February 5th, 2010
Donut Games produces some quality iPhone games. They have some of the best free games, usually puzzle based with good replay value. Below is a link to their website along with three of my favorite free games I downloaded from them.
Jungle Crash Land
Traffic Rush
Rat On The Run
Posted in iPhone | No Comments »
January 7th, 2010
I’m a big fan of most of the stuff Google puts out, so naturally I was intrigued when I heard they had developed a web browser. I downloaded it a few weeks after it came out and have been using the browser ever since. The final verdict you ask? It’s great! The design is clean and simple, web pages load quickly, and it doesn’t crash nearly as often as IE or Firefox. Below is an article that talks about how it compares to the other browser and the potential for the future. One thing I would like to see is more support for third party plug-ins similar to Firefox. As a web developer there are a number of nifty browser plug-in’s to facilitate web design and SEO which are not currently available through Chrome. Regardless, this browser is a great starting point and I look forward to seeing how they integrate it with their new web based OS coming out later this year.
Google Builds a Better Browser
UPDATE
It looks like Google Chrome has enabled pug-ins! You can view them here: Google Chrome Extensions
Posted in Internet, Search Engines, Web 2.0, Web Design | No Comments »
December 9th, 2009
Below are the 10 Web trends to watch in 2010 as reported by Pete Cashmore in an article on CNN Tech. The most interesting trend was the last one about fame abundance and privacy scarcity. He said “We’re all reality stars now, on Facebook, Twitter and all the myriad online outlets where we hone our personal brands.” I never thought about social networks from that perspective, but that is a big draw for a lot of people with websites like Facebook and Twitter. You know the type, people that update their status on an almost hourly basis mostly with a five or six words about what they are doing. I’m sorry, but seeing someone is “bored and watching TV” is not the reason I’m on these sites. These people either don’t know how to use social networks properly or love the fact that they are updating their “adoring followers” with the minutia of their day to day lives. Reality TV has really messed up the way a lot of people think of the world. It makes you think that you could be on TV and be a celebrity when in reality nobody cares.
1. Real-time ramps up
2. Location, location, location
3. Augmented reality
4. Content ‘curation’
5. Cloud computing
6. Internet TV and movies
7. Convergence conundrum
8. Social gaming
9. Mobile payments
10. Fame abundance, privacy scarcity
Posted in Internet, Search Engines, Social Networking, Web 2.0, Web Design, iPhone | No Comments »
October 14th, 2009
This is a great article that reinforces the overall attitude I try to use when selling or working with clients. My dad has worked in sales for over 30 years and coached me up on many of these same techniques. The two main points I most identified with were “Be Personable” and “Be Open”.
I try and relate to people in general as much as possible when interacting. It’s important to show your interest in what they’re interested in. When someone brings up a topic that gets them fired up, ask questions to dive deeper. Asking questions is a big part of sales. Questions help you outline what a client is looking for. Questions you ask in initial meetings can help down the line if the client is unsatisfied with the results produced from your partnership. In these cases, it’s important to remind them that you asked and followed exactly what they wanted to get to where you are today. From my experience sometimes clients are dead set in there thinking and it’s your responsibility to make their ideas become reality. That’s not to say you shouldn’t interject with your opinions and expertise during initial conversations where you are outlining the scope of the project. Instead of blatantly telling them their thinking is flawed, try to ask questions that ultimately lead to them agreeing with you. For example if you are trying to explain that Search Engine Optimization is key to any website redesign you could ask the following questions: Would you like to increase traffic to your website? Are you looking to get more targeted traffic to your website? Would you agree that the leads you are getting from your website are inconsistent and aren’t being closed at a rate you are happy with? Now you have raised three concerns the client has and already have them agreeing with you. All you have left to do is tell them how to fix a problem they just admitted to having.
