Tips & tricks

How I set up a new Mac [Updated x3]

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(Last updated 3:07 pm CST February 19th, 2026) [Updated this post on 2/5/2026 to reflect changes in the process, and additional apps I install.] Because I regularly review Apple’s Mac laptops and desktops, I’ve developed a setup routine for to make them my own for the brief period I have them. It’s similar to what I do when I get a new Mac for myself, though that takes place over a period of days and includes copying over data that I don’t have stored in iCloud and apps that are mostly for the researching and writing I do for my … Read more

Ads, overlays and paywalls, oh my! How to get around the web’s worst annoyances (updated x4)

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(Last updated 3:16 pm CST February 19th, 2026)(Note: During my brief stint at Forbes, I wrote a newsletter item and subsequent story on how to get around the web’s biggest annoyances – intrusive ads, overlays and paywalls. Since that May 2021 piece, I’ve found some new tools and strategies. This is an updated version. Content from the original Forbes article is included with permission. ) If you’re like me, you’ve got a love/hate relationship with the web. Bill Gates may have sought to bring “information at your fingertips” via the PC and Microsoft’s software, but it was Tim Berners-Lee, the … Read more