… have a good design sense and understand the fundamentals / design principals.

… know all the major design software including the entire Adobe Creative Suite.

… have some basic video editing skills.

… know HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

… know enough about server-side languages (PHP, ASP, Ruby, Python, etc) to understand how they work, what they do, and the possibilities of their use.

… know about servers, hosting, domain registrants, DNS, etc. Setting it up, and fixing it when it breaks.

… know OS X really well (and enough Windows to get by) or know Windows really well (and enough OS X to get by) and know a huge variety of utility software that goes with.

… are good photographers.

… can color correct photos and work in RAW.

… can cut clipping paths or otherwise extract objects from photos.

… have a killer online portfolio.

… are a personable, nice people that are good with clients.

… can help clients with anything even vaguely computer-related.

… are quick to adapt to new software and new technologies.

… can train fellow employees.

… can train clients on the use of their websites.

… are good communicators.

… are team players.

… have good taste in art, music and movies.

… are up to date on social media.

… are good at logic and deduction.

… are good at user experience and user testing.

… are SEO experts.

… know about and how to handle web accessibility (and the laws surrounding it)

… understand copyright laws.

… do progressive enhancement and graceful degradation techniques.

… can debug cross-browser problems and older browser bugs.

… can bring your own client base.

… are healthy, well groomed, and wear fancy t-shirts.

… can be on-call at all times for emergencies.

… have college degrees in design-related fields.

… own very nice and expensive computers full of expensive software.

… can design for mobile devices.

… are good typographers.

from CSS-Tricks

This is a great article about how one man caught a thief who stole his iPhone. So worth reading trust me. He used all the technology he could find to track this guy down.

http://iphonetheif.blogspot.com/2010/01/iphone-theif-bust.html

During the Rwandan genocide, when neighbors killed neighbors and friends betrayed friends, some crossed lines of hatred to protect each other.

At the time of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, the Mufti of Rwanda, the most respected Muslim leader in the country, issued a fatwa forbidding Muslims from participating in the killing of the Tutsi. As the country became a slaughterhouse, mosques became places of refuge where Muslims and Christians, Hutus and Tutsis came together to protect each other.

KINYARWANDA is based on true accounts from survivors who took refuge at the Grand Mosque of Kigali and the madrassa of Nyanza. It recounts how the Imams opened the doors of the mosques to give refuge to the Tutsi and those Hutu who refused to participate in the killing.

KINYARWANDA interweaves six different tales that together form one grand narrative that provides the most complex and real depiction yet presented of human resilience and life during the genocide. With an amalgamation of characters, we pay homage to many, using the voices of a few.

Follow Director Alrick Brown at Twitter.com/AlrickBrown

Official website: http://www.kinyarwandamovie.com/

In European folklore, the witching hour is the time when supernatural creatures such as witches, demons and ghosts are thought to be at their most powerful, and black magic at its most effective. This hour is typically midnight, and the term may now be used to refer to midnight, or any late hour, even without having the associated superstitious beliefs. The term “witching hour” can also refer to the period from midnight to 3am, while “devils hour” refers to the time around 3am.

[edit] History

One of the earliest known uses of the exact phrasing “the witching hour” is from the 1831 edition of Frankenstein in the introduction by Mary Shelley: “Night waned upon this talk, and even the witching hour had gone by before we retired to rest.”

In 1835, the phrase appeared in the last line of a short story by Washington Irving: “Two pairs of eyes are watching me now, from the couch and the ledge by the window. Faerieland shines in those eyes. And I must leave you, for it’s the witching hour and a full moon is rising. . . .”

However, variants of the phrase were in use much earlier; Shakespeare refers to “the witching time of night” in a soliloquy in Hamlet:

Tis now the very witching time of night,

When churchyards yawn and hell itself breathes out

Contagion to this world: now could I drink hot blood,

And do such bitter business as the day

Would quake to look on.

[Act III, sc. ii]

[edit] Witching hour in popular culture

“Witching Hour” is the title of a song by British black metal band Venom, from their album Welcome to Hell (1981). It has since been covered by several other bands in related genres; Mayhem and Sigh have recorded cover-versions of the song, and many other bands, such as Slayer, Therion, and Machine Head have played the song live.

The first novel in Anne Rice’s The Mayfair Witches series is titled The Witching Hour (novel) (1990).

The Foo Fighters’s Another Round mentions the witching hour. Ring in the witching hour, Spells that I’m singing,.

