“Substitute ‘damn’ every time you’re inclined to write ‘very;’ your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be.” ― Mark Twain I’m always looking for tricks to improve my writing. One trick I learned a long time ago involves culling excess verbiage from
Read more →
Do you have an office job that lets you work remotely? If you do, chances are you work not so much on your computer as you do through a secure “tunnel” into your company’s servers. Whether you use Windows or a Mac the work environment appears as
Read more →
If you’ve read much of my blog over the years, you probably know that I’m a fan of all things Apple. My allegiance lies primarily with the Mac. It may cost more at purchase, but the time it saves in troubleshooting I haven’t had to do over the years
Read more →
I’ve been increasingly making phone calls using my Mac, without even touching my iPhone. FaceTime on the Mac makes this possible when my Mac and iPhone are connected to the same WiFi network. (Apple provides full setup instructions here.) It’s a great convenience. The sound is fine,
Read more →In a previous blog post, I described the process of recording my first screencast using only tools that are free with the Mac. The screencast captured audio and video as I narrated what I did on screen. Contents of my screencast I recorded the screencast as a series
Read more →
Why buy third-party software when all you need is on the Mac? That was the theme for a series of eight technology videos I produced. These videos were my assignment in a university course about computer-aided technology (CAT) tools. (I’m pursuing an accelerated B.A. in translation (French to
Read more →
Two weeks ago, I covered the basics of using Apple’s Dictionary.app. What I wrote covers the bases for my work as a journalist, technical writer and automotive reviewer. But as a translator, I need references that cover different languages. Fortunately, Apple enables me to look up terms in
Read more →
On any given workday, I wear one or more of the following hats: journalist, technical writer, translator, automotive reviewer, editor, student. The written word follows me all day long (or do I follow it?) My grasp of grammar and vocabulary are good, but there’s always room for
Read more →With a blog post title like this, you can tell I’m a hit at parties… Productivity for me means doing the little things as efficiently as possible. But efficiency isn’t always possible. Here’s a prime example.
Read more →
I speak four languages and I regularly switch between them on my digital devices (all from Apple). When I bought my MacBook Pro years ago, I got it with the French keyboard. (That’s an option here in Canada, with its two official languages.) That keyboard makes it
Read more →