Disqus - Latest Comments for hypenoticbam

Re: The internet is ablaze with Lil Dicky’s bizarre, star-studded climate anthem

Barry A. Martin — Thu, 02 May 2019 09:13:39 -0000

My wife showed me these. My 15-year-old daughter showed them to her. My 11-year-old had seen them too. My first thought was that an engaged teacher had shared them but they're "inappropriate". So the videos were passed around in my kids' circles.

Considering all the things vying for their attention–especially the ones on their devices, and the range of messages they're bombarded with daily, I'd say the fact that they've seen these is a major coup. The fact that the messages, though significantly distilled, are being absorbed is heartening.

Re: What I Don't Like About Capitalism (Part I)

Barry A. Martin — Thu, 09 Aug 2018 12:25:55 -0000

I have a friend who owns car dealerships. We designed a visual identity for them when he bought the first one, I think about ten years ago now. He sheepishly apologized for using another firm do their significant production work–designing and printing the tent cards with current financing deals, etc. He explained that they chose an agency with many young bums in seats cranking out production work, that he knew wasn't our set up. He suggested we ramp up. I explained that I understood the model, but there was a 3-person team I liked who could do good work for the Microsofts of the world.

Re: Google Analytics for Beta Testing | Hypenotic

Barry A. Martin — Fri, 03 Mar 2017 18:27:28 -0000

I'll second that. I'm often struck by how precious people are with that dangerous word "launch". As if the entire internet were just waiting around to see their new site debut.

If the function of your site isn't mission critical, ie, a bank, the hard insight you get from testing in the wild is hard to beat. The difference between in-class assignments and on-the-job training. Theory and practice.

Well said. Looking forward to hearing more about the example you referenced :).

Re: cd Hypenotic: jumping into tech

Barry A. Martin — Sat, 13 Aug 2016 18:31:03 -0000

Congrats Kanya. We enjoyed having you too!

Re: The Wilhelm Pfenning Award

Barry A. Martin — Wed, 09 Dec 2015 15:28:11 -0000

Wow, you must have lost Wilhelm right around when we met. The Eulogy was tear-inducing. Most people are either in therapy trying to get over their parent issues or should be but are still too messed up to realize it. Sounds like everyone could have used a Wilhelm.

That said, I can't say I'm shocked. You guys have a abundance of nice and solid going on over there and character doesn't grow on treas.

Based on the bunch of people we've worked with over there, I don't envy the challenge you'll have figuring who who doesn't get that award each year :).

Congrats to Dhesi and congrats on the new tradition. Seems like the kind of thing Wilhelm might have done.

Re: Watch People in Other Industries React Hilariously to Being Asked for Free Spec Work

Barry A. Martin — Thu, 05 Nov 2015 16:43:01 -0000

Why not pay a comparatively smaller amount for some of the strategic thinking. When you now you're on the same page, jump in!

Re: An Economic History of Leftovers

Barry A. Martin — Wed, 07 Oct 2015 12:55:00 -0000

Some of the best food gets better on the second and third day. Lookin' at you, lasagna. Some things make sense to make in bulk, like salads you can dress as needed or soups, stews, chillis, etc. A ragu can be used as the base in so many other things. Some things like a leg of lamb are amazing right out of the oven, great the next day in a pie and bring amazing dimension to a meat sauce after that. There are no shortage of reasons to turn one dish into several.

Waste in principle is a cultural flaw. It's an indication of ignorance at best. At worst it's an indication that you have more money than brains.

Re: Steal From These Style Guides. Your Content Will Thank You.

Barry A. Martin — Thu, 01 Oct 2015 15:42:36 -0000

I disagree. I think the point of a style guide is to offer enough guidance to allow people to move their brand forward in their own way, to the best of their abilities in whatever context they find themselves.

Re: Steal From These Style Guides. Your Content Will Thank You.

Barry A. Martin — Thu, 01 Oct 2015 15:39:51 -0000

Get off the internet if you don't like sharing.
Each of the referenced resources put their material online because they're using it for marketing as much as an internal guideline.
The creators are likely grateful for the extended life and reach these posts bring to their brands.

Re: Why you should pay more for most things

Barry A. Martin — Thu, 06 Aug 2015 12:23:07 -0000

Hey Mark! Really sorry I missed your note–I think I've bought veggies from you twice since you responded to this :).

Great thoughts and thanks for the Einstein quote. It's one I hadn't read.

In terms of getting people to start making better choices in this area, I think we need to be a bit clearer about the direct suffering we're inflicting on people for conveniences we take for granted.

Re: Hello! It’s nice to meet you…

Barry A. Martin — Wed, 05 Aug 2015 16:07:40 -0000

Glad to have you Emily. We can both indulge our addictions and avoid PB&J together.

Re: Smashed Cucumber Salad « Fiesta Farms

Barry A. Martin — Wed, 10 Jun 2015 08:35:38 -0000

Ever since we tried that salad 'lo those years ago (when Mother's was a tiny downstairs spot on Huron) we've had a policy of trying something we've never tried before every time we're there.

I can't remember a time the policy hasn't paid off. Now that salad, seaweed salad, green beans with ground beef and bunch of other treats are part of our regular repertoire.