Radiohead’s The Gloaming mentions the witching hour in the opening line. Genie let out of a bottle, it is now witching hour… This relates to the time of day, “the gloaming” literally meaning twilight.

The tagline for the movie The Craft is “Welcome to the Witching Hour”

The Witching Hour was a Harry Potter-themed symposium held in Salem, Massachusetts from October 6, 2005 to October 10, 2005.

In Roald Dahl’s novel The BFG, the opening chapter in the book takes place during the Witching Hour. This is when the little girl, Sophie, spots the BFG.

In the Tori Amos song “Almost Rosey,” there is the lyric “I sober with the witching hour.”

In the 2008 film, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button character Elizabeth Abbott (Tilda Swinton) proclaims, “I’m afraid it’s the witching hour” after the sound of a clock chiming in the background.

In Def Leppard’s song, Animal, there is the lyric “Like a movin’ heartbeat in the witching hour.”

In an episode of King of Queens, Arthur looks at his watch and says “Oh it’s 9:30, the witching hour.”

In the 2005 film The Exorcism of Emily Rose makes heavy reference to the witching hour, noting its origin as a demonic mockery of the trinity, as well as the inversion of 3 P.M., the hour that is claimed to be when Christ died on the cross.

In the 2009 film Paranormal Activity, a demon would typically haunt and disturb the couple between midnight to 3am.

In the 1979 film Amityville Horror always shows 3:15 A.M. on the clock indicating the timeframe when the “voices” speak and evil occurs.

In the 2009 film The Fourth Kind 3:33 a.m. is the usual time of the abductions implying that possession may be involved.

ok, so i know i’ve mentioned this everywhere my emotions are available online (facebook, twitter, eharmony…jk!) …but, on a whim i watched twilight for the first time last weekend and have since found myself thinking about it ALL THE TIME. wait…before i say any more let me state that i don’t believe the movie, as a whole, was that earthshattering. at the end of the flick i didn’t stand up and applaud “well done, well done!” while i really enjoyed it, if you look at it from the script’s point-of-view, well, it was kind of…simple, and other times the movie was just unintentionally funny. i mean, those scenes where rpat is running extra fast? the baseball stuff? …the makeup (their faces and necks were two different colors!)

kinda ridiculous. someone on set should have been fired.

but, there’s just something so moving about raw intensity, passion and love that….wow, i don’t know, it was just spot on in this movie. i felt it! even months and months and months behind schedule with viewing this movie, i finally got it. so this is why people are obsessed with rpat and bella.

lets be honest though – it’s been done before – a la the notebook, where you can just feel the chemistry and attraction between the two lovebirds…but the difference with twilight is that it has vampires (sexy!) and is much shorter (thank you jesus). plus there’s something internally significant about seeing a strong sense of family. that vampire fam is as thick as thieves! it struck home a little bit. and i also loved rpat’s role in protecting bella and being like…welp, we’re together for life now and nothing will ever harm you. yes!

I LOVE THAT.

great movie. and i realized new moon is coming out soon…perfect timing, i’m so fresh off the high!…but if you know me you know that i won’t be at the theaters on opening day. nuhuh, homey don’t do frenzied crowds, especially those consisting of teenage girls. (i did it once for an american idol concert and that’s a mistake you make only once.)

anyway, im not anywhere close to the batshit insanity other twilighters exhibit…but after the hysteria calms i will see it over thanksgiving weekend and will happily go through the emotions all over again.

i’m single, what do i have to lose? beats eharmony.

long story short: i’m pretty much obsessed with all things twilight and will be scouring the internet for mall appearances where the new moon cast will be appearing.

jk.

or am i? today i watched twilight for the second time, not even 24 hours since the first time i viewed it. my excuse being that the second time i watched the movie it was with my mom. and she’s normally a hard sell (aka she always falls asleep not even 20 minutes into a movie, regardless of content, just like yours truly) but she too managed to stay awake the whole time and was completely caught up in this shizz. so don’t judge me!

AM I ONE OF THOSE FREAK TWILIGHT PEOPLE NOW??? you know, the ones you see on tv that FLIP SHIT about all things rpat and twilight and vampirish?

i just might be. oops!

GUILTY! lock me up.

I read this and was reminded again why I love Joss Whedon’s writing.

