Blog of Subvert Marketing Inc.

How the demise of Adobe Fireworks will change our workflow

2013-05-08T20:17:11Z

Earlier this week, Adobe announced that Fireworks CS6 will be the last version of its Fireworks software. Adobe promises to deliver security updates and may provide bug fixes, but simply put, the product is dead.

When I first read this news, I was bummed. Granted, all of those who use (and love) Fireworks were aware this day would come sooner or later, but I guess I just hoped it would never actually happen.

The reason for my disappointment is that Fireworks has been a part of my near-daily workflow since 1999. All of us in the office use it. I was even once interviewed by Adobe about the product.

I'm well aware of Fireworks' shortcomings, but I'm also very aware of its advantages over competing software, including similar products from Adobe itself. For the type of application and software work we do, Fireworks is more efficient, powerful and better organized than Illustrator and Photoshop. This is not a universal truth for everybody, but for us, Fireworks fits right in.

As you'd expect, since reading about the future of Fireworks, I've spent some time looking at other products like Sketch, Pixelmator, Reflow and Acorn as well as new methods that could replace the software in our workflow. It could be just that I've not yet found the right thing, but nothing seems to pop out at me as the ideal substitute.

Right now, our general workflow is something along these lines: We first meet with the client to discuss their project, talk through ideas about strategy, implementation details and other factors. These ideas turn into brief notes and from those notes, we draw on the whiteboard together.

With our client in the room (whether in real-life or online) we sketch out the technical architecture of the product and play around with how the user interface will look and be navigated. Once those sketches are far enough along, I open Fireworks and spend a couple of days creating a polished version for the first iteration of the interface design. This involves me dropping in all of the elements on key screens, organizing everything and then styling stuff to match.

After this base design has been reviewed, we iterate a bit more, get approval and then start to build. In most cases, this means I send my Fireworks artwork to CSS Ninjas and they ship all of the HTML, CSS and JavaScript back to us in a week or two. While waiting for this return delivery, we get all of the databases and infrastructure in place so that when the files are received, we can pop them into place.

We continue to iterate on the product as we add new features, try out builds and make changes based on testing. During this time, we re-open Fireworks and add extras to the source file, like new or different icons, layouts and screen elements. Those then get looped back into the product and we continue to build until finished.

Most of the work we produce is heavy on the transactions but light on the content. That means a lot of we make doesn't put the focus on text and typography, but rather places its greatest weight on forms, navigation and user to system (and system to user) interactions.

This type of quick in-and-out, highly iterative workflow is easy in Fireworks (and in Expression Blend; R.I.P). I find it's not so simple in Photoshop and Illustrator where I have to deal with organizing piles of layers, re-drawing elements and re-exporting slices from an intricate grid. And I guess that's why, at first, I was fearful of what Fireworks' demise would mean for our current workflow. The product plays a small, but important, part in it all.

The reality is though, in both business and in your craft, if you find yourself getting too comfortable, you must adapt or you risk becoming obsolete. You have to keep challenging yourself to learn something new, expand your skill set and switch up the way you do things. With Fireworks, I feel we currently have this comfortable relationship and that, right there, scares me. It's become too integral to our workflow and is, as such, a liability.

We can certainly keep leaning on Fireworks as we do today. Just because Adobe will not be making a new version of the software doesn't mean we can't use the product as it stands. But the more I think about it, the more I realize that this is an opportunity for us to change and grow. To reach outside our comfort zone and try something completely different; product or approach, it matters not.

An important, related realization I had this past week is that I, and many other designers, are stuck in an old mindset. We're still designing a layer on top of the product being made rather than designing within the product itself.

Whether the product is desktop software, a web application or mobile app, our tools and approaches need to support us in doing our work inside the result, not outside of it. This was something that Expression Blend got right; you, for the most part, still design your interface with the software, but behind that design is generated XAML - the user interface code - written for and accessible to you. The design is only separate from the code in its appearance within the tool.

So, thanks Adobe, for the abrupt, but in the long run, valuable kick in the pants.

Say hello to Eric Dand

2013-05-02T19:03:48Z

We're very excited to introduce Eric Dand as the third member of Subvert.

Eric just finished his second-year at the University of Victoria and will be with us as our summer developer intern.

Since Eric's arrival last week, it's snowed a whole bunch, so perhaps he's more of our winter intern. Hmmm. Anyway...

Mike and I are stoked to have another person join our company and help us drink coffee, make jokes and build cool stuff.

