over the marker until a yellow tooltip confirms which element you're about to drag.

I recently came to appreciate the importance of waiting for those tooltips: a document mysteriously reset its margins several times while I was under deadline pressure, causing a variety of problems. After several hours of puzzlement, I had my "doh!" moment: I had been dragging a margin marker when I thought I was dragging an indent marker.

When it comes to moving markers in the Word ruler, the moral of the story is always to hover, read, and only then drag.

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Just for Fun | 09 Apr 2008 | Listen  | Print Printer-Friendly Version of This Article

VMware Fusion Video Contest

by Adam C. Engst Send Email to Author

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The Fusion team at VMware is aiming to have some fun in their ongoing virtualization competition with Parallels. Through 15-May-08, they're running a contest in which people who have switched to VMware Fusion from Parallels Desktop or Virtual PC can create 60-second videos about the experience. Everyone who submits a video will receive a VMware Fusion t-shirt and bumper sticker, and the winner will walk away with a MacBook Air and a copy of VMware Fusion. All the videos will be shown on the Switch to Fusion mini-site after the close of the contest.

Although VMware has put together a PDF with necessary instructions and tips for making a good video, if you're intimidated by the task, you can also write up a blog post about the switch and post that to get a free VMware Fusion bumper sticker and a chance to win an iPod touch. Another PDF explains what's necessary for the blog post entries.

Be sure to read the contest terms and conditions carefully, since they lay out the judging criteria for both videos and blog posts.

 

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