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10 On-Page SEO Factors You Should Consider [2019]

When you want to succeed in the organic search engine results today, you have to focus on your website and learn what you should do to optimize it. There are many factors that can help you with that, form the technical, off-page, and on-page. All these factors and parts of a website require updating and […]

Original post: 10 On-Page SEO Factors You Should Consider [2019]

The post 10 On-Page SEO Factors You Should Consider [2019] appeared first on Daily Blog Tips.




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Escaping the maintenance mode trap

WordPress makes upgrading very easy . You simply click “Update now”, wait for a minute or two and your system […]




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Download older plugin versions from wordpress.org

So you’ve updated your plugins… … and your blog doesn’t work anymore … and you have no backup … … […]




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Download older plugin versions from wordpress.org

There’s a simple way to get hold of previous versions of your WordPress plugins, for example if a current version […]





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Could you get PTSD from your pandemic experience? The long-term mental health effects of coronavirus

Experiencing intense flashbacks, nightmares, irritability, anger, and fear? In the face of a traumatic event like the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s common to feel this way.




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How to Help Someone With Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Listening without judgement is one of the best things you can do for someone with PTSD.




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My PTSD can be a weight. But in this pandemic, it feels like a superpower.

For the first time, it seems, the entire world knows what it’s like to live inside my head.




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How pottering about in the garden creates a time warp

By Harriet Gross Courtesy of Aeon What’s not to like about gardening? It’s a great way to get outdoors, away from everyday routines, and to exercise your creativity. It’s good for your health, whatever your age, and gardeners tend to be … Continue reading




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Children’s Exposure to Secondhand Smoke May Be Vastly Underestimated by Parents

Tel Aviv University Press Release Smoking parents misperceive where and when their kids are exposed to cigarette smoke, Tel Aviv University researchers say Four out of 10 children in the US are exposed to secondhand smoke, according to the American … Continue reading




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McDonald's Workers in Denmark Pity Us

Nicholas Kristof: Before the coronavirus pandemic, I crept behind [expletive] Danish lines to explore: How scary is Denmark? How horrifying would it be if the United States took a step or two in the direction of Denmark? Would America lose its edge, productivity and innovation, or would it gain well-being, fairness and happiness?




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Video Shows a Man Screaming 'Fake Pandemic' at a Florida Officer

A nearly two-minute, profanity-laced tirade at a code officer at a Miami Beach grocery store is the latest example of mounting tensions in the US over wearing masks to stem the spread of the coronavirus.




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Federal Watchdog Backs Reinstating Ousted Vaccine Expert

A federal watchdog is recommending that ousted vaccine expert Rick Bright be reinstated while it investigates whether the Trump administration retaliated against his whistleblower complaints when it removed him from a key post overseeing the coronavirus response, Bright's lawyers said Friday.




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Trump Declares, 'I Learned a Lot from Nixon'

During an interview on "Fox and Friends," Trump explained why he chose not to go on a firing spree amid Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation a la Nixon's Saturday Night Massacre during the Watergate scandal. "I learned a lot from Richard Nixon: Don't fire people," the President said. "I learned a lot. I study history, and the firing of everybody ... .I should've, in one way," he continued. "But I'm glad I didn't because look at the way it turned out."




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Independence and the Art of Timeless Work with Zoë Keating

A cellist since the age of eight, Zoë Keating pursued electronic music and contemporary composition as part of her Liberal Arts studies at Sarah Lawrence College in New York. I came across her music almost 10 years ago and love it so much I reached out to see if she would be interested on being on the show. Not only did she respond, she left us reeling from her incredible live performance and chat on art + entrepreneurship. Now she’s back on tour with her latest album Snowmelt. In this episode, we go deep into personal growth, dealing with incredible loss, balancing parenthood and career, and landscape for independent artists. Enjoy! FOLLOW ZOË: instagram | twitter | website Listen to the Podcast Subscribe   Watch the Episode  This podcast is brought to you by CreativeLive. CreativeLive is the world’s largest hub for online creative education in photo/video, art/design, music/audio, craft/maker, money/life and the ability to make a living in any of those disciplines. They are high quality, highly curated classes taught by the world’s top experts — Pulitzer, Oscar, Grammy Award winners, New York Times best selling authors and the best entrepreneurs of our times.

