Posts From July 2007
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Freelancing 101: How to Get Hired
The number one question about freelancing has got to be “how do you get jobs?”
As a matter of fact, just this morning I received an email from Phil, a bright and talented graphic designer who resides on the British accent continent, about this exact issue. So to answer the question of how to get hired, I am simply going to answer Phil’s email.
It read as thus:
Hi Shawn, I know you alluded to it in your post, but I would definitely like to see a post about how you drum up business. It would be great to see. Hope you are well Phil
I am well. Thank you. And although I cannot promise you wealth and riches, I would be delighted to ramble on and on for a while.
When first stepping into the world of freelance I think anyone and their mom would tell you that doing pro bono publico work is the best way to get your foot in the door. Why would a client pay a stranger to do a job when they could pay a friend? But, if that stranger is willing to work for free – that’s another story.
Additionally, you need to be on top of your professional game and have a network of fellow designers that you know and interact with. Here’s why…
Pro Bono and the Power of Relationships
As a graphic designer the main goal of doing pro bono work isn’t so much to build your portfolio. You could do that at home, deadline free, and under the shade of iTunes. No, the point is of pro bono is to build relationships. One great advantage of being a seasoned designer is having relationships and the repeat business – as well as new word of mouth business – those relationships bring in.
I saw a great example of the potential power of relationships in a twitter from Kyle Neath a few days ago -
Anyone know some good identity designers? I’m debating getting a revamped logo for poetrywithmeaning.com ….
A simple suggestion from any one of the 39 other twitterers he’s following and he’s on his way to hiring a designer. Maybe.
Well here’s a hypothetical situation:
Suppose back in March when Paul had mentioned he wanted a new logo you sent him an email telling him you would love to design some concepts for free. You send some no-strings-attached proofs. Paul likes them. It’s a done deal. Then when Kyle twitters for a recommended logo designer, Paul gives a shout out to you and wa-la. You picked up a job and got your foot in the door and can continue from there.
The bottom line is that you have got to go find yourself those pro bono jobs. Be ruthless. Be obnoxious. Be outgoing. Be like someone who goes after something.
My first pro bono job was a CD packaging. I heard someone chatting about being in the recording studio, and they even talked about who they had hired to do the artwork. But I pulled them aside anyway and mentioned that I would love to do it for free. They liked that idea, hired me, and I was in.
Be On Top of Your Game
One of the first large scale jobs I did was a conference guide. I was hired out by an over-worked and under-staffed marketing team. Once I had the project well on it’s way they brought me in to meet with the marketing director and art director.
I went in with the rough proof printed out, the PDF already open on my laptop and a list of questions / issues that I needed answers to.
The senior marketing director was totally blown away by how organized and prepared I was. He liked me and wanted to work with me again because of my organizational and task-management skills. My job security with these guys was no longer resting in my talent as a designer. So I got hired again and again. And when the marketing director moved jobs, he told the incoming director that I was their number one guy.
Not all situations will be the same. But in a world full of talent you need to be sharp and cool in every area of your trade.
Networks and Friends
I have about half-a-dozen friends that are also freelance designers, artists and/or photographers. Instead of competing with them I try my hardest to work with them. I send them rough proofs of my work for feedback and let them know they can send me artwork as well.
If I ever get a job request that I can’t do I will recommend that client to one of the other guys, glad that I can send them business. And hope that they will do the same in return.
Be a Guerilla
You know I had to say it. But it’s undeniable.
Guerilla. Marketing. It. Is. For. Serious.
Get a cheap used copy of the Guerilla Marketing Handbook and go ape. There are some phenomenal ideas in there that will get those little grey cells working. It’s o.k. to invest a little money in yourself and your business and see where it leads you.
[This article is part of the Freelancing 101 Series]
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Leopard System Preferences
As much as I like the copy-cat Leopard System Prefs Icon I’m not going to download it. When I upgrade to 10.5 this fall I want to savor every little detail. Changing the icon now would be like buying my Haloween costume and wearing it around the house this weekend. It steals a little bit of the novelty.
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Freelancing 101
The World Wide Web has opened up an entire world of opportunity for freelance designers. It doesn’t matter if you live in a big city anymore. You can live in Sundown, Texas and do business for people and companies all over the globe from your home.
Although I have a full-time job that I love, I have been doing freelance print and web work on the side for several years. Primarily because I enjoy it so much, but the extra income ain’t bad either.
This is one of the main things I get asked about by readers and friends. Questions about how I do freelance work; How I get jobs; How much do I charge? Etc…
Therefore I am starting a series called “Freelancing 101.”
I will be giving solutions and answering questions for the freelancer to help you do your job better, stronger and faster.
** If you have any questions you’d like to have answered send me an email:
Shawn Blanc {at} mac {dot} com.
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iPhone Link List Updated
Web Apps. Tutorials and Tips. Hardware Accessories. Miscellaneous. Articles. Reviews.
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Random Screenshots From My Day
Like most of you, I spend the majority of my day on my laptop or in my office. I thought I would catalog a few random moments from my day using screenshots. Enjoy. More →
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Be a Better Designer
As internet surfing and aimless link following will do, I ended up somewhere unexpected: Behavior Design. I was browsing through their job listings and a few things caught my eye and reminded me of one of the most invaluable design lessons I have ever learned.
What I noticed were the job requirements for their Design Lead and Visual Designer openings.
Candidates must have the following qualities:
- Attention to detail and good people-skills
- Self-motivation, discipline, quick-learner, organized
- Excellent verbal, oral and written communication skills
The story goes like this…
When I stepped out of pro-bono work a few years ago my first design job was a book cover.
