I cannot tell you how many times it is assumed that I am a Mac user, since the word “mac” graces the name of my design business with its presence. To tell the truth, I think Apple products are amazing in almost every way – design, style, functionality, user experience, branding – pretty much everything but the price. I am a bargain shopper to the core, so when it came time way back when to purchase my first home computer, it was a no brainer to go with the much more affordable PC. Throughout the years the beautiful machines that Apple has produced have often tempted me to drop 2-4 times the dollar amount for a comparably equipped PC, only to watch me submit to my frugality and practicality over and over.

I did eventually purchase an older iMac to mess around with, and I even won an iPod Touch in a radio contest, but I have never made the full switch to becoming a Mac instead of a PC. Still, I am not an Apple hater by any stretch. The truth is, as I’ve explained, if I could have afforded these things throughout the years, I would have happily donned the Mac title years ago. Alas, this was not the case.

Then along came the iPad.

Posted on Apr 12.10 to Wanderings | 38 Comments »  

It’s Saturday again and that means time for the weekly list of resources I have tweeted over the past week. This week I was out of town on Sunday and Monday, so it was a little slower in the tweeting department – only 490 or so links. Next week hopefully we’ll be back into the 550 range, but for now this will have to do. Every day I tweet links to all of the articles and blog posts I subscribe to and read. Most of them are related to web design, graphic design, social media, technology, SEO, freelancing and sometimes just the latest buzz. Hopefully these weekly list will give you a place to catch up on anything you may have missed.

Posted on Apr 10.10 to Weekly Links | 2 Comments »  

I’ve started posting a list like this on Saturdays for those that would like to go back through all of the resources I have shared each week. On average I tweet around 550 links and resources a week, in the topics of web and graphic design, social media, SEO, freelance and more – basically all of the things I am interested in. So here is a list of those tweets in the order I tweeted them, for your review.

Posted on Apr 03.10 to Weekly Links | 3 Comments »  

The past few weeks I’ve started posting a list like this on Saturdays for those that would like to go back through all of the resources I have shared this past week. On average I tweet around 550 links and resources a week, in the topics of web and graphic design, social media, SEO, freelance and more – basically all of the things I am interested in. So here is a list of those tweets in the order I tweeted them, for your perusal.

Posted on Mar 27.10 to Weekly Links | 6 Comments »  

Athough this post was inspired by recent events in the US political arena, it is not about them in particular. This is not about which side you or I are on or how either of us feels about recent historic events.

This is about grown men and women making a conscious decision to carry themselves like adults or like third graders when something they feel very strongly about does not go their way. I have been on both sides of that equation for various reasons at different points in my life and, although I probably have not always succeeded in behaving like a mature adult when I have experienced a disappointing loss in something I was fighting for, bearing witness to the poor behavior of others in similar situations has bred in me a distinct distaste for the immature and destructive antics of the poor loser. I want to share one of those experiences in hopes that a view from another angle may help us all to consider with compassion those around us as we determine our next course of action whenever we don’t get our way.

Posted on Mar 22.10 to Wanderings | 17 Comments »  

Here again is my weekly list of all the links I tweeted in the past week for those who may have missed some or are looking for some weekend reading. Everything from social media, design, SEO and technology can be found here, so have at it! If you would like to receive these weekly lists in your RSS reader or in your email inbox, please sign up to subscribe HERE or fill in the simple form in the top right of this page. If you find this list useful, please leave a comment so I can know it’s worthwhile to continue the weekly postings. Enjoy!

Posted on Mar 20.10 to Weekly Links | 2 Comments »  

My answer is no. But then, that’s just me. I truly believe you are free to answer differently, and even better, we can co-exist with our differences of opinion and practices. The world is full of people with distinctly differing opinions, belief systems, methodologies and more, and while this can sometimes cause tension, anger and even war, the human race is still here. I see that as proof that we don’t have to all believe and live our lives in exactly the same way in order for society to continue moving forward, online or off. In fact, I believe that society benefits from our differences, as long as we allow and even embrace each other’s freedom to be an individual.

There. I said it. You know where I stand and hopefully have an idea how you personally would answer the question in the title of this post. Now why am I asking it?

Posted on Mar 15.10 to Social Media, Wanderings | 66 Comments »  

In case you missed one, or some, or just don’t even try to keep up with all the links I tweet throughout the day every day, here is this week’s list of links for your weekend reading and review. Listed purely in the order I tweeted them and no other type of organization, you will find topics such as technology, social media, web and graphic design, freelancing and more. Please leave a comment if you find this list useful so I will know that it’s helping someone out. Enjoy!

Posted on Mar 13.10 to Weekly Links | 2 Comments »  

Last Thursday I was taking part in a weekly discussion among designers called DCTH (Design Community Twitter Hours) and this question came up: When do you draw the line between pro-bono & just helping for free? A very interesting discussion followed and it got me thinking about my own experience with offering my design services pro bono or for free. In this post I want to share some of those experiences with you and how they have influenced my business approach as well as the impact this has had when I began applying it to my social media interaction.

Posted on Mar 08.10 to Design, Social Media, freelance | 22 Comments »  

Those works created from solitude & from pure & authentic creative impulses – where the worries of competition, acclaim & social promotion do not interfere – are, because of these very facts, more precious than the productions of professionals. After a certain familiarity with these flourishings of an exalted feverishness, lived so fully & so intensely by their authors, we cannot avoid the feeling that in relation to these works, cultural art in its entirety appears to be the game of a futile society, a fallacious parade. (Jean Dubuffet)

Posted on Mar 07.10 to Design, Wanderings | No Comments »