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With our lives tossing this way and that on a daily basis, jobs, kids, leisure activities (ok, I just had to throw that in there….) where do we find the time to get our education?

Many in this field of work, graphic and web design, are self taught. But is that enough? What about that job you just missed out on because the one who got the job, had a degree?

With the economy in the tank, we have to strive to bring to the table the absolute most that we can. We have to be on the cutting edge of new technologies, new languages, new hardware, you name it. We have to be on top of it. So where does one begin in finding the best, the most suitable learning institution?

If you're like me, you simply don't have the time and the finances to physically make your way to classes on campus each and every day, or even for 3 or 4 days a week for that matter. So in steps the online learning phenomenon. But is it right for you? Are you skeptical of online learning that you pay for? Do you feel it would benefit you in the end? Do you feel you would be able to complete the courses required to get the degree?

Let's take a look at what it takes to do well with obtaining an online education. Read and answer the questions below to get started.

• Are you a self-starter and able to keep yourself motivated?
• Are you able to stay focused on your work?
• Are you good at time management?
• Do you follow through on tasks or assignements to completion?
• Do you ask for help when needed?
• Do you work well independently?
• Do you enjoy a challenge?
• Do you enjoy reading?
• Do you have good reading comprehension skills?
• Are you a visual learner?
• Do you own a computer?
• Do you manage your time well while on the computer or do you get sidetracked easily?
• Do you have access to the Internet?
• Does your computer have word processing software?
• Do you know how to logon to the internet?
• Do you know how to use a word processing program?
• Do you know how to use email?
• Do you know how to attach and send a file through email?
• Do you know how to do Internet research?
• Do you know how to copy and paste text?
• Do you know how to download a file from a website?

If you answered yes to the majority of these questions, then you are halfway there to online learning. Everyone has their own learning style and some people are not able to learn on their own. I personally am a book learner for the most part. There have been occasions when I got stuck on something and just couldn't quite "get it" until I had someone face to face to explain it to me. Being a book learner, meaning that you can give me a book on just about anything and I can teach myself, makes me very suitable for online learning. I also love to read and have very good comprehension skills so that helps. 

Now….on the other hand, I am a HUGE procrastinator….yep. That throws a monkey wrench in the works. Discipline is not one of my better qualities. One can be the best book learner in the world, the best time manager while doing a task, the most focused person alive while completing an assignment….and it won't do a bit of good if you are such a procrastinator that you NEVER START IT! 

I guess alot of it boils down to how much you enjoy what you are doing and learning as well. If I enjoy my online learning and actually feel like I am getting somewhere, then I will stick with it until I'm done. So take some time and look at yourself, really take a long hard look. Is online learning for you or would a more disciplined physical classroom setting be more suitable?

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Continue reading »]]> I haven't been on in a while but there's a reason for that…my new android phone. Those of you who have had one for a while (not people like me who are just now stepping out of the dark ages…ha) are nodding their heads right now, thinking back to the hours and hours they spent playing around with their phone when they first got it. Kind of reminds me of when I first got a computer and went on Ebay. I would get online in the early evenings and many nights would find myself still staring at the screen and would look up at the clock to find it was already 4:30 a.m! Remember those days? 

On Valentine's Day, I got the new HTC Evo 3D.  This is an awesome phone. On the Evo 3D comes the Android operating system, and a whole new world at the Android Market. Of course I spent several days worth of hours scouring the Market and downloading apps. One of my favorite categories, the Live Wallpapers. The bells and whistles start going off in my head, and I begin to research how to create Live Wallpapers.

Here are my first two LWP's. 

This first LWP is called Vintage Hearts and has little tiny hearts and design elements floating down across the screen. It comes in a free

version as well as a paid version. The paid version allows you to control some of the settings.

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This LWP is called Royal Flush and has little spades, clubs, hearts and diamonds floating down 

across the screen. It comes in a free and paid version as well.

To go to the Android Market and get a better look, click on the images and you will go directly 

to the apps detail page.

These LWP were both created with LWP creator software. It is a start, but now I'm hooked.  Now I want to create my own apps.

After doing a little bit of research, I find that this is not quite so easy. As near as I can tell, one has to be able to program in Java in order to create apps for the Android OS. So off to the bookstore I go. Will I be able to teach myself Java? We'll see! Wish me luck!

If there are any of you out there reading this that have any suggestions or advice, post a comment below or head off to our forums, any input will be much appreciated. Have a great day!

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Learn how to create stunning artwork completely from scratch without using any photos! Steve Caplin walks you through step by step, making the learning process a piece of cake! Don't miss this one, this is a must have for your Photoshop library. I highly, highly recommend this book. Click the affiliate link below for more information and reviews.

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Continue reading »]]> With so many different hosting companies out there today, how do you choose which one is the best?

When I first began dabbling in building websites, I made all the mistakes including setting up with the wrong hosting company.

Two of the most important lessons I learned, was that I needed to hook up with a web host that had real live people on the other end of the phone, and preferably one in the same country that I reside in…(it saves a ton on long distance calls). You can have the cheapest plan around but if you can't get through to a live person in their customer service department or if you have to call overseas, that cheap hosting plan just became very expensive.

I currently use two different hosting companies of which I highly recommend each of them. To go to their site, click on the affiliate links or banners in this post.

1). Bluehost.com is where the majority of my sites as well as my clients sites are hosted. I have been with Bluehost.com now for over 7 years and have never had a complaint.

If I have ever had the need to call their tech support or customer service, I have always had my calls answered promptly and their employees are always courteous and knowledgeable. There have been several times that they even helped me with a problem that had nothing to do with their service (such as coding, etc). NOW THAT IS CUSTOMER SERVICE! 

Below, see for yourself everything they have to offer and at a very decent price.

 

 

2.) Diamond Web Hosting is my own reseller account. I have been using Diamond Web Hosting since the beginning of 2011 and have not had any problems or complaints with this company as well. 

 

Diamond Web Hosting is a little bit cheaper but I would say that  Bluehost.com has more options and bells and whistles so it just depends on what you actually need for your site. See below for more information on Diamond Web Hosting.

 

 

 

Both of these hosting providers offer many extras, 1-click installations of Joomla, WordPress, PHBB, osCommerce, and many other scripts. If you have any questions on my recommendations, feel free to post a comment or drop me an email.

 

Go to Diamond Web Hosting Now

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