Old School, New School, Microsoft Windows Battle-Install

Something old...

Something new...

Guess which took the most skills to install this week?

December 17, 1903

The Wright brothers made history on this date in 1903 with the first powered flight. Celebrate! Go try to fly something! It's okay if it doesn't work out the first time you try. Keep at it. Keep believing.

A Well Regulated Militia...

...being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. That's the text from the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution. Unfortunately, the United States Supreme Court recently (2008 and 2010) decided arms possession is an individual right unconnected to service in a militia, without much guidance on how our nation might enact laws to bridge the gap between the inevitable errs of individual freedom and the duty of personal responsibility. 

If you Google "what is a militia", you (may) get this first result:

mi-li-tia

Noun
1. A military force of civilians to supplement a regular army in an emergency.
2. A military force that engages in rebel activities.

While the necessity of such a militia no longer exists today in the United States, the reason for such commitment in writing that such a militia be well regulated was clear then, and even clearer today.

Until we as a nation agree, enact, and enforce the "well regulated" part of the Second Amendment, we will continue to suffer the inexplicable loss of our citizens unconnected to service in a militia.

Remembering Why We Are Independent

This is a post I had drafted about four years ago but forgot to publish apparently.

I just saw The Great Debaters and am reminded that freedom and independence and democracy are ratified by each of us one debate at a time. Whether the parties be North vs. South, Choice vs. Life, Red State vs. Blue State, or Mac vs. PC.

A Whiff of Microsoft's Developer Program

I heard folks for years criticize Microsoft for just waiting a bit, watching Apple, and then copying what Apple does. I've never had issue with Microsoft on that, insofar as no laws have been broken. It's like when my son asks for ice cream and his year-younger cousin, standing right next to him, exclaims, "Me too!"

So at my Windows 8 Meetup group last night, the moderator briefly showed (the app management portion of) Microsoft's equivalent of Apple's iTunes Connect. This was to give current and prospective Microsoft app developers a view into what tools are available to manage their app pre-, during, and post-development. Very much a meet too experience, but very well executed in design. Definitely not what would have been typically expected of Microsoft a few years ago.

I lost power half-way through this post. Thank God for the cloud :)

The caveat is that you do need to pay the $99 USD, for the Microsoft app developer program (same price as Apple), to get access to the tools. However you do get more in terms of basic analytics, in terms of how a published app is doing, including more detail on: who, how, and from where the traffic originates with multiple graphing layouts. An additional caveat is that these additional analytics are based on users opting-in to be tracked accordingly. The issue with that is that you're never guaranteed a complete picture of the additional details in terms of percentages, for example. Still, it's a starting point.

So, the next time someone's offering good ice cream, don't be bashful. Say, "Meet to!"
It's efficient. Plus, I think Steve Jobs would approve.

Thought for 12/12/12 12:12pm

Is it lunchtime yet?

Windows Phone 8 or Windows 8 Phone?

Yes, I'm confused myself; and I started using Windows back when they were black and white, and not in color ;). But seriously, Microsoft has a unique opportunity with Windows 8. However, they may have taken the you-never-can-be-too-rich-or-too-thin saying a bit too far.

It's important to tweak one's brand when it's clearly dated. Even I had to eventually donate my Bill Cosby sweaters. However, I believe one should never screw with aspects of one's brand to the point that they are confusing (at best) or (worse) unrecognizable. Remember "Real Coke"?

When long-time Windows users start asking, "Where's the Start button?", that's not a good sign. Hopefully, Microsoft will quickly pivot to correct this.

As for me, I'm considering a Windows Mobile Phone, or a Windows Phone 8, or a Windows 8 Phone.... I don't even know what to call it now. Hold on, I'm heading to Microsoft, I'll be right back.

[BEAT] 

Okay, I'm back. Ahem. "Widows Phone" and "Windows Phone 8" are appropriate and accepted nomenclature. 

Anyway, I'd already seen the new tiled, user interface on the previous Windows Phone (see how easy that was for me to write) example, and it got my attention. However, I was awaiting Windows 8 with its significant changes, to decide on the operating system in general. So, my plan is to get my hands on one over this weekend for a test run. Stay tuned.

A Thought For Friday

You can only eat today's daily bread.

- Dale Carnegie

MIT Startup Bootcamp 2012 - What I Learned

I got wind of the MIT Startup Bootcamp from a former colleague and young entrepreneur. He ended up not being able to make it, so I went for both of us and promised to take notes:

My takeaways from Jeff Seibert of Crashlytics:

• Balance your team
• Distribution is king
• People don't have the time to discover things
• Follow the market where you are creating the most value
• Investors fund upward curves
• Maximize first-time experiences
• Find the medium(s) for the maximum effect for your vision

From Jennifer Lum of Adelphi Mobile:

• People and relationships really matter
• Speed matters
• Mentors
• We all dream of becoming grown-ups who make a difference
• You have nothing to lose

From Brett Van Zuiden of Filepicker.io:

• Start and don't stop
• Be prepared to absolutely dedicate at least 7-10 years of your life to your startup
• Keeping going, keep going, keep making things happen
• Tell people you're doing a startup and get feedback early
• Cut your safety net
• Make long-term commitments
• Really get to know your customers, and use that empathy to help motivate you forward
• Love your team
• Start a business ONLY if you are passionate about a vision and building a company is the only way to bring that vision to life

From Lee Hower of LinkedIn:

• What you do must be interesting to the market
• Founding teams tend to have people who know and trust each other and have a common framework
• Be exceptional

From Christine Corbett of Circle of 6

• Women rock
• Diversity of founders in entrepreneurship is crucial
• Solve simple problems first, to build your entrepreneurial muscles to solve big problems
• Every startup is a vote for the future
• Master tools to help you solve your problems

We Are...