——————————————————————

November 02 2009

An Open Letter to the Terminator Owners. From a Very Important Hollywood Mogul

Dear Sirs/Ma’ams,

I am Joss Whedon, the mastermind behind Titan A.E., Parenthood (not the movie) (or the new series) (or the one where ‘hood’ was capitalized ’cause it was a pun), and myriad other legendary tales. I have heard through the ‘grapevine’ that the Terminator franchise is for sale, and I am prepared to make a pre-emptive bid RIGHT NOW to wrap this dealio up. This is not a joke, this is not a scam, this is not available on TV. I will write a check TODAY for $10,000, and viola! Terminator off your hands.

No, you didn’t miscount. That’s four — FOUR! — zeroes after that one. That’s to show you I mean business. And I mean show business. Nikki Finke says the Terminator concept is played. Well, here’s what I have to say to Nikki Finke: you are a fine journalist and please don’t ever notice me. The Terminator story is as formative and important in our culture — and my pretend play — as any I can think of. It’s far from over. And before you Terminator-Owners (I have trouble remembering names) rush to cash that sweet cheque, let me give you a taste of what I could do with that franchise:

1) Terminator… of the Rings! Yeah, what if he time-travelled TOO far… back to when there was dragons and wizards? (I think it was the Dark Ages.) Hasta La Vista, Boramir! Cool, huh? “Now you gonna be Gandalf the Red!” RRRRIP! But then he totally helps, because he’s a cyborg and he doesn’t give a s#&% about the ring — it has no power over him! And he can carry it AND Frodo AND Sam AND f@%& up some orcs while he’s doing it. This stuff just comes to me. I mean it. (I will also offer $10,000 for the Lord of the Rings franchise).

2) More Glau. Hey. There’s a reason they’re called “Summer” movies.

3) Can you say… musical? Well don’t. Even I know that’s an awful idea.

4) Christian Bale’s John Connor will get a throat lozenge. This will also help his Batwork (ten grand for that franchise too, btw.)

5) More porn. John Connor never told Kyle Reese this, but his main objective in going to the past was to get some. What if there’s a lot of future-babies that have to be made? Cue wah-wah pedal guitar — and dollar signs!

6) The movies will stop getting less cool.

Okay. There’s more — this brain don’t quit! (though it has occasionally been fired) — but I think you get my drift. I really believe the Terminator franchise has only begun to plumb the depths of questioning the human condition during awesome stunts, and I’d like to shepherd it through the next phase. The money is there, but more importantly, the heart is there. But more importantly, money. Think about it. End this bloody bidding war before it begins, and put the Terminator in the hands of someone who watched the first one more than any other movie in college, including “Song of Norway” (no current franchise offer).

Sincerely, Joss Whedon.

from his website. Read more here.

i have a confession which you may or may not be ready for…but you’ll just have to deal with it:

Halloween is one of my least favorite holidays.

i know i know, i can already hear the gasps and feel the sense of disappointment furrowing in your brow. but hear me out…

now, i didn’t say that i hated Halloween. in fact, i love this time of year: i love carving pumpkins, i love trick-or-treaters (the real kind…you know, kids dressed up cute? remember those?), i love all things spooky and scary like slasher movies and haunted houses and the like.

i also love fun-size candy bars, which, c’mon…that’s what Halloween is really about, right?

but, i don’t dress up. or should i say i absolutely loathe dressing up. i’ve only been forced to do it a few times in my life and i’m glad to say that those peer pressure days are long gone. and to be quite honest, i don’t like it when you dress up either.

i will, however, give props to those whom try. i think it’s admirable – the amount of ambition, money, and time you dedicate toward finding the perfect costume. sort of. i’d rather put my money toward clothing items i’d wear more than once a year, but that’s just me. but again, “some of you” do really spectacular things that are amazing and include elaborate makeup and get-ups that have so much detail i don’t know if it’s halloween or if i fell into that same damn hole alice did, making wonderland my new playground. hi everybody! that cat is pretty!

and just for the record, just because i don’t like to dress up doesn’t mean that i’m not fun. i’m not a party pooper. i’m not a dud. any of you who actually know me know that i can be the life of a party. I’m a great conversationalist, I’ve never met anyone that didn’t like me (give or take a few extreme, isolated incidents), and i know how to work a room. so don’t prejudge me as a Debbie downer. I’m actually a fun franny.

but, back to my point, Halloween is ruined for me on a few levels:

1) girls
2) gays
3) bars

first, girls. they single-handedly ruined Halloween. Halloween is no longer about dressing up as a ghost or a vampire. thanks to the female species, it’s about naughty nurses and stripper cops. its about showing as much tna as humanly possible and getting screwed at the end of the night because of it.

