But for Jon and his family, it was more than a family vacation. It was a chance to continue the relationship CustomGuide started two years ago with AMILAT (Asociación Amigos para Latinoamerica), a non-profit organization that operates an orphanage and school in El Salvador.

Jon High with his own kids, and children at AMILAT

In late 2009, CustomGuide’s founders, brothers Dan and Jon High, were doing their end of the year bookkeeping when they realized that they had a decent profit. Having grown up in a household where giving and helping others was valued and practiced, they decided to donate a significant portion of their profits–$30,000– to someone in need.

They didn’t have to think long before they knew where they wanted to send it. Their mother, Carol High, was a frequent volunteer at AMILAT, which ran a school and orphanage in El Salvador. Having heard her stories about the school and orphanage, they felt their donation would have a positive impact on the students and orphans living there.

“We didn’t really know what would happen with our donation, we just figured it would go for whatever was most needed,”  Dan High said. When they were told that the funds went to creating a computer lab, they were pleased.

“Computers and technology are a way for these kids to have more opportunities and a better future,” Jon High said. As for the naming of the lab? “We didn’t expect to be recognized like that, but it’s very flattering,” he said.

The the most valuable lesson is the one taught by the students in their gratitude and appreciation for the opportunity to use these new tools. You can see it in PowerPoint presentation the children made with the help of their instructor. Hard not to love the eager smiles and bright shining eyes from these kids.

CustomGuide’s founders, Jon and Dan High, decided to give the donation because they felt their gift could make an immediate impact. This early exposure to computers is giving the students a better future with new opportunities, according to President Jon High.

“We saw this as a great opportunity to make a difference, and it’s been more rewarding than we ever imagined,” High said.

CustomGuide has a connection to the organization that goes back several years. The extended family of CustomGuide’s founders has long volunteered at the orphanage, and High has also volunteered there with his family.

CustomGuide has a history of charity work, having provided free online training to qualified non-profits in the past. High said that the company hopes to continue its charity efforts in the future.

About CustomGuide
CustomGuide provides Interactive Online Learning, Skills Assessments, and Customizable Courseware for Microsoft Office, Windows, Mac, iOS, and many more software applications. CustomGuide’s courses are available as a hosted SaaS solution or through SCORM for use on your external LMS.

Lion, the seventh version of Mac OS X, was released last July and has arguably become Apple’s most successful operating system.  By November of 2011, some sources estimated that roughly 30 percent of all Mac users were already using Lion.

Lion introduces several new features to Mac OS X, such as:

• Launchpad: Launchpad lets you access and manage all of your Mac’s applications, as you would on an iPad, iPod Touch, or iPhone.  Simply click the Launchpad icon on the Dock to access Launchpad.
• Mission Control: Mission Control is the new hub of your Mac, which combines earlier versions of Mac OS X’s Dashboard, Exposé, and Spaces features. With just a single click or swipe on the trackpad, you can conveniently view everything on your Desktop.
• Full-Screen Applications: You can now view your applications in full-screen view, so that they take up the entire screen.

We also bid farewell to our existing web based training format with this new release. We feel that we saved the best for last in releasing Mac OS X Lion as the final title of our existing web based training format, as the title delivers the most interactive and detailed web based training ever produced for Mac OS X. Thanks to  all of our clients who have helped make our online training such a success.

As a salute to the web based training we’ve produced over the past decade, we’ve included a special Easter egg in the lesson, “What’s New in Mac OS X Lion.” Need a hint? Explore the end of the lesson to reveal the Easter egg.

Waiting for online learning? Work on Project 2010 online learning is currently in progress; look for the complete online learning course this spring.

Why change something that’s worked well for so long, you might ask? Client demand. While our clients are very happy with our product, they’d also like more titles to choose from. Our attention to detail and interactivity are hallmarks that have made us an industry leader for the past 10 years. But this has come at the expense of our library. We have great stuff, but the titles we offer are not as diverse or numerous as we, or our clients, would like. When people think about CustomGuide online learning, they think, “Microsoft Office,” and “Love it.” Our goal is for people to think, “Amazing selection,” and “Love it.”

Over the past few months, we have been testing, researching, and testing again to find ways to improve our development process and make it more streamlined, without sacrificing the look and feel our clients are used to. Compatibility with mobile devices has also been a big focus; our current process uses Flash, which isn’t supported by all mobile devices. We think we’ve found a solution, melding some of our old tools with new ones that make some use of video and are mobile-compatible.

Now we’re beginning to take all that testing and researching into the real world. We’re tackling our first title in the new format, Project 2010, right now. Look for it this spring. And for anyone looking to say adieu to our old format, get ready to sink your teeth into Mac OS X Lion, to be released in March.

