Problem: Article: Create a new folder on your desktop. You can label this folder "External Photos" or some other name so that you don't forget what it is. Collect every external hard drive that you own and plug them into your computer one at a time. Cut every photo on your external drives and paste them into your new folder. The goal is to get photos into one location to make sorting easier. If you have any CDs with photos on them, sort through these as well. Go through your computer files and find every folder with images in them. Either keep the individual folders up while you work, or cut and paste all of the images into a single folder. If your computer's folders are already sorted, don't combine them. It will be easier to sort them if they're already separated logically. Change your viewing mode so that the photos appear as large thumbnails in your folders. Go through each folder and delete any images that are blurry, unnecessary, or don't hold any value to you. If you don't have a good reason for holding on to these images, there's no reason to let them take up space on your computer. You can store these images on a spare flash drive if you're really worried about accidentally deleting something important. Create a new, empty folder to store all of your images in one place. Inside of this folder, create a new folder for every year represented in your photo collection. Inside of each year's folder, create additional subfolders for the events that took place each year. Alternatively, you can create a folder for every month of the year. This can make it hard to find images if you don't have a good memory, though. For example you could have a folder labelled "2012." Inside of this folder, you can add folders with names like "January," "January-April," or "January Amy's Family Gathering." When you pick a labeling system, use it consistently across the board to keep things consistent. Put photos from specific vacations, weddings, parties, and family gatherings in different folders. Label each folder with a short description of the event or use the names of the people in the images. Label folders with keywords, not complete sentences. For example, you may have a folder named "Vacation Malaysia Jennifer and Steve," but stay away from labels like "Summer trip to Malaysia with Jennifer and Steve." Computer files are always arranged alphabetically by default. This makes organizing your folders harder, since "April" will appear in front of "January" and your description labels won't be chronological. To keep the images in order, put a 2- or 3-digit number in front of each folder to arrange them in a way that makes sense to you. For example, if "Vacation Malaysia Jennifer and Steve" is the oldest set of images, name it "001 Vacation Malaysia Jennifer and Steve." If you're sorting images chronologically, use "001 January," "002 February," and so on. Whether you use 2- or 3-digit numerical labels depends on how many folders you have. Even if you use keywords to sort your subfolders, you should still try to keep the images relatively chronological. It will be much easier to find what you're looking for when you go to find an image.
Summary: Transfer photos on your phone, flash drives, and online to your desktop. Pull up every folder with photos in them on your computer. Delete blurry images and photos that don't matter to you. Create a sequence of chronological folders to sort your images by date. Sort your images into folders based on subject matter to find photos easily. Put numbers in front of your labels to arrange them in order.

Problem: Article: Before you even think about hitting the pavement with your new sneakers, spray a shoe protectant on them. A good protectant spray will let leather or canvas breathe, while also preventing stains and water from absorbing. It will also help wipe off mud, grass or grime on all kinds of shoe materials. Liberally repeat application every few weeks. It will not discolor your white shoes. The longer you let stains set in, the harder they will be to remove. Prevent this problem by wiping off things, like mud or wet sand, as soon as you can. Use a damp cloth or sponge with a drop of dish soap, or use pre-moistened sneaker wipes. Throw some sneaker wipes in your gym bag, or keep them for on the go activities. Yes, the same cleaner you use to wipe down your countertops will keep your white sneakers looking brand spanking new. Every time you come home from wearing your shoes, spray a little Fantastik, 409, or whatever your poison may be and wipe it off with a paper towel or dishcloth. Do not use a cleaner with bleach, because it can discolor shoes. Spray just enough to clean dirt and scuffs. You don't need to drench them. The same stain remover pen that spot-cleans your clothes works great on your white canvas sneakers too. Whenever you get a grass stain or mud splatter on your shoes, treat it with a stain remover pen ASAP to keep them clean. Work the pen over stitching to keep it as bright as the rest of the shoe too. Remember this is a spot treatment. There's no need to completely cover your shoes in stain remover.
Summary: Pre-treat with a stain and water repellant. Wipe off stains or scuffs immediately. Use an all-purpose cleaner regularly. Erase marks on canvas with a stain remover pen.

Problem: Article: Point your security camera so the lens is facing out of the small opening in the front of the birdhouse or feeder. Point the feeder or house in the direction you want to monitor. Thick leaves and shrubbery can hide the appearance of a security camera. Place your camera inside of a bush or tree and check the camera's video feed to make sure that the lens isn't obscured. You can purchase a hollowed out garden gnome or rock online. Use a drill bit that's as big as the lens on your camera and drill a hole in the fake rock or garden gnome. You can then place your camera inside of the fake rock or gnome and point the lens of the camera out of the hole. You can also place the camera on the inside of a clay pot. Attach the camera to the inside of the object with electrical tape to hold it in place. Some security cameras are designed to look like other things, like a light or doorbell. Look online for security or spy camera lights or lamps, and find one that fits your budget and need. Hide your camera inside of your mailbox or the mailbox post. Drill a hole through the mailbox so that your camera can record what's happening outside of the mailbox. Leaving exposed or visible wires leading up to your camera will make the placement obvious to other people. If you plan on using a security camera that has wires, you need to dig a trench so that you can bury the PVC pipe that will house the wires. You may need to install a metal conduit or PVC pipe to hide the wires from an elevated camera. You can purchase a fake or "dummy" security camera online or at hardware stores. These will serve as a visible deterrent and will take attention off of your actual security cameras. Put these cameras in an area that people are able to see. Fake security cameras are usually $10-$30 USD per camera.
Summary:
Place your camera inside of a birdhouse or bird feeder. Hide your camera in a bush or tree. Conceal your camera in a fake rock or garden gnome. Purchase a camera designed to look like a light fixture or doorbell. Put your camera inside of your mailbox. Use PVC pipe to hide the wires on a wired camera. Install a fake camera to take attention off your real camera.