Throwback baseball jerseys are a connection between current day baseball players and those players who played decades – or in some case centuries – ago.

Today’s modern baseball jersey’s are certainly full of glitz, glamor and color. Today’s player wears a baseball jersey that is designed by a graphic designer and produced by a complicated computer aided machine that guarantees the baseball jersey will have great color, great design and great appeal to both the baseball player and to adoring fans who are certain to want to buy the jersey.

Throwback Baseball Jerseys

Throwback jerseys were first made popular by Major League Baseball. Teams took the field in traditional baseball jerseys from bygone eras,
and also wore baseball jerseys that were only worn in other leagues such as the Negro Baseball League, etc. It didn’t take long for these old style baseball jerseys to catch on with both the players and the fans.

These vintage sports jerseys are very popular with people across the world. In fact, many of the throwback baseball jerseys purchased world wide are purchased by people who live in Japan and other Asian countries. Baseball is a popular sport in Japan and that popularity has carried over into the ecommerce of throwback baseball jerseys!

OK, here it is. Technology *can* make life simpler. Here’s a brief video I made about how to sync your Gmail account with your desktop email client. In this case, since I use Mozilla Thunderbird, this video shows you how to sync with Thunderbird. But the exact same technique and instructional page also shows you how to sync with Outlook or several other popular email clients.

Your life. Made simpler. Glad I could help out.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t have any interest in the new “Places” feature on Facebook. What I know for certain is that I don’t want my friends (or foes) checking me into places, legitimately or otherwise.

I put together a very short screen cast video showing you how to disable this feature on your Facebook account. I hope some of you find it helpful.

It’s time for a change at 1955 Design. A new look is on the way, under development, in the works, being completed, in the process … you get the picture.

I have decided to incorporate the Genesis Theme Framework into my own website. Stop back soon to see how it looks!

As I noted in a previous article, I have not had good luck at all looking for project prospects using Craigslist. I have found this to be true even when I have seen what appear to me to be legitimate advertisements for web design services. By legitimate I simply mean that the ads are well thought out, present what appears to be a comprehensive review of the needs of the project, etc.

My Personal Favorite Craiglist Ad

I have a WordPress site and need a form fixed on it using javascript. Should take 5 minutes for someone to fix it.

Fairly regularly I see an ad like this on Craigslist. They vary in terms of the choice of words, but essentially what the ad says to me is as follows: “I don’t have any idea how to fix a problem that I have determined to be simple to fix. Even though I have no idea if the problem will be easy or difficult to fix, I am reporting to you that the problem is so easy to correct that I will pay you essentially nothing to take on this project.”

Usually these ads then ask for a resume to be submitted, a portfolio to be made available and references to be checked.

Don’t even try.

Creating a professional presence on Twitter is important to the success and branding of your social media efforts. While it is impossible to address even a tiny portion of the various techniques and approaches in this article, I do think it is possible to highlight some simple ways to make your Twitter account more professional.

What is the purpose of your Twitter account?

How do you see yourself using your Twitter account? Do you intend to use it to connect with friends and family, or is it a business tool to connect with clients or potential customers?

If your Twitter use will be predominantly for personal use, then you can probably stop reading this article now. But if Twitter is going to be used as a business tool you may want to read on.

1. Get a custom background

A professional appearance starts with a custom Twitter background. Not only does a custom background help brand your business, but it can be used to show a wealth of information that is not possible to display simply using your Twitter profile information. A great example of a custom background can be found at Chris Brogan’s Twitter page.

2. Use a personal photo of yourself

It’s generally agreed that a personal photo, rather than a business logo, is the best image to use for your Twitter business account. The photo you choose does not have to be a professional studio shot, but rather a nice photo showing you in a personal way. Depending on the type of business you have this photo can take many forms. You are the best judge of the image you wish to present. Choose a personal photo that fits how you want others to perceive you.

People love to establish relationships on Twitter and it’s hard to establish a relationship with a business logo, but it’s easy to establish a relationship with a personal photo.

