STC Tech Valley Chapter

Professional communicators in 19 New York counties:
Albany, Clinton, Columbia, Dutchess, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Greene, Hamilton, Herkimer, Montgomery, Orange, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Ulster, Warren, and Washington.

Free Download

StarVault  by Coriolis Technologies

Windows NT/2000/XP

StarVault is a lightweight document management system for business professionals. Untested.

http://www.download.com/StarVault/3000-10743_4-10823215.html?cdlPid=10836331

Windows Tips

Change the alignment of your numbered lists

Author: Mary Ann Richardson

Do your numbered lists look too close to the listed items? When you use the built-in left-aligned numbering styles, your list can look like this:

Changing the alignment of the numbers in those lists can make your documents easier to read. For example, when the list is centered-aligned, it looks like this:

To center-align a numbered list in Word 2002/2003, follow these steps:

1. Select the numbered list.
2. Right-click the list.
3. Select Bullets And Numbering.
4. Click the Customize button.
5. Click the drop-down arrow in the Number Position box and select Centered.
6. Click OK.

To center-align a numbered list in Word 2007, follow these steps:

1. Select the Numbered list.
2. On the Home tab, click the arrow of the Numbering button in the Paragraph group.
3. Click Define New Number Format.
4. Click the drop-down arrow of the Alignment box and select Centered.
5. Click OK.

Writer’s Block

Writer’s block is the, um, it is the …

Writer’s block …

Ah, Writer’s block is the temporary loss of ability to begin or continue writing. It comes and goes almost any time deadlines and stress are involved. Some believe that writer’s block is just lack of talent or a lazy excuse.  Some believe in leprechauns too.

I believe that the mind needs a rest now and then.  Writer’s block is nature’s way of saying “I’ve had enough of this crap for now!”

So how can we quickly get by this impasse?

Here are a couple of suggestions:

1. Free your mind of the problem. I keep a jar of marbles and a jar of buttons at my desk.  The tactile feel of glass, the variety of buttons and the colors allow my mind to escape without any thought.
2. Leave the center of your problem – your desk and immediate surroundings. Take a walk out side. Visit a co-worker to talk about sports or just to gossip.
3. Tackle the problem piecemeal. Write ideas and phrases as they occur to you without concern about order. Don’t worry about grammar, sentences or paragraphs. This is sometimes called “freewriting.”
4. Google the Web to find out how other writers handle the problem.  You might answers you can use and the time away from the problem “googling” will rest your mind.
5. Talk to the subject matter expert.  Ask different questions.  Ask to see a demo (again if necessary.)  Refresh yourself with the task at hand.
6. Skip the problem all together and move on to another part of the project (if feasible) and return later.  Sometimes we concentrate too much on an instant and forget the whole.
7. Almost like number 6, write something even it you are not satisfied and move on.  Tag it as “Draft,” or Needs Fix.” Return later.