More raw sermon notes from the iPhone:

Sermon 01apr12: Love finds a way.

We are here to make a difference 
We are to preserve and season
There's constant pressure to not realize who  God ordained you to
We are the light in a darkened world

Double T Catering App (DTCcater) Now Available

We are pleased to announce the Double T Catering app, DTCcater, for the iPhone and iPod, is now available in the Apple App Store.

MICE 2012

I never heard of The Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo (MICE) a week ago, but found my way there last Saturday. It was quite an experience to see local creators up-close and personal. Also, the locale of Lesley University's, University Hall, made for an intimate setting. It was great to see the diversity in the ages of the attendees, and more female creators, from when I first really began to attend and participate in comic shows back in the early 1990s. I'm looking forward to next year already.

Apple App Submission Approved!

We are pleased to announce our first Apple App Store Submission, DTCcater, (for Double T Catering) has been approved. It will be available in the App Store, October 1, 2012. Thank you all for your prayers and support.

Making It So at the Montreal Comiccon

It was great being in Montreal after so long, as well as attending the Montreal Comiccon for the first time. The bonus was that I could take the family to work, so to speak. They were free to get lost in the fanfare, while I attended panels and chatted with creators. This was my first conference of this size in about a decade, and a great choice.

The highlights were being able to meet creators with works depicting various character ethnicity styles, and Anthony Del Col's (Kill Shakespeare) panel, How To Create and Market Your Comic.

Although, it wasn't all seriousness. I gave in, starry-eyed, to catch glimpses of Jim Stalin (The Infinity Gauntlet), and Sir Patrick Stewart (Star Trek, Generations).

First App Store Submission

After a little over five months of blood, sweat, and tears, we've completed our first Apple App Store submission. Now we eagerly await rejection from Apple to propel us forward. Just kidding. I leave you with this scene from the movie The Matrix, to put it into perspective. To quote Eric Thomas, "Pain is temporary!"

Heading to the 2012 Montreal Comiccon

I plan to be at the Montreal Comiccon on Sunday, September 16. For you comic lovers and creators that can make it, I hope to see you there.

Comic Submission Guidelines

Zumbi Mobile Solutions' focus on mobile applications includes Kindle format ebooks. We plan on publishing one ebook per year to start with. After our debut, Kindle format novella in 2011, we are eager to embark on our first Kindle comic title, and are currently open to submissions. Our plan is to work with creators we contract with on a shared-royalty basis.

Our focus for comics are non-graphically violent and non-sexual, stand-alone and mini-series comics (black and white, with color cover art). The content will be centered around Black characters and/or characters of color, regardless of where on (or off) the planet they originate. You don't have to be Black or a person of color to submit of course. Your work will let us know whether you can capture people of color as they truly are. 

We imagine a schoolgirl, her father, and her grandmother should all be able to enjoy (or at least appreciate) our comics. We are interested in science fiction, general fiction, historical fiction, fantasy, humor, and superheroes.

Artists, Pencilers, and Inkers:

Submit five (5) consecutive story pages; fully inked and penciled (as applicable).

Colorists:

Submit five (5) pages of sequential art.

Letterers:

Submit five (5) pages of story to show diversity and effects. If you can provide lettering in a non-English language (Spanish, Portuguese, French, Yoruba, etc.) as well, that's a bonus.

All submissions should be final work; submitted via e-mail only. Submit electronic copies of original work in *.PNG, 72ppi format, to beanpolice (at) yahoo.com. In addition, each submission must include a completed submission agreement.

Due to the number of expected submissions and our limited resources, we will neither be able to return submissions nor respond to submissions that do not adhere to the submission guidelines. We will review and respond to complete submissions of merit within two to four weeks of receipt.

Worry, Not

I was sorting though my sermon notes from my iPhone (yes, iPhone 5 is here and I'm not getting it, so there), and I found a bunch of old, but memorable, raw sermon notes I took down.

Sermon 6may12: Worry

Don't worry be happy
+Take life as it comes 
God has equipped us to take life as it comes
+Refuse to live in dread
Fear looks into the future and imagines the worst happening
How we approach life (enduring versus enjoying life)
Dread drains our peace and strength for living.
Having faith and being positive energizes us
The future is coming whether you like it or not.

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath 
torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. (1 John 4:18 KJV)

+ Know God's character 
Praise God for his faithfulness

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, 
and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing 
wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind 
and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the 
Lord. (James 1:5-7 KJV)

+ Follow after peace
Peace will decide for you with all finality questions you have when you need 
guidance.

