Mai's Atelier

[Behind the Scenes] HighPoint Church's Father's Day Breakfast Advertisement

2015-06-20T20:02:00.002-07:00

Image 1: The finished product

It's not often that I write about the process (thoughts, photos, and humor) that go into the projects I do, but I felt compelled to share what went on behind the scenes of this latest project that I got the honor of completing.

DETAILS

Client: HighPoint Church (Kent, Washington)
Project: Father's Day Breakfast social-media friendly advertisement
Goal: Create a shareable ad to quickly bring more awareness and attendance to the free local event.
Timeline: 2 days
Background music: Initial D soundtrack mixes found on YouTube
Tools used/consumed:
- Prismacolor non-photo blue pencil (#PC919)
- Mono white eraser
- Dahle pencil sharpener
- Bienfang spiral-bound sketch book
- Trash can (to hold all the eraser dust, pencil shavings, crumbs, and empty chip bag)
- Wacom Graphire3 tablet and pen
- Microsoft optical mouse 3000
- MacBook Pro
- ViewSonic monitor
- Adobe Illustrator CS6
- Firefox browser
- Google
- YouTube
- Boulder Canyon Natural Foods hummus and sesame chips (lightly salted) [Note: these are really good!]
- Potable water (Can you tell when I'm being silly yet?)

STAGE ONE: INITIAL CONSULTATION

Client approached me with the idea of creating a social-media friendly ad to promote the Father's Day breakfast event that's held next Sunday.
I accepted the opportunity to send something to the client in two days.
After getting information for the ad, I was given free reign to be creative. (What designer doesn't love receiving this level of trust from clients?)

STAGE TWO: ROUGHS + CONCEPTS

Image 2: Sketchbook roughs and sketching tools of choice

Started out the brainstorming session by sketching out several thumbnails (okay, I admit, they are larger than the size of the average size of my thumb nail). In a sketchbook using a (shrinking) blue pencil, eraser, and pencil sharpener (as shown in Image 2 above), I try to get a feel for what would accomplish the goal best.
Jotted down notes to remind me of information that needs to be included in the layout, and rearranged the wording to clarify the message.
To get ideas on what kind of items to include in the ad, I listed a small variety that are related to the planned breakfast menu, and sketched some of them to see how they'd look arranged in the roughs.
I narrowed down to one thumbnail to refine (second from the bottom, on the left, in Image 3), inspired by the postcard layout of the church's next sermon series. I believed it would look the best and attract the right kind of attention across the various social media outlets it may be displayed in.
Image 3: Close-up of sketchbook roughs and notes
The postcard also inspired me to choose a blue and white color scheme for the ad.

STAGE THREE: CLIENT ROUGH APPROVAL

This step is usually visited once, but in this case it was skipped due to client's permission to be freely creative. :)

STAGE FOUR: RESEARCH + REFERENCE HUNT

Using Google Image search, I went looking for reference images based off the list I created in Stage 2. I searched for images that are copyright-free and has the creator's permission to alter them, just in case if I have to use the image directly and edit them. (Like Batman, plan two or steps ahead of the situation.)
Also received logos to use from the client.

STAGE FIVE: DRAFT

Image 4: My dual-monitor setup for digitally refining the chosen idea from Step 2

I didn't take any work-in-progress images, so I'm going to describe the process. This first step is important -- setting up the background music and mood. A YouTube playlist of lengthy and upbeat Initial D songs was used.
With a Wacom pen, tablet, and Adobe Illustrator, I blocked out a general layout for the image and text areas, using guide lines and blue- and white-colored blocks.
I drew each of the 10 breakfast-related icons in their own layer with Illustrator's pen tool, various shape tools, and the 3D effect (used to create the pat and slices of butter, including the one on the pancake stack).
With the icons done, I rearranged them into the grids made from guide lines, filling in the rows and columns around the edges. (Looking at them now, I feel like rearranging them for the umpteenth time. The inner art critic doesn't take many breaks, so I have mute it. It's not shown, but there was a fifth row of icons until I removed it because it was fighting with the title text for attention.)
Laid out the text, line by line, using Illustrator's text tool and paragraph styles. I broke from blue-and-white color theme and used black for most of the text. I had to remind myself that since the ad will be shared on social media, so needs information telling people where to get more information; if it's separated from its original post(s), the ad will become just another pretty picture on the internet.
After adding in the logo, I rearranged and resized the type to make the bottom part more balanced.
I ended up nudging the icon and text areas to bring spatial peace (visual balance) between these neighbors. (I was lucky in that I didn't have to change the layout much; it still resembles the original rough draft.)
Save file! (I've been saving it often since the file was first created; this is a very important lesson I've learned from when I horrifically lost hours of work in the past.)
Exported the file as a JPG/JPEG file with sRGB profile at 150 ppi. (As an afterthought, saving it at 72 ppi would have worked fine.)
After emailing the file to the client, relaxed to music.

STAGE SIX: CLIENT DRAFT APPROVAL

This stage is usually visited once or twice, but it was skipped due to client's permission to be freely creative.

STAGE SEVEN: REFINE DRAFT

This stage is usually visited once or twice depending on how often edits need to be made; it was skipped for this project due to client's permission to be freely creative.

STAGE EIGHT: CLIENT FINAL APPROVAL

When I read the client's email reply, my creation was already being used on Facebook. (Yay! No changes were needed.)
Last task is to organize and archive files. Doing this makes it easier to refer back to them if anything is needed.

UNORDERED FINAL THOUGHTS

I received a nice surprise in my email inbox yesterday:
Image 5: Yes, the corgis (there's two, though it looks like one long dog) in the background make this email more awesome
I'm really glad to see the image used in many different ways (Facebook, Twitter, email, and...) to promote this local event. With that said, if you're a dad living close to Kent, Washington, drop by for a free breakfast held in your honor.
Image 6: My first digital illustration from 2009
While sketching out the roughs, I remembered creating breakfast icons for my first assignment using Adobe Illustrator in my first digital illustration class in 2009 (see Image 6). When I found the file and peeked at it, I have to admit that they didn't come out badly. Instead of recycling them, I thought it would be easier to create new ones that have a more unified look and updated style. Seeing the old file reminded me of the struggles I went through to complete that assignment. With that thought in mind after finishing this project, I realized how far I've come and how much more I get to learn. That's right, I wrote, "get to learn," and not, "have to learn." I enjoy the idea that there's no end to learning and self-improvement. ( ^ _ ^ )
Out of the 10 icons, the bacon strips were the hardest to draw, while the milk carton was the easiest and fastest to draw. The maple syrup bottle and butter were the most fun to draw/create.
I enjoyed creating this ad and felt blessed to be given this creative opportunity. ( ^ o ^ ) I look forward to working on more interesting projects with HighPoint Church because, per Romans 8:28 (NLT): "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them."

