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Tag, You’re It

Microsoft® Tag is a superset of Quick Response (QR) codes. Although Tag provides the same basic function as standard black and white QR codes, it’s a lot more flexible and offers a number of advantages.

One of the obvious differences between Tag barcodes and standard QR codes is that Tag barcodes can be customized and full color, as well a black and white. Tag barcodes are eye-catching. For a quick video showing how Tag can be used, first download the Tag app using your smartphone and scan the Tag on the right.
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Stop SOPA/PIPA

January 18, 2012 / C. Blaise Mitsutama / Comments Off

This post will be visible at the top of this blog through the end of January.

I believe in protection of rights in authorship for people who create or own rights to original content in any media, and I also believe in the openness of the Internet that allows appropriate sharing of that information. Copyright law is already in place, but the protections offered by the current law aren’t always sufficient to prevent financial losses or dilution of value in intellectual property.

Nevertheless, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), also known as House Bill 3261 or H.R. 3261 and the Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA) take the wrong approach to supporting copyright owners, and offer solutions that can potentially cripple the Internet as we know it today. Even though SOPA has been delayed, PIPA will be considered tomorrow and I’m sure that this issue is not dead. Online piracy is a real issue that affects all content producers, including this site, and as an author of content, I’m concerned not only that someone may steal and benefit from my work but that I may inadvertently misuse the content of others. As stated on the U.S. Copyright Office site:

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Perfect Pitch – Guy Kawasaki on PowerPoint

January 14, 2012 / C. Blaise Mitsutama / Comments Off

Microsoft PowerPoint presentations are often ridiculed as pedantic and redundant. Frequently, these presentations consist of bullet points that are simply read aloud by the presenter. The PowerPoint slides are used like flash cards rather than egaging participants or adding value.

There are more effective ways to use PowerPoint, and I plan to present creative options on this blog. One of the first is an article by Guy Kawasaki, former chief evangelist at Apple, innovator, and venture capitalist. He lays out 11 topic slides and their relative importance in a pitch to potential investors.

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To Meet Your Deadlines, Begin at the End

January 10, 2012 / C. Blaise Mitsutama / Comments Off

The information in this article may be old news for some readers, but every now and then it’s a good idea to refresh the fundamentals. Experienced professionals are familiar with the practice of planning backwards, but I’m constantly surprised at how rarely this very useful method is used. I frequently use this process to inform project managers how many days before the final deadline I need to receive files, and/or to negotiate with them what can be done within the available time.

If you want to add this skill to your toolkit, here’s how . . .

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