“For designers, for business, just as for nations, risk is the essential component to great success.” – Andy Rutledge.

Andy created a series of Desktop Wallpapers based on the article. Risktakers stand out and achieve great success. Take a look at every successful company that has shaped our world today (Google, Apple, Microsoft, YouTube, Facebook, etc.). The question you should be asking is: What do you want to be noticed for?

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Not to give an excuse for only completing 20% of the 2009 to-do list, but College work was harder this year than any other semester, period. Any normal person would’ve gone mad while going through the things I did. I hated it with all my guys, but now it’s all good – and I love it!

2010 will be a very interesting part of my life as I am graduating in June, and the rest of the year will be dedicated to job hunting and working… full time (whoah!). Getting through the final semester will be a pain in the ass FOR SURE. A friend of mine went through it and has now graduated. I will be following his footsteps in no time.

I am also thankful for having travelled to Israel this year and seeing family members I haven’t seen since I was a baby. It was a great experience and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Unfortunately, I wanted to travel to another location in the world (goal was 2 for 2009) but it didn’t happen.

This year, I am going to make 2 resolution lists instead of one, simply because some things take priority over others. The 1st list contain all of the important developmental things I will set out to achieve. The 2nd list will list things that I should always be keeping in mind, like going to sleep on time instead of writing blog posts 5:30 in the morning!

Here are some of the things that will be on the lists:

1. Further develop my programming skills. PHP, MySQL, JavaScript (jQuery), ActionScript, etc.
2. Learn mobile web and web app development. Creating mobile phone optimized sites is insanely important!
3. Write tutorials for this blog! Too bad this didn’t happen in 2009. I love teaching.
4. Start doing Icon Design. This is something I’ve always wanted to do. I LOVE symbols!
5. Work on personal projects! There are at least 4 projects in the works, and 2010 should be the year where it all comes to life!
6. Start earning money from what I do online. I think it’s time to start earning a profit from all of my online activity. This means placing ads on this blog, which everyone tells me to do!
7. Graduate. This will mark a major milestone in my life. The final semester will be tough, but I am ready for anything!

So, what about you, guys? It’s a brand new decade! What do you wish to accomplish in 2010?

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1. Coming Very Soon, January 2009
2. Creating a New Year’s Resolution List
3. A little taste of a stress-free vacation

The fact that I am graduating after next semester (June ‘10) makes things extremely exciting! Regardless of the amount of classes I am taking come this January, nothing can surpass the amount of work and sleepless nights I just went through. Here are the classes I took:

1. Advanced Web Animation (Flash, ActionScript 3.0, Web Animation)
2. Advanced Web Strategies (Web strategy, marketing, a bit of JavaScript, PHP, MySQL)
3. Advertising Design II (Concepts, concepts, and more concepts)
4. Design Internship (Interning at an Interactive Design/Development agency)
5. Art History (Prehistoric to Gothic)
6. Macroeconomics (Economy, supply & demand, economic conditions, business)
   

90% of the people who see this list call me crazy, and I don’t blame them. I don’t regret anything one bit. I learned and achieved more this semester than ever before. It’s funny how all the best work happens right as you’re about to finish your degree.

I learned invaluable skills in Flash, and gained amazing portfolio pieces from Advertising Design II. The Design Internship allowed me to work on projects for Fortune 500 companies, and so forth. More after the jump…

Next semester, I will be taking all of the senior level courses, as well as 1 math class, and 1 elective of my choice:

1. Senior Project (Semester-long project that will be graded in the end)
2. Design Team (Work in groups with real clients to provide design solutions)
3. Portfolio (Develop our portfolios both digital and print)
4. PHP Programming (Learn to program and develop web apps in PHP)
5. Quantitative Math (A class I should have taken in my 1st year)

I absolutely cannot wait until Senior Project! The project I have planned (an Operating System) will define who I am as a designer, and everything I can do. This project will be very close to my heart, and I plan to document its development on this blog. I am certain you will find the process very fascinating!

I plan to have a very good job after I graduate, and this project combined with my portfolio, will be my ticket. I will master everything I set my mind to. I will create anything in the best possible way, utilizing my skills in Web Design/Development, Flash, Advertising, and more.

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Imagine what life would be like if time could be charged on credit. Some would have tons of time to do anything, while others would be falling behind on everything – all depending on their credit scores. Those will good credit history (aka productive time management) could buy more time to do whatever they wished.

