Episodes

  • Hi there! We are looking at the 5 Import functions built in to Google Sheets. There's an accompanying video and spreadsheet demo linked below for you!👇

    Thanks for listening, I Want to Hack is a weekly discussion of coding and spreadsheet concepts. I hope you'll subscribe to follow along! Links at the bottom, but if you do nothing else, would you consider subscribing to my YouTube channel where I share spreadsheet and coding tutorials? 😉

    Episode Overview:

    Video PlaylistSpreadsheet Example


    Please subscribe to this podcast if you haven't already! I really appreciate it, and look forward to talking with you on the next pod!

    More Resources:

    Watch me on YouTube @eamonncottrell Subscribe to my newsletterFollow me on Linkedin @EamonnCottrellBuy me a coffee on BuyMeACoffeeLaugh at me on gitHub @sieisFind me on my site
  • Hi there! We are talking about how to create custom named functions in Google Sheets (works in Excel too). There's an accompanying video and spreadsheet demo linked below for you!👇

    Thanks for listening, I Want to Hack is a weekly discussion of coding and spreadsheet concepts. I hope you'll subscribe to follow along! Links at the bottom, but if you do nothing else, would you consider subscribing to my YouTube channel where I share spreadsheet and coding tutorials? 😉 I'm hoping to grow this to 1000 subscribers this year!

    Episode Overview:

    Video WalkthroughDemo Google SheetIn depth article on freeCodeCamp

    Google Sheets has over 500 built in functions you can use out of the box, but sometimes it can be helpful to create a custom one. Instead of manually typing it out every time you need it, you can create a custom named function. It's a pretty straightforward process, and I hope you find this useful!


    Please subscribe to this podcast if you haven't already! I really appreciate it, and look forward to talking with you on the next pod!

    More Resources:

    Find me on my siteWatch me on YouTube @eamonncottrell Follow me on Linkedin @EamonnCottrellBuy me a coffee on BuyMeACoffeeLaugh at me on gitHub @sieis
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  • Hi there! We are talking about how to reduce errors with data validation and conditional formatting in spreadsheets this week. There's an accompanying video and spreadsheet demo linked below for you!👇

    Thanks for listening, I Want to Hack is a weekly discussion of coding and spreadsheet concepts. I hope you'll subscribe to follow along! Links at the bottom, but if you do nothing else, would you consider subscribing to my YouTube channel where I share spreadsheet and coding tutorials? 😉 I'm hoping to grow this to 1000 subscribers this year!

    Episode Overview:

    Video WalkthroughDemo Google SheetIn depth article on freeCodeCamp

    In our business, we use spreadsheets for a lot of our inventory management and ordering. We needed a way to prevent human errors in one of our order forms, and were able to do this by combining data validation and conditional formatting.

    This episode is an overview of the use cases for this and the ways to save time and errors in the process.


    Please subscribe to this podcast if you haven't already! I really appreciate it, and look forward to talking with you on the next pod!

    More Resources:

    Find me on my siteWatch me on YouTube @eamonncottrell Follow me on Linkedin @EamonnCottrellBuy me a coffee on BuyMeACoffeeLaugh at me on gitHub @sieis
  • Hi there! We are discussing nesting functions in Google Sheets this week! There's an accompanying video and spreadsheet demo linked below for you!👇

    Thanks for listening, I Want to Hack is a weekly discussion of coding and spreadsheet concepts. I hope you'll subscribe to follow along! Links at the bottom, but if you do nothing else, would you consider subscribing to my YouTube channel where I share spreadsheet and coding tutorials? 😉 I'm hoping to grow this to 1000 subscribers this year!

    Episode Overview:

    I had a question in the comments on my most watched video asking how to count unique values in a comma-separated list. I was intrigued and made it my topic of conversation this week!

    Here’s the functions we used:
    =UNIQUE(SORT(TRANSPOSE(SPLIT(JOIN(", ",A2:A),", ",FALSE))))

    =COUNTIF(SPLIT(JOIN(", ",$A$2:$A),", "),E19)

    The links to my video walkthrough and article are available below.

    Please subscribe to this podcast if you haven't already! I really appreciate it, and look forward to talking with you on the next pod!

