Category: Tips & How To…

Send All Those User’s Manuals to The Cloud…
Gather all those user's manuals that came with your new cameras, games, appliances, computers, etc. and send them to "The Cloud." With the ease of use of cloud computing, there is no reason to rely on paper copies of instructions.

If we were to carry the paper copies of our camera manuals with us on photo shoots and trips, it would add 1 lb 12 oz to our luggage. Besides, we still might not have them with us when we have a question or have the time to explore and learn more about the many options this equipment offers.

Here's our user's manual procedure:
1. Download a copy of the manual from the manufacturer's site and save it as a PDF. (We normally download and review a user's manual before we buy a product. You'd be amazed how often this makes a difference in what we buy.)
2. Upload the PDF to Google Drive, iCloud, or Dropbox. We use Google Drive and Dropbox all day long so they're our choice for manuals.
3. Pack away the physical manual in case we ever want to sell the item.
4. Enjoy having our manual available anywhere, anytime via our computers, phones, or tablets.
Bonus tip: Before you recycle a box that an item came in, take a photo of the label that contains the barcode, serial number, and model information codes and send that to the cloud. It can come in handy in case of a recall, loss, or theft.

It's usually months after using a new camera or computer that a quick look through the manual has one of us suddenly exploring a new option or trying out an alternative setting. This way we can explore the manuals while waiting for an appointment, sitting on a park bench, or at home.

Opening a Dropbox account from here is another way to support this site.

If you sign up from this Dropbox link, Dropbox will give both you and us bonus storage space. You can sign up for a free account to try it out, and you'll start with 2GB plus your bonus.

We understand that it also works well on the PC side of the computing fence. Dropbox has received rave reviews from The Economist, Forbes, and Wired. And the service has been given major awards by MacWorld and PC Magazine.

Details:

Words: Penny Cherubino

Artwork courtesy of Dropbox

Disclosure: We do own stock in Google and Apple. See our full disclosure policy.

Related articles

Bring a Big Wedge of a Great Cheese to the Party

American Chop Suey, a New England Tradition

Tip for Cleaning Hands Stained & Sticky from Holiday Greenery

Leaves and Angles

Savoring the Boston Public Garden Lagoon
December 26, 2012
Send All Those User’s Manuals to The Cloud…
Gather all those user's manuals that came with your new cameras, games, appliances, computers, etc. and send them to "The Cloud." With the ease of use of cloud computing, there is no reason to rely on paper copies of instructions.

If we were to carry the paper copies of our camera manuals with us on photo shoots and trips, it would add 1 lb 12 oz to our luggage. Besides, we still might not have them with us when we have a question or have the time to explore and learn more about the many options this equipment offers.

Here's our user's manual procedure:
1. Download a copy of the manual from the manufacturer's site and save it as a PDF. (We normally download and review a user's manual before we buy a product. You'd be amazed how often this makes a difference in what we buy.)
2. Upload the PDF to Google Drive, iCloud, or Dropbox. We use Google Drive and Dropbox all day long so they're our choice for manuals.
3. Pack away the physical manual in case we ever want to sell the item.
4. Enjoy having our manual available anywhere, anytime via our computers, phones, or tablets.
Bonus tip: Before you recycle a box that an item came in, take a photo of the label that contains the barcode, serial number, and model information codes and send that to the cloud. It can come in handy in case of a recall, loss, or theft.

It's usually months after using a new camera or computer that a quick look through the manual has one of us suddenly exploring a new option or trying out an alternative setting. This way we can explore the manuals while waiting for an appointment, sitting on a park bench, or at home.

Opening a Dropbox account from here is another way to support this site.

If you sign up from this Dropbox link, Dropbox will give both you and us bonus storage space. You can sign up for a free account to try it out, and you'll start with 2GB plus your bonus.

We understand that it also works well on the PC side of the computing fence. Dropbox has received rave reviews from The Economist, Forbes, and Wired. And the service has been given major awards by MacWorld and PC Magazine.