Welcome aboard, Eric.

Good enough to ship, great enough to sell

2013-04-19T16:55:08Z

When you spend months and months building a product of your own, there comes a point when you simply have to pick a date and ship it when that day comes. No excuses: just send it out the door and into the world, blemishes and all.

If you don’t ever commit and just keep making changes, tweaks and additions, maybe even do multiple big re-writes, I’d say there’s a pretty good chance your product will never see the light of day. Worse yet, if you’re bootstrapped and keep waiting until the product is absolutely perfect, you will be so far in financial debt that it will incredibly hard to dig yourself back out of the hole (that is unless, of course, your product is massively successful).

This is where we’re at with our forthcoming iPad app. It’s just about ready to be considered “good enough to ship”. We’ve been working on the app for a while now, integrating all of our first version features and fine-tuning them as we build.

With every feature we get its core pieces in place and then gradually strip away the complexities until it is as simple and straightforward as it can be. This process is repeated throughout the app until the entire product is as streamlined and efficient as possible.

Simple, straightforward, streamlined and efficient are all good product adjectives, right? Yes, perhaps.

But something happens when you reach this point of extreme efficiency: there’s not much delight left in the app. I’m not speaking about a unique personality or attractive visual design; I’m talking specifically about the additional charm and delight in the product’s interactions.

To me, an app that delights is one that surprises (in only good ways, of course). That is, a product that doesn’t show all of its cards at first glance but rather keeps some hidden up its sleeves for you to discover on your own.

What are these little delights? They could be anything really, but if I were to sum it up, I’d say they are details that show an extra depth to the app beyond what you initially see. A series of second and third levels that make the app feel alive.

As designers and developers of software, it can be in our nature to always want to carve away the extra; to keep removing until only the absolute essence is left. While this is a good thing, it doesn’t always make for “great” products.

To be great, you need to take the time at the end and add back in the missing charm that you may have stripped away during construction. Run those extra laps and work to give your product the ability to surprise and delight those who buy and use it.

Fathers, keep your work, at work

2013-02-20T17:17:05Z

When I was young, my dad would sometimes bring home his briefcase, stuffed full of papers, so he could work on them in the evening. This was a rare occurrence though, as my dad mostly kept his work at the office. I'd occasionally join him there on Sunday afternoons, but it was only for an hour and a bit. Plus, he managed a car dealership, so while he worked I got to sit in all of the shiny showroom cars and pretend I was Batman. That was pretty awesome.

Up until recently, this is the opposite of what my kids experienced. I tended to only bring my work home when there was a strict deadline to be met or time had simply run out at the office and I needed to "just get this little something done". Problem is, that little something would often turn into a 3-4 hour session after our children went to bed. I was also distracted when reading books or saying prayers with them before they went to sleep, which completely sucked. Altogether, this was a draining practice on top of an already long day.

This sort of extra time in front of the computer wasn't an issue when I was unmarried and had no kids. Back then, I'd work a lot. But now, I just don't have the energy nor the interest to work more than absolutely required. I'd rather try to be more focused and efficient at work so that I can completely avoid bringing any of it home.

But, honestly, sometimes it's really hard to draw boundaries between the office and the family home. Having a laptop that I can easily pack up and work on makes this additionally challenging. So, recently I sold mine (a MacBook Pro) both to reduce the amount of technology in my life as well as, more importantly, help keep work at work. Now I just have a Windows desktop PC at the office. When I need to work, I get work done there. And when my work day is over, I lock the door and head home.

Y'know, much is written about having a work/life balance. I'm not sure this is the right way to look at it though. The balance shouldn't only be split between work and life. "Life" is made up of too many different aspects and angles to be considered the mere opposite of work. A full life is far more complex than that.

As a father, work is a major responsibility of mine. The money that work provides pays the bills and allows us to save for the future. But, just like teaching our kids how to ski, helping with math homework, driving to activities, changing diapers or vacationing together, I should strive to give 100% of myself to each activity and the people who are there with me. Although I may not always attain this goal, I can certainly give it my best effort. My kids and wife deserve nothing less.

I've found that selling the laptop and keeping my work on the office computer has helped a lot. I feel my patience and attention span have both increased when I'm with my family. I've also noticed improved concentration in both places.

There's not much to appreciate in a father and husband who is present but absent, if you know what I mean.

