We came across this excellent article on LifeDev and wanted to share:

The common stereotype for programmers is this: nerdy, pocket-protector wielding, and very, very boring. One doesn’t typically link a programmer as a creative individual. However, this couldn’t be farther from the truth. Working with code is one of the most creative jobs one can have. Programmers have to balance two very different worlds: a world of structure and a world of imagination. They create abstract concepts using very structured programming languages (like PHP or Java). It’s not an easy task. Programming is actually a great exercise in creativity. Here are a couple reasons why:

• Programming gives ultimate control. Creating something from nothing is possibly the best example of creativity. The ultimate control over software or web site that a programmer has is perfect for taking the application to any direction that they wish.
• Many ways to do one thing. Programmers have to essentially build a framework for the web site. They’re laying the foundation for something that, up until that point, is just an idea. The programmer uses a wide palate of tools and methods to find

Programmers are a great example of thinking outside the box because programmers can actually create the box. Here are 14 ways to Learn From Creative Programmers.

1. Learn a new language
2. Start from the ground up
3. Question everything
4. Do it for fun
5. Never stop testing ideas
6. Find a passion
7. Master your tools
8. Start making abstract associations
9. Think of structure as a tool, not a limitation
10. Don’t rule anything out until you try it.
11. Always look for a simpler and more elegant solution.
12. Don’t be afraid to build off the code of others.
13. Don’t be afraid to collaborate.
14. From the very basic, create the beautiful.

Source: LiveDev

I ran across this cool graphic generator that I figured many of you might find useful:

3D Box Creator is a 3d-box graphic generator. 3d package lets you instantly create 3d-box images online for free. Just upload pictures for cover and sides and then get 3d-box in you favorite image format (JPG, GIF, PNG supported)

“I am the Creative Commander in Chief of Digitalvaliance, and I am a PC”

Mac vs. PC - For the past few months, my company had been going through the decision many IT/Technology companies go through at some points in their existence. The decision was whether to delve into the brave new world of the mac or stay mundane, and stick to our good old PCs. Since we consider ourselves a “creative” company, it seemed as though the obvious choice would be the Mac.  Macs were ubiqutious at my alma mater, Stanford University, and so I was exposed to them on a daily bases.

However, we would be lying to ourselves if we didn’t admit that another “allure” to Macs was the culture around their ownership. However, the new marketting campaign from Microsoft is having people rethink their views.  The new marketting campaign (headed by Crispin Porter and Bugosky - the same company responsible for the funny Burger King ads amongst others) is quite brilliant in my opinion and I am surprised they hadn’t done this before. I think one of my favorite lines from their ad is that “I am a PC and I’ve been made into a stereotype”. They show that despite whatever “following” Apple might have, that the reality of it is, they are by far the more dominant force. They show that they have aspiring & established people from all walks of life using PCs. They have everyone from children in developed countries to Vera Wang to Pharrell Williams saying “I am a PC”. Even if they paid Pharrell to say that he was a PC (a fact I do not know), the message is very powerful because for a while, Macs have been the way to go for music/artists.

I do not want to come across as a proponent of Microsoft/PCs.. but I did learn how to program on a PC. My dad was always tech savvy and made sure we had pretty much the latest technology. We had a Commodore 64 back in the day but I still credit my humble beginnings to the PC. I am also an avid Linux user, something that I will speak about later. 

I do realize that its very “uncool” to like Microsoft or to support them, neither of which I am implying. They’ve had a series of blunders, they are a big bad monopolistic corporation and they really messed up big time with Vista and seriously, had me looking into getting a MacBook Pro (I have a few friends that work at Apple.. I was pretty much 20 seconds away on the phone from making the purchase since I could get a discount).  However at the end of the day, we end up using PCs a good 70-80% of the time (split between Linux for most of our web development) and the only real reason to own a Mac for us, is to develop iPhone applications.

- We are PCs, and We make cool web sites and applications.

With an album release on 8/26, Digitalvaliance’s service were once again sought to help customize a Content Management System for the well known rapper, Game’s official site. 

Please check it out and let us know what you think.

This project was done in conjuction with O2Elements. Special shout out to Oyd Craddock.

PS - Since we like to promote the business of our clients, please buy your copy of The Game’s LAX today!

Our Portfolio Page has finally been updated with some of some of our past creative missions. Be sure to check them out!

NB - Adobe Flash Player 9 or later is required to view the portfolio page properly. Javascript must also be enabled.

“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.”

My mind is so scattered. It is usually very hard for me to blog because I rarely think about one thing.

