I got to thinking about all the times I’ve been happy with accomplishing something. Every single time it happened because I just wanted to try something and thought, “What the hell, let’s do this!” I didn’t ask anyone first. I didn’t consult a mentor, advisor, oracle, or listicle. I just jumped in head-first. […]

Experts aren’t necessarily better than people starting out, they just know how things work and can do some tasks without thinking. They are able to think several steps ahead. If I asked a carpenter how she would build a house, she would only be aware of steps she has to think about. Not the thousands of steps her skill takes over and does for her subconsciously.

Many (myself included) are guilty of sitting around and consuming advice, getting little dopamine rushes and feeling like we’ve accomplished something even as we immediately dive into checking our inboxes and feeds for the 100th time today.

“Oh, I’ll definitely use that information later.” Except you never do, because you’re too busy binging on the internet instead of working. The one real piece of advice I keep coming back to is that nothing beats honest-to-goodness taking action if you want to succeed or do anything of worth.

Will you?

Permalink

]]> Link Chris Gonzales Fri, 07 Aug 2015 22:08:08 +0000 http://www.analogsenses.com/2015/08/07/product-photography-on-the-cheap-creating-a-studio-like-environment-at-home 4ffca387e4b038e4cbad6ce8:53d546c2e4b021e113e5bd01:55c52bb6e4b03257969a795b

You know how product images online are often the item with a white backdrop? Álvaro Serrano has some tips for achieving this effect at home at minimal expense (assuming you have basic photography gear lying around):

There are several ways to achieve this look, the most obvious one being shooting them in an actual studio with proper studio lighting and a solid white backdrop. Luckily, if you don’t have access to a studio or lack the financial means to rent one, there are other alternatives you can use to get about 90% of the way there without spending a dime. All it takes is a little improvisation and some clean-up work in post production.

The end result, I believe, stands up fairly well to scrutiny.

Some clever tricks in here.

As I mentioned to Álvaro on Twitter though, another alternative is to simply get a Foldio2. My friend and Tools & Toys editor-in-chief Shawn Blanc picked one up and the results aren't bad:

@analogsenses Speaking of, @shawnblanc picked one of those up and has seen some nice results. pic.twitter.com/rR0SN7eit4

— Chris Gonzales (@Gromble) August 7, 2015

Permalink

]]> Link Chris Gonzales Wed, 24 Jun 2015 17:46:26 +0000 https://thefocuscourse.com 4ffca387e4b038e4cbad6ce8:53d546c2e4b021e113e5bd01:558aec0ee4b09da22a7ac4ed

Yesterday, my friend and mentor Shawn Blanc launched his biggest, most ambitious product yet: The Focus Course.

This guided, online course is designed to, over the course of 40 days and at your own pace, help you become not only a more focused person, but also someone who is more productive, more diligent, more clear-headed, better at time-management, and even more creatively imaginative.

Over the past 11 months, Shawn poured himself into this project, spending thousands of hours writing, researching, and designing the course. Watching the whole thing come together was inspiring, to say the least. If you've been struggling with focus or productivity, I urge you to check it out. It may just change your life.

As of this writing (Wednesday, June 24th, 2015) the course is celebrating its launch with an introductory price of $199. Next Monday, on June 29th, that price will go up to $250. There are also a bunch of awesome giveaways you could win for signing up during the launch.

So, get to it!

Permalink

]]> Link Chris Gonzales Wed, 17 Jun 2015 12:13:50 +0000 https://spoken.co/t/2478763 4ffca387e4b038e4cbad6ce8:53d546c2e4b021e113e5bd01:558162c0e4b070045d0d6a68 Speaking of Spoken (hmm), I have to give Ben Brooks kudos for sharing this story about the impact of negativity on his life and work, and how he's still recovering from it. It's one of the best things I've heard on Spoken yet.

I've transcribed my favorite bit (it's about ¾ the way in):

There might be different people reading my site now. I'm sure there are, and I hope there always will be. But those people simply replaced the people who left because the negativity left, and that, I am fine with because I'm happier now, and I think that shows in my writing.

Permalink

]]> Link Chris Gonzales Mon, 15 Jun 2015 19:48:32 +0000 https://spoken.co/ 4ffca387e4b038e4cbad6ce8:53d546c2e4b021e113e5bd01:557f2b7fe4b0d3a01f13376f

A few days ago, Cameron Moll — the guy behind Authentic Jobs and Structures in Type — unveiled a new service he co-founded: Spoken.

