• May312007

    Steve and Bill together again…

    Posted by Gene in Business

    dsc_0162.jpgWhen asked about a single piece of advice for a new entrepreneur. (And i’d say we should all listen to these guys here…)

    Bill talks about economies of scale, and wanting to do great things, no worry about growth and money so much. Love of the game!

    Steve talks about how it’s really hard. If you don’t love it you’re gonna give up. It’s a lot of hard work, it’s a lot of worrying. Love it, have passion. You’ve got to be a really good talent scout. Build and organization that can build itself.

    Ultimately, the two made it clear that despite their differences they have deep respect for each other. Jobs credited Gates with inventing the software industry. “Bill created a software company before anyone knew what a software company was. Gates credited Jobs with being a brilliant product designer: “I’d give a lot to have Steve’s taste.”

    Check out the video recap.
    You can read the full live blog here.
    Wired’s coverage of the event here.

  • May292007

    Microsoft Surface

    Posted by Gene in Operating Systems

    ms.jpgOn the surface this to me seems like a fantastic idea. Its like something from a Philip K. Dick story, our dreams are finally realized. But then I realize it’s Microsoft that’s behind it and I know in my gut they’ll get it wrong. Reading further it seems they only intend for it to be released for restaurants and casinos… what the? Take a look at the youtube demo of it here and see for yourself. It certainly looks fun but I think the iPhone is a much better use of this type of interface.

  • May242007

    Email Marketing Lessons Learned Issue 1: CSS or table/Inline-styles for your email messages

    Posted by Gene in Email Marketing

    We design and build a lot of HTML email message here at Period Three, A LOT… One thing we’ve learned over the course of time is that CSS support in web based email systems and desktop email applications is spotty at best. Not to mention now that Microsoft has said that it will be integrating Word’s HTML rendering engine into it’s newest iteration of Outlook instead of IE7’s. Ouch! Most of the time your emals will be viewed in Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail/MSN and GMail, so make sure an test the design out in all of them. It’s safe to assume that you should avoid entirely a pure CSS layout for your message and if you use it at all make sure it uses inline-styles. Here’s a quick list of email apps/clients and what they use (for now):

    Yahoo! Mail = Supports CSS
    Hotmail = Supports CSS
    (if you put the style element in the <body> not the <head> of your HTML document)
    Gmail = Supports only Tables and inline CSS
    Outlook and Outlook Express = Supports CSS
    Lotus Notes = Supports only Tables and inline CSS
    AOL 9 = Supports CSS
    Thunderbird = Supports CSS
    Mac Mail = Supports CSS
    Entourage = Supports CSS
    Eudora for the Mac = Supports only Tables and zero CSS

    In many cases the <style> element gets removed completely from your message HTML, so inline-styles are the safe way out.

  • May212007

    A Little Smashing Love

    Posted by Gene in Design

    smashing.pngThe folks over at Smashing Magazine have seen fit to put our website on their “60 Elegant and Visually Appealing Designs” list.

    We’ve selected some of them. In an overview below you’ll find 60 fresh, elegant, professional and visually appealling designs, which pay close attention to details and manage to remain simple, user-friendly and nice-looking.

    We’ve been watching this site for about a year now, they compile some pretty good lists of resources and now of course with the addition of our website to their lists we feel like they’ve gotten even better… Seriously, thanks Smashing Magazine.

  • May172007

    Paparazzi - a screen capture jem

    Posted by Gene in Random Stuff

    paparazzi_04_main.jpgI stumbled across this really nifty little application for the Mac that will take a full screen shot in one click. No more splicing those long page screen shots together again. Go snag it, heck its a free download too.

  • May112007

    Hammer time — a web panel expert apparently?

    Posted by Gene in Business

    mchammer.jpgI’m now wondering why the heck aren’t I on more web conference expert panels… I should definately see about getting on some of these. Now i’m sure he has some experience to offer, after all he was huge in the 80’s and probably gained some valuable business experience in the process of all that, how could you not? But seriously, MC Hammer is on the TechCrunch 20 Conference Panel of Experts…

    MC Hammer is an American MC who brought rap music to a mass pop audience during the late 1980s and early 1990s, selling millions of copies of his chart topping albums. He is known for his important influence on hip hop culture and music. Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, Hammer released the patriotic album Active Duty on his own WorldHit label and donated portions of the proceeds to 9/11 charities. MC Hammer has a television show on the Trinity Broadcasting Network. Hammer is an advisor to stealth Internet start-up Dance Jam.

    He has to be on this list for comedic factor… at least that’s what i’m telling myself…

  • May022007

    HP to Acquire Logoworks — okay so now what?

    Posted by Gene in Business, Design

    viewmedia.jpegLooks like HP is going to aquire Logoworks, one of those online, clip-art, logo factory websites.

    “Today’s small businesses are increasingly turning to the web for marketing tools and services that strike a balance between affordability and quality,” said Vyomesh Joshi, executive vice president, Imaging and Printing Group, HP. “By adding Logoworks’ web-based graphic design service to our portfolio, HP can now provide the right mix of cost savings, flexibility and professional quality to help make a small business look big.”

    I didn’t know my small business needed to look “big”. If a customer is going to work with you because you look big then will it not be a major let-down for them when they meet with you and discover you are indeed a “small” business? It appears to me the thing these people [logoworks customers] are responding to is the price. Where else can you get a logo for $300 in 3 days or less? I’m not saying logoworks is hurting their own industry, there will always be clients that understand the value in working with a design firm that doesn’t mass-produce their work. After all if your company’s brand is going to be original, memorable and the highest of quality then you need to work with a designer who has to live with the results of their work. A mass produced “fast” solution is just that, cheap and fast, and the company producing work like that will absolutely not be able to put in the time it takes to connect with you and develop a brand that truly helps propell your company in the direction you want.

    Understandably HP may have picked up a business that is viable or makes money. I don’t doubt logoworks makes a profit. But I do have to ask, if this is the type of professional quality they believe in, what does that say about their computer products?

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