Windows 8 preview

• Windows 8: The highlight of this new version of Windows is the Metro user interface. Taking a cue from the clarity and readability of transportation signs, Metro is an aesthetic that is modern, clean, fast, and efficient, and it’s the way of the future for all Microsoft products.

• Windows on ARM: Microsoft is taking a plunge into the tablet market with this new operating system. Windows on ARM (or WOA for short) is a sleeker, faster, and more efficient version of Windows that is suitable for tablet hardware and touch interactivity. There is also speculation as to whether Office will come pre-loaded on ARM machines. Whatever they decide, you can bet that the final release will include a Windows app store that provides Office, and all other approved apps, for this device. (Note: ARM refers to the processor that would run this tablet-friendly version of Windows.)

• Office 15: Early screenshots show a very open and clean appearance for the new version of Office, but they  don’t give much indication as to how commands will be given. Some speculate that the Ribbon is gone. Whatever the final user interface is, it will probably be one that works well on desktops and touch screens.

When can you plan on seeing these products on shelves? These are still the early stages of development, and Microsoft has ambitious plans for rollout with updates across all Microsoft products including all Office programs, Windows, servers, Office 365, SharePoint, and more.  But look for more information as betas are released over the summer, with a possible release date before the end of the year, probably around October.

Here’s a quick tip that can make an immediate impact: use the Rule of Thirds to layout slides.  According to the rule of thirds, an image is most pleasing when it is organized along imaginary lines that divide the image into thirds. This rule is used by photographers to compose photos. Notice how points of interest appear at the intersections, and the horizon follows the top line.

You can set up guides in PowerPoint so you can follow this design tip in your own slides. Here’s how:

Click the View tab on the Ribbon and click the Guides check box in the Show group. By default the guides are arranged to the center of the slide. To rearrange them and divide the slide in thirds, just click and drag the guides. To add a guide, press and hold <Ctrl> as you click and drag.

Guides arranged at thirds on a slide in PowerPoint

A grid overlay appears on the slide, so that you can organize the slide into thirds. (The guides appear for all slides in the presentation.) For example, we’ve taken this slide, which doesn’t follow the rule of thirds, and then rearranged the items at focal points along the intersections of the lines, instead of just in the middle.

As you can see, simply rearranging the slide has made it much more interesting. And now you have the design tip you’ve been wanting for making your slides (and photos) better.

SOPA and PIPA (Protect IP Act) are both pieces of legislation that aim to stop the pirating of America’s intellectual property and copyrighted material, especially piracy originating from foreign “rogue” sites.  This is, of course, a noble cause; no one believes that stealing movies or music and selling them for profit is a good thing. But the language in the bills leaves a lot of room for interpretation that copyright trolls could use against American tech companies.

Here are three compelling arguments against SOPA and PIPA:

1. The law could threaten any Web-based company that includes user-supplied content.
   It’s nearly impossible for a site to monitor all the content users upload. If even a fraction of it infringes on copyright laws, the entire site could be shut down, amounting to censorship or blacklisting. Reddit, YouTube, Facebook, Google, Wikipedia; all of these are sites whose business could be threatened by these bills.
2. Small start-up tech companies wouldn’t survive in a SOPA-hostile environment.
   Established content-providers have the resources to stave off the constant claims of copyright infringement that could arise. Small upstarts, who need to spend resources on improving their technology instead of in courts, don’t.
3. The bills’ measure to cut off access to offending sites messes with online security protocols, exposing anyone who engages in e-commerce to additional security risk.
   Taking over the ability to block sites by their domains will literally break the Internet, putting the entire industry in jeopardy. It’s estimated that Hollywood loses about $446 million in profit due to piracy each year. The entire online industry is worth 3.8% of U.S. GDP (approximately $574 billion). We’re all for reigning in piracy, but it’s not worth breaking an Internet industry that is thriving in our recessed economy.

CustomGuide joins these companies in protesting SOPA. Upholding copyright law is important, but it’s not worth breaking the Internet. Let’s go back to the drawing board and make sure the language in these bills is right before they pass.

May the holiday season bring you peace and joy.

Best wishes in 2012!

You might ask, “Why are you providing training on devices that are so easy to use?” These devices are so simple and elegant, people assume they know everything after learning a few basic tasks and commands. But there is always more to know, and that is why we have training.

For example, sure, you’ve figured out how to download and use apps. But do you know how to organize, delete, and close them? And what about the device’s settings? Do you know what lies under those little gears? Would you know how to troubleshoot if your device froze up, or if you needed to restore it? And what if you don’t really know the basics? Having training to guide you through these skills is a great way to explore and really begin to own your device.

To learn more about our courseware, check out our pages for the iPhone and the iPod Touch.