3. Use your phone number

Real businesses – even those who conduct all their business online – have a phone number. Make certain that you include it somewhere in your Twitter profile, or at the very least in your custom Twitter background image.

4. List your email address

Ditto for an email address. Make certain there is an easy way for clients or customers to contact you. List your email address in your Twitter profile or in your custom background image.

I think it’s best to use a separate email account for your Twitter contact. Fortunately, services like Gmail make it easy to have a secondary email address for your Twitter account.

5. Be careful with your Tweets

Those who choose to follow you on Twitter do so for a reason. In order to establish a trusting relationship you need to make certain that your Tweets are professional and appropriate. Assume everything that you Tweet will be saved forever because it undoubtedly will be.

Interact regularly with your followers, but choose your words wisely.

6. Tweet regularly

Your followers want to hear from you. That’s why they signed on to follow your Tweets. But don’t overdue it. Each situation is different, but make certain you don’t Tweet to the point of being obnoxious. Your followers want to hear from you – but only so often! The frequency is up to you.

7. Only follow people that you are truly interested in

You and I both know that it’s not possible to follow thousands of people on Twitter. There simply is no way to stay current with that many people. Although it might be cool to follow 3,000 people, I think most of us recognize that a number like that is really meaningless in terms of relationship building. Keep it real. Follow only those people who interest you and with whom you have time to establish a social media relationship.

I hope these suggestions will be of some help as you establish your Twitter presence. As always, please leave a comment and let me know what things you do as part of your Twitter strategy.

I understand that Craiglist is a major website that tens of thousands of people have successfully completed transactions on. My experience using Craig’s List has been less than effective.

On a regular basis I visit Craigslist to see what type of web development and web design projects are available. Quite regularly I respond to the advertisements. In many cases my skill set fits exactly what the client is looking for. Exactly. As of today I have yet to get one single return call or email from any job posting I have ever responded to on Craig’s List.

Perhaps my prices are too high. Perhaps my skill set is less than I think it is. Whatever the case, it’s becoming quite apparent to me that Craig’s List is never going to produce a single client for 1955 Design.

What has your experience been?

I waited patiently to get my invitation to Google Wave. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, my Google Wave invitation came. Like a child on Christmas Day I followed the link and got Wave up and running. “Here we go”, I thought. Time to move into the next generation of email and collaboration tools.

Wow, was I disappointed. Quite frankly, I just don’t get it. And I don’t see what the big fuss is. I’ll be the first to admit that I haven’t used Wave for long, but quite frankly I am underwhelmed. I was expecting something that was going to knock me off my feet. Perhaps my expectations were too high. Perhaps the fact that this is Beta software still under development is a factor. Perhaps the fact that I just don’t full understand Wave’s capabilities is also a factor. But I just don’t see what all the hype was about. Heck, I see big names in the tech industry like Chris Brogan are Tweeting the same thing.

Like much of the world, I just love Google. I love Gmail, Analytics, Webmaster Tools, Google Apps, Google Docs. You name it, I love it. And I thought I would have the save reaction to Wave. But not to this point.

For anyone interested, I do have several Google Wave invitations left to pass on to others. If you would like one of those invitations, leave a comment below asking for one and I will send it your way.

What has your experience been with Google Wave? What am I missing? Please enlighten me!

Photo courtesy of Duncan Rawlinson

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Social media affords all of us options, opportunities and just plain fun that we would not have in it’s absence. At least that’s how I feel about how social media impacts my life. Here are a bunch of reasons I am thankful for social media.

Are you thankful for social media? Or do you think it’s much ado about nothing? Please leave a comment and let me know what it is about social media that you are thankful for.  Or, in the alternative, let me know why you are not a big fan of social media.