Let peace be the umpire 

Peace is there to keep from making dumb mistakes 

Refuse to let worry and fear steal your peace.

+ Cast all your cares on the Lord

Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you 
in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. (1 Peter 
5:6, 7 KJV)

Back From The Sao Paulo Cloud

My trip to the Cloud Computing World Forum Expo in Sao Paulo was a gentle reminder that different populations adopt technologies at different times and rates. Right now in Brazil, cloud computing is all the rage. During the workshops and speakers sessions at the Expo, I got the expression from the audience questions, that there are a significant amount of companies still in the information gathering to early-adoption stages.

The Expo vendors I spoke with fell into the camps of either, mid-sized companies looking to develop partnerships in Brazil as well as Latin America, and Latin American divisions of US-based companies such as Amazon, Accenture, and Level 3.

As for Zumbi Mobile Solutions, I think the best convergence of opportunities (in the near tearm) will be in the technical support end of things, for managing support services overflow. Although, attending the Expo reminded me I still have a lot of homework to do, to discern what the market needs and the best way to engage that market. 

A Cloud Grows in Sao Paulo

I'm preparing for the Cloud Computing World Forum in Sao Paulo, Brazil next week. Amazon was only known for books when last I was in Sao Paulo, and the only clouds I cared about were those about to release a deluge.

From everything I've read, watched, and listened to over the last several years, Brazil has become the economic powerhouse I suspected it would be during my last visit in 2004. Folks had encourage me to invest in Brazil in some manner back then, as I was travelling there almost annually at that point. I didn't know quite how to start, and so it never did quite come together. Well, with some encouragement from Jon Karlen at Flybridge Capital Partners, I return.

We Must Improve Our Collective Humanity

I pray that everyone affected by the tragedy in Aurora, Colorado, finds peace or at least solace. While lives have been lost, those of us who remain behind must persevere to improve the our collective humanity. The tragedy in Aurora, Colorado struck me such that I made the decision to terminate a comic book adaptation project currently in development for Kindle publication.

As an artist, I respect every other artist's right to put his or her art into the world in the manner and medium he or she best sees fit. Each artist must make the decision and accept the responsibility, where it's due, for the work put out. Like the latest Batman trilogy, the my original work, B. E. A. N. Police, (which was to be adapted) is quite dark in content and atmosphere.

Of course, millions of people consume fictional violent media and do not emulate their violent acts in real life. However, a lot about humanity in the United States has changed in the last twenty years and not for a net improvement. I feel like we lost our innocence, or what was left of it, after 2001.

I made the decision that the artistic value to be gained by the adaptation would not significantly improve the humanity of its surrounding society, regardless of whether that readership be 50,000, 5,000 or five.

We improve humanity (I believe) by first improving ourselves, in part, through words and deed. This in turn impacts how we treat our fellow human beings. Our mistake is we think we can or should always do it alone.

What We're Working On at Zumbi Mobile Solutions

iOS Development:

iOS is all the rage, but not for nothing. I've developed in Microsoft .NET as well as tried my hand at Android OS, and I must say that Objective C, while different from (even) C# and Java, it's easier to ramp up learning curve-wise once the general syntax differences are understood. The caveat (of course) is that one has had some Object Oriented Programming (OOP) experience. Still, interesting challenges abound designing a proof-of-concept app for a catering company.

Kindle Publishing:

With the feedback from our first foray into Kindle Publishing, we are in discussions to publish a sophomore title for the 2012 holiday season.

Remote Technical Support:

For the longest time, in my experience, customer support seemed a two-ring arena: enterprise and consumer support. The latter ring appears to be morphing into two. The first ring remains the traditional paradigm of a technical experts helping a not-necessarily trained or experienced end-users on consumer products (e.g. mobile devices). The second ring leans toward fan-based product support (or technical sales support, for you business majors), where the end user had a history or expertise and affinity with a particular brand or product sector as does the individual providing the support. 

There are opportunities for both support providers and consumers. Providers have opportunities to create niche value propositions, and consumers have a wider menu of support packages to choose from.

Have You Lost Your Edge?

Today's church sermon revolved around the Bible scripture found in 2 Kings 6:1-7. This is where the prophet Elisha recovers a servant's axe head from the water by tossing a stick where it descended.

The pastor shifted to illustrating the axe head as a metaphor for our passion or skill-set. More importantly, not being able to succeed without sharpening ones axe head. The problem, he went on, was what happens when one has lost his axe head, or edge. Here are somethings to ask yourself if or when that happens:

1. Where did your edge fall?

2. When did your edge begin to get dull?

3. What are you going to do to get your edge back?

There Are Cat People and There Are Computer People

Once upon a time if someone had told me, so and so has eight cats, I would have reacted like, o_O (e.g. think Mr. Spock's raised-eyebrow expression on Star Trek).

Looking around my home office just now, I've counted one desktop computer, one net-book, three laptops, and four mobile devices. That's almost like having nine cats, except three of the aforementioned computers and mobile device are dead. o_O, big time.