Details:

Words: Penny Cherubino

Artwork courtesy of Dropbox

Disclosure: We do own stock in Google and Apple. See our full disclosure policy.

Related articles

Bring a Big Wedge of a Great Cheese to the Party

American Chop Suey, a New England Tradition

Tip for Cleaning Hands Stained & Sticky from Holiday Greenery

Leaves and Angles

Savoring the Boston Public Garden Lagoon
December 26, 2012
Send All Those User’s Manuals to The Cloud…
Gather all those user's manuals that came with your new cameras, games, appliances, computers, etc. and send them to "The Cloud." With the ease of use of cloud computing, there is no reason to rely on paper copies of instructions.

If we were to carry the paper copies of our camera manuals with us on photo shoots and trips, it would add 1 lb 12 oz to our luggage. Besides, we still might not have them with us when we have a question or have the time to explore and learn more about the many options this equipment offers.

Here's our user's manual procedure:
1. Download a copy of the manual from the manufacturer's site and save it as a PDF. (We normally download and review a user's manual before we buy a product. You'd be amazed how often this makes a difference in what we buy.)
2. Upload the PDF to Google Drive, iCloud, or Dropbox. We use Google Drive and Dropbox all day long so they're our choice for manuals.
3. Pack away the physical manual in case we ever want to sell the item.
4. Enjoy having our manual available anywhere, anytime via our computers, phones, or tablets.
Bonus tip: Before you recycle a box that an item came in, take a photo of the label that contains the barcode, serial number, and model information codes and send that to the cloud. It can come in handy in case of a recall, loss, or theft.

It's usually months after using a new camera or computer that a quick look through the manual has one of us suddenly exploring a new option or trying out an alternative setting. This way we can explore the manuals while waiting for an appointment, sitting on a park bench, or at home.

Opening a Dropbox account from here is another way to support this site.

If you sign up from this Dropbox link, Dropbox will give both you and us bonus storage space. You can sign up for a free account to try it out, and you'll start with 2GB plus your bonus.

We understand that it also works well on the PC side of the computing fence. Dropbox has received rave reviews from The Economist, Forbes, and Wired. And the service has been given major awards by MacWorld and PC Magazine.

Details:

Words: Penny Cherubino

Artwork courtesy of Dropbox

Disclosure: We do own stock in Google and Apple. See our full disclosure policy.

Related articles

Bring a Big Wedge of a Great Cheese to the Party

American Chop Suey, a New England Tradition

Tip for Cleaning Hands Stained & Sticky from Holiday Greenery

Leaves and Angles

Savoring the Boston Public Garden Lagoon
December 26, 2012
Organ Donation, Have That Talk with Your Family & Friends
They say we will all know someone who will need an organ donation or we will need one ourselves sooner or later. Back in 2008, we did our first post on this topic – How to Become An Organ Donor.

Since then, thousands of readers have found that post and spent time reading the details and using the provided links to learn more. Thank you to everyone who did that. Thinking about it, along with research, is the first step.

Back then, a friend in another part of the country had a family member who needed a heart to live. This year our inspiration is closer to home. We ran into a fellow dog lover and former neighbor on Boylston Street. She told us she may soon be a candidate for a heart and lung transplant. This time the need is closer to home and we are thinking of her, her family, and her pups often.

Have you talked to your family about becoming an organ donor?

Perhaps this holiday season, when people gather in the spirit of giving, would be a great time to express your wishes and fill out the necessary forms.

Here are the links you need to become an organ donor.

It can be as easy as scanning the QR code on the poster above. That will link you to the national site.

(Since many of our readers are from other parts of the country, we've included the national resources.)

Here's the page where the Massachusetts Registry answers questions about organ donation via your drivers license.

Here's the link to the New England Organ Bank. They have a page where you can sign up online. And, they provide links to other resources here.

Here is the United States government's site on organ donation.

Here's a link to all the state tissue donor registries.