Being a dad (or a mom) is really hard work and it's not always immediately rewarding. But, like many of the best things in life, the time and effort I put into my family relationships now will be the hours that will have mattered most later on. And so, if that means leaving work, at work, that's what I'll do.

Hiring: Developer Intern

2013-02-01T17:40:12Z

We're looking for a developer intern to assist us this summer. In return, you'll gain real world experience planning, building, deploying and supporting a wide variety of custom web applications and software at our office in Whitehorse, Yukon.

You'll have a chance to work alongside senior developers on Windows software, .NET web applications, Windows Phone apps and iOS apps as well as participate in the creative design process. Every day you'll get your hands dirty in real client work as well as on our own products. This is a chance for you to learn, grow and be challenged at a small company that moves fast and takes great pride in what we make.

Our ideal intern is someone who's currently working towards a Computer Science degree. This is a paid position, so you'll be able to go back to school with money in the bank to buy books, gadgets and boxes upon boxes of Kraft Dinner. All we need from you is enthusiasm and a positive attitude; we'll provide everything you need to get the job done in style.

If you're interested in becoming our developer intern, please email info@subvert.ca with your resume, a link to some programming examples and a short message introducing yourself.

Share your software development stories

2013-01-30T18:44:29Z

With each successive product that we build, the more I appreciate and respect what other small, independent software developers have done. After all, this stuff is hard, and not just the part where you make the thing. There's a whole lot that needs to happen before and after you ship your own software; behind-the-scenes work you can't know about until you've done it yourself.

In fact, one of the results from us making products is that my I buy my own personal software differently than before.

It's not unlike if you start a business in your local community. Soon you may find yourself, as have I, wanting to financially support your peers who too have taken a risk and made something out of nothing. I simply have more empathy for them. If the quality is equal, when given a choice between local vs. shopping at a distance, I will always spend my money on the products and services offered by locals like us.

In the case of software developers, our community is, by nature, global. Thus, when making decisions about what to software to buy, I'll choose to purchase the product from the maker who is more transparent and "human" than their competition; akin to being local and available. Folks who publicly discuss starting their business, like Long Zheng's story about making stuff and Sam Soffes sharing his successes and failures along the way. These are the type of companies and people I want to support.

So, in the spirit of openness, following is a short series of tales about each of our products and what we learned in making them. I've peppered these stories with links to other software developers who shared similar experiences and many of whom I've bought something from.

When we released Flik, our first product, we discovered how much thought and effort it takes to organize how you'll process payments, accommodate trials (the guys at Tapbots mention this), track bugs and like the crew at Intype, manage licenses. Prior to launch, it seemed like there was an endless amount to do; almost more than the product itself. If you don't sell your software in an app store, getting this plumbing in place is completely up to you.

When we shipped Cash Hound, our second product, we learned how to navigate the app store model (not as well as Realmac, obviously), which often means learning how to wait. Since you're not in complete control of the support like vin65 is and architecture (which is what made Flik challenging) at times you need to be very patient. Reviews and approvals can be slow, so if you fix a bug in your software, it may require a week or two to get pushed out to customers. Worse yet are bugs in the builder's software, as Daniel Pasco from Black Pixel reports.

Another tough aspect about the app store model is the standard 30% cut that Apple and Microsoft take. You spend a lot of time building the software, marketing it and pushing out updates, but not all of that money gets returned to you. That can be a tough pill to swallow, no matter if your sales numbers are large or small.

Our third product was ibbit. With it, we learned how to plan something of our own that's really big and complex. It's no Amazon, but ibbit represents our most ambitious and multi-layered commercial software project yet. Figuring out ibbit's pricing model, how to set up subscriptions, negotiate terms, write up service contracts and handle requests/feedback (Panic was very creative here) were all new territory to us, as was the hybrid web browser/server/desktop software model. Revenue-wise, ibbit is our most successful product.

Our fourth product, a yet-to-be-named iPad and Windows Store app, has taken us into the uncharted waters of iOS development. With this app, we've had to take what we know from years of using iOS devices - iPod, iPad and iPhone - and flip that knowledge on its head to build something of our own from scratch. We've had to learn a whole new set of tools, a different programming language and a unique method of interface design and workflow. Hard stuff, but it's been rewarding and interesting to do so. I'm sure there will be some new lessons learned with iOS development too.

It comes down to this: if you have a choice, buy your software from independent creators. Do your part to support the little guys, especially the ones who consistently put themselves out there, blemishes and all.

