Watercolor Landscapes
January 3, 2010
Watercolor on paper.
© Paul Myrick 2010, All Rights Reserved
Posted in Art / Graphic Design 
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LaptopMD Holiday Shopping List
December 13, 2009
This very informative email was received from LaptopMD.com a few days ago and the company owner, Arthur Zilberman, graciously gave me permission to republish it here. I have used LaptopMD in New York for repair and they do an excellent job with very quick turn-around. They see every kind of laptop (including the insides) so I trust their opinion. Here’s the newsletter:
Looking for a laptop this holiday season? LaptopMD owner Arthur Zilberman has a few pointers for shoppers.
The technicians at LaptopMD repair all laptop brands, so they have a keen understanding of which laptops offer the best all-around features and which models are best suited for specific needs.
For example, Arthur knows which laptops are most suitable for business travelers, and which ones will make the grade for college students.
Arthur has more than 15 years experience in computer repair and has owned Laptop MD since 2000.
LaptopMD’s Holiday Shopping List
Best All-around Laptop: Macbook Pro 13”
The Macbook Pro 13” at $1,149 offers value, style and power. Although Macs tend to be more expensive than PCs, you may save money in the long run, because it is unlikely to need repair from the virus infections that can plague PCs. The battery life has been increased by 40%, and the Macbook Pro has both speed and a sleek aluminum casing.
Best Non-Mac Laptop: Fujitsu Lifebook S7220
These laptops are brilliantly designed, with all the fans, cpus, and other internal components positioned with precision. Like the Mac, both the parts and the software are made by the same manufacturer, for a superior product, priced at $1,150.
Best Laptop for Travelers: Asus UL30A-A1
The Asus laptop offers an amazing 7-12 hours of battery life per charge. It isn’t as fast as other laptops, but its longevity is well worth the trade-off in speed. Weighing less than four pounds, this 13” laptop will fit neatly in any suitcase or briefcase. The price is also attractive: under $800.
Best Laptop for College Students: Toshiba Satellite T135-S1310, Fujitsu Lifebook A1220 or the Lenovo ThinkpadSL510
The Toshiba is a great gift for any college student. Its battery runs strong for more than six hours and it costs $700. Windows 7 comes standard on the T135 but there is no optical drive, so you will have to purchase an external CD-RW/DVD drive to watch movies.
An alternative is the mid-range laptops from Fujitsu or Lenovo with 15” screen size. Plenty of space and power for most any college user (assuming you’re studying, not playing games). Price is $750 for the Fujitsu and $500 for the Lenovo.
Best Desktop Replacement Laptop: Macbook Pro 17”
This Macbook is an alternative to a clunky desktop computer. The 17” screen with edge to edge glass is great for photo or video editing and the unibody construction make it smooth and stylish. The touchpad has multi-touch capabilities for those who are comfortable without a mouse. It has a fast processor and good graphics card, but is priced a bit higher at $2,249.
Best Budget Laptop: Asus K50IJ-RX05
Priced under $500, the Asus is a great buy with superior hardware and specs. Its 15.6” wide-screen display is more than ample for surfing the web and word processing, with enough power to satisfy your needs.
Best Laptop for the Accident-Prone: Panasonic ToughBook 30
If you or your laptop user has a history of breaking or dropping laptops, or sharing a drink with the computer, there’s a Panasonic in your future. The Panasonic tough books are built to last, which may be why the police and military often prefer these computers. They are ugly looking and bulky, and their ability to take abuse comes at a price, around $3,200.
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The worst internet banner ads I’ve seen …
November 27, 2009
… are the “Fontainbleu” ads on the San Francisco Chronicle’s site. It’s just a purple background banner with “Fontainbleu” stretched across the ad with something about Thanksgiving and holidays special deals. Then, when it is clicked on, it just goes to a blank white “reservation” page. There is no way to tell if this hotel is in Miami or Las Vegas. BAAAAD! Whatever they paid their ad agency is too much. I smell a scam ad just trying to gather credit card info.
