CMD+Shift Design
Liz Andrade
Designer of print and web. Podcaster, Blogger, internet nerd and crazy cat lady.
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Dribbble & The Power of Exclusion
If you’re a designer and you have not heard about Dribbble, you must be living under a rock! The community has been abuzz about this new online design network for weeks now. Dribbble is an invite only design critique community, similar to ConceptFeedback.com and as of yesterday, I was finally “drafted” off the bench!
Now — so far, it seems like a fun community to be a part of, but what has been most interesting to me is how everyone who isn’t a part of it yet is hurting for an invite! I was whining on Twitter for several days before I got one. In fact, in the early stages of the sites launch when people started talking about it, I wanted in before I was even 100% sure what it WAS! What is this? I don’t know, but someone invite me! All I knew was a lot of cool designers were a part of something and I wanted in!
The power of exclusion is pretty amazing, people want what they can’t have (or so they say.) I think I understand Dribbbles reasons for their set up, closing the site to be invite only puts the power of who is part of the group into the design community itself, possibly cultivating a higher quality of users — however, I can’t help but think in other ways all it really does is run on that Junior High “popularity contest” rule. Making it invite only doesn’t nessecarily mean the most valuable designers get drafted, people will draft their friends.
What are your thoughts on this? Have you used Dribble? Are you looking for an invite? (I don’t have any yet!) What do you think of the “invite only” policy — is it about quality, exclusion, or just a marketing scheme?
I have had bad issues with Network Solutions over the past 6 months dealing with security and their ability (or willingness) to take whatever steps nessecary to insure security. I have never said a bad word of them in public, I’ve given them second and third and fourth chances.
Yesterday my static portfolio website got compromised AGAIN, and I am finally speaking up in the HOPES that maybe my someone at Network Solutions will listen up and step up their game on making sure this site can stay secure for me and my clients and for all of you!
I’d love if any of you want to send them a Twitter message and let them know we are counting on them to help this site stay safe! (@netsolcares) by sure to mention me, @cmdshiftdesign in your message!
Yesterday I contacted them via Twitter and got some good talk from the customer service rep. I asked that a server support agent CALL ME within a day and they agreed to arrange that.
When my site was flagged by Google this morning, I DM’d @netsolcares again about it and within a couple hours someone called me. Great! Except, this was not a server specialist, this was another customer service rep. (No hate to you Customer Service people, I’ve been you before – you guys deserve love when you do your job well!) I was frustrated that I couldnt talk to someone who could really discuss the issue with me.
The rep told me she was going to put in a request for their technicians to scan my site for malicious code, I told “I have done this already myself – and removed the injected problem. What I would like you to request please is for your technicians to examine the server my files are on to make sure it is up to date with all security patches, and to let me know why this breach happened and what they have done specifically to assure it will not happen again.” She agreed to this and we hung up. It’s now 10:30 at night, Google has finally rescanned my site and the blockade has been lifted! But… I guess we’ll see tomorrow when I hear from Network Solutions.
<3 you guys! Thank you for all the Tweets of concern and support today about the site being down – I do appologize and I am doing all I can to make sure this won’t happen again!
Just Joined FormSpring
You can ask me anything. Hoping to get some good questions that may spark ideas for extended blog posts, but don’t be shy – ask whatever you want.
Obviously, this blog doesn’t cover pop culture news or anything like that, but the recent Conan O Brien V Jay Leno hoopla has really been something I have GOT TO talk about.
Over the last couple weeks, we all experienced what has now been coined “the Late Night Wars,” it was a whirlwind of drama that sparked a large response from Conan fans on and offline all over the world.
As I watched hashtags on Twitter like #TeamConan pop up and the “I’m with CoCo!” proclamations in Facebook status updates I realized how our experience of this is something that was impossible just a short time ago.
The internets evolution and the stage of social platforms at this moment in time has made community formations like Team Conan a reality that wouldn’t have occurred on such a large scale level if this “war” had occurred just a few short years ago. How awesome is THAT!?!
