Nov
16
2009
Did you know that Apple loads multiple languages for many software applications? There is a great little program called Monolingual that will delete all languages you do not use. It’s a quick download and gives you the option of which language(s) you wish to retain. I freed almost 2.8GB. Who knew?
Nov
15
2009
Blackberry sent out a newsletter with instructions on how to change the ‘sent from‘ address so that all of your email messages match — regardless of where you are when sending them. The steps are clear but you will need to know which version of the Blackberry internet service you currently use. Blackberry newsletter instructions for changing the ’sent from’ address.
If you want to disable the auto-signature on your Blackberry, here are the instructions from Blackberry.
Nov
13
2009
Is your Gmail slower than usual? If you don’t use chat, be sure to turn it off. You should notice a bit more speed in your Gmail loads. To check the status of chat, look at the very bottom of your screen directly under the statistics for how much (or little) of your Gmail storage is in use. If you see Turn Off Chat, click on it. If you see Turn On Chat, the chat function is already off.
Nov
08
2009
I switched! I recently switched my desktop from WinXP to Tiger, and later upgraded to Leopard. Although the basics are simple, there are some habits I was accustomed to in Windows that needed to be UN-learned for OS X.
The most electrifying lesson was that, unlike in Windows where dragging a folder onto another folder merges the contents, in OS X, dragging a folder onto another folder actually replaces the entire folder. This was obviously a habit that needed to be un-learned immediately. Continue Reading »
Nov
05
2009
I’m often asked “Why do I have to close each message and return to the list to read mesages? I want to read through open messages in Gmail. There is a shortcut which allows you to move through open messages. Open the first message, to archive the current message and move to the next message, click on the left bracket “[” key. The next message will be open. You are not returned to the list of messages.
Before archiving, use the other keyboard shortcuts to mark the message. Just press “S” to mark the message with a ’star’ if you still need to take action or follow-up later. This is the same as ‘flagging’ a message in Outlook or other email applications.
Oct
30
2009
Your office is flooded, your files/photographs/documents are lost, and the words come back to haunt you: “When is the last time you backed up?” Lost documents, viruses, the ‘read error’ message regarding your hard drive. And it always seems to happen right before an important project is due.Here is an option that requires virtually zero maintenance by you and better yet, it is free (up to 2GB).
Continue Reading »
Oct
27
2009

Before you call tech support:
If you’re calling technical support for help, there are 14 basic items of information you need to know or do before you call. I suggest writing down the first four items now while everything is working. The remaining items can be listed for the immediate issue.
- Desktop/laptop model name and number
- Operating system and version number
- Any firewall or antivirus applications that are installed
- Any non-standard applications or settings you’re using
Continue Reading »