The post Independence and the Art of Timeless Work with Zoë Keating appeared first on Chase Jarvis Photography.




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Adaptation, Self-Awareness and Art of the Side Hustle with Chris Guillebeau

Chris Guillebeau has traveled to 193 countries. And just to be clear, that is all of the countries recognized on the planet. He is the first person to do it before the age of 35. More importantly, he has built online businesses, side hustles, and mastered the art of a non-conforming lifestyle since he was 19 years old. There’s almost nobody better person equipped to talk about starting lots of businesses. He has a daily podcast called Side Hustle School where he’s featured more than 850 different side hustle businesses + featured many in his new book called 100 Side Hustles. Chris also started half a dozen or more himself, started one of my favorite conferences, The World Domination Summit, and is a New York Times bestselling author of books like the $100 Start Up and The Art of Non-Conformity and many others. This guy is a beast and he’s so savvy, so humble. In this episode: We go into details about some of Chris’ favorite side hustle businesses he’s come across in his podcast & writing this book – what are some of the most common traits and failures. Chris shares his experience with depression, how he’s faced it, […]

The post Adaptation, Self-Awareness and Art of the Side Hustle with Chris Guillebeau appeared first on Chase Jarvis Photography.




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Design Your Life with Creative Calling + Debbie Millman

Debbie Millman is one of my dear friends, a powerhouse creative and someone who inspires me every day. When I was developing my online companion class to the Creative Calling book, of course I had to ask Debbie to join me on stage for a conversation around designing our life with intention. Debbie’s insight is pure gold. AND – this is just one of the segments from the class. If you already have my book, you can access the entire class for free. All you need to do is visit www.creativelive.com/creativecalling and sign up there. Enjoy! FOLLOW DEBBIE: instagram | twitter | website Listen to the Podcast Subscribe   This podcast is brought to you by CreativeLive. CreativeLive is the world’s largest hub for online creative education in photo/video, art/design, music/audio, craft/maker, money/life and the ability to make a living in any of those disciplines. They are high quality, highly curated classes taught by the world’s top experts — Pulitzer, Oscar, Grammy Award winners, New York Times best selling authors and the best entrepreneurs of our times.

The post Design Your Life with Creative Calling + Debbie Millman appeared first on Chase Jarvis Photography.




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Redefine Creativity – A conversation with Kevin Rose

Today I’m sitting down with investor, serial entrepreneur and all around good human, Kevin Rose. If you’re a long timer listener, you might remember Kevin was part of 30 Days of Genius. Now the tables are turned and I’m in the hot seat as a guest on his podcast, the Kevin Rose Show. Of course, it’s always fun sitting down with one of my long time homies to unpack some of my favorite topics, including: How to build your creative muscle and why it’s becoming more important Standing out and why you’re uniquely qualified. Forgetting the “shoulds” is a must do to uncork our richest lives and much more… Big shoutout to Kevin for having me on the show … and if you haven’t already, be sure to check out his podcast The Kevin Rose Show anywhere you listen to podcasts. Enjoy! FOLLOW KEVIN: instagram | twitter | website Listen to the Podcast Subscribe   This podcast is brought to you by CreativeLive. CreativeLive is the world’s largest hub for online creative education in photo/video, art/design, music/audio, craft/maker, money/life and the ability to make a living in any of those disciplines. They are high quality, highly curated classes taught by the world’s top […]

The post Redefine Creativity – A conversation with Kevin Rose appeared first on Chase Jarvis Photography.




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My Favorite Gifts For Photographers Under $100(ish)

Every holiday season, I get an influx of DMs, tweets, texts and messages from followers, friends and family asking for my photo gear recommendations. This year, rather than putting together a list of all the high-tech cameras and lenses that come with high-price tags to match – I wanted share some affordable add-ons that thrifty photographers should have in their arsenal. As I like to say, the best camera is the one you have with you and most of the time that’s the one in your pocket ????  If you are looking for gift ideas for the photographer on your list these are my go-tos under $100(ish).   Moment Lens  These pocket size lenses will transform your mobile device into a lightweight DSLR. With a variety of lenses from fisheye to macro, Moment add-ons are durable, easy-to-use and have incredible clarity. Compatible with almost every smartphone, these compact lens take the camera in your pocket up a notch.          Shure Mic Shure has transformed mobile audio with its line of mobile mics. Regardless of your price point, the audio company creates options that will take your sound from distorted to crystal clear. As a photographer and podcaster […]

The post My Favorite Gifts For Photographers Under $100(ish) appeared first on Chase Jarvis Photography.




