Archives For Life

The iPhone looks greener on the other side

ptadmin  —  September 18, 2012 — Leave a comment

It is amazing how our mind creates a perception that the things we do not have or experiences have yet to encounter are better. New technology and especially those in the Apple Reality Distortion Field demonstrates this principle so well.

I am also guilty myself of lusting after the newest and greatest phone, tablet or Mac Book Pro while knowing that next’s week new gadget will invoke the same endless lust cycle.

The parody video below illustrates this principle by asking people how the “new” iPhone 5 compares to their existing phone. The participants exclaimed how much faster and better the “new” phone felt even though the test phone was actually the same device as their “old” iPhone 4s.

In Life, Tech
 permalink

I Deserve a Raise

ptadmin  —  July 10, 2011 — 1 Comment

Do you deserve a raise because you feel like you work harder than everyone else? Do you work harder because you:

  • Work Longer
  • Work Smarter
  • Work First: Sacrifice your personal time / family for work

While you may DESERVE a raise, that attitude is holding you back. Instead of seeking direct compensation for your art, concentrate on delivering your best art while adding value to your organization.

Do the work to the best of your ability because you were crafted to do it. Live up to your potential.

If you are not at a place that allows you to practice your art then it may time for a change. In the meantime being better than your pay scale will speak volumes to your future leader.

I am not condoning management short changing their talent or meekly pouring yourself into your craft without proper compensation. Being your best will get noticed.

In Life, Work , ,
 permalink

Silly tasking

philltran  —  July 1, 2011 — Leave a comment

Multitasking sounds better on paper than it does in practice.

My natural tendency is to run after the ideas and tasks that pop into my head. Perpetual switching gears waste time and momentum during the transition.

Focusing on one thing at a time may sound old school. but it works.

In Life, Work
 permalink

What are you warming up for?

philltran  —  April 10, 2011 — Leave a comment

What are you warming up for?

Super cool stuff?

Or sleeping?

Seth Godin says that “Real artist ship” (Linchpin). It’s so easy to get into warm up mode and teeter on the edge of creating super cool stuff. Taking the plunge is difficult. It is scary.

Some say it is the fear of failure that holds us up. Some say it’s the fear of success (you have to live up to the expectations and maintain it). Seth Godin states that it could be the fear of criticism (Tribes). He further explains that to be criticized you need to be worthy of remarking on. You have to be remarkable. Better to be noticed, to be criticized than never noticed.

So get out of your pajamas and be noticed.

In Art, Life ,
 permalink

Eat to Live or Live to Eat

philltran  —  March 30, 2011 — Leave a comment

Aside from my literal obsession with good food, how true is this clip about western surbanan living.

We are breed to consume. A friend commented on the new mobile phone he was about to purchase, but the carrier released a new phone that he wanted to test out. The new and shiny are being produced faster then we can buy.

On the flip side, we live in a world (and in my case city) where so many are in need of the basics in life. It would be great mash up if we could combine the thrill of purchasing something new with the good of giving it to someone else. Perhaps an amazon where the ship to address is never yours.

In Life
 permalink

The state of the freelancer [infographic]

philltran  —  March 23, 2011 — Leave a comment

Interesting. More work does not equate to more pay. I’m learning to work smarter by being more selective of my projects and not just working harder or even more. Less can definitely be more.

via FreshBooks

In Art, Life, Work , ,
 permalink

Sports Train that Toddler

philltran  —  December 1, 2010 — Leave a comment

When is it too early to start training?

I’m a big fan of having active kids. I’d rather have my kids making a ruckus in the house over watching T.V. Where is the line between advocacy and being a pusher?

Read the NY Times article here

In Life , ,
 permalink

Staying Focused on Thanks

philltran  —  November 23, 2010 — Leave a comment

Fried Eggrolls by Burnt Fat, on Flickr

This week America celebrates the Thanksgiving holiday.

How focused will you be on giving thanks on Thursday? An article from Mashable states that 50% of Americans admit to checking their work email on vacation days. Sadly, I’m one of those 50%. My excuse is that the internets are on 24 /7 so, I do need to make occasional corrections to the web sites that I manage.

I’m shooting to spend the day off the grid and urge you to do the same (unless it will get you fired). Let’s see if the world will end if we take a break from the grid.

Leave a comment if you plan to take a day off and leave the crackberry, iphone, or android off.

In Life
 permalink

Not the gmail-killer, just reflecting the death of full thoughts

philltran  —  November 16, 2010 — Leave a comment

On 11/15/2010, facebook announced their new modern messaging system including the “Social Inbox”. Mark Zuckerberg responded to claims that facebook is launching a “gmail-killer” with “I think Gmail is a really good product”. Techcrunch paraphrases Zuckerberg:

He noted that email is too cumbersome. There’s a subject field, a formal greeting, a closing. Teens are using SMS and IM because it’s much simpler.

While I’m an avid tweet-er, this shift in communication scares me. As Zuckerberg embraces a future that he extrapolates to thrive on informal communication, I mourn the loss of complete sentences. Gone will be the days of full thoughts as sentence fragments and 140 bleeps  champion conversations.

Informal conversations helps some let our guard done and speak freely. On the other hand, the inability to hold a thought and expound upon it in long run-on sentences as I do may hinder  the growth of truly original thought, ideas and innovation.

Call me an old foggie. My vote is to keep the greetings and closings on communication.

In Life, Tech , ,
 permalink

This Christmas support a Grandma

philltran  —  November 13, 2010 — Leave a comment

Christmas remains one of my favorite times of the year. I love the snow, the rich music, time with family, warm cocoa and of course the reason for the season – the gift of Jesus Christ our Saviour to the world.

Amidst all the Christmas cheer lies one element that’s hard for me. Drafting the Christmas wish list. While I am truly thankful for the gifts from others, I find more joy in giving than receiving. I have more than enough toys and as a tech geek find it difficult to relay the specific well researched products I would enjoy under the tree. (For example my Amazon Wish List)

Scott Harrison‘s talk at the Catalyst Conference urged me to give up receiving Christmas gifts for others. My heart aches for those tragically affected by a lack of clean water in Africa.

This Christmas I’m giving up “gifts” for a local cause. My mother-in-law aka Grandma Joy was victim to grand theft auto recently. She is a single mom in need of a reliable vehicle. Grandma Joy continually gives to others, volunteers in the lifechurch Kids ministry and bakes a lot of yummies.

Let’s come together and raise support so a Grandma who gives so much can get around town. So, if you planned on getting me a gift this year please donate to the chip-in below instead. I will also be donating all the proceeds from my affiliate links and advertising from this site.

The ways to donate include:

  1. Donating via the donate button below.

  2. Purchasing from our advertisers found in the side bar to the right.
  3. Purchasing items from Amazon using our affiliate links through out the site. Like this one.
  4. Donate directly by sending us a check. Fill out the contact form for details.
  5. Giving us ideas for fundraisers (I’m thinking bake sale)

Merry Christmas & thank you for yor support!

In Life ,
 permalink