I treat everyone the same, regardless if they’re in need of a i-just-need-a-quick-project person or if they’re a big-time company — I’m transparent and dedicated to every project and every person. Not to say that I don’t have my favorite clients because I do. But I treat them no differently than anyone else when it comes to business. And it’s for that reason I routinely turn a customer into a client.

To me, a customer is a one-and-done interaction. Once your project is complete, you probably will never hear from them again. And there’s nothing wrong with that because regardless of their future plans, I make sure that everyone walks away happy with my work and the money they spent. Clients, on the other hand, are the ones who return — whether it be frequently, every-so-often, or in some cases, 2 years at a time!

How to Turn Customers Into Clients?

Well, for one, a successful product. The only way people will even consider returning to you for your services is that the work you have done for them was great. For them to think of you as their go-to-source for anything says that they are happy with your work and it was well worth their money. Clients will pay well for work well done.

Another thing I think they like is my transparency. I’m always open and honest about a project and my operations. If for whatever reason I cannot immediately jump on their project, I’m sure they’re well aware of it. That way they’re not anticipating a product before it’s complete. I always keep them up-to-date on their project if it’s a multi-step project. Sometimes they won’t be able to see the progress as it happens, so I drop them a line to let them know when I’ve reached an important milestone so they will know that their project is gradually nearing completion.

Another huge reason clients routinely seek me out is my feedback. If they have an idea and I can foresee a problem with its execution, I’ll tell them immediately and come up with a viable solution for them. This saves time, money, and gets the results they’re looking for. I always have clients come to me with: “What do you think about…”, “Is there a way to…”, “If I wanted to…how would that work”, and “Can you help me with…” Having clients feel I’m a knowledgeable source and someone who can help their business is another way I have, consequently, become a dependable resource for their company.

I anticipate that every customer will be a client, and when it comes to fruition, it’s a pleasing sight. So from the many projects I’ve done over the years, I can proudly say I have more clients than customers.

I needed a way to animate multiple images and divs alike, but I also needed looping functionality and additional options. So I created a simple plugin to scroll objects the way I needed them to — JWScrollLoop

JWScrollLoop is a simple script based on jQuery and the animation method. The script offers up a quick way to enable immediate scrolling right out of the box and multiple options to customize it to get more uses out of it. Below is a tutorial to get you set up, explain the parameters and what it can do for you…

Get the script

The first thing you need is, of course, get the files. You can follow along with the included .html file or you can use your own file and graphics.

• .js | .js file only
• .zip | JWorksStudios.com

Link your .js scripts

Now that you have the script, you need to link to it and a jQuery .js file. This script was created while linking to jQuery v1.8.2, so I’ll recommend that, but you should not have an issue linking to other versions of jQuery.

<script type = "text/javascript" src = "http://code.jquery.com/jquery-1.8.2.min.js"></script>
<script type = "text/javascript" src = "script/jquery-JWScrollLoop.js"></script>

Set the stage

Before you can start scrolling, you have to layout your page as you normally would. For the sake of this demo, the page will consist of a div-container and an image.

<div id="container-div" style="background: blue; width: 800px; height: 300px;">
<img id="dc1" alt="" src="images/dc1.png" />
</div>

Result somewhat similar to this

Animation script

To animate image dc1, place the line of code in your javascript section between the <script> tags

$("#dc1").scrollLoop();

And you should see something like:

So what’s happening in the function?

As you’ll see, just using the default values you will get easy animation for your object. Here are the default values and definition for the function:

function scrollLoop():
‘time’ :  5000;  – The duration it takes to complete the animation (in milliseconds).
‘offsetX’ :  1000; – The starting X-offset from the original position (in pixels; i.e., 1000px means 1000px to the right from the original position)
‘deltaX’ : -1000; – The ending X-offset from the original position (in pixels; i.e., -1000px). +value to go right, -value to go left
‘offsetY’ : 0; – The starting Y-offset from the original position (in pixels; i.e., -1000px = up from the original position)
‘deltaY’ : 0; – The ending Y-offset from the original position (in pixels; i.e., 1000px). +value to go down, -value to go up
‘position_type’ : “relative”; The positioning type of the object. Relative or Absolute. Makes a difference in where the object begins and ends.
‘play_count’ : -1; – The number of times to play the animation. -1 will play infinitely.

Let’s highlight what’s going on.

• From the original position of the image, we offset it on the X-axis to the position where we want it to start. By default, the offset is +1000px which means the image will start 1000 pixels to the right of its original position. Conversely, if we wanted it to start 300 pixels to the left of its original position, we would pass -300px.
• deltaX is the ending position from the original position, not the start position, which is offsetX.
• Setting offsetY and deltaY to 0px makes sure that A) the image starts at the original Y-position and B) it will end on the same Y-position, which means we’ll get a straight trajectory (in this case, right to left).
• position_type. This is an important variable to get the image to do what you want it to. One MUST be set and by default it’s relative. Changing it to absolute positioning allows more control over where your object ultimately ends up on the screen.

