Lifechanging iPhone Apps

Thought I'd post a few apps that are way above normal (sorry for the lack of links but just type any of these into the app store and they'll pop right up):

MobileFiles: This app allows you to view your iDisk from your phone. Built in support of several file types makes it easy to view the files once you're there.
scenario where this rocks: I set up all my computers (my macbook for travel, my iMac at home and my iMac at work) to sync with my iDisk. I then designated one folder active projects and created an alias on my desktop. This is where all my files for everything I'm presently working are at. Creative briefs, proofs, support docs and images are all there. Now I'm in a meeting and someone asks what the deadline for the project's first proof. I just open up MobileFiles and view the creative brief. Maybe I'm meeting with the client and nobody has the latest proofs, same deal just open up MobileFiles. It means always having my files with me and viewable.

Remote: This robust app allows you to control your iTunes libray from your iPhone. The interface looks a lot like your iPod interface on the phone and you have access to everything.
scenario where this rocks: I have my home stereo and a few other rooms of speakers set up to play off my iTunes via a airport express (another little device that has changed my life). I can not only assign and unassign those rooms from the Remote app but now anywhere I'm at I can change the song. The possibilites are endless but bottom line it makes your home entertainment that much more seemless. It's like having an iPod with a remote in every room.

Weather Channel weather app: I love the simplicity of the iPhone weather app but I'm always left wondering a little bit more. Here steps the Weather Channel's weather app. These guys did a great job. It's still very simple and you can get that at a glimpse view when you start the app but if you want the 36-hour forecast or the 10-day or if you want to see the radar it's all one click away. These guys should be proud. In my opinon they outdid the iPhone team on this one.

Flashlight: This definitely hasn't changed my life but it's one I wouldn't want to live without. It basically turns your whole screen white and can provide a bit a light when you need it. Worth having around.

I'm sure I'll have more but these blew me away this weekend.

Must have applications for a new mac

For all my new Mac friends a few (free) programs I can't live without:

istat pro- everything that's going on with you Mac from disk storage to fan speeds to temperature.

Screenshots- This has to be my most used app. It allows you to set what format a screenshot is taken in (screenshots are Shift + command + 4 for you new guys, you can then hit space bar to take that whole window). From jpeg to PDF to GIF to TIFF. This is especially helpful since many programs don't especially love Mac's default of PNG.

Flip4Mac- This is one of those programs people get early on and then forget they have. It's crucial allowing you to view windows media player files natively in quicktime. This allows quicktime to truly be your all in one media player.

OpenOffice- For any kind of power user I'd recommend getting iWork to meet all of your presentation, word processing and spreadsheet needs however for the casual home computer open office is awesome. It allows you to open and create word, excel, PowerPoint and access files. It even looks just like the older versions of MS office so PC users will feel really comfortable.

Version Tracker- Okay so not a program but it's the one site that I get almost everything for my Mac for free. Anytime you want anything stop here first. Most likely someone has made it and made it freeware.

Sites I really like

Wow I didn't even know this blog still worked. Sorry it's been so long since I posted but honestly I'm not near important enough to have anything to say.

BUT I do surf the web a heck of a lot looking for "stuff." A lot of my creative and web friends ask where I get this or that resource or where I find out about that. So I put together of list of my favorite sites for FREE vectors and images as well as the blogs I follow that give me even more goodies. Sorry there's not screen grabs, just didn't have time. Click a link and see it for yourself.

Sites I go get stuff from:

Kuler- Amazing color site by adobe. Type in anything and get a great color palette.

Brusheezy- Cool photoshop brushes and patters. This site has literally saved me hundreds if not thousands.

myPhotoshopBrushes.com- Same deal as brusheezy but they also have custom shapes, styles and gradients. This stuff is that little extra that makes your work extra sweet and someone else did a lot of leg work for you. 

Vecteezy- You guessed it, it's brusheezy but with free vectors. This site is especially good for floral, ornaments and icons. 

