andrew dodson

I give up. I’m going to learn Flash.

I’ve resisted to this point. Why? Well, it’s not really standards-compliant. Meaning? Not everyone can view flash on websites. By saying “not everyone,” my not-so-scientific percentage would be, maybe, twenty-five percent. Mostly, the type of people that use the web for informational purposes and don’t care to download all the latest, wizz-bang plug-ins and features for their browser. Some might read this as “older folks,” but you didn’t hear me say that. I just don’t like making people that want to view my sites download something to view it correctly. Is that so bad? I’ve always said if the day came that Flash came installed on every browser 100% percent of the time, I’d gladly learn Flash.

It’s been all-the-rage in the internet world for several years now, and the rage continues to grow, it seems. Nearly ever web design job I’ve found on the web requires Flash experience. Everyone wants animation, videos, fade in effects, motion graphics, and other fancy features that only Flash seems capable of producing.

So, it seems I just need to give in and start learning it. I’ve done a few tutorials, and yes, it’s cool. It’s neat. It’s fun. But, it can also be way-overdone on a lot of sites. My hope is to learn to apply Flash - a.) only to sites that require Flash, and b.) in a tasteful way. Okay, I might break rule “a” every now and then.

Bottom line is this - if I’m trying to do web design full-time, I need to constantly learn new things, whether or not I like the new things personally. It’s the only way I can survive as a hopeful freelancer. So, getting BADmedia off the ground is kinda like going back to school at the same time. Except, this time, I’m the teacher and the student, sort of (with some help from the internet and books).

I’ve become a huge fan of storing a lot of documents with Google Docs. As I’m sure is the case with anyone, I have a habit of printing out articles that I find online and reading them while I’m away from my computer. After a while, I throw away the print out. Later, I wished I still had the article to read again. Enter Google Docs. Now, I’m able to either copy and paste from the web into a new Google document, or, if it’s a PDF or Word file, I can upload it into my Google Docs.

Another way this is effective for me is that I use at least three different computers on a regular basis (desktop, laptop, and computer at work). Since all of these have a web connection, I can pull up my documents at any time for reference, editing, sharing, and more. There is also a feature to view your documents offline. Say, if I’m using my laptop and there is no wi-fi available, I can still pull up my documents, edit them, or do whatever needs to be done. Once I have an internet connection again, it will sync with my online Google Docs to keep everything organized and up-to-date.

The sharing feature is very useful for groups that need access to documents that are always up-to-date. Businesses, churches, and other organizations could benefit from this feature, I would think.

There are other ways to keep track of your documents. Using a USB jump drive alleviates the need for an internet connection. But, you have to hope that you always keep up with your jump drive - I’ve certainly put mine through the ringer several times. I just think using a web-based solution for document storage is easier to maintain.

I’m often asked what type of software I use to create my websites, logos and the like.  Everyone knows I’m a Mac guy, and they assume I use the Adobe Creative Suite.  Not so fast!  Assumptions can sometimes be wrong.

Yes, I’m a Mac guy.  Love ‘em.  Used a PC for years before finally using a Mac at work.  Hands down, Macs are far better machines.  Trust me.  PC users are scared to switch because they’re afraid a Mac can’t do what a PC does.  Wrong.  Not only can it do everything a PC does, it can do it better and you won’t be pulling your hair out all the time.

Anyway… on to the real topic.  What software do I use?  My general rule of thumb is easy - find something that does what I want for free.  The glory of humanity is this - there are people willing to donate their time and effort and ability to create a nice software package for free.  This is called Open Source.  When I simply can’t find a good open-source (free) program, I find one for cheap.  I try to keep my overhead as low as possible.

General Graphic Art

For my general designs, this is where I don’t skimp.  I use Adobe Illustrator a lot.  I’m currently looking into open source programs (Inkscape), or cheap programs (Vector Designer) for my vector art needs.  Until I decide if those programs are viable, I’ll use Illustrator.

Photo Editing / Raster Graphics

Photoshop?  No.  I use Gimp.  It’s a wonderful, free program.  For all of you out there using pirated versions of Photoshop because you can’t afford to buy it yourself - please try Gimp.  There IS a learning curve, but it can do everything Photoshop can do.  I’m very impressed with it.  Not to mention, it’s more streamlined that PS and runs much faster on my computers.

Web Editing - HTML

These days, I don’t do a whole heck of a lot with HTML.  When I absolutely have to code something with HTML, I use Nvu (there is also a version called Kompozer).  It gets the job done and is free.

Web Editing - PHP, XML, General Coding

I’ve fallen in love with Smultron.  A free, powerful text editor that plays nicely with PHP, XML, CSS, and HTML files.  A nice, multi-purpose program.

Web Editing - CSS

There is a free solution here that some people might enjoy.  Simple CSS.  I’ve tried it and it does get the job done.  But, it has some quirks that I don’t like.  So, I use CSSEdit.  It’s not a free program, but is in the “affordable” bracket.  It’s a pretty slick program.

