Author: Sam Silvey

Categories
Events

Spectruss Presents: Sound To Table Experience

St. John’s Restaurant, Tim Hinck and Spectruss presents a SOUND TO TABLE experience.

 

Sunday, September 24, beginning at 6:00 PM at St. John’s Restaurant.

A composer and a chef set out to completely reimagine the dining experience. Crafting new combinations of sound and dramatic culinary innovations, chef Rebecca Barron and composer Tim Hinck are attempting to redefine their work by uniting flavors and music seamlessly with images, lighting, and sound. Drawing inspiration from Crabtree Farms, they have created sonic and visual extensions to each course of food. Special guest, Holly Mulcahy (violinist and concertmaster of the Chattanooga Symphony) joins Tim Hinck in creating intricate layers of music that unfold around each course of food from Chef Barron’s kitchen.

 

Experience priced at $160 per person all inclusive of wine pairings, tax, and gratuity.

Limited to 80 guests.

Free Vallet Parking.

 

BUY TICKETS

 

Behind the Sound and Table

Tim Hinck is a composer and pianist who’s works have been performed around the world. A former Fulbright Fellow, Hinck studied music in the Netherlands, and now performs his own music along with a rigorous schedule appointments as a concert pianist. His innovative compositional projects often involve multimedia elements and unexpected performance spaces.

Rebecca Barron is the executive chef of Chattanooga’s renowned St. John’s Restaurant. Talented in her own right, she’s also had the opportunity to work under the well known Chef Daniel Lindley as chef de cuisine for three years before becoming executive chef two years ago.

Categories
Business

Apple Says Goodbye to Imagination Technologies’ Services

This past week Apple announced that they were creating their own in-house mobile processor for their devices. This news immediately affected Imagination Technologies’s shares, which dropped almost 70 percent. Imagination Technologies created Apple’s PowerVR graphics that supplies them with a small royalty on each transaction. Those royalties make up a large percentage of the businesses revenue.

What Happens Next?

While this news affects Imagination Technologies by worrying them on how to further float as a business without such a major client, they have been poached by more SoC vendors as of late. This this is good news for the company, they will need many new clients to make up for the loss of Apple.

This news doesn’t come without its speculations though. Last year Apple mentioned looking into buying Imagination Technologies when Imagination Technologies announced that they would be shrinking their staff count. Apple ended up not proceeding with this idea, but instead took on some of the laid of employees and recruited them for their own, similar project. Apple has stated that they are making this switch to in-house to further their goals of every aspect being created by themselves for their devices.

The Future Brings Change

The future looks interesting between the two companies as a spectator. We shall see what happens when apple officially cuts ties in one to two years. Imagination Technologies is very curious to see how they can survive without their product and not break any patents, release confidential information, or misuse intellectual property. They have multiple GPU patents that will be difficult to work around. Plus, what will Apple do in terms of backward compatibility for their pre-existing app and games?

Categories
Design

Learning to Code is the New Requirement for Jobs in Design

Designers who can create beautiful and trending concepts are in high demand. Their skills can take an amazing product and make it understandable and desirable to customers. But a new wave of designers and developers have started to change jobs in design. Designers are learning to code, and developers are learning to design.

Design + Coding

Companies have started looking for designers who can also code. They want people who can come up with a concept, and be able to execute it too. People who can fill these roles are becoming highly desirable. Learning HTML, CSS, and/or JavaScript is showing to have its advantages by giving designers a better understanding of their limitations and where you can push bolder concepts. These concepts were often needed to be relayed by developers, but if a designer is already aware, time lost on project iterations may be eradicated.

With this information, designers have begun to take charge. New workshops are opening up for designers who want to learn to code. (https://generalassemb.ly/education/coding-for-designers/san-francisco) This workshop linked takes place in San Fransisco and helps get one ready for transitioning into three types of coding. These skills can also be transferred into jobs in the web development field and UX careers.

 

Recently, at SXSW in March 2017, John Maeda delivered a “Design in Tech Report” where he explored new trends on jobs in design and coding that you can watch here, https://vimeo.com/208035080

 

Coding is something worth considering for designers in the tech field. Developers are quickly becoming more style savvy and integrated into design meetings. While technical skills are a great addition to any resume, they may just be the next thing that gets you hired in the tech designer industry.

Categories
Uncategorized

Wearable Technology – Project Jacquard

Recently at South by Southwest, Levi and Google showed off their collaborative wearable technology, Project Jacquard. They’ve eliminated the bulky, awkward, wearable tech that we’ve become used to seeing and replaced it with a jacket that looks and acts like a jacket while having washable conductive fibers running through it. With the jacket comes with a detachable non-washable cufflink that makes the fibers come to life.

“Jacquard yarn structures combine thin, metallic alloys with natural and synthetic yarns like cotton, polyester, or silk, making the yarn strong enough to be woven on any industrial loom. Jacquard yarns are indistinguishable from the traditional yarns that are used to produce fabrics today.”