Update to post 11/28/2009: Apparently The San Francisco Chronicle, along with other major newspapers in the country, has rolled out self-service advertising for banner ad space on their website. The self-service advertising function they offer allows users to create banner ads from pre-made graphics or users may upload custom ad designs. According to information found on sfgate.com, the self-service banner ad campaign costs start at $250.
Obviously, some non-savvy employee at the Fontainbleu hotel in Miami decided to create an amateur ad campaign on sfgate.com, which resulted in the advertising mess I saw last night.
A word to the wise: if you’re going to go the self-service route for advertising, hire a designer to create a decent ad banner that reflects your brand. Also, don’t link directly to a page on your website (from the banner ad) that gives absolutely no information about your organization. And absolutely DON’T use those amateurish pre-made ads they offer through the self-service function. Everyone has seen those ad layouts used for other businesses and they’re just plain bad.
Posted in Opinions No Comments »
My Top 10 Versions of “Santa Baby”
November 27, 2009
- Eartha Kitt (either version)
- Sheila E. (cha cha cha)
- Miss Piggy (!)
- Macy Gray (LOL!)
- Holly Cole (elegant)
- c.basinet (? aka Cynthia Basinet)
- Jane Krakowski (Broadway with Antonio Banderas)
- Lina (born in Denver!)
- Kylie Minogue (no explanation needed for gays and Europeans)
- Beegie Adair (highbrow)
Posted in Entertainment No Comments »
Excellent Real Estate Website Theme For WordPress
November 13, 2009
It’s not often I find ready-made templates for WordPress that actually impress me. However, this new premium (not free) WordPress template named “de Casa” on themeshift.com is great! Of course, the excellent stock photography shown in the demo really makes it stand out visually. The base design is very clean and simply allows whatever real estate photos are included to be center stage. If using this theme, the real estate agent should really consider having professional photography done for listed properties since any photo-warts will really be emphasized.
A few functions that really stand out in this theme are:
- inclusion of Google maps
- excellent photo gallery with pop-out image enlargement / navigation
- ability to host multiple real estate agents
A few screenshots are included here, but to try out a demo, just click on over to themeshift.com. If you are a real estate agent and would like assistance in implementing this theme, or a customized version of it, please contact me.
Thanks to the folks at webdesignledger.com for featuring this theme and bringing it to my attention.
Posted in Website Design / Development No Comments »
Remoulade Dip / Sauce Recipe
November 10, 2009
This dip / sauce is really delicious on anything: roasted potatoes, french fries, seafood, burgers or crackers. I honestly don’t remember where I found the recipe, so I can’t give credit to whoever invented it. But I really love it as a dip for grilled fresh artichokes. To prepare the artichokes, simply steam them in a big pot (1 per person for appetizer) for about 15 minutes and cut them in half. Remove the flower in the middle — it is not edible. Brush the cut sides with a bit of olive oil and place them on a hot grill for a few minutes to put grill marks on them. Dip the leaves in the sauce and enjoy. Also, the heart of the choke that remains after the leaves are all pulled off is very delicious.
Remoulade Dip / Sauce
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons creole mustard or whole grain mustard
2 tablespoons ketchup
1/2 cup finely chopped green onion
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh celery
2 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon prepared horseradish sauce
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon hot sauce
Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate, covered, for at least one hour to allow flavors to mingle.
Posted in Entertaining, Food No Comments »
Colorado Clouds for Texture / Background
November 9, 2009
Great clouds for use as graphic design texture or as backgrounds. Free for all to use with no link-back or author credit required. Download the hi-res files at Deviant Art.
Posted in Photography No Comments »
Disneyland’s California Adventure
November 8, 2009
© Paul Myrick 2009, All Rights Reserved
Posted in Photography No Comments »
Autumn Leaves Background / Texture
November 6, 2009
Great image I snapped in Denver a few days ago to use for graphic design backgrounds or textures. Free for all to use with no link-back or credit required.
Download the hi-res version for free at Deviant Art.
Posted in Photography No Comments »
Happy Halloween 2009!
October 30, 2009
© Paul Myrick 2009, All Rights Reserved
This photo was actually taken just over two years ago in a creepy midtown Atlanta basement. Sometimes one has to dig things out of the vaults! 
Posted in Art / Graphic Design No Comments »
