Long URL's in emails

Long Link URL’s are a perennial problem.  In some people’s email systems, long URL’s will wrap onto two lines.  

An example might look like this:

http://ergowizard.com/hfestorycorps/interviews/showmovie.html?examplearg=ThisIsS

omeExtraJunkToMakeThisUrlReallyReallyReallyReallyReallyLong

Notice how the first line of the URL is clickable, but it doesn’t include the part that’s on the second line.  For most URL’s this would make it invalid when clicked.  (In this case it still works, but don’t concern yourself with that.)

I believe that lines will traditionally wrap at 80 characters in non-HTML email clients.  Shorter links might be ok, HOWEVER, they could still get wrapped if the email gets forwarded around a lot by email clients that put those “>” characters in front of each line.  

Another possible problem is that some people have “HTML” turned off in their email systems and NOTHING is clickable (in which case, only approach 1 below would help).

I see 4 approaches to this problem:

1. Make sure people with limited email clients know of an alternative.  “If you can’t click this, please copy/paste the entire link into your browser address bar – without spaces.”  Make sure your URL is all on one line with a blank line below it so your user knows when to stop swiping for the copy/paste.
2. Always put < and > around your link (in case that didn’t show, I’m talking about the “less-than” and “greater-than” pointy brackets that are above the comma and period on your keyboard).  I’m going to put a long link below.  When I type it, I’m going to put the pointy brackets (< and >) immediately in front and behind the link (though that probably won’t be visible when you read this email).  In theory, this keeps the link “together” somehow when it is clicked in the recipient’s email system.
1. http://ergowizard.com/hfestorycorps/interviews/showmovie.html?examplearg=ThisIsSomeExtraJunkToMakeThisUrlReallyReallyReallyReallyReallyLong
3. Use short, “user-friendly” URL’s.  For this example, I’m going to type “click here” on the next line.  Then I’m going to swipe that text and right-click it and choose Hyperlink.  In that pop-up window, I’m going to paste the really long URL into the Address box at the bottom (and make sure the top box hasn’t been modified and still says “click here”).  This method was derived using Outlook; similar methods probably exist elsewhere.
1. Click here
4. Use a free service like http://TinyURL.com to create a user-friendly URL.  In the next line, I’m going to paste a URL from TinyURL.  You go to that web page, paste your really long URL into the box and you get a short one you can use in your email.

               a. http://tinyurl.com/5glggd

LifeHack: Recipe for Cuisineart Peanut Butter

Recipe for Cuisineart peanut butter

1. Get a can of spanish peanuts (the oily, salty, round ones with the red skins on them).
2. Pour it into the Cuisineart (with the regular "double-comma" shaped blade).
3. Run it for a few minutes until the peanuts roll up into a ball and start spinning around.
4. Keep running it until the ball settles down into goo.
5. Run it for about 60 to 90 seconds longer.
6. Spread some on a sandwich; put the rest in the refrigerator.

Is Kate Paying Attention?

So she finally convinced her old dad to get onto blogspot. I did it on June 5, 2006 in order to use this cool website commenting tool (a FireFox extension called Blogger Web Comments).
So, Kate, what date (or year) is it now that you've finally found this ? Will there be any other underground comments logged here by the time you do?

Riddle: Why are manhole covers round?

How long are your legs? 

My friends know that I'm willing to come up with a theory for anything. I'm embarrassed to say I was completely stumped when someone asked me to speculate how the bilateral parts in our human bodies "know" to stop growing at the same length/size.

The legs I can imagine because we're constantly pounding on them and I can imagine them "evening out". But the arms? Ears and eyes for that matter? I know that hormones are involved in the cessation of skeletal growth, but that doesn't fully cover it from my limited understanding.

I'll probably look it up eventually.

BTW: Abraham Lincoln was once asked "How long to you think a man's legs should be?"  His answer was "Long enough to reach the ground".

Why are manhole covers round?

Riddle: Say, if you read this far, perhaps you like riddles? Here's one of my favorites: Why are manholes and their covers round? (They weren't always that way, I believe an easier-to-fabricate octagonal shape was favored in the early days.)

Answer: It turns out that a round cover is the only shape that can't fall through it's own hole!  I don't know about you, but I sure wouldn't want to be in a sewer, but if I WAS, I wouldn't want a 300 pound manhole cover falling on my head!