Dafont- This is my favorite font site. Almost everything is PC and Mac so no finding the perfect font and then oh wait font designers love PC better. They have a great range of fonts but by far I love the destroyed and eroded sections the best.

Urban Fonts- Not near as cool as dafont but they have those gems. Dafont has hundreds of good fonts. Urban font has 5 amazing ones.

CreativeMYK- This is a site specifically for churches and Christian designers. The art is really good and people upload their work in layers. Check the terms carefully, not everything is free to use, however being able to look at how someone achieved a look in layers is a cool way to sharpen your skills.

BgPatterns- This sites mostly for fun. I've never used anything here but it's a cool way to create a truly custom background.

Bittbox- Another cool site I've never been able to use things from but it definitely feeds me.

morgueFile- A free stock image library. I don't know that I'd say the art is amazing but it's free and it can be that spice in there that is not the critical piece.

Lost and Taken- amazing super hi-res image backgrounds and textures. Fun stuff.

Blogs I follow:

Creattica Daily- Great commentary and links to anything in the creative world. The highlight cool designers, designs, sites, conferences, etc. It's a one stop shop for creative fun.

Smashing Magazine- Another one just like Creattica. Actually I found this site on Creattica one day. Another one stop shop for everything awesome.

Usability Post- They basically crawl the web finding problems or solutions and put them out there for everyone to see. Lots of little things that make your world, err, I mean site better.

For sale

I want to put my projects up for sale. Not to designers or printers but to my clients.

I want to create a new level of ownership with my clients, on their counterparts jobs.

How can I bring them into the process and ask them to help us have ownership?

A few quick ideas.

Invite them to:

• weekly department meetings
  
• daily standup meetings
  
• weekly big idea brainstorm sessions
  
• other clients discovery meetings
  

Anybody have any other ideas of ways to bring them in?

Writing, right to left

I'm a lefty. I've used a right handed mouse most of my life, switched to left hand in college for a while just because it fit better on my desk. Mostly, though I've been a right handed mouse hugger.

About a year ago I had the opportunity to check out a WACOM tablet. Fell in love. So I picked up one of the lesser models to try it out. The question was which way to set it up. While I can mouse ambidextreously I can only write, well, left handed.

So right it is, but that has made it hard to get anything out of the WACOM really. So today I made the switch. I'm a left handed mouse person again. But while I'm at it I thought why not drop the mouse all together and go with the pen 100% of the time.

The part is pretty easy, I just didn't realize all the other stuff that would have to change, like hitting alt+tab to change programs. I'm used to keeping my left hand on the keyboard so I'm having to relearn all that too.

We'll try it for a week or two and see if I can get used to it.

Left handed mice unite!

A new blog

Yesterday was the one-year mark for this blog. WOW! I didn't know I had that much crap to say.

Sixty something posts in all.

But, it seems fitting that today I started a new blog.

This ones a little different. It's actually sort of a personal journal. I have so many fears it's not funny about posting these things. But, I feel like this is the part where I sacrifice my life for His glory.

I've been struggling a little bit with my faith lately and I want to put that out there for others going through the same thing.

So, not your thing, don't click. If you do click, please don't judge.

Just got the first post up, design and all to come.

As I Step

I love a fast bus

I'm not exactly on the bleeding edge with this but in case you haven't noticed yet the new iMacs are out and they finally crossed a signifigant threshold for me.

The new iMacs on top of crossing the 3 ghz range for the processor and having a beautiful HD (optional) display has finally added a front side bus capable of greater than 1ghz. The best I can explain it the bus is basically the bottleneck between your processor and everything else. It's kind of like a throttle and despite how much RAM you have and how fast your processor is more and more this is becoming the choke point.

Before, to get anything this fast you were looking at a Mac Pro that starts at $2,700 minimally equipped without monitor. The new iMac 24" display (the largest) on the 3.06ghz processor (the fastest) with 2 gig of RAM is running $2,200 MSRP.

Why does all this matter? This now makes the iMac a very viable option for hardcore graphic designers and a good portion of video editors (save Motion and AfterEffects work) at a grand lower than the previous cheapest option.