Workplace Stress

The only direction that it needs to go is down. It can be a huge hindrance to productivity and efficiency. It can also put a damper on creativity when you are trying to find ways to improve web development and mobile applications. First of all you need to get organized, both physically and mentally. Clean up that desk and figure out how to attack that to do list. Secondly, the things around work can be adding to the stress so switching your schedule around might be a good idea. When negotiating an alternative schedule or work situation, focus on the benefits you and the new schedule will deliver to the employer, not on your goal of reducing stress. Take a walk or find a bit of time to get moving, it will lift your mood significantly. While you are walking, also think positive thoughts. There are scientific studies that back the positive thinking up. So here is to more happier days!

Yesterday's Beliefs

There has been research that points to the fact that people take in information based on how they perceive the world. Your brain creates an “auto-pilot” version of how it thinks the world should work, and sometimes you keep using it even when it’s no longer true or helpful. It also affects what you believe about yourself. These beliefs have the power to push you in certain directions that you might not have wanted to go in. You can approach it like a software development project and draw a tree diagram with yes and nos as to what is working. Just because it was true in the past, doesn’t mean it’s true today. And just because you learned something one way doesn’t mean you learned it the best way. Don’t let yesterday’s beliefs dictate the story that you live out today. This requires the sometimes uncomfortable act of taking a look at what you believe and if it works today. Some people might say that faith is something that does not change. It is absolutely necessary to look at yourself through a mirror and ask these questions to be able to survive. The world is constantly changing and the fittest will survive.

Pick Up the Phone

Social media, communication services, and mobile applications have changed the communication landscape significantly. This has even gotten the attention of researchers because many of the changes are affecting the way we live and do business. We are able to connect with each other more but there is much less interaction that is face to face. The number of text messages sent monthly in the U.S. exploded from 14 billion in 2000 to 188 billion in 2010. As a result, a whole generation is rapidly losing the social grace necessary to conduct calls. Their reasoning makes sense, at least to them - why talk on the phone when it's so easy to text/email/Hangout/Snapchat/Facebook Message. I have to admit that even I have thought along those lines when talking on the phone was feeling like a chore. What would happen in the internet went down? Would chaos break out and you would have scenes like from the Purge? It begs the question, how in the world did people survive before being online? They had to, wait for it, actually talk to other people and look them in the eye. These days, it seems like people have social issues when someone talks to them in person or calls them on the phone.

Different Tapping

Backed by $2.3 million, the San Jose, California-based startup has developed a new touchscreen technology that can detect the difference between a fingertip, a knuckle, a fingernail, and a stylus. By assigning different parts of the finger to different actions, this technology–known as FingerSense–could reduce tasks that currently require multiple steps to just one. We still use a single input–a fingertip–to operate the device. And that limits the way we use our phones. On a desktop, there’s a mouse, a right click button, a shift button, and many other inputs that serve different functions. But on the smartphone, because there’s just the fingertip, a common task like copying and pasting becomes a tedious process of tapping, holding, dragging, and selecting. Qeexo wants to finally put the smartphone on par with the desktop. The technology uses the accelerometer to detect the different vibrations created by the different parts of the hand. One of the other uses for this type of technology would come from the development of it on the body. A challenge of it is that the sensors have to specific enough to recognize the taps and it has to become intuitive and helpful in solving a problem. Otherwise, people will not adopt this new software development.

New Trends in Web Development

Mobile apps and smartphones have changed everything when it comes to developing a quality website. From the way we choose a restaurant to the way some people search for a date, mobile applications have encompassed almost every aspect of our lives. And unsurprisingly, the websites of yesteryear are beginning to disappear in favor of refined app-like experiences. In part due to the proliferation of touchscreens, mobile devices have fundamentally altered expectations for online experiences. Traditional HTML text heavy websites now look as archaic as a Ford Model-T. Faced with the sleek design and refined visual aesthetic of today's top mobile apps, web developers must adapt or fall to the wayside. This definitely goes for business professionals and owner where image is very important to keep up in order to keep your clients. One of the downsides to this redesign is that it sometimes does not mesh with the non-touchscreen devices and makes the sites harder to navigate. It seems like the hardware to slowing down when it comes to the speed of designing and innovation.

VoIP Interviewing

It is really important that you do not embarrass yourself while interviewing over VoIP services. Of course you already knew that but how exactly to go about it seems to be like solving the greatest challenge of all time. Some of the things that you can do is practice by yourself or with someone else. You can record yourself talking and then play it back to see your mannerisms or someone can give you some honest feedback. Just before the interview, make sure that all of your tech is working properly. There is nothing worse than your sound not working or the video coming in and out. Make sure that you are on time and keep up appearances. This means that even though you might be interviewed from the waist up, it is still important to put some slacks on. And as always, write a thank you note for the interview since they took time out of their day to do a video conference with you. Good luck on that next interview!

Unwritten Rules of Texting

Since texting is the main way of communication, whether it is through a mobile or business application or just the phone service providers, it is important to understand some ground rules. First of all, do not text and drive. This has been beaten to a pulp but it seems like some people still need reminding. Don't text sad or bad news, or anything private or confidential. This should be done in person only. Don't text at the dinner table (either at home or in a restaurant), in a movie theater, or when someone is talking to you. I think this seems like a no brainer but people actually whip out their phones when I or someone else was talking to them. Also it is important to be aware of the tone of the text and in case there is some confusion, add a smiley face or something along those lines. Got any more advice on how to use your texting abilities?