1. It’s free to use!
2. It’s fun.
3. It allows me yet another way to interact with friends and family.
4. The ability to help others is enhanced with social media connections.
5. I can meet people from around the world.
6. I learned new things every day.
7. Hopefully, I share some new knowledge every day, too.
8. I love to write and social media affords me one more opportunity to do so.
9. Sharing photos and videos is easy.
10. Getting answers to my questions occurs almost instantly.
11. Breaking news reports come instantly from people on the scene.
12. I can market my small business and improve my earning potential.

After using Windows based PCs for twenty years or more, I finally made the switch to a MacBook Pro last month. For someone who has spent 14 hours a day using a Windows PC for the last decade, the learning curve was a bit steep on the changeover. But having given it a chance now for about three weeks I am prepared to say that I officially love the new MacBook.

Here’s six reasons why:

• #1 No fan or other blowing noise. The aluminum case is not only awesome to look at, and substantial to the touch, but it acts as a heat sink to remove heat from the unit. What a marvelous idea, rather than surrounding those hot parts with a plastic case that does nothing but hold in the heat.
• #2 It looks cool. This might not be a very articulate reason, but you can’t deny it’s true, can you?
• #3 The battery life rocks. Over seven hours, depending of course on just what you are demanding of the computer in terms of your software. Relatively speaking, however, it can’t be beat.
• #4 It has a backlit keyboard. Enough said.
• #5 It’s fast. I don’t really know that much about gigahertz or megahertz and all that speed jazz. What I do know is that this MacBook is fast. And it’s smooth. It’s hard for me to describe what I mean by smooth other than when you experience it you know what it means. Windows open fast and crisp. None of the choppy behavior that I had come to know, and accept, on my Windows machines.
• #6 The MagSafe power cord and connection. What a great idea. A power cord that attaches by magnet, and not by plug. As a result, anyone tripping on your power cord at a coffee shop or an airport doesn’t cause your laptop to come crashing down to the floor. Rather, the MagSafe cord just slips off. Marvelous idea indeed!

I never thought I would make the switch. But I have and I am darn glad I did. In my estimation there is just an intangible feel to the MacBook. I can’t quite describe it. It simply feels, and acts, more substantial and is much quicker. It’s got a good feel. I know I can’t convince anyone else but myself. But I’m convinced!

Photo couresty of Mac User’s Guide

Face it. Everyone has a blog. You know you want one too, don’t you?

But the process seems so complicated. Where do you start? Do you host the blog at a third party site, or purchase your own domain name and host your own blog? What’s the first step? How do I decide? Once I decide, how do I being to install or configure my new blog?

Step back and forget about the details. I can help you with your new blog. Regardless of your needs, I can assist you in acquiring your domain name, setting up your new blog, configuring your database, installing blog themes, customizing a blog theme … you get the picture.

Why not contact me today to see how I can help. I promise not to bite and to always be honest with my pricing and my work. I treat people fairly, just as I like to be treated. You’ve got nothing to lose by contacting me and seeing how I can help you.

Like Nike says, “Just do it!”.

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Update: I am sad to report that Noah died several days before Thanksgiving. Many thanks to everyone worldwide who sent more than one million Christmas cards to Noah prior to his death.

The five year old son of a friend of mine is in the very last stage of Nueroblastoma Cancer. Noah has been battling this cancer for 2 1/2 years. The family is celebrating Christmas six weeks early and will be having their celebration next week for the obvious reason that can go unstated here.

Noah’s request is to get “lots of Christmas cards”. Let’s all do a good thing and send Noah a card. Please pass this information on through any means possible, be it Twitter or Facebook or any other choice of social media. We can make a small difference in the life of a child and help provide him with a great early Christmas.

Thanks for sending a card and for spreading the word. Let’s really show Noah that we care!

Send cards to:

Noah Biorkman

1141 Fountain View Circle

South Lyon, MI 48178

USA

I was not disappointed. Just learning how the files are managed on the Mac operating system was a struggle. Transferring over all of my files, archived email and the like was a large project, just as it always is when moving to a new computer.

