Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Bright-Eye Telescopes

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1592946658/bright-eye-telescopes/description
Another kickstarter that learned the hard way about scaling: 

How we turned $140k on Kickstarter into $40k in debt. And how we broke even.

https://medium.com/swlh/how-we-turned-140k-on-kickstarter-into-40k-in-debt-and-how-we-broke-even-1f86d80fe50f#.8uujonutn
Another cautionary tale of kickstarter almost-failure. 

Interfaces over time

https://trackchanges.postlight.com/interfaces-over-time-884e75343b85#.c7pce38kj
History of bits and pieces of HCI design: 

The ethics of good design: A principle for the connected age

https://medium.com/@aweyenberg/dieter-rams-ten-principles-for-good-design-the-1st-amendment-4e73111a18e4#.yorcqbs4i
A new addition to Rams' design principles for the connected age: 

Browsers, not apps, are the future of mobile

https://medium.com/swlh/browsers-not-apps-are-the-future-of-mobile-c552752ff75#.fskq9elwf
Something I've been saying for a while: Browsers, not Apps are the future. This with the wrinkle of "Bots"

Monday, November 28, 2016

How a Whole Swath of B2B Media Companies Got Wiped Out

http://www.foliomag.com/how-a-whole-swath-of-b2b-media-companies-got-wiped-out/
The previous generation of B2B media companies are all but gone. Because....

12 Signs You’re Working in a Feature Factory

https://hackernoon.com/12-signs-youre-working-in-a-feature-factory-44a5b938d6a2#.mqukujvg5
12 Signs You’re Working in a Feature Factory - oooh, shiny!

What Venture Capitalists Got Wrong About Bitcoin

https://medium.com/consensys-media/what-venture-capitalists-got-wrong-about-bitcoin-a0572aec18d0#.2t7ya7z1m
What Venture Capitalists Got Wrong About Bitcoin - It's all about the blockchain, stupid.

Crossed Stitches

http://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/beverly-pennington-t-shirt-quilts/
A cautionary tale of a small business that went very, very wrong.

Hype Driven Development

https://blog.daftcode.pl/hype-driven-development-3469fc2e9b22#.nvt0h2yqy
Great piece on Hype-Driven Development - How dev teams get sucked offtrack.

Saturday, November 26, 2016

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

How to Start a Store: A Step-by-Step Guide to eCommerce with Shopify and WooCommerce

https://zapier.com/blog/shopify-woocommerce-guide/
How to start with ecommerce using either woocommerce of shopify: 

Top 20 Influencer Marketing Stats

https://www.the7thchamber.com/blog/2016/11/16/top-20-influencer-marketing-stats
Influencer marketing and its importance. Old-fashioned Word-of-Mouth, etc.

WordPress auto-update server had flaw allowing anyone to add anything to websites worldwide

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/11/23/wordpress_auto_update_flaw/
Major security hole in WordPress auto-update found and fixed, but what was the damage?

An in-depth guide to the revamped Google Sites: Google Analytics, team collaboration, more

http://siliconangle.com/blog/2016/11/23/an-in-depth-guide-to-the-revamped-google-sites-google-analytics-team-collaboration-more/
The new Google Sites looks really good. Here's a getting started guide:

This 10-Minute Routine Will Increase Your Clarity And Creativity

https://medium.com/the-mission/this-10-minute-routine-will-increase-your-clarity-and-creativity-7ce61b11c2f9#.kpvg0b5vj
10-minute routine to increase creativity.

Strange Numbers Found in Particle Collisions

https://www.quantamagazine.org/20161115-strange-numbers-found-in-particle-collisions/
Number theory and particle physics bump into each other.

Monday, November 21, 2016

Red Hat CEO on Microsoft, Google, and Cutting Edge Software

http://fortune.com/2016/11/18/red-hat-ceo-james-whitehurst-microsoft-google-software/
RedHat CEO on where the money is in OpenSource vs. Proprietary Software.

Elixir language

http://elixir-lang.org/
So is Elixir the new Erlang? 

What makes an article popular on Medium? We analyzed 10,000+ data points to find out

https://medium.com/the-mission/after-10-000-data-points-we-figured-out-how-to-write-a-perfect-medium-post-58c41c314f6a#.1k9p0yrux
Analysis of 10k Medium articles to see what makes a popular post. Not sure about causality, though. 

Marketing lessons learned from “Losers”

http://longlastingideas.com/marketing-lessons-learned-from-losers/#
Interesting marketing lessons learned from picking losers. 

Ubuntu Based Zorin OS 12 Linux Could Be An Open Source Windows 10 Alternative Many Are Looking For Read more at http://hothardware.com/news/zorin-os-12-linux-distro-could-be-a-windows-10-alternative#PDyKqmwCJhjkZTW0.99

http://hothardware.com/news/zorin-os-12-linux-distro-could-be-a-windows-10-alternative
For those that want their Linux to be more Windows-10-ish, there's Zorin. 

