The Houston Technology Center is known for affording education, insight and more to entrepreneurs needing to climb the ropes to commercialization. The topic of the day, presented by Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer, was “Strategic Implications for Houston as a Center for Innovation.”
“The most grand commodity of all is information” – Steve Ballmer
High Tech Talk
Highlights included the path that technology has taken in the last decade and where it’s going in the next. Hand-held devices, resources technology and virtual worlds where business takes place with Avatars were all topics of discussion. The forum mainly, however, focused on informations technology and the important and continuing role it will play on business development in the years to come.
Steve Ballmer also spiced things up wit ha sneak peak of some great Avatar based programs for X-Box360 even giving away an X-Box to a lucky attendee at the end of the program.
Hugs to Houston Technology Center
Sheila Whanger did a great job organizing the event and it was wonderful to see Walter Ulrich, President & CEO of Houston Technology Center up on the stage as well. Let’s not also forget the welcoming faces of Downey Bridgwater, Chairman of the Board – HTC and Larry Kellner, Chairman of the Board – Greater Houston Partnership.
We’ve come to the end of Day 1 of DrupalCon in Chicago. Al Hughes and David Stagg are back at DrupalCon (big ups to San Francisco last year!), ready to share some more Drupal knowledge with you all.
Al Hughes (PM at Schipul), Kieran Lal (Drupal Community Adventure Guide from Acquia), David Stagg (Creative Director at Schipul), and Dries Buytaert (Drupal Founder and Lead) with our man Morten Heide taking the photo at DrupalCon Chicago
For the most part of the keynote, Dries hammered home the fact that Drupal 8 must work for all devices (no longer the desktop); the number of smartphones in the past year has increased exponentially and it would be egregious to miss that market.
Dries also wanted to note that if you have two platforms, Drupal and some other CMS, the one that always wins out is the one with the better “ecosystem.” For example, the reason the iPhone wins out over competitors (that might even have a better product or coverage), is due to the ecosystem they’ve created: the App Store, the Apps themselves, the culture, etc. Dries wants to ensure that the Drupal ecosystem is not just stable, but thrives moving into the next generation Web platform.
When creating Drupal 7, Dries met with 20 major market CTOs (e.g. Time Magazine), and asked them what the biggest issues facing the then current state of Drupal was. He said two bubbled to the top: Configuration and Administration. These were added directly to the direction of D8.
HTML5
D.Stagg attended a session by the wonderful speaker Jen Simmons about the future of HTML5 specifically in regards to Drupal. Rockin’ HTML5 with Drupal provided a number of good insights:
Coming up: Nerd alert!
You can use ARIA (short for Accessible Rich Internet Applications) roles for descriptions, e.g. <nav role=”main-nav”>, to target and separate your HTML structures.
Rule of thumb: Use the new <section> tag to group similarly related items (e.g. footer link menus), and use <div> tags to group somewhat unrelated items (e.g. a main content area and a sidebar).
Really cool tip: On <input> fields, add type=”url” or type=”email” to change the keyboard layout on smartphones.
Media Module for Drupal 7 only
Albert Hughes spent some of his time in a session that discussed the way Drupal 7 will handle and update media in the Drupal system:
Media is now treated closer to what one would consider a “node”, e.g. you can add fields like “caption”.
You can also now upload a file and reference it throughout the site, as opposed to have it attached to a custom content type node.
“Uploads” or the “File Attachments” have been taken away to make things more clean and streamlined.
However, one of the main reasons this was taken away isn’t because of the Media module, but because the FileField module in Drupal 6 was added to core.
“Monster (Drupal Remix)”
And of course, both A.Hughes and D.Stagg spent a lot of time throwing out moocards getting people to visit http://bit.ly/drupalmonster. And if you don’t want to click, we’ll provide the embed for you 😉
Haven’t had the guts to ask your boss for an iPad yet? Wish you had one… um, you know, for work? It would be sweet, right? Well, even if you’re still swooning over smooth display screen and the dozens of other amazing features of the iPad, perhaps it’s better that you’ve held off.