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Choose Wonder Over Worry with Amber Rae

In a time when fear, doubt, and uncertainty creep in, it’s more important than ever to tune into our emotional wellness and health. That’s why I’m excited to share my conversation with Amber Rae on the show today. Amber Rae has been called “The Brené Brown of Wonder.” She’s a multi-talented artist, entrepreneur, and author. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, NY Mag, TODAY, Self, Fortune, Forbes and Entrepreneur and collaborated with numerous big brands. She reaches over 2 million people per week with her words and art. Her book Choose Wonder Over Worry: Move Beyond Fear and Doubt to Unlock Your Full Potential is so timely right now and her art helps us explore, visualize, and bring our well-being to the forefront. In our conversation: We are not our feelings and some of our internal voices are not all ours. How family trauma and/or generational trauma can effect us Amber shares her personal experiments to explore inner healing, including naming her inner critics and how it allows her to be able to be more observant of what comes Addiction and how can we create “wake up” calls as a catalyst for change and much more. […]

The post Choose Wonder Over Worry with Amber Rae appeared first on Chase Jarvis Photography.




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The Code of the Extraordinary Mind with Vishen Lakhiani

Join me + bestselling author Vishen Lakhiani LIVE Tuesday April 7 at 6:30pm PST. Vishen Lakhiani is one of today’s most influential minds in the fields of education and human consciousness. He is the founder of Mindvalley University and its 2 million-strong student base and creator of the Quests learning platform: a next-generation method of online learning, which attains an unheard-of 60% completion rate on courses, in an industry where 8% is average. Vishen’s book, The Code of the Extraordinary Mind, made the New York Times Business Best Sellers List, and hit the coveted #1 spot on Amazon five times in 2017. Enjoy! FOLLOW VISHEN: instagram | facebook | website Listen to the Podcast coming soon … Subscribe   This podcast is brought to you by CreativeLive. CreativeLive is the world’s largest hub for online creative education in photo/video, art/design, music/audio, craft/maker, money/life and the ability to make a living in any of those disciplines. They are high quality, highly curated classes taught by the world’s top experts — Pulitzer, Oscar, Grammy Award winners, New York Times best selling authors and the best entrepreneurs of our times.

The post The Code of the Extraordinary Mind with Vishen Lakhiani appeared first on Chase Jarvis Photography.




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Finance Fireside Chat with Ramit Sethi

In this episode I’m chatting with my long time friend and financial guru, Ramit Sethi. Ramit has been on the show a number of times, and this time we’re connecting virtually from our living rooms during the quarantine. Of course we get into finances during these uncertain times, but more importantly: adaptation and resilience. Over the years, no one has single-handedly given me better insight about the business side of art than the New York Times bestselling author, Ramit Sethi. Take a listen and let us know what you think. Enjoy! This episode was part of CreativeLive TV, a brand-new, free, 24/7 variety show, live-streamed from the very casual living rooms, studios, and kitchen tables of our worldwide community of legendary creators. You can expect musical performances, Q&As, cooking, spoken word, drawing, and more – featuring many of our favorite personalities – all in a safe, virtual space full of joy, shared experiences, and connection via live, interactive chat. The schedule and upcoming broadcasts can be seen at http://creativelive.com/tv FOLLOW RAMIT: instagram | twitter | website Listen to the Podcast  Subscribe   Watch the Episode This podcast is brought to you by CreativeLive. CreativeLive is the world’s largest hub […]

The post Finance Fireside Chat with Ramit Sethi appeared first on Chase Jarvis Photography.