How to attract new contributors to your open source project

https://medium.freecodecamp.com/how-to-attract-new-contributors-to-your-open-source-project-46f8b791d787#.e7hl7nvgj
It's not enough just to put your stuff on GitHub if you want contributors. Here's some concrete steps to encourage contributors. 

Saturday, November 19, 2016

MongoDB CEO claims to have won developers hearts from Oracle

http://diginomica.com/2016/11/16/mongodb-ceo-claims-won-developers-hearts-oracle/
MongoDB claims to be stealing Oracle customers. I've used it and it's a very nice product.

One Behavior Separates The Successful From The Average

https://medium.com/the-mission/one-behavior-separates-the-successful-from-the-average-936f7ff04793#.xsrb4uc56
Good illustration of one trait it takes to be successful.

Confessions of a Google Spammer

https://readthink.com/confessions-of-a-google-spammer-4f2e0c3e9869#.uoxo7dyqb
a look back into the dark days of SEO spamming

The 100% correct way to do CSS breakpoints

https://medium.freecodecamp.com/the-100-correct-way-to-do-css-breakpoints-88d6a5ba1862#.gq7zx1ayl
A wonderful, common-sense approach to setting CSS breakpoints.

9 Incredibly Useful Sales Tools for Startups

https://medium.com/product-hunt/9-incredibly-useful-sales-tools-for-startups-3fad6fb01215#.ppkr4s7cv
9 useful software tools for making sales. I'm not a salesman, but these look ok.

40 Core Philosophies From the Most Famous Marketers in History

https://blog.bufferapp.com/40-marketing-philosophies
40 core philosophies from famous marketers. Many contradict each other. Go figure.

The Non-Technical Guide to Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence

https://medium.com/machine-learnings/a-humans-guide-to-machine-learning-e179f43b67a0#.4i8nvwquw
A fairly extensive list of resources to learn about machine learning. Kinda meta.

Friday, November 18, 2016

HTML 5.1 IS THE GOLD STANDARD

https://www.w3.org/blog/2016/11/html-5-1-is-the-gold-standard/
The HTML 5.1 standard has just gone gold.

a curated collection of tools and resources for amazon sellers

https://amztools.io/
a curated collection of tools and resources for amazon sellers

Amazon Quicksite

https://quicksight.aws/
New BI tool from AWS: quicksite

What is Redis?

https://aws.amazon.com/elasticache/what-is-redis/
As we answer the musical question: what is redis and why should I care?

Bootstrap 4: Regular Grid VS Flexbox Grid

http://tutorialzine.com/2016/11/boostrap-4-regular-vs-flex-grid/
Introduction to what's coming in Flexbox layout in Bootstrap4

The app platform for everyone

https://www.appsheet.com/
claims to be able to create apps from.... spreadsheets?!?

Thursday, November 17, 2016

Top 10 Cheapest SMS Text Message Marketing Solution for Small Businesses

https://techreviewpro.com/cheapest-sms-text-message-marketing-solution-7885/
Cheapest SMS messaging services for small businesses. Wish there were a date on the article. 

THE SPEAKER DESIGN COURSE

http://diyspeakerdesign.com/design-course/
speaker design course, would like to see reviews of it.

How To Get 5 New Clients For Your Software Development Business In The Next 30 Days.

http://www.mixdigitalmedia.com/how-to-get-5-new-clients-for-your-software-development-business-in-the-next-30-days/
how to get software development clients.

Getting started with JoomlaTools

https://www.joomlatools.com/developer/platform/getting-started/
interesting way to treat joomla development like a real php project

Best Movies of 2016 So Far

https://imgur.com/gallery/XXy0v
subjective list of the best movies of 2016 with six weeks to go.

Microsoft Shows Linux Love by Joining the Linux Foundation

https://redmondmag.com/articles/2016/11/16/microsoft-joins-linux-foundation.aspx
Microsoft becomes Platinum-level sponsor of the Linux Foundation.

Friday, November 11, 2016

Going Serverless: AWS and Compelling Science Fiction

http://compellingsciencefiction.com/blog/2016-11-10.html
A case study of another website going #serverless.

He Went To The Desert With $3 Million In Cash—And Left With 150 Tons Of Cashmere

https://www.fastcompany.com/3065029/startup-report/why-one-man-bought-150-tons-of-cashmere-in-the-gobi-desert-with-3-million-in-
A textbook perfect example of ecommerce disintermediation

How to Shoot a How-To Video

https://blog.pond5.com/10864-how-to-shoot-a-how-to-video/
How to shoot a how-to video

13 Creative Editing Techniques Every Video Editor Should Know

https://blog.pond5.com/11099-13-creative-editing-techniques-every-video-editor-should-know/
Basic Video Editing Techniques

Mobile web browsing overtakes desktop for the first time

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/nov/02/mobile-web-browsing-desktop-smartphones-tablets
The data shows that mobile-first is truly upon us. Desktop is <50% overall, but varies by market. 