second, gays. you’re in the same exact boat. it’s no longer about being he-man or a power ranger. it’s about being the half-naked operation guy or perhaps Michael Phelps in all his speedo glory. it’s about look at these abs, i’ve been starving for weeks to get’em! somebody, anybody, look at me!

you peeps ruined it. i want to go on a hayrack ride, not see how much vodka you can consume in your trojan costume that, correct me if I’m wrong, if that’s all the protective clothing actual Trojan fighters wore back when…um, you’d have a spear through your sixpack in nanoseconds. i.e. skin exposure was the enemy. history is frowning.

long story short: yes, not all of you girls fall into this category and yes, not all of you gays fall into this category either–i know that, delete that nasty email you were about to send to me. this is just my interpretation of why i don’t enjoy Halloween.

I’m the kind of guy that likes to stay home, chill, watch the original Halloween movie while keeping tally of the body count, get creeped out by all of the spooky spiderwebs i hung everywhere, and last but certainly not least, somehow force myself to stay away from the fun-sized snickers because, you know, it’s for the trick-or-treaters. how sad will they be when all i have left is butterscotches and peppermints? they want bars! but i want bars, too. and i only eat the fun-size bars because they’re healthier, right? eating just one wouldn’t hurt anything. until one turns into 17.

zoops.

anyway, i get it. you’re crazy about Halloween. it’s your most favorite day of the year because wooo! party!

3) bars. everyone goes to the bars for Halloween. where else would you be? my two main categories, the girls and the gays, go there to show some tail, get some tail, and hopefully have their tail still attached to their costume by the end of the night. you can’t get a drink from the bar because surely a girl or more likely a gay has wings on that take up a good five feet. i need a scotch! and you sir need some scotch tape because, last time i checked, tinkerbell was a girl and by the look of things…you, in fact, are not.

ugh, i couldn’t be farther away from all that hub-bub. in fact, i’ll be in galva for Halloween…the furthest place from fun, possible. instead, i’ll get to take pictures of my nephews and niece dressed up in actual costumes, i’ll get to carve a pumpkin bc god knows my parents aren’t going to (i’m also the one who has to both put up and decorate the christmas tree, otherwise it’d never go up. and if anyone else in my family attempted to do it, the tree just wouldn’t look right and i’d have to ultimately re-do it anyway), and i get the joy of rationing out candy to all those cute trick-or-treaters who come to the front door with their winter coats on over their costumes because the Midwest is a big, fucking stick in the mud when it comes to having decent weather. oh, you’re supposed to be Spider-Man? you look like an oversized columbia coat.

happy Halloween everybody.

Article by: Ryan Sumner

The Ryan Sumner

Think back to when you first watched Star Wars™: A New Hope™ — to the moment when Darth Vader enters the besieged Republic ship, surveying the carnage, single-mindedly hunting his target, Princess Leia. If you were like me, your eyes bulged and you thought, “I wanna be that guy.”

Now, maybe I was alone in that visceral response. Maybe it reveals something disturbing about me, I don’t know. On subsequent screenings, I seem to recall hearing a chorus of hisses and boos when Vader emerges. So maybe most of the Star Wars™ fan community are Luke lovers, or Solo sycophants . But something tells me there are more of me out there. And all these years, like me, you’ve been waiting for the opportunity to express your inner Vader.

Well, I’m here to tell you, our time has come.

Get ready, my friends, Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ is going to be our coming out party. It’s time to ignite your red lightsaber and grind the galaxy under your steel platform boot.

The Sith Warrior is about domination and control, as he seeks to utterly annihilate his enemies. No one wields a lightsaber with more devastating effect as he brings ferocity and all his rage to bear on every strike. He is feared, he is a melee master, and he can choke you to death without even touching you.

NPCs that give a bounty hunter attitude cower and wet themselves when the Sith Warrior walks into the room. The Warrior glares and Jedi—even Masters—tremble and feel their devout beliefs weaken within them. The Warrior wades into a battalion of Republic soldiers and leaves a pile of steaming parts behind.

You begin the Sith Warrior story as the apprentice of one of the most powerful Sith Lords in the Empire. Yes, you serve him, as Vader served the Emperor, but he knows that you are at your best and most powerful the more you can flex your muscles. As long as your master’s ultimate directives are met, you are encouraged to entertain your every impulse and do as you please.