The New iPad2 had been revealed and you have just enough time to convince your most favorite-est boss in the world that it is imperative that you have one for the good of the business. (And it has TWO cameras, just check out the specs!)
So, what’s good, iPad2?
The truth is, smart devices such as the iPad2 are great for many businesses and employees; being connected in the office or on the go makes huge differences in the way we do business. The iPad2 will be available for purchase on March 11th so here’s what you need to know.
1. Knowledge Sharing
Many consumers are huge fans of the iPad already because it is a great learning tool. Students can take notes, download reading material, put together presentations, and stay organized by being able to track project with the ipad. Hey now, doesn’t that sound like it can be used in the office?
Share notes and books/book reading apps
Share and send reports
Put together proposals
Share and distribute training materials
Set up meetings
Take photos
Keep track of opportunities and sales
All are a must if you ask me (or relay to your boss).
2. Takin’ Care of Business
I’ve got one thing to say to you, TCB. Every boss wants multi-tasking employees who can Take Care of Business. The iPad2 is a TCB rock star. Easy to use apple business apps or iWork apps are available from $9.99 each (some apps are free) and let you conduct business from anywhere, even print – all with a touch of your finger from the iPad2 . Want more reasons?
iWork: Pages, Keynote and Numbers applications
Professional: Spreadsheets, Financial Reports, Mock Designs/Sites and Presentations.
Skype: Conduct business meetings or share your screen for training
Media: Video Presentations and stunning graphs, charts, and presentations.
Email: I think we all get the importance of email in today’s work place and lifestyle.
Access: Access documents on your company network and Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync.
3. Staying Connected
What better way to help brand yourself and stay connected to work, clients and networking connections than social media; and with the iPad2, you can do this from anywhere! Respond to client inquiries, concerns or mentions on the internet instantly. Photos and updates on work related news and events can be sent out anytime, anyplace. Social Media connections also allows you to put in virtual facetime with connections as well as personalized correspondence.
Your boss won’t have to worry about information security once he buys you an ipad2 either. The new iPad2 has great security features that I only wish my laptop or phone came with. Apple’s MobileMe can perform all the security functions you need from one spot.
Find my iPad App
Remote Lock
Remote Wipe
I can’t talk about security without mentioning the gorgeously geeky and functional new iPad2 magnetic cover. This thing is awesome and has more moves than a “Saturday Night Fever” television marathon (which you could watch in HD quality on an iPad2 – just sayin’).
5. Social Objects
Social objects are the reason we correspond, socialize and contact one another. What social objects do you, your boss, clients or audience share?
User Experience Stories and Photos
Quotes
Product Photos
Promotional Materials
Company Brands
Events
Share something socially, build business and create connections (sounds like a job for the iPad2).
Pretty Please?
So, let your boss know that “going forward, in order to put all of your ducks in a row, you’ll need a new iPad2 to help you think outside the box and bring your A-game. The iPad2 is already on his radar so it’s best to push the envelope and get one for you.”
It seems there may be a storm a brewing… or maybe (hopefully) a change in the nonprofit donation policy from Apple.