    Resources mentioned:

    Video Walkthrough of nesting functions and finding unique values30sec YouTube Short previewIn depth article on freeCodeCampFind me on my siteWatch me on YouTube @eamonncottrell Follow me on Linkedin @EamonnCottrellBuy me a coffee on BuyMeACoffeeLaugh at me on gitHub @sieis
  • Hi there! We are discussing how to add a grainy effect to our CSS backgrounds this week. Full video walkthrough and article in the links below 👇

    Thanks for listening, I Want to Hack is a weekly discussion of coding and spreadsheet concepts. I hope you'll subscribe to follow along! Links at the bottom, but if you do nothing else, would you consider subscribing to my YouTube channel where I share spreadsheet and coding tutorials? 😉 I'm hoping to grow this to 1000 subscribers this year!

    Episode Overview:

    I found a couple of cool ways to add a grainy-ness to solid background colors. I talk about them in the pod this week, and go through them in detail in the accompanying article and video.

    The links to my video walkthrough and article are available below.

    Please subscribe to this podcast if you haven't already! I really appreciate it, and look forward to talking with you on the next pod!

    Resources mentioned:

    Video Walkthrough for Grainy CSS Backgrounds15sec YouTube ShortArc siteGrainy Gradient PlaygroundIn depth articlefeTurbulence MDN docsURL encoder for inline CSSFind me on my siteWatch me on YouTube @eamonncottrell Follow me on Linkedin @EamonnCottrellBuy me a coffee on BuyMeACoffeeLaugh at me on gitHub @sieis
  • Hi there! We are using LOOKUP functions in Google Sheets and Excel this week! We're focused on the XLOOKUP in the pod, but all are explained in the video linked below 👇

    Thanks for listening, I Want to Hack is a weekly discussion of coding and spreadsheet concepts. I hope you'll subscribe to follow along! Links at the bottom, but if you do nothing else, would you consider subscribing to my YouTube channel where I share spreadsheet and coding tutorials? 😉 I'm hoping to grow this to 1000 subscribers this year!

    Episode Overview:

    Walking through the functionality of the XLOOKUP function in both Excel and Google Sheets. XLOOKUP was added by Microsoft in 2019 as a successor to VLOOKUP and HLOOKUP. Google Sheets added it in 2022. It combines the best features of VLOOKUP and HLOOKUP, and is able to be used as either a vertical or horizontal lookup function itself. It's become my favorite way to lookup data. What about you?

    The links to my video walkthrough and the Google Sheet we're using are available below.

    Please subscribe to this podcast if you haven't already! I really appreciate it, and look forward to talking with you on the next pod!

    Resources mentioned:

    Video Walkthrough for XLOOKUP and MoreExample Google Sheet with the CodeIn depth articleFind me on my siteWatch me on YouTube @eamonncottrell Follow me on Linkedin @EamonnCottrellBuy me a coffee on BuyMeACoffeeLaugh at me on gitHub @sieis
  • Hi there! We are building a dynamic daily task list in Google Sheets this week!

    Thanks for listening, I Want to Hack is a weekly discussion of coding and spreadsheet concepts. I hope you'll subscribe to follow along! Links at the bottom, but if you do nothing else, would you consider subscribing to my YouTube channel where I share spreadsheet and coding tutorials? 😉 I'm hoping to grow this to 1000 subscribers this year!

    Episode Overview:

    Walking through a dynamic daily task list created in Google Sheets using the =QUERY() function to pull certain data from another tab into a dashboard on the main page depending on what day it is.

    The links to my video walkthrough and the Google Sheet we're using are available below.

    Please subscribe to this podcast if you haven't already! I really appreciate it, and look forward to talking with you on the next pod!

    Resources mentioned:

    Video Walkthrough for Dynamic Daily Task ListExample Google Sheet with the CodeIn depth articleFind me on my siteWatch me on YouTube @eamonncottrell Follow me on Linkedin @EamonnCottrellBuy me a coffee on BuyMeACoffeeLaugh at me on gitHub @sieis
  • Hi there! Thanks for listening, I Want to Hack is a weekly discussion of coding and spreadsheet concepts. I hope you'll subscribe to follow along! Links at the bottom, but if you do nothing else, would you consider subscribing to my YouTube channel where I share spreadsheet and coding tutorials? 😉 I'm hoping to grow this to 1000 subscribers this year!

    Episode Overview:

    We walk through how to create an Apps Script code to have multiple selection capabilities in the data validation drop down menus in Google Sheets. This isn't available out of the box, but I came across a great solution originally coded by Alexander Ivanov and applied it to my own sheets.

    The links to my video walkthrough and the Google Sheet we're using are available below.

    Please subscribe to this podcast if you haven't already! I really appreciate it, and look forward to talking with you on the next pod!