The the other values should be self explanatory. If not, play around with them to get a better understanding on how the function works. As a matter of fact…

Let’s have some fun

Let’s make some changes to the function to show the different effect you can get. At the moment we have the image moving right to left on a flat plane. Let’s add a new function to the mix that will go in the opposite direction and go from bottom to top. And while we’re at it, let’s modify the function for dc1 to speed the cloud up to a more realistic pace…

In the section where you have the image dc1 displayed, input an image tag (pointing to the same directory) and have it target the image dp1.png. Also, make sure the id is dp1, too.

<div id="container-div" style="background: blue; width: 800px; height: 300px;">
<img id="dc1" alt="" src="images/dc1.png" />
<img id="dp1" alt="" src="images/dp1.png" />
</div>

Now, add another line of code in the javascript area with our new adjustments…

$("#dc1").scrollLoop({'time':1000});
$("#dp1").scrollLoop({'time':10000,'offsetX':-600,'deltaX':600,'offsetY':200,'deltaY':-300});

And let’s also hide the new image until it enters the boundaries of our giant blue box by adding an overflow: hidden value to the exisiting div, container.

<div id="container-div" style="background: blue; width: 800px; height: 300px; overflow: hidden;">

Wrapping up…

The main power of this script is to allow infinite or finite plays of the animation in a quick and simple way. It doesn’t just work with images other elements. Crappy graphics aside, if you use your imagination, this can be used to spruce up your web designs with ease. The .js has another function that allows you to customize all of the object’s css properties by way of passing arrays. It has default values too so play around with it and you can come up with some unique effects.

Hopefully you like it and pass it on. Take it, tweak it, pass it on.

<html>
<head>
<script type = "text/javascript" src = "http://code.jquery.com/jquery-1.8.2.min.js"></script>
<script type = "text/javascript" src = "script/jquery-JWScrollLoop.js"></script>
</head>
<body>
<div id="container-div" style="background: blue; width: 800px; height: 300px; overflow: hidden;">
<img id="dc1" alt="" src="images/dc1.png" />
<img id="dp1" alt="" src="images/dp1.png" />
</div>
<script type = "text/javascript">
$("#dc1").scrollLoop({'time':1000});
$("#dp1").scrollLoop({'time':10000,'offsetX':-600,'deltaX':600,'offsetY':200,'deltaY':-300});
</script>
</body>
</html>


If you have either Twitter or Google+, you can contact me for projects, queries, or also stay linked for new information on deals and things I will be doing in regards to JWorks Studios.

Twitter: @JWorksStudios

Google+: JWorks Studios

Yes, this is real. And no, that’s not my arm.

Well, I had to write something…

But of course, me being me, I’ve already decided I’m gonna be modding the hell out of it immediately. Stock, it comes with Android 2.2 Froyo and I’m looking for something better.

Motorola has no plans to release updates for it, so it’s up to the Android community of developers to create custom ROMs to help with my dilemma. And without a doubt, they have years ago (which is why I chose Android).

I’ve been checking out the internet and lots of talk has led me to the guys at Android Forums.

Currently there has been a lot of buzz about CyanogenMod 9 (CM9), essentially Android 4.0.x. From its infancy it was said to be very stable and rich, but at the moment of me writing this, there is still work to be done. The only feature missing that is preventing me from choosing CM9 is the camera isn’t working right now. Yeah, that’s pretty much it. But once that’s fixed I’ll flash CM9.

But for now my problem now is deciding which custom ROM to use for my phone? I’ve narrowed it down to two: MIUI (by isaacj87) and CM7-TG-Reloaded (Tweak of CyanogenMod 7, by Whyzor), both are 2.3.x (Android Gingerbread).

From my research, both of them are great. I’ve seen them both in action on YouTube, seen benchmark tests, read up on them and it really comes down to preference. To me, CM7 appeals to the power user in me with a ton of easy access, low-level customizations. It’s not heavily skinned at all and lends itself to a do-it-yourself visual customization. Still cool though. As for MIUI, it separates itself by coming at you with a sleek visual punch! It has a lot of different transition effects, a nifty interface, and usage customizations. Both ROMs are by default purpose-built to increase efficiency and improve the functionality of the stock ROM, and the both do that.

The community itself is split but not really split. They have chosen sides, but they also respect the ROM that they didn’t ultimately choose, too. Me, myself, I’ll be test driving all three: Stock, CM7 and then MIUI. That’s part of the fun of an open community of enthusiasts, there are always a plethora of options and innovations.

I’ll be keeping score when I start to get my feet wet so (if one day somebody happens upon this blog) someone can know I was here!

