Tag Archives: advice

Why Simplicity Wins (Most of the Time)

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anykeyNever in history has one facet of life changed so much day to day that people are actively engaged in it, or are completed disgusted and refuse to learn.  People who refuse to learn technology is growing (contrary to opinion), and require more assistance.  As devices get more technical, the knowledge base to educate them grows and grows.  It is overwhelming to sit someone down and explain to them how to use Windows or OS X when they have never used it before.

Growing up as an Internet denizen, I progressed through all the technological advances that came (and gone) through the years.  My friends comically laugh that I have used every single operating system (desktop and mobile).  People often ask me for advice on what to get, to which I do share it.

When giving tech advice to people, what you are saying is that you are knowledgeable enough to help them, any time they need.  The keyword is ANYTIME and THEY, not YOUR TIME, and YOUR AVAILABILITY.

What you think is better may not necessarily  be better.  The first question I reply with when asked on which smartphone to get is will you have 45 minutes to sit there and learn it.   If they are willing, and can navigate YouTube, I will generally recommend Android.  If they hesitate, I immediately gravitate to iOS.  That isn’t saying that iOS is better or worse, that is saying that iOS has a store with “knowledgeable” people, a place to actually go to, and a lot of other people that because of standard feature set are able to help. Also iOS is more simple as a whole. If they seem interested in learning their product to its full use, I generally recommend Android.  The thought process in using Android has some foibles, but usually it is pretty robust and standardized in the newest versions.

If you want a true discussion between iOS and Android on the extreme power user side, listen to the latest podcast on inThirty here. http://30.inthirty.net/YQI32C

All of this has a point.  If you are the technological person for many people, be ready to help.  This story, made up, I’m sure exists on many levels.

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Your First Days of College

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This should have been published a few weeks ago, but school starts for me next week, not this week. I realized after talking to incoming freshman, they were over whelmed. They felt that someone should have explained to them certain things they didn’t know that people thought they should. The key to success is to minimize the mistakes, and to take full advantage of YOUR college experience.

The ultimate goal of college (argue if you wish) is to land your first job. I want you to think about that. With that said, it is you, and you alone that are proving to others that they should offer you that first job by showing them that the last four years you worked on yourself.

Here are your goals for each year. Obviously, these are macro goals:

Freshman: Learn and play the game. The saying, “Don’t hate the playa, hate the game,” is 100% true. The quicker you learn it, the more successful it is. Find out where all the successful people are and stick with them.
Sophomore: Choose your major, and what you want to do in the future. Start looking for jobs and internships.
Junior: Get a summer internship, work on “special projects,” and build that resume.
Senior: Finish all requirements, and get the job.
Super Senior: Finish college by any means necessary.

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A Rant Against ‘Podcast Creep’

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**As a point of reference, podcast is a trademarked/copywritten term by apple, so I should use netcast, or prerecorded audio/video show, but I’m using the colloquially accepted version of podcast**

Podcasts was one of the greatest advances in content in the last few years.  It gave people more than the very few syndicated options on the radio.  Couple that with iTunes, RSS, and podcast catchers, you have yet another way to curate content exactly to what you want to listen to.    It also gave people who couldn’t break into the the radio/tv industry an outlet to ‘do it their way.’  While podcasts really don’t have the market penetration one would like, the marketing and viable business opportunities are there.  The production costs are so low, that it takes much less audience to turn a significant product.  This all sounds so good, so why am I mad, (because I need a reason to complain).

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How to Help Your Friend Choose a Phone.

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Being a budget technologist, a teacher, and having my opinion matters, I do have to try and provide honest feedback.  People, students and colleagues, want me to guide them into choosing the right product.  With that said, I have to try and make unbiased reviews on a lot of different products.  When iOS5 and the 4s came out, I had at least 5 different people ask, “Is this the phone I should get?”  I do have to put my google fan boy behind me.

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