Podcast Famous, Shout Out on Mac Power Users

Posted on Friday January 31, 2014 by Jacob Campbell.

One of my favorite podcasts to listen to every week is the Mac Power Users. I can give credit to their show for the majority of the productivity and ability to best make use of my mac from their show. If you’re a apple products user, I’d highly recommend their show, it’s pretty amazing. I’ve sent a couple of emails to the hosts over and have listened to so many of their episodes, I feel like I almost know them. A couple of weeks ago, I responded to a call to talk about how users use TextExpander. I have been heavily using TextExpander both at home and at work. Looking at my statistics this morning, over the last couple of months, I’ve saved almost 17 hours of typing time. When I was listening to their show on Monday, riding my bike home, I was surprised and excited to hear them share from my email on the program. I am very sure it was about me, but they said the listener’s name was Jared, not Jacob. It’s OK, it still made me feel super famous!

The episode is about GarageBand. It is a pretty cool product. I’ve played around with it some, but I’m hoping to dive a little more into it after listening to the episode. They also talked about Macworld iWorld 2014. I’m actually hoping to be able to go. You should listen to the episode, it was really great.

Atomic Throw Down Poster Designs

Posted on Sunday January 19, 2014 by Jacob Campbell.

A while ago, I was doing quite a few poster designs for Natural Selection CrossFit (Facebook). I do really doing graphic design projects, although lately I feel I have been too busy to do much of it. This project took almost 20 hours to put together, and went through a number of iterations. When I was first talking to the client, they described wanting something Superbowlish because the event will be taking place on Superbowl Sunday, (you can sign up to participate). The following are the first three design concepts I had. I wasn’t really too happy with any of them, and these are just quick mock ups and not final versions.

When I was originally asked to come up with a poster design, this is what I had in my head. I’m assuming a part of it is because I’m really not much of a football fan.

Of the two football themed versions of the post I cam up with, this is the one I preferred.

This is the third version I created. It was my least favorite and is the most unfinished of the concepts. I threw it together and offered it as an option, after looking at a lot of Super Bowl posters with the idea that I could come back and improve the overall feel of this concept.

After going through putting these concept together, they had come up with a different design concept, one which I really liked and think turned out pretty awesome. Retro looking posters are pretty cool, and they talked about wanting to have a design like the old school Pee Chee’s. You can see the 11x16 and the 8.5x11 versions of the posters. I even made a cover image to go along with their Facebook page.

This is the 11x16 Poster version. You can check out a PDF version or the Adobe Illustrator File if you are interested.

This is the 8x5x11 Flyer version of the final Pee Chee design. You can check out the PDF version or the Adobe Illustrator File if you are interested.

The final version of the Facebook Cover Page optimized by Cover Photo Size Helper . You can also check out the Adobe Illustrator File if you are interested.

All in all it was a fun project. I’d love to know what you guy’s think about the designs. I’m pretty satisfied with the final version.

Growing So Fast, A Look Back at the Last Year

Posted on Sunday January 5, 2014 by Jacob Campbell.

Mateo has been growing super fast over the last year. I put together a video showing his growth over the last year in iPhoto. I looked at a bunch of different ways of trying to put this video together. I started in iMovie, but it lacked control. I looked at Adobe Premier but it is too complicated. I even started to make a Keynote Presentation with plans to make to export it as a movie. After starting, I decided that it would take way too long to individually animate each photo, and it would lack a consistent variance. I decided finally to go with iPhoto and make a slide show. It puts movies together quickly. While it still lacks the control that I would like, I think that it turned out well.

For Unto Us [2013 Christmas Newsletter]

Posted on Monday December 23, 2013 by Jacob Campbell.

We sent out paper versions, but because printing is expensive we only sent it to some people. Sorry. If you want to be added to our mailing list, send a comment or send us a Christmas card and we’ll add you to our list. You can download a printable version of the newsletter.

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. – Isaiah 9:6

A family shot of Minnie Garcia, Jacob Campbell, and Mateo Rodman Campbell VSP taken at Yellow Rose Nursery in Prosser for Mateo’s almost one year photo shoot at the beginning of December.

Greetings from Jacob, Minnie, and Mateo and best wishes for this holiday season. The year before last was a difficult one, with Minnie’s mother dying, moving in Prosser, and Mateo getting ready to join our family, so we did not send out our annual Christmas letter. This last year has been jam packed with changes for our family and we’ll at least share some of the highlights.

The biggest change happened just after Christmas last year. On December 27th 2012, Minnie had gone in for her 36 week routine check-up and follow up as directed, (he was not due to arrive till much after the new year). Her doctors office was concerned about Mateo’s heart beat and sent her to the hospital. She called me and I left work right away. About 30 minutes after I got there, Mateo Rodman Campbell V.S.P. made his grand entrance into this world and was perfectly healthy. He was the best after Christmas gift ever.

Jacob got to play Santa Claus for Elijah Family Home’s Christmas Party This year. Mateo didn’t know what to think.

