Posted by Phil on February 21, 2007 – 3:42 pm
This evening for fun, I taught my nine and 11 year-old girls how to convert binary numbers to decimal and back to binary. They got the concept in about 20 minutes which shows what a little attention from a parent and enthusiasm of a youngster can do. It was fun to watch my oldest going on to do a few more IP addresses just for kicks. I showed them one of my style sheets and how I use hexidecimal conversion every day in web design.
A week ago friday I got an RSS News Feed working for my work. Not a difficult thing really, took me a half-day focused attention, but I had a similar delight in understanding something new and getting it to work.
The same wonder I have with problem solving and technology I want to pass on to my children. Get really good at what you really like to do and you’ll never work a day in your life. People will pay you to do what you are passionate about. I really believe that and it’s exciting to teach my children to do the same. Their creative minds come-up with innovative ways of looking at things. They enjoy creating new crafts or building new things in the backyard.
What fun life is for those who approach it with wonder and excitement.
Posted by Phil on February 15, 2007 – 3:43 pm
This is one of the two cool LED screens in Chicago’s Millennium Park. I took this photo in December 2006 during a chilly week with lows in the single digits. I enjoy the diversity of God’s wonderful creation. Chicago was really cool that way. I spoke w/ a waitress from Romania, a hostess from western Russia, a homeless man named Judge. Can you imagine being homeless in single digit weather in December? How ironic his name being Judge. I wonder how God will judge us when we turn a cold shoulder to people like Judge. But for the grace of God go I. May I have a soft heart for the people of my neighborhood.
Posted by Phil on February 10, 2007 – 3:45 pm
The "greening of America" is a popular topic in the media. Constant barrage by folks like Al Gore present an "Inconvenient Truth". Well, here’s an inconvenient truth for you: Al Gore doesn’t practice what he preaches. (See "How Green is He?" for more info). But not to just pick on poor Al alone, the American public shows no real movement towards conservative lifestyles, which is the root of environmental conservation.
According to motherjones.com, "Since 1950, the average new house has increased by 1,247 sq. ft. Meanwhile, the average household has shrunk by 1 person." According to the 2005 census (see Table Average 1), the mean household is 2.57. Heritage.org reports, "At present, Americans have an average of 718 square feet of living space per person." This is the mean for all households in America. In my household, the square foot per person is 306. What’s yours?
Initiatives like recycling both business and residential is promoted as a way to be environmentally conscious. Recycling is at best, slowing the consumption of our resources. Which is better, recycling cans or not purchasing the six-packs of soda and beer to disgard once the product is consumed? Environmentalism is a popular topic in the media as long as you don’t talk about smaller houses and fiscal conservation (both commercial and personal). Yes, I believe that is the real "inconvenient truth."
Posted by Phil on February 9, 2007 – 3:49 pm
I wrote an entry comparing TurboTax to TaxCut and within a day there were two unique views by H&R Block. (Data from Google Analytics). Kudos to them for doing their market research. Heck, I was giving them a glowing review, so I’m sure it was a happy read for them. The same night I filled-out my TurboTax and TaxCut returns for comparison. The next day TaxCut sent me an email saying, "ready to go w/ submission." Again, they’re on the money. Attention to detail, competitive pricing, concern for personal perspectives…somebody at H&R is doing a good job of staying on top of things. If I were a betting man, I’d lay down some cash on the fact that TaxCut is going to surpass TurboTax within a couple of years. Between the rise of TaxCut against TurboTax and Mvelopes.com against Quicken, the future doesn’t look to bright for Intuit. Business agility is an ever increasing reality in web 2.0 culture. Perhaps it’s really business 2.0 in disguise.
Posted by Phil Stolle at 9:41 PM
Posted by Phil on February 7, 2007 – 3:49 pm
For all of you wondering what the bottom line difference between the two major contender’s in tax preparation software. From personal experience: $1. That’s right, the total return I’ll receive amounted to a $1 difference. I tried going through the free TurboTax software but upgraded twice to accomplish basic tasks like mortgage insurance and Section C for self-employment. I still need to file. I believe Tax Cut will run $35 w/ the filing fee. Turbo Tax would end-up costing $75. TurboTax was a little more user-friendly, but emphases on little. I certainly don’t think it’s worth the extra $40. So, if you have a really simple return to file, you might try the free TurboTax route, but otherwise, I’d recommend going with Tax Cut. Let me know if you find any difference.
Posted by Phil on February 6, 2007 – 3:47 pm
It was a blustery first week of December in Chicago. I attended the Search Engine Strategies Conference. This thin-skinned Texan weathered the single digit temps to get out and take a few photos. Chicago has some amazing artwork. I took this picture of the Kapoor Sculpture in early December in Chicago. It is located in Millennium Park. The sculpture is a 66-foot long 33-foot high resembling liquid mercury.
Posted by Phil on February 6, 2007 – 3:46 pm
Technology can seem so complex, but in truth the greatest challenge is to not over complicate the matter. Programming clean code, designing a sharp website, presenting a succinct marketing message can be accomplished with relatively straight forward creative development. Yes, that’s the challenge. The essentials, the bear necessities…William of Occam in the 14th century said it best, "entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem" Translated this means, "entities should not be multiplied beyond necessity". The deeper I get into the technical and creative world, the more true this becomes. It has become my mantra, my constant companion for all projects. The KISS method, Keep It Simple Sister. The problem arises that new variables are added to projects all the time, i.e. scope creep. How does one account for this inevitable reality? In development, rather than coding to the content, code to the type of data. What are the common threads for all types of content? Simplicity makes way for scalability. In design, consistency makes way for flexibility. In messaging, focus makes way for creative expression. Containing oneself and the urge to let entities run amok will prove effective. The most powerful word in the English language? "No."