the iMentor

Hints & rants

This weB-LOG contains helpful hints and rants about your Macintosh, Apple products and your electronic life.

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Save and Save As

January 15, 2020 Uncategorized No Comments
Episode #572 January 18, 2020 As i have said many times before, knowing where your data is stored is a measure of a skilled user. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYdCzs5uPrI When working on a document it is important to Save it as soon as possible. There are three questions that must be answered when saving a document. What do you want to name the document? What file format will the document be saved in? Where will you save (store) the document? What Name? Most users answer the first question by naming the document. On a Mac, the limit for a file name is 32...
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It’s Invisible

January 6, 2020 Uncategorized 2 Comments
Episode 571 January 11, 2020 Some things are right in front of you and cannot be seen. They may not be obvious. They may be disguised. They may be invisible. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nj8MV2r8XdE On your Macintosh computer’s hard drive are thousands of invisible files. These are essential system files that Apple would rather you not see. Deleting or modifying such files can break the operating system. Messing with invisible Library or preference files can break the databases they support. The Mail folder in your User Library is a good example of an invisible file that should not be touched. The Mail app on...
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Internet Connection

December 31, 2019 Uncategorized No Comments
Episode 570 January 4, 2020 How do you connect to the Internet? My iPhone connects to T-Mobile’s cell towers. When i am home my iPhone, iPads and computer connect to my WiFi. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wz_RAud0els When connected to WiFi the iPhone does not use the T-Mobile cell connection. WiFi has priority on iPhones and iPads. The other day i was in town with three bars on my cellular connection, yet i could not get the Internet. i noticed that i was also connected to a regional ATT WiMax terrestrial WiFi hot spot. Since i no longer subscribe to ATT the connection did not...
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Presentations

December 29, 2019 Uncategorized 2 Comments
Episode 569 December 28, 2019 The first presentation program available on a consumer computer was Powerpoint. At first it was used to produce 35mm slides but soon became the go-to app for projector slide presentations. It was released in 1987 by Forethought, Inc. for Macintosh only. Microsoft bought Powerpoint three months later for 14 million dollars. Powerpoint was part of the suite of programs called “Microsoft Office” for the Mac, released in 1989. Powerpoint became a standard for electronic slide show presentations when included in Office for Windows in 1990. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPDl9yKSnDE A presentation application replaced overhead transparencies. At first it...
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Word Processors

December 16, 2019 Uncategorized 1 Comment
Episode 568 December 21, 2019 One of the first applications available on a computer was part of MS-DOS. It was a line processor called “Edlin”. This program allowed the user to edit an entire line of a text file. Typing 1,6L (for example) would list lines 1 through 6. The editor could replace a line, delete a line or insert a line using a handful of commands. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIWY8UyW9bw A text processor application is an electronic version of a typewriter without the need for retyping or type white to change the text. Working with Edlin gave the user great flexibility with text...
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SpreadSheets

December 10, 2019 Uncategorized No Comments
Episode 567 December 14, 2019 One of the first applications available on a computer was a spreadsheet program called Lotus 1-2-3. This was meant to replace the grid paper that accountants used to do calculations and keep financial records. A spreadsheet application is an electronic version of gridded paper which does the math for you. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7KuJZanjCY My old boss Mike came from an accounting background and started with paper spreadsheets. When he created a paper spreadsheet the field in the lower right corner was always a “foot” that contained the sum of the bottom row and the sum of the...
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