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How to Foster Real-Time Client Engagement During Moderated Research

When we conduct moderated research, like user interviews or usability tests, for our clients, we encourage them to observe as many sessions as possible. We find when clients see us interview their users, and get real-time responses, they’re able to learn about the needs of their users in real-time and be more active participants in the process. One way we help clients feel engaged with the process during remote sessions is to establish a real-time communication backchannel that empowers clients to flag responses they’d like to dig into further and to share their ideas for follow-up questions.

There are several benefits to establishing a communication backchannel for moderated sessions:

  • Everyone on the team, including both internal and client team members, can be actively involved throughout the data collection process rather than waiting to passively consume findings.
  • Team members can identify follow-up questions in real-time which allows the moderator to incorporate those questions during the current session, rather than just considering them for future sessions.
  • Subject matter experts can identify more detailed and specific follow-up questions that the moderator may not think to ask.
  • Even though the whole team is engaged, a single moderator still maintains control over the conversation which creates a consistent experience for the participant.

If you’re interested in creating your own backchannel, here are some tips to make the process work smoothly:

  • Use the chat tool that is already being used on the project. In most cases, we use a joint Slack workspace for the session backchannel but we’ve also used Microsoft Teams.
  • Create a dedicated channel like #moderated-sessions. Conversation in this channel should be limited to backchannel discussions during sessions. This keeps the communication consolidated and makes it easier for the moderator to stay focused during the session.
  • Keep communication limited. Channel participants should ask basic questions that are easy to consume quickly. Supplemental commentary and analysis should not take place in the dedicated channel.
  • Use emoji responses. The moderator can add a quick thumbs up to indicate that they’ve seen a question.

Introducing backchannels for communication during remote moderated sessions has been a beneficial change to our research process. It not only provides an easy way for clients to stay engaged during the data collection process but also increases the moderator’s ability to focus on the most important topics and to ask the most useful follow-up questions.




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A Viget Exploration: How Tech Can Help in a Pandemic

Viget Explorations have always been the result of our shared curiosities. They’re usually a spontaneous outcome of team downtime and a shared problem we’ve experienced. We use our Explorations to pursue our diverse interests and contribute to the conversations about building a better digital world.

As the COVID-19 crisis emerged, we were certainly experiencing a shared problem. As a way to keep busy and manage our anxieties, a small team came together to dive into how technology has helped, and, unfortunately, hindered the community response to the current pandemic.

We started by researching the challenges we saw: information overload, a lack of clarity, individual responsibility, and change. Then we brainstormed possible technical solutions that could further improve how communities respond to a pandemic. Click here to see our Exploration on some possible ways to take the panic out of pandemics.

While we aren’t currently pursuing the solutions outlined in the Exploration, we’d love to hear what you think about these approaches, as well as any ideas you have for how technology can help address the outlined challenges.

Please note, this Exploration doesn’t provide medical information. Visit the Center for Disease Control’s website for current information and COVID-19, its symptoms, and treatments.

At Viget, we’re adjusting to this crisis for the safety of our clients, our staff, and our communities. If you’d like to hear from Viget's co-founder, Brian Williams, you can read his article on our response to the situation.



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Pandemic Poetry

Viget is replete with literature enthusiasts. We have a book club, blog posts about said book club, and a #poetry channel on Slack for sharing Wendell Berry and Emily Dickinson. Before the pandemic it saw only occasional activity. That was until our Employee Engagement Manager, Aubrey Lear, popped up one day with a proposal: a month-long haiku challenge. (Hat tip to Nicole Gulotta for the excellent prompts.)

Haikus have long been beloved by Vigets. (In fact we have a #haiku channel too, but all the action tends to go down in #poetry.) There’s something about the form’s constraints, pithiness, and symmetry that appeals to us — a bunch of creatives, developers, and strategists who value elegant solutions. What we didn’t know was that a haiku-a-thon would also become a highlight of our very, very many Work From Home days.

For my part, writing haikus has become a charming distraction from worry. When I find my brain fidgeting over Covid-19 what-if scenarios, I set it a task. 5-7-5. Stack those syllables up, break ‘em down. How far can I push the confines of that structure? Where should the line breaks be? One run-on sentence? Find a punchline? It’s a nice little bit of syntactic Tetris. It stops me going down mental rabbit holes — a palette-cleansing exercise after a day’s bad news.