I was nervous, and I did some research of how to work with and bill clients as a freelance designer. But the forums I read only filled my mind with horror stories of dead-beat clients that over demanded and under paid. I started out with some horrible expectations of how the project was going to work itself out in addition to over confidence in my design ability – which led to many surprises on my end.
For instance: I was shocked when my initial design concept wasn’t approved and they wanted another. Then I was shocked when they wanted to do a custom photo shoot using people they knew instead of the stock photos I had put in.
Since I low-balled my design fee I had to ask for more money at each ‘extra step.’ By the end of the project the invoice was nearly double the original quote. And because of all the (bad) advice I had read online I was extremely pushy about their deposit and the terms of payment.
In fact, I never even had a decent conversation with the client (who – as a matter of fact – was also a friend) about his and my expectations for the work-flow, communication, payment, etc…
Once the book was printed I met up with my friend the project manager to get some swag. He asked if he could talk to me for a few minutes and give some advice. He proceeded to tell me about my obvious lack of people skills. He called out each area of ‘advice’ I had learned from those forums as something that had put a negative pressure on the project and made him feel uncomfortable, and gave me ideas of how to do things better.
That five minute conversation revolutionized the way I have done design work ever since.
If I had just been open and honest at the beginning, laid out my expectations, and allowed some room for “fudge” in my design fee then the whole project would have gone smoother and been more fun for all of us.
That was the first and last time I ever acted like a high-and-mighty graphic designer who treats his clients as if they were perpetually inconveniencing him. Now when I receive a job-request the first sentence in my email reply starts with “thank you.”
Thanks for asking me to do this job. I would love to. If I can get more details about the project and a time-frame then I’ll be able to let you know if I can do it and how much I think it will cost. Then we can move forward with the logistics if you would like to.
I want my clients to know I am honored to work for them, and I am proud to take on their job. Even if we are professionals, aren’t we still just folks?
[This article is part of the Freelancing 101 Series]
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What Apple copied from Microsoft
Jeffery Zeldmen’s article about the power the iPhone has had on his work life is simply outstanding.
My iPhone has made me stop using calendar, contact, and e-mail applications I’ve used day and night for over a decade, and switch to the free — and in some ways less capable — applications that come bundled with Macintosh OS X. [...] Changing years of work habits is not easy. Migrating data, in some cases by hand, takes time I don’t have to spare. Yet I’m making these changes of my own will, and happily.
I think I’ll read it again tomorrow.
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How To: Fix the little legs on your PowerBook Power Supply
Get some Gorilla Glue.
Squeeze Gorilla glue into the hole where your power supply leg use to be.
Squeeze more Gorilla glue onto the end of your broken off leg.
Try not to go crazy with the Gorilla glue.
Take the little broken leg and stick it back into the slot, in the “out” or “open” position.
Use Scotch tape to secure the leg in position.
Wait for 12 hours.
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Hot property – Web Domain Names
I just read CNN’s Article on domain name real estate. It’s like the gold rush. People are buying domain names and selling them. Some sell for millions of dollars. Industry’s market value could reach $4 billion by 2010.
When CNN interviewed Ari Goldberger he said “Dot-com is king, dot-net is worthless.”
All my hopes for this site just went down the toilet.
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One Year Old Today
Glenn’s been blogging for a year:
July 22nd, 2006 stated the opening of this blog. Since then, I’ve published 270+ articles, collecting 4,641+ comments. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed meeting so many new people, creating so many new friendships, and further developing my writing in a community atmosphere.
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Shuffle Songs
In all the days I’ve owned my iPod I’ve never once just shuffled all songs and let it go. After Dave Caolo mentioned that’s all he ever does I decided to try yesterday at the airport; and while my flight was delayed I rediscovered my entire music collection.
I’m hooked.
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iPhone Tips & Tutorials: A semi-comprehensive link list
NOTE: If you know of a link or two (or three) that you think would fit in here, please send it my way: sbnet@mac.com.
Ever since June 29th, 2007 there has been so much development happening for the iPhone it’s crazy. For archive’s (and sanity’s) sake I’ve compiled a list of the iPhone web-apps, developments, tips, tutorials, helpful tid-bits, articles that stand out to me, and more.
This page is a perfect one-stop shop for two types of people:
1) Those who currently have an iPhone and want in on the discoveries and web-apps being published but don’t have time to surf the internet like crazy.
2) Those who hope to get an iPhone some day, don’t want to miss out on the developments taking place right now and are not particularly looking forward to digging through archives.
Apps
- Leaflets – iPhone Apps that grow on you.
- Mojit – Web App Launcher
- 17 Powerful Bookmarklets for your iPhone
- PocketTweets – Twitter for your iPhone
- FlickIM – Chat and media sharing on your iPhone.
- iGTD on your iPhone – Read the TUAW writeup here.
- Box.net – for your iPhone. (duh).
- SeeqPod – Play the internet’s hidden music on your iPhone for free.
- Filemark Maker – Store high res images, text files, and PDFs on an iPhone.
- iTweet – Another Twitter app
- Media Temple Account Center – Custom interface for the iPhone
- iPhone Apper
- Native IM Client
- installer.app – Install iPhone and update apps over wi-fi
- Lights Off – The Game
- The .Mac RSS Reader – Arguably the best one to use
- Hahlo – My Twitter client of choice.
- Frenzic – The Game. It’s addicting.
Tutorials & Tips
- How to put DVDs on the iPhone
- Updating your “Sent from my iPhone” email signature
- Spam-free email for the iPhone
- Saving iPhone applications inside data URLs
- Getting photos from Lightroom to your iPhone
- Telekenesis – Controlling your Mac from your iPhone
- iPhone Scrolling Tip – Use two fingers
- 9 Hacks To Make You Master of Your iPhone – Some lame, some helpful.
