WebTurd - Web Dumps Served Hot n' Fresh

I just went on another walk around the building and decided to take some more quick photos.

There are a ton of different types of butterflies, moths, grasshoppers and dragonflies  fluttering around and I know that I will miss watching them once Winter hits and kills everything off.

Go here for the rest of the shoot: http://www.webturd.com/photobrow/?level=album&id=20

"In representation to humanity, the hawk is called messenger, protector and visionary. Keen vision is one of its greatest gifts. Hawks see things others miss."

I usually take walks around the building that I work at in order to get away from the computer for a little bit and get my pulse going again.  Although there is not too much to look at besides corn and bean fields,  once in awhile there are little surprises that make me glad that I went outside.  From swarms of butterflies to parades or tiny little frogs, I always enjoy watching nature that is not on my computer monitor.

Today, as I rounded the corner of the building, I started to hear some strange screeching sounds.  Just off in the short distance, there’s a patch of trees that harbored the screams grew louder as I got nearer.  Since I’ve never heard anything like it, my curiosity made me stop and try to figure out what was going on. Within the branches and leaves, I notice something moving around.  Looking closer, I realized that there were about 3 large birds.

I just had to get a photo of these strange birds. I quickly went back inside to grab my camera equipped with a tele zoom lens.  On my way back out to the bird sanctuary, I was stopped by a few chatty co-workers.  Knowing that they were cutting into my photography shoot, I shared my fake interest and made a quick escape outside.

Just as I got back outside, the 3 birds started to fly away.  The only good photo that I could snap was the in-flight shot seen above.  I was angry that I missed a cool photo opp but was excited that I got to witness some out-of-the-norm-nature today.

Trying to identify the big birds, I think that I will put my money on it that they were Harris’s Hawks.  I base a lot of the identification on the bird’s call as it was really distinct.  You can hear it with this link:  http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Harriss_Hawk/sounds

More info on the Harris’s Hawk can be found here:  http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Harriss_Hawk/lifehistory

In further readings, I see that these Hawks have been spotted throughout Indiana and some in Michigan.  The map on the info link shows that they are from down south around Mexico and Central America.  Because of that, I could be totally wrong with the identification.  As I mentioned before, the call sounds are dead on though.

All in all, it was a cool sight to see and I will store that in my “cool bird seeing” memory department right next to the owl that I encountered a few years ago.

What does it mean to see a hawk?  What does a hawk symbolize?

The hawk comes to you indicating that you are now awakening to your soul purpose, your reason for being here. It can teach you how to fly high while keeping yourself connected to the ground.

As you rise to a higher level, your psychic energies are awakening and the hawk can help you to keep those senses in balance. Its message for you is to be open to hope and new ideas, to extend the vision of your life.

The Hawk is an animal of flight. It soars through the air looking down, and sees everything. It has a larger perspective of what is going on down below. With its keen eyesight, it looks down as it soars through the air looking for its prey. It can see the smallest of creatures below.

The Hawk is known as a messenger, similar to the planet Mercury, for the hawk soars close to the Grandfather Sun, as does the planet. When you listen to the power of the Grandfather Sun or Wise Spirit that lives within, you are protected from all types of harm.

The Hawk teaches you to be observant and take a close look at your surroundings. It soars with the power to overcome difficult situations. It soars in circles over the life of the earth, asking you to circle over your life and view it from a higher perspective.

The Hawk has a distinct cry, one that most people are aware of. Its cry signifies awareness. If you hear the cry of the hawk use your intuitive ability to discern the message and seek the truth.

If a hawk has soared into your life, you require a higher perspective. You need to see the details of what is going on and look at the bigger picture. Take a look at your situation from above.

Quote Source: http://divinesparks.blogspot.com/2008/04/hawk-symbolism.html

Finally bought my first palm pre app!

It’s an app that works with wordpress based sites such as this one.

