A Tron Tribute

Original sequel logo, from the test footage pr...
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A Tron Tribute

Many people of a certain age were greatly impacted by the original Tron movie, which was released in July 1982 by Disney. Conceived, written and directed by Steven Lisberger, it was one of the first movies to use computer animation along with live action, and it took audiences on an improbable but fascinating journey inside a computer game. This film pushed the envelope of special effects and asked us to suspend disbelief as the hero is teleported inside a mainframe computer and interacts with the strange characters that live there.

Tron (from the word electronic) opened up the world of computers and video games to the masses. Audiences learned such terms as user, hacker, programmer, program, and master control program.  It showed us imagery we had never seen before, and inspired designers, programmers, artists, musicians and animators.

Amazingly, the special effects were created with one computer that had only 2MB of memory, and the storage disk had a 330MB capacity. The movie didn’t receive an Oscar for technical achievement until 1996; apparently, in the year it was released academy members thought the use of computers was cheating.

The movie developed a loyal following, and continued to live on in pop culture when it became an arcade game, a video game, a comic book, and was released as a VHS tape and later a DVD. Tron now has its own wiki site with more than 3,000 pages.

Tron started a conversation about the role of machines in our lives, artificial intelligence, and of course, the little guy standing up to the system/powers that be.

The sequel movie, Tron Legacy, released Dec. 17, 2010, evoked buzz among ardent fans, as well as interest from new generations. The new movie benefits from all the technological and cinematic advances that have occurred since 1982, and brings back original cast members Jeff Bridges and Bruce Boxleitner.

Some originals deserve a sequel: Tron certainly does.

Filed Under: Computers, Design Automation, Internet Tagged With: ,

Virtual Work: A Growing Trend

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Virtual Work: A Growing Trend

Skilled professionals are taking advantage of today’s technology to start home-based businesses. Some choose to become teleworkers for personal reasons, such as wanting more flexibility, more time with family, less time in the car or preferring more control over their workload. Some are budding entrepreneurs. Others are forced into self-employment because of layoffs.

Whatever the reason, virtual work enables workers to utilize their skills and earn a living from a home office. Programmers, educators, writers, web designers, graphic artists, photographers, clerks and financial professionals are some of the specialists finding an increasing number of opportunities for virtual work.

Here are some tips for those considering telework:

  • Know thyself. Do you have the discipline and organizational skills to stay on task and meet deadlines without a boss standing over your shoulder? Are you a social person who needs a lot of interaction with co-workers?
  • Know your financial situation. Have a realistic view of how much money you need to pay the bills. You may not make as much as you did from a corporate job, especially in the beginning. However, a study by the TeleWork Coalition found teleworkers save about $8,000 a year on job-related expenses.
  • Set up an office and obtain the equipment and software you’ll need to work from home.
  • Cooperation from others in the household is a must. You’ll need quiet time to talk on the phone with clients and complete your work. If you have young children at home, arrange for childcare during your work hours.
  • Develop several versions of your resume to fit the different types of jobs you’re applying for.
  • To assist in your personal job search online, type virtual + your job title. This will help specify your search.
  • Apply for a lot of virtual jobs to increase your chances of being selected. You may also try juggling several and keeping the ones that are the best fit and pays well.
Filed Under: Computers, Design Automation, Internet

We Love Our Electronic Gadgets

We Love Our Electronic Gadgets

According to the Consumer Electronics Association (ce.org), the average American household now has 24 electronic devices.

Twenty-five years ago you’d find one or two TVs, perhaps a cable box, a VHS player, stereo system with a turntable and tape deck, a film camera, a radio or two, a boom box and maybe a tape recorder and VHS camera. That’s about 10 devices, more or less.

Today, the number and capabilities of electronic gadgets is astounding. A well-appointed family of the 21st century conceivably has 40-some devices, such as the following:

  • 5 televisions, with two likely to be high definition flat screen models
  • 1 home theater system
  • 1 or 2 DVD/DVR devices
  • 1 or 2 digital cable boxes or a satellite service
  • Maybe an Apple TV device
  • 1 or 2 portable DVD players
  • 1 or 2 gaming systems, such as Xbox 360 and Wii
  • 1 or 2 portable game systems like a Game Boy to take on the road
  • 4 or 5 MP3 players (one for each member of the household)
  • 4 or 5 mobile phones (again, one for each family member)
  • 2 digital cameras
  • 1 digital camcorder
  • 1 main stereo system and 2 or 3 MP3 speaker systems
  • 1 PC and 2 or 3 laptop computers with a modem and wireless router
  • 1 or 2 printers
  • 1 GPS device
  • 1 tablet device like an iPad
  • 1 ebook reader device, like a Kindle or Nook
  • 2 or 3 digital photo frames
  • 1 or 2 radar detectors
  • 1 digital coffee maker and/or Expresso machine

Things we had never heard of a few years ago, like an iPod or an iPad or Kindle, now are in great demand we don’t think we can live without them.