How to bring up the subject?
- You could say that you read this post online and want to talk about it.
- Announce that becoming an organ donor is one of your New Year's Resoutions for 2013.
- Ask if anyone in your group knows someone who has had or needs an organ transplant.
- Register yourself before hand and pull out your drivers license to ask who else is an organ donor. You may be surprised at the response!
Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

Related articles

Spain has the highest number of organ donors

Pro or Against Organ Donation?

Brookline Winter Farmers' Market in the Arcade Building, Coolidge Corner

The Fenway Studios Door – Before and After!
December 21, 2012
Organ Donation, Have That Talk with Your Family & Friends
They say we will all know someone who will need an organ donation or we will need one ourselves sooner or later. Back in 2008, we did our first post on this topic – How to Become An Organ Donor.

Since then, thousands of readers have found that post and spent time reading the details and using the provided links to learn more. Thank you to everyone who did that. Thinking about it, along with research, is the first step.

Back then, a friend in another part of the country had a family member who needed a heart to live. This year our inspiration is closer to home. We ran into a fellow dog lover and former neighbor on Boylston Street. She told us she may soon be a candidate for a heart and lung transplant. This time the need is closer to home and we are thinking of her, her family, and her pups often.

Have you talked to your family about becoming an organ donor?

Perhaps this holiday season, when people gather in the spirit of giving, would be a great time to express your wishes and fill out the necessary forms.

Here are the links you need to become an organ donor.

It can be as easy as scanning the QR code on the poster above. That will link you to the national site.

(Since many of our readers are from other parts of the country, we've included the national resources.)

Here's the page where the Massachusetts Registry answers questions about organ donation via your drivers license.

Here's the link to the New England Organ Bank. They have a page where you can sign up online. And, they provide links to other resources here.

Here is the United States government's site on organ donation.

Here's a link to all the state tissue donor registries.

How to bring up the subject?
- You could say that you read this post online and want to talk about it.
- Announce that becoming an organ donor is one of your New Year's Resoutions for 2013.
- Ask if anyone in your group knows someone who has had or needs an organ transplant.
- Register yourself before hand and pull out your drivers license to ask who else is an organ donor. You may be surprised at the response!
Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

Related articles

Spain has the highest number of organ donors

Pro or Against Organ Donation?

Brookline Winter Farmers' Market in the Arcade Building, Coolidge Corner

The Fenway Studios Door – Before and After!
December 21, 2012
Organ Donation, Have That Talk with Your Family & Friends
They say we will all know someone who will need an organ donation or we will need one ourselves sooner or later. Back in 2008, we did our first post on this topic – How to Become An Organ Donor.

Since then, thousands of readers have found that post and spent time reading the details and using the provided links to learn more. Thank you to everyone who did that. Thinking about it, along with research, is the first step.

Back then, a friend in another part of the country had a family member who needed a heart to live. This year our inspiration is closer to home. We ran into a fellow dog lover and former neighbor on Boylston Street. She told us she may soon be a candidate for a heart and lung transplant. This time the need is closer to home and we are thinking of her, her family, and her pups often.

Have you talked to your family about becoming an organ donor?

Perhaps this holiday season, when people gather in the spirit of giving, would be a great time to express your wishes and fill out the necessary forms.

Here are the links you need to become an organ donor.

It can be as easy as scanning the QR code on the poster above. That will link you to the national site.

(Since many of our readers are from other parts of the country, we've included the national resources.)

Here's the page where the Massachusetts Registry answers questions about organ donation via your drivers license.

Here's the link to the New England Organ Bank. They have a page where you can sign up online. And, they provide links to other resources here.

Here is the United States government's site on organ donation.

Here's a link to all the state tissue donor registries.

How to bring up the subject?
- You could say that you read this post online and want to talk about it.
- Announce that becoming an organ donor is one of your New Year's Resoutions for 2013.
- Ask if anyone in your group knows someone who has had or needs an organ transplant.
- Register yourself before hand and pull out your drivers license to ask who else is an organ donor. You may be surprised at the response!
Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

Related articles

Spain has the highest number of organ donors

Pro or Against Organ Donation?

