What technology can't you live without?

Sometimes when I need a break during the day (and slapball is not an option) I float on over to CNet.com. They review all kinds of tech items and report on new technologies coming out (anyone see their coverage of the iPhone 3.0 software??). One part of the site that I always liked was called "Show Us Yours" (http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-10167_7-5503026-1.html). They haven't updated it in years, but it always intrigued me. Normal people showed the technologies that they use everyday, what keeps them going. I always wanted to submit my tech arsenal, but never got around to it. So here it goes:

I bought this laptop almost two years ago, August 2007 I believe. Yes, its very small, but powerful enough for even some of the most power hungry programs. The best part is how small it is. It weighs just under 4 pounds and is as powerful as one of those desktop beasts. I chose this as opposed to have a beast-ful desktop and a laptop on the side, this way when I'm away from my desk, I still have everything with me.

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Okay, so yes the laptop is small, but a 13.3" screen for everyday use would kill my eyes. That's why when I'm at my desk, the laptop is closed and it works just like a desktop. Hook up a 20" monitor, full keyboard, mouse and speakers and you would never know the difference. Need to run out somewhere, just grab the laptop and its back to super mobile. Definitely a great feature!

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Some people are addicted to their Blackberry's, for me it's the iPhone. I swear I am literally addicted to this thing, anyone who spends 15 minutes with me can definitely confirm this. (I even think that my iPhone is vibrating even when it's not, called Phantom Vibrated or Rigxiety... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ringxiety). The best feature has to be the web-browser. Its full fledged HTML rendering is great for when you need to log in to SIDEARM for a last minute change and don't have a computer near by (one of the best things about SIDEARM for me is that it's mostly text based, loads really fast on the iPhone).

So there you go, that's what keeps me running on an everyday basis. Feel free to comment, let us know what you use everyday and just can't live without!

-David

It's March Madness... Check Out Those Graphics!

Now, I have to admit that I'm not as much of a sports fanatic as the rest of my co-workers. While they can all rattle off the stats of their favorite teams of allegiance at a moments notice, for me it's not about who wins but whether it was a great game to watch. This is why I love March Madness. Buzzer-beaters and upsets, hopes dashed and dreams made. For me this is what sports are all about. The epic finale. All the hard work coming down to one final moment of truth. Who's truly the better team?

That, and the graphics!

It might sound crazy, but while all of you are pausing your DVR's to check the ref's eye on that last foul, I'm pausing it to take a closer look at the effect they used on that logo you didn't even notice. I find myself sitting and staring at paused commercial screens saying things to my wife like: "See how they're using a glare and a slight shadow there to make it look glossy!!" or "Wow, that's a really nice glow effect on that transition..." March is a time to enjoy some great basketball games. But for me, it's also the time to stuff my head full of inspiration for the upcoming season of new designs that me and the rest of the graphics team want to create. So, next time you find yourself staring at a paused screen, take a second and take in all the amazing graphics. On second thought, nevermind, just enjoy the game because that's what I'm here for.

BB King's pic

Memphis, ICS is Here!!!

ICS President Jeff Rubin and Designer Jeff Passetti arrived at the SU hotel today around 1:30 local after their drive from Nashville...I arrived last night in Memphis on the last flight in and stayed at a friend's apartment. He is an air traffic controller and deals with the traffic of the Northwest hub and international hub for Fed Ex. I saw them rolling in from all parts of the country and world when landing.

After an intense grilling of hotel workers for the last available roll-away bed (no success, but read more about that later), our next quest was finding the first establishment to test out the World's Most Famous BBQ. Thus we chose BB King's and had a cabbie who Jeff P affectionately named "Demetrius". D-man gave us the best $5 cab ride to BB's filling us in on all the hot spots and extra security the city put in to combat Fans getting out of hand. Supposedly 600K to rent
these cherry picker towers that watch over the crowds and alert ground forces of people to tackle.

