Top 10 Ramblings of This Graphic Designer & Illustrator in 2008

Here's a post of the most popular posts in 2008. This site has been a great success compared to year's past. Focusing more on what people want to read about and where that intersects with what I want to write about has been a key strategy. People visit this site for design, crafts, tv talk and tech and we'll expect a lot more of this in the year to come. Please keep on commenting about the things you care about and I'll keep researching and rambling about it. If you really want to support this site, subscribe to the feed and maybe even buy a print of my art.

Now on with the top 10 list, in reverse order for maximum suspense:

#10 12 Social Websites for Artists & Designers

Graphic designers, especially those who freelance, often rely on networking for information, growth and work. These 12 social sites provide great ways to meet other designers in either a professional and amateur context. And there are even more social sites recommended in the comments.

#9 Telefrancais

This post of the Telefrancais theme song five years ago isn't just about the original post. The comments thread has spawned 80 posts of discussion. Telefrancais was a weird French language instructional video that North American classes were subjected to. The nostalgia of a talking pineapple that hasn't made it very far in the digital age has driven people here on their quest to discover the truth of Ananas.

#8 Closed Versus Open Source DVD Burning Software

Burning a DVD in Windows is only as easy or hard as the software that you have. Luckily, there are free, open source solutions and people are really looking for them making it number eight on our list.

#7 Embedding Twitter in Your Wordpress Blog

Twitter is a micro-blogging website that has become one of the most watched "Web 2.0" sites in the recent year. Embedding a micro-blog in your Wordpress blog can add an additional, more up-to-date feed of information in between your larger posts. This tip tells you how to do it pretty easily (You can friend me on Twitter at twitter.com/sketchee)

#6 How to listen to podcasts without iTunes or an iPod

Audio programming is great for a commute or at wor. With podcasts being a free medium, it seems like they're taking off more and more. This compilation of tips is meant to make the concept behind podcasts easier so you can start listening to free customized radio-like programming even if you don't have the latest gadgets. If you can read this, you probably have everything you need to enjoy podcasts.

#5 Gifts for Graphic Designers: A Wish List

Whether it's about the holidays, a birthday, a promotion or a non-event, people are looking for all kinds of gifts for graphic designers. The latest picks quickly became one of this year's hottest posts.

#4 David Bromstad

This old post still seems to strike a cord with David Bromstad fans. He's an interior decorator on HGTV. While the post is old, the comments still buzz with conversation about the star. If you're looking for a place to talk about David, join in the discussion.

#3 Graphic Design Meets Open Source Software

These free open source tools for graphic designers on a budget seems to have resonated with people. Open Source software has taken off in 2008. Open source fonts, web design, illustration software, page design and photo development tools are there for the freelancer, casual use or business. If you're interested in any of these, check out this post.

#2 Designing Your Own Custom Shoe

Shoe design was once limited to athletes, celebrities, big name designers and whoever is designing shoes for the brands. Now some of that technology has gone to the masses and it sounds like people are loving the idea. Now someone tell Zazzle we want men's shoes in 2009!

#1 Hemming Jeans Like A Pro

Crafty and resourceful designers really have responded to this tip on hemming jeans. It's the most popular post on this site. As a shorter person myself, it really makes life easier to have the option of hemming pants. This tip takes a bit of practice, but it can be worth it. Practice on some cheap jeans from a consignment shop if you're really worried about messing up those designer brands.

How to listen to podcasts without iTunes or an iPod

If you want to get to the top headlines from the Washington Post, the New York Times or CNET's tech coverage you might turn to podcasts: free online video and audio entertainment.

The problem is that most people don't even know what a podcast is. It has something to do with the iPod right?. In fact, it is not just for iPod users. It's just the internet's most versatile form of free radio or tv that can be delivered in whatever way you the user chooses. That's the power of podcasts, they are made to be delivered to the user in whatever way he or she finds most convenient. They can even be listened to right from your browser! Did I mention that podcasts are absolutely free free free? (echo echo echo)

What is a podcast?

Wikipedia defines a [[podcast]] as "a series of digital-media files, which are distributed over the Internet using syndication feeds for playback on portable media players and computers. The term podcast, like broadcast, can refer either to the series of content itself or to the method by which it is syndicated; the latter is also called podcasting. The host or author of a podcast is often called a podcaster."

"Podcasting in Plain English" by The Common Craft Show. This is a great demonstration of podcasts and why you might want to start consuming them.

Just like you subscribe to the newspaper, or set a TIVO to download your favorite shows, you can get podcasts delivered to you or in the case of some services set them up for streaming. They're just common video or audio formats like avi or mp3 but they are wrapped in a "feed". This is like a webpage that delivers text information, but instead it contains broadcast information to get it to the program you listen from. That's the link that often ends with .RSS (but not necessarily) or is commonly associated with this symbol: . Read more about this symbol, check out http://www.feedicons.com.

What kind of content can be found in podcasts?

Podcasts can be professional quality audio and video from brands you know such as NPR, BBC, the Guardian. The power of podcasts, however, is the targeted and niche content. Interested in comic books, science fiction, science? There are podcasts that target your specific interests made by people like you. It's not the same mainstream content as you might find in television or radio. So you can form your own channel of content that just feeds you the things you love and know about.

So how do I listen or watch?

PodcatcherMatrix provides an interface to help you compare various ways of receiving podcasts.

PodNova is a website made just for situations like this. The web-based PodNova player lets you subscribe to podcasts and has a very nice online application for doing this. It has an iTunes feel, but much simpler and no installations necessary.

Google Reader is one way to do it. Just plug the podcast url into the add subscription box and the reader should discover the [[RSS]] feed for you. The advantage of Reader, in my opinion, is the way it displays the notes from the podcast and the player all on one convenient window. It makes it really easy to follow along with shows that have web links. The Google custom homepage also accepts podcast feeds.

My Yahoo can also support podcast feeds and play them in your browser. Other online "podcatchers" include Newsgator, Netvibes, Pageflakes, Odeo

Juice is an open source free download to help organize your listening if you'd prefer a dedicated program for podcasts instead of your browser. Doppler is another such program. Even if you don't have an iPod, you can still use Apple iTunes for free.

Looking for podcasts to listen to? Just do a Google search for any topic you might want to know about plus the word podcast and chances are you can get the content you're looking for. Check out the links page. Better yet, listen to my podcast: The SketcheeBook Podcast featuring quick tips for illustrators, designers and other visual arts. If you have a favorite podcast feel free to post it in the comments.

Starline on the Podcast

Check out the latest episode of the SketcheeBook Podcast, Starline Hodge (Candi Comics) has some fun stories. Really entertaining listen! Thanks Star, if you ever want to come on the show again let me know!

I'm hoping to have another guest soon, there's one person who has said he'll do one so hopefully he'll get on that soon. He's probably reading this.

SketcheeBook, The Creativity Productivity Podcast

I quietly launched the SketcheeBook Podcast . I have the initial bugs ironed out at this point so I'm ready for your feedback. Currently I'm having two episodes up each week. The site's setup allows me to upload a cache that updates automatically. I've been recording episodes in advance and at least have episodes done for a few weeks. The first few episodes are the basics of the creative process and there will be more things covered as we go.

If you're an graphic artist, illustrator, designer or other creative hopefully you'll either be able to get something from it, contribute or both. Send me your creativity tips and I'll mention your name and link in the show. Or better yet, record it yourself and I can have your voice and plug in the show. E-mail sketcheebook-at-sketchee.com or add that e-mail address to Google Talk to send a voicemail. Let me know what you want to hear, what you don't and all of that.