On top of this uprising of internet support that came out for Conan O’Brien, something else that really stuck with me has been O’Briens reaction to the whole thing. All joking aside, Conan’s final words on his last show that aired this past Friday, January 22nd were so honest, humbled and gracious. Conan really showed what it is to love your audience. Conan has a community around him of millions and yet he constantly seems amazed by their devotion. He’s been a shinning example of being transparent, having true passion for your work and embracing your community.
Conan really summed this up in his final word on Friday night, where he gave great thanks to NBC for the 20+ year career he has had with them. His voiced wavered a bit and it brought a tear to my eye when he talked of how his fans have made this unfortunate situation a celebration… and then sent out a special message to the young people in his audience,
If you work really hard and are kind, amazing things will happen.
What perfect words to end on, they’re so true — and I am going to have to add this quote from Conan in my arsenal of inspiration. I know this is a little bit unconventional for me to be writing about, but it’s been on my mind and I’d love to hear all of your thoughts on the whole thing!
The end of the year is approaching, and many people are taking this time to reflect on the year past and the people in their lives who have made it so memorable.
Whether you’re celebrating a holiday or just celebrating the love in your life, finding a unique gift for that design nerd closest to you just got a little easier — here’s my 2009 gift list!
Days of the Week T-shirt Set
A new color for each day! These shirts could be fun for any color lover in your life – and on those hectic work weeks — they could come in handy when you can’t remember what day it is!
On sale right now at Cotton Factory for only $65 for the whole 7 T-shirt set!
Pop-Up Cards
You don’t even have to be a designer to appreciate these beautiful pop-up cards at PubliqueShop. At $4.50 per card, these may not be something you will want to send out to everyone on your mailing list, but will make a real impression on those who deserve something a little special! These aren’t just cards, they’re tiny works of art!
Typography Coasters
Coasters are perfect for any designers desk! Looks like a set of 4 will run you $45 for these Bamboo letter jumbles set in Baskerville Semibold.
Would it be over doing it to pair these coasters with the typography coffee table I featured last year?
Helbotica T-Shirt
No gift list for designers would be complete of course without a Helvetica Fan item! This tshirt is specifically for the nerd in your life who has cross over nerdisms for typography and robots! Meet Helbotica!
These shirts are available in sizes for Men, Women and Kids and multiple colors starting at $20.
Shirts For Coders
ShirtsForCoders.com has a whole store of shirts with silly slogans that show off your code nerd status. There are only 14 items on the site right now, but you’re likely to find something there that will make your favorite Web Developer chuckle. Prices start at just $19!
The Ruler Gun
Here’s one that’s sure to make a BANG! (Sorry, I had to say it!) This wooden office ruler shaped like a pistol may not be something you’d put in your kids pencil box, but that special someone in your life who spends their days sketching will get a kick out of having this on their desk! It’s $12.49 from the Paris boutique, Atypyk. Ammunition not included.
Typography Soap
This gift will give a whole new meaning to “clean type,” its the Typography Soap from Charles & Marie and since the site is offering FREE shipping this week, I would head over there and pick this up now if you want it. It’s $20 per bar, which is a lot for some soap — but I can’t image anyone would actually USE it, more something you can display on your bookshelf next to your design books! :)
Well that’s it!
7 gift ideas for you to share with your loved ones, whether you plan to grab one of these for them or you want them to get them for YOU! Is there something amazing I didn’t include? Leave a comment and let me know about it!
You can check out my 2 gift lists posts from 2008 if you are looking for even more nerdy schwag! 7 Gifts for the Design Nerd in your Life and More Gifts for the Design Nerd and Internet Geek in your life
I’m really excited about this giveaway! Bidsketch is offering a FREE Premium Account for a full year to one lucky CMD+Shift Design Blog reader! I was first contacted by Bidsketch and asked to do a review of the service in exchange for a premium account, but you know me — I like to share the love, so I proposed a giveaway and Bidsketch jumped at it!