- iFuntastic – Modding your iPhone for mere mortals.
- NewsGator Mobil – Your RSS feeds on NewsGator & NetNewsWire optimized for your iPhone. Read on your iPhone and it syncs with your NetNewsWire app on your home computer. Read NewsGator’s post here.
- How to Restart, quit frozen apps and Reset iPhone
- 25 iPhone Power Tips – Mac Life
- How to encode movies and TV shows – To help save valuable space
- iPhone vs. Panera Bread’s Free WiFi – How to get past the splash screen. By Mr. Shaun Inman.
- Install Apps – Easily with no hacking skills required
- How To: Create WebClips Icons – So when someone saves your website to their springboard, an icon is used instead of a cruddy screenshot of your website.
- One Line of Code – Want to make your site look better on the iPhone with one line of HTML?
- Apple’s Guided Tour – Finger Tips and more…
Wallpapers
- iPhone Wallpapers – Greg is my hero
- Mint Wallpapers – For your iPhone. Courtesy of our beloved Shaun Inman.
- Orderdlist iPhone Wallpaper – Perhaps my favorite iPhone wallpaper.
Hardware Accessories
- Better Headphone Adapter for the iPhone
- iPhone Gear – Cases, Screens, cleaners, etc…
- Traditional Leather Case
Articles and Reviews
- TUAW’s iPhone Page
- A Week With the iPhone – A review by Mike Davidson.
- Apple’s iPhone Battery Page – Get some info right from the horse’s mouth.
- The Power of Good UI Design – Phil’s 1 year old masters the iPhone. FSJ wept.
- Engadget’s iPhone Review
- The New Frontier – Macworld article by John Gruber
- Leave Your Laptop Behind
Miscellaneous
- iTrapped – The new way to do iPhone contacts
- Hide-a-Pod – iPhone anti-theft device
- Will it Blend?
- AT&T Marketing Settings – How to adjust your account so you don’t get spam from AT&T.
- iPhone Pepper – Single Column viewing of Mint on your iPhone
- A Mint Button – For faster viewing of your Mint stats
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Thirty Months with a 12-inch PowerBook G4
In January 2005 I made the switch to Mac. I turned in my Dell Inspiron 3800 and crossed over to a 12″ PowerBook G4. It was like going from olive loaf to Kobe, American to gouda, or Kia to BMW. I was blown away.
I was given a freedom that can only be given from a machine that has been “built by people who get it–and by “it” I mean UI/VI design and industrial engineering.”* In Laymen’s terms: Apple’s hardware coupled with OS X make for a consistently enjoyable and captivating user experience.
Thirty months later I am still using my PowerBook every day. For 28 months it has been my primary machine. Seeing me through emailing, note-taking, web-surfing, graphic designing, web-site developing, AIMing and Quicksilvering.
All this time and no official review? Well, that’s all about to change. Read on, my friends. Read on.
The Specs – Numbers and Acronyms
- 12″ PowerBook G4
- 1.33GHz PowerPC Processor
- 1.25 GB of RAM
- 80 GB HDD at 4200 RPM
- 1024 x 768 Screen Resolution
- CD-ROM Combo Drive
- 13 Stickers featuring an old-school Apple logo, Ableton Live, Ride Snowboards and Dakine.
- Affectionately named Reepicheep
Why the 12″?
It was a toss up between the 15″ and the 12″ PowerBooks. I knew I needed a laptop for portability and the iBooks lacked the punch I needed. I liked the size and feel of the 12″ but also liked the extra pixels on the 15″. But ultimately it was my budget that made the decision.
There have been a few times that I have regretted not waiting a bit longer to save the money for the 15″. But for the most part, I have loved this little guy. He can go anywhere, and the custom fitted Brenthaven bag (which they don’t sell anymore) is one sweet accessory.
900 Days of Consecutive Use
I have used my PowerBook to some capacity nearly every day of the 900ish that I’ve owned it. Virtually every area of my life exists on my computer. Work, home and play. As I mentioned earlier – not only do I use it for standard daily tasks, but also for processor-intensive tasks such as print and web design.
It has held up like a champ and a faithful friend. However, I am beginning to notice some lag and general slow-down. The CPU heats up hotter and quicker than it used to, causing the fan to turn on more often. Also, after getting a Mac Pro as my main computer the G4 now seems much more sluggish than before.
What’s Next?
I plan on running my PowerBook into the ground. When Leopard comes out I’ll clean off my hard-drive and give it a nice fresh OS install, and clean app installs as well. Something I’ve only done once in all the time I’ve owned it.
Knowing that my PowerBook won’t last forever, I’ve already begun saving for another laptop. However, 5 minutes with an iPhone at the Apple store diverted the attention of that savings account. But eventually I will need to get a new laptop and when I do it will be a MacBook Pro. Since there is no such thing as a 12″ MBP, and probably never will be, I expect to get the 15″ model. But even if I had the option of a powerful sub-notebook, I think it would be a nice change to go for something with extra screen real estate.
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Casual Fireball
Because The Gruber has spoken, and everything else is commentary.
Minus the wit of the real Gruber and the class of the poor man’s Gruber.
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Get Smart The Movie
The all-new action comedy Get Smart -
Maxwell Smart (Steve Carell) is on a mission to thwart the latest plot for world domination by the evil crime syndicate known as KAOS.
I used to watch this show on Nick at Night all the time when I was a kid. Alas the movie is still 11 months away and has Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in a key role.
I wonder what his shoe phone will look like.
