At first glance, this week’s creative tip may seem a little frivolous. One of our clients recently called for some coaching in how to create word-search puzzles for a monthly magazine she designs.
Yet as we dig a little below the surface this fun project demonstrates InDesign’s ability to place Excel spreadsheets as a table — which can be pretty handy for many types of information-heavy design projects.
Last month one of our clients, a prominent Seattle photographer, lost her laptop while flying home from an assignment. Her dilemma reminded us of a few software packages we’ve heard of that attempt to help reunite stolen computers with their rightful owner.
When a stolen computer is connected to the Internet (using dial-up, WiFi, Ethernet, etc), these utilities attempt to send network information back to a central server. This information can be used to track down which ISP is used for Internet access, and helps law enforcement track down the stolen devices.
Should you ever lose your laptop while traveling, StuffBak property identification tags increase the chance that your lost item will be returned to you. StuffBak offers a wide range of label shapes and sizes that affix to any electronic device, such as a laptop, camera, iPod, cell phone, or external hard drive.
Ever wondered how you might use a blog for your studio? You can see how hundreds of other designers answered that same question at Designers Who Blog.
This site (a blog itself) provides a constantly growing list of over 400 blogging designers. Also included are illustrators, photographers, and professionals in advertising and marketing, etc.
Are Apple’s DIY options not juicy enough for you?
If you really like getting deeper into your own Mac hardware repair, you’ll probably love a collection of Fixit Guides created by iFixit.
These guides are for serious do-it-yourself Apple laptop repairs. Each Fixit Guide has detailed disassembly instructions that walk you through the process of easily accessing and replacing components in your PowerBook or iBook. These guides are well written and well illustrated. iFixit has even developed new instruction manuals for Apple’s latest MacBook and MacBook Pros.
If you are the hands on type that likes to troubleshoot and solve your own computer problems, you might want to bookmark Apple’s Do-It-Yourself page.
https://www.apple.com/support/diy/
Pick your Mac and you’ll be taken to a page that lists all the parts Apple considers to be user installable. Instructions are easy to follow and have great up close photos and diagrams. Some older Mac instructions include handy QuickTime tutorials.
