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

Posts Tagged Microsoft

Microsoft Word 2016: a rant in ten parts

Late last year, I took the advice of a friend and upgraded to Microsoft Office 365. I regret that decision. I lean mostly on Word, and until I upgraded to 365 I had no idea how much I depended on Word simply being a canvas that I

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Five Word Styles Lawyers Need to Know

Have you ever spent hours fine-tuning a Microsoft Word document to ensure a consistent “look and feel” throughout? If so, I suspect you don’t want to do that again. You especially don’t want to repeat the experience when someone asks you to change the fonts and spacing

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Checking grammar using Microsoft Word

Part of my routine towards the end of writing projects is to check spelling and grammar. When I write things using Microsoft Word, I use the spelling and grammar checker it offers. I also ensure that it shows me readability statistics. Why? The simpler I write, the more likely

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Finding a fit for virtual desktops in your firm

Computer users typically keep the software and data they use on their computers. About five years ago, Will Davidson LLP began to access both software and data located on company servers using virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI). Partner Paul Cahill rebels against this change to this day. Virtual

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Raking your words

Brevity is often the soul of clarity. The “often” is my addition. I admire authors like Hemingway and Orwell, who got to the point using the right (i.e. minimal) number of words. At the other end of the spectrum, Ayn Rand could have used an editor (among other professional

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Checking a computer's hard disk drive

Every computer contains a device it uses to store information even when the power is off. Up until a few years ago, that device was always a hard disk drive (HDD). Increasingly, computers ship with solid state drives (SSDs) instead. Why? SSDs deliver better performance than HDDs, especially

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Adapting to change amid tech enhancements

Some firms are boosting choices for work devices Henry Ford is quoted as saying: “Any customer can have a car painted any colour that he wants so long as it is black.” For the longest time, IT departments the world over have used similar reasoning in procurement

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Are you running too many applications?

Is your computer slow right now? Maybe there’s something you can do about that – right now.

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The speed value of an empty desktop

It’s common for people to replace their computers every three or four years. They seem to believe performance degrades so much that they need new machines to gain speed increases. Sometimes that’s true. Hard disk drives,for instance, can wear over time. Inexpensive machines aren’t usually built to be upgraded. But

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Cut down the amount of time spent on searches

Robert Drake figures he spends about 15 hours each week searching for information. “Fifty years ago, I think the entire bar would only have knowledge of six cases in an area of law,” says Drake, an associate at Goldman Sloan Nash & Haber LLP. “Now there are

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