Five Things I've Learned About Electronics

Below are some things I've learned along the way about electronics, or I should say, the use of them. These 5 things have made my life much easier and have at times, saved my butt!

1. Control S: This is probably one of my favorite tips ever. Before I started doing this, I lost so many things. There is nothing like working for hours on a a document or project only to have something or someone interrupt it and it wipes out all your hard work! Sometimes your computer will lock up for no reason at all or your laptop battery dies. It can all be avoided by typing "Control + s" (at the same time) every few minutes.

2. Backup Everything: In our house we probably have half a dozen external hard drives and countless flash drives. Those are all nice and handy to have and we use them both for various reasons. But the best thing to do is use an online automatic back up. I use Mozy and it's so convenient. It automatically backs up once a day. If I've been doing a lot of work on the computer I can just click it on my task bar and back up at that time too. It feels so good to know that my files are protected away from my home.

3. Carry A Spare Battery: Whenever I purchase a cellphone or a camera, I always buy a backup battery and I carry it in my purse. When my battery dies, I charge it, then swap it out with the one that's in my purse. This makes my battery last longer and I never have to worry about running out of juice. This has saved me when using my cellphone and my camera.

4. Save Ink & Paper: This is the easiest thing of all to do. I always keep the default on my printer set to "fast draft." This setting allows you to print while using the least amount of ink possible. Most of the things that I print are recipes, pattern pieces, and other items that just find their way to the trash anyway. When I print out something I want to keep, I just change it.

You can also save paper by putting it back in the printer and using the other side before throwing it away.

5. Calendar: This actually goes against technology but when it comes to my datebook, I prefer my Lang Pocket Planner. I think it's so much quicker to pull that out of my purse when I need to record an event or check my schedule. Nothing beats my paper datebook. As for my "to do" list, I like to keep that on my E-Reader/Pocket PC.

Those are just a few of my favorite tips when it comes to technology. Do you have any you'd like to add to my list?

Photo Above: Patches and Pumpkin seem to be having some sort of discussion at my computer