Thoughtful, detailed coverage of the Mac, iPhone, and iPad, plus the best-selling Take Control ebooks.

 

 

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Single Time Machine Backups

Tired of Time Machine running all the time? You can turn it off in the Time Machine preference pane, but still initiate a single backup by choosing Back Up Now from Time Machine's menu bar icon. Of course, your backup is much less likely to be up to date, but Time Machine won't be taking any resources while you're trying to work.

Submitted by
Richard Kane

 
 

Macinstruct Opens Mac Tutorial Contest

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Here's an idea I like - a contest to generate the most creative and innovative tutorials for Macintosh users. Sure, the meme is that being a Mac user means not having to read the manual, but the fact is that the Mac world is also home to some of the best writers and teachers on the planet. Organized by the non-profit Macinstruct site, the Tutorama contest aims to encourage Mac users to help others with clearly presented, helpful tutorials. The format isn't fixed: although the written word remains the ultimate communication method for many people, you're welcome to submit video tutorials, Flash animations, or who knows what else. Just make sure it succeeds at teaching your topic. And even if you don't win one of the very cool prizes, you'll have the satisfaction of having shared your knowledge with other Mac users.

Now, I'm not writing about Tutorama purely because I think it's a good idea, but also because I'm helping to judge entries, along with Tonya, our senior editor Joe Kissell, Take Control author Kirk McElhearn, and Take Control editor Dan Frakes. Other judges include the doyenne of Mac technical writing, Robin Williams; the inimitable Guy Kawasaki; No Starch Press founder William Pollock; Jonathan Price, creator of Apple's first style guide; and Amber MacArthur, a new media journalist and video host.

Check out the Tutorama Resources page for the official rules and advice from the judges, and then think about what you'd like to explain to the rest of the world.

 

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