Microsoft Surface Pro and the future of minimalist computing

2013-01-25T15:17:53Z

I've been on a gadget simplification kick as of late. That is, seeking out ways to decrease the amount of unnecessary technology I have in my life and selling off what I don't need. As is said: Mo' tech, mo' trouble! (okay, maybe nobody says that).

When it comes to computers and technology, I'm not only talking about hardware that surrounds me in the form of tablets, desktops and laptops. Also included in this list are smartphones, TV set-top boxes, servers, backup systems and music players. Yep, I've got them all, as do many people, and the more you have, the more you have to worry about each of them.

With gadgets, there's always some light blinking, some update that needs to be installed and some problem that needs to be fixed or setting adjusted. All of these demands for my attention cause unnecessary stress and anxiety. I don't need more of that in my life. If anything, I need less.

What if I could start fresh? What if I were to start over again?

If I had nothing and wanted to purchase a new computer, I'd take a serious look at Microsoft's latest tablet, the Surface Pro.

Based on what it can do in such a small, compact form, I think the Surface Pro is on track to being all you really need in an everyday system. Its' design and features, represent to me, the future of minimalist computing. Of smarter computing.

With the Surface Pro, you get a lightweight tablet boosted with the power of a desktop computer due to its operating system. Unlike the hardware set-up that Apple is currently trying to sell - MacBook for when you're on the go, iMac or Mac Pro for when you're at office and iPad when you're relaxing - Microsoft has rolled all of that equipment into a single machine. Yes, you can get by with only one of these, and several people have proven so with just the iPad but it takes a serious adjustment to your workflow to do so. With the iPad, you're restricted to software from the App Store, which for me, doesn't cut the mustard.

Due to its Mini DisplayPort, I dig the idea of being able to plug the Surface Pro into a big 27" monitor when I'm at the office. If I want to take the computer to a meeting or bring it home, I just unplug the various cables and everything goes with me. No syncing of files between a laptop and desktop. No transferring of data back and forth, made even better if you already have stuff in the cloud. No managing of two (or three) different operating systems. The Surface Pro is all I'd need.

Even if you're not a Windows user, I think you have to admit that Microsoft presents a bold and well-conceived vision with the design and implementation of its Surface Pro. Perhaps Apple will follow in their footsteps and do the same with the iPad. You just never know what the future may hold.

Two birds, one stone: Designing a Windows Store app and iPad app at the same time

2013-01-18T22:21:42Z

We're currently building an app with versions for both Windows Store and Apple's App Store. The product is a Bluetooth chat app that allows people to easily create a private group and annotate and discuss a set of shared documents within it, as well as message each other. Both apps will go on sale soon.

This is our first commercial iPad application. We've already built a number of products for the Windows platform, both on Windows desktop and Windows Phone, but this is our initial go at the App Store with software of our own making.

In an ideal world, we'd probably have one team dedicated to the design and development of the Windows Store app and another to the iPad app. But since it's just the two of us, we're doing both apps at once, by ourselves. We're slightly nuts that way.

As with all of our software projects, we use an iterative approach. That is, instead of delivering everything at the end, we break up the design and development of our apps into prioritized features, then build and dispatch one at a time. We start with the app's strategy and architecture, then move to whiteboard sketches to figure out flow and placement. As soon as these sketches are good enough, they get coded up into something that we can use and test.

It's at this point where we typically move into creating polished design artwork, which if put into a "phase", is always one step ahead of development. But, since we're making a Windows Store app and iPad app at the same time, we're finding the best approach is to have design both lead, and trail, behind development.

In the case of this new app, we've chosen to build the iPad app first because it's the riskier proposition; us not yet having built something for iOS. Of course, there's still plenty of iPads, iPods and iPhones in the office, just nothing that runs an app of ours.

As the iPad application's functionality and design comes together, whatever we create gets sent back to the Windows Store app in the form of sketches. We update and refine our sketches as the iPad app progresses. Nothing is polished or final, just rough.

As Windows Store apps and iPad apps are dramatically different in their native interactions, language and presentation, what we build in the iPad app needs to be translated into Windows Store app-speak so that it fits in with the larger family.

When our iPad app is finished, we'll start building the Windows Store app, but not before. While it's, of course, possible to design and build both apps at once, my experience in doing so is that you only end up increasing the potential for confusion, stress and mishaps as you try to walk between these two very distinct worlds. It's best to keep them separated.

