Productivity Portfolio

Should You Install Windows 7 RC1

Mon, 18 May 2009 09:57:07 -0700

Microsoft’s latest operating system, Windows 7 seems to have caught the interest of many readers. Perhaps, it’s the fact that the company is not charging for the software. Or, it could be people are tired of Windows XP. Whatever your reasons for wanting to try this release candidate, there are some important issues you should consider.

How to Convert Word Document to a Booklet

Sun, 26 Apr 2009 20:28:50 -0700

Last month I was involved in a documentation project. I thought it would end once I submitted my file minus some final edits. Instead, I was asked if I could make the Word document to a brochure. Immediately, I started thinking of layouts, orientation and tables. And then I remembered a seldom used feature of a program most of us already use.

Using Google Forms to Troubleshoot

Sat, 11 Apr 2009 21:33:25 -0700

I’m not into multi-tasking but if I can write an article that does two objectives, I’m game. As with many articles, this one started with a reader email. John in Canada has a problem reading a specific page on this site. My problem is I can’t figure out why so I want to gather more information from other readers. While there are many ways to collect data, I thought I would create a web form using Google Docs.

Reducing Ink Costs and Paper

Sat, 28 Mar 2009 18:11:27 -0700

It’s no surprise to most readers that I hate buying printer ink. I find the process wasteful and expensive even if I recycle empty ink cartridges. You can imagine my joy when I found a free utility that saves ink and paper. It does this by allowing me to select the items from a web page I wish to print. It even saves web pages as a PDF file.

Google Ad Options and Preferences

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 10:59:03 -0700

This website, like many others, is monetized using Google AdSense. The advertisements you see are based on an advertiser’s themed keywords and matched by Google to relevant articles. That is going to change soon because of a new Google program. As a result, you may wish to change how you handle their advertising cookies. I’ve included instructions for opting in and opting out of various advertising cookies.

How to Run Vista Command Prompt as Administrator

Sun, 15 Feb 2009 15:19:14 -0800

One item people complain about Windows Vista is the need to run programs as an Administrator. Elevating your privileges is easy although it can confuse some people when it comes to the Vista command prompt or cmd.exe. This need happens when people run into installation problems or get the infamous internal error 2739. Fortunately, there are easy solutions.

Tracking Your Laptop

Thu, 5 Feb 2009 18:42:21 -0800

One of the scariest ordeals laptop owners encounter is a lost or stolen computer. It’s one of those scenarios that once you peel away one layer, the potential for bigger problems appears. And that’s when you break into a cold sweat unless you’ve taken preventive measures to aid in recovery.

Selecting Random Names with Excel

Sun, 21 Dec 2008 14:35:43 -0800

Earlier this month, I got a request from a manager in town asking if I could randomly select 150 people from a membership list. No darts allowed. I think the purpose was to do a survey, but maybe it was to select contest winners. It turns out that Excel has a random number generator which was the key to my solution.

Understanding Reading Layout in Word

Sun, 14 Dec 2008 14:26:44 -0800

An interesting thing about Microsoft Word is that you can have a feature that millions adore and an equal number dislike. Thank heavens for options. I think the reason people dislike Word’s Reading Layout view is that they don’t know how to change the default setting. As a result, they dismiss the view without seeing the benefits. If you don’t like that page layout, I’ve got an easy solution.

Changing Email Subject Lines in Outlook

Sun, 30 Nov 2008 19:34:43 -0800

I’m still a fan of email. My acceptance doesn’t mean I’m always happy with it or the “best practices” of some users or automated replies. Lately, I find myself changing the Subject: lines of received emails in Microsoft Outlook. What surprised me was how many people didn’t realize you could change this email property.