– atop.google.com/jacquard

Project Jacquard is developed in Googles division in the Advance Tech and Projects Group. The jacket, cut in Levi’s Trucker Jacket style, uses conductive yarns that are able to make gestures translate into actions woven into precise places. Sensor grids and interactive surfaces are also an option with how the technology is woven into the fabric.

The jacket currently allows wearers to get map updates and navigation without a screen, track destinations of interest as you pass by, and answer calls. The features are limited at the moment but more apps are in route to come in the future. Apps such as the ones you download on your phone may one day be downloadable to your tech jacket.

The jacket is currently listed at $350 retail and you can find more video information on this new tech online at https://atap.google.com/jacquard/

Categories
Uncategorized

Passenger Drones Ready for Customers in Dubai

Are you ready for not only self-driving cars but self-flying limo services? Starting in July of 2017, Dubai plans to start offering drone passenger services using China’s Ehang 184. The drone was announced by The Roads and Transportation Authority of Dubai at the World Government Summit and has been working to become ready for transport following the summit. It was created by Beijing Yi-Hang Creation Science and Technology Corporation and can currently fly 30 miles with a recharging time of 2 hours.

The drone has a 220-pound limit, can fly up to 100 mph, and all runs on auto pilot. The company has also stated that cyber-security measures have been taken to block unwanted forces from taking over the drones flight control. China’s development in drone technology is on the rise in the recent years. In 2015, successful test on amphibious drones was done and within one year, the testing for Ehang 184 had begun.

Drone transportation is an inevitable future for Dubai but it will not go unregulated. Penalties upwards of $5,400 have already been enforced to illegal drones flying without proper licenses or registration papers. Owners of drones also need to obtain licenses in the aviation sector from the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority which only last one year per sign-up. This can also apply to particular heavy duty fireworks, drone photography, hover lighting, and laser light shows.

Dubai it taking the lead in futurism! Their next goal is to have 25% of all vehicles automated and with the news on the Ehang 184, they don’t seem far from their goal.

Categories
Uncategorized

Electronic Waste on the Rise

Each year the want and need for electronic devices, ranging from small appliances to huge industrial machines, rises and rises. We are all officially living in the electronic age, which is resulting in a lot of electronic waste.

While a rise of production in electronic equipment can be a great boost for a countries economy, if the disposal of the products are not decided on, the buildup can accumulate quickly. Many companies look to make a quick turn around product with a short lifespan, resulting in no time to consider how to repair, or recycle the product.

In 2012, (“Regional E-Waste Monitor”, Schunuchi Honda) there was an estimated 56.56 million tons of electrical and electronic equipment put on the market. With Asia being the world’s largest manufacturer and market for electronics, things must be considered when they also create (2014) 16 million tons of E-waste in a years time. Japan is the leader in digital technology development and houses some of the worlds largest manufacturers. They have worked to execute strong frameworks for E-waste management and support country wide E-waste activities.

To solve any situation first you must assess the problems. Some of the major E-waste concerns are a lack of information and awareness, inadequate reporting on E-waste data, unclear definitions of E-waste country to country, and lack of support to make legislation. While small personal steps can be taken at home like reusing old products, refurbishing, and recycling, countries must assess the increasing E-waste volumes. There is an increasing lack of recycling facilities per region volume, lack of recycling knowledge, and minimal global effort to help the environment.

There will always be new bigger and better gadgets, but next time you dispose of an old electronic, consider the best method for its future and the future of the environment.

*Stats from “ Regional E-Waste Monitor, by Shunichi Honda, Deepali Sinha Khetriwal and Ruediger Kuehr, 2016.  https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1bF9zth54L8N01XTW9PU04yS3c/view 
Categories
Events

Spectruss at Hunter Underground

The Hunter Museum hosted their annual “Hunter Underground” event. A combination of gallery art and cocktail chic that featured the much-anticipated “Smash & Grab Gallery”. The proceeds from the night benefited the museum’s educational and interpretive programming.

Artwork traveled to the event from Chattanooga and Asheville galleries and ranged from small sculptures to large oil paintings. The event weaved in between the corridors underneath the Hunter Museum, with artwork displayed on all sides. Pockets into offices became opened up with deep blue atmospheric lighting, exposing rooms filled with creativity and chic lounge space for guest to enjoy the evening.

To find out more about The Hunter Museum you can visit them online at www.huntermuseum.org. You can also visit Spectruss Facebook to see pictures from the Hunter Underground photo-booth.

Categories
Events

Great Success at 2017 Lookout Wild Film Festival

With over 3000 people in attendance, this year’s Lookout Wild Film Festival was a huge success! Spectruss is proud to have not only sponsored the festival once again, but also be one of the original founders of the festival. With such amazing growth in the last five years, we can only imagine what next year will hold!