Having a baby changes everything. Our lives have moved to be revolved around him. The first few months of his life Minnie, Jacob, and Nana (grandma Judy) took time off work to stay home with Mateo until the summer time when Minnie was on summer vacation.

After Summer Break we moved from Prosser back to the Tri-Cities. We bought a house in Pasco that was built in the mid 50’s. It has some very interesting architecture, additions that have been made, and a very mature yard. It has been a lot of fun doing some projects around the home, and having a more stable place for Mateo to grow up. Minnie changed jobs from the Sunnyside School District to being a para educator in a developmental preschool for the Pasco School District. The kids in her classroom are super busy and she is tired by the time she gets home, but she feels fulfilled by working there.

Minnie and Mateo in our back yard in. Mateo was an old man for Halloween.

I am still working at Tri-Cities Community Health Behavioral Health Services as a case manager and therapist. I stay busy doing that, trying to spend as much time as possible with the family, and still over committing myself to various community organizations. We are both enjoying parenthood, although it has been hard a lot of times. Mateo is growing up so fast. He has been meeting all of his milestones. He is our little explorer. He is constantly on the move and looking for new experiences. He is almost walking and loves to babble, and says some words in English and Spanish. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and God Bless from our family to yours.

My 2013 Christmas Wish List

Posted on Friday December 13, 2013 by Jacob Campbell.

I mainly am making a Christmas wish list on here for my family, so that they can see some of the things I would be happy to receive for Christmas. I am by no means expecting all of these items (or even a quarter of them) or considering this a comprehensive list of the things that I want. It was more kind of fun to go through and make. It’s not necessarily in any particular order either. Some of my ideas are way to expensive, and some of them are actually cheap enough that a random friend could buy them (although I’m not expecting that).

Technology Related

I am really a geek at heart, and anybody who knows me, knows that I love technology. The following are some stuff that seem pretty cool. You should also listen to the Mac Power Users 2013 Geek Gift Guide.

FitBit Force

The FitBit Force is a pretty cool piece of wearable technology. A powerful Force for everyday fitness, this sleek wristband is with you all the time. Stay motivated to keep moving with real-time stats right on your wrist. Track steps taken, distance traveled, calories burned, stairs climbed and active minutes throughout the day. At night, track your sleep and wake up silently with a vibrating alarm.

Aria Wi-Fi Scale

I’ve thought that having a wireless scale would be cool for a couple of years now. I’m not really sure which one would be better, but I figure If I already go with the FitBit, then I should go with their scale. Get where you want to be. Aria™ tracks your weight, body fat percentage, and BMI, painting a picture of your long-term progress. It wirelessly syncs your stats with online graph and mobile tools that help you stay motivated and on track. When you’re in control, stepping on the scale feels good.

The Coin

The Coin isn’t out yet, but it does seem super cool. It is a card that let you put your other cards digitally onto it. I currently have two debit cards and credit card. While it’s not too cumbersome to have to carry all of these cards, it would be cool to just need one.

Apple iPad Air

Apple iPad Air… not much else to say. Pretty amazing. I’m hoping to upgrade next year probably.

ScanSnap Scanner

Fujitsu ScanSnap S1300i. I’d like to become paperless.

File Transporter

File Transporter is pretty amazing. It lets you set up your own personal cloud.

Speakers for TV

I’m not sure what brand we’d like, but having a sound bar would be a great improvement for our TV watching, kid sing-along listening pleasure.

Previous Generation AirPort Extreme

I’m hoping to eventually have a couple of these along with speakers around the home so that I can stream music to them from anywhere. The new ones are $100 right now, but I think you can get the previous generation ones off of eBay / Craigslist for $30 or $40.

The Nest Thermostat

The Nest is pretty cool. I’d love to be able to turn on / off our central air from anywhere. Getting home from work, don’t want the house to be cold… such a great idea.

Home Supplies

Patio Heater

I like to be outside, even during winter. This is kind of crazy with how cold it is. A Patio Heater would be a great idea.

Fireplace Screen

Our fireplace doesn’t have a screen. While we don’t use it frequently, I worry that we will and Mateo will touch it. A screen would help keep him safe. This one from Target looks decent and doesn’t cost too much.

Baby Gates

Mateo is always getting into everywhere and everything he can. Over Black Friday, we bought him a little corral to try to keep him in. He will stay for a little while, but when he’s not there (most all of the time), he’s into everything. It would be nice to have a baby gate for the bathroom (otherwise it’s way to hot in their) and for the entry way area (extra wide).

Clothing Tree

I’d love to have something to hang up clothes without putting them away and especially not just throwing them on the floor. Something like this would be great in our bedroom.

As it’s getting late and I need to be going to sleep. The following is the rest of my list, unannotated.

• Good liquor (I want to try more scotches)
• Chrome cup holders for my car. The fake chrome stuff has been peeling and needs to be replaced.
• New drill power tool
• Chandelier for the entry way
• For entryway bench (for taking off shoes, to sit and relax)
• Speakers that play wirelessly (not bluetooth) to put in the bathroom / Mateo’s room, den.
• Cold stones for scotch (instead of ice, frozen rocks)
• Hot cocoa to drink
• Gloves and scarves
• Books on tape
• WiMo Outlets

The Wintertime DIY Painted Mirror

Posted on Monday November 25, 2013 by Jacob Campbell.