As for being open, I try to be honest in all facets of my life, including business. Most people respect and appreciate honesty. I have been pleasantly surprised at how understanding people can be if you admit your mistakes. This also applies to times when something goes wrong that is not your fault. For example, I’ve had issues in the past where a server will go down and in turn take a client’s site down. Always try and give the client as much information about the situation as possible. Remember, this website is important to them and may be their only means of income. Give them accurate information so they can make educated decisions about how they should move forward with their day to day business.
Learning to sell and clearly get your ideas across is an ongoing process that you need to continue to develop. Learning from past experiences is key to finding out what works for you. If you are just starting out in sales or working with clients try using some of the principles and techniques in this article. They are effective and will help you succeed in your future business interactions!
How To Persuade Your Users, Boss or Clients
Posted in Web Design | No Comments »
October 6th, 2009
It looks like Microsoft is trying to steal some of the mobile phone market share away from the iPhone. They released their new mobile OS and are trying to mimic some of the things the iPhone does such as it’s App Store (Windows Marketplace). When did Microsoft change from a trailblazer to a tailgater? They seem to only put out products based on ones already developed and successful. Examples include the Xbox (PlayStation), Vista (Apple’s OSX), and Zune (iPod). I’m all for competition in the tech industry, but I feel like Microsoft is making the moves of a company much smaller. They should be pumping money into research and development to come up with the next wave of cool gizmos and programs instead of playing catch up. It makes you wonder if Microsoft has fallen because of the departure of Bill Gates and in turn if Apple will be able to sustain their momentum once Steve Jobs is gone. My guess is that in 10 years Google will overtake both of them and we’ll all be running Chrome on our computers and using the new release of Android on our phones.
Microsoft’s Windows phones hit the market
Posted in Internet, iPhone | No Comments »
September 25th, 2009
It’s official! AT&T has finally released the update to allow MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) on the iPhone! All iPhone users with the 3G or 3Gs models can send pictures and video via text til your their heart’s content. Click on the link below for instructions on how to update. Now if only AT&T would allow tethering…
AT&T’s iPhone MMS Carrier Update Is Live
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September 24th, 2009
This is a great article about what some of the most influential artists of the past would create if they were working in today’s digital landscape. The part I found especially interesting, is where it talks about the motive of financial gain that is almost always present when great art is created. Today’s websites and print ads are mostly created for the purpose of selling a product and in turn paying the creator. I never thought about the fact that even great artists like Michelangelo were driven, in part, by the same financial gains. One of the main reasons the Sistine Chapel commissioned Michelangeloto paint Scenes from Genesis was to bring in more people and collect more tithes. That reminds me that art and technology will always be changing, but some things will remain consistent for all generations.
If Famous Graphic Artists Were Web Designers…
Posted in Graphic Design, Web Design | No Comments »
September 16th, 2009
I recently took some time to update my resume to make it more professional. I hadn’t updated it for over a year and the information was not indicitive of my current skillset or experience. After spending some time searching on Google for other web design resumes I found a great article that talks about how you should structure your resume.
5 Steps to the Perfect Web Designer Resume
Below is a link to my website’s resume page as well as in PDF format. Any input or suggestions would be welcomed and appreciated!
Posted in Web Design | No Comments »
August 30th, 2009
“When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.” – Mark Twain
I was talking to my dad on the phone the other day and after some dramatic buildup, he told me he read my blog. He read this one, but was referring to a few blog posts on MySpace. I had been waiting for this moment for a while now. I have Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace accounts and update the first two on a regular basis. The MySpace account is a holdover from when it was the preferred way to connect with your friends online. Now, it seems, MySpace is used only by bands and creepers. I haven’t deleted my account because it gives me another presence on the web and another link in Google when you search for “Zach Firestone.”
