Frank's Silicon Buffet

noreply@blogger.com (Frank himself) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 12:27:00 +0000

Want a free education? 10 xlnt, free sources. http://ping.fm/eQgdH

noreply@blogger.com (Frank himself) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 12:16:00 +0000

Clean up your computer with these five apps. http://ping.fm/XrXeu

noreply@blogger.com (Frank himself) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 15:17:00 +0000

Just saw a TV ad for SOPA/PIPA talking about losing jobs. It would cost more jobs than save. Tell Congress - No SOPA/PIPA sopasucks

noreply@blogger.com (Frank himself) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 10:15:00 +0000

XKCD weighs in on SOPA/PIPA. http://ping.fm/Fj3qg SOPAsucks PIPAsucks

noreply@blogger.com (Frank himself) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 10:13:00 +0000

"(... L)awmakers and lobbyists who don’t understand the Internet have no business trying to regulate it." Erik Martin http://bit.ly/zeHGhF

noreply@blogger.com (Frank himself) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 10:07:00 +0000

I want them to remember that lawmakers and lobbyists who don’t understand the Internet have no business trying to regulate it.

noreply@blogger.com (Frank himself) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 10:06:00 +0000

Erik Martin, Reddit GM, about today's blackouts: http://bit.ly/zeHGhF

noreply@blogger.com (Frank himself) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 10:04:00 +0000

PIPA and SOPA lose more supporters (Brains in Congress? Who knew?) http://bit.ly/y1ZZXD

noreply@blogger.com (Frank himself) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 09:53:00 +0000

Seven of the most calorie-laden alcoholic drinks: http://ping.fm/K00LX

"Why you go, then?"

noreply@blogger.com (Frank himself) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 08:07:00 +0000

Heard a great story. A man in, let's say, China was asked why he wanted to leave the country. He was asked, "Don't you like your job?" "Yes, the job is fine." "Don't you like your pay?" "Oh, the pay is alright." "Don't you like your boss?" "Oh, boss is fine." "Don't you like your country?" "Oh, country is fine, yes." "Why you go, then?" "I want to go somewhere it's okay to say you don't like these things."

I love it here in America. Perfect? Oh, no, but better than anything else.

noreply@blogger.com (Frank himself) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 08:02:00 +0000

Do you have customers? Pay attention: 10 Things Vendors Do That Will Drive You Crazy. (Tech Republic) http://tek.io/wBp3J2

noreply@blogger.com (Frank himself) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 21:55:00 +0000

Only YOU can stop SOPA and PIPA. Get Google's concise description of why it's bad for you. http://ping.fm/n5Xg7

Don't freak when you get the bill

noreply@blogger.com (Frank himself) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 20:48:00 +0000

I like my clients. I really do, and there's something that happens over and over, and that's constant tweaking on projects. Folks should get what they want, to be sure, but there's a point where changes are "gilding the lily," as they say. Just like eating, there comes a point where you have to push away from the table.

Logos are particularly touchy because folks have an idea of what they want in their head, but they often fail to realize that to get it juuuuuust right takes time. The more changes you make the more billable minutes tick away and often the changes wind up being useless. When the person you hire says, "That'll take me about thirty minutes to fix," think to yourself, "I just asked him/her to make my bill larger." We're not trying to run up the bill, just make you happy; by the same token, don't go cheap as that's worse. It comes down to being reasonable about what you want want us to do and the cost to do it.

We have to eat, too, and our time is valuable. By saying we're charging too much, you are saying that our work is worth less than the results we give you, or that you think we should be better at our jobs, meaning faster. It takes what it takes just as your job does.

Let's say you've recently gotten an update on the costs you've incurred. Even if we give you the current total, one afternoon's work can push that number a couple hundred dollars higher. I've warned clients, "This is going to take (an hour, a few hours, etc.)," and they still act aghast when they get the bill.

To give you an example, I was working with a client last summer who was constantly tweaking the project. Despite keeping her abreast of totals, when told that we were over budget and by how much she got pretty upset and demanded an accounting of the time. When she saw that she was responsible for the overage, that it could have been avoided and was advised all along (phone calls, emails, etc.), she acted offended despite earlier saying it was "brilliant" work.

What got to me was that earlier in the summer, she'd bragged about a set of golf clubs she'd bought that cost almost twice what we charged. That was a little hard to swallow to think that sporting goods were more valuable to her than our services.

I'm always committed to getting clients what they want and, despite my best efforts, they often seem shocked when they see how much time it takes to do these things. Even though I use a computer to do most of my work, I'm still sitting there building and writing and tweaking and smoothing and aligning and so on. We want the best for you, so please remember that this is an investment.

If you hire a graphic artist or web designer or writer or any other creative person, help them help you to not freak out when you get your bill: Be decisive. If you do make a lot of little changes - and even tiny changes can take an hour or two sometimes - don't freak out at the bill because we're only doing what you ask us to do.

