The grill is closed for the day.
Archive for February, 2011
All posts written in February, 2011.
Feb
28
2011
Almost Spring…
Feb
27
2011
Twitter Weekly Updates for 2011-02-27
- Let's play Words With Friends. My username is '[email protected]'. http://bit.ly/dK8DdN #
- Let's play Chess With Friends. My username is 'thejappler'. http://bit.ly/eAnkJH #
- I updated our jQuery Cycle Slideshow WordPress plugin – now featuring more customizations: http://bit.ly/gLlFBn #
Feb
24
2011
Jappler Recommends: Words With Friends
I admit it – I am hooked on Words With Friends (very similar to Scrabble). One of my friends got me hooked last week and ever since I have been playing with him and some random people online.
What is this? Think Scrabble with a beautiful interface, the ability to play one turn at a time at your own pace – with friends and strangers alike. Some days I will place several words. Other days – I might only have time for one or two words. Games can take a few hours or a few days. Either way – it is a great way to play this word game when you cannot commit to sitting down and focusing for the length of an entire game – all at once. This is very fun and very addicting and I would recommend it to anyone who likes Scrabble.
Download this app for your phone/iPhone/iPad and let’s play! My user name is thejappler.
PS – I am also playing Chess With Friends too – same user name.
Feb
21
2011
iTunes Web Interface
I have been enjoying Apple’s web interface to iTunes. Last week I wanted to pass on a link to one of my favorite podcasts and was able to send this link which allows you to listen/preview/subscribe to the podcast all via a web browser. Sharing has never been easier. PS – check out episode 281 EXTRA via that link – it is worth it!
Feb
14
2011
Valentine’s Day = Lou Malnati’s
Heart shaped pizza!
Feb
14
2011
McDonald’s Shamrock Shake is Back!
As I was ordering my Fruit & Maple Oatmeal from McDonald’s this morning – I noticed the Shamrock shake is now available! My recommendation: ask for it half Shamrock/half chocolate for a real treat!
Feb
13
2011
Twitter Weekly Updates for 2011-02-13
- Was it just me or did you also ff through the commercials last night and enjoy that more than actually watching them? #
- Over the weekend I started prestigious mode in COD Black Ops. I am still not sure that was the right decision. Lazy? #
- Next up (in the next few weeks): HTML 5 mobile theme for WordPress! #
Feb
11
2011
Iffy v. Ideal Clients
I love having the opportunity working with a number of diverse clients from very diverse backgrounds. There are certain clients though that you can – right from the initial contact – that are going to be “iffy” v. “ideal”.
I have learned over the years how to easily spot the “iffy” clients. They clients are always the ones that need something quick in an impossible timeframe, cannot articulate what they want, wants your advice but wants it done for a fraction of the time it would take to do it correctly, think they know more than you or “in my past life I was…”, or always are panicked. The big issue here is they know they need help – but they distrust you and the solution (regardless what it is).
The ideal clients (you know who you are!) can be spotted a mile away. They come to you with a clear idea of what they want, know how to properly articulate/document tasks, and understand that the company/consultant might have some ideas of how to best implement the solution. Most importantly – they realize they trust that you (the company/consultant) have the knowledge to do whatever it takes to create the best solution.
My suggestion to successful client/consultant relationships: learn to gauge the trust level and go with it. If you as the client do not trust the consultant – find someone else. It is more likely that you will find an issue with something, blame the consultant (perhaps even wrongly) and not only will you not trust the consultant – the consultant will get bitter as well. If you are the consultant – and you sense a trust issue – it is also time to move on. It seems hard – but really – those panicked phone calls, thoughts of “are they going to pay me?”, etc worth it? No. Move on and enjoy life!
Feb
08
2011
Why I Use Google Docs
I have an assortment of clients – all who prefer to pass documentation back and forth in a number of ways: email, spreadsheets, documents, faxed, etc. Over the last year or so I have been using Google Docs for almost all of my client interaction/checklists/etc. Using Google Docs is great for a number of reasons and if you are not using it yet for your documents – please consider giving it a shot.
Why I use Google Docs (and you should too):
- You can create documents, spreadsheets, presentations, etc without having to buy or support any software.
- You can always export the documents as text, PDF, Word, etc if you need to share outside of the Google Docs environment
- You can actively create documents with more than one person – in real time
- You can notify others when you have made changes
- You can choose from hundreds of templates
- Your documents are saved every few seconds, are on secure and backed up servers
- There is no software to update
- There are no Mac/PC issues
- The interface is familiar and clean
I could go on and on but before you decide to buy the next version of Office, etc – take a look at what Google put together – they did a great job!
Feb
06
2011
Twitter Weekly Updates for 2011-02-06
- Looking for a new WordPress theme with a lot of customization options? Check out Lucidity: http://bit.ly/15tQgG #
- My challenge for the day… http://yfrog.com/hszrvxj #
