Mathemusicianship

I was going through the website of this lady called Vi Hart. Calls herself a Recreational Mathemusician. http://vihart.com/. Goes around creating all these interesting experiments and documenting them on video.

This can be a great source of inspiration for all people, to remind us that no matter what is our area of knowledge, when we are open to learning the methods and foundations of whatever skill we like, coupled with energy, creativity and time, new and crazy combinations can be made.

If there is one human imperative is to always create.

The secret for your product

I saw this as a funny caption, but I wonder if it's a real quote, because it sounds right.

PRODUCT. NO "SECRET." JUST LOTS OF PRODUCT.

I like it because it's a different way of saying that "action speaks louder than words". In creative endeavors, such as painting, writing, or programming, you will find a correlation between experience and quantity. Relying solely on talent doesn't guarantee success.

Myth: My website has to be "pretty"

This misconception is the ruin of many websites. I see many examples of websites where there was initial concern about the graphics, and it looked beautiful, but their information is old. This happens because a web designer was hired to get the website it up and running, but the maintenance was not planned out.

A common example is a neighborhood website with updates that don't get updated. For example, the fictitious town of Smalltown U.S.A. Today is March 5th, but their pretty main page asks the reader to "Get Ready for The Biggest Event, happening February 25th!". Pretty page; old content.

If your content is old, then a pretty website won't get you far. Don't get me wrong: attractive graphics are important. But if your goal is to have timely information updated, you need to have that aspect secured in your initial strategy. If your business is a one-person operation with very limited time to make updates, consider your first effort focusing on consolidating a process for easy maintenance, and bells and whistles later. Don't use up all your yearly budget agonizing on graphic design.

Rant: What good is my IP address for?

I'm sure this has happened to you before. You're in Orlando, FL, randomly browsing the internet, and among some of the ads, you see one from questionable origins, that says "Meet Girls From Orlando" or something of the like (don't click on it).

You might ask yourself, "OK, wait. How do they know I'm in Orlando?", the answer is simple and it has to do with your I.P. address. You know you can get the IP address of a computer or a network just by using some Javascript code inside a web page.

Now, let's rewind to my real point. Suppose you're actually browsing with a purpose, and you want to see what's up with a business giant, such as, let's say, Canon. You go to Canon.com, but -wait a second- before you get any further, you have to "select your region". Wait, you mean to tell me that little dating site knows I'm in Orlando, but Canon Corp. can't figure out that you're in Orlando, FL, or even in the U.S.! What's up with that?. "Please access the website of your country/region".

Why do some international websites require you to enter your country? I would tell those companies this: "Guys! In this case it's O.K. to assume that if my network is from the U.S., I must be interested in the U.S. content! Then you can give me an option to choose another location."

I do have to say that some international companies are figuring it out, like Toyota or Sony. But some are still not there.