Wordpress

These days, I design all of my sites around Wordpress.  I love the ability to maintain my sites from any computer with an internet connection.  There is a learning curve to designing custom themes, but once you figure it out, it’s a breeze.

Word Processing

Sometimes, clients send me Word documents with their content.  Mac does have a version of Microsoft Office, but it’s not cheap.  So, I use NeoOffice to read Word & Excel files and more.  A truly wonderful, free word processing program.  They are constantly updating it and improving its features.

So, there you have it.  If you’re looking to save some money, but still be productive, I strongly suggest looking into open source options.  Small businesses, schools, churches, governments, civic groups and non-profits could benefit greatly from saving money and using these types of programs.  You should at least look into them and give them a chance.

Not really a music specific post today, but more of a gear post.

Over the last few years, I’ve used several audio interfaces with my computer.  When at home, I mainly need a good, solid interface that will let me mix anywhere from two to thirty-two channels without any hassle.  To be specific, an interface that worked well with my Mac mini and Tracktion.  I don’t do a lot of recording at home, so having multiple inputs (XLR, MIDI, etc.) isn’t an issue.

I’ve settled on a Behringer FCA202 FireWire interface.  Yes, a Behringer product.  A lot of people bash them, but when it comes to bang-for-your-buck, there’s no better.  I’ve owned several of their products and never had any real complaints.  The FCA202 is a very simple firewire device - two 1/4″ inputs, two 1/4″ outputs, a headphone jack and two firewire ports.  That’s it.  A negative of this interface is no XLR or MIDI inputs.  But, if you want to upgrade your computer’s sound card (using a factory sound card for pro audio applications is not recommended) for a cheap price ($80), I highly recommend this card.  It’s also extremely compact, making it a great, portable unit.  I often throw this in my laptop bag to work on audio projects on the go.

The main issue I ran into using other units dealt with audio dropouts, pops, clicks, and more noises.  For some reason, a couple of units would only briefly work with my setup before the audio would drop out.  But, I would expect more from $200-600 units, so this was disappointing.  The FCA202 performs much better with my setup.  The units that didn’t perform as well included an Edirol FA-101, Alesis MultiMix 8 FireWire, and a PreSonus Inspire.  They all resulted in glitches while I tried mixing a project.

I can’t verify if this product would work well with a PC, or another Mac setup that differs from mine.  It does work great with my iBook G4, though.  If you have a 6-pin FireWire port on your computer, the device can be bus-powered (no power adapter needed).  Looking through reviews on Musician’s Friend shows there are issues if you try to use it with Vista (but, what else is new?  The surprise would be if it WORKED with Vista!).

If you’re in the market for a great little (affordable) audio interface, and if you don’t need XLR or MIDI inputs, I highly recommend this unit.  Combine this with GarageBand on a Mac and you’ve spent $80 to start recording your ideas and more.

Wednesday is generally for random blogging around here. I’m taking some liberty today and passing it off as random blogging. Have you all tried iGoogle and the rest of Google’s way cool features yet? I’m pretty convinced that Google has a plot to take over the world, and so far, they’re succeeding.

I just started using iGoogle today, and it’s slowly becoming an idol in my life. I will likely have to repent from spending too much time on it. See, I’m a big geek and iGoogle is like a geek’s playground. It’s basically a home page that is fully customizable to suit your needs and tastes.

Next up, I started using Google Calendar today. I try to keep a good, accurate calendar and agenda each week. But, I use several computers, a cell phone and other gadgets, so I always feel like I have my dates, to-do’s and appointments in several places and they’re never all the same. With Google Calendar, I can set up reminders via email and text messaging, have a daily agenda emailed to me each day, share my calendar to my multiple computers via iCal, and always be synced up.

Google Reader seems to be a pretty cool answer for keeping up with all the blogs I visit. I’d been using endo for a couple of weeks, but - once again - I have to have multiple copies on multiple computers and they’re never in sync. I can now just log into Google Reader on whichever computer I’m using at the time.

I try to stay pretty organized and all the features that Google offers seems to meet my needs. At minimum, I can centralize all the information in which I need access.

There are times when I reflect back on the good old days. The times I spent trying to figure out DOS & Windows 3.11. The countless freezes and reboots from a PC with 32MB of RAM, made by a company that has been non-existent for years (Packard Bell). Ah, yes, those were the days. Now, I’ve stepped over to the Mac world and have no regrets. For all of you PC-users out there, I wanted to post this blurb that gives evidence to the like-ability of Macs.

This comes from Mars Hill Church’s Codex blog:

At Mars Hill we’ve been running with Dell and Apple hardware since I started on Staff. I made a change shortly after I began work here to allow people to purchase either Dell or Apple if they had a preference. Previous to that time the Apple hardware was for the most part limited to the domain of the Worship & Productions departments. Before providing that choice our desktop environment was running about 90% Dell and about 10% Apple with the Apple people almost entirely working in creative departments. 2 years later, we are approaching 60% Dell and 40% Apple. The most intriguing part of this has been the “switchers” the people who are transitioning from Dell to Apple.