As they say in their intro post, it's “Like Instagram for audio.” You record and publish short audio snippets (up to 4 minutes each), ideally to share stories and experiences using that most intimate form of communication: your voice. I was immediately intrigued by this idea and rushed to nab the /chris handle, which I can tell you is the first time I've ever been able to do that. I look forward to being able to post from my iPhone and iPad, since those are my primary devices. (I've heard an app is in the works.)

Until then, I've been enjoying many of the posts (snippets? shortcasts?) I've come across so far, including:

• Shawn Blanc telling the story about how he started writing full-time.
• Tina Roth Eisenberg on how she requires jokes with job applications.
• Sean "seanwes" McCabe on free-form writing in the morning. (Sean also gave some handy advice for anyone wanting to do well on Spoken.)
• Suzanne Moll sharing a cute story about off-roading with her son.
• Cameron Moll on balance vs. priorities.
• Benjamin Brooks on recovering from negativity

And that's really just the beginning. I hope the Spoken network takes off, because I think it has some serious potential. If you're already into podcasts, it's a natural fit. Go check it out.

P.S. I recorded my first track earlier today, but I'm not 100% happy with it. Might scrap it and do another. Either way, once it's done I'll link it up in a follow-up post.

Permalink

]]> Article Chris Gonzales Thu, 11 Jun 2015 18:47:36 +0000 https://www.sparkjournal.net/journal/2015/6/how-im-holding-up-on-my-2015-resolution 4ffca387e4b038e4cbad6ce8:53d546c2e4b021e113e5bd01:5579d79ae4b002ee53646596 This morning my friend Patrick Rhone published a short piece called Right Speech.

In Buddhism, Right Speech is one of the precepts in The Noble Eightfold Path. In short, it is to abstain from lying, from divisive speech, from abusive speech, and from idle chatter. It is to consider carefully and mindfully what you say before saying it — weighing how it furthers the recipient of the message. If what we say does not further understanding, come from a place of compassion, or has no true purpose, it should not be said.

I have been bad at this lately.

The post is an apology for his own negativity, but whether he knew it or not, it was something I also needed to hear.

As some readers will remember, I vowed at the beginning of 2015 that I would “Eliminate as much cynicism and negativity from my life as possible.” I did a good job of it for a while, but lately I've fallen back into some old habits, both on Twitter and in my personal life (particularly the latter). I knew from the start I would be prone to falling off the wagon now and then, but I've found that each time I react negatively to something it gets harder and harder to get back on. I take this resolution quite seriously, so it's time to give myself a little kick in the ass with some public accountability.

This post is two things:

1. My own apology—to myself, to my friends and family, and most of all to my son, who my behavior influences most.

2. It's also another request for any of you to call me out if you see me behaving against my resolution. I mean it. I once sent Marco Arment a gentle reminder when he was being negative about something, and I hope someone would do the same for me if the roles were reversed.

Half a year left to go for my resolution, and hopefully a lifetime of optimism beyond that. Let's do this.

Consider that a reader is just as, if not more, likely to get to your page via an app like Twitter or Facebook, with its own chrome, than the built in browser. Those positioned elements are only taking up valuable screen space and replicating functionality the reader already has built-in. Simplify your pages, reduce overhead (both cognitive and bandwidth), prepare them to live outside of browser.

And yesterday, he tweeted from @_flickerfusion:

The lessons from Apple News are the same as Instant Articles: be lean, nimble, ready to publish everywhere.

Publishers, take note.

Permalink

]]> Link Chris Gonzales Tue, 09 Jun 2015 05:14:28 +0000 http://www.macstories.net/roundups/ios-9-our-complete-overview/ 4ffca387e4b038e4cbad6ce8:53d546c2e4b021e113e5bd01:55767056e4b09c819cc25a98

As every Apple nerd on the planet is more than aware of, today was the big WWDC 2015 Keynote. Loads of interesting things were announced, including OS X El Capitan (I'm still not sure about that name, but moving on…) and watchOS 2.

As a full-time iOS user though, the announcement of iOS 9—particularly the iPad productivity enhancements coming with it—were easily of most interest to me. I would explain more about these new features myself, but Federico Viticci already has it completely covered.

He sums it up nicely in the “iPad and Multitasking” section:

As someone who uses the iPad as his primary computer, the productivity and multitasking features announced today seem spectacular. The iPad was at an inflection point — still failing to convince some tech circles of the benefits of a tablet — and the changes coming with iOS 9 are a reassuring sign of Apple's commitment to the uniqueness of the device. With Slide Over and Split View, Apple isn't trading off the inherent simplicity of the one-app-at-a-time model for more complexity: they're adding an option for those who, like me, want to work with an iPad and do more at once.