Unbound and unleashed on the galaxy, you wage war against the Jedi, relentlessly hunting and neutralizing their most powerful and important players. You can leave an indelible darkness on every planet you visit or find less wanton routes to your goals, as you eliminate rivals, acquire your own minions and build your personal power base.

The enemies of the Sith quickly realize that you are the real threat that cannot be ignored. Other Sith you encounter and confront come to revere and revile you, as much as—if not more than—your master. And eventually, the Emperor himself may take notice of your exploits.

Where is this all leading? That’s up to you. You can serve dutifully and pound away by the letter of your master’s law, or you can risk plotting to someday destroy him and grab his power (as Vader reveals in his plea for Luke to join him). You can even have secret designs to redeem yourself, embrace the light and destabilize the Empire from within.

If this excites you, if you’re like me and already have Darth Vader’s theme music playing in the background of your mind 24-7, then crank up the volume to 11 and point those internal speakers out the window. Don’t get caught up in the debate over who shot first. Don’t be tied down by the Jedi Code. Embrace the darkness within you! Revel in your emotions, grab for glory and bend the galaxy to your will.

Neil Pollner
Writer

Article from: http://www.swtor.com/news/blog/20091001_001

f you design for the web or print, whether you freelance, or work for a design firm, it’s always difficult to maintain a good level of productivity so we progress each and every day. Sometimes it can be difficult to produce work that requires constant creativity and energy, which is why it can only be done for much shorter hours than usual “work”.

From my personal experience, I’ve only ever got about 4 hours per day of pure work time. This means time that I’m actually producing something, such an article, or template design. The usual amount of time people ‘work’ during the day is about 8 hours, so I’m getting half of the time in doing productive work. To me, this is probably close to the zenith point, seeing as average people only get around 2-3 hours of solid work in per day in such an environment, even though technically I could be productive for the entire 8 hours.

If you’re like me, and looking for ways to get more out of each day (which seems to be passing faster and faster) then these are definitely tips for you.

1. Write a to-do list

To-do lists are a great way of planning exactly what needs doing on that day. Daily to-do lists need to be used in conjunction with weekly/monthly ones for maximum effectiveness. Every morning, sit down with a nice cup of tea and write down exactly what needs doing that day. It’s good to go a little overboard and try to push yourself, and even if you can’t get all of the tasks done in that day, still write them down. You can always move tasks to the next day if they’re not completed.

I have a container of small, square pieces of paper that act as my to-do lists, because I prefer having my lists in-front of me in reality, not virtually. If, however, you prefer not to clutter your desk up that little bit more, then there are always alternatives (such as Remember the Milk).

You could also experiment what times best for you to write up your to-do list. I prefer writing mine early in the morning, rather than late at night (to be used the next day).

2. Focus on the task at hand

It’s very easy to get distracted when working at a computer, because having access to the Internet means infinite amounts of entertainment and distractions. Once you have all the materials required to do a piece of work, deactivate your Internet adapter so you can’t get access to the Internet. Then, continue to work on the project at hand until you’ve got as much as you can done. I would also recommend you switch off any music, or other applications you may have running. Music actually causes your brain to drift into other realms of thought, so it’s not good practice to be actively listening to music whilst designing.

3. Work hard and enjoy yourself

This is very true, especially for those of us who are freelancers and are totally responsible for how long we work for. If we’ve managed to spend a few hours in a deep work cycle, at the end of it all, treat yourself a little. Whether that means sitting down with a book and a cup of your favorite hot chocolate, or going out for a game of football. I would recommend though, that you take your breaks away from the computer, and outside if you can – you don’t get much fresh air in-front of a monitor all day now, do you?

Conclusion

Designing is a creative, enlightening process, and can’t be treated like usual work. You can’t work the same hours and still be productive. Instead, focus on getting a few really great hours out of each day, and you’ll be moving forward to becoming more efficient and productive, and therefore earn more each year.

Slogans are memorable phrases often used in conjunction with company logos and in advertising campaigns.

They are claimed to be the most effective means of drawing attention to one or more aspects of a product or brand.But how often do you see “serving you since 1982? or a similarly canned slogan under a beautifully designed logo?

Too often.

In this post, we’ll discuss 5 essential tips on how to write a killer slogan and, if you feel you can’t manage it on your own, where to go to get them written for you.

At the end of these tips, you’ll find a selection of famous slogans as well as an interactive showcase of famous slogans.

Click here to read the full article.