I'll let you know how this two-at-once experiment works out after both of the apps are shipped and in their respective stores, but for now I'm feeling good about our methodology.

How we use version control to manage our project files and folders

2013-01-15T21:49:03Z

We recently switched to using version control for all of our project files. Proposals, contracts, content, artwork, documentation, templates, you name it; they're all versioned. If you're thinking of doing the same for your agency or design shop, hopefully this post will help you plan out your own system.

If you're not sure what version control is, a simple definition is that somewhere - a computer in your office, with a hosted service or on your own web server - you keep one central copy of a project's files. People in your company - designers, developers, project managers or the office cat - then download a copy of those files to their own computer to work on them. Whenever changes are made, those updates can be "committed" back to the central copy and the previous version gets automatically stored away, should you need it at a later date.

It used to be that we only utilized version control for our website or application code and databases. Anything that I designed or any formal documentation that we wrote lived on another office file server that was backed up to Amazon every night. Even though both sets of files were related to the same project, they were in different places.

A few weeks ago, we laid out a new standard folder structure that we will use for all of our projects. It's set up like this:

All of these folders and files are hosted on our own external web server. Every time we start a new project, we log into our web server, open VisualSVN Server and add a new repository. The bookmark for that repository then gets copied into each person's respective version control desktop software - I personally use Versions for OS X - and the standard project folder structure gets added. As we create or change stuff (proposals, contracts, artwork, code, etc.) it goes into those folders and gets committed back to the server. If somebody else makes changes, we each update our copy; a single click in most cases.

What's awesome about this setup is that everything is now centrally located, versioned and backed up. From 50 MB Adobe Fireworks artwork files to Microsoft Word proposals and databases to Adobe Illustrator logos, we've got one place to go for everything related to our projects. We can even give contractors access to certain folders or files.

If you're still using a file server for your project documents, you owe it to yourself to check out how version control works and how it can be applied to your business. Once you get over the initial technology jargon hump - repositories? commits? huh? - and put a version control system in place, you'll wonder how you ever did without.

If we can't solve your problem, you get your money back

2012-12-11T19:42:18Z

Yesterday on my way to work, I listened to an interview with Frank Stronach on CBC Radio. I know of Stronach through his company, Magna International; one of Canada's biggest and most successful automotive parts suppliers.

During the interview, Stronach spoke of his humble beginnings as an independent tool and die maker, sleeping on a cot next to his machinery. He had a lot of interesting things to say about business, ethics and life in general, but there was one particular tale in his interview that struck a cord with me.

Stronach told a story about how he had to convince a manufacturer to do business with him; to trust his company with the work instead of somebody else. His offer was simple and elegant but very powerful:

"If we can't solve your problem, you get your money back."

That was the offer. Nothing more, nothing less.

His story made me think about how we operate and how our industry perceives and sells the type of work we all do.

Are we solving real problems? Furthermore, do we believe in our abilities enough to offer a money-back guarantee?

The question becomes, if you're not delivering true, measurable value by solving your client's stated problems, what sort of service are you really providing? Are you actually bringing something of tangible worth to this relationship?

Sometimes it's hard to figure out what these problems are because they're deeply embedded in the client's organization and are thus time-consuming and complex to unravel and pinpoint. In other instances, this discovery can be easy, but I'd wager there's much more of the former than the latter.

May I suggest that before you sign a contract, you and the client need to determine exactly what problems you're going to solve. Put the onus on them to first come up with a list of their own, then together dissect, hone and write those issues down. Yes, they need to be realistic, but after you sign that contract, work your butt off to solve them. Make their problems your priority.

Two months with a cloud-centric Windows set-up

2012-12-02T00:48:20Z

Two months ago, I wrote about moving to a cloud-centric Windows set-up. At that time, I mentioned I'd write a follow-up post about how the configuration was working out. This is that report.

Well, I'd say it's gone pretty good. Management of my fonts, movies, photos and documents - that is, things that don't really change or get updated very often - has been much easier with SkyDrive. Admittedly, it helps that I'm on Windows Phone so any photos that I take there get automatically uploaded to SkyDrive (a very cool feature of Windows Phone, by the way) but still, I like having one central place where all of those images live.