I love that Apple is acknowledging how great the iPad can be as a primary device. Hopefully more 3rd-party developers take note and stop treating the iPad like a second citizen.¹

1. I'm looking at you, Squarespace. Managing pages and site design is still a joke on iPad. How about a full-on iOS app for such things? I still don't understand why something like that doesn't exist and yet Portfolio and Note do. ↩

Permalink

]]> Link Chris Gonzales Thu, 04 Jun 2015 15:26:21 +0000 https://shawnblanc.net/2015/06/the-note/ 4ffca387e4b038e4cbad6ce8:53d546c2e4b021e113e5bd01:55706ddde4b01eeb36c4c69e Shawn Blanc shares a handy writing productivity tip, amongst other insights into his process:

500 words ago, I lied to you. I said my writing begins at 7:30 every morning.

The truth is that my writing for this morning began yesterday when I put that note on my desk. That note is my topic for the day. That note is the single most important element of my personal productivity system. Because that note is the single most important thing I have to do today.

In a sense I'm reminded of Ernest Hemingway's method (scroll to page 6 of that PDF) of keeping the writing momentum going from day to day:

The best way is always to stop when you are going good and when you know what will happen next. [...] Always stop when you are going good and donʼt think about it or worry about it until you start to write the next day. That way your subconscious will work on it all the time. But if you think about it consciously or worry about it you will kill it and your brain will be tired before you start.

Permalink

]]> Link Chris Gonzales Wed, 03 Jun 2015 16:17:25 +0000 http://www.extras.relay.fm/blog/2015/6/2/relay-fm-2015-summer-pilots 4ffca387e4b038e4cbad6ce8:53d546c2e4b021e113e5bd01:556f25b5e4b036f961061605

My friends Stephen and Myke at Relay.fm have been killing it lately. Not only have they managed to nab Mac Power Users from 5by5, but now they're adding two more great shows to their lineup:

1. Reconcilable Differences — Wherein Merlin Mann and John Siracusa (!) “prod at each other’s backgrounds as fans of technology and pop culture, filling in holes, arguing minor differences, and generally teaching each other about the things they both love.”

   This podcast has been a long time coming, and I'm pumped to see it becoming a reality.

2. Cortex — A show where Myke quizzes CGP Grey of YouTube fame about his methods, workflows, and time management.

"All the great shows" indeed.

Permalink

]]> Link Chris Gonzales Tue, 28 Apr 2015 15:18:56 +0000 https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/broken-age/id887649233?mt=8&at=11l7oy&ct=link 4ffca387e4b038e4cbad6ce8:53d546c2e4b021e113e5bd01:553fa36fe4b0b93051b9fa51

It's been nearly a year since I played Act 1 of DoubleFine's point-and-click adventure game, Broken Age for iOS. All the while, I've anxiously awaited the second act to drop so I could complete this wonderful story.

Now that Act 2 is finally here, I may have to clear my schedule for the rest of the day.

[PSA: I've only ever played the iOS version, but if you're more of a Mac gamer, Broken Age for Mac is currently on sale for $18 (down from $25).]

Permalink

]]> Link Chris Gonzales Tue, 07 Apr 2015 18:08:04 +0000 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZx8rPd-PKQ 4ffca387e4b038e4cbad6ce8:53d546c2e4b021e113e5bd01:55241cdee4b012b2c4ec9709 Cameron Moll, who you may know as the founder of Authentic Jobs and the guy who designed those "Structures in Type" letterpress posters a while back, spent a couple days recording this episode of Envato's "Made By" interview series.

Here's a good quote, on the difficulty of creating the letterpress posters:

I think that's defined who I've been up to this point in my career. Trying stuff that I was totally unqualified for and trying to make it work, and make it look good, and make it perform.

The interview is nicely shot and I liked getting a peek at how Cameron manages to balance his work with being a family man. (On that note: Five sons?! I only have one son and he's already a handful at 3 years old. Props to Cameron and his wife for keeping their sanity.)

Update: Cameron wrote a little behind-the-scenes post (with photos) about the video on the Authentic Jobs Tumblr.

Permalink

]]> Link Chris Gonzales Tue, 07 Apr 2015 17:14:55 +0000 http://thesweetsetup.com/apps/our-favorite-podcast-client-for-ios/ 4ffca387e4b038e4cbad6ce8:53d546c2e4b021e113e5bd01:55241039e4b05f384d0d88b4

Over at The Sweet Setup, we've chosen Overcast as our new favorite podcast app for iOS, edging out Pocket Casts as our previous top pick.