In case you missed the event this year, check out the trailer for the 2017 festival below, and the checkout the website for more info on the films: http://lookoutfilmfestival.org/

Lookout Wild Film Festival 2017 Trailer from Lookout Film on Vimeo.

Categories
Projects

TODAY Show Welcomes Spectruss Client, PurrPacks

The result of an effective marketing strategy

PurrPacks knew their box of treats and toys for furry friends was a new trend that would captivate the eyes of many cat lovers. But, when the NBC TODAY show reached out to them to be featured alongside Kathie Lee and Hoda as a creative subscription idea, they were astonished.

 

How did PurrPacks attract this medium?

 

PurrPacks is a monthly subscription box of toys, treats, and fun for cats. Buyers can select from three different sizes, personalize treat flavors, and color preference. Also, 10% of all their retail subscription profits go to animal shelters.

Spectruss joined the excitement and planned to ignite the brand with a fresh new identity and creative marketing solutions to make a mark within this industry. We based our approach on what was best for PurrPacks, like we do all our clients. Our team knew we had to expand the marketing efforts in order to promote this specific brand and see a conversion increase. So, in addition to web design, social media management, email campaigns, and graphic design, we reached out to influencers.

Incorporating influencer marketing into our overall strategy positioned PurrPacks in front of their target audience’s trusted sources of information. Influencers are across different types of platforms like blogging, vlogging, social media, podcasts, etc. They typically do have a high number of followers, but that is not their purpose. This type of person or reviewer has the power to influence someone’s decision making process.

As a result, Spectruss created an opportunity to network with a number enthusiastic parties and developed relationships with multiple influencers. Thus opening the door to a circle of interest that can potentially reach other mediums, like the TODAY Show.

Ready to take your company to the next level? Give us a shout today to get started!

 

Categories
Uncategorized

8 Top Chrome Extensions for WordPress Users

WordPress is fairly easy to use.  However, sometimes it becomes a time-drain when you have to do everything in the actual wordpress platform.  Lately, I have been utilizing a lot of Chrome Extensions.

If you haven’t ever used a chrome extension – I highly recommend you try them out.  They can dramatically increase your productivity!

 

Expresscurate

A content curation tool for WordPress bloggers. You need to configure it by –

1. Installing free ExpressCurate WordPress plugin

2. Installing ExpressCurate Chrome extension

3. Finally, Restarting your Chrome browser and start curating

Features include:

  • Content discovery – ExpressCurate will analyze web pages as you browse through them and suggest articles to curate — based on your predefined keywords (you can define them within ExpressCurate).
  • Curate-as-you-read – You can also curate as you come across an interesting article by clicking on the ExpressCurate button in Chrome toolbar.
  • Curation template and tools – ExpressCurate provides a pop up window with predefined fields and tools for you to select a quote from the original article, add a headline, add your annotation, select images, and more.
  • SEO Optimization – In the same pop-up window, ExpressCurate enables you to add the essential SEO attributes, such as meta keywords, descriptions, pick categories, and more.
  • Publishing – Once done with working in the curation window, click on “Curate Now” and ExpressCurate will generate a post draft in your WordPress blog.

 

MultiPress

With “Press This” function you can publish on your own blog about anything you found online, This extension helps you to move contents to your own site.

 

WP-Write

It allows users to publish new posts directly from the Chrome. Supports WordPress.com blogs and self-hosted WordPress sites, uses XML-RPC API.

 

WordPress Keyboard Shortcuts

Gives a complete list of keyboard shortcuts for WordPress. Keyboard shortcut includes Visual Editor shortcuts, Comment moderation shortcuts and Advance shortcuts.

 

PicMonkey > WordPress

This extension let’s you submit screenshots to PicMonkey and then Auto-saves the edited image to wordpress.

A word of caution for this extension: it’s probably the most confusing plug-in to set-up.  The set-up involves synching your wordpress account with your PicMonkey account using API keys.  However, there is a very useful explainer video on the extension page to walk you through the set-up.

 

WordPress Admin Bar Control

Instead of having the admin panel take-up valuable screen space you can use this chrome extension for admin duties.  This is especially helpful when editing on smaller devices.  It follows your chrome installs so you don’t have to install a plugin on each site.

 

WordXPress

If you post a lot on your site, I highly recommend this extension.  It makes it dead simple to post a lot of content on your site.

One major downside with this extension is that you cannot save to drafts.  You also cannot upload multiple images at a time.

 

Tiny Best Image Optimization

This plugin is not wordpress specific, but I had to include it because it’s so awesome!

If you are constantly resizing images for posts I highly recommend this plugin.

 

Summary

 

Hopefully these chrome extensions will help you become more productive with managing your wordpress site.  If you would like to talk about your wordpress site and different ways you can increase traffic and conversions on your site, contact us at the following:

INFO@SPECTRUSS.COM

or

423-800-8633

Did I leave your favorite extension out?  Let me know on facebook.

 

 

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