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Chapter Extra:
The Webmaster.
Masaru Kaji aka Colo :from Kobe, Japan
Colo's Excel Junk Room : www.puremis.net/excel/
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What is You real name?
First of all, I would like to say thanks a lot to all the Cell Masters and readers. Fortunately, this project has been accepted many excel gurus and I've recieved a lot of emails from reders. Again, thank you very much. Well, I am going to answer the questions. My real name is Masaru Kaji. I had no intention of hiding my real name, but it seems hard to say a Japanese name for the person who does not live in Japan. So from now on, feel free to call me as Masaru or as Colo.
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What is Your profession?
My profession is a computer system administrator of sports equipments manufacture in these 3 years. Before I became an administrator, I was just a salesman.
Now my main job is operation and maintain AS400 server, Wndows2000 server and client PCs, the administrater of our company's web site is also my job too. Sometimes I write program code for the company.. :) Most users of our company are very new to the computer, so automation program is highly pleased. Our PC section has only 2 person including me, so I am compeled a lot of work.
Besides I've desired to become a person in charge of the import section to improve my English skill. Our company accepted my wish, so I could become a member of the import section. Still am learning English.
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Does the alias "Colo" mean any specific to You?
If you are living in USA, my name might remind you the name of state Colorado. But t is not concerned with that. In the Japanese net community, we do not use real name as usual, so I had to think about my name on the net in order to post my question. As you know, Japan is well known as the country of comics and animated cartoon. To tell you the truth, the name Colo originate in the name of the character of a famous animated cartoon in Japan (Like Bart Simpson from "the simpsons") . The name of the character is Corosuke and he is a robot that invented by a genius scientist. I took that name Corosuke as Colo with my hope that I would like to become a person who can invent something great.
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Why the name "Junk-room" for Your website?
The word JUNK ROOM reminds me something very interesting place. For example, imagine a used pc shop, a lot of junk pc parts are sold at there. Although each part might be only a rubbish, but a some kind of wonderful thing might be produced by combining them. So for me, The word "junk" hides the infinite possibility.
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When did You start using MS Excel?
Let me see, it was in March 2000, that I first met Microsoft Excel. My superior forced me to use Excel so, I started using it without any knowledge. I had never used spreadsheet software, and had not used a personal computer for about 10 years. I remember thinking, "Wow! What a cool application this is! If I were able to use it as I'd like to, it would make my job easier." Until then, in my job, my main machine was a just word processor. My wife had a pc at my home, but she used the machine for her work, so I had no opportunity to use it. Now, I am thankful to my superior who gave me a chance. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
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Who has had the most influence for you in terms of using Excel.
Regarding Excel itself, the person who has had the most influence for me is Reizo who is the administrater of Excel Factory(Japanese site). Within the 1st month of started to use Excel, I was making some simple tables for work. It was very basic work such as making an address book; all I had to do was just INPUT. I'm 'lazybones' by nature. I got tired of doing the same work again and again. While I was working with something in Excel, I discovered a menu named 'Record New Macro'. I found - unexpectedly - that by using this menu, my operation was recorded. LOL
Somehow I was able to imagine the function - using the definition of a word in the code that was generated - automatically, so I made some macros for work only by using 'Record New Macro' without installing VBA help. In fact, I did NOT know how to see the Help file. LOL
Gradually, I had come to a point when what I wanted to do was not possible to do with 'Record New Macro' alone. Now I had to bring myself to using the help file. (Finally, I had installed VBA Help File.)
Hmmmm...but the descriptions written in the Help file were too difficult for me to understand. In order to answer the question, which I could not answer with the Help file, I went searching in Japanese QA sites on WWW. It may have been 6 months from my first encounter with using Excel.
Once on the Q&A forum, I received my first reply from Reizo of Excel Factory. He took time to help me out. Then I thought it would be great if I could help someone someday, so I decided I'll post to QA forum someday.
In those days I wrote code that was 'supposed' to be VBA code.
The code was the software for my company to make an estimate sheet which works in cooperation with AS400 Server.