Re: Jamaican sun brings spring to our farm

Barry A. Martin — Tue, 14 Apr 2015 13:47:28 -0000

That's cool Jen. I bet a lot of people would be interested in the stories of your extended team. I know that how you treat your employees is a tenet of local food plus certification. Same for B Corp.

I feel like where farm labour comes from and why is a subject that traditionally surfaces negative and sensational stories, not the better examples.

Anyway, congrats on the writing–please keep sharing the window into your adventures.

Re: A New Spin On Fruit Cocktail « Fiesta Farms

Barry A. Martin — Mon, 11 Aug 2014 11:30:20 -0000

I was at friends cottage over the weekend and her father shared fermented raspberry liqueur that's been in their family for generations. It seems like nature does most of the hard work–they just let the raspberries sit in the jars with some sugar until they break down then add alcohol. Yummy!

Re: The Complete Remote Work Toolset For Distributed Teams

Barry A. Martin — Tue, 05 Aug 2014 21:52:43 -0000

We use a pretty similar set. I'd just add Kippt for social book-marking/shared research.

Re: Behold, the Fold - Cognition: The blog of web design & development firm Happy Cog

Barry A. Martin — Fri, 11 Jul 2014 15:11:28 -0000

Yeah, I think you're highlighting a couple of often uncomfortable challenges for us:
1. We need to teach our clients that we're designing for users
2. We need to convince our clients to prioritize (tougher the bigger the client–more stakeholder, more perceived needs, etc)

Thanks Sophie, well said.

Re: Transforming Parking Space into Public Space

Barry A. Martin — Thu, 05 Jun 2014 10:13:54 -0000

@Marcella + @Aurelia
PARC has a can-do mentality that makes stuff happen fast.
Plus this community has some special spirit.

Re: Why Be a B? An Open Letter to Fellow Business Owners

Barry A. Martin — Wed, 23 Apr 2014 21:57:18 -0000

Inspiring and informative Tim.

In the early days of BCorp, we were introduced to the certification by a client–Fifth Town Cheese. They were a platinum LEAD certified dairy decorated with so many certifications I remember wondering whether there were any decisions they could make about how to run their business that wouldn't be governed by some standard.

Then it hit me. That was the point. Their CEO was using the most progressive standards to define their path, differentiate, engage their team, stimulate the local economy, protect the local ecology and model best practices all at once.

Along the way Fifth Town gained the interest of several communities of interest–many attracted by other facets than the award winning cheese.

Way to raise the bar/put the pressure on. Just when you feel like you're doing enough, the quiet guy in the room ups the ante.

Re: The Kitchen Party approach to Web Design & Dev

Barry A. Martin — Wed, 16 Apr 2014 14:28:40 -0000

Hey, sorry I missed that Amy. First of all, thanks. Stayed tuned for the next iteration.

And YES–fewer, easier dishes prepared thoughtfully have worked better for me too. They can even leave time for cleanup in advance and generally keep my wife happy–an important metric for parties.

:).

Re: Journalism: The new engine for Education? | Hypenotic

Barry A. Martin — Sat, 12 Apr 2014 07:37:08 -0000

Hi Nicky! Sorry I somehow missed this comment.
But glad I caught it before the deadline. Please consider my money where my mouth is.
My daughters and I are looking forward to our first issue.

Re: What Kids Can Learn from Life on the Farm

Barry A. Martin — Wed, 09 Apr 2014 11:40:45 -0000

I feel the same way about Farmer's markets.

Years ago, when my wife asked me if I realized how much our family spends on food each week (a lot), I had an epiphany. I realized that good food made by people I knew was a priority, and that we were going to have to figure out what else would needed to shift in our budget/lifestyle to accommodate.

Beyond filling the fridge, there were many ambient returns:
• My kids knew farmers, and knew that they made our food, even when we bout it in grocery stores
• I was carrying bags of food around instead of only pushing a cart
• You meet and talk to people you see there regularly
• A couple of hours of fresh air doesn't hurt either
• And spending time with family doing things like food shopping–far from being an inconvenience, is pretty valuable

There's more, but you get the point. There's a kind of multiplier effect from being connected to farms, even if it's just by buying their fare.

Thanks for the great post.

PS: And your site is one of the best experiences on the internet!
:).

Re: A Purpose Beyond Profit | The Energy Project

Barry A. Martin — Wed, 19 Mar 2014 12:11:46 -0000

Well said Tony. Let's add B Corp to the list of signs that leaders and consumers are waking up to the benefits aligning purpose and profit.

Re: It’s Alive! And That’s Why You Should Eat It

Barry A. Martin — Wed, 12 Feb 2014 11:47:12 -0000

K. Hungry now.

Re: The Kitchen Party approach to Web Design & Dev

Barry A. Martin — Wed, 05 Feb 2014 22:46:24 -0000

We call them 'users' :).

Re: Kevin O'Leary is a monster

Barry A. Martin — Tue, 21 Jan 2014 13:18:09 -0000

Wait, Are we saying that we just need to expropriate the wealth of 85 people to balance the world? Let's do it!