Archive for January 2011
How to Use Google for Simple Arithmetic Operations and Unit Conversions
Do you know that you don’t really need a calculator for simple arithmetic operations and (selected) unit conversions? You can do the four basic operations comfortably by typing it directly into Google Search Window: You can do square roots and exponents as well: You can use Google for some simple unit and currency conversions as…
Read MoreHow to Create and Update a MS Word Chart
Here is a good way to create a MS Word chart that you may need to edit at some point in the future. The KEY IDEA is this: create your chart in MS Excel and then copy-paste it into your Word document. That way, the chart will maintain a link to the Excel document. Anytime…
Read MoreThings to Avoid in Modular Component Writing for Structured Authoring and Single-Sourcing
In true “structured authoring” the “components” you create (write, draw, etc.) are saved in the database of a Content Management System (CMS). The negative side of this type of “writing” is that you lose the local context and formatting. What you’re creating is not “only” an X-type of document but a “component” (let’s say, a…
Read MoreLooking for a Job? Try CNN's "30 Second Pitch"
© 2011 Ugur Akinci If you’re looking for a job you might consider trying out CNN’s “30 Second Pitch.” Who’d make a short pitch better than a technical COMMUNICATOR, correct? This is how it works: You first send an email to 30secondpitch@cnn.com and express your desire to be on the program. If you’re accepted, you…
Read MoreHow to Select Text by Paragraph Style in MS Word 2010
© Ugur Akinci MS Word 2010 has a great select-by-paragraph-style feature that can save you a lot of headaches when you need to make global changes in a hurry. Imagine you have a document with 100 chapter headings and your manager asks you to change their font size. You know that if you could select…
Read MoreHow to Insert a MS Word Book Citation into Your Technical Document
An MS Word book citation is a citation that is used to show where you found the information in your document. It is a must especially for academic books and papers where accountability and transparency is important for the author’s reputation. How Important is a Book Citation? A book citation is important because it shows…
Read MoreA FrameMaker Shortcut to Scroll from one Document TAB to Another
Adobe FrameMaker nicely opens all your documents side by side in tabs. Whether they are parts of a book or not, if you have three open FrameMaker documents in your editing window, for example, then you’d have 3 tabs displayed at the top of your screen: Here is an easy way to scroll and navigate…
Read MoreA FrameMaker Image Import Shortcut to Save You Precious Time
Certain FrameMaker operations will start to become a major nuisance if you repeat them enough. For example, imagine you’re working on a 500- or 1,000-page technical document with 500 illustrations that you need to import from a database. The basic command is very straight forward: File > Import > File… and then you browse, find…
Read MoreMS PowerPoint 2010 Ribbon Shortcut Keys to Display Tabs
© 2011 Ugur Akinci You can display different tabs on the MS PowerPoint 2010 ribbon by first pressing the F6 key as many times as necessary until the shortcut HINTS are displayed: (Click to enlarge the image) Press the 1 key to SAVE the presentation. Press the 2 key to UNDO the last action (whatever it may be). Press…
Read MoreHow to Change the Header and Footer Information in a MS PowerPoint Presentation
The header and footer information in a MS PowerPoint presentation is not limited to what is seen on the slides. They are also present in the title slide, presenter view, and handouts. In a Nutshell Changing the header and footer information in a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation is easy. Here are the general steps to do…
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