After D-Man's tales we arrived at BB's and had the experience of a local band with oddly enough a drummer from Syracuse. Amongst the loudest bands during a lunch outing we have ever experienced. We were forced to text each other to see what we wanted to order for lunch.

The band was great played "Sweet Home Alabama" "Red Home" By Hendrix and many others before all ears in the establishment reached bleeding point and thet took a break so we
could eat and talk.

We chose to enjoy the sunny 70 degree weather and hoofed the 19 block travel back to the hotel. Upon entering the elevator we ran into a hotel worker we will call him "Tyrone" to protect his identity. Jeff provided the obligatory offering of $20 to find a roll-away so no one had to sleep on the floor. Tyrone delivered 5 minutes later.

1 hour before we depart for FedEx forum...will give pics before start and update at half.

Sweet Sixteen - A Hometown View

Being born and raised in Syracuse, the University plays a large role in the sports upbringing of many of the residents. I can still remember my first football game in 1984, when the powerful Cornhuskers lost to the Orange 17-9.

Through the years I remember many Syracuse moments as they happened:
McPherson to Moore in 1987 on the first play of the game en route to a 49-21 win vs Penn State
Michael Owens 2pt conversion vs WVU to give SU the win and an undefeated season in 1987.
Pat Dye going for the tie in the Sugar Bowl.
Keith @#&*@ Smart hitting the jump shot.
Syracuse losing to Richmond in the opening round of the NCAA.
An overachieving 1996 team coming oh so close to another NCAA title.
Chris Gedney stretched out on the 3 yard line vs Miami.
The National Champion 2003 Orangemen, led by Carmelo Anthony.

Syracuse as a city has been longing for something good to happen with an SU team for quite a while. Syracuse residents are a tricky sports lot, we expect a lot of perfection out of our teams - and yet we will only support them when they are playing well. We show little to no cognizance of our AHL hockey affiliate (who are reasonably successful - but you guessed it - always coming up short), or to our AAA affiliate who will most likely draw more fans as a venue for the Dave Matthews Band this summer than it will as a baseball team.

So it lies to our basketball team in the Sweet Sixteen this year to deliver what the city needs. They definitely have the talent to carry through, and many fans are hopeful for the Final Four. As a native Syracusian however, I remain cautiously optimistic: too many of my childhood memories with Syracuse University sports led to defeat, and the feeling that the city and the team, no matter how hard you try, is always coming up just a little bit short of victory.

Let the games begin

As Chris mentioned in his previous posts I was lucky enough to be able to witness a historic six overtime thriller during the Big East Tournament last week.   The Big East hires ICS to run live stats during their women's and men's tournaments.   While contractually they have to use a competitor's live stats they hire ICS to input the stats, supply the technology, and overall technical support for their tournaments.   

Anyone who has visited NYC can attest that it is not the cheapest place to spend a night.   So rather then bring a crew from Syracuse with me I rely on many of our clients to help us throughout the tournament.   It is always great (and fun) to see our clients and get to work with them.    This year we had help from:

Dima Kamenshchik - Associate Men's Soccer Coach/Assistant SID at Baruch College.   Dima is the man! He is a consummate professional who will never let you down.   For the last four years Dima has helped put together an "A" team to help during the tournament.

Kim Santoiemma - Assistant Director/Director of Championships at the CUNY Conference.   Kim or Kimmie as we all call her is a trooper.   Along with Dima she has worked with us at the Big East Tournament for the last four years.   This year she was brave enough to work all 15 games of the men's tournament.   

Mike Damon - Sports Information Director at John Jay College.   Crazy Mike is a legend.   The guy can make me laugh at any hour and in any circumstance (even a few years back when he spilled water over a laptop of ours).   Mike always shows up to the games dressed to the nines and entertains all around him (inside and outside the press area).

