Design Challenges

2009 Superbowl

Last weekend, I like many others, went over to gather with some friends and watch the most important American sporting event of the year. It occured to me that sports have gotten stale. This year most folks were not excited to watch the game. I don't know if it was the teams, or the half time act (sorry Bruce), but most people where not looking forward to the gathering. I do know that it wasn't the host, he is one of the most likeable guys around, but most people decided not to make the party.

TV and other media mediums are also suffering from being stale. Magazines and newspapers are a dying medium, not because people don't want to read, or be in the know, but because they have evolve to get the information from the Web, in a more instant manner. As such these mediums re-invented themselves to provide up to the minute news, and the latest information in the niches for their audience.

It is time for footbal to re-invent itself. After a great debate during the party, here are some ideas the NFL can use to provide a more entertaining experience and a greater challenge for the teams.

1. Why do a simple kick to a goal post. This just doesn't seem to be a big challenge. Most teams earn the extra point after the sweet touchdown. After all, how hard is it to get an oval shape, leather wrapped, piece of rubber through a Goal posts that is 10 feet high and 18 feet, 6 inches wide. I propose that they make the goal post more interactive to provide a better challenge. For example, if the team is 50 feet from the goal, then the post should remain as is. For every 10 feet they move closer, the post should become 3 feet narrower, so that when the team is at the goal line, the post should be 6 feet wide.

2. For an added more challenging experience with a bigger reward, the team can then opt for a three point conversion by allowing the goal post to sway from side to side.

3. Another addition to the match is to learn from the very popular sport of orchestrated wrestling (WWE). Teams can opt to give up one of their time outs in exchange for sending in a special player at any time in the middle of a play from any spot of the sidelines to block that very special, yet fabulous play as seen during the 2009 superbowl. I'm speaking about the 100-yard interception return for a touchdown by Pittsburgh linebacker James Harrison. Think how funny and amussing it would have been to seen a Cardinal run in a pick up Harrison and run him all the way back to the starting point and convert that interception into a touchdown. Of course, this would be quite a challenge, first to knock down a 250LB player and then pick him up and run him back. This would yield a 14 point conversion, surely to put some distance between the two teams.

The bottom line is that altough this are mere farce suggestions, every industry should find a way to reinvent themselves. A way to captivate the audience they once secured, to get back the dollars they once had. If every series ran the same plot line, if every movie had the same theme, they would cease to exist, but why are we still watching a game which has not changed over the course of its history. Sure, players have change, but the game has not. I started following the game, but two years, all I can say is that I'm already bored and not looking forward to the same all next season. The NFL needs to do a better job to sell me back on.

Labels: advertising, brand, Entertainment, Freedom of Speech, techniques, Video Games

Homes and life expectancies for major appliances

With the economy in the toilet, and Florida being one of the highest foreclosures rated states, I'm been thinking about taking my cash and reallocating it towards purchasing a home, this being a buyers market and all.

What does this really mean, it means that the people who are selling their homes are doing so because they have to, not because they want to. Meaning you are able to secure a house for a lower price than normal, sometimes even less than current market value deems the house. This also means that houses available on the market are slim pickings. Again, people are selling because they have to move.

Because we have the upper hand, we don't just want to settle for the first house we see, even though some of the houses are magnificent, they just don't satisfy 100% percent of our need. Some of the things you may want to look at when purchasing a home is the life expectancy of appliances, with so many houses needing renovations in my local area, I went ahead and look this up and found this list from Freddie Mac.

One of the things we are looking at is kitchen remodeling, it seems to me that this is why we are a nation of obese individuals, we focus so much energy into kitchens because as Americans all we do is think about food, dream about food, and live our life revolving about food. With that in mind, some sites estimate a kitchen remodeling job to run $3,000-$100,000 but average $12,000-$22,000. Better Homes and Gardens provides some sample kitchen layouts and ideas for cheap updates.

The bottom line is that nothing beats being patient. Don't rush into purchasing a home. This is a big purchase and you'll know the right home when you walk into it. If you are going to do any updates, be sure to get at least three different quotes from licensed contractor and more importantly ask for references and if you are able to visit some of their customers homes, even if you intent not to visit the home, if they say yes then you know your working with a good contractor, if they say no, RUN!!!!

Labels: demonstrations, Features, Florida, Jacksonville, techniques, visitors

Google Chrome

Web designers faced many challenges, among them the compatibility across all browsers. In 2004, I downloaded Opera, and it became my rule of thumb that if it worked and looked good in Opera, it would be fine in all other browsers.

Then came a new version of Opera, and my rule went out the door. I know was creating sites and testing in three different browsers. I was testing in Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Opera. I could care less about Safari or Mac browsers because at the time Apple was in the toilet and most were using PC.

Since 2004 many things have changed. Most households have adopted some flavor of computer and some sort of broadband. Each of the aforementioned browsers have evolved and have required many more band-aids across the board. CSS has also evolved and with it many more problems have followed. In June of this year (2008), I wrote a post alluding to Google putting all these broswers to shame with some standards.