The Lucky Reader Drawing…
I wrote down everyones Twitter handle and did a drawing from a hat (old-school style!) Thank you to everyone who participated and those who shared the link on Twitter! Of course a BIG Thank you to Bidsketch.com. (If you don’t want the suspense of the video, scroll down to see the winner – or click where I tagged the name announcement!)
So what is Bidsketch? It’s proposal software made for designers. It provides a way to easily manage clients and the proposal process. More importantly, it lets designers present their services in a completely new way.
Features they’ll get in the Premium Account
- Client landing pages designed to help you win more projects. Clients can export to PDF or accept a proposal with a single click.
- Several professional looking proposal templates and designs to choose from.
- Ability to embed images, and Flash video. Anything you can do with HTML/CSS, you can have in your proposal.
- Unlimited number of proposals, clients, and user accounts.
- Customize templates for reusing content, and create fee items to quickly price proposals.
Congrats to @corinspired on receiving a full year FREE premium account from Bidsketch!
The Launch of Twitter Lists
Twitter has just launched a new feature called Lists. This is very similar to what is known as Groups in TweetDeck or HootSuite, except the group lists that you make on Twitter are public.
How You Use It
You can group your followed friends into categories like “Designers”, “Blogs”, “Celebrities” and then view you lists to get a more targeted look at what people are talking about.
How Your Followers Use It
When you are looking at a Twitter profile, in addition to seeing who they follow you can also check out the groups they have created or the groups other people have listed them in! This can be helpful if you are looking for a certain group of people like designers or freelancers to add to your stream.
What do you think of this new feature? Do you see it as something valuable? How will you use it?
I really get a kick out of trying out new software, even if it ends up being something I don’t like or can’t find a big use for – I try at least a couple different wares out each month to see what they’re all about and there are a few that make the cut and end up being a permanent part of my computer set up. I thought I’d share with you some of the wares that I use regularly, some free, some available more than just Mac and some better quality replacements for software that comes stocked on your machine.
VLC Media Player
VLC Player (better than Quicktime Player) This free media player is all I use. I haven’t opened Quicktime in years! VLC plays more file formats and opens faster than Quicktime. VLC is available for Windows, Mac and Linux.
- Free
- Better than Quicktime
- Available for Windows, Mac & Linux
Virtual Box
I know I have mentioned Virtual Box on this blog before, but it really deserves another mention! This software available for free is an alternative to doing a dual install on your computer. You can instead run a 2nd operating system within your native one using this virtual computer. For example, I have a Mac running OSX 10.5, I have an installation of Windows XP on Virtual box – so I am able to open it at any time to use a Windows program without ever leaving OSX! The software is free, but be aware if you would like to run Windows in it you will need to obtain a copy of that.
- Free
- Available for Windows, Mac & Linux
Tweetdeck
This is a Twitter client that runs on AdobAir and is ideal for the serious tweeter. If you are only following your closest 15 friends and you don’t do any hash tagging then this app is going to be more than you need (but you might want to check out Twirl) Tweet Deck allows you to organize your friends into groups, view direct and @messages in a separate panel and has built in features to shorted URLs, upload TwitPics and update your Facebook status without ever opening a new browser tab.
- Free
- Available for Windows, Mac & Linux
TextMate
Now, I am a big fan of Dreamweaver – that is, Dreamweaver as a text editor, I think that for the most part, the code that Dreamweaver creates when you build within the WYSIWYG is atrocious, but if you are versed in markup, Dreamweaver offers some awesome time saving features that have saves me from tasks that could’ve been unbearably tedious in a bare bones text editor. However – sometimes you NEED a simple bare bones text editor. When I just need to do some quick hand coding, instead of opening up Dreamweaver (which is a monster of a program) I pop into TextMate. It’s simple, offers a few bells and whistles, bt for the most part is just a nice straight forward text editor than any web developer will find handy. A single user license is $53 and well worth it! Sorry Windows and Linux users — TextMate is only available on Mac.
