Archives for February, 2009
Trimet Schedules on an iPhone
If you’re at all like me and ride Trimet into work, you have probably wondered how long you’re going to wait for the next bus or train to come after just missing a ride. Being an inpatient person, it would be great if I could view schedule information on my iPhone. Google has [...]
Tools of the trade have changed; but not the interactive mindset.
I recently had the good fortune to sit down and have lunch with a Portland icon, newspaper and sports reporting legend; Dwight Jaynes. Jaynes was the Oregonian’s lead sports columnist in 2000, left to join KPAM, as a radio talk show host. You might remember Dwight as one of the Portland Tribune’s first employees. The Tribune [...]
Why Aren’t You Using Fireworks to Compress Images?
I’m sure you’ve all heard the Fireworks vs. Photoshop debate. When I started at Pop Art, I was a Photoshop user. It was the application that we were taught in my graphic design program, and when I found out that the creative team used Fireworks, it took quite awhile for them to convince me that [...]
You Can Build Software Too
A common misconception in software development is that you need a programmer, developer or any other similar name that sounds technical. Sure, we read books on the subject, attend conferences, conduct lectures, and compile our fair share of bits, but the truth is that a good deal of building software doesn’t involve programming. Actually, most [...]
INBSIYCNTS #1
This is the first post in a series that seeks to shed some light on things you might hear in a software project and start to question. I’m calling the series “It’s Not BS If You Can Name The Source” or “INBSIYCNTS”. I’m pronouncing this new acronym “in-science”, as the “b” is silent. So, for this [...]
My Windows 7 Experience
Early last month, Microsoft released a public beta of Windows 7, their follow-up to Windows Vista. I decided to take the plunge and give this new version a try… Vista’s launch was plagued by poor device drivers, steep system requirements, and the much maligned User Account Control (UAC). Vendors have since developed Vista compatible [...]
Disciplined Conversations
Over the past several years, I’ve noticed one thing in particular that is difficult, if not damn near impossible, to do without a well disciplined team. Try having a conversation about a software project that doesn’t begin with the solution. Now, I wouldn’t be telling the entire story if I didn’t mention that building solutions and [...]
The Keystone of Design
Build a house on a swamp and feel the wrath of bad foundation. You could easily double your costs by back-tracking and reinforcing the structure and ground beneath— but really you should’ve just built it somewhere else. Design can be that house; built from scratch or cursed by a previous design. Deciding on what foundation [...]
POPART.COM >> A Design Evolution: part 1
In late 2008 I was tasked with leading the design team on a very important project, www.popart.com. Our current website was a bit dated, didn’t reflect our brand, and wasn’t sending the right message. This was to be a total team effort, with collaboration happening at every step of the design process. The first exercise, [...]
