AgroKrag Graphic Design/Illustration, Web Design, Web Marketing

As the 9-5 becomes unstable at best across industries, people everywhere are searching for ways to make some extra money. If your smart, you’ll strongly consider putting some aside as well, because it’s very likley that you could be joining your buddy in the unemployment line.

With the economy in the shitter, and pink slips being handed out left and right, where are we going to find extra income? Well, that’s were marketing and design professionals truly have an advantage. Freelance. If your good at what you do, this is like free money for you. Freelancing can be anywhere from creating a few logos here and there, to putting together a friends website, or even taking on clients for larger jobs in the weekend. If your passionate about your work, you should love doing these extra jobs. Remember, as you brand others you brand yourself. The more you put in the more you get in return.

If the economy sucks, isn’t there going to be less projects for freelancers? Not neccesarily. Think about it, people want to save money. Budges will be cut, leaving the big agency projects to freelancers to snatch up. Sure, clients will want more for their money, but remember.. it’s free money. All your doing is putting in a few hours into your career, while padding your wallet at the same time.

“The browser will become the equivalent of an operating system” – Wired Magazine

The begining of a new computing era began today, September 2nd 2008, as Google releases the soft beta of it’s new browser, Google Chrome.  Released to the public early, due to a leak of the 32 page comic book story of the browsers development, Google Chrome is the software giants attempt to make cloud computing the next reality of the internet age.

As Wired magazine explains – “the coming era of cloud computing, the Web will be much more than just a means of delivering content — it will be a platform in its own right.”

What this means is that Google wants its users, which potentially is the entire globe, to be connected to all of their bookmarks, spreadsheets, documents, and files wherever they go.  No need to carry around a flash drive, just enter your google username and password and access your file instantly.

This is a very interesting, yet slightly scary, move.  Scary because of the amount of money this browser will make for Google by allowing this new browser to string together all pieces of the web that Google has helped create.

Cloud computing will become a reality, its just a matter of time.  Weither or not Chrome is the invention that delivers it is yet to be seen.

To read more about Google Chrome and get a first look at the browser and it’s capabilities, read this article.

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In a few weeks, I will be taking my 4th graphic design class as part of the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston’s Graphic Design Certificate program  Thus far, the options for the electives that I am to choose from have been mostly the basics; Introduction to Adobe Illustrator, Introduction to Adobe Photoshop, Introduction to Web Design, Ptography, etc.  Which is great, but expected.  Finally, they switched it up this semester and added “Dynamic Web Design” to their program.  I have to say that I am very excited, as this class is discribed – “For students who want to create sophisticated, dynamic applications and Web sites. We will focus on designing and programming in Flash and will explore the power of combining Flash with JavaScript, XML (Extensible Markup Language), and PHP scripting language to create advanced Web applications that offer total design control and animation capabilities.”

Sounds challenging, but great to me.  Lack of time mixed with lack of self-motivation has enabled me from ever properly learning Flash, and as a Web Designer,  Dynamic Web Design seemed like the perfect class to  take next step.

What should I expect?  Does anyone have any insight or suggestions on the topic of Dynamic Web Design?