Tom Emberly - Assistant Commissioner at the East Coast Conference.   Tom has been a friend of mine for years.  Originally I met Tom when he was a client of ours at Long Island University - C.W. Post.   He then moved on to the CUNY conference which is also an ICS client.   He is now at the ECC which we hope to have the opportunity to work with in the future.   

This crew along with one of Dima's assistants (Tom Murdoch) was my family for one week of the year. Most days we are together from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m.  Of course the night of the 6-OT game we were together a bit longer (Poor Tom Murdoch who had to call the entire game and Kimmie who entered the stats for the 4 hour affair).

Anyway, I am back in Syracuse with my ICS family and looking forward to seeing all of you at the workshops this summer! 

March Madness is Upon Us

March signifies what, in my opinion, is the beginning of the greatest couple weeks in collegiate athletics. I’ll admit it, I’m addicted to college basketball. I’m one of those guys who runs through the hypothetical brackets each day, noting rises and falls of the major seeds, and also the positioning of the potential “cinderellas”.

Most of us here at ICS are Syracuse University Alumni(myself included), and looking around the offices today, it’s easy to tell by our bleary-eyed stares that almost all of us watched the end of the 6-OT epic game last night. Our fearless leader, Jeff Rubin, was at the Garden last night for the game – and in true Jeff fashion, I got two text messages from him last night:

1:30AM – Jeff Rubin: Wow!

And, as any of you who know Jeff personally can attest to, the man never stops working… so…

2:38AM – Jeff Rubin: I need your help first thing in the am… need some graphics.

Yes, merely an hour and change after the epic win of his Alma Mater in the Big East Tournament, he’s not out celebrating – he’s texting me, asking for help with some promo graphics. Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the definitive Jeff Rubin.

I’ve been at ICS for nearly 4 years now, and it always seems that this is the point each year where not only the excitement surrounding college basketball ramps up, but the ICS “busy season” starts to take shape. As colleges and universities across the country start to wrap up the hectic basketball seasons, sport information staffs start to have more time to focus on everything outside of the gym, and their website often takes the spotlight. Just in the past week or so I saw that we welcomed 7 new members to the ICS family, which puts us at a strong 260 members and growing – another exciting start to the “busy season” for us.

I want to take a moment to mention that although we’re always excited to welcome new members to the ICS Family, that once you’re a “member”, you’re definitely not forgotten. We truly thank each and every one of you who have been with us for many years, many weeks, or many days – to say that we appreciate your business would be a vast understatement.

About a month ago, I was promoted to oversee the entire creative team – and in such I have spent time with our senior staff strategizing and preparing for the upcoming months – and I can confidently say that we’re ready. We are in the process of welcoming new team members and polishing workflow processes – all so we can serve you more efficiently and effectively.

I’m looking forward to the next few weeks, and hopefully watching my alma mater drive deep into the NCAA tournament, but also the coming months as we continue to grow and provide support, help, and occasionally some laughter for each and every one of you.

Rethinking the calculator

Recently, while trying to perform a quick calculation on my PC, I was struck by how absurd it is that the interface is designed to mimic a device that was created approximately 35 years ago, when the advent of LCD displays and integrated chips made it possible to create a pocket sized calculator. To illustrate my point, I've taken a screenshot of the windows calculator and placed it next to a photograph of a pocket calculator from the mid 1970's:

I'm not sure why, but someone thought it would be a good idea to replicate a pocket calculator in software, while completely ignoring the fact that the entire context of the usage had changed. A pocket calculator needs buttons for entering numbers, because it doesn't have an attached keyboard. On the PC, I can't think of anyone, other than a masochist, who would use his mouse to click those little buttons instead of just typing in the number?

A pocket calculator displays only one number because it has a small screen. This has been replicated on the PC, even though it makes it impossible to review a lengthy calculation to check for typos.