Just for giggles, take an inventory of your household electronic gadgets and see how many you have.

Filed Under: Computers, Design Automation, Internet Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Your Web Design Matters to Your Customers

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In a world that’s becoming faster-paced and offering more to anyone who can access the Internet, what your website looks like can matter quite a lot. In theory, it really shouldn’t be a big deal. What should matter should be what you’re offering – not how pretty your site is. Realistically, though, what matters is the entire package. Looks, offerings, wording and everything else are all important to the people who are looking for whatever it is that you’re offering. Because of that, you want to make sure that you’re giving your all to your web design. If you’re not sure how to do it right, getting a professional is a good choice.

You can offer your customers eBooks, free ringtones, and all kinds of other things, but that generally won’t be enough to keep them coming back to you if your web design isn’t good. Bad web design is more than just unattractive. It can also make your site very difficult to navigate – and that will definitely keep people from coming back. No one likes to go to a site that’s hard to get around. If you have to hunt and search for what you’re looking for, you may get tired of that, give up, and go to a site where things are easier to locate.

Keep that in mind when you’re creating your web site, or when you make changes to it. What looks fancy and cool may make the site slow to load, confusing, or otherwise annoying to a lot of people. It’s better to keep things professional and simple, as opposed to trying to put too much into a site. Everything should be easy to find, all the links and pages should work and customers should be able to contact you with questions. If you offer those things, you’ll be well on your way to a good site design.

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Complete College Quick With Online Courses

To some people, college is a social scene–an extension of high school, a place to meet and greet with classmates and another group of social cliques to join or ridicule as they please. Such people slack by in their classes, find camaraderie in complaining about the high prices of their textbooks, are the life of the party, and quite frequently flunk their classes because learning wasn’t what they came to college for in the first place.

If you are one of the people who attends college to learn rather than goof off, likely you’re also the type who is irritated when such jokers slow down your classes by asking inane questions and making you wait to hear something you already know. If that sounds like you and if college in general feels too slow-paced, you should consider attending your courses online. Web sites such as earnmydegree.com have all-online versions of dozens of complete study courses to get all the same kinds of college degrees that you can get by attending school in person. Minus the hooligans.

Online college is not a social scene. It has no parties in dorm rooms, no social groups forming in the corners because they dress the same or enjoy the same sport, and they’re by far not the best place to pick up a date for Friday night. They are, however, an excellent place to learn the things your degrees agree to teach you, uninterrupted and often at a much faster pace than in-person colleges can. Many degrees that can take two years or more to acquire in traditional college take only 6 months to complete in an online classroom.

Online courses are made up of weekly packets; you simply do your work each week before the deadline and turn it in, and you’re a good student. No kissing up to the teacher required.

Filed Under: Computers, Internet, Technology Tagged With: ,

Insurance For Tech Students Online

Students studying electronic design abroad know how difficult it sometimes gets to find money for their sustenance. They are always on a fixed budget. However, something as important as a car is a necessity in order to get around. With so many insurance companies out there, it is that much harder and time consuming to find something that not only caters to your needs but also is cost effective. There are several savings options available to students which insurance companies don’t always inform you of. Due to this, you end up paying a lot more than you should for standard car insurance.

The good news is, now with all the information available, you can easily do some of the research over the Internet before you go out to purchase your auto insurance. Companies such as 21st Century Insurance will not only help you get a quote in a timely manner but they will also review your student status and income and find you the best auto insurance that fits into your budget. These online insurance companies are there to help you save and they will inform you of all the benefits and cost savings that you can take advantage of.

Many students decide not to get auto insurance due to affordability, but what they do not realize is that the chance they are taking can cost a lot more than what they would pay on their premium. Auto insurance is important in terms of both safety and savings. All one has to do is find out the advantages and discounts you are eligible for and you will easily find the best insurance out there. Plan smartly, as it will affect your future and based on the circumstances, you only stand to gain from having proper insurance. It only takes a few minutes to get a quote so take the time and do your research.

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Avoiding Online Communication Issues With Design Clients

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If you are a freelance designer, whether your specialty is graphics, web, or otherwise, you likely conduct most of your business online. While the online world has opened a vast number of possibilities for freelance business owners, it has also created a new type of client communication system. Meetings that used to be conducted in-person or over the phone are now often held via online channels or through back and forth e-mail messages. Since the only communication you will have with many clients is through e-mail, you must pay close attention to the messages you send. The emotions that are portrayed in-person are often lost through e-mail. Therefore, here are a few tips to help you communicate better online to avoid unnecessary problems with clients and co-workers.

Proofread Before Sending

One of the best things you can do to avoid problems of miscommunication when working with online clients is to proofread every message before sending. When you are proofreading your e-mail messages, don’t just spellcheck. You should also pay close attention to the tone that is portrayed in the message to ensure it’s consistent with the tone you intended. If possible, avoid emphasizing certain words with such things as boldface, italics, or underlining because this can portray a harsh or condescending tone.

