Boyink! Blog

Professional Communication 101

2012-05-13T19:07:46+00:00

I get a fair number of emails related to potential project work and I’m often surprised at them for a number of reasons. I’ll go through some specifics in a moment, but my thesis is this: the web is a communications medium. If you are involved in the creation of websites as a paid professional it means you are a professional in the Communications industry. Take the time to ensure that your business communications reflect that.

10/Tin

2012-05-08T19:45:12+00:00

Men in Black II. My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Sweeping forest fires in Colorado. Snipers in DC. The Euro becomes official. Queen Elizabeth dies. No Child Left Behind act signed into law by President George W. Bush. Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, UT.

Remember the year? Remember the decade?

I do, quite well.

Mobile Web Development

2012-05-01T12:54:02+00:00

I’m pleased to announce that Boyink Interactive is now a dedicated mobile web development shop.

But it’s not what you are thinking.

While I am getting more involved in the world of responsive web design with the goal of sites that adapt themselves to both the desktop and smaller-screened devices, that’s really not the topic of this announcement.

Rather, the Boyink family is no longer weighed down with the ownership of a stationary sticks-and-bricks house. At approximately 11:30 AM ET on April 27th we tucked (shoved?) the last remaining possession from our house into our fifth-wheel trailer, climbed in the truck, and pulled out of the driveway that we had called home for 16 years.

Boyink! World Headquarters for Sale

2012-03-09T18:54:22+00:00

The formal listing will happen on Monday, but we’re too excited to wait to make all the announcements. After 16 years of ownership, blood, & sweat we are putting Boyink! World Headquarters up for sale.

This is part of our master plan to become fully mobile, ideally by mid-May. I’ve posted the details of the house including photos and price on our Adventure Site.

No, we don’t know where we’re going once back on the road. Yet, anyway. Too much to think about between now and then!

Springer Spaniel

2012-02-23T18:05:54+00:00

Here’s the latest in my series of garage creations. I’m not sure what the final resting home of these pieces will be but I’m sure having fun making them. The entire process - from scrounging at the recycling yard, to arranging potential pieces in the garage, to the welding/assembling to the viewing and enjoying is sheer pleasure. I really like the fact that once they are done, they are done. There’s no subsequent need to update the system files or the 3rd party add-ons, or take backups.

Adventures in Shaving

2012-02-16T15:13:41+00:00

I know, recently I blogged about clothes and now it’s shaving. Next thing it’ll be discussing my feelings or something…

A few weeks ago the topic of wetshaving came up again on Twitter and I thought, why not? I’ve been a life-long electric razor user and the only real reason is that’s how my dad shaved so that’s how I started shaving.

But with a combination of thick hair (which doesn’t mean “lots of hair” but rather “each strand of hair is thick”) and sensitive skin I’ve always suffered from neck rash and ingrown hairs. Since the ingrown hairs were mainly on one side of my face I always attributed them being a stomach-sleeper and laying that side of my face on the pillow. But maybe a better complexion would come from a different shaving approach?

Gearhead van Helsing

2012-02-11T19:37:15+00:00

The follow-up piece to Dumpster, the Zombie Cat is Gearhead van Helsing the noble but misinformed vampire cat hunter.

Dumpster, the Junkyard Zombie Cat

2012-02-01T15:10:32+00:00

So, if you haven’t been closely following the Boyink Family life for the past year and a half or so let me catch you up. In December of 2009 we made the decision to take a year-long RV-based family road trip. As part of that I sold my hobby vehicle, a 1964 CJ6 Jeep that I had invested countless hours in. That Jeep was the latest in Jeep ownership that stretched from the time I turned 18 and included a 1966 CJ5 and a 1952 Willys Wagon.

Fun in the garage wasn’t limited to just vehicles. I’ve also made tandem bikes, a quadcycle, and a small junkyard sculpture.

Since coming back from our trip I’ve found myself restless and antsy - especially when the evening hours roll around and I’m done with the days work, am tired of looking at screens and don’t want to read a book. I think I was driving the family nuts with my frustrated pacing and desire for something to go do.

I was missing an offline hobby.

Getting Away with IT

2012-01-23T19:59:11+00:00

If you’re curious about how my family and I spent a year traveling the US by RV while keeping our businesses going, join me in Grand Rapids on February 22 when I’ll be giving a presentation entitled Getting Away With IT.

I’ll talk about the practicalities involved in prepping for the trip, the realities of working from the road, the difficulties of coming back off the road, and how we’re planning to ditch our house and become full time technomads.

The talk will be geared towards other IT workers, and our hope is to inspire you to realize you have the skillset to consider your own location-independent adventure.

Startup Weekend 2012

2012-01-17T17:21:58+00:00

Almost three years ago I ran across the Startup Weekend organization and immediately wanted to do one in West Michigan. I enlisted the help of Aaron Schaap and ElevatorUp and together with some additional volunteers and sponsors the result was Startup Weekend 2010. As I wrote in my wrap-up post the event was an amazing success that - even if all the businesses don’t ultimately make it - makes a positive impact on the business scene to offset all of the negative press.

The saddest part of the experience for me was that, due to our plans for an extended family RV roadtrip for 2011 we wouldn’t be around for the event.