As a techie for multiple years, I’ve come to understand the importance of  backing up all of my valuable work on external drives. And when it comes to personal stuff like pictures and videos, we always hold on to the notion of “well, I have a good computer, I shouldn’t be worried about losing my stuff”. Wrong. WRONG!

This is technology we’re talking about, people, IT WILL FAIL US! So what did I do when one of my backup computers refused to boot? Well I always have a solution to everything, so I took the hard drive out and used it as an external hard drive. Well, what did I do when I attempted to use my backup drive as an external storage unit…BUT IT DIDN”T WORK?! When I double-click it it says the hard drive needs to be formatted before it can be used. No, NO! Not an option for me.

I attempted to run a check disk and repair on my external drive F: ( Run > cmd > chkdsk f: /r ), but half way through it kept running into errors. But I did find a solution that repaired my hard drive and made it accessible and bootable again.

Acronis Disk Director Home. I downloaded the demo version of this program from Download.com. To see if it actually recognized my hard drive the way it said it did, I right clicked on my external drive and selected “browse files” and what do you know, it did show my file folders and listed the actual files. But of course, at this point they are still inaccessible. But that’s ok. The fact that my files can be read gave me hope that they are still recoverable.

So I right clicked on the external drive and selected “check”. After an hour or so, it was completed with no stoppage, no errors, and a success message. I restarted my computer and what do you know, the drive worked! When I plugged it in the auto-run options come up!…But there’s nothing there. When I tried to open the folder it says “Drive not accessible, Permission not granted.” But that made me extremely happy because permission not granted only means that I have to grant permission to files on the hard drive to myself. Simple as that!

So yes, I was able to make a hard drive that wouldn’t boot and was not accessible as an external hard drive work again thanks to the Acronis Disk Director Home edition. It was just the demo version but it did the job perfectly and easily. This is one piece of software that works and that’s why I recommend it.

Acronis website. Consider purchasing the full version license.

Downloaded from free from Download.com

It’s no secret that the MLB winter meetings are the buzz of sports radio right now whether your team is good or bad or even if you don’t like baseball. But it’s also no secret that a lot of the focus of the baseball world is trained on the workings of the Texas Rangers.

The big mega-deals that everybody hopes to see on days such as this are in a holding pattern because the most exciting moves will happen once the Texas Rangers make their decisions. The Texas Rangers have their hands in a lot of potential deals right now (or at least speculations by so-called “insiders”). Most notably, everybody is waiting to see if the Rangers will come to terms and secure the most intriguing, baffling, frustrating and sought after free agent of this year, Josh Hamilton. The Rangers’ decision on Josh has a gigantic trickle effect on the rest of the league. It’s no secret that many team covet the guy, but it’s up to the Rangers to make a deal or  move on from the puzzling phenom. And that’s what the rest of the league is waiting on. Once that piece falls into place, everything else will start to take shape and teams will know where they stand.

Not only is the whole Josh Hamilton decision taking most of the league hostage, it’s necessary — But admit it, you love the anticipation and speculation. It is necessary though because that decision is vital to what the Rangers do from that point on. If they do secure Josh, then other teams know that he is off of the market and will go ahead to try and get everybody else on their Christmas list. If they don’t then the Rangers will pull the trigger on some other deals.

It’s been speculated (there goes that word again) that the Rangers are interested in Arizona Diamondback’s OF Justin Upton. Yes, Justin Upton, brother of B.J. Upton, no relation to Kate Upton (OMG!) (<< Don’ t blame me if your search settings are set to unfiltered…) Anywho in addition to that, the Rangers have been interested in Cy Young winner Zack Greinke. But of course with all good players, multiple teams are interested. It’s far fetched to think that the Rangers can get all of them or even possibly two of them, but the Rangers are major players in all of these potential deals, and why they weigh their options and talk to whom it may concern, the rest of the league is waiting patiently…And there’s no guarantee that anything should happen this week either, it’s not like it’s a deadline or anything, HA!

Image Credits: ESPN.com

Photoshop

Fresh off of the Photoshop canvas is the new album cover design for The Story of My Life. The cd cover is a graphic one, but awesome nonetheless. It features an old book, bible-like, with gold foil lettering and slightly distressed cover. The book sits on a wooden table texture. Noticeably you’ll see splattered stains which gives the view an understanding of the theme of the album. Parental advisory tops it off.

My new custom WordPress theme, JWorks Studios v6, is up and running.

I created this theme to match my website’s new theme (also called v6) so that when visitors go from JWorks Studios to the WordPress blog, it looks seamless.

Some of the features of this WordPress theme are a multi-view homepage where I can have the latest and greatest post as the dominant post alone at the top of the page OR have the posts that would normally be in a list to actually rotate, similar to the animated rotation that I have on the homepage of my new website’s design.

Well I’ve done it, finally. Version 6 of the JWorks Studios website design is live. Next, I believe I will create a matching theme for the blog. I want to try some new things and see how they work out…