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The Shawny Nash Show
The “Unofficial” onething Videocast launched tonight. Hosted by your’s truly and co-hosted by onething marketing director, Candace Nashman. It’s extremely raw, but that’s what makes it “unnoficial.”
We shot the first two episodes tonight using a Canon PowerShot A85 that could only record 3 minutes of video (you’ll see in episode 2).
Watch the Pilot Episode Here, and Episode Two here.
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100 Blogs in 100 Days
Ben Gray is stepping up his game
Following in the footsteps of what Jennifer Garrett did 2 years ago, I’ve decided to read and write a review on 100 blogs in 100 days.
Clear your calendars until October 24th.
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sentenc.es
I’ve written about e-mail overload issues in the past, and today I’m presenting what I believe is a simple, low-fi solution: sentenc.es.
I am adding a link to five.sentenc.es in my email signature for 7 days as an experiment.
UPDATE: The first response to the sentenc.es link – “I read your tag – you wouldn’t believe this email I have that’s so long I have been waiting years to reply to it. It’s like twenty pages and I keep meaning to . . . argh!”
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Price of Freedom
Matt M. responds to a question about people who steal designs and code.
Though the freedom intrinsic in the GPL that has allowed people to abuse WordPress it has allowed even more people to do amazing things and over time the good far, far outweighs the bad.
If you use WordPress you should read this. Heck, if you don’t use it you should still read it.
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iPhone? I won’t be next.
Chris Lester from the Kansas City star gives his two cents on Steve Jobs and the iPhone:
Jobs’ iPod has become the ubiquitous doohickey of the modern age, so hip and seemingly essential for the gadget crowd that it has become a cultural cliche in just a few short years. [...] The iPhone…might, in fact, be the way of the future.
Did he say doohicky?
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Why Apple Will Never Make a 12-inch MacBook Pro
At WWDC last month many fans of the 12-inch PowerBook G4 were hoping to see an announcement of it’s counterpart within the MacBook Pro lineup. Despite rumors going back and forth over the past 18 months nobody was certain. But sadly, no mention was made.
Since WWDC there have been the updates on the 15- and 17-inch MBP screens and the rumors of the new iMac line and the death of the 17″ iMac. But still no rumors of an ultra-powerful ultra-portable.
Apple’s product line
After reading John’s article on OS X-Based iPods, it became apparent as to why we will not see a 12-inch MacBook Pro. John says, “Apple treats its product line-up like a product itself — it is designed to be obvious and easy to understand.”
Look at the computer lineup. It’s incredibly easy to pick just the right computer.
- Do you work from home and need something with 20,000,000 horsepower? Get a MacPro.
- Do you only check your email and want a little remote control to pump the jams? Get an iMac.
- Do you work hard whenever and wherever you want? Get a MacBook Pro.
- Do you check your email from the local coffee shop, and still want a little remote control to pump the jams? Get a MacBook.
No Room
Take a look at their MacBook page. Apple hasn’t left any place for a 12-inch MBP.
The plastic MacBooks are marketed towards iLife and Front Row users – something you don’t need the power of a MacBook Pro to do; while the pro lineup is marketed towards video and image editing – something you need more screen real estate for.
Buried
Apple has told us that a person needing more punch from their laptop also needs more pixels. Although many of us would love to see an ultra portable powerhouse it’s obvious that the 12-inch PowerBook has been buried in order to leave less clutter in the Macintosh product line.
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Multi-Touch on the Desktop
If you’re one of the people who think that a multi-touch monitor is a good idea, try this little experiment: touch the top and bottom of your display repeatedly for five minutes. Unless you’re able to beat the governor of California in an arm wrestling match, you’ll give up well before that time limit. [...] The bottom line is that we’ve only just begun a journey that will fundamentally change the way we interact with machines
I love furbo.org because Craig actually knows what he’s talking about.
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My Five Favorite Apps as a Multi-Mac User
At home I have a Mac Pro I use as my main workstation. I also have a 12″ PowerBook that I take everywhere I go.
The more identical these two computers are the better. I want them to have the same desktop wallpaper, the same dock apps, the same everything. I want my project lists, my emails, my RSS feeds and my web-development to all be synced and mirrored on both computers.
It took me a while, but I found applications that work with my daily routine that will sync between two computers, making it easy to have a seamless work-flow from my Mac Pro to my PowerBook and back again.
.Mac
This is the first step for anyone with more than one Mac computer.
Dot Mac will sync the bulk of your most important, ever changing info. Such as
- Safari bookmarks
- Your grandma’s new email address
- Your friends’ wireless network password
- Your latest email signature
- That hot date next Friday
- … and more …
Email – Go IMAP
If you’re using a desktop email client such as Mail.app or Entourage, you want organize your email on the server. It will be oodles easier to read and manage your email from several different computers. To do this, simply use an IMAP email.
With IMAP set up you can create folders on your mail server to help you stay orgainzed. These folders are automatically synced between your two computers. On my .Mac email account I have a ‘Reply’ folder, a ‘Follow Up’ folder and a ‘Hold’ folder.
If I’m on my desktop at home and can’t respond to an email right away, I drop it into the reply folder. Then, when I am on my laptop checking email later, I view what’s in the reply folder to see what emails I need to respond to. And since it’s IMAP I don’t have to re-sort all my email when I check it on a different computer. It stays synced.
Feed Reader – NetNewsWire
I prefer to use a desktop feed reader so I can catch up on feeds when I’m traveling. But there’s nothing worse than checking my feeds in the morning on my desktop computer, and then opening up my feed reader later in the afternoon on my laptop only to have to re-read 150 posts I already went through.
