Microsoft Excel February 25, 2005
Posted by Library Answer Person in : Uncategorized , add a commentHow do I edit a Microsoft Excel Document to kinda flip everything 90 degrees?
I basically want to make all the data from the columns go in to the rows and the rows go into the columns. Is there a way to flip the axes?
I got a lot of data and don’t want to cut and paste it all by hand. Please save me from this nightmare!
ANSWER PERSON RESPONDS: The feature is called “transpose.” Highlight only the section you want to transpose. Copy (not cut) it (CTRL-C). Put the cursor somewhere blank (you have to paste the transposed table into blank cells, not over the ones you’re copying — you might want to use a new blank sheet). Place cursor in what will be the top left cell. Use Edit…Paste Special (or right-click and choose Paste Special). Click the transpose option at the bottom then click OK.
Danger February 14, 2005
Posted by Library Answer Person in : Uncategorized , add a commentWhat is the most dangerous place in the world and what makes it the MOST dangerous?
ANSWER PERSON RESPONDS: There are thousands of individual locations where you’d be guaranteed to die, so all those places tie for the prize. When it comes to countries as a whole, the library has available a database called World Markets Research Centre that ranks countries by “risk” (for the purposes of doing business). There’s political, economic, legal, tax, operational, and security risk, plus an overall combined score. The overall worst is Somalia (best is Luxembourg), and worst for security (i.e., threat to life and limb) is Iraq (14 mostly European countries are tied for first). (AP wonders how much higher on the list Iraq was several years ago.) Of course, danger is where you make it. Niagara Falls isn’t at all dangerous until you try to go over it in a barrel.
Ph.D vs. JD February 14, 2005
Posted by Library Answer Person in : Uncategorized , add a commentAnswer person, I know I want to do international relations work in support of public policy. Would a Ph.D allow/encourage me to go in a different direction than a JD? What does someone with a Ph.D in government do?
ANSWER PERSON RESPONDS: Treasury Secretary John Snow (Virginia, 1966), former Representative Dick Armey (Oklahoma, 1969), and former Senator Phil Gramm (Georgia, 1967) all have PhD’s in economics. Newt Gingrich has a doctorate in history (Tulane, 1971: “Belgian Education Policy in the Congo: 1945-1960″). So, no, a PhD isn’t necessarily needed or even desirable for government work, and it might encourage you to move off in a dangerous direction. But seriously, academic departments at Duke have undergraduate and graduate advisors who specialize in such guidance, and I recommend consulting one of them.
Packing February 14, 2005
Posted by Library Answer Person in : Uncategorized , add a commentI am not very good at packing and am going abroad for a year. Any suggestions for how I can take the right stuff?
ANSWER PERSON RESPONDS: For a year? Maybe just take the clothes on your back and buy new stuff over there. At least keep it light and plan to wash often. Start by immediately making a categorized list of what you want and hone it down between now and the time you leave. If you take a laptop or other electronic devices, you need to consider voltage issues. You might want to focus more on personal items that you can’t readily replace than on bulky clothes and replaceable toiletries. (For instance, take enough shampoo to last a week or two, not a big bottle.) My final recommendation: consult with a backpacker who’s done the entire length of the Appalachian Trail. (That’s overdoing it, but it gets you in the right frame of mind.)
Virginia February 7, 2005
Posted by Library Answer Person in : Uncategorized , add a commentWhat is the quickest way to get to Virginia from Durham?
ANSWER PERSON RESPONDS: Are you looking for the quickest way to purchase a lottery ticket? Go straight up US 501 (Duke Street or Roxboro Rd.) due north through Roxboro. You hit the border just south of South Boston, VA. The border is about 40-45 miles, but you do have some stop lights on the way. If there are no convenience stores at the state line on US 501, then at Roxboro you need to veer slightly to the NE onto NC 49 to head to the town of Virgilina, which straddles the border.