Then there’s the getting-to-know-you benefit that comes from Vigets sharing their daily haikus, each interpreting the prompts differently, offering a unique and condensed take on things common to us all.


There’s Elyse with her gorgeous personification of household objects:

Around the House

The small tea kettle

is now forming a union.

She demands more pay.


Or Laura, musing on the mundane things we miss:

Something you long for

strolling up and down

the aisles, browsing away

wonder everywhere

just taking my time

tossing products in my cart

ye olde target run


Josh’s odes are always a pick-me-up:

Nourishing Meal

O orange powder

On mac, Doritos, Cheetos

Finger-licking gewd.


While Grace’s are thoughtful and profound:

Thoughts while Driving

Tis human nature

We struggle to grasp the weight

Till it’s upon us


There’s Peyton, with his humorous wordplay:

Plant Friends

Plant friends everywhere

Watch them grow from far away

Then come back to them

Plant friends everywhere

Water them with Zooms and calls

They’ll water you too


And Claire, who grounds us in reality:

While folding laundry

gym shorts and sports bras

mostly what I’m folding now

goodbye skirts and jeans


Kate is sparky:

Lighting a candle

lighter fluid thrills

fingertips quiver, recoil

fire takes hold within


While I find the whole thing cathartic:

Breath

Old friend — with me since

birth — whom I seldom take time

to appreciate.


Our first #30daysfohaikuchallenge is over now, so we’ve decided to start another. Won’t you join us? Prompts are below and you can share your haiku in the comments.



  • News & Culture

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A Parent’s Guide to Working From Home, During a Global Pandemic, Without Going Insane

Though I usually enjoy working from Viget’s lovely Boulder office, during quarantine I am now working from home while simultaneously parenting my 3-year-old daughter Audrey. My husband works in healthcare and though he is not on the front lines battling COVID-19, he is still an essential worker and as such leaves our home to work every day.

Some working/parenting days are great! I somehow get my tasks accomplished, my kid is happy, and we spend some quality time together.

And some days are awful. I have to ignore my daughter having a meltdown and try to focus on meetings, and I wish I wasn’t in this situation at all. Most days are somewhere in the middle; I’m just doing my best to get by.

I’ve seen enough working parent memes and cries for help on social media to know that I’m not alone. There are many parents out there who now get to experience the stress and anxiety of living through a global pandemic while simultaneously navigating ways to stay productive while working from home and being an effective parent. Fun isn’t it?

I’m not an expert on the matter, but I have found a few small things that are making me feel a bit more sane. I hope sharing them will make someone else’s life easier too.

Truths to Accept

First, let’s acknowledge some truths about this new situation we find ourselves in:

Truth 1: We’ve lost something.

Parents have lost more than daycare and schools during this epidemic. We’ve lost any time that we had for ourselves, and that was really valuable. We no longer have small moments in the day to catch up on our personal lives. I no longer have a commute to separate my work duties from my mom duties, or catch up with my friends, or just be quiet.

Truth 2: We’re human.

The reason you can’t be a great employee and a great parent and a great friend and a great partner or spouse all day every day isn’t because you’re doing a bad job, it’s because being constantly wonderful in all aspects of your life is impossible. Pick one or two of those things a day to focus on.

Truth 3: We’re all doing our best.

This is the most important part of this article. Be kind to yourselves. This isn’t easy, and putting so much pressure on yourself that you break isn’t going to make it any easier.

Work from Home Goals

Now that we’ve accepted some truths about our current situation, let’s set some goals.

Goal 1: Do Good Work

At Viget, and wherever you work, with kids or without we all want to make sure that the quality of our work stays up throughout the pandemic and that we can continue to be reliable team members and employees to the best of our abilities.

Goal 2: Stay Sane

We need to figure out ways to do this without sacrificing ourselves entirely. For me, this means fitting my work into normal work hours as much as possible so that I can still have some downtime in the evenings.

Goal 3: Make This Sustainable

None of us knows how long this will last but we may as well begin mentally preparing for a long haul.

Work from Home Rules

Now, there are some great Work from Home Rules that apply to everyone with or without kids. My coworker Paul Koch shared these with the Viget team a Jeremy Bearimy ago and I agree this is also the foundation for working from home with kids.