Brookline Winter Farmers' Market in the Arcade Building, Coolidge Corner

The Fenway Studios Door – Before and After!
December 21, 2012
Tip for Cleaning Hands Stained & Sticky from Holiday Greenery

Did you know that there's an easy way to get pine pitch and sap from holiday greens off your hands and that it's probably sitting on your baking shelf? Vegetable shortening will do the trick. "You could use butter, but the shortening is cheaper," laughed Francine Crawford from The Garden Club of the Back Bay (GCBB).

After just a couple of hours of wreath making, this Garden Club volunteer's hands were filled with sap. When she's ready to clean up, the club has a container of shortening by the sink. As you can see, "baking sticks" are perfect to keep around for this job.

Scrub those sticky spots with a bit of Crisco (or the less expensive house brand) and you'll save your hands. Then, a bit of dishwashing detergent will wisk away the grease. Francine says they learned this trick from a GCBB speaker a few years ago.

Each year, Ed and I stop into The Garden Club of the Back Bay's "Wreath Week" Workshop to soak up some seasonal spirit and visit with the incredible volunteers who give up days of their time right at the start of the holiday rush to decorate, deliver, and raise funds with hundreds of wreaths. And because the room is full of brilliant people, we always learn a few new things about a wide range of topics.

If you love walking around the wonderful Back Bay neighborhood with all its trees and gardens, you owe a debt of gratitude and support to this organization. You might still be able to purchase a simple wreath with a bow while supplies last. "Sadly, we are unable to accept orders for fully decorated wreaths during wreath making days, but you may put your name on our mailing list for advance notification next season," they posted on their website.

You can also make a direct contribution to the group. The GCBB will add that to the funds they raise on occasions like this and put the money to work on planting, inoculating, tree pruning, and many more projects that you can see at this link.

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

Related articles

spice up your holiday décor… herbal wreaths make great seasonings

Not Your Average Christmas Wreath

DIY Fall Wreath with Found Greenery – Once Wed

Holiday Mail and Package Delivery Deadlines for the Boston Area 2012

2012 Boston Area Holiday Markets & Other Places for Unique Gifts

December 4, 2012
Tip for Cleaning Hands Stained & Sticky from Holiday Greenery

Did you know that there's an easy way to get pine pitch and sap from holiday greens off your hands and that it's probably sitting on your baking shelf? Vegetable shortening will do the trick. "You could use butter, but the shortening is cheaper," laughed Francine Crawford from The Garden Club of the Back Bay (GCBB).

After just a couple of hours of wreath making, this Garden Club volunteer's hands were filled with sap. When she's ready to clean up, the club has a container of shortening by the sink. As you can see, "baking sticks" are perfect to keep around for this job.

Scrub those sticky spots with a bit of Crisco (or the less expensive house brand) and you'll save your hands. Then, a bit of dishwashing detergent will wisk away the grease. Francine says they learned this trick from a GCBB speaker a few years ago.

Each year, Ed and I stop into The Garden Club of the Back Bay's "Wreath Week" Workshop to soak up some seasonal spirit and visit with the incredible volunteers who give up days of their time right at the start of the holiday rush to decorate, deliver, and raise funds with hundreds of wreaths. And because the room is full of brilliant people, we always learn a few new things about a wide range of topics.

If you love walking around the wonderful Back Bay neighborhood with all its trees and gardens, you owe a debt of gratitude and support to this organization. You might still be able to purchase a simple wreath with a bow while supplies last. "Sadly, we are unable to accept orders for fully decorated wreaths during wreath making days, but you may put your name on our mailing list for advance notification next season," they posted on their website.

You can also make a direct contribution to the group. The GCBB will add that to the funds they raise on occasions like this and put the money to work on planting, inoculating, tree pruning, and many more projects that you can see at this link.

