Welcome to Fresno

In a recent discussion on LinkedIn, Felix, a nervous potential boomeranger, writes:

Why is the Silicon Valley/Bay Area/Sacto prosperous but our San Joaquin Valley not as economically prosperous? Unemployment rates, environmental issues, high school graduation rates, etc.

I have read all the issues and would like to hear from fellow Fresno State graduates. Is there opportunity upon returning to the SJ Valley? Where do we work? Am I making wrong assumptions based on reading the newspapers? For example, I work in San Francisco. I have an MBA, BA in BioScience, Certificate in Urban & Regional Planning. Is there room for someone like me in Fresno? Thank you. [...]

How to choose a professional graphic designer

You’ve come across a few names, now what? Choosing the right designer is an important business decision—the right graphic designer has the ability to create a positive perception of your business, influence your existing and potential market, and ultimately increase your revenue.
[...]

How to find a professional graphic designer

Finding a professional graphic designer can be like trying to find a needle in a haystack, especially if you don’t know where to look. Just when you think you’ve hit the mother lode you’re faced with an equally daunting task—sifting through the multitude of people laying claim to the title Graphic Designer.

Not all graphic designers are created equal

Technology has a sneaky way of delivering backhanded problems while solving them. Personal computing and the wide availability of desktop publishing software have made shade-tree designers of us all. Many people offer design services—ranging in experience from professional graphic designers with years of experience to high school students armed with pirated software hoping to make a quick buck.

Searching the Internet can be very time consuming and your efforts can leave you feeling confused and discouraged. Some business owners find this process so overwhelming that they eventually give up and try to do the work on their own. [...]

Twitter Favorites

I’m a twit, I’ll admit it. Most tweets that come across my desktop are boring, industry-related or the typical narcissistic shout-out.

Few have the ability to tickle and delight. Some are profane. Some are insensitive and controversial. Some are just plain stupid. These are the ones that get flagged as my favorite.

[...]

Design Means Business / Business Means Design

With The Ignite Series¹ “Snuff your competition with style” workshop, less than a month away, I find myself deeply engrossed in exploring the exciting and evolving relationship between design and the economy.

Since I am writing this on my iPhone and am flying 20,000 feet above the ground, rather than a formal blog entry I offer the following insightful quotes from my in-flight reading material: A whole new mind: moving from the Information Age to the Conception Age by Daniel H. Pink.
[...]

Am I simply sleep deprived or does this letter opener really kick ass?

Which ever the case may be, I experienced a profound sense of appreciation for this letter opener this morning. Oprah may have her “favorite things” and Martha may have her “good things”, but I’ve got this handy-dandy, inspirational letter opener and a brand spanking new blog category—Appreciation Station.

Thank you, third world country. Thank you, orange no. 13. Thank you, Mac World Expo. Thank you, endicia.com. And thank YOU, Google.

Luis von Ahn is my new hero

Not only does this guy’s last name contain two words that also rhyme (von Ahn), he is undoubtedly the king of ultra-philanthropic-super-geekiness.

Luis von Ahn is an assistant computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University. Together with a team from Carnegie Mellon University, Luis is largely responsible for CAPTCHA¹ programs as we know them today.

A CAPTCHA or Captcha (pronounced /ˈkæptʃə/) is a type of challenge-response test used in computing to ensure that the response is not generated by a computer. The process usually involves one computer (a server) asking a user to complete a simple test which the computer is able to generate and grade. Because other computers are unable to solve the CAPTCHA, any user entering a correct solution is presumed to be human.
—Wikipedia

Not content to simply help rid spam from the face of the earth, Luis believed that CAPTCHA technology could be used for a greater purpose. He decided to use CAPTCHA—a relatively large waste of human energy and time²—and apply it to a problem of global proportions: digitizing the world’s vast library of books, newspapers and old time radio shows.
[...]

NWS issues special weather statement for Fresno

On June 30, 2009 at 8:15 a.m. the National Weather Service issued a Special Weather Statement for San Joaquin Valley.

…SPRINKLES OR ISOLATED LIGHT SHOWERS POSSIBLE IN THE VALLEY TODAY…

SUBTROPICAL MOISTURE HAS MOVED INTO THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY THIS MORNING. THIS MOISTURE HAS PRODUCED VIRGA…

We might experience virga? Only in Fresno would the NWS issue a special weather statement for “sprinkles”.
[...]

What is graphic design?

If you’ve spent any amount of time in the graphic design industry you’ve most likely been asked this common question: What is graphic design? So it came as no surprise to me when I discovered that it is the number one question people type into search engines containing the keyword “graphic design”.

Skimming through the latest article feeds in feedly this morning, I came across How To Generate Content Ideas For Your Site an article from Small Business Trends. Standing on the platform of “Content is King”—one of the most overused phrases in the marketing world—but also very true, the article aims at providing useful tools and ideas for generating relevant content for your website. One of the tools presented was this nifty little Keyword Questions search by Wordtracker Labs. Here’s how it works:
[...]

The sign at my door

Not content with the old standard, I decided to get quite specific with my no soliciting sign. It lists conditions under which one would be welcomed to knock on my door—if you’re family or friend; the mail carrier or police officer; and most important, if you have my dog.

While cute, the sign has shown little promise in being an effective deterrent to solicitors. Perhaps it’s not obvious enough or maybe the people who knock on door in my neighborhood can’t read. I think most of them just don’t care. Maybe my sign would’ve been better received if it stars and smiley faces on it, like this west coast housewife’s. Guess that’s what I get for being such an uptight curmudgeon.

Update: You can now download the No Soliciting sign for your own personal use. Thank @SonicFoundation for the impassioned suggestion.