  1. When you’re in a remote meeting, minimize other windows to stay focused
  2. Set a schedule and avoid chores*
  3. Take breaks away from the screen
  4. Plan your workday on the calendar+
  5. Be mindful of Slack and social media as a distraction
  6. Use timers+
  7. Keep your work area separate from where you relax
  8. Pretend that you’re still WFW
  9. Experiment and figure out what works for you

In the improv spirit I say “Yes, AND….” to these tips. And so, here are my adjusted rules for WFH while kiddos around: These have both been really solid tools for me, so let’s dig in.

Daily flexible schedule for kids

Day Planning: Calendars and Timers

A few small tweaks and adjustments make this even more doable for me and my 3-year-old. First- I don’t avoid chores entirely. If I’m going up and down the stairs all day anyway I might as well throw in a load of laundry while I’m at it. The more I can get done during the day means a greater chance of some down time in the evening.

Each morning I plan my day and Audrey’s day:

My Work Day:

Audrey's Day

Identify times of day you are more likely to be focus and protect them. For me, I know I have a block of time from 5-7a before Audrey wakes up and again during “nap time” from 1-3p.I built a construction paper “schedule” that we update and reorganize daily. We make the schedule together each day. She feels ownership over it and she gets to be the one who tells me what we do next.
Look at your calendar first thing and make adjustments either in your plans or move meetings if you have to.I’m strategic about screen time- I try to schedule it when I have meetings. It also helps to schedule a physical activity before screen time as she is less likely to get bored.
Make goals for your day: Tackle time sensitive tasks first. Take care of things that either your co-workers or clients are waiting on from you first, this will help your day be a lot less stressful. Non-time sensitive tasks come next- these can be done at any time of day.We always include “nap time” even though she rarely naps anymore. This is mostly a time for us both to be alone.

When we make the schedule together it also helps me understand her favorite parts of the day and reminds me to include them.

Once our days are planned, I also use timers to help keep the structure of the day. (I bought a great alarm clock for kids on Amazon that turns colors to signal bedtime and quiet time. It’s been hugely worth it for me.)

Timers for Me:

Timers for Audrey:

More than ever, I rely on a time tracking timer. At Viget we use Harvest to track time, and it has a handy built in timer, but there are many apps or online tools that could help you keep track of your time as well.Audrey knows what time she can come out of her room in the morning. If she wakes up before the light is green she plays quietly in her room.
I need a timer because the days and hours are bleeding together- without tracking as I go it would be really hard for me to remember when I worked on certain projects or know for certain if I gave Viget enough time for the day.She knows how long “nap time” is in the afternoon.
Starting and stopping the timer helps me turn on and off “work mode”, which is a helpful sanity bonus.Perhaps best of all I am not the bad guy! “Sorry honey, the light isn’t green yet and there really isn’t anything mommy can do about it” is my new favorite way to ensure we both get some quiet time.

Work from Home Rules: Updated for Parents

Finally, I have a few more Work from Home Rules for parents to add to the list:

  1. Minimize other windows in remote meetings
  2. Set a schedule and fit in some chores if time allows
  3. Take breaks away from the screen
  4. Schedule both your and your kids’ days
  5. Be mindful of Slack and social media as a distraction
  6. Use timers to track your own time and help your kids understand the day
  7. Keep your work area separate from where you relax
  8. Pretend that you’re still WFW
  9. Experiment and figure out what works for you
  10. Be prepared with a few activities
    • Each morning, have just ONE thing ready to go. This can be a worksheet you printed out, a coloring station setup, a new bag of kinetic sand you just got delivered from Amazon, a kids dance video on YouTube or an iPad game. Recently I started enlisting my mom to read stories on Facetime. The activity doesn’t have to be new each day but (especially for young kids) it has to be handy for you to start up quickly if your schedule changes
  11. Clearly communicate your availability with your team and project PMs
    • Life happens. Some days are going to be hard. Whatever you do, don’t burn yourself out or leave your team hanging. If you need to move a meeting or take a day off, communicate that as early and as clearly as you can.
  12. Take PTO if you can
    • None of us are superheroes. If you’re feeling overwhelmed- take a look at the next few days and figure out which one makes the most sense for you to take a break.
  13. Take breaks to be alone without doing a task
    • Work and family responsibilities have blended together, there’s almost no room for being alone. If you can find some precious alone time don’t use it to fold laundry or clean the bathroom. Just zone out. I think we all really need this.