It didn’t bother me at all knowing my dad was checking out these pages, because I thought about it at length in the past and came to the conclusion that even though there was some slightly risque pictures and posts, there was nothing I was embarrassed about. Dad was concerned with one blog post in particular at the top of the page that used an expletive in the title. I hadn’t thought much of it in the past, but after hearing his concern I agreed that it was unnecessary and changed it while we continued our talk. He went on to tell me some of the comments on my wall and pictures may not be in my best interest as a young professional trying to make a name for himself. He went on to tell me about when he was just starting as a salesman in the billboard industry, one employee recommended that everyone shave their beards and mustaches. His reasoning was that the facial hair wasn’t worth losing out on a piece of business from a client that may be scared off by a well kept fu manchu.
At first, I resisted vehemently. I told him that none of the posts were portraying me in a negative light and, as a matter of fact, I didn’t care if I lost a client based on a stupid comment. We went back and forth and ended the call with an understanding that even though we disagreed, his intentions were in my best interest, as always. That night I went through my MySpace page and started to understand where he was coming from. Then, I started to think about the fact that if these networks weren’t important to me, like I said, why was I making such a big deal about making some changes. I decided to make some tweaks to the MySpace page and if you look now you won’t see any comments or blog posts.
This whole ordeal got me thinking about the way I use social networks. I know I haven’t always had the most useful tweets or posts. In fact, some of them have been downright pointless. I found a great article that talks about how social networks have become the equivalent of brain farts for most people. Posting pictures of food, random useless thoughts, and borderline inappropriate videos are all things I’m guilty of. We post what we think without thinking about it and have been overloaded with TMI. The reason most people migrated over from MySpace to Facebook is because it was more of a sophisticated network free of the cheesy profiles and animated .gifs. But slowly it has become a haven for top 5 lists and movie quizzes.
Social networks can be amazing tools for spreading information. One reason they have become so popular is because the feeds are like the front page of CNN.com, but with news from and about your friends and family. Rather than going to RottenTomatoes.com to get a review from someone you don’t even know, you can just read tweets from your friends that have commented on the movie. Social networks could be used to display potentially life saving information, such as the spread of a dangerous virus like H1N1. The key to developing this technology is posting useful information.
The question becomes, how do you want your friends to view you? Would you say out loud what you are posting from the privacy of your house? Personally, I am going to make a more conscious effort to post quality over quantity…with a few movie quotes thrown in for good measure.
Useful Links:
How to Ruin Facebook Friendships
How to Behave: New Rules for Highly Evolved Humans
Posted in Social Networking | No Comments »
August 19th, 2009
There are so many people out there trying to do malicious things on the web that you need to protect yourself as much as possible. With all the personal information on social networking websites, it’s important to keep up to date with the latest techniques being used to exploit users. The scenario that scares me the most is someone getting my login information to my online banking websites. Imagine waking up one day and all your money has been transferred to a Swedish bank account. The worst thing is…it looks like you made the transfer. Below are a few tips for staying protected on the web.
Make sure you have up to date virus protection on your home and business computers.
Norton or AVG. McAfee sucks. You get what you pay for with free programs.
Use different passwords for all you important accounts.
Try and use a combination of numerals and characters when creating a password. Keep a list online using an online document program such as Google Docs. That way you can check your password from any computer that is connected the the Internet.
Make sure you fully understand what links you are clicking on.
Look at the link URL in the browser when you hover over it. Make sure the website name matches the context the link is presented in. If you aren’t sure, avoid clicking. If anything pops up when you do click over to the web page, make sure to close the window by clicking the corner right x or from the task bar. Never click on a “Close” button in the window. This could be a way to trick you into forcing a download of a malicious virus on your computer.
Don’t disclose any sensitive information in emails or chat programs.
Emails can get intercepted and online chat programs can get spied on. You should never email anyone your social security number.
Log out after you’re done
If you are in your banking website or on a social network, make sure to click the “Log Out” link once you are finished. This will kill the session so someone can’t hit the back button or click on a link in your history and access personal information.
Here is a great article that talks about real world hacking scenarios: Weaponizing Web 2.0
Posted in Internet | No Comments »
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