NetNewsWire flawlessly syncs with multiple computers so my laptop knows what I already read on my desktop, and vice-a-versa.
Project and Task Managment – iGTD
Four letters: iGTD.
I can add, delete and edit anything and iGTD keeps itself identical between multiple computers. Making projects, ToDo lists, and everything else easily available on both computers.
Web Development – Coda
I have fallen in love with Coda.
With Coda it is extremely simple to do server side editing. Making it an ideal program for average web developer who codes at home and at the coffee shop.
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How to Write a WordPress Plugin
Ronald Huereca wrote a phenomenal series on How to Write a WordPress Plugin. You can check out the whole series on Devlounge, and now even download the tutorial in PDF.
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PHILEAS.
Greg Storey has a great idea -
If you have a minute take a photo of how you normally digest my attempts molding the English language into sentences and if the response is decent I’ll whip something up for us all to take a look at.
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Waiting for an iPhone to save $175?
In one of the first such studies, 90% of 200 owners said they were “extremely” or “very” satisfied with their phone. [...] The findings are “pretty much off the charts,” says Jason Kramer, Interpret’s chief strategy officer. Half the [iPhone] buyers switched from another carrier. [half of those half were from Verizon]
Makes you wonder how many people have already decided to buy an iPhone and are just waiting for their current contract to run out.
I am waiting — only 77 days left on my Verizon contract.
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Email Etiquette, email organization, email sheemail.
It seems as if there has been extra chatter regarding email lately, and I am inspired.
This post has been sitting in the back of my mind for a while. Well, no more, I say! Here is a small handful of hip articles regarding email.
- Guy Kawasaki & the art of the 5-sentence email – [Merlin Mann, or Guy Kawasaki I guess]
- How To: Clean up and Organize your Inbox – [The Fight Spot]
- The hidden art of email communication: etiquette is everything – [Andy White]
- 6 Ways To Organize Your Mail Application – [Glenn Wolsey]
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Spam and Ham
Akismet Spam Stats:
From 0 to 1,000,000: 70 days From 1,000,000 to 100,000,000: 190 days 100,000,000 to 1,000,000,000: 257 days 1 billion to 2 billion: 108 days
Akismet has fried over 10,000 spam comments at The Fight Spot.
Check out the Akismet live stats page for a nifty graph of Ham (legit comments) versus Spam (non-legit / pain in the rear comments).
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The Sean Sperte Interview
I have had the priveledge of getting to know Sean Sperte over the past several months. He is the Director of Web Ministries at The City Church and Generations Church (both of which were listed on a top 10 Church sites article featured on the Digg homepage).
Sean also publishes his own weblog, one of my favorites, Geek & Mild.
I love Geek & Mild’s design. What all went into it?
Well thanks! I’m quite fond it it myself. The current design took about two weeks worth of free evenings (or about 30 hours) to complete, from concept to launch. I had some inspiration:I designed Geek & Mild like I do all my web projects. I started with a blank canvas in Photoshop. From there I used guides to fashion a grid, and then I worked on the design elements. The design has evolved slightly since I created and launched it — mostly the typography and vertical rhythm. I have some plans for upgrading the design in the near future. I’d like to unify the archives a bit, and make the first-time visit more usable for readers.
- The black band across the top was inspired by an early design for 31three.com that Jesse Bennett-Chamberlain showed me. His design featured a masthead that resembled a stitched ribbon. When he abandoned the design, I was disappointed, so I decided to try it out for myself.
- The upside-down tabs were inspired by a website I happened across via CSSImport about a year ago. I love the way they implemented the different color schemes per section.
- The typography is inspired by the sites of Matt Thomas, Greg Storey, Cameron Moll, and John Gruber.
- Of course, the layout of links and posts formatted as inline was popularized by Jason Kottke and John Gruber.
You’re the ‘Director of Web Ministries’ at your church. What does a good day look like for you?
I’m at my desk most of the day, most days. I have two regularly scheduled meetings per week; one is an all-staff prayer meeting and the other is a media department meeting. On most days I have one or two major projects (website redesign, mini-site, logo, book cover, etc.) on my task list. Those projects take the majority of my “productivity-time”, or the time I don’t use for repetitive tasks, such as simple website updates, podcast updates, etc. It’s been said that The City Church has just two speeds: Wait and Go Fast. For the media department (of which the Web Ministries is a part of), the Go Fast speed is pretty much the constant. My job really takes on the form of whatever it takes for the current emphasis or season the church is in — so no two days look the same.
How do you think Christians can use the web and technology for revival purposes?
It’s all about communication. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. If we can harness the incredible power and potential of the internet for communicating, and couple it with the timeless truth of the Word of God, I believe we will see supernatural results. The key is to obey the Holy Spirit. He’s not oblivious to technology, and He knows best how to utilize it to advance the Kingdom. If we, in our own ingenuity and strength, try to prove our methods of reaching the lost or changing our culture, we may at best see some (non-lasting) fruit, and at worst possibly disqualify ourselves from what God wants to do. Remember what the master said to the servant who buried his talent. He called him wicked. Yikes! To put it simply, we have an advantage the world does not: The Holy Spirit. All we need to do is obey His prompting and be open to His creative methods.
Do you have any advice for pastors who blog or are considering blogging?
The nature of blogging is very subjective and emotional. Be very cautious when you’re writing to not say anything you may regret in a year or ten years. Remember that what is spoken from the pulpit may be heard by hundreds, or perhaps thousands, but what’s written and published on the internet has a potential audience of millions upon millions — and isn’t easily deleted once it’s published. Server and search engine caches keep that data stored indefinitely. Be careful!
What programs do you use to do your job?
