This made Good Friday a little “Gooder.”

Great way to start Saturday, getting Comic-Con tickets. See you in July. #SDCC #retreg2017

Time for some Cat-an. #catsofinstagram #catstagram

When it rains in San Diego, we just move practice indoors. #baseball

Quote of the day.

Now, I must confess that I really like reality tv. I’ve watched Survivor from the the beginning and still watch it. I also love Top Chef, Face Off, SharkTank, MasterChef, Flea Market Flip, Forged in Fire and any number of other fluff programs. I like them because they are fun. Are they often over the top? Yes. Are they often filled with cheesy manipulation? Yes. But they are entertainment, and that’s what I enjoy.

For those that are complaining this isn’t a realistic portrayal of the app development process, well, of course it isn’t, it’s a tv show, and that’s why I’m looking forward to watching. I’m hoping the business discussion is interesting, I hope we get to see some neat ideas and where they go. And if I find one or two new apps to use in the process, all the better.

I read a great post over at 99u.com about 7 productivity tips you can gleam from Star Wars.  Here are a few of my favorites:

1) Rest when you have nothing to do.

When Jedi Qui-Gon Jinn is fighting Darth Maul in The Phantom Menace, a transparent door closes, dividing them (see in video above). Darth Maul paces back and forth ready to continue their battle while Qui-Gon simply sits and rests, seemingly doing nothing.

In modern society we all feel like we have to be like Darth Maul. Pacing, finding a “purpose,” being anxious, stressed, waiting for doors to open. But it is great to just rest and be happy and not move when you don’t have to. I will tell you those doors will open, and it’s great.

I know for myself that when i don’t spend time to rest my productivity nosedives.  Sometimes we get under so much pressure that we feel like that time to rest will hurt, but usually the opposite is true. I also find my problem solving and creativity are so much higher after a little rest.

2) Rid yourself of everything you don’t need.

Obi-Wan lives a simple life in exile for 40 years when he’s on Tatooine. Yoda, Jedi Master, lives in a simple swamp hut after he loses his battle with the Emperor. They were still capable of laughing, of living, of staying healthy, and were able to train the next generation. They didn’t need anything to keep them entertained. It’s a story. But this is the way I would like to live: with my friend and my health intact, and not a material care in the world.

Clutter can be such a distraction to me.  Simple almost always helps me focus and get more done.

5) Be around other Jedis.

Once Anakin Skywalker starts hanging out with Darth Sidious he becomes a bad guy (see above). Here are some things that are hard in life: being honest, being kind, and trying to add value to others. These things take time and energy. When you are around people who steal your energy then those things become even harder. As a wise man once said, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”

Just like we teach our students being around those that have the traits we wish to have helps build those habits.  When I’m around those that are creative and productive it helps to inspire those traits in me as well.  I recommend finding those people around you and schedule time to hang around them.  Even if it’s just for coffee, discussing what you are working can with them can be a huge lift to you, especially if you are feeling stuck.

Read the entire list of tips HERE.

25% of the Internet runs on WordPress

Last week, the research organization w3techs released its latest research on Content Management System (CMS) usage across the web. The far and above WordPress was the winner, powering 59% of websites with identifiable CMS and 25% of the web overall. The 2nd (Joomla) and 3rd (Drupal) place CMSs account for less than 5% combined.

Most Popular CMSes:

Top 10 List:

Read complete report and list.

Does this make WordPress the right CMS for you?
When choosing a CMS, you want something that is established and actively developed and supported. When a platform has 25% of the web, it’s not going anywhere anytime soon. In fact, the trends show it easily surpassing 25% by the end of the year.

These percentages also show that WordPress is not just for blogging any longer. In its early days, that is primarily what it was designed for, but it has continued to grow, and the community has created themes and extensions that make it a great option for any business to power their online presence. It also continues to be easy to use and updated frequently so you aren’t stuck with a site that can’t grow and change with your business. There are thousands of themes available that make it easy to present your business or organization exactly how you want. If the perfect theme isn’t available, having your own custom theme isn’t out of reach like it can be on some other platforms.

Another huge plus that is often overlooked when evaluating a CMS is how search engine friendly it is. When you are on 25% of the world’s websites, Google and Bing are going to know how to crawl it. When you add SEO plug-ins, it only enhances the ease at which search engines can pick up your content and help them be seen by people looking for services and products you offer.

We are proud to offer WordPress as one of the solutions to help your business reach it’s goals and potential. We have a team experienced in design and development ready to build a site that meets your business needs. And if you are unsure of what you need or how your current site can be improved, we have years of experience in helping coach people along the way so they can learn what will be most effective.