Once we have a top app pick—in any category—it's very rare that we switch to anything else. In fact, as of this writing we've only done it one other time. So, trust me when I say it was a tough decision, especially because we still love Pocket Casts to death. In the end however, it was the right call.

Permalink

]]> Link Chris Gonzales Tue, 07 Apr 2015 15:43:07 +0000 https://medium.com/@bcapps/going-indie-87b750419242 4ffca387e4b038e4cbad6ce8:53d546c2e4b021e113e5bd01:5523faf6e4b05f384d0d03af As of today, Brian Capps of iOS app development studio Lickability is officially becoming the first full-time member of the team.

One thing that we’ve always done at Lickability is take our time and do things the “right way.” We take our time to ship releases because we want them to be up to our standards and make sure that they’ve got the features and polish that they deserve. We’re taking the same approach with our company. For the past two years we’ve worked on app releases and client projects that have allowed us to save enough money to pay me full time for more than half a year. Without taking any external investment, we’re funding this experiment entirely from the proceeds generated so far by Lickability. While the initial outside funding approach has worked for many, we’re proud to be responsible to no one but ourselves for our future.

They're giving themselves six months to see if the business can become profitable while paying Brian a full-time salary. I'm super excited for them, and hope to see them pull it off. Congratulations guys!

(On a more selfish note, I'm also excited that Quotebook for iOS will be getting some love. It's long been a favorite app of mine.)

Permalink

]]> Link Chris Gonzales Wed, 01 Apr 2015 14:32:37 +0000 http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/i-followed-my-stolen-iphone-across-the-world-became-a-celebr 4ffca387e4b038e4cbad6ce8:53d546c2e4b021e113e5bd01:551c002ce4b0f5016a1c6f87 In part 2 of his “How I Became a Minor Celebrity in China” story (if you haven't read it yet, do it now, it's nuts), BuzzFeed's Matt Stopera actually ends up going to China to meet "Brother Orange", the guy who ended up with his stolen phone.

But that's even not the crazy part. I don't want to spoil anything, you should go read the whole thing for yourself. This quote is apt though:

I’m realizing the language and cultural barriers aren’t such a big thing anymore. It’s 2015 and this is the world we live in. I am so happy.

I almost can't believe BuzzFeed is home to one of the best stories I've ever read on the web. I was smiling the entire way through.

Permalink

]]> Link Chris Gonzales Mon, 30 Mar 2015 18:18:13 +0000 http://www.amazon.com/dp/0545790352?tag=sparkjournal-20 4ffca387e4b038e4cbad6ce8:53d546c2e4b021e113e5bd01:55198aece4b0fd1c92e0137d

As a big fan of all things Harry Potter, I was super excited to learn that the folks at Scholastic and Bloomsbury are releasing fully illustrated versions of all seven books over the next seven years. A few days ago they unveiled the cover for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: the Illustrated Edition (pictured above), and it looks fantastic.

The cover and the 110 full-color illustrations throughout this deluxe hardcover book have been done by artist Jim Kay, a few of which were previewed earlier this year and can be seen in all their glory here.

The illustrated edition of Sorcerer's Stone is slated for release on October 6, 2015. I know that's a long way off, but you can at least preorder the book now for $24 and have it at your door as soon as possible after its release. Easiest choice I've made yet today.

Permalink

]]> Link Chris Gonzales Tue, 24 Mar 2015 14:58:19 +0000 http://toolsandtoys.net/reviews/goruck-gr-echo/ 4ffca387e4b038e4cbad6ce8:53d546c2e4b021e113e5bd01:55117b69e4b05d9d2996e061

My buddy Álvaro Serrano has nailed it yet again with his review of the GORUCK GR Echo daypack this morning over at Tools & Toys.

[T]he Echo thrives in an urban environment. Its understated looks and slim profile make it easy to dart through crowded areas like subways, shopping malls and the like, while providing the assurance that your belongings are always safe.

However, don’t let its discreet appearance fool you into thinking this is an ordinary bag. The Echo shares much of its DNA with the rest of the GORUCK packs and like them, this bag can take whatever you throw at it, and then some.

As usual, the photos are gorgeous and worth clicking for alone. Check it out.

