…It’s a photo of what’s on your screen! Which screen? Your iPhone or iPad, your Apple computer or your PC.

Screen caps (short for screen capture) are awesome to share on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Snap Chat or to send to your friends. You can even use them to illustrate your homework projects.

Here’s how:

iPhone or iPad

• Get the image you want on your screen.
• Press the power button and the home button at the exact same time! Click!
• Find your screen cap in your photo album.

Apple Computer

• Get the image you want on your screen.
• Hold down all these keys at the same time: command + shift + 3

• The image will be saved on your desktop, it will be called Screen Shot plus the date and time.  You will see it in Finder.

Wait! What if you don’t want to capture the whole screen? What if you only want to take a photo of a little piece of your screen. Easy!

• Hold down these keys at the same time: command + shift + 4 When you hold all these buttons down at the same time, a different type of cursor will pop up.
• Move this cursor to one edge of the part of the screen you want to capture. When you have it right where you want it, hold down control and drag the cursor so that the entire area you want to capture is inside the grey box.
• Let go of of control. Click!!
• Your photo is on your desktop called “Screen Shot” plus the date and time.

PC Computer

• Get the image you want on your screen.
• Press the Print Screen button to capture the entire computer screen.
• Open your Paint program (from the Start menu, look in Accessories).
• When Paint is open, press Ctrl+V.

Wait! I only one a small part of the screen. Simple!

• Hold down Print Screen and Alt at the same time and select the area of your screen you want.
• Your screen shot will be in Paint where you can crop it, add text and fancy it up anyway you want!

So go ahead.  Take some screen shots and post them!  Don’t forget to tag them #RubySkyePI or @RubySkyePI so we’ll find them and like them!!

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Our Great Moments in GIFting are taken from The Maltese Puppy and The Haunted Library.

Great Moments in GIFting

If you’ve made any GIFs from the Ruby Skye P.I. videos, we’d love to see them.  Share them with us via Twitter, we’re @RubySkyePI.  Or post them to Instagram and share them with us there.

Of course this whole post only works if you pronounce the “g” in GIF like you pronounce the “g” in GIFT.  The second you start pronouncing that “g” like it’s a J (as in jiffy) we have to start a whole new post.  But for now it’s fun!

And remember it’s better to give than to recieve and always fun to GIF (no matter how you pronounce it)!

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A Snoop’s Guide to the Season of Giving

Everyone knows that it’s better to give than to receive.  But if you’re on the receiving end it’s better to know that you’re getting what you want.  The clues are everywhere.  Find them to solve the mystery of what’s under all that wrapping paper!

Tip #1: Look for receipts.  Check drawers, waste baskets, the bottom of shopping bags… and of course, purses.  If you can, get your sister to do the dirty work.

Tip #2: Check the computer history.  Find out if your parents have been shopping online this year.  While you’re snooping, check for emails from Amazon, iTunes and other online stores.

Tip #3: Check the trunk of the car.  It’s a great place to hide gifts because the car is locked.  All you have to do is get your hands on the keys.  (Watch the new Ruby Skye P.I.: The Maltese Puppy movie to learn how to copy a key.)

Tip #4: You know how your mom is always looking for her cell phone?  That’s because you have it.  And now that you do, check her text messages and photos for clues about your presents.

Happy holidays from the whole gang at Ruby Skye P.I.

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Ruby is investigating the possible haunting of the O’Deary Library when the library’s owner, Ava O’Deary dies.

The relatives arrive for the reading of the will, but there is no will… until Ruby finds a hidden video.  Ava O’Deary has left her relatives a challenge: find 10 clues to find her will.

The relatives line up to hire Ruby to find the will for them. She doesn’t trust any of them but she starts to collect the clues anyway.

Of course, Diana is bugging Ruby every step of the way… And Ruby is driving Hailey crazy!

And then there’s this boy!

Can Ruby find the will and save the library? Find out in The Haunted Library.

The Haunted Library on iTunes

In The Haunted Library, Ruby investigates a possible ghost in the spooky old O’Deary Library. Before long, she stumbles on a second mystery: a missing will. With the fate of the library and a fortune hanging in the balance, Ruby follows the clues that lead through some of the most beloved books in children’s and young adult fiction. With the “ghost” interfering every step of the way, Ruby finds herself in a race to find the will in time to save the library. Watch The Haunted Library on iTunes today.

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Everyone is a suspect!

Someone stole a shipment of cute, furry, fabulous Flobbles from FONK.