OverDrive Tips and Tricks for Listening to Audiobooks on the iPad (and iPhone)

2014-09-20T14:29:00.002-07:00

I'm dedicating this post to other library fans and to JL, since it was their suggestion to write about this topic. :)

After downloading the OverDrive app onto iPad, I started checking out audiobooks from the library and picked up some tricks to share.

Before we begin, please connect to your local wi-fi network, especially if you're using the app on your iPhone. If you don't have OverDrive installed yet, please see link #1 on how to get started, and see link #2 for more detailed instructions on how to borrow items.

If you know of any tips and tricks about audiobooks that weren't mentioned, please share them in the comments below, so other fans may benefit.

Image #1: Visual overview of OverDrive's iPad app controls

TIPS & TRICKS

Download audiobooks for convenient offline listening. This is especially handy if you'll be spending time on an airplane or public transportation. The amount of available memory space on your device may affect how much you could download to your iPad; check your available memory in your iPad's Settings app > General > Usage.
Change your items' borrowing length to 21 days or whatever is the longest borrowing time for each library account (length may differ depending on your library and/or app version). The default is 7 days, which isn't very long in my opinion. In OverDrive, tap on the Get Books + button > select your library > sign into your library account > tap on the Account link > tap on Settings (right column) > change all the item's lending periods to the longest option listed. (See Image #2)
Image #2: An example of a library account's settings within the OverDrive app.
Need more time to enjoy your borrowed item? The option to renew is available in the last three days before the due date. You'll be "next in line" to check it out again if there are no holds on it. This option is shown in OverDrive; tap on Get Books + > select your library > sign into your library account > by default, your checked out books should be shown (a.k.a. your Bookshelf), find the item(s) that will expire in three days or less, tap on the renew option adjacent to the book's thumbnail image, and you'll either see a message saying you renewed the item, or there's a hold on it and you can add it to your holds list. (See Images #3 and #4)
Image #3: The renewal option appears adjacent the item within the last three borrowing days in OverDrive. Image #4: You can place a "hold" on the book if you can't renew the item.
When you continue where you left off in your audiobook, you can listen to a recap of what you heard previously as a refresher. In the Settings app, scroll down the left column, tap on OverDrive, in the right column under Auto Play Settings, tap on Recap 0 Seconds (default), and select a recap option of 5, 15, or 30 seconds. (See Image #5)
Image #5: OverDrive settings in the Settings app
Feeling sleepy? Listen to an audiobook with OverDrive's sleep timer. Set the sleep timer to stop in 15, 30, 60, or 90 minutes. You can also turn off the screen (hit the power button at the top of the iPad) or wait for the screen to "lock" (Settings app > General > Auto-Lock > choose from 2, 5, 10, 15 minutes, or never).
If you pause an audiobook, walk away from your iPad for a couple minutes, and return to see that the screen turned off; you can continue playing the audiobook without unlocking the screen. By pressing the Home button twice, basic play options (volume control, skip to previous chapter, play, and skip to next chapter) will display at the top of the locked screen. Another scenario may be that you listened to a chapter before bed and want to continue listening to it in the morning. (See Image #6)
Image #6: Open OverDrive's play controls in an iPad/iPhone's locked screen
While listening to an audiobook, you switch over to a recipe app to review that day's meatloaf recipe, then the story in the audiobook suddenly got interesting while gathering the ingredient, and you want to pause to listen to it after finishing the prep work. Press the Home button twice to bring up the multitasking bar (a.k.a. the task bar), and swipe to the right to reveal OverDrive's play settings (skip to previous chapter, pause, and skip to next chapter, amongst options to mute, change screen brightness, volume control, and the OverDrive icon to open the app). (See Image #7)
Image #7: You can open OverDrive's controls while browsing another app.
Let's say you didn't finish listening to your audiobook and couldn't renew because there was a hold, so you place a hold on it. Three weeks later, you borrow the book again. Lucky for you, the OverDrive app remembers where you last left off and continues from there. As a bonus, bookmarks were saved, even after returning (and "deleting" the item from your iPad) the item. The only caveat for keeping the bookmarks and your place in the audiobook is that the item isn't cleared from the "Deleted Titles" list in the OverDrive app (Get Books + > Deleted Titles in the bottom menu). But if for some reason, you want to delete all your returned items' saved bookmarks and information, the quickest way is the app; Get Books + > Settings on the bottom menu > and tap on Clear Deleted Titles. (See Images #8 and #9)
Image #8: OverDrive app's Deleted Titles list; swipe at the title to delete its data from the app. Image #9: OverDrive app's Settings, where you can remove all deleted titles amongst other things.
Sync wishlists and borrowed audiobooks (bookmarks and the time where you left off in the audiobook) on multiple devices by having the OverDrive app (version 3.0 or newer) installed and signed in with your OverDrive account with Adobe ID (free, and can authorize up to six devices, per link #4). In order for the bookmarks to sync across two or more devices and/or be able to continue listening to your audiobook, the borrowed item(s) need to be downloaded to your devices through the OverDrive app. Before getting too excited, please check link #3 to see if your device supports syncing.

REFERENCE LINKS

NOTES

I used OverDrive version 2.6.5 (OverDrive app > Get Books + > About) on an iPad 2 with iOS version 5.1.1 to write this post. I tested the tip #9 between an iPhone 3 with OverDrive version 3.1.1 and iOS 6.1.2 and an iPhone 5 with OverDrive version 3.1.1 and iOS 7.0.4.
Some of the OverDrive controls may differ depending on the version installed.
All the screenshots were from the iPad 2 and I've often said "iPad," but the tips are interchangeable with the "iPhone."
Not all libraries have OverDrive available. If they do, you'll find information about it on the library's website or ask your librarian. If they don't, you should make a request for it with your local librarian.
Some of these tips and tricks may apply to ebooks in the OverDrive app. In addition to Apple's devices, OverDrive can be used on various other devices and platforms, like on the your computer's internet browser, Amazon Kindles, Android devices, Nook tablets, Windows 8 phones, and more. For a full list, please check out OverDrive's help site.
Items that are Windows Media Audio (WMA) files cannot be borrowed/downloaded via OverDrive on the iPad/iPhoone; this may change in the future, but at the moment, you can only download the audiobooks' mp3 files to listen to.

Fire-breathing Beer-drinking Penguin Unicyclist

2014-09-17T12:33:00.000-07:00

Out of the blue, I decided to draw something for my friend Tom's birthday. I was initially inspired by a video of the Unipiper that was posted on his Facebook wall. I combined this idea with a penguin (one of his avatars) and the fact that he likes to drink beer.

It was meant to be a quick and fun monochromatic illustration that also challenged me to be creative. Until this point in time, I have never drawn fire before, splashing beer, nor a unicycle. Penguins, I've drawn, but I didn't know they had knees until I looked up their anatomy. (Thanks, Google!)

Just goes to show that there's always room for growth and improvement. :)

REFERENCE LINKS

YouTube: The Unipiper: "Unicycling Darth Vader upgrades to Flaming Bagpipes - Keep Portland Weird - The Unipiper *Official*" (August 28, 2013)

Things that Bring Me Joy - Day 5

2014-09-14T02:08:00.000-07:00

Seattle Central Library's facade
(Photo credit: Wikipedia user DVD R W.)