Let’s be real for a minute and consider what “buying time” is really like in the world of flesh and blood. You’re probably thinking it all depends on what you need time for. Certainly, finding time to acquire a Master’s degree is different from getting an extra hour or two of sleep at night. To me, time is something we mold and sculpt to fit our lifestyles. We each have different likes, dislikes, ambitions, and plans for the future – including exactly how we’re going to get there.

How do you price time and at what cost do you buy it? I heavily invest into my future. For better or for worse, I don’t rush things and take things very easily. I often fall behind on accomplishing things, because of… you guessed it… time. I have plans to take over the world, but I just can’t afford the time, you know? Maybe I should up the credit line on my credit card.

Moral of the day: Time is responsible for our past, present and future. Befriend her and learn to play nice. Find your style of how you buy and spend time, get comfy, and set out some goals.

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1. Staying in touch and up to date the minute with your friends
2. Following big-time celebrities like Oprah, Jimmy Fallon, Al Gore, Britney Speakers, and you name ‘em!
3. Keeping up with the news way faster than traditional print and TV media (ie; Iran Elections).

What I’m trying to get at is that Twitter is a lot more than what the average person thinks it is. It is not only a social networking service, but a tool for business, professional networking, resource mining, and virtually endless knowledge.

Since I am in the Graphic and Web Design field, I will be talking about its relationship with Twitter and all of its benefits. More after the jump…

Following established Professionals: Being a web or graphic designer means that you have to stay up to date with the industry, and what the professionals are doing by keeping up with trends, news, and so forth. Most of the people I follow on Twitter directly or indirectly relate to my field. These people share their latest designs, talk about the latest trends, and link to countless inspirational and educational resouces. The amount of new knowledge I have discovered since I became active in the Twitter community is priceless.

Having a well-developed Twitter network: Say, one day, you run into a problem that you can’t get a good grasp of, you Tweet a question and someone in your network is bound to respond with an answer. If they don’t, then work on building up your network even more (you should never stop building, really).

On top of Twitter having professional benefits, it also has great socializing pluses. When you follow like-minded people, whether or not they’re in your field of work, it’s a given that you will be curious about what they’re up to, and vise versa. When people in my network Tweet about things like social events and design conferences, I immediately take interest. These are the types of places and events that will help me professionally, and allow me to meet great people!

Finding jobs and hiring talent on Twitter: If you’re new to the whole Twitter revolution, you’ll find it surprising that people actually find jobs and talent (depending on what you’re looking for) for work. When you’re a part of an active network, someone is always looking for something. A few months ago, I was searching for a team of iPhone App developers. From the moment I Tweeted about it, I had 5 responses from interested candidates by the end of the day.

If you’re a freelancer looking for some gigs, or even part/full-time jobs, you’ll be surprised to find that Twitter is a good job search engine. I keep getting back to the point of networking with like-minded people. To put it simply, it’s the best advice I have to offer. You will not only have fun interacting with people who you respect, but, along the way, you will gain life-long knowledge.

What’s to come: I am currently working on a follow-up article that discusses even more (and fun) ways of taking advantage of Twitter.

Please subscribe to my feed and follow me on Twitter to get the latest updates. Also, if you have anything to add, I URGE you to comment below.

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Working in the design world, file backup is probably the single most important maintenence rule. You ALWAYS want to keep backups of your files, documents, photos, videos, music, and so forth. If you’re running a Windows machine, you should be taking note with extra care as Windows machines are more prone to viruses (and other infections).

External Hard Drive are extremely cheap these days! There’s no reason why you shouldn’t invest in something that can save you hundreds of hours, depression, and tears. Do the right thing and get into the habit of backing up often. There are tons of solutions available out there that will automate this process for you on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis – your choice.

Side note: If you’re one of those people that has a million different files and folders scattered on your desktop and around the computer, you need to learn a big lesson. Organizing your files will not only make your backup-process much easier, but you will feel less cluttered when everything is easily accessible.

Windows Backup sofware, Click here!
Mac Backup software, Click here!

If these solutions are not suitable for you, a simple Google search (or a Bing.com search) will help you out.

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In a little under 20 hours from the time this post was published, your chance to get your hands on this amazing app bundle will be up. First thing’s first, click the link below to view the MacHeist page with ALL the information.

View the MacHeist Bundle information, and buy it!

Yes, I have purchased this myself and strongly believe that it’s steal, not the mention that 25% of every sale’s proceeds goes to a charity of your choice. Whether you’re a designer, blogger, an online show host, or an advocate of all things cool, in this package you will find something that greatly impresses you.

For $39, it’s probably the best investment I have ever made! Well, what are you waiting for? Check it out already!