    Resources mentioned:

    Video Walkthrough for Multiple Selection Data ValidationExample Google Sheet with the CodeIn depth articleFind me on my siteWatch me on YouTube @eamonncottrell Follow me on Linkedin @EamonnCottrellBuy me a coffee on BuyMeACoffeeLaugh at me on gitHub @sieis
  • Hi there! Thanks for listening, I Want to Hack is a weekly discussion of coding and spreadsheet concepts. I hope you'll subscribe to follow along! Links at the bottom, but if you do nothing else, would you consider subscribing to my YouTube channel where I share spreadsheet and coding tutorials? 😉 I'm hoping to grow this to 1000 subscribers this year!

    Episode Overview:

    A dive into dirty data. Why is it not clean already? Why do we need it to be "clean"? In this week's episode we discuss a few built in functions and features that enable us to get our data nice and clean!

    Please subscribe to this podcast if you haven't already! I really appreciate it, and look forward to talking with you on the next pod!

    Resources mentioned:

    Clean and Trim Data Walkthrough VideoRead my accompanying articles on freeCodeCampFind me on my siteWatch me on YouTube @eamonncottrell Follow me on Linkedin @EamonnCottrellBuy me a coffee on BuyMeACoffeeLaugh at me on gitHub @sieis
  • Hi there! Thanks for listening, I Want to Hack is a weekly discussion of coding and spreadsheet concepts. I hope you'll subscribe to follow along! Links at the bottom, but if you do nothing else, would you consider subscribing to my YouTube channel where I share spreadsheet and coding tutorials? 😉 I'm hoping to grow this to 1000 subscribers this year!

    Episode Overview:

    This week's topic has been Accounting and Currency formatting in Microsoft Excel. I discuss how to access these formatting options using the trusty point-and-click method as well as by using keyboard shortcuts and keyboard combos.

    I've tried each year to continue to increase my productivity with spreadsheets and learning keyboard shortcuts and combos has continued to pay dividends in that regard.

    Please subscribe to this podcast if you haven't already! I really appreciate it, and look forward to talking with you on the next pod!


    Resources mentioned:

    Currency vs Accounting video on YouTubeAccounting and Currency Formatting article on freeCodeCampFind me on my siteRead me on freeCodecampWatch me on YouTube @eamonncottrell Follow me on Linkedin @EamonnCottrellBuy me a coffee on BuyMeACoffeeLaugh at me on gitHub @sieis
  • Hi there! Thanks for listening, and I hope you'll subscribe to follow along! Links at the bottom, but if you do nothing else, would you consider subscribing to my YouTube channel where I share spreadsheet and coding tutorials? 😉 I'm hoping to grow this to 1000 subscribers this year!

    Episode Overview:

    Welcome to 2023! A quick recap since we last met in March of 2021. We've had our fourth child since then (hence the long show hiatus), and I've zeroed in on content creation and teaching outlets for the new year.

    The show will be one of three primary sources of content for my weekly cadence. YouTube videos and technical articles will accompany the podcast, and I encourage you to subscribe to my YouTube channel so you can begin to follow along visually.

    As of today I have 78 subscribers to the YouTube channel. This is my primary project this year - creating spreadsheet and coding content on YouTube and growing that subscriber base to 1000. This is the first time I've put any effort into building a cohesive video brand, and I'm excited for it!

    The general goal of the year is to bind these three outlets together and create 50 videos, 50 articles and 50 podcasts this year. A side-quest will also be 50 YouTube shorts even though I failed to mention that on the podcast this week.

    Please, please: follow along! I am doing to give back to the online learning community. Most of what I've learned in computer programming, spreadsheeting and technology has been self-taught through a host of online platforms...most of which have been entirely free.

    I hope that the content I create this year will help others who are on the same journey as me. I've learned a little, and I want to pay it forward.

    Subscribe to my YouTube channel. This will help out a ton.
    Leave comments. Receiving feedback and interacting with folks has been almost as much fun as making the videos themselves so far!
    Check out my articles on freeCodeCamp and on my blog.
    Come say hey over on LinkedIn. This is my business social platform of choice other than YouTube, and I'm not really active on the other big names right now.

    And of course, subscribe to this podcast if you haven't already! I really appreciate it, and look forward to talking with you on the next pod!


    Resources mentioned:

    100DaysOfCodeMy 100DaysOfCode Log last yearFind me on my siteRead me on freeCodecampWatch me on YouTube @eamonncottrell Follow me on Linkedin @EamonnCottrellBuy me a coffee on BuyMeACoffeeLaugh at me on gitHub @sieis
  • Hi there! Thanks for listening, and I hope you'll subscribe to follow along on my journey!

