March 18 : words : installing neon quote on the job site. Love old school sign products in modern spaces!!
thankful : day 5
Today I am thankful that I have some cool coworkers. Not everyone likes the people they work with and I realize I am lucky to have (had) such a great group of people by my side. They are smart and fun and creative and funny as hell. I know we can annoy each other from time to time, but we always come together and create amazing things! Cheers from team FA! 
10 on 10 { oct 2013 }
I remembered to do my 10 on 10 for the challenge today. AND since I was out and about, you get to see what a travel workday looks like for me. No two are alike, and today was quite the mix! That said ... I failed to see that there was a theme for this month ... sorry no pumpkin spice today. :( Phoned in from Columbia, SC.
[1] photo of the state house in hotel room [2] room service [3] caffeine [4] reviewing signs - and not liking them [5] walking the hospital floor-by-floor [6] skipped lunch and stopped into the Carolina Museum of Art to see the Annie Leibovitz exhibit (no photos allowed) and zipped through the rest of the galleries - loved these two coming from the ground [7] back to the job site to walk all exterior signs with the guys [8] obligatory palmetto tree [9] recharging [10] rockers at the airport - love the south [11] bonus photo of lake murray from the sky
work peeps
I had to bring the camera to work today to get some head shots of a few of my coworkers. I was not at all "on my game" ... was kind of rushed and haphazardly shooting. I got what we needed, but as I was editing the images out of the camera I was feeling like these faces look a little different to me. You know when you see someone every day, you don't notice the little things? We discovered Marcey (bottom) has a lazy eye, so I had to swing her to the other side so that didn't seem so obvious. I love capturing people, but in their natural state - portraits just put people in this completely unnatural smile. I hate that fakey smile. 
I did get one photo of Brad that completely captures who he is. It is the perfect photo of how I see him. That's a rare photo to get!! If you can't tell, he's kind of a smart ass, but in that genuine, funny kind of way. This is a 'look' we see quite a lot!
192 work
We started summer hours, but sadly I was stuck at work on a beautiful Friday afternoon. But, I have a great weekend ahead. So not gonna let that get me down!!
... via iPhone ...
The Four Phases of Design Thinking - BusinessWeek
Question. If you spend any time around designers, you quickly discover this about them: They ask, and raise, a lot of questions. Often this is the starting point in the design process, and it can have a profound influence on everything that follows. Many of the designers I studied, from Bruce Mau to Richard Saul Wurman to Paula Scher, talked about the importance of asking "stupid questions"—the ones that challenge the existing realities and assumptions in a given industry or sector. The persistent tendency of designers to do this is captured in the joke designers tell about themselves. How many designers does it take to change a light bulb? Answer: Does it have to be a light bulb?
In a business setting, asking basic "why" questions can make the questioner seem naïve while putting others on the defensive (as in, "What do you mean 'Why are we doing it this way?' We've been doing it this way for 22 years!"). But by encouraging people to step back and reconsider old problems or entrenched practices, the designer can begin to re-frame the challenge at hand—which can then steer thinking in new directions. For business in today's volatile marketplace, the ability to question and rethink basic fundamentals—What business are we really in? What do today's consumers actually need or expect from us?—has never been more important.
via businessweek.com
Ran across this article on Twitter and could not agree more with the findings. I pulled out the "question" part because it resonates with me. I was a huge pain in the butt student in my collegiate years - always asking questions. I had one professor that would always say "you can't do that" and my response was always "why" while most everyone else just said OK and made the change. I was the only person that actually liked that class too ... maybe I feel like I learned more than they did because I actually got answers. Dunno really. Then cut to my job search. I was connected to my current job by one of my old college professors. I always ask him how he knew I'd be right for the position... he's never answered me specifically, but maybe this is my answer...
To Market To Market Video - 1940s Billboard Advertising in Chicago
http://www.archive.org/flow/flowplayer.commercial-3.2.1.swf
I love this video! The message still applies today, but in such a different medium it's kind of crazy. I wonder if people will look back at videos of this era and think we look as cool and chic as the folks did in the 40's? I seriously doubt it ..
hackers f#cking suck !!
I have spent two days working on a hacked gmail account and have to tell you it's been a nightmare! Just when you think you have it figured out, they noodle back in and figure out something new. AND Google is very little help. They give you a form to fill out of the most impossible questions. Could you name the exact date you opened your gmail account? Could you name the person that invited you to gmail and provide their email address??? They don't even provide a place for you to explain what you know about the hacker or explain why you think your account has been taken... Insane!
I filled out the form once and provided only a little bit of information because it was going to require calling people to find out more - that was rejected. So I filled it out again and gave more info and guessed at as much as possible and finally got the account back. That said, the hacker still had email being directed to an alternate address. I had sent a screen capture of my iphone settings to help out my colleague who was having the problems, but think that got sent to the spammer. Had to call my mail host to see what they could do with that information and as I was on the phone with them, I believe the spammers had compromised one of my company accounts. Arrrrggggg!
I now have to change every password for every user to be sure that nothing is able to be hacked - and that means on 10 computers, 10 iphones and etc. So much work is needed to correct this situation and it sucks that there is no consequence to the person who is causing all of this pain. SUCKS! SUCKS! SUCKS!
So, after all of this... I'm thinking I may drop gmail and use my own server. Seems like a much more secure option... anyone else had experience with this?