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The Iron Gym can help you with pullups (duh), pushups, dips, situps, and however else you can get creative (I claim no responsibility for giving you any ideas!). Every time I walk in and out of my room, or just walk by, I do a few pullups and maybe some leg raises to help out the extra belly junk. It’s a pretty good visual queue that gets increases your overall activity around the house.

Right now, it’s too early to see results, but I definitely feel the progress. I’ve been eating a lot healthier, paying attention to what and when I eat. Also, drinking a lot more water and avoiding random meals and midnight snacks has been a top priority.

Eat out has been something I’ve been doing way too much. At times, it’s inevitable because of my day-to-day schedule, but I’ve been learning to manage pretty well. I can see a little smile coming from the corner of my wallet, and it’s getting bigger. Now I just have to keep this up for a good month, and it’s all smooth sailing from there. Wish me luck!

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What is it that makes Netbooks so attractive?

1. Price. With the current economic state, people are afraid to spend money. They are not as lenient with their wallets as they may have been before the “crisis,” so, machines that easily run below $300 are quickly considered.
2. Portability. It’s a great feeling to be able to carry stuff with you wherever you go, especially when it’s something as useful as a computer. It’s light, looks good, and does the job. Screen real-estate may not be there, but people don’t seem to mind giving it up for on-the-go productivity (which is another issue on its own). Most of the time, we only need our computers to perform basic (but important) functions, and Netbooks often do a great job at it.

Read the rest after the jump…

What should you keep in mind when considering buying one?

• Limited productivity due to small screen, small battery, and keyboard:
  A screen smaller screen with a resolution that’s barely enough to get the job done may be annoying at first, but if you learn to manage your space properly, it shouldn’t really be a problem. Today’s laptops have pretty crappy battery life, especially if they’re designed for performance. The battery lasts, on average, about 3 hours depending on your activity. If you purchase a 6-cell battery, your productivity will drastically improve. Last but not least, going from a full-size keyboard to one that’s about 85% of the standard size (or smaller) won’t exactly be the most comfortable experience.
• Lack of performance with intensive tasks, and limited upgradability:
  Let’s face it – the fact that these Netbooks come standard with 512MB to 1GB of RAM doesn’t exactly help the mobile Atom processors. Some machines allow you to upgrade the RAM to 2GB on your own, but that’s about it. 1GB may get the job done with tasks like web browsing and power points, but you can’t get too heavy with the amount of pages you load and how many slides you create.

Is it worth buying a Netbook?

Yes, but only after you understand the purpose of having one; It cannot be your primary work machine, and it probably should not replace your existing (more powerful) notebook. Do mind that extra bells and whistles like Bluetooth and Webcam will probably cost you extra.

I was seconds away from buying a Dell Mini 9 with good specs for a great price, but I decided that it would be more for leisure than productivity.

Question to you: If you own a Netbook, what made you get it, and was it worth it? If not, what’s holding you back?

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1. Competitive Edge: If you lost your job and you can afford another degree, do it. Gaining the extra qualifications will give you the edge over most people with single/standard degrees. If a degree program is not an option, consider going for certifications in your field. Being a versatile job candidate will help you stand out from the bunch. Why hire multiple talents if one can do it all?
2. Career path change: It’s a known fact that most college graduates are not happy with their jobs. This could serve as a great opportunity to go back to college if you’re looking for a change. It is probably a good idea to figure out what you want to go for as soon as possible. There’s no way to say when the world’s situation will be on the rise again, but stay prepared. Continue for the rest…
3. Personal benefit: If you’re looking for change, or a little bit of variety in life, college might be a good idea. One can understand what it’s like to be doing the same thing over and over for years on end. This ties in pretty closely with #2 as a career change may be a huge personal benefit. If you would rather be pursuing something you are more interested in, chances are you’d be happier if you did. Plus, your level of overall intelligence will be boosted as well.
4. Expanding your social network: In the previous article, I stressed that Social Interaction and networking was very important. If you are looking for a change in your field of work, knowing people already in it would be beneficial. Meeting new people who are knowledgeable and/or have these connections will be a huge plus. Regardless of whether or not you’re that person with the “hookups,” you never know when someone may need you for something, and when you may need them.

I hope this followup helps you understand how important going back to college can be during these times. Keep in mind, there are a million others in your situation. Many are already making their moves, so it’s best to start thinking about what and how you want to pursue your goals.

I am also in the process of writing a column on how you can take advantage of having lost your job. Stay tuned!

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