I am using right now for this test post to see if it was worth the dollar spent! :)

Edit: could be a template issue, but the above image is not showing on the front page listings…

More videos have been posted up on you tube…check ‘em out: http://www.youtube.com/user/WebTurd#p/u

If I am right, that should be all the videos that I have so as of this posting, I will kill off the media page. :)

Every once in awhile when I get some free time, I browse the Craigslist help wanted ads in the “web / info design” category. I do this mainly because most people or businesses that post in this category are just looking for a one time job with web design or other related media…which is great for freelancing.

In a recent dry spell, I couldn’t help but wonder why my emails were not getting replies. I like to think that the resume that I send along with it isn’t that bad and best of all, it provides sample links of stuff that I have worked out outside of my day job. I have had different thoughts cross mind mind such as:

A. My resume and example links are horrible.
B. Too late. They already found someone to do the job.
C. The reply got filtered, marked for spam and is gone for good.
D. They are just too lazy and don’t care to reply.
E. They are performing a cool experiment.

Because of these thoughts, I decided to do a quick experiment and I apologize if anyone out there reading this was one that did reply. My experiment consisted of a fictitious posting just to see what happens and what its like to be on the other side for once.

Here is what the ad said that I posted a couple of days ago. Like most postings in that category, they tend to be fairly vague and don’t give you much of an idea on what is needed.

Need Website and Logo Created
We are starting a website selling product and need help getting started with a fully functional set-up and logo. Please serious contract workers only.

Compensation: tbd
Telecommuting is ok
This is a contract job

Within about 2 hours of making that post, I got my first reply. From past experience on trying to sell things on Craigslist, I know that there is some spam that comes in so I was a little suspicious of this one…mainly because it came in so quick. After checking into the first reply with the provided portfolio and resume links, it seemed legit to me.

As the hours past by, more and more emails of interest trickled in. Now that it has been a couple of days, I’ve probably received about 10-15 legit emails of freelancers looking for work. Some were more serious and personal like they actually took time to write an email and the others looked like it was a copy and pasted reply.

So from what I have gathered from this experiment is that it is indeed a feeding frenzy when it comes to freelance work like this. Its like hanging a piece of meat out there and the first one to bite gets the full belly. There were some freelancers that were selling their souls and others that were super high priced. Some had great portfolios and some where still stuck in the past with horrible web and design trends. My best guess on how to be a successful freelancer while using Craigslist as a resource is to be quick and watch for new listings. It does help to have an awesome portfolio but it seems to me that it would be based on first come first serve…but that is totally up to the job poster.

So from my previous list, here is what I’ve concluded with the thoughts that I’ve been having running around in my head:

A. My resume and examples are horrible.
( I hope not but compared to what I received, its pretty damn good )

B. Too late. They already found someone to do the job.
( As the replies came in, I did loose interest and didn’t even read through the latest. I personally would consider those that are aggressive but I would still leave time open to get the best of the best. This is a difficult one to figure out. )

C. The reply got filtered, marked for spam and is gone for good.
( I did have some go in my junkbox without a doubt. The fate is in the hands of the email user and how often they pay attention to their spam piles. )

D. They are just too lazy and don’t care to reply.
( Unlikely, but possible )

E. The are performing a cool experiment.
( I sure hope not! )

Again, I apologize if any of you reading this article replied to the ad but I did it for science and the for the sake of freelancing! I now know what to expect and somewhat what happens on the other side of the fence.

Funny yet very interesting article that I just came by. Yes, I am a Blogcrastinator.  There I said it!

blogcrastination (bl?g-kras-tuh-ney-shuhn) — the deferment of writing a blog post to a later time; often a mechanism for coping with anxiety.

5 Warning Signs You Might be a Blogcrastinator

If you’ve been a blogger for long, you know how ugly blogcrastination can be.

It disrupts your goals, stifles your spirit, and makes you second guess your decisions. It can take you from writing a post every day to letting days, weeks, or even months go by without writing.

It can even make you question whether you’re really cut out for blogging.

I know because I’ve been there, and the good news is that there is a way through it.

But first, you’ll need to accept that you are a blogcrastinator (this can be difficult and requires strength of character) and begin to develop an awareness of its telltale signs.

See if you can recognize them in yourself…

Read more here: http://www.copyblogger.com/blog-procrastination/