For email I use Entourage (to access our church’s Exchange Server). For design I use Adobe Photoshop CS3 and Illustrator CS3. For development I’m using a combination of TextMate, Coda and CSSEdit. For video podcast preparation I’m using QuickTime Pro and the Turbo.264 from el gato. For PowerPoint creation I use PowerPoint on a PC, as well as Keynote on occasion. I also use a few online web apps: CampaignMonitor, Backpack, Mint, and FeedBurner. I’m sure there are more, I just can’t recall them at the moment (and I’m not at my work desk).
What Apple gear do you own?
I have my 15-inch PowerBook G4 (January 2005), a 1st-gen iPod nano (white) and a 2nd-gen iPod shuffle (orange). At work I use a dual-2.3ghz PowerMac G5 and a 23-inch ACD, and a 5th-gen iPod video (black). I should also mention I own (and carry with me) a white Nintendo DS. :)
If money was no object, but you could only purchase one thing from Apple; what would it be?
Hard question! As much as I think I could benefit from upgrading to an Intel-based laptop (probably a MacBook Pro), I think I’d have to say I’d go for the iPhone. Reason being: The iPhone is Apple’s flagship product at the moment, and everything they’re doing seems to be focused on or around it. I feel very much out of the loop not owning one. Although my PowerBook is definitely feeling its age, it’s still chuggin’ along like the work-horse it is — and I don’t NEED to upgrade.
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Backup
If you don’t already have one, now is as good a time as any to get an external hard-drive to backup with. Lord knows how sad you’ll be if your computer crashes and you lose all your data. Especially now that you’ve read this post; you’ll be extra sad. Like Alanis sang about in that one song.
External hard drives are, in fact, quite cheap. Get a LaCie. I’ve owned a few and they’re bullet proof.
If you’re a smart shopper, get a refurbished LaCie. That’s what I have plugged into my Mac Pro right now. A LaCie d2 Extreme – and they’re not kidding.
I back-up every night. At first I tried Carbon Copy Cloner, which is a free backup software that lots of folks swear by. I had trouble with it so I bought SuperDuper!. Now I sleep well every night, knowing my John Mayer albums are safe and sound.
Postscript: If you don’t want an external drive – and you have a speedy internet connection – you can backup with Mozy. Backup everything for $4.95 a month, or 2GB worth for free.
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Commercial
Without giving it away, this is a great ad.
My wife’s first words were, “Oh my gosh. That was brilliant!”
Watch it twice.
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Semi-Sans-Comments
Smack-Fu goes kinda comment free -
Comments for full entries may be handled a little differently … The focus has very much become delivering content, ultimately, worth reading.
When commentors don’t rule the site, content becomes king of the mountain.
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Safari vs Firefox
Safari 3 Faces Off Against Firefox
A side by side comparison of the two in giving you a better understanding of them and letting you make the choice of which one you would like to use.
I never use Firefox unless I’m browswer checking.
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Emerald Nuts
Avoid your 3pm slump with Emerald Nuts . The videos are especially entertaining durring your lunch break.
And then there’s the Robert Goulet Snooz Bar site
The Snooze Bar is more than just a greenish molten lump that vibrates before thunderstorms, it’s a lifestyle.
La da dee la da da…
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iPhone in Depth: the Ars Review
iPhone in Depth: the Ars Review
a.k.a. “The Mother of all iPhone Reviews”, for those who just can’t get enough.
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Seven Weblogs too well Designed to Read via RSS
Some of my daily reads that I often click out of my RSS reader to read from the site itself. These blogs have stellar content and a beautiful design.
Geek & Mild
By Sean Sperte
Airbag
By Greg Storey
Authentic Boredom
By Cameron Moll
5ThirtyOne
By Derek Punsalan
Subtraction
By Khoi Vinh
Jason Santa Maria
By Jason Santa Maria
The Big Noob
By Keegan Jones
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Apple’s Sloppy Naming
Seth Godin on Apple’s ever-changing product names.
Apple’s sloppiness has cost them millions of dollars in legal fees and settlements, not to mention making it hard for the team to keep up with the engineers.
“Who cares about naming? We’re trying to start a religion.”
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Typefaces no one gets fired for
Make a list. Tested typefaces that are rock-solid reliable for print, web, or both.
Cameron wrote this nearly a year ago, and I have referenced it several times in my own work and when helping others.
Linking it here for archive’s sake.
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787
The 787 is a family of airplanes in the 200- to 300-seat class that will carry passengers on routes between 3,500 and 8,500 nautical miles (6,500 to 16,000 kilometers). The 787 will allow airlines to offer passengers more of what they want: affordable, comfortable, nonstop, point-to-point travel to more destinations around the world.
My uncle was one of the original test pilots for the Boeing 747. Him and a buddy were doing tests at the Las Vegas airport, but had some difficulties and had to sit on the runway for a few hours. He invited some workers to come in and check out the new plane. A local radio station heard the news that the ariplane was on the ground and announced they were giving tours. Half the city showed up to check out the bathrooms, and see the slot for used razor blades.
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The New 7 Wonders of the World
They announced the new 7 Wonders of the World today.
The Great Wall of China, Petra in Jordan, Brazil’s statue of Christ the Redeemer, Peru’s Machu Picchu, Mexico’s Chichen Itza pyramid, The Colosseum in Rome and India’s Taj Mahal.
What? No iPhone?
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Pixelated Ecstasy and Breakneck Processors – My Mac Pro Workstation
In January of 2004 I bought my first Mac. A 12″ 1.33GHz PowerBook G4. It was my first step into the world of print and web design. My PowerBook was so sweet and so fast that I never thought I’d buy a desktop. But – like many others accross the world – everything changed when the Mac Pro was announced in 2006.
