You have likely heard the term “the cloud” mentioned quite a lot in the last few year with regards to storing your information. It may seem like a mythical place and you may have wondered how one can tap into this magical ability to have your data both here and “there”, wherever “there” is.

I’ve always been a little excessive when it came to recording information. My first computer was a BBC Model B (yes that BBC), which had 32K and a tape deck to load programs and games. My favourite game—a space simulator (very rudimentary—this was the early 80’s)—had the ability to save my progress back to a cassette tape. Every time I made any progress, I saved my game, and for some reason was very consistent recording the date, time, planet I was on, and the amount of credits I had.

Most of the time, a single external drive is all you need for simple, effective and easy backup of your important files. With Time Machine and especially the Time Capsule, you can even back up multiple computers wirelessly to the same device. But in a couple edge cases this type of solution doesn't quite hit the mark.

A screenshot is worth a thousand words

Now that Macs are so common in households (and more and more offices everyday) you may find yourself needing to share what’s on your screen with someone else. Usually this need arises because you would like to show someone else how to do something or you are having a technical issue that you need to share with a tech support provider (such as Mac Zen!). And even though almost all of us have a smartphone with a very capable camera these days, taking a photo of your computer’s screen is low on the list of how to share your screen.

Sharing what is on your Mac’s screen is incredibly easy to and there are a variety of options available…

When I’m not out helping Mac Zen clients, I work 9-5 at a local tech company called Kano/Apps. It’s a great place to work for many reasons, but one of my favourite things about it is the sheer amount of whiteboard space.

For someone who spends so much time working on the computer, it seems odd to be so drawn to writing in a physical medium. But whiteboards are ubiquitous in tech companies - in fact, Aitan has a huge one hanging in his office, marked out with a tight grid of schedules and to dos.

In the last few days I have been very shocked by how many scams I have seen people either fall prey to, or or be terrified that they have been taken advantage of by. Over the years, I have seen folks fleeced for anywhere between $300 to $3000. No one person is alike another, yet they all share one thing in common—one momentary lapse of reason brought on by fear.

Stop paper at the source. How to manage PDF or digital only statements, bills and invoices.

If you’re joining us for the first time, I’ve included a list at the end of links to other articles in this series on the seemingly challenging task of going paperless at home and in the office. Over the last few months, we’ve looked at a few hardware and software solutions, along with how all of it can be brought together with cloud storage.

Now that we know how to capture and store our PDF scans, I’d like to address how to reduce paper output at the source and take advantage of an increasing corporate awareness toward paper reduction.

One of the best things about the evolution of technology is that most of us now have a great camera right in our pocket or purse. These allow us to capture fleeting moments of life in photographs. However, this great technological advancement has also been one of the biggest problems with photography in our modern time – We tend to not print photos anymore but rather only look at them on screens. So, we are capturing more memories but we seem to be viewing, reviewing and cherishing them less. And yet, we love seeing these memories as they connect us to our people and places – They are part of how we “belong” to our lives.