Made in the Diptic App on my mac. Wintertime DIY Painted Mirror

Painting during the wintertime is a hassle, and defiantly doesn’t turn out as well, but it is still possible. Minnie had purchased a circular mirror prior to us being together at Home Interior for about $50 or $60 about 10 years now. The gold color didn’t quite match all of the black furniture in our bedroom. I’ve had it on my list of projects to do, since we moved. It’s been happily sitting on the floor next to the bed for the last six months… and I finally got annoyed enough with it to say “this has to happen this weekend.”

It was a pretty simple project, as most of my projects are. It turned out alright, although I think it would have been better if I had done it during warmer months. I was originally going to tape up the glass, and paint with it all intact, but it was much easier to unscrew everything and only paint the front shell. I hung it from the tree, painted with a gloss spray paint and brought it inside to the basement to dry out of the extreme cold temperature. There was a section that I sprayed over and sprayed over that seemed to keep running and not want to stick. I figured a second coat would do the trick, so after 5 or 6 hours I took it back outside and tried it again. I laid it on the ground this time, hopping to have less runs. I again put it down in the basement. After it dried for about a day, I found that there was still that spot which had continued to run. In hind site, I should have sprayed it with some sort of base paint first, but I was just doing this with stuff I already had around the house. I decided to take a sharpie and color over it, because the color would match.

Pretty simple, it didn’t take much time, and now we have a mirror that matches the black furniture in the bedroom. Check out the photo gallery below;

Now Open, New Small Business Owner

Posted on Thursday November 21, 2013 by Jacob Campbell.

I found this great open sign at Legendary Antiques website . I figured it would be good for this post.

If you know me very well you know I have a lot of stuff I’m invovled with. Sometimes feel a little bit like I’m Erich Brenn, and I’m trying to keep all of my plates spinning. The following is the short list of plates I’ve got in the air right now:

• Being a new dad / family (so much fun, but tiring too)
• Tri-Cities Community Health (my day job)
• Teaching at Heritage University
• Acting as the chair person for the Pasco Discovery Coalition (like us on Facebook
• Being involved at our church
• Various volunteer and community activities that come up, especially at Safe Harbor and My Friends Place
• Attending and speaking at the MC Mac User Group
• I’m working on getting my LICSW, hopefully by the end of next year… maybe then doing a small amount of private practice work.
• Being a geek and reading, playing with all things technology and productivity related
• I’d still like to write my book, and have made some limited progress
• Being social, spending time with family and friends

With all of these plates spinning, I figured it was time that I take my extra curricular activities to the next level. I applied and was approved today for a small business license for the state of Washington. It’s starting as a sole proprietor ownership style, and I am calling it Locus of Transformation. The plan is to also get licensed in the City of Pasco, so I’m hopping to take in my application tomorrow sometime. I do have some plans and hopes for this currently, but I’m not really ready to share those yet. I’m am sure that it is something that will be also evolving over time, and I’m very sure I’ll be sharing more as things progress. I chose the name, because I feel like all of the different activities, organization, and people I even work with individually I really desire to be a point of change.

So, while I don’t have anything currently going yet, and defiantly not any revenue streams yet… I am officially a small business owner. I did make a logo. It’s still a work in progress, but I figure it’s a good start. I’d love any feedback.

The start of my logo for Locus of Transformation. Let me know what you think, I love feedback.

Speaking of Speaking, a Busy Week

Posted on Saturday November 16, 2013 by Jacob Campbell.

This last week has been incredibly busy for me, but it’s also been very good. On Tuesday I had two major speaking activities to prepare for. At work, Tri-Cities Community Health Behavioral Health Services, we are starting a group on Becoming Parents with Love and Logic. We haven’t done groups for a while, and I’ve never facilitated this course before, so I spent most of the weekend getting ready for the group. It went really well. That evening I had another event I was speaking at.

Almost a year ago, I transitioned to using a mac. A couple of months ago, i found out about these things called mac user groups. It’s kind of geeky, but it has been kind of cool. The Mid Columbia Macintosh User Group meets in Kennewick. I’ve been very lucky to speak at a lot of events, regarding a lot of topics. This was the first time that I’ve been able to talk to about technology stuff. I’m hoping to have more opportunities in the future. You can download a copy my Overview of Alfred Keynote from my presentation or see it below.

On Thursday the Pasco Discovery Coalition did a Town Hall and Resource Fair Event at Ochoa Middle School. It was pretty great. We had about 37 different community organizations! It was fun to prepare for and to put on. You can download a copy of the PDC Town Hall 2003 Keynote from my presentation or see it below. You can also see the various photos uploaded to the Pasco Discovery Coalition’s Facebook Town Hall & Resource Fair 2013.

Tonight is Safe Harbor Crisis Nursery’s Beggars Banquet. Work has been absolutely beyond crazy busy for me, so it’s been a pretty crazy week. We decided not to go tonight, which is too bad, because it would have been a great event.