View of Elliot Bay from next to the ferris wheel on Pier 57
(Photo credit: myself)

I enjoy learning new things. It's even better if I can make or improve something from what I learned. I think this is another reason why I like listening to TED Talks (aside from the therapeutic reason); I can apply what the speakers have tried and shared in their talks to see if I can improve myself. There's always room for self-improvement, right?

Today, I went to two lectures at the Seattle Central Library with a friend. They were part of an event called "Design in Motion." In the first lecture, it was fascinating to see how information and data can be organized in an aesthetic and logical way, making the results meaningful. Learning about new ways to create visualizations gets me excited about the possibilities of different things I can try.

The second lecture showed how design can make an impact on decisions and ideas, and how it can encourage social mobility. They shared their plans for improving the Beacon Hill neighborhood, an up-and-coming neighborhood I was told. It would be interesting to see if the results match their ideas and theories. [As with many urban projects, there are many factors that contribute to and/or deter success, such as finances, politics, environment, and personalities. But it looks like their current project will meet success when they break ground in March 2015. Once the new complexes are built, I hope they can help meet the needs of the community and help them move forward in life.]

To top it off, the sunny weather felt wonderful while watching Elliott Bay's blue waves and spending quality time with friends. [(Thank you, Frances and Sean, for your awesome company "today.")]

I'm a day behind, but I didn't want to write something half-hearted. And I knew Saturday would be a day with more joyful things to share.

PS - A little known fact about me is that I enjoy watching and learning from the shows on HGTV and the Food Network.

REFERENCE LINKS

TED Talks
Wikipedia: Seattle Central Library
Seattle Design Festival 2014: Design in Motion (official site) -- the festival took place September 5 to 19, 2014

NOTES

I adapted my original Facebook post for the blog.
Here are a list of all five posts of "Things that Bring Me Joy":
- Day 1 - Asian Dramas and Laughter
- Day 2 - Dogs, Pembroke Welsh Corgis to be More Specific
- Day 3 - Keeping in Touch with Friends through Multiple Forms of Communication
- Day 4 - Music, YouTube, TED Talks, and Modern Appliances
- Day 5 - Abilities to Learn and to Improve Myself

Things that Bring Me Joy - Day 4

2014-09-12T03:11:00.000-07:00

"Hero" of Slam Dunk (Japanese anime series)

Hamilton Beach 4-quart slow cooker

Zojirushi 5.5-cup rice cooker

Updated model of the Dyson vacuum I use

Music, YouTube, crock pot (a.k.a. slow cooker), rice cooker, Dyson vacuum... I have to admit that these [five] things are related only so I can mention how I think modern technology is awesome. :)

I have another confession to make -- I like listening to music on YouTube and singing along on-/off-key. Today, I came across a nostalgic song; it was one of the ending theme songs to Slam Dunk (Japanese anime centering around a high school basketball team) called, "Sekai ga Owaru Made wa..." (世界が終るまでは… = "Until the World Ends...") sung by Wands.

I think YouTube is an amazing vehicle to find new artists, especially since I don't listen to the radio or watch TV much. Some of my favorite musical finds are Lindsey Stirling, Sam Tsui, Kurt Hugo Schneider, Max Schneider, Alex Goot (gootmusic), and Kylee. You can find these amazing artists' YouTube channels easily.

A recent non-musical discovery are the TED Talks. They've been around for a while, but I didn't start watching series of them until a few weeks ago. I find many of them so inspiring and motivating that I'm beginning to liken them as cheap therapy sessions. Two I've been listening to often are Scott Dinsmore's talk titled, "How to Find and Do Work You Love," and Carrie Green's "Programming Your Mind for Success."

The other modern inventions I'm happy to have are the crock pot to cook lots of great soups and meatloaf, a rice cooker to make lots of rice to accompany a variety of meals, and a Dyson vacuum (borrowing one until I buy one of my own) to suck up large spiders and various other bugs that wander into my room and surprise me.

What modern technology and inventions are you happy to have?

REFERENCE LINKS

Wikipedia: Slam Dunk
YouTube: "【Slam Dunk】直到世界的盡頭 (歌詞)" (zxc09800, January 26, 20111) -- Slam Dunk's second ending theme song sung by Wands
YouTube profile: Lindsey Stirling
YouTube profile: Sam Tsui
YouTube profile: Kurt Hugo Schneider
YouTube profile: Max Schneider
YouTube profile: Alex Goot
YouTube profile: Kylee
LiveYourLegend.com: Scott Dinsmore: "How to Find an Do Work You Love" (TEDxGoldenGatePark, October 2012; uploaded November 29, 2012)
TEDx Talk: Carrie Green: "Programming Your Mind for Success" (TEDxManchester, February 3, 2014; uploaded June 30, 2014)

NOTES

I adapted my original Facebook post for the blog.
All the images were from Amazon.
Here are a list of all five posts of "Things that Bring Me Joy":
- Day 1 - Asian Dramas and Laughter
- Day 2 - Dogs, Pembroke Welsh Corgis to be More Specific
- Day 3 - Keeping in Touch with Friends through Multiple Forms of Communication
- Day 4 - Music, YouTube, TED Talks, and Modern Appliances
- Day 5 - Abilities to Learn and to Improve Myself

Things that Bring Me Joy - Day 3

2014-09-11T00:54:00.000-07:00

Card and Totoro origami sent from a friend (Photo credit: myself)

I love how there are so many ways to keep in touch with friends and family now. With the introduction of the internet and cellphones less than 20 years ago, communication options multiplied. The only ways to communicate used to be just through postal mail and the telephone, then came beepers (remember those?). After the internet and cellphones became a standard possession, text messages, email, Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and many other options, were thrown into the mix. That's a lot of options, right? :)

I'm thankful that Facebook exist. I enjoy reading about what's going on with my friends -- the good and the bad. It's even better when I can hear their voices, talk with them, and hang out with them in person (not just on Google Hangout or Facetime).

And then there's email, a wonderful way to write "letters" to those not on Facebook, in my opinion. I do have a few friends who aren't on Facebook or have an email address, but that's okay. As long as post offices and telephones exist, we can make do with these "traditional" options.

I believe that being able to connect with all kinds of wonderful people will help expand our horizons on multiple levels -- socially, culturally, mentally, spiritually, emotionally, physically. Investing in wholesome relationships is always a wise decision in my book.

To sum it up, I enjoy using multiple communication options to keep in touch with wonderful individuals.

