Adobe Kuler

In in the process of trying to figure out how to update my blog with a fresh look, I decided to start with figuring out what the color scheme should be. I knew right where to go. I had stumbled upon Adobe Kuler before when helping my wife figure out colors for her blog - The CraftyCucumber.

I was presently surprised to see a new feature of the Adobe site; the ability to upload a photo to create your color themes. You simply import an image and it pulls five colors from the image for you to consider. You have the option to select different moods: Colorful, Bright, Muted, Deep and Dark. Select the one you like best or you can create something custom by selecting what colors you prefer from your image.

This photo was literally taken at the side of the road. 

I am planning on incorporating an old, favorite picture of myself as part of the new header so it only makes sense to borrow colors from the image.

This Adobe Kuler tool made this part of redesigning my blog so easy and now I just need to figure out how I want to use each color.

I have my color theme saved on the Adobe Kuler site, which I called "Side of the Road"  and I welcome others to check it out and please let me know what you think.

Try out the Adobe Kuler tool and let me know what you think of it.
How have others started a site redesign? What tips would you be willing to share?

My first Star Wars toys

Who doesn't remember their first Star Wars toy?
For me it was a few action figures at Christmas time which in no time grew to a couple dozen figures and a few play sets. At the time I don't think I really appreciated the pieces of pop culture I was playing with. I probably didn't see and really appreciate the movies until ten years later in life.

Now I have two daughters who are more interested in Rainbow Fairy books and Disney Princesses than sci-fi adventures in a galaxy far, far away. My youngest promises that she will watch Star Wars with me, and I intend to hold my three year old to that promise but not for a few more years.

So in the meantime I turn my attention to my nephew. We just celebrated his first birthday and I wanted to be the first to give him a Star Wars toy. Two stuffed vehicles, the Death Star and a Tie-Fighter, found on ThinkGeek and a ABC board book my wife found at a book store have become his rite of passage gifts.

He probably won't remember receiving these toys down the road, so it is a good thing I'm not going to stop there. Just wait until you see what we're going to get him for Christmas. 

What Star Wars toys did you own? Where else can you find great geeky gifts for young ones?

"Go" - My 2013 Goal

I mentioned two posts ago when discussing New Years Resolutions that I had one for myself. It isn't a list of items that I want to accomplish it is more of an attitude change that I hope will spread throughout all aspects of my life. Ready, set,...

“Go”
My wife told me that on some of the blogs she reads that people were adopting a word for the year. Some of them were: “Together”, “Reflect”, and the ever popular “Simplify”. I thought that this was a really cool idea so I decided to come up with one of my own. For me “Go” is perfect as it can be applied in so many different ways. It can be a reminder to keep moving, either from from one project to another, or to move your body and get some decent exercise.

Ways I want to apply the ‘Go’ attitude

1. No more excuses for anything. There is a solution to every problem so don’t give up on finding it, keep going.
2. Try new things, go new places, and learn new ideas. If an opportunity comes up, I need to act on it. I can’t be afraid of it, I need to embrace it and find a way to learn from it.
3. Share more. In this blog, with my family, and with my job. I can't hold back my thoughts or ideas any longer. This will take practice but will yield great returns.

Wish me luck as I start my "Go" journey.

Facebook Envy

I am reminded this weekend of the ‘straw that broke the camel’s back’ reason why I took myself off of Facebook a year ago. The information was no easier hearing it in person than it was reading it online. I’m not going to rant too much about that, but I find the timing interesting as there have been some recent news articles and news videos about Facebook lately that don’t make me regret* my decision to take myself off the popular social media site. 

*Actually I have only one regret which I explain below.

A term for everything
It seems that I was not alone in experiencing various emotions when using Facebook writing and reading posts. It turns out there in now a term for it; Facebook envy. There are a growing number of people who are getting depressed and sad when they are reading about the lives of their friends. Those producing the content on Facebook seemed to be a bit immune to this problem unless of course no one was responding and liking what they were posting about.

What to do about it
Taking yourself completely off might not be a perfect solutions for all users. Some days I wish I still had access to the site from a pure professional perspective I want to understand better how the site could be used for demand generation. But I suspect that most people use the site for personal reasons. They have to determine what it really means to cut themselves off.