“How To” collection
HTD Tech Briefs
View all →July 21, 2011
How To Re-Download Mac OS X “Lion” & Create a Bootable Install DVD
In my excitement yesterday about the release of the new Macintosh operating system called "Lion", I downloaded and installed the new OS without thinking about creating a bootable DVD since Lion is the first Apple OS to NOT come on DVD but rather be distributed via the App Store. You will also be able to order a USB stick from…
Read more →June 24, 2011
How To Use Chrome Instant Search to Test Twitter Status Updates & Use Reserved Characters via Web Intents
Back in May, I wrote a post on "How to Pre-Populate Twitter Status Update the NEW Way via Links & Web Intents". Essentially, Twitter updated the method for creating a link to "tweet" using their new Web Intents platform. Many developers (e.g., of WordPress plugins) and other designers are updating their code to support this new (and better) way of…
Read more →June 9, 2011
How To Get the UDID/UUID of your iOS Device – Even In A Panic
Most iOS developers know that in order to "activate" your iOS device (e.g., iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch) to use the latest beta of iOS 5, you need to have your UDID/UUID officially registered with Apple in their Development center. I learned this the hard way as I had not recorded it and had installed the iOS beta 1 and was…
Read more →May 18, 2011
How to Pre-Populate Twitter Status Updates the NEW Way via Links & Web Intents
About a year and a half ago, I posted a "How To" article to teach people on how to tweet out messages from your website via a URL or web link. Unfortunately, that method no longer works as of a few days ago. Twitter has updated the process for doing this. However, I now have the NEW way to do…
Read more →May 13, 2011
How to Write & Blog Efficiently with Free Tools like Evernote, DropBox, Picasa & Live Writer
A while ago, I wrote a blog post about how I do blogging. That was over a year ago. Times have changed, tools have evolved and processes have gotten better, at least for me. I still believe that how your blog or write is extremely personal in nature and what may work for me, might not for others. I would,…
Read more →April 22, 2011
How To Fix “The Required File Cannot Be Found” Error When Syncing an iPhone or iPod Touch
Every since I had to restore my iPhone 4 from a backup, I have been having a pesky error message popping up each and every time I would sync my iPhone with iTunes on my Mac. It cryptically said "The iPhone [insert your iPhone name here] cannot be synced. The required file cannot be found." Nothing more. No error message…
Read more →March 18, 2011
How To Resolve Error 29 on the iPhone 3GS: Update Error Caused by Battery Replacement – CONFIRMED
This past weekend, I tried to upgrade my old iPhone 3GS to the latest version of iOS (version 4.3). Unfortunately during the upgrade process, I ran into a "little" issue, that of the fact that my iPhone 3GS got stuck in a recovery loop and kept failing during the upgrade/update process with an Error Code 29. I documented the issue…
Read more →March 16, 2011
IMPORTANT: Enable SSL on your Social Media Accounts NOW! – Twitter and Facebook
As hacking into people's accounts has become a "clear and present danger", it's important to note TWO quick and easy configuration settings that you can now enable within both Facebook and now Twitter that can make your Social Media account just a bit more secure. While it won't protect you from other types of hack attacks, phishing or other social…
Read more →February 10, 2011
No Output Audio Devices Suddenly on your Apple MacBook, MacBook Pro or MacBook Air? Try these 7 Fixes
How to fix audio issues on your Apple MacBook, MacBook Pro or MacBook Air. Several items to try to correct no audio problems.
Read more →February 7, 2011
35+ Tips, Tricks & Strategies for Preparing For, Attending & Returning From a Trade Show or Expo (Part 2)
This is the Second Part of a Two Part series that hopefully will help you plan out and strategize your next trip to a trade show. In the previous post, I discussed the Pre-Show Planning. It's important to think about the show well before you get there. If you haven't read Part One of this post, be sure to take…
Read more →February 4, 2011
35+ Tips, Tricks & Strategies for Preparing For, Attending & Returning From a Trade Show or Expo (Part 1)
I've been back from CES for a month now (and recently attended MacWorld) and have had time to cobble together a few blog posts about things that I saw at both shows as well as have a tiny bit of time to reflect back on my time there. My general experience at CES was that of being thoroughly overwhelmed, not…
Read more →January 26, 2011
10 Strategies for Finding Quality Time to Produce Content
Part of my personal and professional job is creating content. Content for blogs, presentations, papers, emails, tweets, you name it. Contrary to popular belief, content can not just be created in a few seconds. It has to be born, nurtured, developed, rethought, rewritten, finalized and published. It's an iterative process. And very personal. I wrote an article a while ago…
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