    Episode Overview:

    A walkthrough of publishing my second digital product of the year: Sacred Geometry. I discuss my motivations for this type of design-centric product as well as describe the process I went through to create and iterate it. Also, why I made it FREE. I give my brief take on using the Gumroad platform and on my continued product & project creation for 2022. Below is the link to my blog post which was featured on Hashnode.

    Resources mentioned:

    Sacred Geometry Blog Post (featured on Hashnode!)Gumroad PlatformYoutube Walkthrough of Sacred GeometryMy Free Personal Finance Google SheetP5.js

    Links for the coding challenge I'm doing:

    2022 Web Developer Challenge100 Days of CodefreeCodeCampfreeCodeCamp Become A Dev Challenge Log (free Google spreadsheet I made for you to track your own motivations, notes and progress for the Web Developer Challenge)Tweet at me


    My other podcasts

    re-verseSieis Soundtracksfna showSwansong

    I would love to hear from you!

    Find me on eamonncottrell.comFollow me on Twitter @EamonnCottrell Follow me on Linkedin @EamonnCottrellFollow me on gitHub @sieis
  • Hi there! Thanks for listening, and I hope you'll subscribe to follow along on my journey!

    Episode Overview:

    I have officially released Infinite Memory and submitted it to Hashnode + Netlify's Feb 2022 Hackathon. I also learned how to release a proper version of a codebase on Github which led me down a brief educational rabbit hole in Git's documentation and resulted in a short blog post as well.

    Resources mentioned:

    My Hashnode BlogGit Tags and Versioning Blog PostGit Tagging DocumentationInfinite Memory Verse SiteInfinite Memory Github

    Links for the coding challenge I'm doing:

    2022 Web Developer Challenge100 Days of CodefreeCodeCampfreeCodeCamp Become A Dev Challenge Log (free Google spreadsheet I made for you to track your own motivations, notes and progress for the Web Developer Challenge)Tweet at me


    My other podcasts

    re-verseSieis Soundtracksfna showSwansong

    I would love to hear from you!

    Find me on eamonncottrell.comFollow me on Twitter @EamonnCottrell Follow me on Linkedin @EamonnCottrellFollow me on gitHub @sieis
  • Hi there! Thanks for listening, and I hope you'll follow along on my journey!

    Episode Overview:

    Finished the freeCodeCamp Scatterplot Project! As usual, it was some small mistakes that were preventing me from passing all the tests a couple weeks ago. It always pays dividends to walk away from something (when possible) and come back with a fresh perspective!
    I also have some additional functionality to add to the Infinite Memory Verse Site to get it ready to submit to Hashnode's February Hackathon challenge.

    Resources mentioned:

    My Scatterplot ProjectMy Article about the Scatterplot ProjectInfinite Memory Verse SitePreview of my Sacred Geometry iPhone Wallpaper CollectionfreeCodeCamp Data Visualization

    Links for the coding challenge I'm doing:

    2022 Web Developer Challenge100 Days of CodefreeCodeCampfreeCodeCamp Become A Dev Challenge Log (free Google spreadsheet I made for you to track your own motivations, notes and progress for the Web Developer Challenge)Tweet at me


    My other podcasts

    re-verseSieis Soundtracksfna showSwansong

    I would love to hear from you!

    Find me on eamonncottrell.comFollow me on Twitter @EamonnCottrell Follow me on Linkedin @EamonnCottrellFollow me on gitHub @sieis
  • Hi there! Thanks for listening, and I hope you'll follow along on my journey!

    Episode Overview:

    Finished up the memory verse vanilla js website I've been working on. Check it out. I also live streamed the recording of this podcast. Been enjoying some Twitch lately; find links to follow below!

    Resources mentioned:

    Infinite Memory Verse SitePreview of my Sacred Geometry iPhone Wallpaper CollectionfreeCodeCamp Data Visualization

    Links for the coding challenge I'm doing:

    2022 Web Developer Challenge100 Days of CodefreeCodeCampfreeCodeCamp Become A Dev Challenge Log (free Google spreadsheet I made for you to track your own motivations, notes and progress for the Web Developer Challenge)Tweet at me


    My other podcasts

    re-verseSieis Soundtracksfna showSwansong

    I would love to hear from you!

    Find me on eamonncottrell.comFollow me on Twitter @EamonnCottrell Follow me on Linkedin @EamonnCottrellFollow me on gitHub @sieis
  • Hi there! Thanks for listening, and I hope you'll follow along on my journey!

