September 2011
1 post
“Part of being an expert in an industry is not only knowing it, but being able to...”
– Harry J. Gold CEO, Overdrive Interactive
August 2011
2 posts
“…a good customer relationship is unique, and loyal customers are hard to...”
– Article on keeping customers happy via Smashing Magazine
July 2011
1 post
“Success leads to success.”
– Stanford psychologist BJ Fogg on how you can take baby steps to success by building on small wins.
June 2011
1 post
1 tag
April 2011
2 posts
WatchThe new Beastie Boys video is awesome. Tons of cameos by various popular actors set in the mid-80’s.
2 tags
“It’s not the design experience that makes you the professional. It’s the client...”
– Me
March 2011
5 posts
WatchA great video on why software is really selling emotion.
Using the Old Spice guy as an example, with extended impersonation, made it pretty easy viewing.
1 tag
Evolution of a Logo: Spinfree = 37signals
In the “you always learn something new” category: 37signals’ logo has nothing to do with what the company is named after.
Instead, it’s a slight modification of a logo from Jason Fried’s previous endeavor:
Jason Fried, founder of 37signals, asked me to design a logo for his business. At the time Jason’s business was called Spinfree and I proceeded to work on ideas...
Awesome Screenshot is Awesome →
I just installed this FireFox plugin. It takes a screenshot of the current page and lets you draw/write all over it and save locally or upload to their site to share.
Don't Forget About HTTPS on Twitter →
As a developer I find it hard to believe this has taken so long. But whatever, make sure you enable it!
Sign in to twitter.com
Click on your username in the top right
Select “Settings”
Scroll to the bottom
Check off “Always use HTTPS.”
Save
February 2011
7 posts
2 tags
“…as long we continue to think that we suck and try to be better every day...”
– Groupon CEO Andrew Mason in Fast Company (March, 2011) on how they will avoid a fall like past Internet phenomena.
2 tags
2 tags
Got My Flow Invite
I’ve been working on an idea for a new app that helps with personal day-to-day organization. Yes, another one. Trust me, it’s different.
In the meantime, I was researching possibly apps in the process and heard some positive, though minimal, reviews about Flow from MetaLab.
Flow is still in beta and you need an invite, but I got mine pretty quick, which is a plus. And now I have 5...
Verizon iPhone Ordered
I know, I’m a few years behind everyone. For a long time I didn’t think I’d want a phone with email access on it. I resisted the change because I saw how my friends never got off their phones. Maybe that’s just a reflection of my poor conversation skills, but I saw it as a sign that it takes away the freedom of not being at work.
As we’ve done more with Adjacent...
Self-Cleaning Gym Equipment →
Great news for those tired of spraying and wiping everything with cleaner at the gym. Even better if there’s people at your gym that don’t.
Is Bing Stealing Google's Search Results? →
Google set up an online sting operation to verify their suspicions. Pretty amazing.
I guess if you can’t beat ‘em, take their top ranking.
January 2011
15 posts
Facebook Doesn't Use Secure Connections →
Unless you decide to enable it. I can’t believe this isn’t a default.
If you don’t feel like reading the article, here’s how to enable it.
Go to Account > Account Settings
Scroll down to ‘Account Security’ and hit ‘change’ on the right
Check off the first option and hit ‘Save’
The Starbucks Snooki Logo →
Jimmy Kimmel was first to break the news. Though, if you ask me, it looks like Snooki and Deana had a love child…Let’s just pretend I didn’t say that.
3 tags
The State of the Web - 2010 →
*Slightly* sarcastic summary of all things web, 2010 from The Oatmeal.
Some of the advice was actually taken:
2 tags
WordPress Backups with VaultPress →
VaultPress is backup solution for users of standalone versions of WordPress. The user interface looks very simple and it has some helpful statistics. It even has security monitoring in Premium and Enterprise editions.
At $15/month for the basic plan (while in beta), it’s a little pricey for the average user. There are plugins available now for automatic backup. But, if you’re a...
2 tags
Firefox 4 for 4 Minutes
Yeah, it’s a stupid headline, but it’s true. That’s how long I gave the new Firefox beta a try.
I read about how it was ready for the primetime and decided to give it a shot. It started fast and the panorama feature is very cool. The tabs on top seemed fine considering I’ve been using Chrome forever. Everything was great. Then I saw it. Or should I say didn’t? Where...
Changed my Twitter Handle
I have changed my Twitter handle from @KeiWiDesign to @kevinwnek. It just makes more sense considering all my work is done with Adjacent Concepts. Should be easier for people to find me this way as well.
I was pretty anti-Twitter for a long time. The constant updates by celebrities and the like are useless. I really don’t care what you had for breakfast. But, for news gathering it is...