Recently I began to see that my G4 wouldn’t cut it for much longer. I originally had plans to upgrade to a 15″ MacBook Pro. But since my PowerBook was still working (just not for design work) I started looking at the 24″ iMacs. But as I did the research I realized the Mac Pro was the obvious choice. I worked several extra freelance jobs and pinched my pennies. Finally, just a few weeks ago in May, I bought my dream machine.
Breakneck Processing
- Mac Pro Quad 3.0GHz Intel Xeon – “Woodcrest”
- Two 3.0GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon processors
- 4GB (4 x 512MB) / (2 X 1GB) memory (667MHz DDR2 fully-buffered DIMM ECC)
- 250GB Serial ATA 3Gb/s 7200 rpm hard drive
- 16x SuperDrive (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
- ATI Radeon X1900 XT with 512MB memory
- Affectionately Named “Azlan”
Pixelated Ecstasy
- Apple Cinema HD Display
- 23-inch (viewable)
- 1920 x 1200 optimal resolution
- 16.7 million colors
- DVI Display Connector
- 2 port USB 2.0 Hub
- 2 FireWire 400 ports
- VESA mount compatible
Why This Setup?
- The Mac Pro’s Upgradeability: I can’t imagine needing a more powerful machine. But the ‘upgradeability’ of the Mac Pro is one of it’s most attractive characteristics. Getting more RAM and/or more hard-drive space is extremely simple and affordable if I am ever in need of them.
- The Beauty of the Apple Cinema Display: There is quite a bit of talk out there about what brand screen to buy – Dell or Apple. I went with the 23″ Apple Cinema HD Display for one main reason: I sit at my desk, working at my screen for several hours a day, and I wanted be proud about the screen I was working on and staring at. I wanted it to be worthy of the powerhouse it was plugged into. The idea of setting up a Dell display with my Mac felt odd to me. Sorta like eating a veggie burger – all the components would have been there, but something’s not right. That’s why the extra cost for the Apple Display was worth it. So that my work and play experiences while at my desk would be as enjoyable as possible.
Working on my Mac Pro
Two words: Smokin’ fast.
The speed jump from my 1.33 GHz G4 PowerBook to the Quad Core was outrageous. Like driving a clunky Volkswagon Rabbit, and then sitting down behind the wheel of an 850 Horse-Power Shelby. I cannot imagine a faster, more powerful machine.
It begs to be pushed to it’s limits simply so it can show off – and without even breaking a sweat.
When no apps are running, Photoshop CS3 will start up in about 3 seconds. When I drag a file over the mail.app dock icon, it starts up Mail and opens the new message with the attachment almost as soon as I let off the mouse. I can easily have Photoshop and Illustrator running with several large files open in both programs while smoothly tabbing between them without a hiccup (or beach ball).
When it comes to getting things done, it’s one thing to have a focused work flow and an organized system, but there is something that a Mac Pro will do for your productivity that nothing else could.
P.S. It’s Refurbished
I saved a substantial amount of money by getting my Mac Pro and Cinema Display through Apple’s refurbished online store. I had the money ready to spend, and so I waited. Each day I would check the refurbished page to see what was for sale. Then one day the 3.0 Quad Core and the 23″ Display showed up, and I bought them right away.
I didn’t have to settle on what computer I would purchase. In fact, I was able to buy something better than I had originally priced out for much less than I would have paid for a new model.
The Mac Pro came with 2 Gigs of Ram already installed, so I bought two more gigs through Crucial to finish the setup.
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O2 not selling the iPhone
According to this report (you’ll need a translator to read it) O2 has not signed a contract to sell the iPhone after all.
O2 have to no agreement distribute the iPhone of Apple in the United Kingdom.
Translation: 12 Million depressed O2 customers.
I am with Verizon, so I know how they feel.
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The Apple Who Thought Too Much
A short, hand-sketched story uploaded to Flickr. (No relation to Steve Jobs.)
[Via Longbrake]
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Let there be web divisions
The skills of Marketing, like the skills of IT, don’t necessarily map to what is needed to create great web experiences. For one thing, as anyone reading this knows, the web is a conversation. Marketing, by contrast, is a monologue. It can be a great monologue. But a monologue and conversation are not the same, as an hour spent with your windy Uncle Randolph will remind you.
I had a conversation with our director of marketing this afternoon on this very subject. How can we get a more managable and user friendly website? We landed on the same answer as Jeff, but we didn’t have a catchy post title like his.
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Why Daring Fireball is Comment Free
It’s January 15, 2007 and I download the Macworld Podcast #68 to listen to on a trip to L.A. The first 57 minutes John Gruber and Cabel Sasser talk about iPhone and iTV and Panic.
But what made this podcast stand out — so much so that I archived it to quote six months later — is that right towards the end John answers why there are no comments on Daring Fireball:
I wanted to write a site for someone it’s meant for. That reader I write for is a second version of me. I’m writing for him. He’s interested in the exact same things I’m interested in; he reads the exact same websites I read. I want him to like this website so much that he reads it from the top to the bottom, and he reads everything. Every single word. The copyright statement, what software I use, he’s read it all.
If I turn comments on, that goes away. It’s not that I don’t like sites with comments on, but when you read a site with comments it automatically puts you, the reader, in a defensive mode where you’re saying, “what’s good in this comment thread? What can I skim?”
It’s totally egotistical. I want Daring Fireball to be a site that you can’t skim if you’re in the target audience for it. You say, “Oh, a new article from John. I need to read it,” and your deadlines go whizzing by because you have to read what I wrote.