Thank you, my friends, for being awesome individuals and for taking the time to connect with me. ( ^ o ^ )

NOTES

I adapted my original Facebook post for the blog.
Here are a list of all five posts of "Things that Bring Me Joy":
- Day 1 - Asian Dramas and Laughter
- Day 2 - Dogs, Pembroke Welsh Corgis to be More Specific
- Day 3 - Keeping in Touch with Friends through Multiple Forms of Communication
- Day 4 - Music, YouTube, TED Talks, and Modern Appliances
- Day 5 - Abilities to Learn and to Improve Myself

Things that Bring Me Joy - Day 2

2014-09-10T03:01:00.000-07:00

Corgi figurine
(Photo credit: myself)

Boo and Buddy (Facebook celebrities)
(Photo credit: Boo and Buddy's owner)

Cowboy Bebop

Great Gatsby the Corgi
(Photo credit: Ryen Lung, Gatsy's owner)

Seeing cute happy dogs (like Boo and Buddy) brings a smile to my face. Pembroke Welsh Corgis especially!

I can't seem to contain my excitement whenever I see a corgi. MM keeps telling me to calm down whenever we drive by and see my neighbor walking their corgi.

I was first introduced to this dog breed thanks to "Cowboy Bebop" (a really good Japanese manga and anime series, by the way). I've been smitten by this happy-looking dog since then and hope to get my very own furry partner of happiness in the near future. Until that time comes, my private YouTube playlist of corgi videos will continue to grow.

Here's a YouTube playlist of Gatsby, the most recent addition to my playlist. Enjoy!

PS - I also like cats and rabbits, but I just happened to see a lot of dog photos and videos today. Boo was the first photo I saw on my Facebook wall and I couldn't help but exclaim while smiling, "Ah! He's so cute!"

REFERENCE LINKS

NOTES

I adapted my original Facebook post for the blog.
The little figurine pictured was a recent Christmas gift from some friends. So as much as I'd love to spread the corgi love around, I don't know where you can get this figurine. Sorry!
The picture of Boo and Buddy is from their Facebook page; if you didn't know already, they are not my dogs and the photo was not taken by me.
The picture of Gatsby is from his owner's Facebook page; credit for the photo goes to his owner, Ryen Lung.
Here are a list of all five posts of "Things that Bring Me Joy":
- Day 1 - Asian Dramas and Laughter
- Day 2 - Dogs, Pembroke Welsh Corgis to be More Specific
- Day 3 - Keeping in Touch with Friends through Multiple Forms of Communication
- Day 4 - Music, YouTube, TED Talks, and Modern Appliances
- Day 5 - Abilities to Learn and to Improve Myself

Things that Bring Me Joy - Day 1

2014-09-09T00:50:00.000-07:00

Gokusen (Japanese drama)

Great Teacher Onizuka
(Japanese drama)

Misaki Number One!!
(Japanese drama)

On Facebook, I accepted a friend's challenge to share what brings me joy in the next five days. I'm posting this a little late for the first day, but here goes... Today, it's Asian dramas.

I watch mostly comedies that sometimes includes romance. Interesting plots, interesting characters, and good character development are a must for the dramas I choose to watch. I especially like dramas featuring heroines with a strong honest character.

Recently, I started watching Gokusen (ごくせん), a Japanese drama series about yakuza (Japanese gangsters) family heiress who wants to become a high school teacher of delinquent students. The heroine's reactions are hilarious to watch and I find it interesting to see how the students change over time. Since this is based on a manga series of the same name, I'm also curious to see how the plots and developments differ.

Other drama series with plots similar to Gokusen are Great Teacher Onizuka (グレートティーチャーオニヅカ, a.k.a. GTO) and Misaki Number One!! (美咲ナンバーワン!! ).

I've listed Japanese dramas, but I also enjoy watching Korean dramas, Chinese dramas (Mandarin and Cantonese), and Taiwanese dramas.

Do you have any Asian drama you'd recommend to watch? Please share in the comments below. I'm always on the lookout for more.

REFERENCE LINKS

NOTES

I adapted my original Facebook post for the blog.
Here are a list of all five posts of "Things that Bring Me Joy":

Dictating with Siri on iPhone or iPad

2014-08-17T19:37:00.000-07:00

One day, I wanted to walk and talk with MM, but they wanted to finish writing an instructional article for their website. We compromised when we decided to use Siri to dictate while walking around the neighborhood. I highly recommend that you get a earpiece set with a microphone (see note #2 for my personal recommendation); it would also be good to bring a friend to make sure you don't get run over by cars or trip while dictating to Siri.

SOLUTION

If not already, turn "on" Siri by going to Settings > General > Siri. And plug in your earphone-microphone set.
Open the Notes app, create a new note by taping on New in the top right corner; or tap to open an existing note and tap where you'd like to place the cursor to start "writing."
When you're ready, activate Siri by tapping the microphone button (it's on the bottom row of the keyboard, next to the space bar).
Speak clearly and slowly (enunciate) into the microphone and tap on Done at the bottom when you're done speaking. (See links #1 and #2 for tips on training yourself and getting the best out of Siri's dictation skills)
Review what Siri wrote, make any necessary corrections, and continue your dictation; repeat steps #3-5 until you're satisfied.

REFERENCE LINKS

NOTES

Not all iPhones and iPads have the Siri functionality; and its appearance varies slightly, based on the device and iOS version. It's available on iPhones 3S and newer, and on iPads running iOS version 6 and newer (per link #3).
I'm on my second Etymotic HF5 earphones (second year of using this pair and fourth year of using the HF5; Amazon-affiliate link) and can personally recommend this great product. I've used it for phone calls, listening to music while running, and to plug my ears while riding buses, subways, trains, and planes for quieter (and saner) experiences. I can also attest to the excellent customer service I've received from Etymotic. Just so you know, I don't work for Etymotic; I'm just a consumer and a fan of their product.
It was fun testing Siri's dictation skills and figuring out how to re-train our speech for better dictation results. Siri isn't perfect (neither were we), but I think it can help get the job done. We found that Siri works best with short sentences and phrases, so don't expect to dictate your entire blog post in one go.
We used an iPhone 5 with iOS 7.0.4 and Etymotic's HF5 earphones.

Disable Video Auto-play on Facebook News Feed

2014-08-10T17:43:00.004-07:00

I have a pretty high "inconvenience tolerance," especially when dealing with current and new technology. I think these blog posts would make that seem evident. Facebook helped push the threshold higher, especially when they started having videos in my news feed start playing (thankfully muted) automatically. It was amusing at first, but I quickly found it an annoyance when it decreased my reading and socializing experience on Facebook; in other words, it took what seems like "forever" for me to read through people's posts, "like" posts, and comment on them. Don't know why it took me so long to do something about it, since the feature rolled out in mid-December 2013. Luckily, Facebook made the solution as simple as a switch, even though you'll have to do this in your browser and/or each device you use Facebook on. Hope this helps your Facebook reading and interaction speed quicker and less of a test in patience.

If you're looking for directions to disable this feature on an Android device, please visit link #3. Since I don't have access to an Android device, I cannot include instructions for it.

