Teach coding to your kids with this maze game [VBA]
My twins (Nishanth & Nakshtra) are now almost 7. They are super keen to learn how computers work. So the other day, I showed them Code.org where there are several coding exercises disguised as games. They loved those games … err coding exercises. So that got me thinking… why not make a game in Excel that teaches kids simple programming concepts.
So I built a Snowman & Hot Chocolate Maze game. In this post, let’s understand how to build such a game using Excel VBA.
Free Invoice Template using Excel – Download
Anyone running a small business knows the oozing bits of joy when you hear a customer saying, “Can you send me an invoice?”
While creating an invoice is an easy task, if you want something that is professional looking, easy to manage and works well, then you are stuck.
That is where Excel really shines. By using an invoice template, you can quickly create and send invoices.
Today I want to share one such template with you all. Why? Because we are awesome like that.
Unlock “Angy Formulas” – an Angry Birds like game hidden in Excel using this trick!!!
Sometimes you think you know something and then suddenly you are surprised. Yesterday was such a moment for me. I have been using Excel for almost a decade now. So naturally I assumed that I know it well. But then yesterday, while doing something I stumbled on a strange screen in Excel that looked like very popular Angry birds game. So I got searching. But there was no mention of it anywhere on net. Then I asked my friend Rollf ‘O’ Pai, who is in Micros0ft Execl team. First he denied such a thing. But we knew each other so well that he could never lie to me. So he confided. He told me what I had suspected for several years.
There is an Angry birds like video game buried in Excel!!! It was meant to be an Easter egg in Excel 2010 (and 2013), but due to backlash from senior management no one ever published the details about it.
So I asked him “How do I unlock it?”. Rollf ‘O’ Pai asked me to never reveal it to anyone and then told me the recipe.
Once I unlocked I could not believe how cool it is!
Read on to understand how to unlock this game.
Learn Statistics & Probability using MS Excel
One of the most dreaded courses during my under-graduation is Probability, Statistics & Queuing Theory. We called it PSQT. I struggled to understand the significance and concept of this course as I could barely concentrate in the class. We had a professor, who is probably a genius, but the moment he started the class, I would magically fall in to one of my after-noon naps. When I woke up, we are either in the middle of an elaborate t-test or going thru intricacies of a Markovian queue.
This was all 11 years ago. Later in life, I have embraced the world of probability & statistics. I still fear queues. May be I will get there one day. 😉
A good understanding of statistics & probability theory is necessary if you want to model complex real-life problems using Excel or similar tools. Naturally, Excel has several functions, features & supported add-ins to help you in this area.
Today, I want to share some of this with you. This article is broken down in to 3 parts.
- Learning Statistics & Probability using Excel
- Downloadable Excel Workbooks to understand
- Full blown models & simulations in Excel
Christmas Gift Shopping List Template – Set budget, track your gifts using Excel
Last year, Steven shared a beautiful Christmas Gift List template with all of us. It is packed with lots of Excel goodness. Just a few days ago, he emailed me another copy of his file with some improvements. So if you are planning for Christmas shopping and want a handy tracker, you don’t want to miss this.
Automating Repetitive Tasks
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Over at Newton Excel Bach I spotted the Dynamically Defined Dancing Pendulums. Doug had used Strand7 for the animation.
I thought I could do that in Excel and did.
This post demonstrates some of some basic VBA techniques used to simplify repetitive tasks used during the construction of the project.
For a full project description visit Excel Hero.com.
Dummy Data – How to use the Random Functions
Don’t know which way to go ?
Can’t make up your mind between alternatives?
Using collected or known data is the best when developing Excel models, but from time to time this may not be available when you are developing your model. This post will look at some options for setting up Dummy Data using Excels Random number functions.