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Computing Resources

Tools to Help You Get Projects Done Quickly and Information on How to Use Computers and Software

There's no question that our writing, publishing, and technical backgrounds helped us get where we are. Susan has worked in publishing since 1987 and started doing desktop publishing in 1988, when using a personal computer for that kind of work was in its infancy. James has developed business database software applications since 1985 on many different computing platforms, from IBM mainframe computers to personal computers. Visit our Logical Expressions Story page for more information about our background.

Click the image above to learn more about how our creativity and writing software helps you complete your writing projects faster.

We share our technical experience in a variety of ways. We publish several free online magazines, and we offer several computing productivity products.

Computor Companion Magazine

Computor Companion is a quarterly online magazine with articles on how to configure your computer, how to select software, how to use software, and how to have fun using your computer.

We started Computor Companion in 1999 as a bi-monthly print magazine, but stopped printing it in 2001. We switched it to an online-only magazine, and we still publish it today. The links at right include the articles from the most recent issue.

We write some of the articles in each issue, but many are contributed by other authors, many of whom are Microsoft MVPs.

Logical Tips

Our Logical Tips Web site is essentially an archive of computer tip articles that Susan wrote for various newspapers and published as an e-zine from 2001 to 2007. The site contains hundreds of short articles with helpful tips for using a computer. The links at right include the most popular articles from the site.

In 2008, we released a series of four books based on updated and enhanced versions of the original Logical Tips articles:

• Logical Tips for Mastering Your Computer: Quick Shortcuts, Tips, Tricks, and Techniques to Help You Use Your Computer More Effectively.
• Logical Tips for Mastering the Internet: Quick Shortcuts, Tips, Tricks, and Techniques to Help You Use the Internet More Effectively.
• Logical Tips for Mastering Microsoft Office: Quick Shortcuts, Tips, Tricks, and Techniques to Help You Use Microsoft Office More Effectively.
• Logical Tips for Mastering Microsoft Windows: Quick Shortcuts, Tips, Tricks, and Techniques to Help You Use Microsoft Windows More Effectively.

Visit our Logical Guides Web site for more information about the print books.

Nerdy Musings

Although Susan writes most of the content that we publish on our various Web sites, James also contributes regularly. He wrote several article series for Computor Companion related to doing business on the Web and programming.

James' programming articles were a little too technical for the Computor Companion audience, so in 2005, he started his own online publication called Nerdy Musings (see links to some of the most popular articles at right). Nerdy Musings has since become the home for James' occasional blog entries and articles on technical matters.

IdeaWeaver Writing Software

With our technical background and all of the writing we do, it was probably inevitable that James would develop a software tool to help us with our writing projects. IdeaWeaver is designed to help writers with the creative process. Using IdeaWeaver, writers can develop their ideas and then organize them into a finished manuscript.

Unlike a word processor, IdeaWeaver lets you develop your ideas independently without being distracted by formatting issues or the organization of the final document. It is effectively an idea database that was originally inspired by the "index card" method of writing.

Susan has used it for all of our books except the first one (which was published before IdeaWeaver was developed), and wouldn't consider putting together another book project without it.

Visit our IdeaWeaver Web site for more information about this time-saving creativity booster.

Time-Saving Information Products

When you become experienced with a particular software program, you tend to develop templates, macros, check-lists, and other short cuts that help you become more productive. Our online store includes several products we've developed that help you save time on certain kinds of projects:

• Timesaver Templates for Microsoft Word: These templates give you a framework for certain types of documents that can be troublesome to get set up properly in Word, such as tri-fold brochures, business cards, and certificates.
• Inventory Management Worksheet for Microsoft Excel: This spreadsheet helps you calculate how many items you need to order each ordering period.

Web Site Tools

One side-effect of having a programmer on staff is that you are able to build custom software solutions to solve business problems. Sometimes the software is generic enough to be useful to other businesses as well.

When we started selling digital products through our online store, we needed a way to protect the downloadable files from unauthorized access. If you just put the file on your Web site somewhere, anyone who learns the URL can access that file.

In response to this problem, James developed a file transfer component that can be easily hooked into a Web site. We use it in our own Web store and sell it anyone else who needs its features. The product description in the store has more information.