- $53
- Only for Mac
Song Bird
Now, I’ve only been using Songbird for a few days, so I am not yet ready to say it is BETTER than iTunes, but it is definitely a great alternative! Songbird offers a lot of the same great features as iTunes, but supports more file types and even have some cool extras that iTunes does NOT offer like tabbed browsing, tour searches for bands in your library, plugin integration with sites like Last.fm, and a bunch more. Plus, it’s icon is WAY cute!
- Free
- May be better than iTunes
- Available for Windows, Mac & Linux
Senuti
Senuti allows you to rip the media from your iPod onto your computer. This is great if you misplaced the original file or (knock on wood – loose your backup.) It’s only $18, but there is a 30 day trial if you want to use it once for a quick backup of your iPod. To me this is a feature I feel like should b part of iTunes, but I understand why Apple doesn’t agree with me on that. Sorry Windows and Linux users — Senuti is only available on Mac.
- $18
- Only for Mac
ScreenFlow
This one I have also mentioned before. Screenflow allows you to capture video of your desktop activity and record audio from your computer or from a microphone. I use this to make tutorials for clients and to communicate briefs to developers. The UI is intuitive and sleek and although it is $99, I recommend this above many of the free alternatives for screen video capture that I have tried out. Sorry Windows and Linux users — ScreenFlow is only available on Mac.
- $99
- Only for Mac
Name Mangler
Name Mangler is my latest favorite addition to my software arsenal. While the name makes it sound like a German Metal band, what it actually is you will find even more epic! Name mangler performs batch renames on designated files. This is a must have function for anyone doing web development and I can see it being helpful to print designer, photographers or any one who is looking to clean up messy file names in their image library! Sorry Windows and Linux users — NameMangler is only available on Mac.
- Free
- Only for Mac
Dropbox
Another one I only got turned onto recently is Dropbox. This is the hands-down WAY BETTER alternative to yousendit.com. With Dropbox you can share large files without having to deal with email attachments or handing off FTP information. Dropbox creates a directory on your hard drive where you simply drop the files you would like to share, those files get assigned unique urls and you just send out the url to give people the ability to download it, it really is THAT simple! I love it!
- Free
- Better than You Send It
- Available for Windows, Mac & Linux
CyberDuck
I’ve used a few FTP clients over the years and Cyberduck is my favorite (much btter than Transmit or Fetch.) It’s sleek, simple and you gotta love that little rubber ducky when he bounces up and down in your dock! Cyberduck offers features like bookmarking file paths, point and click quick launch pages on your server in Firefox (meaning you don’t have to type out the location) Also you can quick launch files in TextMate to make quick code changes live fast. Cyberduck is free, but sorry Windows and Linux users — Cyberduck is only available on Mac.
- Free
- Better than Transmit or Fetch
- Only for Mac
SMC FanController
This is one of those wares that isnt really essential. In fact, I can’t even tell you exactly why you should be using it, I’ll just let you know what I like it and you can be the judge. Now, my Mac gets frickin’ HOT sometimes and being the worrier that I am, this makes me paranoid sometimes. SMC FanController gives you information on how hot your machine is runnung and at what RPM your internal fan is spinning. It allows you to force the fans speed up or slow down, however — I never use that feature since I figure my computer knows what it’s doing. So like I said I’m not even sure why FanController is so facinating to me, but it is. For instance, I know that my machine tends to run between 119 to 160 Degrees Fahrenheit. If you enjoy know what your computer inards are up to, you can try this one out.
