In my off-hours, I tutor a very talented young man on computers, programming, and IT. Our work is usually short exercises, but every now and then we drum up something that might be of use. The download today is one of those unique pieces. It started by simply playing around with installers, which by design create and delete files. In the process we found the hooks for file metadata, and played around with those.
I found an article today describing the things that really lousy clients say that make their said lousiness obvious. I did a lot of head-nodding, but was disappointed that they didn’t include tips for avoiding these situations. Indeed, the comments contained horror stories of clients who literally ran roughshod over the freelancer, gouging work out of them for little-to-no payment. I shuddered while reading their stories. The events themselves were bad, but my awareness that a freelancer can always avoid them made it even worse.
I had the opportunity to exhibit at the Entrepreneur Expo in Philadelphia last week. As the first public showcasing for Fwd:Vault, I think it went pretty well. If you really want to hone your message, explaining it to someone in a very loud, crowded, busy room is awesome trial-by-fire practice. Fwd:Vault was also 1 of just 10 exhibiting companies (out of a possible 40) selected to give an in-depth presentation. Following the format of the event, presenters told the story of their companies: the idea, getting started, challenges, successes, lessons learned, etc.
This one has dogged me for quite some time, but I finally figured out how to force users to turn on Javascript when using sites with a lot of mission critical Javascript logic. Let me first begin by acknowledging that, yes, requiring Javascript flies in the face of site accessibility. Policy wonks for this sort of thing will tell you that Javascript should never be a necessity, that a page should “degrade gracefully” when Javascript isn’t enabled.
Next week I’ll be showcasing Fwd:Vault at the Entrepreneur Expo, powered by Philly Startup Leaders. The event is designed to celebrate all things entrepreneurial, and really show off up-and-coming businesses in the Philadelphia region.
A total of 40 companies will take part in the expo, and a lucky 10 of those will have the opportunity to take the floor and speak for about 10 minutes, sharing their experiences, how they got started, etc.
When the new and often unexpected come around the corner at me, fear never dominates my reaction, because change presents opportunity.
Anytime things change — at work, at home, in society at large — some part of the board that is your life gets reset. The pieces all go back to starting positions, the scoreboard gets reset to zero. For a brief time, you are on equal footing with everyone else who experiences that change.
After launching Fwd:Vault last month, it’s been a race to add the necessary features and functions to take the service broader. First on the list was more subscription tiers. I launched with just two: free and “unlimited everything.” I did this because, well, it was easy.
Your instinct may be to dismiss my decision as laziness, but hear me out. I built most of the base site with just 1 state: free (remember that unlimited free beta period last year?
I hear Toyota is contemplating a quick makeover to their current logo and tagline…
Wish I could take credit for it, but at least it comes complements of fellow PSL member Eight Eleven.
Update: I complimented the author Aaron, and the following conversation ensued…
**Aaron:** I’m going to end up in a lawsuit with Toyota for sure on this one.
Frank:
As a design firm, what a boon for business THAT would be!
My wife says I’m too much of a cynic. That may be true, but this is one beef that, after 200,000+ flight miles, I simply cannot ignore any longer. Why should anyone suffer needlessly? I spent the last week visiting my sister out in Denver, thus necessitating the need to fly out and back into Philadelphia International (PHL). I’ve had bad experiences, but after this last trip, I’m going to do everything in my power to avoid this travelers’ hell-hole in the future.