One of the reasons I acquired this new Mac was because of the superior video capabilities and video editing features that Mac’s have as part of their standard software package. So just today I clicked on the “iMovie” icon for the first time. You’re looking at the result. Not very pretty, is it?

My apologies in advance for placing this video here for all to see. Remember, though, I have to start somewhere and I guess this is the place.

ProBlogger.net is a very successful and lucrative website that Aussie Darren Rowse has developed over the years.  That got me thinking: why not AmateurBlogger.net?

While following a series of Tweets sent by  Chris Brogan while attending  BlogWorld Expo I came upon one that mentioned the domain name AmateurBlogger.net. You can see the Twitter message for yourself.

I am looking for great ideas on how to successfully market and develop this domain. If you have some ideas about how to develop AmateurBlogger.net please contact me to discuss it?

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What is an RSS Feed? The popularity of blogs and other “content fresh” websites has made it difficult to follow all of the new updates from each of your favorite websites. Or has it? Using a technique called Really Simple Syndication, or RSS, fresh content can be automatically pushed to you for your review.

Rather than visit each of these websites daily to see what’s new, you can arrange to have all of the updates consolidated in one location for easy review. Great idea, eh? That’s what an RSS feed can do for you.
An RSS feed is an automated list of the new material added to a blog or other website. By subscribing to the feed that the website offers you can have all the latest content delivered directly to you.

We’ve all seen the familiar (usually orange) RSS feed image like the one shown to the right. That image indicates that the content of the website you are visiting is available as an RSS feed. And that means you have the ability to get automated content from that website. Cool.

What? How do I subscribe to a Feed Reader?

There are many feed readers or aggregators available. A few of the most popular are:

• Google Reader
• My Yahoo
• Bloglines

Once you have signed up for one of these services, simply go to the website you want to follow and click on the RSS subscribe button. These buttons are usually located prominently on the website page, but can also be found in the address bar of your browser.

After you have your feed reader ready to go, visit your favorite website to see if it has a feed. You’ll see a feed icon in your browser’s address bar like this:

As an alternative, you will often see the familar RSS image link placed prominently on the web page. You can either click the icon in the address bar or the image icon on the page. Either link should allow you to access the feed reader for the website.

It’s really that easy. Subscribe to one of the feed reader services, visit your favorite site, click the mouse on the RSS feed button and let the good times roll. Your life just got simpler. And that’s a good thing.

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As a self employed individual, I am faced with many of the same challenges that other freelancers are. One of those challenges is health/medical/dental insurance. Several months ago I set out to try and locate a low cost dental insurance alternative as my wife was facing a costly dental procedure and I was looking for some ways to manage that cost.

After doing considerable research and comparison shopping, I finally settled on www.DentalPlans.com as my choice. They offer many different plans, with varying costs and benefit structure, and I was able to find one that seemed to be appropriate for our needs.

As a self employed individual, I am faced with many of the same challenges that other freelancers are. One of those challenges is health/medical/dental insurance. Several months ago I set out to try and locate a low cost dental insurance alternative as my wife was facing a costly dental procedure and I was looking for some ways to manage that cost.

After doing considerable research and comparison shopping, I finally settled on www.DentalPlans.com as my choice. They offer many different plans, with varying costs and benefit structure, and I was able to find one that seemed to be appropriate for our needs.

After signing up and paying a modest yearly fee, I was provided with documentation and a dentist list in my area. Finding a dentist was no problem whatsoever, as I was in the process of finding a new dentist as my lifeong dentist had recently retired. I settled on Dr. Nicole Leigh of Rochester Hills, Michigan and made a preliminary vist to their office. Just as www.DentalPlans.com had told me, Dr. Leigh’s office accepted my plan and provided me with their fee schedule. I about fell out of my shoes to find out that the procedure that had been schedule to cost $1,500.00 at my wife’s dentist could be done at Dr. Leigh’s office for roughly half price.