Well the Google browser is now here. As with all Google products is a beta release and shall remain so for the upcoming years to follow. I download the savior last week and have been playing on and off with it. Test driving it if you will. As with most Google creations, it is simple, yet powerful enought to calculate your most visited sites and minimizes the crashes. Although it provides a lot of features, it somehow lacks flare.

I opened a few pages that have tweaks and patches and for the most part it looks like all sytems are a go.

The bottom line is that with the release of Chrome I hope to be able to diminish the patches, but the future looks gloomy thus far, I spoke with a few friends in the space and most had yet to hear of the browser, let alone taken it out for a test drive. Hopefully our Savior has come, but only time will tell.

Labels: CSS, Google, Search Engine, SEO, techniques, test

iGoogle Themes

Last year Google introduced iGoogle, an addition to the Google Web site that allows customization, thereby creating an individual homepage for each user. You can login to your personalized page via the iGoogle top right menu on the Google homepage.

Not only do you get to use the predefined gadgets, but you can add your customized RSS feeds or create your own gadgets via the Web developer tools.

Today I noticed that Google was featuring theme images for the iGoogle homepage. It got me intrigued and I starting browsing the many themes available. Thus far I had been using the beach theme which changes it looks depending on the weather and time of the day. However, there are many other themes available. You can even give it a world and create your own themes. I haven't experimented yet, but hopefully I will be giving it a whirl soon.

The bottom line is that Google chooses to keep improving every product, first came iGoogle, then came Google Tabs, followed by Google Themes, now iGoogle social networking via design your own themes, user rating, user comments and FAQ. This company knows how to get things going and keep going. Google guys, forget American Idol, you are my new idols.

Labels: Alexa, CSS, Design, Google, RSS, Search Engine, Social Bookmarking, software, techniques, Web Design, Web Searches

Warren Buffet

There was a one hour interview on CNBC with Warren Buffet,
the second richest man who has donated $31 billion to charity.
Here are some very interesting aspects of his life:

1. He bought his first share of stock at age 11 and he now
regrets that he started too late!
2. He bought a small farm at age 14 with savings from delivering
newspap ers.
3. He still lives in the same, small 3-bedroom house in midtown
Omaha that he bought after he got married 50 years ago. He says
that he has everything he needs in that house. His house does
not have a wall or a fence around it.
4. He drives his own car everywhere and does not have a driver
or security people around him.
5. He never travels by private jet, although he owns the world's
largest private jet company.
6. His company, Berkshire Hathaway, owns 63 companies. He
writes only one letter each year to the CEOs of these companies,
giving them goals for the year. He never holds meetings or calls
them on a regular basis. He has given his CEO's only two rules.
Rule number 1: Do not lose any of your shareholder's money.
Rule number 2: Do not forget rule number 1.
7. He does not socialize with the high society crowd. His pastime
after he gets home is to make himself some popcorn and watch
television.
8. Bill Gates, the world's richest man, met him for the first time
only 5 years ago. Bill Gates did not think he had anything in
common with Warren Buffet. So, he had scheduled his meeting
only for half hour. But when Gates met him, the meeting lasted
for ten hours and Bill Gates became a devotee of Warren Buffet.
9. Warren Buffet does not carry a cell phone, nor have a
computer on his desk.

His advice to young people: 'Stay away from credit cards and
invest in yourself and remember:
A. Money doesn't create the man, man created money.
B. Live your life as simple as you are.
C. Don't do what others say. Just listen to them, but do what
makes you feel good.
D. Don't go on brand name. Wear those things in which you
feel comfortable.
E. Don't waste your money on unnecessary things. Spend on
tho se who really are in need.
F. After all, it's your life. Why give others the chance to rule
your life?'

Labels: advertising, planes, techniques, TV

Women are equal to problems

Since the dawn of time women have been declared as problems. If you believe in the design explained in the bible, where a God created man and then woman, then woman sinned and caused a lifetime of damnation by eating the apple, then you can certainly understand why women are designed to be a lifetime of problems for the male specie.

I received an email from a friend today mathematically proving that women are problems.

Here goes the algebraic proof:

1. To find a woman you need time and money.

Woman = time x money

2. As we all know, Time is money.

money = time

3. With some substitution based on the two statements above, the formula is rewritten as:

Woman = money x money

Which in turn is the same as:

Woman = (money)²

4. Since day one we all being thought that money is the root of all problems

money = √problems

5. Therefore

Woman = (√problems)²

6. Lastly we solve and as you can see Woman equals problems

Woman = Problems


The bottom line is that we were always thought, since we were little boys to adulthood, that women will get you in trouble. Think about it, when you were young, way young, you found that girl next door icky. You, as you came of age, progressed to think that she was cute. You then tried everything you could to get her attention, think about it; how often were you grounded for staying out late, doing stupid things, etc... You finally got her, she was all into you, you were thought about the birds and the bees, you didn't listen to your parents, and you rushed thought things, next thing you know she was nothing, but trouble. Lucky for me my wife is nothing but a gem, no trouble at all. I can't wait to see the proof that men are the problem, after all, the nightly headaches must come from somewhere.

