Copywriter, technical writer, translator (FR>EN, ES>EN, IT>EN), journalist

TechnoZen

Putting pictures in contact cards

When you need to meet people for the first time, whether at a job interview or networking event, do you know what they look like? For most of us, the answer is “no.” Fortunately, we can now change the answer to “yes” in many cases. All you

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Review: 2014 Ford Fiesta ST

Get the car moving in first. Drop the shifter to second. Step on it, and feel your back press into the firm Recaro seats behind you as you accelerate… ahem, to the legally posted speed limit, officer, and no faster.

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Charge while you walk

I can’t begin to count the amounts of energy I’ve used walking all over my neighbourhood, downtown Toronto and other places. I reach my destination usually while listening to podcasts, maybe even working up a sweat. Now an outfit wants to let my walking help charge the

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Review: 2014 Nissan Sentra

I like to talk about cars. As a result, people share their experiences with me about the models they own and the brands they’re loyal to. J.T., a former work colleague, drove 215,000 kilometers in a ’90s era Nissan Sentra. He sold it to take a job

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Revising documents using markup

I write. A lot. And I sometimes share what I write with other people who might revise what’s written. Conversely, I might review things that other people write. Whichever the case may be, I tend to work onscreen as much as possible. (If I work on paper,

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Strip unnecessary words from your writing

In April 2014, the Globe and Mail published a list of ten words you can remove from anything you write. It’s a great idea, since leaner writing is often clearer writing. I’ll take this tip one step further. Instead of simply keeping the list handy (and building

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Manipulating images

There’s a widespread idea that image manipulation is difficult and only done with lots of expertise using expensive tools. Let’s put that idea to rest. Check out the video below for an idea of how easy it is using the Preview app. You might not get “professional”

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Product review: ChargeKeys and ChargeCards

Sometimes better products happen when manufacturers simplify their designs. That’s what I found when I tried ChargeKeys and ChargeCards from Nomad Goods, LLC. These slim connectors let you charge and synchronize products equipped with Lightning ports (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch) or micro-USB ports (a wide variety of

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Styling business documents

I can’t count the number of times that I’ve blogged about the importance of styles in programs like Microsoft Word. Styles matter if: you regularly create lengthy documents that must look good to others. you want to reduce the amount of time you spend formatting documents.

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Passwords for polyglots

Consider these basic cybersecurity tips: Create strong passwords for your computing devices and online services, like bank and social media accounts. Regularly change your passwords (e.g. once ever 3 months) This might sound like an annoying habit to need to develop, but you can make it interesting,

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