How many users have we switched? Around 10 - 12 people depending on how you decide who represents a true switcher. Not huge numbers in a microcosm of nearly 100 staff. Some of you doing the math at home you are wondering how I arrived at 60/40 when so few have made the change to Apple. We’ve been hiring a number of people recently who haven’t switched but just chose to start work as Apple users displacing the percentage of windows users. How many have switched back to Dell/Windows? Zero. Our user base is changing and the culture of computing with it.

If you’re in the market for a new computer, please check out Apple. It’s well worth the look, in my opinion.

If you play music, record music or just listen to music, you’re indebted to Les Paul.  I bet you didn’t know that.  Les Paul is one of the most innovative musicians and recording engineers of all time.  Innovations in electric guitars and tone?  Thank Les Paul.  Sound-on-sound and multi-track recording?  Thank Les Paul.

Apple Pro has a really interesting article on this still-living, still-working-at-ninety-two genius.  Feel free to also read his Wikipedia entry.  Thanks Les!

Next time you need a piece of software for a new job, a project, or something else, try open source. What’s open source, you say? It’s free software. Free? Yes.

There’s a whole multitude of computer programmers out there that create software out the goodness of their heart. There’s a sense of rebellion from these programmers, aimed at the big, greedy software companies of the world.

The two programs I use the most are Firefox and NeoOffice. I’ve bragged on Firefox many times before on this blog. It’s an awesome internet browser that is constantly being updated and improved, fully customizable with plugins of your choice, and it’s standards compliant. That’s a fancy phrase that basically means, when I create a website, it renders correctly in Firefox. I usually have to make concessions for other browsers that aren’t standards compliant.

Today, I want to brag on NeoOffice. This program is only available for Mac users, but there are similar options available for Windows people - OpenOffice, for example.. The next time you think about buying Microsoft Office, or upgrading a copy you already have, give NeoOffice or OpenOffice a try. I’ve been very impressed with NeoOffice’s abilities. It can read and save files in Word format, it can read and save all Office files (Excel, etc.). I’m not a Microsoft Office expert, so I can’t speak for NeoOffice’s advanced capabilities. But, for a normal user that just needs the option of opening and saving Word or Excel files, it works great. There’s also a handy feature to save as PDF files.

How can you find open source programs? The easiest way is to type the kind of software you’re looking for, followed by “open source” into a Google search. For example: “audio recording open source.” This search would yield a find of Audacity - a great, free audio recording program. You get the idea, though.

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Now playing: Pat Monahan - Thinkin Bout You
via FoxyTunes

This my last day of work at CLS for the week.  Tomorrow morning, I’ll be heading to Jonathan Creek to record their praise band.  I’ll be back on Friday.  While I’ll be “working” at J-Creek, there’ll be a lot of downtime.  Some of the downtime will be spent getting a jump start on mixing the J-Creek portion of the recording.  Some of the downtime, I’ll actually be doing some work for CLS, remotely.  The rest of the downtime, I hope to be kicked back reading a book or something of the like.

I’m attempting to get everything squared away today, so that my absence from CLS for the next three days won’t be noticed as much.   I’m getting all the art ready, getting orders written up, invoices sent out, etc.  But, it’s difficult when our internet is down!  It seems we had a billing glitch with our service provider, so they shut off our internet.  We’ve been told it will be 72 hours before we’re back up-and-running.  Needless to say, we’re heavily considering making a quick switch of providers.  Not good business on our current provider’s end.

Through all of this, however, I can highly recommend Sprint’s mobile broadband service.  We’re using a laptop with one of their USB cards to get by in the mean time.  It’s very close to broadband speed, and has helped us keep up around here.  My boss’s comment:  “It’s good that it finally came in handy that I also own a cell phone store.”  Yes, that it is.  The only catch to the broadband cards is they only work on Windows PC’s.  Bummer.  Otherwise, I’ve been impressed with its performance.

So, the next time you hear from me, I’ll be blogging from J-Creek.

I’m not feeling particularly “bloggy” today.  The only remotely interesting thing I could blog about would be a new future project.  My boss - Dwayne, DC, D-wizzle, or any of his other names - decided to clean out a storage unit.  One of the items that came within minutes of losing its life was an Apple G3 tower computer & monitor.  I decided, mainly out of my love for Apple, that it didn’t deserve for its life to end today.

My plan is to attempt to upgrade it for recording use at The Point.  First, I have to knock off about an inch of dirt & dust and find out if it even works.  After that, I’ll look into options for processor & RAM upgrades.  I’m not in too big of a hurry (i.e., I have more important things on which to spend money…or NOT spend money on).

Most guys love working on cars - changing the oil, working on the engine.  Not me!  I’ll take a computer over a car any day.