INTERNET BROWSER

Log into Facebook.com on an internet browser (Firefox, Safari, Chrome, any of them should work).
In top blue menu bar, select the right-most upside-down triangle, and select Settings from the drop-down list.
From the left column, select Videos.
You'll see that Auto-Play Videos is set to "On." From the drop-down menu, select "Off." (See screenshot #1) Facebook will remember the setting when you return to your news feed to continue reading.

Screenshot #1: Facebook's Video Settings Page in Browser

IPHONE (+ IPAD)

Tap to open the Settings app.
Scroll down and select Facebook.
Select Settings.
In the Video section, select Auto-play.
Select Off.
Press the [home] button to exit. The next time you open Facebook, you'll know it's not the videos slowing down your news feed from populating.

REFERENCE LINKS

NOTES

For the rare people who don't update their Facebook app on their iOS devices, if your Facebook app is older than version 6.8, this feature does not exist in the settings (per link #2). And if your Facebook isn't version 12.0 or newer, the option to disable auto-play videos may not be available (per link #3).

Show or Hide All File Extensions on the Mac

2014-08-09T00:43:00.002-07:00

I thought I wrote a post about this but didn't one in the archive. So here it is.

SOLUTION

Open Finder
In the menu bar, select Finder > Preferences... (keyboard shortcut is [command] + [,] (comma)).
In the opened Finder Preferences dialog window, select Show all filename extensions (check-mark it), and close the window.
In the open Finder window, all the file names should have their file extensions appended at the end.

REFERENCE LINKS

Apple Support: OS X Mountain Lion: Show and hide filename extensions (Revised Aug 8, 2013)

NOTES

If you only wanted to show the file extension for one file, please see link #1.

Refine Transactions, Search by Date on Mint.com, and Export Results as CSV File

2014-04-16T06:30:00.000-07:00

It's tax time, and I wanted to export my Mint.com expenses to Microsoft Excel, so I can see all the details and sort them out before I itemize them for my tax return. Well, Mint gave me transactions from this year, last year, and the years before. I only wanted one year's worth of transactions. So now what?

It's been a while since I started using Mint and each year I hope they'll have a better search engine. I think we'll see many more tax times pass by before Mint adds a productive feature like this. For the meantime, I found and used an indirect workaround.

SOLUTION

If not already, log into Mint.com
Click on the Transactions link
If you look in the web address bar, the URL will be https://wwws.mint.com/transaction.event
Add this to the end of that URL (replace the mm/dd/yyyy with the numerical dates you want to query between) -- ?startDate=mm/dd/yyyy&endDate=mm/dd/yyyy
Don't forget to press the [enter] (or [return]) key on your keyboard after customizing the time period in the URL
To refine the transaction list during this time period, search for a category, tag, vender, etc.
When everything you need is found, scroll to the bottom of the page and click on "Export all [#] transactions" where [#] represents the total amount of transactions you queried for. Clicking on the link will open a Save As window where you can export the data as a CSV file to open in Microsoft Excel or a similar program.

EXAMPLE

You made a lot of charitable donations in 2013 by checks, credit card, and debit card. Sadly, not all were considered tax-deductible. So throughout the year, you diligently tag all the transactions that were deductible on Mint.com with the "tax deductible" tag and filed the receipts away. April 15 is fast approaching, so you log into Mint and go to the Transactions page to get all of 2013's tax-deductible donations.

In the web address bar at the top of your browser, you add "?startDate=01/01/2013&endDate=12/31/2013" to the end of the URL to get the transactions from January 1st through December 31st in 2013. You verify that the URL says "https://wwws.mint.com/transaction.event?startDate=01/01/2013&endDate=12/31/2013" and press the [enter] key on your keyboard. Every transaction from all your accounts from 2013 shows up.

You go to the search bar in the upper-right, type in "tag: tax deductible", and press the [enter] key to get all the "tax-deductible" tagged transactions from amongst the 2013 transactions you've previously queried. Then you click on the "Export all 36 transactions" to save them as a CSV file and open it in Excel to sort, verify, and sum up the amounts. You enter the sum into your tax return and get a nice fat refund as a result of your charitable heart. (One can always hope, right?)

REFERENCE LINKS

Mint.com Community Forum: Agnes's response to "How do I filter transaction by date range?" (from < 3 years ago) -- Thank you, Agnes!

NOTES

Disclaimer: I am not providing any tax or financial advice in this post. This is just a how-to post I wrote to share what I've learned and to save time for when I need to refine my Mint.com transaction search again. Hope Intuit will add an advanced search option for the next year's tax time.

Fix Flash Plug-in Conflict for Google Chrome Browser

2013-04-15T11:38:00.000-07:00

Two of three Chrome tabs came to a halt because Flash "crashed." Chrome didn't freeze entirely since I could switch between all three tabs; the non-Flash tab worked fine, but I couldn't scroll down the page in the other tabs with sites that had Flash content. This happened right after updating to the newest Flash player (version 11.7.700.169). The cause of this was probably due to the browser being conflicted; I'm not that technically minded, so this is my best guess as to how to explain it.

Thankfully, the fix was pretty simple.

SOLUTION

In Chrome, type "about:plugins" and press Enter/Return on the keyboard. You'll be redirected to chrome://plugins which lists all the plugins that your Chrome browser has installed.
Screenshot #1: Key spots highlighted for steps 1 to 3.
Near the top-right corner, make sure the plugin Details are showing by pressing [+] (which will become [-]).
Scroll down to Adobe Flash Player.
If there are more than one file enabled (mine had two as shown in screenshot #2), disable the one that's in the Applications folder for Google Chrome.
Screenshot #2: Shown are two plugin files in Chrome. Disable the one that's located in the Application folder (the first one listed).
Restart the browser and test it out with a site you know uses Flash, like Wired.com.

REFERENCE LINKS

Fix the Chrome Shockwave Flash Plugin Problem (Alan Buckingham, September 16, 2012)

NOTES

Link #1 refers to the AppData folder in Windows OS, the equivalent to Mac OS's Applications folder.

Retrieving an iPhone Backup from iCloud

2013-03-18T17:47:00.000-07:00

A coworker recently had their iPhone and iPad stolen during their vacation in an adjacent country. Yikes! So when they came back to the office, they needed to retrieve their most recent backup from the iCloud to their Apple replacements--especially their iPhone 5.

I'm counting my lucky stars that I have yet to use a backup for my mobile Apple stuff, so this was a learning experience for the both of us.

After turning on the new iPhone and entered their iCloud information, we had to update the iOS first. But after that and then connecting to iTunes on their computer, the only backup found was a really old one. Instead of trying to figure it out ourselves, I advised them to go back to the Apple Store and speak with a staff member, since they were just there this morning. Within the hour, they came back with answers which is shared below. And just so you know, we tried the obvious solutions like soft reseting the iPhone, turning it on and off, and looking in the iPhone's Settings app and iTunes menu options; no matter what we did, the phone would not detect the iCloud backup.

So, thank you, Apple Store staff, for knowing this not-so-easy-to-find answer!