In fact, since that time I have had routine dental exams and work done by Dr. Leigh. I am pleased to report that my payment for her service is now less than what I used to pay when I had a 50/50 dental plan with Delta Dental. Imagine that – I now have a dental insurance alternative that is even better than my old (and very popular) insurance.

If you or anyone you know is looking for a dental insurance alternative I highly recommend DentalPlans.com and suggest you give them a look. Also – I am delighted with Dr. Leigh and her staff. If you are local to the Rochester, Michigan area please consider her for your dental needs.

After signing up and paying a modest yearly fee, I was provided with documentation and a dentist list in my area. Finding a dentist was no problem whatsoever, as I was in the process of finding a new dentist as my lifeong dentist had recently retired. I settled on Dr. Nicole Leigh of Rochester Hills, Michigan and made a preliminary vist to their office. Just as www.DentalPlans.com had told me, Dr. Leigh’s office accepted my plan and provided me with their fee schedule. I about fell out of my shoes to find out that the procedure that had been schedule to cost $1,500.00 at my wife’s dentist could be done at Dr. Leigh’s office for roughly half price.

In fact, since that time I have had routine dental exams and work done by Dr. Leigh. I am pleased to report that my payment for her service is now less than what I used to pay when I had a 50/50 dental plan with Delta Dental. Imagine that – I now have a dental insurance alternative that is even better than my old (and very popular) insurance.

If you or anyone you know is looking for a dental insurance alternative I highly recommend www.DentalPlans.com and suggest you give them a look. Also – I am delighted with Dr. Leigh and her staff. If you are local to the Rochester, Michigan area please consider her for your dental needs.

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Consistency is good. So is change. What’s better, change or consistency?

I decided that it was time to change the look of the 1955 Design website. After some considerable thought, and viewing thousands of other wesites and seeing what I liked best (and least) about them, I finally designed a new WordPress theme to control my website.

It’s fresh, clean, contemporary, professional and most of all avoids the clutter that often litters other websites. To be honest, my old theme was littered with this clutter and I am glad to have streamlined it a bit.

What do you think of the new theme?

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Happy Holidays! My best wishes to everyone in this holiday season. May you and your families be happy, healthy and safe!

Although the post below is sad, and the link to which it refers you is even sadder, I thought it appropriate to republish it on Christmas day. When I re-read the story of Andy Olmstead I am saddened greatly. But reading Andy’s words always forces me to put life in perspective.

I think we all need to put things in perspective from time to time. I hope you agree.

The original post …

I read a lot of blogs. Web design blogs, political blogs, news blogs, graphic design blogs, blogs about blogs. You get the idea. It’s not very often I read a blog post that stops me in my tracks. Today I read one such blog post.

Andy Olmstead was a blogger. He was also a United States soldier serving in Iraq. Andy wrote wrote articles for a blog called Obsidian Wings.

Recognizing his own mortality, and the potential for an early death, Andy wrote his final blog post and left it in the hands of a trusted friend. Needless to say, it was only to be published in the event of his death.

It is with great sorrow that I offer the link to Andy’s final blog post. Andy was killed on January 3, 2008.

Politics aside, the world was a better place because Andy Olmstead lived in it. Iraq was a better place because Andy Olmstead served there. The world is a lesser place because Andy Olmstead is gone. My condolences to Andy’s wife, family and friends. It’s a sad day.

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I have a friend who is having some bandwidth stolen, so I am trying to modify his .htaccess file to stop the theft. I think I finally have the problem solved.

Here is the code I included in his .htacess file to prevent bandwidth theft from outside websites:

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} !^http://(.+\.)?vintagerotaryphones\.com/ [NC]
RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} !^$
RewriteRule .*\.(jpe?g|gif|bmp|png|wav)$ /images/nohotlink.jpe [L]

That being said, here is the link to the wav file that is being stolen. Give it a click and see how it works. I think it will solve the problem.

I stumbled upon this music video at YouTube yesterday. I was startled at the beauty of David Sides rendition of One Republic’s (Say) All I Need – Piano Cover.

I hope you enjoy it half as much as I do.