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

TechnoZen

Microsoft Word

Outside of one other Microsoft tool, namely Outlook, few pieces of software get used more regularly on the job than Microsoft Word. People use it to write all manner of business documents, from short memos to lengthy RFPs and business reports. Microsoft has even created a cloud

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Adobe

Few new computers spend much time out of the box before their owners install Reader, free software from Adobe that people use to read PDFs (portable document format), documents that look exactly the same no matter what computer they’re viewed on. Adobe Acrobat generates those PDFs, and

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Google

From its well-regarded search engine to its plethora of products, Google has carved out significant slices of online activity and mindshare since its founders first made it available. Much of that mindshare comes from the business tools Google offers. Google Apps now serves as the productivity tool

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Architecture, engineering, design, construction

While I mainly write about technology, complex construction projects also fascinate me. I profile major projects, like the revamp of Toronto’s Union Station and the realization of the greenest buildings to date. I also document building trends and profile the trend-setters, as well as the software they

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Increasing text size in web browsers

Have you ever seen people with poor eyesight hold magnifying glasses to their computer screens? I haven’t either, but I could imagine that happening given how difficult it can be to read certain web sites. Fortunately, there are easier ways to make web sites easier to read.

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Rebooting smartphones

They’re pretty dependable devices, but even today’s smartphones sometimes “hang” or “freeze”. No matter what you do, they refuse to respond when you touch their screens or press their keys and buttons. Worry not. Smartphones are pretty easy to reset, or “reboot” to use the computing term,

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Scoping the scene for the right scanner

David Feld gladly (almost gleefully) avoids paper. He bluntly states he’s never owned a fax machine. He doesn’t even use the one that came with his Xerox WorkCentre multifunction printer. And, his clients communicate with him mainly via e-mail. “They even use their phones to take pictures of documents and send them

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Signing PDFs without printing them

Increasing numbers of organizations offer documents to be completed as PDF forms. Just open them using Adobe’s free Reader software, click the fields you want to complete and start typing. The point of offering forms as PDFs is to help people reduce the amount of time it

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Protect your privacy on Skype

Skype may be the most popular computer-based tool in the world among people who want to talk to one another using their computers. It offers conference calling, video conference calling, chat and document transfers, all in one software package. It also offers advertisers the opportunity to pitch

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Basic online fraud prevention

Not sure if what you do online is safe from prying eyes? Especially when it comes to online banking? The banks feel your pain, and that might explain why TD Bank published a fraud prevention quiz with these five true/false questions: If your bank needs to contact

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