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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. Back when I worked as a professional photographer, I was always running into problems with data storage. The camera technology kept getting better and better, creating larger and…

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. While…

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. Well, if you have 2 or more Apple devices and have ever entered, say, a friend’s contact information on one of the devices and had that same data appear on the other device (without syncing it through your…

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…

A screenshot is worth a thousand words yosemite capture specific windowNow 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…

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…

In the last few days I've been shocked by how many scams I've seen people fall prey to. Even when their haven't been compromised, people are terrified that they have been taken advantage of. Over the years, I have seen folks fleeced for anywhere between $300 to $3000. No one situation is alike, yet they all share one thing in common—one momentary lapse of reason brought on by fear. If you listen to TechTalk on AM1070 with Alan Perry and I, you’ll know that we’re often talking about security…

The first sign of an impending holiday season has to be Christmas music. If you turn on the radio the morning after Thanksgiving, chances are you’ll be humming Good King Wenceslas midway through making a turkey sandwich (yes, I eat turkey sandwiches for breakfast. With gravy.) Music is such a fixture of the season, from caroling to elevator muzak, and there’s really no other time of year that’s so heralded by song. Of course, it’s 2017 (for another two weeks, at least) and that means there’s…