Quick Fix: Can't pull up pages or slow loading in Flipboard? Try Taptu

Category: Tech Today Flipboard is a great platform for reading with its well-designed interface and access to a whole range of websites. One issue users may experience with Flipboard, however, is pages not loading fast enough (or in countries like China) won't load at all after you click an article. A popular alternative is Taptu, a newsreader comparable to Flipboard in functionality...

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Do you still use a LiveCD, LiveUSB or set up a Dual boot? Part 2

Category: Linux Dual boot Back in the day, there were users who strongly believed everyone should dual boot. My older brother used to install Windows 98SE and Windows 2000 back-to-back for various reasons. In the last six years, I preached dual-booting Linux to all Windows users who are scared to migrate completely to the latest Linux distribution. These days,...

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Do you still use a LiveCD, LiveUSB or set up a Dual boot? Part 1

Category: Linux The tech landscape has changed so much that both smartphones and tablets can manage Linux, Windows and MacOSX systems remotely. From Air Droid to very easy remote access, even the most devout supporter of LiveCDs, LiveUSBs and dual booting Linux systems will give pause. Apps these days are extremely powerful and I encourage students and users alike to try out great Android and iOS apps for...

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CorelDraw Basics: Drawing an App Advertisement in Perspective Part 2

Category: Tech Writer Continued from CorelDraw Basics: Drawing an App Advertisement in Perspective Part 1 Adding the App screenshot To add a screenshot of an app or any piece of software to the tablet illustration, it is best to use a high-resolution image. A vector illustration is preferable to a bitmap screenshot, but a clear image still works in most cases. 1. Click File then...

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CorelDraw Basics: Drawing an App Advertisement in Perspective Part 1

Category: Tech Writer A basic product and software illustration doesn't require high-end CAD tools or drafting skills to produce. CorelDraw's useful bitmap and vector effects can make quick work of challenges in making a compelling ad for a tablet or smartphone app. Note: The CorelDraw article used in this article is CorelDraw X3. ...

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Web Service Review: Behance.net Part 2

Category: Tech Writer Fresh graduates and non-working professionals shouldn't worry. They don't need to show off actual final designs and paid work - Behance is a platform to show that they know how to use today's tools. Even the choice of software really doesn't matter. Skills and creativity are visible even if the artwork was made using open-source software such as Gimp or Krita or more commercial...

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In Memory of Bruce Lee

I remember Time Magazine publishing a hack piece on Bruce Lee in a special about influential people around the world in 1996. I remember being severely annoyed by the author, Joel Steinn, who not only didn't understand Lee's legacy but insulted Asia at the same time. It was difficult to accept that the Time Magazine editors would allow such an unprofessional, poorly researched and politically incorrect...

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Web Service Review: Behance.net Part 1

Category: Tech Writer I'm no photographer and unlike most people with a DSLR, I don't associate the size of my camera (or the price of the camera) with photography skills. My idea of taking a good action photo is webbing the camera to a wall and setting the automatic timer while fighting bad guys . . . but I recently decided to scrape enough dollars to buy a better camera than my aged point-and-shoot...

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Repurposing PageMaker 6.5/7.x files Tip: Export to HTML

Category: Tech Writer Adobe products are as expensive as ever, particularly with Adobe's controversial new subscription pricing scheme being launched this year. To repurpose or reuse content from old .pmd PageMaker 7 or PageMaker 6.5 files, export the book or document as HTML. PageMaker exports .pmd files to fairly clean though older version of HTML markup. Once exported to...

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Comic-Con in Spirit

I totally wish I'm in California right now attending the San Diego Comic-Con. TV shows such as Sherlock (2011) and Game of Thrones make attending those chaotic events worth the plane ticket now more than ever. In the 80s, fans of comic books, manga/anime and popular media were a small and humble minority, who shyly admitted they had a trunk of He-Man (1983) action figures or ROM Spaceknight (1979) comic...

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FrameMaker Basics: Aligning Numbered Paragraphs

Category: Tech Writer The process of creating automated lists in FrameMaker is different from standard word processors and formatting and aligning text can be confusing for users new to the application. However, once a user gets accustomed to working with Paragraph Designer first, before applying formatting to text, the process eventually becomes easier. ...

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FrameMaker Basics: Aligning Numbered Paragraphs

Category: Tech Writer The process of creating automated lists in FrameMaker is different from standard word processors and formatting and aligning text can be confusing for users new to the application. However, once a user gets accustomed to working with Paragraph Designer first, before applying formatting to text, the process eventually becomes easier. ...

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Working with the Microsoft OneNote Ecosystem Part 1

Category: Tech Today OneNote , Microsoft Office's note-taking application, can be managed using three ways. One, through the Microsoft Office OneNote installed on your Windows machine. Two, through the OneNote app on your iOS, Windows Phone or Android device. Three, through SkyDrive, Microsoft's cloud storage service. Functionality in each platform varies, with OneNote...

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openSUSE Basics: Application Preference

Category: openSUSE OpenSUSE will automatically associate file extensions with applications installed on your system. As you install more applications using your software manager, the list of applications associated with a file type grows. Moreover, the default application that opens that filetype actually changes. For example, HTML files can be linked to several browsers, word processors, text viewers and ...

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Apple On-Site Tech in China

Category: Tech Today I've previously written about the dying iMac G5 at the office. The PowerPC and ATI Radeon 9600-equipped Apple machine runs on Mac OSX 10.4 with a ground-breaking 768MB of RAM (cough). Unfortunately, due to standard IT regulations, I'm not allowed to run Linux on it nor fiddle around with the hardware. A few days ago, it...

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Quick Fix: Timezone and System-config-date issues in Fedora 18 Xfce

Category: Linux Users running the Fedora 18 Xfce spin may encounter issues where the System-config-date item in the menu or using Application Finder will not run the System-Config applet. Users may also encounter time zone and clock changes on reboot. To correct frequent time clock resets or to change time zones: 1. Launch Terminal and on the command line, type system-config-date...

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Analyzing a Hoax Email Job Offer

Category: Tech Today With unemployment at incredibly dizzying heights everywhere, it's easy to be seduced by a job offer. It's sad that there are people out there who are taking advantage of the desperation of jobhunting new graduates or professionals who have been let go due to the global economic downturn. Hoax emails are more carefully planned out then...

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What Applications Support PageMaker Files?

Category: Tech Writer The discontinued Adobe PageMaker was a popular publishing application during a time when both commercial and desktop publishing were focused on print and not digital. Being given the task of reusing or even archiving PageMaker .pmd files can be a challenge especially if PageMaker software is not available. Very few applications support the .pmd file extension and unlike recent file...

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