With Beth Kanter’srecentblogposts shining a light on Apple’ s policy barring solicitations of donations by nonprofits groups’ many nonprofit focused individuals as well as plain ol’ big heart-ed folks are getting behind a campaign asking Steve Jobs and Apple to change their ways. In fact, donation lovers to the tune of 6000+ (at time of post) have already signed a care2 petition asking Apple to ‘Support Our Great Nonprofits.â€
A Little Background
Jake Shapiro kicked the hornet’s nest a few months back with what Beth calls a ‘must-read editorial†outlining his position that Apple’s reasons for not allowing nonprofit donations aren’t reasons at all, but rather just excuses. Next, Beth threw down the gauntlet announcing when her contract is up she is switching to the more nonprofit friendly Android, where none of the in-App donation challenges apply (I, for one, am certainly in love with mine.) Finally, with the help of Sue Ann Reed from Care2, a petition was created and Beth is rallying the troops… ‘Send Steve Jobs A Message: Let Us Give Donations on the iPhone.â€
Well, if you are like most of the folks out there whose smartphone is becoming more and more a part of their lives and you would like yours to help you connect to the causes you care about… go sign the petition here >>
Then… we wait and observe. It will be interesting to see if a group of users can use the social media tools of today to make a company change their product and the way they do business. We keep saying in our social media trainings that marketing has changed to a two-way street… the power is now truly in the hands of the people. I am curious to see just how this one turns out?
I got an email in my in-box last week from Schipul’s own Ms. Katie Laird with a quick note letting me know the up-coming NetSquared Houston Meet-Up might be of interest to me… let’s just say, long story short… HappyKatie knows me well indeed.
For those who have not heard of NetSquared before:
NetSquared is focused on the intersection of technology and social impact. We create opportunities for all those involved in creating change to connect: whether you are a nonprofit or a foundation, a designer or a developer, a changemaker or an entrepreneur.
The Houston NetSquared Meetup is focused on ‘Social changemakers and technological forerunners coming together at Net Tuesday events to mix, swap stories and ideas, build new relationships, and reinforce the online NetSquared community.â€
Ryan (Ryan Marsh, president of the Layla Grace Foundation) speaks geek and can talk to the more technical challenges facing online non-profit organizations from a technology and a human perspective.
Having spent a lot of time over the last 15 years involved with Non-Profits, I can say the way they function has changed substantially over the last 3-5 years with society’s rapid adoption of new technology and the introduction of Social Media into the mix. In order for a NPO to stay viable, I believe they have to passionately embrace technology and the social-sphere in order to overcome challenges, meet goals, and, most importantly in today’s economy, do more with a LOT less.
The Layla Grace Foundation was founded by Ryan and Shanna Marsh in April 2010 in honor of their daughter Layla Grace Marsh who gained her eternal wings on March 9, 2010. You can learn more about the foundation at their site: http://laylagrace.org/ . With more than 16 thousand Facebook Fans, I was keen to hear what a very successful and VERY young Non-Profit had to say about the technology choices they had made.
Ryan did a wonderful job of balancing the very tender topic of childhood cancer with talking about the tech tools the Layla Grace Foundation has used to serve their mission:
“The Layla Grace Children’s Cancer Research Foundation is a non-profit organization focused on the discovery of new treatment options for children with high-risk cancer. We empower parents with the tools to become effective advocates for their children and raise public consciousness about our cause.”
In fact, Ryan offered up such a phenomenal top 10 list for Non-Profit Technology choices’ I was taking notes like a mad woman in order to be able to share them here. What I really like about this list is that it came from someone who has a history in the Tech Industry and has also tested, evaluated, tried and failed fast with a lot of the technology options out there today. This is a tried and true list of options that have floated to the top of the list for a functioning Non-Profit Organization and it can save other organization out there a lot of time and money.
So, without further ado, here is the Non-Profit Top 10 Tech Tools Recommended by the Layla Grace Foundation:
Gathers and stores audience information from everywhere
Want to know who you are talking to? Check them out in Flowtown.
My biggest take-away from the evening was not actually one of the items on Ryan’s list. It was a suggestion for what Ryan referred to as essential reading for any organization looking to raise funds online (who is not?!)… I will be ordering and consuming Jakob Nielsen’s ‘Donation Usability: Increasing Online Giving to Non-Profits and Charitiesâ€
For any Non-Profit out there looking to hone their technology skills or wade through the over-whelming options… the above list is great way to getcha started.
Looking for more helpful tech tips and tricks to help your Non-Profit succeed? Well, come on and join us at Net Tuesday!
