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

TechnoZen

Every House Tells a Story

While renovating his kitchen, my friend Tom ripped up the counter to find the Toronto Star from June 26, 1953. “There was a story about land prices in Oakville ‘skyrocketing’ to $2,000 an acre,” Tom told me. “I was born on June 19, so I thought I

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A quick, cheap, versatile Windows file backup: Windows Briefcase

When I used Windows XP daily, I also carried around a USB memory stick with a complete backup of all my important documents. Yes, this was several GB in size, but maintaining this backup was pretty easy. You see, I used a not-very-well-known Windows utility called Briefcase

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Back up your important information

I used to carry a zip-up binder containing my calendar, contact list, task lists and so forth. While I liked the feel of paper, I didn’t like the weight and size of it, so I eventually switched to the Palm personal digital assistant – the one that

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Building Community: Hudson Kruse Design

originally published in Award Magazine The fall of 1999 brought interior designer Trevor Kruse the opportunity to work on the (then) Ritz Carlton condominium project in Toronto. That project came with a catch, though. “They asked me to set up a company and they would bring the

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Podcasts way for law firms, lawyers to develop ‘strong bonds’ with listeners

originally published in Lawyers Weekly Can your practice produce promotional or educational radio and television segments? No? Well, if you can’t do broadcasting, try podcasting. Podcasts are essentially pre-recorded radio or TV shows that people “subscribe” to, then play back on computers, TVs, and personal media players

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Finding "containing" folders on a Mac

Mac folder drop list, from document title bar

Those of us who grew up in less digital times brought some of our analog habits to computers. One of my habits: keeping all files in folders (and subfolders!). Getting to folders can be easy enough on any computer, but the Mac may have made this mundane

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Keeping tabs on external counsel

Budgeting and cost control gets easier with client-centric practice management systems. In-house counsel have struggled for years to assert more control over their dealings with — and the billing practices of — outside law firms. Law firms, long accustomed to managing their relationships with clients, have had

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Online tools can deliver, but choose wisely

originally published on cbc.ca/money/smallbusiness Business has always relied on collaboration. That fact drives the growth of online collaboration tools, but it’s an area where businesses need to tread warily.

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Software-as-a-service fills market niche

originally published on cbc.ca/money/smallbusiness Andrew Jones had a simple goal: Develop an online tool to help his wife, Nicole Garton-Jones, run her Vancouver-based firm, Heritage Law. But his efforts catapulted him into the booming software-as-a-service (SaaS) market and spawned a business in its own right.

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Templates: an easy way to create a complex document

A friend recently asked me if I knew a better way to create timesheets. She was using Word tables and doing the math on her own. I promptly opened Excel and found the template she wanted from the Workbook Gallery. (You can find it, and others like

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