No Compromises Necessary when Using ContractEdge Template Software

Too many times, IT contractors who are working on a new project have to make the uncomfortable choice between an expensive, drafted from scratch contract; or a tweaked contract that might not provide enough coverage and leave them vulnerable. Well thanks to ContractEdge's revolutionary contract template software, IT professionals no longer have to make this difficult decision. The template software allows the contractor to quickly and inexpensively create custom contracts.

The difference between ContractEdge's software and that of other contract template programs is that each contract has been created by attorneys who specialize in Information Technology law to ensure that you as the subcontractor will have little to worry about*. The language of each contract can be customized per your job's specific needs.

Many IT Consultants shy away from spending large sums of money to have an attorney draft them up a contract from scratch, instead using contracts that are not specific to their needs and leave them vulnerable to lawsuits. By using a custom contract generation software program like ContractEdge, these contractors can save the money it would have cost to have an attorney draft their contract, and instead rely on their legal expertise only when reviewing the final agreement.

ContractEdge caters to small IT companies and independent contractors by providing them with an affordable alternative to seeking out a lawyer to draft them a comprehensive contract. With over 14,000 businesses and professionals serviced, ContractEdge is a leader in contract template software for IT services. ContractEdge has customized contracts for Web and Software Developers, Software Distributors, IT Consultants and many other IT Professionals.

*I recommend that each final contract be reviewed by a legal professional to ensure proper legal coverage.

Aaron Garcia is a project manager for MorePro Marketing, a search engine optimization company in Phoenix, Arizona. Aaron understands the risks associated with working as a contractor, and regularly uses ContractEdge’s software.

Google Sketchup Lets You Create and Share 3D Models

Google SketchUp is free software for Mac and PC that helps you create 3D models with ease. You can create a model and share it with Google Earth. The software is smart enough to do some of the work for you. Google is nice enough to provide video tutorials that help you get started.

Think about it. You can create furniture models easily and then design the new interior decor of your house. You can animate and share the videos. And many models are available for your use to play with for free. The program can access the net to get whatever it needs.

There is a free version and also a more powerful Pro version:

With the Google 3D Warehouse, everything you might need is already out there for you to quickly mock up your city, town, school project or that new bedroom set.

With the new version objects that are smarter and know how to react to you. drawing hints that are clearer and more consistent.

Google Sketchup [Google.com]

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.

7 Free and Useful Resources for Learning Adobe InDesign

You don't need expensive courses or book to learn InDesign. You don't need official experience or knowledge to add your InDesign knowledge to your resume. What you do need is self-motivation, so I've provided a few resources here to start you out.

photo credit: stevenvanwel

1 — Adobe's InDesign website isn't just a sales oriented site for the latest versions of the product. They have many resources available such as user groups, documentation, event information, plug-ins. Not to mention the comprehensive Knowledgebase articles and forums. You can evenwatch free videos at AdobeTV. Phew. It should definitely be the first place you start.

2 — InDesign Secrets is a blog filled with a ton of information about InDesign from some of the industries leading experts. The podcast has great insights so make sure you listen and watch.

3 — The InDesigner is a blog and video series by Michael Murphy. The videos are very comprehensive. Set aside the time and watch!

4 — The InDesign tutorials section of Layers Magazine has great articles on everything InDesign.

5 — InDesign Magazine has a free tip of the week. The archives have tons and tons of obscure but useful tips for those problem you always have, thought there must be a simply solution, but always end up doing the hard way You can also view a free issue.

6 — VolunteerMatch has plenty of virtual opportunities (as I mentioned in A Guide to Your First Graphic Design Work Experiences) if you're looking for work experience with InDesign to build up your resume and confidence with the program. Real life experiences are a great way to learn something quickly

7 — The public library has tons of books that can help you learn all about InDesign. If you've gone to the book store and were discouraged by the high high high prices of books on the subject, don't forget that you can check out the books for free. Libraries have advanced and many allow you to check out books or place books on hold right from the web. My public library even has exclusive online content.

Closed Versus Open Source DVD Burning Software

Ever try to burn a DVD from avi or mpeg files on your computer to have it play back on any DVD player? There are many video formats and they have to be recoded into the DVD compatible format. There's also menus to deal with. Here's an overview of my personal experience with a few programs I ended trying when tackling this task. Searching out open source programs when looking for software solutions has proven to be very viable

photo credit: bobbigmac

My external DVD player came with Nero 7 Essentials. This installs the very annoying Nero Scout which scans your computer constantly using up CPU power and RAM. (There are some ways to stop or remove Nero Scout.) Having used the full Nero, this program feels simple and usable. In my case, it didn't do a lot of things I needed and had errors re-encoding with several formats I use.

DVD Flick is an often recommended and simple Open Source program. It supports many video formats. I found it to be a very simple and easy interface to use. It was easy to drag and drop several clips to burn and set up a quick and simple menu system. When trying to burn, it took about eight hours to re-encode the video and then stalled in the "combining" phase. I didn't find a solution to issue in my searches.

The open source DVD Styler was the ultimate solution to my problems. While it was quite a bit more complicated than DVD Flick, the trade off is more features and templates to work from.