Ruby is determined to figure out who the Flobble thief is.  She and Detective Von Schlagen don’t agree on much, but they agree on one thing:

Everyone is a suspect.

Suspect #1 is Reeny Mussolini, over-caffeinated, super tall and very nervous.

 
Suspect #2 is Zoffi. Everyone loves him, but he has means, motive and opportunity.

Another possible suspect is Colin Cumberbund, who was at the shredder early in the morning? What was he shredding?

And then there’s this woman, Trudy Snood.

 

Who is the fiend who filched the Flobbles from FONK? Watch The Maltese Puppy to find out.

In The Maltese Puppy, sixteen year old amateur detective, Ruby Skye finds herself in the middle of not one, but three mysteries.  Who robbed the local children’s charity and where are they hiding the stolen toys?  Who owns the adorable white puppy that her sister, Hailey, wants to keep? Who is that little kid and why is she following Ruby?

In short order, Ruby destroys a crime scene, annoys a detective and steals a puppy.  Her list of enemies is growing by the minute and soon includes her little sister, her maybe boyfriend, the victim of the crime and every one of the suspects.  At least the puppy still likes her.

Can she find the bad guys, make her sister happy and win back all her friends?  Find out as Ruby Skye takes on her funniest and most baffling case yet.

The post Everyone Is a Suspect appeared first on Ruby Skye PI.

All three seasons of Ruby Skye PI are now on iTunes as movies.  Buy or rent them, the perfect holiday gift for kids of all ages!

All three Ruby Skye P.I. mystery movies are about an hour in length.

They are the same funny, fast-paced stories you know from the web series with lots of baffling mystery and excitement. Now they are yours to own for the low price of $6.99 each.

Ruby Skye P.I. is an award-winning trilogy of movies that features great teen characters and family-friendly storylines. Each movie is funny and fast-paced with a plot that twists and turns. Teen detective, Ruby Skye, is smart, determined, charming and impulsive, getting herself into plenty of hot water en route to a breath-taking solution.

If you loved the web series, please click on over to iTunes to leave as a rating or review. We’ll love you forever for doing it!

In The Maltese Puppy, The appearance of a mysterious puppy coincides with the disappearance of donated toys from a children’s charity. Ruby’s investigation quickly leads to the destruction of a crime scene, the arrest and possible deportation of a beloved refugee, the disappearance of the puppy and then of Ruby’s little sister, Hailey. Ruby Skye is on the case.

In The Haunted Library, Ruby investigates a possible ghost in the spooky old O’Deary Library. Before long, she stumbles on a second mystery: a missing will. With the fate of the library and a fortune hanging in the balance, Ruby follows the clues that lead through some of the most beloved books in children’s and young adult fiction. With the “ghost” interfering every step of the way, Ruby finds herself in a race to find the will in time to save the library.

In The Spam Scam, Ruby discovers that her wacky neighbour has fallen victim to the infamous Nigerian email scam and Ruby vows to get her money back. When she discovers that the scam emails are coming from the school computers, Ruby deduces that the scammer might be someone she knows. Ruby’s investigation leads her in some unexpected directions. She finds herself in a race against time to stop a wedding, find the scammer and restore her best friend’s faith in his father.

All three films star Madison Cheeatow as Ruby Skye.

Ruby Skye PI Movies on iTunes

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The Maltese Puppy is Ruby’s third mystery.  At first, it was only available in Canada on CBC.ca/kids as a web series.  Now, you can watch the movie version of The Maltese Puppy from anywhere in North America by downloading it from iTunes.

Watch Ruby Skye P.I. on iTunes.

In The Maltese Puppy, the appearance of a mysterious puppy coincides with the disappearance of donated toys from a children’s charity. Ruby’s investigation quickly leads to the destruction of a crime scene, the arrest and possible deportation of a beloved refugee, the disappearance of the puppy and then of Ruby’s little sister, Hailey. Ruby Skye is on the case. Watch Ruby Skye P.I. on iTunes now.

The Maltese Puppy stars Madison Cheeatow as Ruby Skye with Sean Cullen as Colin Cumberbund, Hannah Spear as Reeny Mussolini, Marlee Maslove as Hailey Skye and Scott Beaudin as Edmund O’Fine.

Watch Ruby Skye P.I. on iTunes.

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10 Reasons Hercule Poirot is one the best Private Investigators…Ever

10. He’s the creation of Agatha Christie –  one of the greatest mystery writers of all time.

9. He’s Belgian, not French. Which really has no bearing on why he’s a great P.I. but still, that’s an interesting fact to know.