Not that I know anyone who would be so obsessive as to insure that they have their iPhone on them at all times while traveling, or perhaps, would go so far as to give their devices cute little names; but should YOU know anyone like that and maybe be traveling with them at some point this summer… well, let’s talk a bit.
As Aaron so wonderfully pointed out, when you want to get off the beaten path these little modern marvels do have their limits. Suddenly you find yourself in a world where cell towers just don’t go, in a land where no one has heard of 3 or G, much less the awesome that occurs when the two get together. I’d never recommend making voyage with just the iPhone as your travel partner, and have probably more than my fair share of near-horror stories of what might happen should you try. As a travel accessory goes though, the iPhone can really come in handy on the road, thanks to some pretty sweet apps out there.
For starters, let’s look at getting there. Perhaps the most dangerous travel app for me to have is the Kayak Flight app, which brings the power of the Kayak search to your iPhone in one neat little convenient package. It is now way too easy to find a flight – a cheap one! – to any where in the world. You can even complete the reservation all from your phone. Once you’re on your journey you can use the app to track your flight and make last-minute changes if needed. One airline that has set up a great iPhone app is Southwest. From their app you can not only check in to your flights, you can change existing reservations, and get notice of special fare deals. Personally this app has come in handy for me when arriving at stop-over airports and finding my connecting flight delayed – with it I was able to locate a flight leaving at the same time to another nearby airport and get myself on standby. This can also be dangerous; when faced with a long layover you may find yourself checking for flights to oh, say, Las Vegas for instance. Then again maybe these danger factors apply mainly to me.
So let’s talk about once you’ve arrived at your destination. I’ve got two trips coming up; Hawaii and Vegas. My default place of residence in Las Vegas is the MGM Grand, which has itself an iPhone app. It’s loaded with maps of the property, details on the room types, dining options and entertainment details. For convention-goers there is a special aspect of the app that ties in to details exclusive to your individual convention or event. Other Vegas properties have similar apps – check out the offerings from Mandalay Bay and NewYork NewYork as well.
When it comes to the beaches of Hawaii, there are a lot of app options out there. I was gifted with the Hawaii’s Best Beaches app, and having played with it a bit from the comfort of my desk in Texas, it looks like it will really come in handy. You can search for a beach based on the activity you’re interested in – snorkeling, sunsets, camping, etc. – and all your best options will be presented with details on the site, distance, a map to the location, and photos. Right now I’m showing about 3,816 miles away from the beach I’d like to be on… can’t wait till that number gets smaller next week.
No matter where your vacation travels are taking you this summer, there’s likely a (free!) app for that. (Sorry. Couldn’t help myself.) Wherever you’re thinking about heading off to, type it in the Apple store search and see what comes up! You might find some app that details an awesome new attraction that you suddenly have. to. see. If you’re planning on driving, make sure you check out the AAA apps – you can request roadside assistance and access all discounts.
Let’s hear from our fellow geeks and iPhone addicts – what are some of your favorite apps that you’ve discovered as a result of your travels?
You would have to be living under a rock the past few months not to hear about the war between Apple and Adobe raging across the internet. Just take a look at wired.com’s featured ad at the top, which displays Adobe’s newest attempt to alleviate the situation by stating, “We [heart] Apple, We [heart] choice. “Choice” referring to Apple’s decision to exclude Flash player on all the mobile devices they produce. (Steve Jobs even took the time to explain why in a rare memo). This choice has sparked fierce debate in the tech world stemming from feeling that Flash player is losing relevance. I feel that the real conflict is not between Apple and Adobe, but rather their standards, Flash and HTML5 video.
-What makes HTML5 different from Flash?