Music, on the other hand, has been a bit of a chore. First, I had to upload nearly 40 GB of music to SkyDrive, which took f-o-r-e-v-e-r and severely bogged down our network. I had to do this over several weekends and just let my computer run the process in 48+ hour blocks.

iTunes also doesn't "watch" my music directory and magically add any new songs to the iTunes library. This remains a manual process. It only takes a few minutes, but still, it's a pain because you have to open a window, find your files and then drag any new folders over into iTunes on all of the computers being synced. If you pay for Apple's iTunes Match service, this is handled to some degree, but it's not fully synced and seamless. Perhaps in the future.

So, two months later and I can happily say that this cloud thing works. There's some kinks and it's not perfect, but it's far more ideal than my previous set-up. If you're thinking of doing something similar, I recommend taking the leap.

Designing Windows software: Using colour to differentiate between application frames

2012-10-16T19:16:02Z

I’ve been using Visio Professional 2013 Preview for all of my diagramming needs since early August. The new edition of Visio has been good to me, so last week I took the dive and also installed Office 2013. Again, so far, so good. Today with multiple document windows open in Outlook, Excel, Word, Visio and Visual Studio, I discovered something I hadn’t noticed before.

When you have a number of windows open that are piled on top of each other, the colours that Microsoft uses for each of its application frames helps to differentiate between them.

What’s the usability benefit to this? I’d suggest that it provides easier window management because you’re able to select your desired window from the pile based on colour alone. You don’t need to shuffle windows around or use the taskbar to find your buried document. Just identify the colour of the application with which your file is open and go from there.

What’s also interesting about this design approach is that Microsoft hasn’t ignored their own advice regarding input focus which states, “Windows that aren't immediately displayed or displayed by a system-initiated action shouldn't take input focus. Instead, display on top without focus, and let users activate them when they are ready.” The utilization of colour creates superior discovery, not additional distraction. Smart stuff.

I’ve searched Dev Center for desktop apps seeking more information about the use of colour with non-Microsoft produced software and application frames, but have found nothing. There’s also some developer discussion around how to use custom application frames, but alas, nothing geared towards designers. Perhaps someone knows different and can let me know.

Facing fears and insecurities

2012-10-05T15:14:51Z

Here's a secret: a few months after starting Subvert, I applied for a full-time job elsewhere. I was interviewed and even got the offer, but I turned it down.

I applied for the job because I was scared. Just four months into running the business, with my wife and two young kids at home all relying on my income, it wasn't going as well as I had hoped it would. I had some small contracts here and there, but not much other work in the pipeline, or at least not enough to keep going. My business savings were starting to dry up and I was worried that I wouldn't be able to pay the bills or myself. I didn't want to nor could I afford to fail, especially this close to the start.

I also applied for the job because I was tired. When you've never worked for yourself - freelancing at night on top of full-time employment doesn't count - you really have no clue how exhausting it is to generate a paycheque every other week. This is because before you can actually put that money into your personal bank account, you have to pay everybody else first, including the government, utilities, taxes, insurance, suppliers and a host of other expenses that only seem to grow with each passing month. And that's assuming your customers also pay you on time, if at all. Simply, if you have no money coming in, there's going to be no money going out, especially into your, the owner's, pocket.

Thankfully, here I am, nearly six years later, having survived. That's not to say there haven't been other, and will continue to be, difficult times for our business as we continue to grow, change and improve. It's just that with every circumstance and rough road traveled, we take the lessons we've learned in the past and apply them to the new situation. Sometimes we'll know what to do and sometimes we won't, but based on what I've discovered, that's all part of the journey.

If there's one of many things that owning a business has taught me, it's to be appreciative. To be thankful for what we have been blessed with and to respect the work (not to mention the tenacity and guts) it has taken to get to where we are today. That respect automatically extends to others who have followed a similar path in carving out their own livelihoods.

As business owners, we all have stories and we all have scars. When you choose to face your fears and insecurities you'll acquire plenty of both, but along the way, you'll become a better person for the privilege.

A cloud-centric Windows set-up

2012-09-26T17:06:43Z

I have a lot of computers. At the office, I use a Windows desktop PC and make calls/message on a Windows Phone. Our work files are stored on a tower running Windows Server. There’s an Xbox 360 over there in the corner. I also have an Apple MacBook Pro (running Windows 8 and OS X) for when, on the rare occasion, I need to work from home, which is also where we happen to have a family iMac, an iPad 2 and a plethora of iPods.

All of these computers combined, no matter what their size and form factor, have tons of important data. Some of them, like the iPad, iPods and Windows Phone have their data stored elsewhere, within the company’s respective clouds. I can thus easily remote wipe any of these devices if they get lost or stolen. My desktops and laptops do not – or at least, not everything – and so this has been causing me stress as of late.