8. That moustache! It’s pretty epic.

7. Poirot has a appeared in 1 play, 33 novels and more than 50 short stories – all written between 1920 and 1975.

6. Poirot has been portrayed by numerous actors, but David Suchet is best known for portraying the Belgian investigator. He portrayed Poirot for 25 years.

5. He’s a very particular man – especially when it comes to his personal finance. His bank account always maintained a balance of 444 pounds, 44 shillings and 4 pence. How curious.

4. Poirot’s last words were “Cher ami” (dear friend.) They were spoken to his close friend, Arthur Hastings, a former British Army officer who appears in many of Poirot’s stories.

3. Before becoming a P.I., Poirot was the chief of police of Brussels.

2. He’s in love with a thief! Yep, you read that right, mystery solver, and fear of bad guys everywhere Hercule Poirot is in love with a thief by the name of Vera Rossakof. She’s also a Russian countess.

1. Poirot is the only fictional character to have ever received an obituary in the New York Times (on the front page no less!)

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It’s safe to say Veronica Mars ranks pretty high on Ruby Skye’s list of excellent PI’s/detectives. What is it about this high school Private Investigator we love so much? Let’s take a look:

Astute, witty banter abounds
Any one who’s ever watched an episode of Veronica Mars knows that she is rarely, if ever, at a loss for words. Even in the most dire of situations a clever comeback is always on the tip of her tongue. Case in point:

She’s Smart and Tough
Veronica is not afraid to stand up for herself or for others. She’s full of confidence and knows her own mind. All great qualities that make her such an excellent PI.

She’s a Reader

(Best Outsider’s reference ever? Maybe?)

She’s also an animal lover

she loves the real and the fantastical

She’s also a top notch business woman

She comes in many forms
In the ten years since Veronica Mars first aired the show has not only become a cult TV classic, but also a hit film (after an impressive Kickstarter campaign got the ball rolling on that.) And VM’s story continues in book form, the first [amazon_link id=”0804170703″ target=”_blank” ]The Thousand Dollar Tan Line[/amazon_link] came out earlier this year and was written by show creator Rob Thomas.

She’s a marshmallow

Which makes a lot of sense because marshmallows are wonderful, and so is VM.

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6 Women Changing the World

ANGELINA JOLIE

Angelina Jolie isn’t just an Academy Award winning actress, mother of six and one-time wild child. She’s also known for her extensive humanitarian work with the UN. She has acted as both Special Envoy and Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, she has traveled to numerous war zones to meet with displaced peoples, has lobbied humanitarian interests in the United States and she co-chairs Kids in Need of Defence (KIND).

DEBBIE STERLING 

A mechanical engineer, Sterling, noticing an extreme lack of women in the world of engineering set out to find a way to encourage girls to study fields like math and science. She created GoldieBlox  (both a toy – a girl in overalls who works with animals to build machines and toy company) with the aim “to disrupt the pink aisle and inspire the future generation of female engineers.”

JASVINDER SANGHERA

After running away from home to avoid being forced into a marriage she did not want, Jasvinder founded Karma Nirvana an international charity that has set up refugee centres that act as safe houses for both women and men fleeing from forced marriages. Karma Nirvana also offers support to and fights for victims of honour crimes.

CHER WANG

Tech entrepreneur and philanthropist, Wang is the co-founder of HTC Corporation –the company responsible for 1 out of every 6 smartphones sold in the US. She is one of the most successful and influential women in technology. In 2011 this tech giant donated $28 million to help fund Guizhou Forerunner College, a school that provides free or low-cost education to students from low income families.

HELEN D. GAYLE, M.P.H.

President and CEO of CARE USA (a humanitarian aid organization fighting against poverty). Gayle also worked for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and for some 20 years worked at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). But that’s not all, Gayle also served as chair for President Barack Obama’s Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDs. In 2014 Gayle was ranked the 78th most powerful woman in the world. Wow.

MALALA YOUSAFZAI

This list would be incomplete without mention of Malala who started her activism and humanitarian efforts at the tender age of 11. Malala began writing a blog for the BBC detailing life under Taliban rule and her belief in education for girls. While one day on her way to school Malala was attacked by a gunman. She survived, and has since gone on to advocate for the right to education for girls around the world. She has spoken at the UN, won numerous awards and made history this year becoming the youngest person ever to receive a Nobel Peace Prize.  Way to go Malala!

Obviously there are so many more women out there changing the world, who else would you add to this list?

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