I find myself daydreaming about ridiculous ideas and alternate realities. This can be good and bad. Sometimes, it’s led to my having negative thoughts about things because I’ve over thought a scenario. Gladly that doesn’t happen anymore. I am always playing out different scenarios in my head and I ask myself a bunch of different questions everyday. I often find myself thinking if i were Superman, What would I be doing right now? What If I could walk through walls? What if I could speak all the languages in the world, what would that be like? How different would I be if I were white? What if I wasn’t born, how different would the world be? What if I were blind? If I am Larry Ellison, what would I be doing now?

I have always been like this for as long as I can remember. As a young boy, I was very into my imagination. I had action figures and played out fictional worlds. I actually didn’t stop doing this until quite late in life (lol).
You’d often find me in my room, with my action figures, pursuing some inter galactic adventure or coming up with cool inventions on paper. I have always been a “techy” (Stanford terminology for someone who is pursuing a technical major.. contrasted with a fuzzy, who is someone pursuing a liberal arts major), and so most of my imaginary world was usually sci-fi related (I tend to really like Science Fiction Movies and books as well) When I was younger, my friends and I talked about how cool it’d be to live in a computer world, where you could get plugged into a world without limitations, a world where things like gravity could be defied etc. In this world, you could have super human strength and run as fast as the speed of light. Later that year, the Matrix came out(.. a movie I have watched over 20 times and counting..) Before Loopt, my good friend Sam Alemayehu and I were working on a project to allow friends to locate one another using their cellphones..

Unfortunately on the flipside as I mentioned before, my imagination has also sometimes caused severe anxiety about some situations, but I have learned to control this aspect of my imagination.

Imagination is very important, when it comes to creativity. Imagination drives Creativity which in turn drives Innovation. To be an effective leader, one must be creative in the tackling problems of their respect fields.

I remember the first facebook application I installed. It was the “Where I’ve Been” Application, an application that allows you to mark the countries you’ve either been to, lived in or want to visit. It was a really cool flash application and I remember not really thinking much of this whole facebook applications phenomenon. I liked the “Where I’ve Been” application a lot, but besides that most of the others got my nerves. I would get invited to install tons of applications and it was just getting ridiculous. “Why are you throwing a virtual sheep at me?” I still haven’t accepted or rejected most of them because it would take too long to do so.

When I first heard that TripAdvisor was offering $3 Million for the application, I was in shock. “For a freaking facebook application?!?! Are you kidding me?” To understand my point of view, as I stated in my first blog entry, I seem to have a knack for really cool ideas. When facebook created it’s market place, I had already come up with the concept for an online college market place. I had thought about developing an application for it, but was discouraged to do so by a friend (I know, I know, i didn’t follow my heart and let some guy stop me from pursuing an idea). Instead, I created the application for my senior software project class but never really launched it since I had a hectic summer.

At Startup School (See previous Post), I met the creator of the facebook application, Entourage who had just sold his application for an undisclosed amount to SGN (Social Gaming Network). He and his buddy (who had just sold the nicknames application) were taking a trip to Brazil to celebrate their sale. I mean, I always knew that space was lucrative, but It never really hit me until this past weekend. It’s like the difference between knowing who Michael Jordan is, and then actually playing basketball with Michael Jordan.. very very different.

It’s funny because a few weeks ago, a freshman friend of mine, Perry R and I, were talking about the facebook application world, and being a former facebook employee, Perry knew a lot more about that world than I did. For part of Digitalvaliance’s offering, I was thinking about Digitalvaliance helping people develop their facebook application as part of its offering. Perry offered his advice, but said that instead of helping others create applications, that we should seriously look into creating our own applications, as it was a very lucrative world.

Since then, we have kept tabs on facebook applications in general and have ideas for 3 applications, which will go into development next week. We are not looking for the “next big thing” persay, but we want to have a presence in that space, as we feel as though it is perfect for our mission of “Bold Creativity”

Now I know a lot of you are going to be like “suure you came up with an idea like facebook marketplace” or “knack for really cool ideas eh? well who doesn’t?! “. Those who’ve known me for a long time, will be able to attest to this. However because of my academic endeavors and other engagements, I was never able to make “the leap”. I’ve kinda watched on the sidelines while most of my ideas have been brought to fruition by others. Most of the times, its because I lacked the resources to bring my ideas to life. At other times, it was simply because I had the following mindset: “I am at Stanford to get my degree, and once I’m done, I don’t doubt that I will come up with a really cool idea, like I’ve always been able to do but right now I am developing myself and my brain”.

Most people get mad when an idea they had, gets implemented by someone else and that person becomes successful. I get mad too, but I usually can’t help but smile. It makes me realize that my creative “mojo”, is as strong as ever and that at any given time, one of the 20 ideas I have written on paper could really become huge.