At the moment there is no standard for video playback. We have all seen it before, our computers demanding that we install software in order to watch online video. Plug-ins like Flash, RealPlayer, or QuickTime are used by many different browsers and devices and it can be a hassle (downright annoying) because at the moment, there is no video standard. In many cases, users on web devices like iPhones, or iPads, can’t play videos at all when Flash is required, and because these devices are so popular, Adobe isn’t too happy about it. HTML5 is the first code that allows videos to be played without the use of plug-ins, which will lead to a standard. HTML5 makes use of new structural tags like <head> <footer> <section> and even <video> which will allow web designers to better define their content, subsequently allowing search engines to index and find your content more easily.
If you would like to learn more about how HTML5 will effect video be sure to check out the links below!
Over the past two years, hundreds of thousands of blog posts, forums, and comments had speculated about Apple making a tablet. Last week, Apple did something they hadn’t done during that entire time span. They admitted they had designed a tablet computer. How did they create so much buzz?
While I think their new device is a real breakthrough in future computing, I find the marketing (or lack of marketing) for such an item much more fascinating. How does a company build up so much hype? Why are people so excited about something they didn’t even know existed? And why have so many critics turned negative on something that isn’t technically for sale yet? Let’s dive a little deeper to solve the iHype mystery.
Apple iHype
Apple, in its history as a company, has been known for releasing ground-breaking products that change the way we do things. It started back in the ’80s with the Apple II and the Macintosh, and continued in the 2000’s with the iPod and iPhone. The widespread obsession in the tech community over Apple rumors is fairly new, but the true Apple geeks have always been a hype-driven excitable bunch. The return of Steve Jobs near the end of the ’90s helped to rejuvenate this passionate group. The basics behind iHype are these:
Develop new things in ways that haven’t been done before.
Don’t publicly show prototypes or “proofs of concept”.
Make a polished, grand announcement of the new thing.
Ignore the negative critics.
Your business or organization may not make awesome tablet computers, but the principles of iHype can still apply to your business.
Develop New Things
Whether it is a piece of software, a book, a networking organization, or a physical item, your product or service stands out in some way. You may do lots of R&D for your new device, or you could simply offer a better way to manage alumni donors. Perhaps you offer public speaking advice or maybe you write code and build web apps. You can be a star by developing things that are new, fresh, and useful. Think like Apple and create things that people dream of using. Offer services that no one else can match and create your own category. To build iHype, you must build something to hype up.
Don’t show Prototypes
The biggest lesson here is this: Prototypes eat up all the hype. When you announce that your company is working on a new product to be released in 18 months, users will forget about it two days later. Not only are future predictions unreliable (see XKCD’s take below), you kill off all of your excitement by the time the thing launches. You effectively use your marketing window of opportunity to announce a future announcement.
What Prototype announcements really mean (from XKCD)
Imagine going to a party on July 31st that was solely to announce another party in 4-6 months (New Years Eve). You would likely kill any buzz for the real party and possibly upset your current guests. The exception to this is a short timeframe with a solid date. Announcing your new product that will come out at the end of the month is probably OK, but it’s better to announce things that ship today. (Apple occasionally announces things before their release to do patent and FCC filings which inadvertently announce things. If they could wait until the ship date, they would.)
The Grand and Polished Announcement
You won’t have the same stage as Apple, but you can deliver your message with the same gusto. If you are issuing a press release, than include graphics, numbers, and memorable quotes and taglines. If you are sending an email newsletter to current clients to announce a new service, give it a great subject line and pay attention to the details. If you are lucky enough to make your announcement in person as a presentation then practice, practice, practice. A boring and unoriginal announcement is likely to be forgotten. Tell the story of your great new thing. The time you spend on it will often mirror the amount of attention it gets from your audience, so put in the time it deserves.
Ignore the naysayers
Apple made their announcement last week and already many of the tech blogs are denouncing the new device. Apple has experienced the same thing happening with the iPod an iPhone, so they are not fazed by harsh words. You may not have the same experience so a negative review could be very painful initially. Do not let it get you down. Your new offering has taken you time and energy because you built it with intent and passion. If someone with a blog or an email account doesn’t like it, there is no reason they should kill any of your excitement. You are trying to sell your product to people who want it, not people who don’t. Do not forget this. Every product has a negative critic and unfortunately their voices can drown out the positive folks. Have confidence in your service and in your announcement, do great marketing, and the buyers will come.