SOLUTION¹

Starting with a brand new iPhone (just out of the box), turn it on and plug it to a charger.
Do all the sign up stuff to get to the Home screen (I can't recall if you can skip that part mainly because you'll have to set it up again after Step 7).
Make sure you're connected to your Wi-Fi.²
Tap on the Settings app > General > Software Update.
Tap on Install Now and let your phone update the iOS, which will take a little time depending on the speed of your Internet connection.
When that's done, again, tap on the Settings app > General > Reset (at the very bottom) > Erase All Content and Settings and confirm to reset the iPhone to factory settings.³ (See link 1 for an alternative way to reset the iPhone)

REFERENCE LINKS

Apple Support: iTunes: Restoring iOS Software - Another way to reset your phone to factory settings, via iTunes on your computer.

NOTES

These instructions are for an iPhone 4, though they are very similar for the other iPhones (and probably for other Apple devices as well).
To connect to your local Wi-Fi, tap on the Settings app > Wi-Fi > tap On, and select your router name from the list to connect (and enter a password if asked for).
In actuality, it will not erase the just-updated iOS software and you'll be given the option to retrieve a more recent backup from the iCloud after you login with your Apple ID. I think you can figure out the rest, so I'll stop here. If you still need help, please feel free to comment on this post and I'll do my best to guide you.

Hacked Email via Facebook

2012-11-21T15:04:00.001-08:00

Have your friends ever gotten email(s) from you that were filled with gibberish text and weird links? It would have been funny if the email made sense and you intended to prank everyone in your address book. But usually the content is not even mildly amusing.

The usual suspects are what some call "robots" that gain access into your email's address book via social media apps that you or your friends have accepted. And because you gave Facebook (or other social media sites) authorization to access your email, thanks to their Terms of Service agreement.

Here's how I stopped it from happening a second time, saved myself future embarrassment and panic, and still be able to enjoy the benefits of Facebook and other social media outlets.^{1, 2}
If this solution doesn't work for you, please see link #1 for other possible solutions and better explanation as to why you email account got hacked.

SOLUTION

Create new email account that's void of any personal information.³
Log into Facebook and change your email.
Log into your new email account and click on the link to confirm that the new email is the contact email.
When you log into Facebook, use the new email as your login.

REFERENCE LINKS

Switched / Huffpost Tech: Hacked and Hijacked! What's Next When Your Facebook / Twitter is Hacked (Jon Chase, February 28, 2011)

NOTES

One of the things that may bother you by following this method is that your friends won't be able to find you by your usual email. That's not a big deal to me since most of my friends are friends with other friends. And when you want to add a new friend into your circle, just give them this new email address. If your security settings are really high, just lower it for a moment until you and that new friend add each other.
I'm writing this from memory. Since I did this for myself on December 17, 2009, I have not received messages from my friends in reply to the weird emails that I supposedly sent them. Those weird emails do make a great conversation starter, but just hope they didn't have embarrassing content and/or get sent to your boss or parents. Now that would make an awkward conversation starter.
Personal information includes adding people to your address book, full name, contact information, and etc.

Yahoo! Email Server Unavailable on iPad / iPhone / iTouch

2012-11-21T15:02:00.001-08:00

My coworker's Yahoo email got hacked recently, most likely through Facebook. (See my post in link #4 for a solution to this issue.) After they changed their password to their email account they couldn't access their Yahoo email on their emails on the iPad and iPhone.

We were wrong in thinking that this would be easy to fix. The solution that worked wasn't the most direct and logical one.¹

The following worked for my situation on both the iPhone 5 and iPad 2.

SOLUTION: PART 1: DELETE THE OLD YAHOO ACCOUNT

If this was done already, skip to Part 2.
On your device, tap on the Settings app.
Tap on Mail, Contacts, Calendars.
Under Accounts, tap on the problem Yahoo account.
Tap on the red Delete Account button at the bottom.
Confirm by tapping on Delete. (Feel free to sit down for this next part because you'll need both hands to do a soft reset.)
Hold down on both the Home button and Power button at the same time and don't let go of either button until the silver Apple logo appears on the screen. That also means, do not let go of the buttons to slide to power off.
After your iOS device powers back on, continue with part 2.

SOLUTION: PART 2: ADD A NEW YAHOO EMAIL ACCOUNT

Go back to the Settings app and tap on Mail, Contacts, Calendars again.
Under Accounts, tap on Add Account...
Tap on Other (and not Yahoo! despite how it looks like the most logical choice).
Under Mail, tap on Add Mail Account.
Enter in the information for: Name, Email, Password, and Description.²
Wait about less than a minute for your account to be verified.
After verification is successful, make sure IMAP (not IPOP) is selected in blue at the top.
Under Incoming Mail Server, enter "imap.mail.yahoo.com" as Host Name, your full @yahoo.com email address as User Name, and your email's Password.
Under Outgoing Mail Server, enter "smtp.mail.yahoo.com" as Host Name, your full @yahoo.com email address as User Name, and your email's Password.
Tap Next at the top right of the screen.
Wait about a minute and you'll be taken to the IMAP screen.
Ensure that the Mail switch is "on". The Notes switch will be "off" by default; for now, leave it off, you could switch it "on" later.
Tap Save at the top right of the screen, and you'll return to the Mail, Contacts, Calendars screen.
Under Accounts, tap on the newly added Yahoo email account.
Under IMAP, tap on Account.
Scroll to the bottom, and under Outgoing Mail Server, tap on Advanced.
Under Mailbox Behaviors, for Drafts Mailbox, Sent Mailbox, and Deleted Mailbox, tap on each one and you'll see that those messages will be placed on your device's hard drive. If you correspond on various devices, I recommend that you select the option listed under On the Server so it'll be saved in the cloud instead of just on your device.
Under Deleted Messages, whatever option you choose will work. Just note that the more messages that your device keeps, the less hard drive space you'll have for all your other fun apps.
Under Incoming Settings, switch "on" Use SSL; tap on Authentication, select Password, and tap on Advanced at the top left of the screen to return to the previous screen; and make sure the Server Port is set to "993."
Tap Account at the top left to return to the previous screen.
Tap Done in the top right of the screen and tap Done once more.
Open the Mail app and check your mail!³

REFERENCE LINKS

Yahoo! Mail for iPhone -- Do not follow these instructions! See note #1 for more info.
Yahoo! Small Business Help for iPhone and iPad -- The instructions are slightly different for the regular Yahoo! mail folks, but it has some good screen shots to refer to.
AnswersKit: I can not get yahoo mail on my iPad or iPhone. Keeps saying the server is unavailable. How to fix? (James' comment, June 2, 2012)
Mai's Atelier: Hacked Email via Facebook (November 21, 2012)

NOTES

According to link #1, it should have been easy to set up or change. We've tried changing the password for the Yahoo! email account in the Settings app, and deleting the account and setting it up again as a "new" email account. Since that didn't work, we had to look for an alternative solution, hence this blog post and thanks to James in link #3.
Name = whatever name you'd like shown when you send out emails on your device.
Email = enter your full email address, including the "@yahoo.com" part.
Password = the password you'd use to log into your email account.
Description = whatever you'd like to label this email account as; it doesn't have to be "Yahoo" or your email address but it could be; you could always edit this label later.
If you're having trouble sending emails, please see my "iPad 'Cannot Send Mail'" post.

Yelp Category List

2012-09-27T16:48:00.001-07:00

A while ago, I started working on a brochure that had a really long list of clients that was organized in lots of categories. I restarted organizing this list and consolidating the categories. I originally referenced Yelp's category list as a starting point and didn't save the link. This time around, I'm writing it down (link #1).

And if I ever wanted to develop a website that needed this list, Github created a JSON file with all of Yelp's categories listed (link #2-3).

REFERENCE LINKS

NOTES

It's a direct link, so you could right-click on your mouse and select Save Link As to save the file on your hard drive.

Sync Contacts between Samsung Galaxy S and Gmail and iPhone

2012-09-24T15:45:00.000-07:00

My coworker was trying to transfer contacts from a Samsung Galaxy S to an iPhone 5. Tried lots of functions that said "sync" but none of them worked.¹ Then I remembered about the time I was trying to sync my Android OS non-smartphone with my Gmail account. Link #1 confirms the solution that worked for us.

If you need help setting up Gmail to sync on your iPhone, please see links #2-3 in order.

SOLUTION

On the Galaxy S menu, open the Contacts app
Tap the Menu button > More > Import/export > Export to SIM card
Then tap the Menu button > More > Import/export > Import SIM contacts
When the Import into account window pops up, select Google (with correct email listed)
Let your phone sync²
Tap the Menu button > Settings > Accounts & sync
Under the Manage accounts section, tap on your Gmail address
Tap Sync Contacts to manually force your phone and Gmail to sync together
Get out of the menu, open the Contacts app, and check if this worked by looking for the "g" for Google icon next to your contacts
Just to be doubly sure, open an internet browser, log into your Gmail account, and check the Contacts list. Does it match the list on your phone?
If you're successful, see link #4 to sync your contacts to your iPhone/iPod/iPad

REFERENCE LINKS

NOTES

Menu > Accounts & sync
In doublerebel's solution (link #1), they recommend using the "find and merge contacts" function; since it didn't work for us, I didn't include instructions for it. I actually recommend merging duplicate entries in Gmail's Contacts after synching is complete.
By the way, I'm writing this based on my memory, link #1, and what I did for my non-smartphone, so some things may be different.

Duplicate Facebook Emails on iPhone

2012-09-24T15:07:00.000-07:00

My office is not free from the affects of the new iPhone 5 but it does keep me on my toes. Just recently, my coworker accidentally added all their Facebook contacts onto their new iPhone 5.¹Imagine how horrified they were, adding 300+ friends' contacts that didn't merge with the already saved contacts, and ending up with duplicates and triplicates of the same contacts.

Turning off "Contacts" in Facebook's settings² didn't work, but I came across one solution that did work for this very relieved coworker.

SOLUTION

On the home screen, click on Settings
Tap on iCloud
For Mail, tap/slide the switch to Off
On the Turn off Contacts window that will pop up, tap the Delete from My [iPhone / iPad] button
Wait for the Turning Off Contacts window to disappear
Tap the Contacts switch back to On
Check to see if this worked

REFERENCE LINKS

MacRumors forum: Duplicate Email on iPhone (October 13, 2011)

NOTES

This solution also works for on iPad.
On the home screen, tap on Settings > Facebook >

Adobe CS5 Updates Fail to Install

2012-08-30T23:02:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've updated my Adobe programs, so when InDesign kept crashing on me,¹ I thought maybe updating would solve the problem. Unknowingly, I found another problem to resolve. Whenever I tried to use the Adobe Updater to update, it'll finish without installing anything, saying that "Installation failed."

In my case, the solution was easy. I had all the Adobe CS5 programs in a folder within the Applications folder. If your programs are like mine, please continue reading.

SOLUTION

Using Finder, open the Applications folder.
Look for the folder containing the Adobe applications.
Move all Adobe applications out of that folder.
Delete the folder as well as the .DS_Store file and the Adobe folder (which may contain another .DS_Store file and a AdobePatchFiles folder) in it.²
Run the Adobe Updater. The update installation should be a success this time around. If you're still having problems, please visit link #1.

REFERENCE LINKS

Adobe Forums: CS5 Updates Fail to Install (July 14, 2010)

NOTES

If you're interested, see my previous post, Typing Crashes InDesign.
Deleting that Adobe folder won't harm the programs. It'll be recreated when the updates are done.

Capitalizing "Web"

2012-08-24T15:19:00.000-07:00

This week, I feel like I wrote six pages full of "web" words in them:

web
website (or "web site")
website hosting
web hosting
web page (or "webpage")
~~spider web~~ (just kidding)

Each time I wrote these "web" words, I kept thinking, is the "w" capitalized? I've seen it written both ways.

So I finally took the time to google it. Apparently, it's now acceptable to write them as "web" with the exception of "World Wide Web."

Yay! One less word to capitalize in the middle of the sentence.

Wish "internet" was better accepted. Wishful thinking, I know. So it's "Internet," for now.

REFERENCE LINKS

The Chicago Manual of Style Online: Significant Rule Changes in The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th Edition

Create Vertical Text in InDesign

2012-07-13T15:36:00.003-07:00

Unfortunately at this time, you can't automatic create vertical text in a text frame in English. They can only be made using paths. But there are some workarounds:

David Blatner has a quick tutorial on using the "Type on Path" tool in InDesign, but you're limited to typing one vertical line of text at a time. (See link #3)
TransPacific has InDesign templates you could download and use. I haven't tried them out, so I can't confirm how well it would work, but it sounds like you use them as a foundation to the document you're trying to complete.
Type your text in Microsoft Word and place the document in InDesign. Just thought of this and have yet to try it.
Type your text in Illustrator, copy it, and paste it into InDesign. (See Robin's June 28, 2012 comment in link #3)
Get a licensed CJK version of InDesign. An expensive option that I don't recommend doing if you only run across this issue one or twice.
Purchase and install Harbs' World Tools Pro plugin. Priced at $79, it's cheaper than buying a CJK license, but it's only for CS4 and CS5. (See link #2 & 5 for more info)

REFERENCE LINKS

Slow Safari Browser on Mac

2012-06-08T16:11:00.001-07:00

I finally took the time to seek out "therapy" for my slow Safari browser. It was almost as fast as Firefox when I use it, until I updated it to version 5. Since then, Safari switched personalities, so when I visit sites, Safari would either load them almost instantaneously (far and few in between, like apple.com), or keeps "searching" for it, only to show nothing for its efforts.

I've searched for answers on and off for months, maybe even for over a year, and finally found an answer. I've tried many things that have helped temporarily or just a little, especially in the beginning of my Safari woes when none of the sites would load.

The following is just a collection of various solutions that I've tried on my Mac computers. If none of these work, see note #4 for a few other possible solutions, and keep on searching.