Creativity Is a Process, Not an Event

https://medium.com/the-mission/creativity-is-a-process-not-an-event-a41b632a83af#.4xf97ueej
Good words here on creativity. It's a process, not a moment: 

5 Hobbies That Will Boost Your Intelligence

http://www.inc.com/larry-kim/5-hobbies-that-will-boost-your-intelligence.html
Alas, I only do 2 of these 5 hobbies that may boost one's intelligence: 

Thursday, November 10, 2016

Top 25 Best CSS Framework 2016 for Web Designers

http://codeconvey.com/best-css-framework-2016/
Another listicle, this one on the best front-end CSS frameworks. Some so old, I don't know why they're still here: 

Vue.js Is Good, but Is It Better Than Angular or React?

https://dzone.com/articles/vuejs-is-good-but-is-it-better-than-angular-or-rea
Vue vs Angular and React. So far, Vue looks very clean with lots less overhead, especially for 2-way binding: 

From MailChimp to Sendy: how I saved 600$ a year

https://ma.ttias.be/mailchimp-sendy-saved-600-year/
Sendy's not quite opensource, but a cheap self-hosted email marketing platform. A case study:

Say Hello to OSCampus, the New Joomla LMS

https://www.joomlashack.com/blog/joomlashack/oscampus-launch/
The good folks at Joomlashack/OSTraining release a much-needed new LMS for Joomla:

The Simple Logical Puzzle That Shows How Illogical We Are

http://nautil.us/blog/the-simple-logical-puzzle-that-shows-how-illogical-we-are
A simple logic puzzle that shows how illogical we are when it comes to abstract reasoning. Yes, I got it right.

BAKE A FRESH RASPBERRY PI: NEVER STRUGGLE TO CONFIGURE A PI AGAIN

http://hackaday.com/2016/11/04/bake-a-fresh-raspberry-pi-never-struggle-to-configure-a-pi-again/
Slick drag-n-drop configuration tool for the #raspberry pi. Very scratch-y looking.

Wednesday, November 2, 2016

It's Confirmed! Joomla 3.7 Will Have Custom Fields

https://www.joomlashack.com/blog/tutorials/custom-fields/
WooHoo! #joomla 3.7 will have custom fields all over the place

How to Create a Video Sales Funnel With Social Media

http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/how-to-create-a-video-sales-funnel-with-social-media/
How to create a video sales funnel with social media. 

Are Amazon ‘Sponsored Products’ Ads Worth It?

http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/129986-Are-Amazon-Sponsored-Products-Ads-Worth-It
Are Amazon sponsored ads worth it? Could be, just for the data that comes with them. 

Develop Your Startup with User Centered Design Canvas

https://medium.com/startup-grind/develop-your-startup-with-user-centered-design-canvas-85d010a9f10c#.58dh2n7fb
Good case for using a User-Centered Design Canvas in a startup or any new product intro. 

After Apple's Disappointing MacBook Pro Refresh, What's an Engineer to do?

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/after-apples-disappointing-macbook-pro-refresh-whats-engineer-greg
Details of the disastrous macbook pro refresh from Apple and a search for alternatives. 

Google ‘Email Markup’ Helps Transactional Emails Stand Out

http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/130015-Google-Email-Markup-Helps-Transactional-Emails-Stand-Out
Overview of Google's transactional email markup. 

The Government IT Self-Harm Playbook

https://medium.com/@sheldonline/the-government-it-self-harm-playbook-6537d3920f65#.ozoyaycm5
Long, but interesting read about the UK government's systemic IT screw-ups. Applicable to any large organization. 

The Gone Girl With The Dragon Tattoo On The Train

http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-gone-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo-on-the-train/
Cool data sets of books with the word "girl" in the title. We need the same for country music lyrics:

This Map of the World Just Won Japan’s Prestigious Design Award

http://www.spoon-tamago.com/2016/10/28/hajime-narukawa-authagraph/
Projecting the globe onto a flat map is always hard. Here's a cool new variation from Japan:

Joomla! 3.4.4 and 3.6.3 exploit unauthorised users and escalated privileges hack

http://www.joomlaexpert.ie/joomla-news-tips/item/243-joomla-3-4-4-and-3-6-3-exploit-unauthorised-users-and-escalated-privileges-hack.html
Some of the signs that your #joomla site has been hacked by the recent escalation of privilege attack:

Cuttlefish Lovely Transactional Email

https://cuttlefish.io/
Interesting #opensource project that aims to create a transactional email platform. Miles to go, though:

A Day in the Life of Americans

http://flowingdata.com/2015/12/15/a-day-in-the-life-of-americans/
ultra-cool animation of what Americans do at different times of the day:

Tuesday, November 1, 2016