Over the past two quarters, I think I have learned more about business than I have in all of my quarters combined. Granted, I’m not a business student, but nonetheless the statement still holds true. The main reason for this is the student consultancy projects that Dr. Neil Hair incorporates in to his courses. Instead of lecturing for 10 weeks, and then students “brain dumping over a pint at MacGregor’s”, as Neil puts it, we get a hands-on experience to apply the theories he is teaching us to a real life client.

This morning, Neil gave a presentation to the Henrietta Chamber of Commerce promoting these student consultancy projects and to try and get more contacts for businesses who would be interested in being involved with this concept. The whole room, approximately 50 people (excluding the students their to mingle / network), were very accepting of this idea almost to the point of it being a no-brainer for their business. There were some very good questions raised about how these new internet technologies, that Neil focuses on, really affect local businesses. I think the answers, provided by Neil and the students present, really quelled any resistance that a local business owner might have with trying something new and innovative.

I look forward to seeing student consultancy projects becoming a bigger part of the RIT curriculum. Just like RIT is known for the co-op program, I hope that it eventually can be known for its student consultancy program as well.

One of the problems with all the new and wonderful applications that are coming about as part of the Web 2.0 movement is that information is spread out all over the internet. It can become quite easy to find yourself stretched thin when trying to manage your identity. To solve this problem, I would like this site to become a central hub for all of my information online. Colin Devroe recently began attempting to implement this same idea.

Over the coming weeks, I’ll be making changes behind the scenes to unite several different elements of my lifestream. del.icio.us, Facebook, Pownce, Twitter, and others.

Those of you who still check this blog, despite my sporadic posting, will be seeing yet another new design. The title of this post is actually in effect in triplicate, but not necessarily directly related to the presence of a new design.

Minimalist Style

This new design follows a very minimalist approach. I’ve always been intrigued by minimalist designs, but even more so lately. Some of my recent influences have been the work of Scott Wallick, Garrett Dimon, and Dan Benjamin with his latest design. They are all able to convey great visuals with very little beyond the content being presented in a styled manner. Being a developer first, I think this has always been my style, but I never took the chance or time to explore it.

Complete Usage of EMs

Internet Explorer is a thorn in the side of any web developer looking for cross-browser support. Font scaling is one of those common pains. In the past, I’ve just said to hell with font scaling in IE and used pixel measurements to specify fonts. But, with this design, I’ve embraced the em and made full use of it for not only font scaling but design scaling in general. It was definitely a challenge, which I plan to fully address later, it was definitely a good learning experience.

Wordpress

I know, I know. Wordpress, with the much anticipated new release, is being discussed everywhere. I’m not going to tout any of that. But, I have bought in to it and am returning to Wordpress after a long journey through other free content management systems available online.

A few months ago, I was summoned to serve jury duty in New Jersey. I thought, as a full-time student, that I would be able to be excluded. Even more so because I am a full-time student in Rochester, NY and do not consider New Jersey my current residence. But, no such luck. I was, however, able to get it postponed to a time where it would not conflict with classes in session.

So, I spent my spring break, this past week, as a juror. At first, I went in to the process trying to figure out any and every possible statement I could make to get myself removed from the jury if I was selected. However, I couldn’t pull the trigger, I was selected for a case and was not excused. Now that the trial is over, I am glad that I did not get myself excused. As corny as it may sound, it was an excellent experience to get a first hand understanding of the judicial process.

Recently, Dr. Neil Hair of RIT Saunders College of Business and Prof. Susan Barnes of RIT College of Liberal Arts were approved for a grant for a very innovative course in advertising. The first of its kind anywhere in the world. The course looks at the recent innovations in terms of online advertising, more specifically focusing in on SecondLife.

For those who are unaware, SecondLife is a new online environment created by Linden Labs. In this environment, users create avatars and carry out, for lack of a better phrase, a second life. SecondLife, and other online environments like massive multiplayer online games, are opening up many new possibilities and pitfalls that businesses, and consumers, need to be aware of in this internet age.

As part of our course requirement, we are expected to document our experiences within SecondLife for analysis by the university on the effectiveness of the course. Over the next few weeks I will be cross posting some of this content on using SecondLife, trying to relate it back specifically to my areas of interest.