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Uncategorized

Unable to start SQL Express on MSSMS on Windows

Sometimes on Windows 10 you are unable to start SQL EXPRESS. It just doesn`t work. 

What worked for me was to open the Sql Server Configuration Manager and start the SQL Server Launchpad (SQLEXPRESS). If that doesn`t work, check the SQL Server Browser and start it if stopped.

Categories
MSSMS web design

How to increase the font size of the Object Explorer on MSSMS

Quickest way I found to increase the font size of the menu of the Object Explorer on Microsft SQL Server Management Studio:

  1. Click on TOOLS, then go to OPTIONS at the bottom.
  2. The key is to change the font type from Environment>Fonts and Colors, as if you don`t, it is set to default and it will not let you change the Size.
  3. Increase the font size, then click ok, no need to restart the app.

4. Voila! Font size of the Object Explorer`s menu increased.

Categories
personal web

Why you need a personal website rather than a Facebook profile?

The age of having a personalized Facebook page, or Twitter account, or any other social media profile is over. Wouldn`t it make more sense if you accomplished all that activity, whether posting selfies, or comments, collaboration with others, commenting on their blogs, photos and posts, all this on your own website?!

website

Photo credit to M. Koralewski

Pros:

  • Only one login to remember: Rather than wasting time creating a new account on every social media website or app, and having to remember its username and password, you can have only one, for your website.
  • Keep your data private: Everything you post, photos, media, comments, posts, comments from your friends or users, stays in house. You are in control of it. It is not some strange owners and developers that leak data all the time or sell it to third party companies.
  • Control your personal info: They make money out of your personalized data, your birthday, email, preferences, your private photos, what you said, have done or places where you have been. Why should they be in control of all this, and what is most upsetting, they profit out of this. This should be illegal! Instead, you can accomplish all the social media appetite by creating your own website or blog, call it how you want. It is so easy! Use WordPress, or any other content management system(s) (CMS).
  • Stay more safe: Yes, Instagram is funny and very addicted. But, why should you upload all your life to their servers, while you can still post it online, on your own personal website, and can keep it under your own control. All you got to do is buy a domain which is about $11.99 or around that. Then buy a hosting package from GoDaddy or Bluehost or other dozen of companies online. Then build your new website with only a few clicks.

Cons:

  • Sharing: it might be difficult to share comments and photos with your friends and users, but it is not as difficult as you might think. There are a dozen of plugins you could use to create a chat on your blog. WordPress, for example, has by default the option to allow your users to register on your website and leave comment on each of your posts.
  • Look and feel: if you don`t really know how to configure your website and maintain it, it could be a hassle to come up with a good look and feel, something that resembles Instagram or Facebook.
  • Searching for what others do: same as the point made above, if you are not tech savvy, this can be a negative point that may bring you down and renounce from using only your website.

Overall, everything balanced, I am tech savvy and I would totally replace all: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter for my website. There is so much fake content, Photoshoped and filtered selfies, that no one can tell what is true. That is the path I am trying to take slowly but steady.

If you twitt it, please use hashtag #personalweb_vs_socialapps

Peace!

Nik

Categories
web design wireframing

Building Wireframes with Balsamiq is so easy!

Leon Barnard from Balsamiq team explains simply what wireframes are and specifically talks about the “The Two Phases of Wireframing”. It is a short blog, does not take too much time and really convinced me into trying it. Sadly, Balsamiq does not offer a free tier, instead they offer a free trial for the Cloud or you can download the Desktop App. A single user license as of right now seems to be $89 US dollars.

 

 

Categories
web design

Why new mobile app is needed to transform the advertising industry?

I like personally the new feature Instagram has added recently to display ads between your feed on the mobile app. At first I disliked it, as I was surprised to see it, without any pre-warning. But then, I noticed all kind of apps and tech services or companies were promoted. From an adversary of ads being present inside the content, this transformed me into a “not so much in disbelief” watcher.

I want to create an app that would be like Instagram, same look and feel, or at least close to it, but main idea is you scroll up and see your feed running through like a train. Instead of viewing content from your friends, pictures, videos with some text underneath, you get same pleasure of entertaining your eye/mind by looking at an image, same concept image + subtitle underneath, same way of playing with your phone. What do you do with your friends pictures and videos, nothing! You see them once and continue. It fades away, even if it is a most pretty picture, it doesn`t matter after a few days. Its purpose becomes one of an archive.

Instead, if this feed is replaced by relevant products, this may serve you well. In what sense? You get to see a new mobile app, it appeals your eye, you think may help you do something easier or as a brand new way. Or, you see a new service posted, or an improvement of an old service, and you decide to try it out. You get to learn a new process, a new way of doing an old habit. So, clearly there are benefits. The tricky part will be, in building this app, how to filter intelligently enough the feed, so the user can satisfy their intellect and not just run away indifferent.

All for the purpose of everybody! – motto of today – 🙂