Update
Hey everyone! I realize it's been a while since I've posted and I'm sorry about that. I've been so busy with work, wedding planning and trying to get my Thesis done. But, I do have some good content on the way I promise!
Also, I realize that this blog theme was designed by someone else. Rest assured that I'm also working on that. The new blog design will be revealed with my new portfolio rollout sometime this summer! Stay tuned.
Apple, Adobe and the Future of Flash
Being the Apple fanboy and Flash developer that I am, I have been pretty tight-lipped about the Apple/Adobe Flash controversy. The topic has been vehemently debated among the technorati since the release of the iPad (the 7th grader in me still can't get over the horrible name choice for this device), with both camps presenting compelling arguments for or against the inclusion of Flash on the iPad/iPhone. As much as I love Flash, I can't fault Apple for not wanting it on the iPhone/iPad. It has a terrible track record on the Mac, and Adobe has either been incapable of or unwilling to fix the issues. Despite Flash's flaws, some users (myself included) still want it on their iPhones. I can't fault them either. Flash is deeply ingrained in web culture and can be beneficial when implemented properly. The question is: what does this clash of the Titans mean for users and design/development professionals when the dust settles?
My prediction is that there are going to be a lot of dissatisfied iPad customers, and here's why:
In the mind of the general public, the iPad will be seen as desktop/laptop replacement. As such, users will expect their iPad web browsing experience to be the same as it would be otherwise. Without Flash, this isn't possible.
B-I-N-G-O is now A-P-P-L-E
So... it's apparent by now that I'm a pretty big Apple FanBoy. That said, all the hype over tomorrow's huge announcement has been comical at best, pathetic at worst. I wanted to poke some fun at the pundits who have been making ridiculous claims in the weeks leading up to this event, so for most of the week I posted things like this to Twitter:
RUMOR: Mac tablet to run on Unicorn Blood and Cure Cancer!
Well my colleague and friend @LenKendall asked a provoking question today: "Has anyone created a Bingo card for tomorrow's Tablet event yet?"
What a GREAT idea!
Several people (NYT, David Weiss) beat me to it, but I wanted to post mine anyway. Enjoy!
Mac Tips
Quick Mac tips that I forgot to include in my previous posts:
When working on a file in nearly any program, CMD + Click on the icon in the title bar of the window and it will show you it's directory structure. Click on one of the folders below it to reveal it in Finder.
Similarly, CMD + R in iTunes will reveal the currently selected track in Finder.
PSD Twitter Template
In PR, Twitter is huge, thus I end up creating a lot of Twitter backgrounds.
To streamline the process as much as possible, I use a design template. @ChadEngle created a great template for designing backgrounds. But what if you need a mockup that includes tweets?
I've added to Chad's template to provide a fully customizable Twitter UI. You can edit the text as you like. Anything in pink, is a hyperlink and uses a Color Overlay. Change the style of one, copy the layer style and apply to all of the others. Duplicate the "Post" group to add more tweets to the timeline.
PSD Twitter Template
Hope this helps! Thanks Chad!
The Value of No
I recently read a post on the99percent (which is an outstanding site, by the way) titled "A New Kind of New Year's Resolution: Saying No", the crux of which is:
"...without understanding the importance of saying no ... [you will be] leading a busy life rather than disciplined life."
Which led me to think about the concept of "saying no" as a business practice. Applied in the broader context of the design/PR/marketing industry, this phrase translates to: "In failing to say no, we're doing busy work instead of providing value." In other words, we're doing a client a disservice by not saying no. Why, you ask?
Mac Tips for the Wannabe Power User (Part 2)
So you want to be a Mac power user? Well, you can't do it without the tips I listed in Part 1 of the series, and Part 2 is icing on the cake. Read below for more power user tips.
Mac Tips for the Wannabe Power User (Part 1)
A few friends and co-workers have asked me for some power user tips for their Macs. Let me say that I am flattered that they think of me as a power user. Let me also say that I'm giving away some really great tips here. It will be like me giving you cash, literally. So when you're done reading this post, look down at your CD drive, where I'm fairly certain you'll find a pile of cash pouring out of the slot... or not. There are more than several tips I plan to share, so I am going to break this up into a series. Part 1 below: