Nolan Bushnell on ‘Hiring the Next Steve Jobs’
English: Nolan Bushnell in 2009. Français : Nolan Bushnell en 2009. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Below are a few key lessons shared on hiring and nurturing creativity:
Samsung “Office Hours”
Originally posted on the Platformation blog.
One of the best things about sharing space with The Working Group is the access we get to all their cool events. Since moving to their new space in November The Working Group has extended its doors to the developer community using its space to host events and a sense of community among developers working on all platforms.
Last Wednesday, Samsung Developers brought its “Office Hours” series to Toronto. Office Hours is a new program and is part of Samsung’s developer outreach program. The program launched 7 months ago with the objective of supporting local developer communities. The strategy is simple: be approachable, equip developers with the tools they need, and once they are ready figure out how they can work with Samsung.
This is the third one in the series and the first one in Canada – the first two events were hosted in San Francisco in December and November. The next will be in Barcelona for the Mobile World Congress.
In addition to ‘Office Hours’ Samsung has a comprehensive developer-focused website and hosts a device-loaner program available for developers. Developers interested in borrowing a device can contact Samsung representatives on Twitter @samsungdevus.
The speakers at this workshop presented varied from being very tactical and technical to a little broader and creative.
The session started with Kelum Peiris, a developer at the Working Group who provided developers with an alternative approach to android app development. His method offered an approach that enables developers to extend the capability of their apps without impacting core functions.
Kelum was followed by Peter Nitsch, a Director at Teehan+Lax Labs who presented tools to enhance rapid prototyping which included ‘shut up and hack’ to resolve ideation issues and ‘fail fast, fail often as a technique to build up your technical capability set.
The final presentation was by Paul Saxman, a Google Maps Developer Advocate from Mountain View sharing the latest version of the Google Maps Android API. This was a valuable presentation for any android developers that use the map functionality in their apps. In this new iteration developers can now access maps that can tilt and rotate and even show interior floor plans (this feature will not be available for all buildings).
This was a valuable, informative workshop for android developers and a great mechanism for developer support extended by Samsung. And of course, a great opportunity for the Framework team to meet and interact with the faces and brains behind the Toronto tech scene!
Details
- Microsoft Windows 8 Workshop
- Thursday, February 28th 6:00pm at 425 Adelaide St. West, #300
- Bring your laptops for a Windows 8 developer installfest with Microsoft Canada reps
- Case Study: Building the Globe & Mail Windows 8 app with TWG Senior Developer Derek Watson
- Follow updates on Twitter at @theworkinggroup
- Book your tickets
Anne Hathaway News – #twitter
Saw this on Twitter. Thought it was hilarious…
Asparagus, Eggs, and Parmigiano – #pinterest
This week’s repins were mostly food and fashion. I think the colder it gets the more my food pins will get repinned.
I found some really great recipes this week. I found this awesome recipe yesterday for cashew chicken which I pinned onto Pinterest but hasn’t had any repin love yet. I made this into a hot salad instead of a cold one replacing the iceberg with spinach and stir-frying all the vegetables together.
Source: recipes.prevention.com via Noorin on Pinterest
Asparagus, check. Eggs, check. Parmigiana, check. Where do you go wrong with this dish? It’s easy to make and absolutely beautiful. I repinned it from the Washington’s Green Grocer Pinterest page which is a great page to follow. Tons of beautiful pictures and tasty recipes. I pinned it yesterday and it has already had 3 repins.
Source: prevention.com via Noorin on Pinterest
This is the cleanest pumpkin pie recipe I have ever seen which makes sense since it was published by bodyrock.tv, the home workout movement. It’s also the least likely looking pie I have ever seen (maybe because it has protein powder in it) but it has all the right elements (mostly) and it’s probably delicious. I also pinned this one yesterday and its had 1 repin.
Source: bodyrock.tv via Noorin on Pinterest
There are a few of us insomniacs on Pinterest and I have found a number of sleep related pins including this great ‘Yoga Poses To Help Beat Insomnia’ pin which got some repin love this week. I pinned it almost a day before and its gotten 1 like.
Source: prevention.com via Noorin on Pinterest
I love, love, love this nail polish. Its bright and fun and although its probably better-suited for spring its a fun addition to anyone’s polish collection. It has had one repin from a friend who has a nail polish collection I would raid any day of the week.
Source: letthemhavepolish.com via Noorin on Pinterest
I have a haircut scheduled in January and this is the look that I am going for. Long, with a side bang, and wavy. My hair needs to grow another five inches to get there so it will be a long ways but totally worth it. This pin has had 4 repins and 1 like.
Source: fuckyeahnicolerichie.tumblr.com via Noorin on Pinterest
I pinned this Birthday Trifle from my friend’s blog. She made it for her husband’s birthday and it looks delicious. Everything was handmade (cake, custard, and icing) and she included links to each piece in her blog. The part of this recipe that I especially love is the custard which sounds absolutely amazing – the next time I get my hands on some fresh strawberries I’m going to make this recipe.
Source: kisstheearth.wordpress.com via Noorin on Pinterest
How Giada De Laurentiis Stays Fit, Victoria Secret Hair, and Dark Ombre – #pinterest
This has been an active week on Pinterest. My tighten torso yoga pin continued to gain popularity and now has 34 repins and 19 likes. This week pins from my hair and yoga board got some love – check those repins and more out down below!
So, after the convincing of not one but three (count them and weep) stylists over the course of a year I finally ombred (that’s a verb, right?) my hair. For those of you not familiar with ombre its the technique where you add a second tone to the tips of your hair. The affect is that your hair looks like your hair colour is starting to grow out – your roots are dark and your tips are lighter. I’ve been trying to figure out how to transition my ombre into the fall/winter but to no avail until this. I pinned this picture 5 days ago and now it has 15 repins and 14 likes.
Source: followpics.com via Noorin on Pinterest
I know whenever I see a Victoria Secret ad the one thing I envy is their……hair. So, I was pleased to see a hair tutorial online. Gorgeous waves, but A LOT of work. This tutorial has had 2 repins.
Source: maskcara.com via Noorin on Pinterest
If it possible to proclaim that you have a favourite Kardashian without being publicly mocked I would have to say mine is Kourtney. I love her style and her hair and apparently I’m not the only one – this image was repinned this week.
Source: inthenameofbeauty.tumblr.com via Noorin on Pinterest
Living healthy in your thirties. This pin linked back to a lot of great information – like doing intervals (check) and side planks to increase your core strength. It also had 3 repins and 1 like this week.
Source: womenshealthmag.com via Noorin on Pinterest
Bring on the celebrity Yoga. This time I have moves from the ever-beautiful Giada De Laurentiis. I love everyday Italian but my questions for her weren’t around food but how she managed to eat so much food and stay so thin. Maybe this is the answer.
Source: womenshealthmag.com via Noorin on Pinterest
Ladies Learning Code: Intro to Web Design #llc
So today was another amazing Ladies Learning Code session. This one focused on designing for the web. I finally got my hands on Photoshop. After years of working with talented designers I have been DYING to give design a try myself.
Photoshop was as complicated as I thought it would be. I had trouble getting the hang of linking images together. Also – it took me a couple of times to remember how to add an icon/symbol from another file.
I learned a lot though – it seems like one of those tools that you just have to keep using to get any good at. I like that the session focused on utility before aesthetics. I trust my taste enough to know the difference bad and good but if your website isn’t functional it doesn’t matter how pretty it is.
Also – you’ll know I focused on utility from my final product:
The session started with a bit of background before diving into actually building something.
Here is some of the stuff I learned today. This information might seem pretty basic to someone with design experience but it was pretty invaluable to me!
About Photoshop:
- image editing software
- used for web design because you do almost anything with it
- other softwares (for mac): Sketch, Sketch express
- When using Photoshop for web it MUST BE SET FOR WEB
- for web design by: 1200 x 1000. Elements change for mobile and tablets. Responsive design helps with keeping
What is a grid?
- one of the best tools for designing for the web. you don’t have to have a grid but a grid is a safe place to design when you are new to web design
- four examples of sites that use a grid: about Cameron, dribble, the Guardian new site, sneekpeak
What about colour:
- Print colours cannot always be replicated for web
- http://coding.smashingmagazine.com/2012/10/04/the-code-side-of-color/ – explains how computers interpret colour)
Web fonts:
- You can only use fonts that are web-ready
- By default every computer (windows or macs) have three types of font families: serif, sans-serif, or monospaced
- Windows does not support Helvetica new
- typekit.com is a site designed by adobe (subscription-based library that hosts fonts). Designers purchase the font to design with and once purchased can be used to design with on websites
- google.com/webfonts: free alternative to Adobe. Less fonts but COOL.
What is UI Design
- our vision is not optimized to see structure
- state visualization: creating a visual response when you hover over an icon or web. make websites accessible to colour-blind users by working with more than just changing colour (government websites underline links)
- Focus: the first place your eyes go
- Help: adding little pop-up comments or helpful hints about what the next steps are. always give helps to users
- user testing: designers usually create 2-3 mock ups and does A/B testing to understand response
- Aesthetics: making a website functional takes priority over making it pretty
- Good UI is subtle
Another great job – I can’t wait for the next session – great job ladies!
additional resources: smashing magazine – beginner/basics
8 yoga exercises to tighten torso, trim belly fat and create eye-popping abs – #pinterest
A short but sweet post this week.
I came across this pin a couple of days ago and it’s already had 14 repins and 9 likes. I pinned it because I am a fan of anything that calls lying on the ground exercise but I think the ‘create eye-popping abs’ line appealed to other users.
Source: womenshealthmag.com via Noorin on Pinterest
I love run plans! I have an entire board dedicated to run plans and tips. This particular plan is close to the plan I did at Running Room. This pin only has 2 repins and 1 like but I suspect it might get a little more love in January and in the spring/summer.
Source: besthealthmag.ca via Noorin on Pinterest
I’m kind of obsessed with anything that can be made in a mini-muffin tin so obviously I had to repin these zucchini bites that allegedly taste like tater tots. I have yet to try them (I don’t own a grater of all things) but as soon as I can get my hands on one I will give it a try.
Source: curiouscountrycook.blogspot.com via Noorin on Pinterest
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