A solo prop. & small business owner

I just got a phone call from a local small business owner. The person, I don’t know how the person found me, need 2,000 business card estimate. I recommended to use CostcoBuisinessPrinting.com.

Why?

It’s because of the cost!

First I’m always looking for a job and client, the size doesn’t matter. I myself just a single freelance for design, multimedia (video, animation, web dev etc…) productions. Working with a small job is relatively much easier and quicker turn around because less people involved that a mid-size to large corporation. Always welcome a small business client or individual. But now a days, thanks to the internet and web-based services, a lot of things can be done by non-professionals. Like brochures, business card even website.

Print collateral

I recommend costcobusinessprinting.com or shutterfly.com etc… google “custom business card, brochure etc…” you can find a very good deal and tons of design templates to choose from. You can upload your own photo taken by yourself from your smartphone and easily layout using the templates and order desired quantity. These sites are very well done and High Quality Do it yourself production. Also the printing cost is unbeatable because of the quantity they can handle. Professional printing shop also uses an ink-jet printer , slightly complex and higher quality (on demand printer) than one you have, but they run thousands of them simultaneously. So they can handle a small lot as well. Also shipping cost, they can make a good deal with logistic companies. + the can locate somewhere cheaper than CA.

Website

WordPress is one of the most famous website builder, if you sign up your domain with an ISP(internet service provider) such as GoDaddy or Bluehost, it’s come with it. And you don’t need to know any HTML/CSS, It’s a bit complicated for a beginner at the beginning but a lot of instructions are also available via the internet, thanks to YouTube! So you can build a good looking your own business (or personal blog) website so quickly, easily (once you got started) and free (except the hosting fee and the domain fee etc… but something like $25/months)

MS Office 365 and Google Drive and apps

I think you know that MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint etc.. + storage) and Google similar services are free to use (some limitation on MS Office 365). I’m pretty sure some people uses only a tablet for business, no more computer, no more office space (Starbucks 😎).

So what professionals do then?

It’s a super good question, I’ve been asking to myself for a long long time. The simplest answer is “Time is money“. A good sense (design sense + skills) take a long time of studies, practices and experiences. So you are hiring a professional to save your time. And also your have to know what exactly you want, a clear vision and have to know where to look for.

Also It’s good idea to find out what you CANNOT DO by yourself. You’ve tried and stuck somewhere, then ask for a professional advise, once the problem is clearly outlined, it’s easy to find out why you need a pro. and what type of pro you need. So we can answer your questions much easily and efficiently.

On last thing, a good service is the best marketing 😃

git cli update

My previous post was to introduce git, this one is for CLI update/note:

REMOTE

$ git init ProjectName.git --bare (create remote empty git repo as origin master to push)

$ git push --set-upstream origin BranchName. (To push the current branch and set the remote as upstream)

$ git push -u origin myBranchName

$ git remote -v (List remote repo)

$ git remote add <name> <url> (add remote repo <name> = “origin”, url = server.com:/where/the/project.git)

FILE

$ git checkout --filename.ext (remove the file filename.ext from git)

$ git status (show current status of git, I execute it before git add .)

$ git restore filename.ext (before commit, restore the file to previous status, even file is saved, the content is back to the before)

CLEAN UP GIT

$ git clean -df projectName (clean up git)

$ git log --oneline --graph (show list of commit.)

$ git reset --hard HEAD (go to current HEAD.)

$ git reset --hard HEAD^ (go back to the 1 commit from current HEAD.)

$ git reset --hard HEAD~2 (go back to the 2 commits from current HEAD.)

$ git reset --hard index (go back to the commit where the index is)

UPDATED 09/16/2021

Just encounter an accident, so I’m updating the post.

Accidentally overwritten a file!! OMG. A awesome thing about git is you can retrieve a file or files later. Usually right after you save a file and notice a mistake and Ooops, I shouldn’t save the file, in stead save as different file name. Anyway if you saved and noticed, means you have not git commit the change. So simply:

$ git status (show status what has been modified)

$ git restore fileName (restore the file)

IMPORTANT: Once you notice, you need to change the file name before do git restore, so you can have both.

If you’ve already git add . + committed, you should use

git reset --hard HEAD^ (go back to the 1 commit from current HEAD.)

IMPORTANT: before git reset, always nice to have a current backup somewhere else in local or remote.

UPDATED 06/09/2022

find remote branch names

$ git remote -v show origin

pull the remote branch

$ git pull branch-name

git? A powerful tool for manage your project.

Do you know or have you heard “git” or maybe “github”?

Wiki definition

Git (/ɡɪt/)[7] is software for tracking changes in any set of files, usually used for coordinating work among programmers collaboratively developing source code during software development. Its goals include speed, data integrity, and support for distributed, non-linear workflows (thousands of parallel branches running on different systems).

Even you are not a programmer or computer software/web developer, I think this tool is a super useful. If you only use Word, Excel etc.., anything that you need to save some data as a file, it’s very helpful to manage your project.

EXAMPLE: You are working on a project to input some data to an Excel spreadsheet. You boss come and ask to add a new column [Gender] and input (F) or (M), so you follow the order. A few days later, your boss came again and ask to add other 2 columns [F] and [M], divide data [Gender] to [F] and [M], if it’s (F), input “1” to [F} column, if it’s (m), [M] to 1. So you worked on the devision. Next day, your boss come again and said bring back to [F] and [M] to [Gender] and a few days later… Things like this happen all the time, isn’t it.

If it’s simple(but stressful 😫) as the example, probably when you’ve asked to add the 2 columns, you save the current file as different file name as a backup before adding these, and you continue working on the same file. So list,exl and list-backup1.exl. But I’m pretty sure that your boss come again and ask more changes… and so on, You’ll make so many backups and alternative files, the project folder getting messy easily. Imagine if you are saving files at the Desktop… nightmare!! Also if are working with some other collaborators to share the folder or even a file together, it’s so hard to manage and track what’s going on in the project folder, what have been changed and by who.

git can help manage the project.