Simply, I’ve got files and data stored all over the place. Over the years I’ve been uploading and syncing to various providers, like Amazon S3, Apple iCloud, Rackspace and Microsoft SkyDrive; photos in one place, music in another. I’ve created a bad situation.

Specific to the title of this post, I’d like to talk about how I dealt with this problem in the form of a consolidated, cloud-centric Windows set-up. So far, after a week of use, I’m really happy with how it’s performing.

That’s my desktop PC; a beast of a machine that powers a 27” and 23” monitor. This desktop – Dragon Lord, as it’s affectionately named - is home to most everything I own and use on a regular basis: music, fonts, movies, photos, passwords and various personal files. And like I said above, that data is stored here, there and everywhere. Outside of our work files which are on the Windows Server box and get backed up nightly to Amazon, I also manually duplicate and manage this personal data on my laptop. If I make a change on the desktop, I have to make it on the laptop. This is far from optimal.

When researching cloud options to deal with this mess, I came up with a set of defining criteria that helped me decide what provider to use. The criteria included:

The ability for me to set up a common group of directories/folders that I can name myself and be shared and synced across all of the computers. If these directories need to be in different locations on each computer because of the software that uses them, like fonts, I must be able to easily create links between those folders.

The provider I choose should be, as much as possible, independent of the technology that accesses it. In other words, I shouldn’t have to use a manufacturer’s hardware or software in order to get at the files I’ve stored with them (as is the case with Apple). Some proprietary software is fine, but too much is unacceptable.

In the end, I chose Microsoft SkyDrive. With it, I created directories inside my account, then dragged and dropped all of the original files into their respective folders: music, fonts, movies, photos and documents. Where necessary, I mapped other directories to each. I then downloaded and installed SkyDrive software on every one of my computers. As for bookmarks and passwords, I use Firefox and its free sync service.

Now, with SkyDrive’s desktop integration, complete web-browser access and a full suite of software for Windows Phone, iPad, iPhone and Mac, I can access the same set of files and data from anywhere. The service is also dirt cheap: just $50/yr for 100 GB of storage space (the most expensive plan). Plus, it’s Microsoft, so I know I can trust that the company will be around probably forever, unlike some of its competitors.

My plan is to write another post about my cloud-centric Windows set-up and how it’s working for me. I will use this SkyDrive-based configuration for a month or so before I report on its overall performance and any tweaks or adjustments I’d recommend making. My hope is that others will benefit from the experience and perhaps take the same route to solving their own personal data management problems.

To the cloud! (Sorry, I couldn’t resist).

My journey to a career I love

2012-09-21T18:45:54Z

The year was 1993. I was about to graduate from high school. My whole future was ahead of me, including the choice of where I wanted to attend university.

In the end, I picked Lakehead in Thunder Bay, Ontario for its Outdoor Recreation, Parks and Tourism bachelors degree program. I finished in 1997, worked a couple of years in the industry and then moved onto something completely different: digital design and marketing.

Up until that decision was made to attend Lakehead, a big part of my life was fine art and graphic design. I took art all through high school, had my work displayed at shows and attended arts camps during the summer. I thought a lot about art as a career and even toured, then applied to the Ontario College of Art & Design - now OCAD University - for industrial design.

Yet, for some reason, I chose to study outdoor recreation, parks and tourism. I (mostly) blame the guidance counselor who advised me against becoming, in her words, "another starving artist".

Oh, youth. And old people.

Today, I'm very happy with my career and chosen profession, and have been for some time. It's not what I went into, but it's where I was obviously meant to wind up. Still, when I watch videos like this from the HTC design team, it pulls at my heart strings. I wonder if it could have been me, on that team, designing stuff like the HTC Window Phone 8X.

Thing is, life's too short to have regrets. I don't regret my decision to not go into industrial design because in the majority of ways, it's what I do now; of course, minus the hardware/physical materials aspect. I'd probably also have to live in a big stinky city like Toronto or New York to work as an industrial designer. Yuck. I prefer the Yukon's fresh air and mountains.

My advice to anyone starting out at university or college this year, or in a few years, is to pick what you're passionate about today and follow through in pursuit of your dreams. You may not start off in the right place, but if it's meant to be, you'll get there eventually.

Speaking from experience, sometimes the winding road is the most fun, and rewarding, of all.