Last but not least, enjoy your time at home if you can. This is an unusual circumstance and even though it’s really hard, there are parts that are really great too.

If you have some great WFH tips we’d love to hear about them in the comments!




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So You've Written a Bad Design Take

So you’ve just written a blog post or tweet about why wireframes are becoming obsolete, the dangers of “too accessible” design, or how a certain style of icon creates “cognitive fatigue.”

Your post went viral, but now you’re getting ratioed by rude people on the Internet. That sucks! You were just trying to start a conversation and you probably didn’t deserve all that negativity (except for you, “too accessible” guy).

Most likely, you made one of these common mistakes:

1. You made generalizations about “design”

You, a good user-centered designer, know that you are not your user. Nor are you every designer.

First of all, let's acknowledge that there is no universal definition of design. Even if we narrow it down to software design, it’s still hard to make generalizations. Agency, in-house, product, startup, enterprise, non-profit, website, app, connected hardware, etc. – there are a lot of different work contexts and cultures for people with “designer” in their titles.

"The Design Industry" is not a thing, but even if it were, you don't speak for it. Don’t assume that the kind of design work you do is the universal default.

2. You didn’t share enough context

There are many great design books and few great design blog posts. (There are, to my knowledge, no great design tweets, but I am open to your suggestions.) Writing about design is not well suited to short formats, because context plays such an important role and there’s always a lot of it to cover.

Writing about your work should include as much context as you would include if you were presenting your portfolio for a job interview. What kind of organization did you work for? Who was your client and/or your stakeholders? What was the goal of the project? Your timeline? What was the makeup of your team? What were the notable business rules and constraints? How are you defining effectiveness and success?

Without these kinds of details, it’s not possible for other designers to know if what you’ve written is credible or applicable to them.

3. You were too certain

A blog post doesn’t need to be a dissertation. It’s okay to share hunches and anecdotes, but give the necessary caveats. And if you're making claims about science, bruh, you gotta cite your sources.

Be humble in your takes. Your account of what worked for you and why is more valuable to your peers than making sweeping claims and reheating the same old arguments. Be prepared to be told you’re wrong, and have the humility to realize that your perspective is just your perspective. Real conversations, like good design, are built on feedback and diverse viewpoints.

Together, we can improve the discourse in our information ecosystems. Don't generalize. Give context. Be humble.




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Little Details That Matter on a Mobile Website

Oftentimes, the focus on mobile websites isn’t on adding as much information as possible or even as much detail. It’s all about making the mobile viewing experience as simple and enjoyable as the web designer possibly can. People who use their mobile devices for browsing and research do not have as much time or patience …

Little Details That Matter on a Mobile Website Read More »




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Star Wars Playing Card Deck

I am huge fan of the universe of Star Wars, it is amazing how vast and detailed this it can be. I am also a lover of the playing cards designs, you can big array of topics from sexy to nerdy ones. Just like this ones, a complete set of playing cards based on the …

Star Wars Playing Card Deck Read More »




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Wix Video — a great marketing tool for any website.

Increases time on page and boosts engagement with your site Thanks to the ever-increasing internet speeds, videos are in high demand. Right now, video is everywhere on social media, websites, and apps. We are watching them on all our screens, desktops, tablets, phones and smart TVs. It is expected a growth in video content up …

Wix Video — a great marketing tool for any website. Read More »




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Winterlichter Palmengarten Dec. 2019




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Exploring Node.js Internals

Since the introduction of Node.js by Ryan Dahl at the European JSConf on 8 November 2009, it has seen wide usage across the tech industry. Companies such as Netflix, Uber, and LinkedIn give credibility to the claim that Node.js can withstand a high amount of traffic and concurrency. Armed with basic knowledge, beginner and intermediate developers of Node.js struggle with many things: “It’s just a runtime!” “It has event loops!