Please remember, we're helping you make your image and "pitch" more persuasive and memorable. We're offering you experience and expertise that others don't have and that make a difference in your success. We're on your side, really.

noreply@blogger.com (Frank himself) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 11:49:00 +0000

Want to see are REAL hero? Go here on Pinterest: http://ping.fm/UnHim

noreply@blogger.com (Frank himself) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 05:28:00 +0000

Need your input - The Xtra Mile. Have a great customer service episode? Why? How? http://bit.ly/wxG9Dy

noreply@blogger.com (Frank himself) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 05:08:00 +0000

I help people get customers with marketing. This guy shows how to keep them. SWA attendant beatbox. The Xtra Mile - http://bit.ly/xJ2R42

noreply@blogger.com (Frank himself) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 00:25:00 +0000

I thought things only went in black holes. Shows what I know. "Black hole fires cosmic bullets." At Wired: http://bit.ly/AoEAYL

noreply@blogger.com (Frank himself) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 00:11:00 +0000

Talk about charity: Gold coin found in Salvation Army kettle sells for $2,001. Good for the SA! Deserved. http://bit.ly/wMTLdj

noreply@blogger.com (Frank himself) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 20:07:00 +0000

Facebook on the road - not exactly the same, but one step closer to being ubiquitous. At Reuters. http://reut.rs/yE1bbE

A less colorful place without Gatewood

noreply@blogger.com (Frank himself) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 01:47:00 +0000

For as long as I can remember, Gatewood Galbraith was one of the liveliest figures in Lexington, or anywhere for that matter. We didn't know each other well, but we knew each other and he never failed to speak, often spotting me before I saw him. We were formally introduced by a mutual friend in about 1980 when I was working at KET. When told what I do he gave me that big grin and said, "Oh, one of Len Press' communist cronies!" (Press was the director of the agency at the time.) I knew I liked him that second.

Whether or not you agreed with Gatewood, he commanded your respect. True to form with any lawyer, he often asked questions to which he already knew the answer, but never to bait you - it was to hear what you had to say in case you knew something he didn't. He truly wanted to know your opinion and even suffered fools with admirable good nature.

I was walking south on Limestone one Saturday afternoon as he was going north in that red Mercedes wagon. I waved and he stopped and asked if I wanted a ride. A bit puzzled, I asked, "Are you going my way?" Again, he flashed his trademark giant, toothy grin and said, "I didn't say I was going to take you where you wanted to go, I asked if you wanted a ride." Then came that booming laugh and off he went with that long arm of his high and waving as he left. You had to love the guy.

Kentucky will be a less colorful and more staid place without him. Few are the politicians who have his courage, verve and wit. He was the blue sport coat at a formal affair, the Einstein hair in a room full of crewcuts. He was bold, erudite, and genuinely kind. He displayed his contrarian views as badge, not a flag waved in your face, and wanted nothing more than for people to understand that character was crucial to government, and also sorely lacking, and that we must take care of those who need help taking care of themselves. He did his best to improve Kentucky.

God bless you, Gatewood. You made this a much better place to live.

What's on your tombstone?

noreply@blogger.com (Frank himself) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 14:02:00 +0000

(This is my answer to a question on Quora. Well, I answered my own question, but the question is, "What do you want your tombstone to say?")

First, I want to be cremated and have my ashes strewn from a plane over a lake near where I grew up. Burial? No, I'm too acerbic to be good for the soil. (That's a joke.)

Next, as part of my will, a large drunken costume party is to be held. We all assume roles in this life and dress accordingly. Businessmen often wear suits; postal workers have a uniform (costume, come on) and so on. Each person's costume should be what they wanted to be as a small child – astronaut, etc. – or that of their most favorite, absurd character (eg. Beaker, Strong Bad, etc.)

I want no speeches because most of the ones at wakes are insincere and people are trying to out-do each other - who can be the most lugubrious or flowery? Instead, I want each person to tell a joke, a dirty limerick, anything funny. Funerals need not be sad. Hell, I made it out of here and had a great life, why not celebrate? If you have to out-do someone, be funny. It's easy to say sad crap, but delivering a joke really well, that's tougher.

Third, fireworks preceeded by a conga line to the display. Why fireworks? A. In the continuum of time, we last an even shorter time than they - a nice reminder of life's brevity; B. It's about the only way I'll go out with a bang; C. I like fireworks, and most importantly; D. They make you look up and that's where most people look when they're happy. I don't want people with their heads down feeling sad.

Watch the obits folks. It'll be fun. Don't miss it. (Not that I'm going soon ... that I know of.)

noreply@blogger.com (Frank himself) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 10:04:00 +0000

Didja know the US Navy rescued Iranian fishermen from pirates last week? Close the Hormuz? Sure about that? At Wired. http://bit.ly/zrRrGS

noreply@blogger.com (Frank himself) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 09:49:00 +0000

From Tech Republic. Windows users, 5 free registry cleaners. You probably need one. http://tek.io/zo4dNJ

noreply@blogger.com (Frank himself) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 09:47:00 +0000

Heard of Kickstarter? Ever wanted to be on the ground floor of something awesome? Be an angel. Go here: http://ping.fm/1V3KY

"Unbroken" - Absolutely amazing book

noreply@blogger.com (Frank himself) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 06:05:00 +0000

I invite you to read my brief review of "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand, author of "Seabisquit." This could well be the most powerful biography you'll ever read, and one you'll not forget. You'll see sides of humanity that are the absolute best and worst we humans can be, and how one man, Louie Zamperini, demonstrated the absolute best a person can be. http://ping.fm/XaRlA