On the calculator, a little "M" icon is displayed to indicate that a number has been stored in memory because early LCD screens were limited in the number of shapes they could display. Even if you were copying this over to the PC, the least you could do is display the actual number being stored, rather than blindly mimicking the "M" as displayed in the screenshot above.

I could go on, but anyone who has found himself angrily pounding on the "C" button, half-way through a lengthy calculation, knows that there ought to be a better way of doing things. Here's what I came up with:


You enter your calculation in the text box above, like you would write it out on paper. As you type, the calculator displays the result of the expression on the button below. Clicking on the button copies the result to the clipboard.

I programmed this in a couple of hours, and the general idea was to keep it as simple as possible, but I added a few features to assist you on the way. The little green check mark, in the bottom right corner, turns red if you type in an invalid expression which it cannot compute. E.g. (5 -+ 2). The textbox will autocomplete as you type non-numeric characters, so hitting "C" automatically gives you the "Cos" function. Lastly, you can hit the "F1" key to see a list of supported operations.

If you would like to play with this, or use it instead of Microsoft's version, you can download it by clicking on the image above. To launch the application, just unzip the files to a location of your choosing and double click on "calculator.exe". Unfortunately, at this point it only runs on Windows and you will need to have the .Net framework installed. Feedback and suggestions are welcome :)

Cusian Dreary

*Once upon a Cusian dreary, my head and eyes weak and weary
Over many a quaint and curious sliver of remembered header
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As some one gently rapping, rapping at my place of work
Tis some Chris or Breese or Rub. “Perturb my place of work,
only they and no one more.”

Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December,
That I had a header lost and for it your site stayed down.
Eagerly I wished the morrow – vainly I sought to borrow
From my friendship with my bosses - respite from my folly
But for nought as Rub and Chris and Breese and Mark did laugh
And say, silly Andrew now we will call you Molly!

So back I went and poured and thought and slaved till my eyes grew sore
And from this work crawled your headers and ads; your sites and flash
Sleep again at work? I think not Molly! You will rest nevermore.

*I had promised a poem of sorts in my first post.

Andrew’s Outsourcing is back with a new topic at hand. I wanted to answer the question: what inspires a designer? Over the course of 8 months I’ve worked on hundreds of website headers, images and colors and for all that time I was rather unsure of what inspired me. I gave it a bit of thought. I do my best work when I see the perfect freeze frame of a track star arcing over the high bar. I am inspired when I want to be meticulous, when the left shoe hasn’t been cutoff and grabs enough luminosity to really shine.

But if that track star is small or blurred then my job becomes mechanical. A collage of headers, clean transitions, varying sizes, and out to lunch. Design is not equational or tri-equational it’s discerning and subjective. It’s hit and miss. So when I pour over your new sites I hope to become as invested as you all are. I like to be proud, like anyone, of the work I do. So my favorite way to get at that perfect workday is to open a photo file and see big, colorful sports – from these: dynamism, flow, and personal, perhaps selfish, inspiration.

Andrew’s Outsourcing is an equal opportunity employer and fully aware of its pilfering of the Poe’s 1845 epic, The Raven.

Become a Revenue Producer Within Your Athletic Department

In this ever-increasing financial crunch that we are under in both our personal and professional lives, coming up with new ways to raise revenue for your athletic department always perks up the ears of your administrators.

If you can provide a great service to your coaches, student-athletes, alumni, parents, fans and supporters of your program, but also a nice quarterly flow of income while doing so, I think it might be worth a moment of your time to read this entry.

One of the easiest and most significant producers of this revenue is through an All-Access Audio and Video live streaming feature on your website. If you use a subscription model (charging fans to watch the events), there is no cost to you and we provide a revenue sharing program which is in favor of our ICS clients.

We have clients at all levels adding this to their SIDEARM websites and are reaping the rewards not only from the praise of the constituents we mentioned earlier, but also those making on average at least $200 per quarter in revenue. Just most recently for schools that we reconciled from November to January the averages were $200+ for NAIA, $500+ for NCAA DIII schools, $800+ for NCAA DII and $1000+ for NCAA DI.