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Implementing Dark Mode In React Apps Using styled-components

One of the most commonly requested software features is dark mode (or night mode, as others call it). We see dark mode in the apps that we use every day. From mobile to web apps, dark mode has become vital for companies that want to take care of their users’ eyes. Dark mode is a supplemental feature that displays mostly dark surfaces in the UI. Most major companies (such as YouTube, Twitter, and Netflix) have adopted dark mode in their mobile and web apps.




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How To Succeed In Wireframe Design

For the most part, we tend to underestimate things that are familiar to us. It is also very likely that we will underestimate those things that though new, seem very simple to process. And that is correct to some degree. But, when we are faced with complex cases and all measures are taken, a good and solid understanding of the basics could help us to find the right solutions. In this article, we will take a deeper look at one of the most simple, thus, quite often underrated activities in web development that is the design of wireframes.




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Mirage JS Deep Dive: Understanding Mirage JS Models And Associations (Part 1)

Mirage JS is helping simplify modern front-end development by providing the ability for front-end engineers to craft applications without relying on an actual back-end service. In this article, I’ll be taking a framework-agnostic approach to show you Mirage JS models and associations. If you haven’t heard of Mirage JS, you can read my previous article in which I introduce it and also integrate it with the progressive framework Vue.js.




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Smashing Podcast Episode 15 With Phil Smith: How Can I Build An App In 10 Days?

In this episode of the Smashing Podcast, we’re talking about building apps on a tight timeline. How can you quickly turn around a project to respond to an emerging situation like COVID-19? Drew McLellan talks to Phil Smith to find out. Show Notes CardMedic React Native React Native for Web Expo Apiary Phil’s company amillionmonkeys Phil’s personal blog and Twitter Weekly Update Getting Started With Nuxt Implementing Dark Mode In React Apps Using styled-components How To Succeed In Wireframe Design Mirage JS Deep Dive: Understanding Mirage JS Models And Associations (Part 1) Readability Algorithms Should Be Tools, Not Targets Transcript Drew McLellan: He is director of the full-stack web development studio amillionmonkeys, where he partners with business owners and creative agencies to build digital products that make an impact.




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A Complete Guide To Mechanical Keyboards

About six years ago, a colleague I’ll call Tom, because that’s his name, forwarded me a link to the ‘WASD CODE’; a keyboard focused on the needs of programmers, designed with the help of Stack Overflow’s Jeff Atwood. I had no idea at the time that there were people actually dedicating themselves to creating keyboards beyond the stock fare shipping with computers. As I read and re-read the blurb, I was smitten.




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Reducing Design Risk

Lean, agile, do more with less. Again, and again, design culture urges us to move quickly and trim research and design operations to the point where design becomes a mere thread in the larger corporate spool. Author and designer Nikki Anderson explains the consequences of this pressure to conduct research at lightning speed: “When we’re asked to synthesize at the speed of light, user research becomes a way for teams to take a shortcut — to invent assumptions based on quickly made correlations, opinions, and quotes.




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Godox’s new SL150/SL200 Mark II LED lights offer fanless “silent mode” operation

The Godox SL series LED lights have proven to be extremely popular due to their low cost. Two of the models in that range, the SL150 and SL200 have seen a Mark II update today, according to an email that Godox has been sending out today. One of the features of the new SL150II and […]

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eagereyesTV Episode 2: Unit Charts, Dot Plots, ISOTYPE, and What Makes Them Special

Charts usually show values as visual properties, like the length in a bar chart, the location in a scatterplot, the area in a bubble chart, etc. Unit charts show values as multiples instead. One famous example of these charts is called ISOTYPE, and you may have seen them in information graphics as well. They’re an […]




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Paper: Evidence for Area as the Primary Visual Cue in Pie Charts

How we read pie charts is still an open question: is it angle? Is it area? Is it arc length? In a study I'm presenting as a short paper at the IEEE VIS conference in Vancouver next week, I tried to tease the visual cues apart – using modeling and 3D pie charts. The big […]




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eagereyesTV Episode 3: 3D Pie Charts For Science!

How do we read pie charts? This seems like a straightforward question to answer, but it turns out that most of what you’ve probably heard is wrong. We don’t actually know whether we use angle, area, or arc length. In a short paper at the VIS conference this week I’m presenting a study I ran […]