Permalink

]]> Link Chris Gonzales Thu, 19 Mar 2015 17:59:54 +0000 http://www.analogsenses.com/2015/03/12/the-arrival-of-spring-street-photography-in-madrid-with-the-olympus-17mm-f-slash-1-dot-8-lens/ 4ffca387e4b038e4cbad6ce8:53d546c2e4b021e113e5bd01:550b0d06e4b0c6a8282dafb5

Álvaro Serrano:

Madrid is an amazing city, full of life and color all year round, but it gets even better when the cold temperatures of winter subside and the glorious spring sunshine takes their place. As the days become longer, the heartbeat of this unique city begins to pick up the pace and when the first heat wave of the year hits the streets, its effects are immediately felt all the way across town, like a shockwave. [...]

With that scenario in mind, I definitely felt this was as good a time as any to take out my new Olympus 17mm f/1.8 lens for the first time and have some fun documenting the arrival of spring to the Spanish capital.

Madrid is one of those cities that I've heard about in my life but never really had much exposure to, in photos or otherwise. I had no real sense of the place at all.

After reading Álvaro's article and seeing his beautiful photos of it, now it's a place I think I'd like to see in person someday.

Permalink

]]> Link Chris Gonzales Mon, 16 Mar 2015 19:37:18 +0000 http://www.amazon.com/dp/1449460364?tag=sparkjournal-20 4ffca387e4b038e4cbad6ce8:53d546c2e4b021e113e5bd01:550730bde4b0c33a967c17d9

In the just-released book Exploring Calvin and Hobbes: An Exhibition Catalogue, Jenny Robb (Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum curator) sits down to chat with legendary cartoonist Bill Watterson about his life, his influences, and generally everything that makes him tick. As Michael Cavna of The Washington Post says in his review of the book, there's not a lot in the Q&A that Watterson doesn't touch on.

While the extensive interview alone is worth the price of admission to a lifelong fan such as myself — the man doesn't do many of them, so this is a rare treat — the book also contains art from cartoons and cartoonists that Watterson identifies as influential, including Peanuts, Pogo, Krazy Kat, Doonesbury, Pat Oliphant, Jim Borgman, Flash Gordon, Bloom County, and Ralph Steadman.

The Washington Post was granted permission to publish an extended excerpt from the interview. Here, Watterson describes how he developed the comic strip's style over the years:

As Calvin and Hobbes went on, the writing pushed the drawings into greater complexity. One of the jokes I really like is that the fantasies are drawn more realistically than reality, since that says a lot about what’s going on in Calvin’s head. So that, and my interest in creating a lively sense of animation, forced me to push the flatter, more cartoony and loose designs I started with into a more three-dimensional conception of form and space. If I wanted to draw Calvin from some odd camera angle, I had to visualize him sort of sculpturally, so I could draw it. That’s when you discover that the zigzag shorthand for his hair doesn’t work in perspective very well. Or you find that his tiny little legs are hard to make run, because he hardly has knees. You invent solutions to these sorts of problems, and that gradually changes the appearance of the strip.

There is also an excerpt at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Libarary and Museum blog:

Jenny Robb: My husband and I are looking at houses, and whenever we see one with a woods, we call it a Calvin and Hobbes backyard.

Bill Watterson: To be honest, we didn’t tramp around the woods all that much. Because it was low and heading toward the river, it was somewhat marshy and brambly. You’d get stuck full of prickers of tangled in brush, wit your feet starting to sink into muck. We’d venture in occasionally, but it’s not like I was Christopher Robin.

But I loved having that much nature around us. It mitigated the suburban feel, which I imagine is why my parents chose the property. Having something a bit wild and mysterious and beautiful at the end of the yard was a memorable thing.

Now it’s a subdivision, of course. Looking at a cul-de-sac of McMansions doesn’t have the same impact on the imagination. We like to think their basements are wet.

Excuse me as I rush out to buy the book and read the rest.

Permalink

]]> Link Chris Gonzales Thu, 12 Mar 2015 16:03:09 +0000 http://woodtype.org/posts/blog/38 4ffca387e4b038e4cbad6ce8:53d546c2e4b021e113e5bd01:5501b868e4b0d1bc101e4780

Speaking of the new Field Notes edition, Jim Moran of the Hamilton Wood Type and Printing Museum gives a behind-the-scenes of how it all came together:

Evening runs and weekend sessions were needed to keep a daily average of 4000 impressions rolling off the press. Most of my collection of vinyl records were necessary to provide background music throughout. Beethoven, curiously, made the Heidelberg happiest. Every time the press locked up, it took a 3 person crew to work the flywheel free. [...] Each paper meant new settings on the press (repeatedly) and a complete re-working of every curse I was capable of uttering.

(Photo above taken from the source blog post and edited by yours truly. I hope they don't mind.)

Permalink

]]>