Surprisingly, you really don't need any elaborate equipment to pull this off and can start offering live broadcasts in a matter of a few weeks. In fact, much of the equipment you will need to produce the broadcast you probably already have on hand and the one additional piece of software is a free download from Microsoft called Windows Media Encoder.

Here is what you will need:

Hard-Line Internet Connection: It is recommended that a static public IP address be used for streaming. One IP address per facility is recommended, however, if the IP address changes we would need the new IP address at least 4 hours prior to an event. This IP address must be accessible from outside the campus network, you may need to talk to your IT department for internal network configuration.

If a public IP address is not available you can still stream your event using a PUSH instead of a PULL. ICS can assist with this simple transformation if necessary.

Bandwidth: For optimal performance, the system requires a constant 600 Kbps upstream feed from your encoder (laptop or desktop). While this is not a lot of bandwidth we have seen some universities put caps on the bandwidth available so it would be good to know that there is no cap or a high enough cap to stream the event(s).

Firewall: You should check with your IT services that there is not a firewall in place. If there is one we just need to make sure it is open for port 8080 (fairly standard port).

Video Camera: For optimal performance a Digital Video Camera is your best option. We have clients using all ranges of cameras from a low-end consumer camera to high-end professional equipment. In most cases we find clients use what they already have on hand as a department or in some cases what the coach of the sport you are streaming uses to film their games.

Video Source: You’ll need to know how you are getting your video and audio source. Any video capture card will work and in many cases your laptop or desktop will already have a video capture card installed. If your hardware isn't already equipped with a video capture card, we can supply a list of some inexpensive options.

If you are looking for a broadcast with more than one camera, then you might want to investigate a Mini Production System such as a TriCaster. This is a great option if you plan to have multiple cameras, want to do screen overlays (i.e., score)… You can learn more about this at: http://www.newtek.com/tricaster/ We have institutions at all levels that are using this type of hardware and could provide you with some of the schools using Tricasters.

Audio Source: Assuming that the camera has an internal microphone you can use that as your audio source. If there is another audio source (radio station that broadcasts from the event, etc.) you can use this as your audio source. This may require additional cabling as the announcer’s mixers would need to be connected to the encoding computer.

Computer Hardware: Any laptop or desktop running Windows XP, Windows 2003, or Windows Vista will work. We recommend at least 1GB of RAM(although the more RAM the better). Any of today’s processors are fine and are more than sufficient, the optimal processor would be a 2GHz or better.

Many of our clients have found the hardware needed to stream events in their IT departments cold storage or retired computers that they are provided for free.

Additional Help Needed:
Running Camera and Encoder: Most of the institutions we work with providing All-Access are running single-camera operations, thus the person operating the camera also manages the encoder which is really just hitting start and filming the entire game. After the game is over this person uploads the locally saved video of the game onto the server for those fans who want to watch archived games or watch it on a taped-delay basis.

Generally these people are student workers or some institutions actually pull from fields of study such as communications, journalism, radio/tv, film, etc. In fact, we have some schools that actually have a student-run campus television station that provides the feed and requires no work on the part of your department.

Optional Audio Play-by-Play/Color Analysts: This is either tying into a radio broadcast or providing announcers for this event only. The same process applies to the camera operators above pulling from resources on your campus or a student looking to gain experience.

Strategies for Those Already Doing All-Access and Looking to Boost Interest:
Some of these are simple and I am sure you are already doing many of them but it never hurts to state the obvious. "If you built it they will come" isn't necessarily the appropriate adage in trying to optimize the potential revenue of what the All-Access component provides. Just putting a link on your schedules and having an All-Access graphic is certainly going to provide revenue, but utilizing some of these tips might help you see a significant increase.

1. Prior to the start of the season, send schedule of live broadcasts to your coaches, staff, student-athletes, parents, fans, boosters, alumni office, etc.