    Episode Overview:

    I began another scatterplot project, but then decided to spend a fair amount of time producing geometric designs in Adobe Illustrator in the same vein as line drawings I used to love doing with pen, paper and ruler. (no spirograph for me!)

    Resources mentioned:

    Preview of my Sacred Geometry iPhone Wallpaper CollectionfreeCodeCamp Data Visualization

    Links for the coding challenge I'm doing:

    2022 Web Developer Challenge100 Days of CodefreeCodeCampfreeCodeCamp Become A Dev Challenge Log (free Google spreadsheet I made for you to track your own motivations, notes and progress for the Web Developer Challenge)Tweet at me


    My other podcasts

    re-verseSieis Soundtracksfna showSwansong

    I would love to hear from you!

    Find me on eamonncottrell.comFollow me on Twitter @EamonnCottrell Follow me on Linkedin @EamonnCottrellFollow me on gitHub @sieis
  • Hi there! Thanks for listening, and I hope you'll follow along on my journey!

    Episode Overview:

    Victory is mine! I've found and corrected the error which I couldn't figure out last episode in my bar chart.

    Resources mentioned:

    D3js.orgTutorials Teacher D3 referenceMy completed project on CodePenfreeCodeCamp Data Visualization

    Links for the coding challenge I'm doing:

    2022 Web Developer Challenge100 Days of CodefreeCodeCampfreeCodeCamp Become A Dev Challenge Log (free Google spreadsheet I made for you to track your own motivations, notes and progress for the Web Developer Challenge)Tweet at me


    My other podcasts

    re-verseSieis Soundtracksfna showSwansong

    I would love to hear from you!

    Find me on eamonncottrell.comFollow me on Twitter @EamonnCottrell Follow me on Linkedin @EamonnCottrellFollow me on gitHub @sieis
  • Hi there! Thanks for listening, and I hope you'll follow along on my journey!

    Episode Overview:

    Been having a blast learning D3 over on freeCodeCamp. I walk through an overview of my current project and what remains to complete it. Including discussion of the joy that comes from solving frustrating problems.

    Resources mentioned:

    D3js.orgMy current project on CodePenfreeCodeCamp Data Visualization

    Links for the coding challenge I'm doing:

    2022 Web Developer Challenge100 Days of CodefreeCodeCampfreeCodeCamp Become A Dev Challenge Log (free Google spreadsheet I made for you to track your own motivations, notes and progress for the Web Developer Challenge)Tweet at me


    My other podcasts

    re-verseSieis Soundtracksfna showSwansong

    I would love to hear from you!

    Find me on eamonncottrell.comFollow me on Twitter @EamonnCottrell Follow me on Linkedin @EamonnCottrellFollow me on gitHub @sieis
  • Hi there! Thanks for listening, and I hope you'll follow along on my journey!

    Episode Overview:

    Had a ton of fun with my five year old building a spreadsheet and then learning some new stuff myself as he wanted to select multiple values using data validation. I looked up a custom script to do it, implemented it and then did a short video walkthrough of how to go about it yourself!

    Resources mentioned:

    YouTube Video WalkthroughThe Custom Google Sheet (you can copy and use yourself!)

    Links for the coding challenge I'm doing:

    2022 Web Developer Challenge100 Days of CodefreeCodeCampfreeCodeCamp Become A Dev Challenge Log (free Google spreadsheet I made for you to track your own motivations, notes and progress for the Web Developer Challenge)Tweet at me


    My other podcasts

    re-verseSieis Soundtracksfna showSwansong

    I would love to hear from you!

    Find me on eamonncottrell.comFollow me on Twitter @EamonnCottrell Follow me on Linkedin @EamonnCottrellFollow me on gitHub @sieis
  • Hi there! Thanks for listening, and I hope you'll follow along on my journey!

    Episode Overview:

    Days 4-7 of my #100DaysofCode & Web Developer Challenge.
    A quick run through of what I've been working on the past few days.

    Resources mentioned:

    D3 libraryMERN tutorial on MongoDB2022 Web Developer Challenge100 Days of CodefreeCodeCampData Visualization CertificationfreeCodeCamp Become A Dev Challenge Log (free Google spreadsheet I made for you to track your own motivations, notes and progress for the Web Developer Challenge)Tweet at me


    My other podcasts

    re-verseSieis Soundtracksfna showSwansong

    I would love to hear from you!

    Find me on eamonncottrell.comFollow me on Twitter @EamonnCottrell Follow me on Linkedin @EamonnCottrellFollow me on gitHub @sieis