I AM psychic. I was thinking about macros today and tonight I caught this nice little post on Res Ipsa Blog listing ten underused Microsoft Word Keyboard shortcuts. The list includes: (1) get back to where you were; (2) switch between text case; (3) switch to small caps; (4) delete entire words; (5) quickly add annotations or comments; (6) switch between open Word documents on a Mac; (7) add a footnote; (8) use the built-in thesaurus; (9) insert the date; and (10) move entire paragraphs. Some of this I knew and some is new to me; maybe it will be new to you too.

The author also recommends changing the auto recovery procedure from its default 10 minute backup time frame to a more manageable period, like 1 minute, as well as alter the default location for recovered documents to one that is easier to find. All good, practical advice for those using Word!

As part of my total immersion in the crazy environs of the World Wide Web, I took the advice of some rather sage and certainly more experienced web-o-nauts and started acquainting myself with Twitter.  At first, I was skeptical about the value of a “micro blog” that only allows you 140 words to express your innermost thoughts, feelings and ideas for the consumption of your “followers.”  But, as time has passed, I am finding Twitter to be a compelling expenditure of time.  There is a healthy population of lawyers on Twitter and these lawyers are keenly interested in web-connectivity, as evidenced by their Twitter use and general tech know-how.  I am enjoying a sense of community and camaraderie with people across the planet with interests similar to mine. I also find on Twitter breaking news at an even faster rate than on my RSS feeds.  While I haven’t realized the marketing benefits yet, I am confident that this upside also is there and I will definitely continue on this great Twitter experiment.

To that end, I have noticed on the little “tweet” box a reference to the source of the “tweet.”  Frequently, I mark the sources as either Twhirl or Twitterific.  Ever curious, I hunted down these labels to find their substance.

Twitterific is a “client” for Twitter, an application that works on the Mac OS X, iPhone and iPod Touch allowing the user to view others’ “tweets” in real time and to make their own.  It is the product of Iconfactory. You can view the entire public timeline or just your friends’ feed with your own tweets. Current versions of Twitterific support “Growl” notifications, a global notification system familiar to Mac users.

Twhirl is also a client for Twitter, but works on both Mac OS X and Windows. It is based on the Adobe Air platform and connects to more than just Twitter. It gives notices of new messages, shortens long URLs and cross-posts to Pownce and Jaiku. You also can post images to Twitpic. Twhirl offers the ability to search posts.

To make matters worse, there is also Snitter, another Adobe Air-powered app for Twitter that offers much more functionality than Twitter’s own limited interface. 

Which one to use?  Well, if you are a Windows person, Twitterific is right out for you. Twhirl appears to be the preferable option for this group. If you are a Mac user, you have more options. I found this nice little table created by Chris Bowler based on his own personal experience with Twitterific, Twhirl, as well as Snitter. Also, check out Dave Taylor’s blog for a nice commentary and screen shots pertinent to this very pressing question.

I think I am going to give “Twhirl” a “whirl” and may report back later on my own personal experience.

Although it could easily serve as the subject of its own post, I thought I might offer the extra added enjoyment of a great list from Mike Dopp of lots of Twitter goodies to make the experience all the more enriching.  Visit his blog, or follow the links directly from here:

Twitter with Outlook

Witty Twitter

Twitterfeed

Twitterbox

Twittergram

TinyTwitter

xBox360Twitter

Twessenger

CetTwit

Tiny Twitter for Mobile

Lots of fun stuff here. Now, if they could only do something about the absurdly silly names ….