You probably won’t get the same media level of hype that Apple gets, but there is no reason you can’t create stir of similar excitement with your followers and customers. Make something great, boldly announce it when it’s ready, and ignore anyone who talks down about it. These are the simple keys to creating your own storm of iHype.
Back in the old internet days, and I mean waaaaay back. I’m talking ancient history here, folks. I mean waaaaaaay, waaaaaaaay back on September 9th 2009 I installed the latest version of iTunes. It seems so long ago now but I can remember waiting with bated breath as news surrounding the latest release of the new iTunes would come with a much needed iPhone App organizer that would allow people the ability to organize their Apps on their computer. This is a great addition, it lets me move my App icons using my computer and a mouse rather than holding down an icon on the phone with my meaty fingers and moving them around. I always seem to mess up the order of the icons and drives me a little crazy. If you are an iPhone user you know what I’m talking about.
Below is a screenshot of the App Organizer in action
If you have an iPhone and haven’t installed the latest version of iTunes you should, the new updates are great but not all of them. More on that in a minute, first lets talk about Fonts
To Serif or not to Serif, that is the question
There are so many fonts out there. Just look around you. I can count over 20 different fonts on all the stuff around my area here at Schipul. Some serif, some sans serif. Some are hand drawn and some are works of art.
As a designer I have found and collected many fonts that I use in my concert posters. I have thousands of fonts now, so many that sometimes I go into ‘font paralysis’ trying to find that perfect font for a poster. I usually end up with some variation on what some people would call the perfect font’ Helvetica.
Helvetica is probably, if not THE, mostly widely used font in the world. Even if you do not know Helvetica by name you know it by site. Ever been to Crate & Barrell, seen a Jeep or Toyota ad? Then you’ve seen Helvetica. Here is a list of 40 companies that use the Helvetica. The font is loved by so many people it has it’s own documentary(which is AWESOME btw)
Comic Sans, why can’t they quit you?
I first started at Schipul on the graphics team as a layout designer. I had been designing for a few years before joining this great company. Since I started designing I’ll admit I have developed some design snobbery that comes out at times but one thing I can say that has been burning inside of me before I even wanted to be a designer’ my hatred for the font Comic Sans
I’m not going to get into why this font is so ugly, it should be abundantly clear. If you should get the desire to use it please reference this chart first
iTunes Store Bug Commits Biggest Design Foul
So, back to iTunes and how this all fits in. Well, after installing the newest version the language in the iTunes store instantly changed to some strange new language as seen below. I checked my language preferences and USA was chosen. The rest of iTunes worked perfectly, it was only the store section that was messed up.
I contacted Apple by email many times and never received a follow up. I searched for forums but nothing was showing up either. Defeated I let it go, if I can’t buy anything from iTunes and Apple won’t help than why lose sleep. I eventually called Apple and was told that I might be charged for support to help them help me to easily buy stuff from them. I might be charged to find out why I can’t buy something from them, just thought I would repeat that. Well, their free support didn’t help and I wasn’t about to pay. I searched again for forum posts to see if I wasn’t the only one with this problem. Turns out I wasn’t anymore.
Ban Helvetica? Say it ain’t so!
Yes, it turns out that by having Helvetica in my fonts folder is the cause of iTunes error. In order for me to be able to buy anything from Apple using iTunes I would have to erase the Holy Font. It couldn’t have been Comic Sans or some random font? No, it seems I had to commit the hardest font murder of all time, I would have to erase Helvetica from my system, which by the way is NOT free, although you can find it everywhere.
So long Comic Sans
As an act of both defiance and devotion I have uninstalled Comic Sans as well, although that one felt good
