Plain-language write-ups of the problems I run into most often, and the things worth doing before something breaks. No jargon, no upsell.
Stolen Device Protection stops somebody who watched you type your passcode from taking over your Apple Account. It is off unless you turned it on. What it blocks, what it does not, and the one setting worth changing.
Oregon recycles computers for free, but nobody at the drop-off is responsible for the data still on the drive. Where to take an old machine in the Portland area, and how to make sure nothing of yours leaves with it.
On modern Macs the memory and storage are soldered in and can never be changed. That makes two of the choices permanent and most of the others reversible. Here is how to spend your money in the right place.
iCloud is not a backup, and Apple's own terms say so in writing. What actually counts as a backup, why sync is not the same thing, and the arrangement I recommend to Portland households.
A slow Mac is almost always one of four problems, and only one of them needs new hardware. How to tell which one you have, in plain language, without installing anything.
The fake Microsoft and Apple support call, line by line — how it opens, what it asks for, and why hanging up costs you nothing. Written for Portland households who keep getting them.