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

Related articles

spice up your holiday décor… herbal wreaths make great seasonings

Not Your Average Christmas Wreath

DIY Fall Wreath with Found Greenery – Once Wed

Holiday Mail and Package Delivery Deadlines for the Boston Area 2012

2012 Boston Area Holiday Markets & Other Places for Unique Gifts

December 4, 2012
Tip for Cleaning Hands Stained & Sticky from Holiday Greenery

Did you know that there's an easy way to get pine pitch and sap from holiday greens off your hands and that it's probably sitting on your baking shelf? Vegetable shortening will do the trick. "You could use butter, but the shortening is cheaper," laughed Francine Crawford from The Garden Club of the Back Bay (GCBB).

After just a couple of hours of wreath making, this Garden Club volunteer's hands were filled with sap. When she's ready to clean up, the club has a container of shortening by the sink. As you can see, "baking sticks" are perfect to keep around for this job.

Scrub those sticky spots with a bit of Crisco (or the less expensive house brand) and you'll save your hands. Then, a bit of dishwashing detergent will wisk away the grease. Francine says they learned this trick from a GCBB speaker a few years ago.

Each year, Ed and I stop into The Garden Club of the Back Bay's "Wreath Week" Workshop to soak up some seasonal spirit and visit with the incredible volunteers who give up days of their time right at the start of the holiday rush to decorate, deliver, and raise funds with hundreds of wreaths. And because the room is full of brilliant people, we always learn a few new things about a wide range of topics.

If you love walking around the wonderful Back Bay neighborhood with all its trees and gardens, you owe a debt of gratitude and support to this organization. You might still be able to purchase a simple wreath with a bow while supplies last. "Sadly, we are unable to accept orders for fully decorated wreaths during wreath making days, but you may put your name on our mailing list for advance notification next season," they posted on their website.

You can also make a direct contribution to the group. The GCBB will add that to the funds they raise on occasions like this and put the money to work on planting, inoculating, tree pruning, and many more projects that you can see at this link.

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

Related articles

spice up your holiday décor… herbal wreaths make great seasonings

Not Your Average Christmas Wreath

DIY Fall Wreath with Found Greenery – Once Wed

Holiday Mail and Package Delivery Deadlines for the Boston Area 2012

2012 Boston Area Holiday Markets & Other Places for Unique Gifts

December 4, 2012
7 Reasons to “Freeze” Your Cookies!
While I’ve always been a huge cookie fan and have devoured them in just about every form imaginable (soft, crunchy, pre-cooked, hot from the oven … ) I’m here to say, “Freeze Your Cookies!” I know, it sounds extreme but hear me out.

First, you need a quality cookie – I prefer the giant Homemade Oatmeal Raisin Cookies from Cook’s Farm and Bakery – the thicker the better with a generous amount of raisins. If you’re going to try this, don’t hold back!

If you’re at all sceptical (I can still remember my first time), here are:

7 Reasons to Freeze Your Cookies!
- Won’t bend as easily when slipped into a pocket or bag.
- Keeps the cookie fresher, longer.
- Great on a warm, summer day or after a hard workout!
- Slows cookie consumption rate (CCR) allowing greater enjoyment of each morsel.
- A lower CCR may mean fewer cookies eaten at one time, stretching your cookie supply not your waistline.
- Serving in broken, bite-sized chunks adds to convenience, especially when watching TV.
- Anything sweet and frozen just seems to taste better.
As is often the case with any specialized cookie eating technique, there can be some, uh … drawbacks –
- Produces more crumbs than conventional method.
- FOR BEST RESULTS: Warm frozen cookie in mouth before chomping (this may take 15-seconds or more).
- ADVISORY: Check with a dental professional before consuming frozen cookies.
Related Post:

Don’t Hurt Me! I’ll Make Oatmeal Raisin Cookies!

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:
Words: Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers’ comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.
November 8, 2012