Labels: Design, Freedom of Speech, initiative, techniques

Tech Sales Person

Every once in a while I know I shouldn't answer my phone, but I'm a senior member within my organization and I pride myself on addressing everyone's needs even if it mean being on the phone for an hour discussing the latest blogging strategies or working out a marketing and design plan with someone.

Since I only deal on the phone with VIP I seldom purposely send them to voicemail. This morning my phone rang, I quickly looked around the office and notice it wasn;t one of my colleagues calling. I thought about letting the voicemail pick up the phone, but my thoughts quickly died and I answered the phone. What do you know, it was this account manager who has been calling me once a month for the past 6 month. Even though I keep reminding him that I buy and deal straight with Dell he insits on calling. I decided to throw him a bone and make his day by telling him that I'm looking for a couple of desktops and four laptops. At first, he thought I was going to go with my usual, I'm all set, we're in a recession, etc, but he did a flip back when I told him what I needed. He even remember that I only buy Dell and told me that they recently partnered with Dell and he could get me better deals that the Gold level account I have with Dell. I though he was the real deal, a sales guy that actually listen and remember my needs.

I just received an email and all he quoted me was IBM and HP. Don't get me wrong I think those are fine brands, but I only buy Dell, not because I like them. As a side note, I should mention that I'm very dissapointed with Dell recently and have receive nothing, but grieve with the new Desktop and Laptop I purchase two month ago. The only reason why I buy Dell is because of our corporate account with them. I digress, my point is that out of the five quotes I received, none are for Dell computers.

The bottom line is that as a salesperson you need to be sharp. Not only should you be able to get through on the cold call, but you have to pay attention and remember what your customers tell you.

Labels: Customer Service, Design, Jacksonville, techniques

New Features for all Googlers

Google, always the innovator, has introduced a number of new features to it's search engine repertoire. For example, if you are in the market for a home, either for rent or for sale, simply click onto Google.com and search for "Milford real estate" if you are in the market for a home in Milford, CT and Google will display a box allowing you to specify whether you are looking to buy, rent, or want to see foreclosures in your area. The database is still small, but I'm sure it will build itself to be more and more accurate as people start uploading to it or as Google partners with Realtors.com and other real estate sites.

Another feature which I just noticed today is the "Note this" feature which allows you to select links from the search engine and add notes to them, share with friends, or simply go to your notes homepage and see all web your notes in one place. You can also download and add on and be able to note any Web page you come across. This seems like a natural way to extent your Web research and the use of the powerhouse search engine.

The last feature that I saw announced was the addition to Google Maps which now allows you to make annotations and drawings directly onto the map, this is great when planning a trip or sharing with friends as you can make notes of things to see and even make highlights, add pictures, etc of places to see along the way.

The bottom line is that in the competitive world of searches and competition for textual ads, companies have to stay sharp and find ways to entice users to use the free service in order to serve and deliver to the text ads marketplace. Google, you are one brilliant company!!!

Labels: Features, Google, inginuity, Search Engine, techniques

Digital Camera toss technique

I have always been into photography, but was never into it too seriously. Due to my upcoming nuptials, we decided to go the route of purchasing a prosumer (professional camera for consumers) camera instead of hiring a wedding photographer. This way once the wedding is done, we are left behind with a little more than just a wedding album of precious moments.

I did a lot of research into buying this camera as I have more than just a vested interest, but want my wedding photos to be perfect, but in addition I want to have the best I can afford for now. As such, I narrow it down to Nikon. This brand offered the best bang for my buck in term of pixels, features, quality and comfort. It came down to the Nikon D200 or the D80. After posting in several forums, asking friends, etc., it came down to feel. Both cameras offered very similar features and the same mega pixels, however the D200 is much more heavier as it's meant for the rugged environment. I'm not going to be exposing my $1K plus toy to any danger as such I decided on the Nikon D80.

I have nothing but great things to say about this camera. I have been reading several books on digital cameras, in particular DSLR, and have to say that if you are an amateur like me, this camera will make you look like a professional once you get the whole aperture and shutter thing down.

I have also joined a couple of forums, but in particular recommend ride foto. I have learned a lot of new techniques from a lot of great guys thanks to this site.

The latest technique I tested was the toss technique. This is where you take your camera somewhere dark, with an interesting light source, set your shutter to stay open for a couple of seconds and toss your camera up in the air and see what comes out. I have to say, as someone in this forum posted I was concerned with the catch the camera technique, but after I got over my fear and took my fiance's advise and threw the camera over the bed (for landing in a safe spot) I got some pretty cool shots like this one here.

You can check out some of my other photos from this experiment here.

I also experimenting with a feature from the D80 where the shutter remains open for as long as you hold down the trigger. This featured is only available in manual mode and is called "bulb." This allowed me to get the effect, but without having to toss the camera, but instead move the camera by hand.

The bottom line is that in life if you are going to do something don't do it half ass. Dive in full force and you will obtain the best results. My motto is to always try something at least once. If your reaction is to be afraid then you will miss out in a lot. If others are doing it and they are still around to tell about it, then chances are you will too. What are you waiting for, go try something new and exciting right now!

Labels: d80, digital photography, nikon, techniques