The GUI (Graphic User Interface) is available for free, I recommend Sourcetree, available both Mac and Windows.

  1. download from Sourcetree’s website
  2. install
    • (if you have some problem with Mac Mojave or later, simply move the downloaded app to Applications folder and launch, The OS prompt you to allow access to the app, type your OS user password to authorize.)
    • It’s good to se Author name and Author Email address especially if you work with others but it’s up to you. You can change this setting later too
  3. New (cmd⌘+ N || CTL+N), select [local]. Add a folder Drag/Drop | [Scan a directory] to select a folder where you want to start using git.
  1. Once you select a folder, click on the folder name,
  1. then the project window appear, it’s look like this. (I’ve add a folder called “GIT”)
  1. Start a new excel file and just save it, it ‘s automatically appear to the git screen, at the “File status” on the left menu bar under WORKSPACE but it’s not yet in the tracking system, so you have to commit the file.
NOTE: if your file still open ~filename appear, when you close the file, it will be disappeared.
  1. To commit the file, select the file (check the box), it will automatically move to Stage files section and at the bottom “Commit” section, type “my first git commit” or something you can refer later and press [Commit].
  1. Switch view to “History” at the left menu bar. You see the fie added to the git system. Congratulations! You get started to using git.
  1. git watches all the files contained in the folder, so if you create another file, Word, it also tracked by git. You can work on it and save it and commit to add to the History. Every time you commit, you commit to Master branch.
  2. When boss come and divide a column to 2, you can make a branch to keep the original and start new branch to record the new history.
  3. To make a branch, click on “Branch” on the top menu and type name of branch as you like, let’s call it “gender”.
  1. You work on the excel and save it, now you are committing to the new branch “gender”. So the master is untouched as before you committed to the new branch.
  1. Switching (checkout) over 2 branches “Master” and “gender” by clicking BRANCHES at the left bar to see how the files in the folder changes.
  1. Merge, when you are done with a specific changes such as [gender] column, you can merge the branch together, merge “gender” to “Master” branch

GIT REMOTE

Working with collaborators using git is just amazing, you can work a same file with them at the same time and sync changes when you need to. or share your experiment with them etc..

GitHub is built for a remote git storage, storage called a “repository” in git, share a git repo to the world. You can download (git clone) to your computer (local) whatever uploaded to GitHub as public. And it can be shared ONLY for private too. GitHub has became so popular, maybe that’s why it sounds familiar to you too.

To work with remote git repository using Sourcetree,

  1. First, you have to have a remote git repository, in your own cloud server, GitHub.com etc..
  2. The name of repo has to be the same, so If you started GIT.git in your local, create an empty remote repo as the same name.
  3. Once you have the remote git repo, click “Setting” from the top right, select to “Remote” tab, [Add] to add a new remote git to store the git.

Type remote git name as “origin‘. Then URL/path “https://koo-ds.com:/data/git/GIT_TEST.git“, where you put the remote repository. If you push to GitHub, the option, select Host Type such as GitHub, Host Root URL will automatically filled as https://github.com, then type your GitHub Username. (when sourcetree try to connect to the remote server, it will ask you to type your username and password.)

Now you can push your project to remote server, select REMOTES at the left and select your server where you want to access to, Then “Push” at the top bar. You can select what branch you want to upload. Then It will connect and send git data to the remote server. When you are working the project from different computer, start new and “clone” the data from the remote repo, then add all files to your new local git repo and commit, push back to the remote repo, then go back to you original computer and “Pull the changes to it. You can work with collaborator remotely do the same.

work => save file => git add all => commit => push THEN pull => work => save => git add all => commit => push =>…

GITHUB Desktop

If you use GitHub, there is GitHub desktop software available. https://desktop.github.com

CLI (Command Line Interface)

If you are familiar with a command line shell, you can use CLI, here is some command note:

$ cd toProjectFolder

$ git init (make a git in a project folder)

$ git add . (add all the changes to git)

$ git commit -am "My first git" (commit)

$ ssh username@remote_server.com

@ remoteServer $ cd /where/your/gitRepo/willbe/

@ remoteServer $ git init projectName.git --bare

$ git remote add origin usrname@remote_server.com:/where/gitRepo/willbe.git (set a remote git repo, you should create “willbe.git” repo first, it can be just empty git)

$ git push --set-upstream origin master (push to the remote)

$ git branch gender (create a new branch)

$ git checkout gender (switch to the branch)

$ git add . (add saved files to the new git branch)

$ git checkout master (switch back to master)

$ git checkout gender (switch to gender again)

$ git push (you can push a branch to the remote repo too)

$ git checkout master (before you merge, go back to master)

$ git merge gender (merge all the changes you made and committed to gender branch to master)

$ git branch -d gender (delete gender branch)

$ git clone username@remote_server.com:/where/gitRepo/willbe.git (when you use different computer or your collaborator start to work remotely, download all the git project)

Hello real world!!

This is the 1st post.

This blog is about productions process, something I want to share with you things I’ve noticed through developing a content such as video, animation and web development.

WordPress installation

I’ve installed WordPress in to my digitalocean.com server.

ENVIRONMENT

  • Ubuntu 18.04.4
  • PHP7.2
  • MySQL 14.14
  • NGINX 1.14.0

I had a hard time configure nginx to enable php. The reason was simply the PHP-FPM location. So when you configure, please make sure the path

location ~ \.php$ {
                fastcgi_pass unix:/var/run/php/php7.2-fpm.sock;
                fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
                include fastcgi_params;
                include fastcgi.conf;
                }