Ask Questions

If you have any concerns about messages sent by your clients, whether on project specifications or project edit requests, always respond by asking questions to ensure you know exactly what they want from you. It’s far better to ensure you understand the client’s needs before beginning a project to avoid future complications.

Use Other Methods

If e-mail messages seem to be hindering rather than helping the project process with certain clients, you should switch to other modes of communication. While this will likely rarely happen, there are sometimes unique circumstances when a phone call or in-person meeting can quickly resolve unnecessary complications and get the project back on the right track. Overall, you will likely find that online modes of communication help speed up business processes, which ultimately means more money in your pocket.

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Automating Design Business Processes

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If you are a designer or own a design business, you are likely used to balancing projects for several clients at one time. While, the more projects you have going at one time, the more money you will earn each month, you need to develop an organized system for handling those projects to avoid future issues. Problems that often arise due to unorganized design processes include loss of work, unsatisfactory designs, and insufficient paychecks. Here are a few tips to help you avoid such situations in your design business.

Organize Client Information

One of the best things you can do to stay on top of each project you work on is to develop an organized system for tracking client information. This process should begin with creating some type of filing system on your computer to separate the documents and project specifications for each client. Then, when you are working on each project, you can quickly locate each client’s folder to pull up the project information instead of spending unnecessary time sorting through disorganized documents. Keeping client information organized should also follow through to the billing process. Without an organized invoicing system, you will never remember which clients have paid and which ones are overdue.

Utilize Templates

Depending on the type of design work you complete, several projects may require the same, or similar dimensions. Therefore, you will greatly benefit from utilizing any template features that are offered in the design program you use. Templates are wonderful time savers because they automate the cumbersome process of keying in project dimensions. This means you will cut out the mundane tasks and can cut straight to the design process.

Know Your Client Needs

Of extreme importance to being a successful designer is knowing your client needs. You should never begin a project without knowing exactly what a client wants from you because this will only result in a frustrated client and a large deal of wasted time. By knowing your client needs up front, you will be much more likely to produce work that meets their requirements.

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Exciting Changes in Web Development

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With so many people now turning to the Internet to fulfill a variety of needs, the demand for web designers has never been higher. However, the requirements of designers are always changing to meet changing technology and consumer demands. Therefore, to be successful in this business, you must always keep an ear to future developments and develop cutting edge designs. Here are a few recent trends that have impacted the world of web design so you can think of how these changes have altered your business.

Going Mobile

Most Internet users are on the go and demand that online information be accessible from a variety of mobile devices. With such a wide array of mobile devices now available, designers are forever facing new challenges to ensure the work they produce is accessible from as many venues as possible. This includes, among other things, knowing which devices are the most widely used, what specifications are required to ensure designs are accessible from those devices, and any major upcoming changes. Knowing these factors will help ensure that the designs you produce will satisfy client needs and will be accessible by the widest amount of people as possible.

Going Social

Online social networks are all the rage these days. Internet users of all ages are flocking to these networks to connect with friends and strangers and to stay up to date on the latest news regarding their favorite businesses. If you can find an opportunity in the world of social network development, you may just land a very lucrative career. However, you can benefit by simply embracing the power of social networks to get the word out about your design business.

There are many other online advances that have impacted the world of web design but mobile devices and social networks are two of the largest current changes. Only time will tell what future changes will occur but it seems that careers in web design will remain abundant and profitable.

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Using the Internet to Promote a Web Design Business

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The demand for professional web designers has exploded in recent years with the increasing popularity of the Internet. People are now using the Internet for anything from shopping to staying in touch with friends. This means there are nearly limitless possibilities for web design specializations. If you are just starting up a web design business, you will likely have a very profitable career. However, before you can begin making the money you deserve, you must first generate a client base. Therefore, here are a few tips on how to get the word out about your business to hopefully start bringing in more projects.

Go Social

Online social networks are now utilized by people of all ages as well as most businesses. If you want a quick way to spread the word about your new design business, you should join the trend and go social. To maximize the benefits of this free form of advertising, you should create a business page on several networks and then include links to your website and other online presences on each of these social network pages. However, simply establishing social network pages isn’t enough. You must generate a buzz about your work by always updating your pages with information that others will find valuable. Remember, the more people who find your pages informational, the more traffic you will generate.

Go Local

Apart from using the nearly limitless power of online venues, you also want to think small by focusing on local businesses. Many small businesses can’t afford to hire a big time design firm and need someone like you that has both professional design skills but charges a price they can afford. You could even send out advertisements to local businesses offering them a slight discount because you want to service the companies in your community.

No matter how you choose to generate a buzz about your design business and accumulate clients, you must always create high quality work and treat your clients fairly to stay in business. As long as you do these things, you will hopefully have a long and successful career as a web designer.

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