4 tags
Don't Improvise on a Conference Call
Photo by Michael Yarish
While I’d like to think I’m Don Draper, there are times you shouldn’t improvise a pitch. One was today while on a call with a client.
With them struggling with ideas to make a design differ from others, I threw something out of left field. “Move the navigation, make it more about the site.” While these might be good ideas, expecting a...
3 tags
Just Kidding, Git Wins Out
I changed my mind regarding choosing Mercurial. Why? Because I’m an indecisive bastard and continued to research Git and Mercurial. After reading countless blog posts, evangelist websites, and forums my mind hurt even more. Then I took a step back and thought about how I really use my tools.
When I program in jQuery, I don’t use .getJSON or any of those shortcuts. I use .ajax with...
2 tags
Caffeine is Sweet →
No, I don’t mean coffee (though I love that too). Caffeine, the Mac app, adds a little icon in your menu bar. Click on it and your computer won’t automatically go to sleep. Click again and it’s back to normal.
I love this because, for security reasons, I’m required to have my computer auto-lock after 10 minutes of non-activity. That gets annoying when someone comes in...
Subversion, Mercurial, and Git...Oh my!
I’ve been researching versioning software pretty heavily since we do not use any at HSPH. Yes, that’s right, none. I have come to the conclusion that Mercurial works best for us.
First, why don’t we use versioning? Well, there really isn’t any good reason. The previous developer didn’t install anything. As Blain and I started working, we continued to use his...
Hurley Almost Won Again! →
The winning numbers for last night’s Mega Millions had 4 of the 6 ‘numbers’ from Lost.
Now where’s that hatch?
Webkit Browser Market Share →
Looks like Internet Explorer is slowly losing it’s market share to Chrome and Safari. This corresponds pretty well with what we’ve seen at HSPH.
HSPH visitor browsers for December 2009 vs 2010:
IE is down from 50% to 42%
Firefox: 31% to 30%
Safari: 12.5% to 17%
Chrome: 4% to 10%
So, while Firefox is remaining steady, the webkit browsers are making a charge. As a web designer,...
1 tag
December, 2010 Uptime
December uptime with Tumblr as my host: 94.70%
On the plus side, it’s free…
2 tags
The Misinformed at the Gym
While Blain is the gym rat, I’ve been going off and on since sophomore year of college. Since Thanksgiving I’m back on a 4 day a week schedule.
My routine consists of a light weight/high rep day, Low rep/high weight day, rotational movements day, and basic core. I usually run for 25 minutes on the non weight lifting days.
Pretty simple and very effective. I...
December 2010
6 posts
Gradient theory 101 →
Ethan explains everything you want to know about CSS3 gradients.
I haven’t used these much. But after reading this, it looks like I should. It’s just too easy, and fun, not to.
“People don’t buy what you do. They buy why you do it.”
– Simon Sinek @ TEDx
When a Scam isn't really a Scam →
This guy sold some tickets on Ebay. The buyer then reneged the day before the event. Some clever messages later he got his money and a phenomenal story.
WatchIn case you missed it. Here’s video of the Metrodome in Minneapolis collapsing on Saturday. I wonder what the guy in the ATV was thinking as he drove off the field just as it came down.
“You can not ask someone to be creative in 15 minutes and really think about a...”
– Jason Fried @ TedxMidwest
November 2010
1 post
4 tags
Adjacent Concepts Testimonial! →
I just wanted to thank Sarah Dussault (aka SarahFit) for the glowing review of Adjacent Concepts.
She had clear goals, and was very receptive to our ideas, just a fantastic client. The kind words are greatly appreciated.
September 2010
1 post
2 tags
Fight the System →
Has this guy been watching us at HSPH? This article speaks to me in so many ways. Changing perception of our team, and even IT, has been an enormous challenge.
August 2010
7 posts
3 tags
2 tags
The @font-face Step No One Tells You
Everyone has been ranting about how great @font-face is lately. If you take a look at my header you’ll see I totally agree. But, if you want your site to work with browsers that don’t support @font-face, you may run into issues with font size.
Many fonts available for embedding do not have the same heights as those typically available (Verdana, Georgia, Comic Sans, etc). This can...
2 tags
Fonts as Icons →
Pictos is a font set that you can embed on your website instead of using icons. Fantastic idea.
Though I wonder how accessible using a single letter to represent an action is. A screen reader would just see that single letter. So, disabled users would be pretty confused.
1 tag
Hide Your Kids, Hide Your Wife →
The sad part, Antoine Dodson’s sister was almost raped. The hilarious part, his rant after was so moving the song based on it hit #3 on iTunes recently. It’s catchy.
Rebus Beer Coasters →
Went to a bar that had these the other day. We tore through about 20. Fantastic way to get people in conversation and comfortable.
3 tags
July 2010
8 posts
“All websites are a form of advertising. You’re fooling yourself to think...”
– Too much MadMen?