- Free
- Only for Mac
Firefox
This one seems pretty obvious, I know. Firefox is the best browser for a few reasons, but to me – it’s mainly because of the plugins available to it which make my work in web design much more efficient and enjoyable. If you’re using Safari and don’t work in web design then you may not see what’s so hot about the Fox, but any and all of you out there still rocking Internet Explorer, need to get on board! After many many years of trying to coax my 65+year old mother into making the switch from IE she finally listened earlier this year and said “I couldn’t believe it — the internet is faster and it looks better! Who knew?” Well Mom, I knew and I told you that how many times?!
- Free
- Better than whatever browser your using
- Available for Windows, Mac & Linux
Font Xplorer
Linotype FontXplorer was my pick back in November when a dozen Design/Devs shared their favorite resources. Font Xplorer is a must download if you’re using FontBook to manage your fonts and it is, in my opinion (and may others) BETTER than Suitcase for Font Management. This Font Manager includes integration with the Linotype Foundry Store, so you can purchase and organize your typefaces all within one interface. The newly released Font Xplorer Pro is $79 and has a server version available.
- $79
- Better than FontBook and Extensis Suitcase
- Only for Mac
AntiRSI
I should be using this program more than I do, but the sheer fact that I need it is also the reason why I have a hard time using it. AntiRSI is the web designer and internet nerds guard against Repetitive Strain Injury. AntiRSI can be set to custom intervals and will remind you to take keyboard/mouse breaks by fading out your screen and displaying a countdown clock. The only problem with it is that the type of person who really should be using this is also the type of person who will get into the groove on a project and turn AntiRSI OFF so that they can code non-stop for 5 hours.
- Free
- Only for Mac
I covered some gift ideas back in October, in the post 7 Gifts for the Design Nerd in your Life. We’ll it’s the time of year for so many gift-giving holidays, that I thought i’d share a few more idea with you.
Comma Sutra T-Shirt
Who this gift is for? Any design or grammar nerd should appreciate this t-shirt, available for just $15 at Sack Wear.
Digg Messenger Bag
Available on the newly launched Digg Shop, this messenger bag made by Timbuk2 contains a built-in cushioned laptop pocket for laptops up to 15″.
My Documents Laptop Sleeve
This neoprene laptop sleeve fits any notebook up to 15.4″, get one for yourself or someone you love at Think Geek.
Helvetica Coffee Mug
This mug, available at Veer shows off your love for coffee and typography.
Keyboard Purse
Available from João Sabino, the Key Purse comes in various colors and runs about $178.
Seth Godin Action Figure
Seth Godin, the man who brought us permissions marketing, now has his very own action figure from Amazon, only $6.99!
LOL Cat Refrigerator Magnets
Remember refrigerator poetry that was so popular back in the 90′s? We’ll now we have LOL Cat magnets!
Lorem Ipsum Necktie
This is without a doubt, the sexiest tie I have ever seen in life. Perfect gift for anyone who loves typography… or if you’re sweet on someone who does and you want to look extra special this holiday season just for them, get this tie from Etsy.
Binary Ring
These sophisticated, yet simple rings bear your personalized message in that computer code. Custom-made by Green Karat.
USB Mixed Tape
Create a compilations of all your favorite music, to share with your friends and loved ones, just like those good old fashioned blank cassette tapes. With 64MB of music - it’s just about enough for an hour-long mix! $19.99 at insound.com.
Pixel Tools T-Shirt
For that illustrator in your life. $19 at Insanely Great Tees.
Login Panties
These boy style pantes require a username and password for access, so be sure to gift these to your nearest and dearest. Available at JINX.
My Great-Aunt Jerry, who was like a grandmother to me as a child was very proud of being a politically active woman. She died in 2003 at the age of 97 and lived to see this country change in many many ways. I wish she had been alive tonight to witness the history that was made. She collected newspapers marking historical happenings and shortly before her death handed down her collection to my older brother. He has the front page headlines from the Chicago Tribube on days such as Saturday, November 23, 1963 (the morning after the Kennedy assassination) and other such memorable times.
Tonight I have collected some screen captures of online news outlets on this milestone in our nations history…