2. Prior to the start of the season, send schedule of live broadcasts to opposing team SIDs, ADs, coaches and alumni offices

3. Prior to each upcoming live event, take a moment yourself or ask a coach (or both of you) send a personal email to the opposing coach to remind them you are streaming the game live and if they could pass along this info to their student-athletes to share with their families. At the least, I am sure the coach will at least send it to their family to ask them to watch the game (what coach have you met that doesn't have an ego).

4. Advertise the All-Access service in all printed pieces the athletic department produces, printed newsletter, email newsletter, game programs, media guides, booster club materials.

5. Send out an email blast to all newsletter subscribers the day before your next live broadcast

6. Provide All-Access business cards that you can hand out at special events or so your coaches can hand these out when they are meeting with special groups, supporters, etc.

7. Create stories and ads on your site in the days leading up to your live broadcasts

8. Have your campus publications place an ad or brief on the All-Access service you offer

9. Drive to your opponent's campus the day before your next live event and place posters all over the campus (ok I was trying to be Mark Frantz, but he is the resident comedian at ICS)

If the time appears on this blog, don't worry (not that you would) I don't typically stay up this late. My wife and I are renewing the process that Mark and his wife Kim are thankfully beyond now with late night feedings of the newest addition to the Joss Family in our second son Jace Connor born Feb. 20th. Having just fed him at his 1 a.m. feeding, I couldn't go back to sleep and I thought I would share my first of two posts to the blog this week.

Stay tuned later this week for tools that many clients may not have realized the fullest potential of or just some tips and tricks within SIDEARM 2.0...

If you have any questions about All-Access or would like to begin streaming live events, please email me jjoss@internetconsult.com

The Man, The Myth, The Legend

Many of you know me, many more know of me, and several of you probably have my picture on a dartboard somewhere in your office. I am the creator and lead developer of the SIDEARM 2 software that you use daily. To continue (or perhaps finish) the recent trend of this blog, I wanted to take a moment to give everyone a glimpse of my background, so as to put a human touch upon the distant and sometimes mythical ethos of Mark W. Frantz.

I was born in a log cabin in Illinois, and spent the early my youth not lying about chopping down cherry trees. After a misspent summer conning folks into white-washing a fence, I left home and wandered across the nation, seeding apple orchards everywhere I went. It was during these travels that I joined up with a traveling circus, eventually becoming a trapeze artist. Sadly, my trapeze team met their fate one night at the hands of an evil villain, and I was taken in by a millionaire recluse who had an interesting nightlife.

After a few years there, I worked briefly at a department store designing amazing window displays with my secret mannequin girlfriend. Eventually I struck out on my own as a freelance photographer for a major newspaper, making a name for myself by getting exclusive pictures of an elusive subject. Finally, after defeating the Green Goblin, I decided it was time to get an appropriate education. I turned down full-rides from Oxford and Police Academy 6 and instead found my way to upstate New York and Syracuse University.

It was there that I was introduced to a young baby-faced professor who was looking to exploit the amazing talents of a young programmer such as myself, for astonishingly little pay. Ten years later and I still work for that professor, who is no longer young nor baby-faced.

I have been happily married for 4 years now, and my wife and I recently celebrated the birth of our first tax deduction, Justine Eleanor. As any of you that are parents are well-aware, life has changed abruptly and significantly with her arrival, with a lot less time for my hobbies (advanced nuclear rocketry, animal husbandry) and a lot more time spent with her (making faces, keeping her away from the rockets). I have a blog which chronicles my adventures in parenting, should you ever wish (for whatever reason) to learn more about my home life – it’s at http://heirapparent.wordpress.com .

Hopefully this glimpse into my world was enlightening, thought-provoking, and will lead to profile write-ups of me on your sites and/or family blogs. Just let me know if you need any photos of me and I’d be happy to supply them…