If I turn comments on I feel like it’s two different directions. You get to the end of my article and you’re like, “let’s see if there’s anything interesting. Let’s see if there’s any names I know.” That’s really it. Sometimes a design decision is what you don’t put in, as opposed to what you put in.
That may be one of the best reasons to write a weblog.
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FeedBurner for Everyone
Beginning yesterday, two of FeedBurner’s previously for-pay services, TotalStats and MyBrand, will be free.
What I like about feedburner is (1) you can set it and forget it; (2) easy stat tracking.
FeedBurner Stats PRO You will now have access to the number of people who have viewed or clicked individual content items in your feed and “Reach,” which estimates the daily number of subscribers who interacted with your feed content. MyBrand: Lets you maintain consistency between your feed address and your hosted website’s domain, if matchy-matchy is your thing.
It took me less than a minute to set up the Stat’s PRO on both my sites. It will be interesting to see how their tracking compares with Mint.
I already use Steve’s Feedsmith plugin] to re-direct this site’s feed through feedburner. I’m not sure if the “My Brand” link is worth the touble or not to set up. I had to send an email to FeedBurner requesting to set it up.
after newly activating either of these features or services, you’ll notice a nifty new “PRO” badge next to your feed(s) on My Feeds page.
Their way of now saying that “everyone” is special.
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10 Awesome Hi-Resolution Desktop Wallpapers
For those who change their desktop more often than their socks. And each one is in big, fat, hi-resolution.
1. Sunlit Span
Download “Sunlit Span” via Interfacelift
2. Vancouver Dusk
Download “Vancouver Dusk” via Interfacelift
3. Desktop Friday – 28
Download “Desktop Friday 28″ via Glenn Wolsey
4. Ebo One – Apple
Download “Ebo One – Apple” via zephir_350d
5. Apple
Download “Apple” via wcm1111
6. Old World
Download “Old World” via Ironix
7. Foggy Morning
Download “Foggy Morning” Via Interfacelift
8. Airbag Wallpaper
Download Via Airbag Industries
9. Superman
Download “Superman” via Iconfactory
10. Snowscape
Download “Snowscape” Via Socksoff
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Re: Linked Lists on Blogs
I’m thinking about implementing a Linked List into my site much like what John Gruber does on Daring Fireball. I stumble across so many cool stories which don’t warrant a full post, but I’d like to make my opinion known on which makes me think it’d be a good idea to implement this feature.
This is 80% of why I started up shawnblanc.net. I read sites like Daring Fireball and Geek & Mild every day — it’s the linked lists (and the accompanying commentary) that make them great and the articles that push them over the top.
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Regarding Refurbished Macs
Mactalk:
If you’re after a Mac or an iPod on the cheap, but good as new, take a look at the refurbished products – whatever you may think of buying a resurrected iPod or Mac, you can’t deny the value for money.
I agree. My Mac Pro and 23-inch Apple Cinema Display are both refurbished, I got my bluetooth keyboard from eBay, and everything works and looks perfect.
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The Dream Trumps the Plan
If you want to build a ship, don’t teach men to build a boat. Teach them to yearn for the wide and open sea.
- Saint-Exupéry
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Coda
Up until a few days ago I was using TextWrangler, Transmit & Safari for all my web development. After I downloaded and demoed Coda to build Shawn Blanc {dot} Net everything changed.
Coda has opened my eyes to the possibility of an extremely easier CSS/HTML/FTP workflow. But I’m not sold just yet … if you know of an app you think beats Coda for my amature web-foo, please send me an email.
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Grand Opening
Today is my 26th Birthday. To celebrate I have launched Shawn Blanc {dot} net.
Welcome
This irresistable weblog is officially opening today – July 2nd, 2007.
Quick Tour
- RSS: http://shawnblanc.net/feed
- COMMENTS: You may notice that comments are disabled. Not because I don’t want to here from you. Because I want you to read the posts and articles for no other reason than simply because you want to.
- ASIDES vs ARTICLES: Asides are posted with smaller, sans-serif headings. Articles are posted with big, fat Georgia. Expect a few asides each day, and a few articles each month. And the only guarantee is that nothing on this site is guaranteed.
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Installed Mint about 3 minutes before Announcing shawnblanc.net
I installed Mint about 3 minutes before Announcing shawnblanc.net
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The Truth About Good Leaders
To be a good leader you have to do what nobody else is doing even though everyone else wants to. You have to blaze the trail.
That Moment – when you are sitting right on the edge of something daring and scary and creative and powerful and perhaps wonderful… and you blink and take a step back. That’s the moment. The moment between you and remarkable. Most people blink. Most people get stuck. All the hard work and preparation and daring and luck is nothing compared with the ability to not blink. - Seth Godin
Having the ability to make choices and follow through is what seperates the men from the boys. Those following are only trying to do what the someone else already did because they didn’t have the self-discipline to make it happen on their own.
Once you’ve blazed that trail you have to make a way for others.
The best leaders serve those who are watching. They do what’s best for everyone around. They’re servants.
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Cubs Win
We thought someone in our neighborhood was going patriotic on us when they recently painted their house white, the shutters blue and the trim red. But they painted the finishing touches to their garage today and looks like we were wrong – they’re Cubs fans.
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That’s What I’m Talking About
I got this email today:
Shawn, I want to send you some awesome coffee from a nearby roaster. The coffee is called Peru a la Florida. It is an organic fair trade coffee. Would you like the beans or already ground? My family and I will be at IHOP for our family vacation in August. Do not forget that we want to take you to Chipotle and Starbucks next store for desert.
Thanks Marc! Whole please. And I never forget Chipotle and Starbucks.