I felt anxious about whether I could make it or not, because I needed to learn the structure of the transaction and VBA at the same time.
As I wrote, I had not used a personal computer for about 10 years. But I could get accustomed to VBA comparatively, because I had an experience in writing
BASIC with a pocket computer named PB-100 (CASIO) and I also had typed program code for games that appeared in a magazine using a PC(NEC-PC6001) when I was
an elementary school child. (It's a very nostalgically thing for me!)
I have one more person who has had the most influence for me.
It was Feb. 2002, when I first visited English Excel site MrExcel.com.
At the time, I was hardly able to understand English in fact, but I was able to understand the meaning of the posted code.
I had seen only the Japanese bulletin board till then. But at MrExcel, there were many wonderful and good codes, I remember I was very shocked.
Since I did not understand English language, I could not reply to any posted question at MrExcel even if I know an answer. So I was thinking about the way of posting to the board spread sheet image as it is.
I thought If it can be done with something like HTML or JavaScript, English for me would not be a big hurdle.
When I posted the HTML code at Test Posting forum, I could see similar posting to mine. The author's name was Ivan F Moala.
I wanted to ask him something about API things but I could not do that with my English level, so to understand what is written in the board, I decided to ask about the tecnical term of the code such as Variables, Arguments.
He kindly replied with very long comment. It helped me very much. As the proverb goes "In the beginning was the Word", but for me, "In the beginning was the Excel".
Thanks a million to all the people who helped me out. And I must say thanks to my wife who was my teacher of Excel, HTML and JavaScript coding.
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What is the best advice you have recieved for Excel?
"You have to be thinking your problem from the point of view of Excel." This is the word that I have recieved from a Japanese excel guru. I think it would be a best advise for me. When I began to use VBA for a while, all calculation had been performed inside of my code. I mean I did not use any worksheet function for calculation. As some Cell Masters wrote in their script, UDF is slower than built in function that Excel has. Since I was noticed that fact, I have been trying to find the better way to writing my code.
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If you could be THE TOP EXPERT in a particular thread of Excel eg VBA Graphs, Formulas (ALL), VBA OLE, API , VBA Automation etc what would it be and why?
I would like to be a Formulas expert. Because to write most efficient code, formulas is absolutely needed. And I know that is the part what I need to learn. ple and that you really have to practice and look @ different methods and techniques of doing something.
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In your opinion what are the Top 5 sites you would recomend in terms of
PLEASE NOTE: No special order is observed
a) Beginner
b) Advanced user
It's not a question from the two first cellmasters, but I would add this site for the Non English speaking people.
NetLingo.com - The Internet Dictionary http://www.netlingo.com/
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Can You give us the top 5 wishes You have when it comes to VBA and future versions of MS Excel?
- No FREEZE
- No BUGS
- No CORRUPT
- More Help documents
- Back to the #1
That's it! PLEEEEZ!
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What does good programming stand for according to Your opinion?
It would be a short code. and it need to contain comment. Short code is easy to understand and beautyful, and it's rational more than anything else. In regard with the comment, I cannot recognise the meaning of the code quickly without comment, even if it is the code written by myself!
Be short and write comment!
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Who would you most like to MEET IN PERSON. Can be ANY ONE alaive or Dead.
The person I would like to meet would be Mr.Kevin Mitnick who is known as a notorious hacker. I don't think he did a good thing, but in regard with his computer/hucking ability, I must admit his talent.
About Mr.Kevin Mitnick, here is a link
http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,47354,00.html.
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What do you do to relax AFTER / BEFORE having a session in Excel.
Fishing and listening music. I lives within a stone's throw of sea. It takes only 30 seconds to the port. Now it's start of the Summer season in the northern hemisphere, and very good season for fishing.
Listning music is also good method for relaxation. I tend to listen all kind of music such as Hip-Hop, House, Rock and Pop.
Thanks you for reading and asking, see you at the board! Sayonara!
Masaru Kaji aka Colo

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