Good luck! Hope you find the solution sooner than I did.

SOLUTION #1: EMPTY CACHE & RESET SAFARI¹

In the Apple menu bar, select Safari > Empty Cache...
Click Empty
Again, in the Apple menu bar, select Safari > Reset Safari... (command + option + E)
Checkmark any or all options
Click Reset
Check for any changes in Safari

SOLUTION #2: DISABLE ADD-ONS¹

In the Apple menu bar, select Safari > Preferences... (command + comma [,] )
Select the Extensions tab
Click the On/Off switch to Off
Close the Preferences window
Check for any changes in Safari

SOLUTION #3: DELETE SAFARI PREFERENCE FILE¹

Close Safari
In Finder, go to [computer HD] / Users / [user name] / Library / Preferences
Find and delete com.apple.Safari.plist
Open Safari to check for changes

SOLUTION #4: ADJUST LOADING TIMES¹

Close Safari
Open Terminal (Applications / Utilities / Terminal.app)
Type: defaults write com.apple.Safari WebKitInitialTimedLayoutDelay 0.25
Press Enter key
Close the Terminal window
Open Safari to check for changes

SOLUTION #5: CHANGE DNS SERVERS²

Close Safari
Open System Preferences (Apple > System Preferences... or in Finder: [computer HD] / Applications / System Preferences.app)
Under Internet & Wireless, select Network
Select your connection type (left column)
Then on the right, click Advanced...
Select DNS tab
Under DNS Servers (left column), click [+]
Add a OpenDNS server IP (see link #5) and/or Google's servers 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4
Click OK
Click Apply
Close System Preferences window
Open Safari to check for changes

SOLUTION #6: DISABLE DNS PREFETCHING²

Close Safari
Open Terminal (Applications / Utilities / Terminal.app)
Type: defaults write com.apple.safari WebKitDNSPrefetchingEnabled -boolean false
Press Enter key
Close the Terminal window
Open Safari to check for changes

SOLUTION #7: TURN IPV6 OFF³

Close Safari
Open System Preferences (Apple > System Preferences... or in Finder: [harddrive] / Applications / System Preferences.app)
Under Internet & Wireless, select Network
Select your connection type (left column), then on the right, click Advanced...

Screenshot #1: In the Network window, choose your connection type (left) and click on Advanced... (right).

Select TCP/IP tab
For the Configure IPv6 option, select Off

Screenshot #2: Select Off for IPv6 in the Network window.

Click OK
Click Apply
Close System Preferences window
Open Safari to check for changes

REFERENCE LINKS

NOTES

See link #1 for more info.
See links #2-5 for more info.
See link #6 for more info. And if the "Off" option is missing, see aut0maticdan's June 13, 2012's post for an alternative.
There were two things that I didn't try, but may work for your situation. From link #1, it was suggested that you could delete the favicons from your computer; I didn't find an Icons folder, so I couldn't try this solution. Link #7 is another possible solution I didn't try, mainly because it looked daunting and I'm not comfortable changing things using the Terminal if I don't know what it is I'm doing.
This file will regenerate when you open Safari, so deleting this preference file (.plist) won't damage your computer.

Borderless Word Document Saved as PDF

2012-04-19T17:08:00.000-07:00

When you create a Word document with a background color or image, or even create illustrative borders, white borders appear and seem to crop the document, especially when exporting it as a PDF.

Changing your document's margins seem to work, but when you export the document as a PDF, you'll still get the invisible margins, cramping your document's style. It's most apparent when all the margins are set to 0.25" or less.

SOLUTION

In Microsoft Word, select File > Page Setup...
Under Paper Size, select Manage Custom Sizes...
In the left panel, click on the plus [+] button to create a new custom paper size
Double click on the newly made Untitled size to rename it to a more identifiable name
On the right, fill in the Paper Size measurements that you're working with¹:

Letter = 8.5" width x 11" height
Legal = 8.5" width x 14" height
Ledger = 8.5" width x 17" height

For Non-Printable Area, type 0 (zero) for all sides (top, left, right, and bottom)
Click OK
In the Page Setup window, under Paper Size, select your new custom size
Click OK and export your document as a PDF to test it²

REFERENCE LINKS

NOTES

These sizes are for portrait view (height is longer); for more information about paper sizes, see link #2.
I'm assuming you know how to export your document as a PDF, but in case you don't:

On the menu bar, select File > Save As...
Under Format option, select PDF
Name your document, select the location to save your file, and click OK

This is one of those tasks that you do once and forget afterwards, so I'm writing it down this time. This was tested on a Mac version of Microsoft Word 2008, but I'm sure something similar can be applied on a Windows OS.

"Unable to Set Bounding Box" in InDesign

2012-03-27T17:06:00.000-07:00

In InDesign, I tried to resize a selection of vector shapes and lines (created in InDesign) along with an underlying graphic frame with a PSD placed in it. Some of the vectors were grouped together and some were not. Whenever I tried resizing it with the Scale X/Y Percentages field in the Control panel, I got this error message:

Screenshot #1: Unable to set bounding box.

I've tried ungrouping everything and regrouping them in InDesign, trying to transform them .1% at a time, and saved and reopened the file as an INX, but all of this trials led to the same message. I did not try resizing each object individually since they have to be in proportion to each other.

Following are two solutions that I've tried that worked.

TEMPORARY SOLUTION¹

From InDesign, select and copy the vector shapes that you want to resize.
Fire up Illustrator and open a new document of any size.
Paste the vector shapes into Illustrator.
Delete all <clipping path> layers²
Resize them to your specifications, and copy all the layers.
Paste the resized shapes into InDesign.³

LONG-TERM SOLUTION⁴

In InDesign, look for open vector "shape(s)"⁵ like this (ignore the very thin white lines that's showing through the black strokes):
Screenshot #2: Notice the green path of the open path of a "shape." (Disregard the dotted white lines.)
Select the Hit the [P] key on the keyboard for the pen tool, and use it to join the two ends of the open "shape."
Try resizing again.

REFERENCE LINKS

NOTES

I read of this solution from link #3.
I also ungrouped all the layers, but you may not have to.
The biggest con to this solution is that the re-pasted shapes won't be vectors any more. Boo! Luckily I found a better solution, so read the long-term solution that I tried.
This worked for me, but I don't know if this would have helped the other cases mentioned in the forums I've come across.
I'm just referring to them as shapes for lack of a better term for the long complex path I created.
It seems that the origins of the error for both original posters in the Adobe Forums could be due to their InDesign-made arrows. Odd. I don't know if this solution would work for them, but hopefully it could provide some sort of insight to another workable solution.


Image #3: The renewal option appears adjacent the item within the last three borrowing days in OverDrive.	Image #4: You can place a "hold" on the book if you can't renew the item.


Image #8: OverDrive app's Deleted Titles list; swipe at the title to delete its data from the app.	Image #9: OverDrive app's Settings, where you can remove all deleted titles amongst other things.