Happy Birthday Bruce Lee

Nov 27, 2009 by Nor Sanavongsay with 0 Comments

Thank you for all your hard work and inspiration. We are all thankful for your gift of knowledge and may you be at peace. 

Updated the look of my website

Nov 16, 2009 by Nor Sanavongsay with 0 Comments

I finally had some time to update the look of my website this weekend. I went with the painterly background and texture; it sort of gives a feel of my traditional background with a technology edge in the foreground.

There are a couple of acrylic paint strokes that was converted into a Photoshop® brush. I can do a write-up on how that is done later. Feel free to look around, if you’ve been here before, there’s nothing new content wise. I will start adding more work soon. Thanks for visiting!

ChordC.com (Chord Connection) is now live

Jun 14, 2008 by Nor Sanavongsay with 1 Comments

ChordC - Connecting People With Chords, formerly a Flash Desktop Application, Chord Conquering, is now a live interactive website. This initial release brings with it a slew of exciting features not found on the CD. For one, members can interact with other members and share songs or tips on guitar playing. If you have a band and looking for members, this would be a great place to start. Or if you are the greatest guitar player and want to join a band, sign up for a free ChordC profile. This site is definitely not for people who know absolutely nothing about a guitar.  The basic knowledge of chords and tabs are required.

Future release of the site will include all of the features found on the CD. The people who’ve bought the CD will find that this free web based upgrade is a wonderful addition to their guitar playing reference library. There will be sound attached to each chord, so that you will know what the chords sound like when you’re strumming along with it. Another nice feature of ChordC is the ability to find chords that you don’t know the name of. For instance, lets say you are strumming freely and found a sound that you like; you can go to the site and put in the fingering and find the matching chord. Widgets run the web, that is why we are working on a few of our own. Expect to see an iPhone version as well as a facebook application for ChordC.

If you would like to find out more about the site, come on in, we’re now open. Sign up for a free profile and rock on. So what are you waiting for… go conquer those chords!

Internet services should be treated like street performers

Oct 12, 2007 by Nor Sanavongsay with 0 Comments

Have you ever walked down the streets of a big city that has performers doing acts or making something? And, if you are like me, you would give them some money for their performance or just watch and walk on by. Well, this same concept is how I think about webapps and internet services.

Why do I feel that way? Well, think of it this way: people do not want to pay for crappy products or services — they want free stuff. Most people, though, I believe will pay or donate money to the service providers if they think their product is of use to them. So, if you are planning to start an online service or build a web application, remember, people want free stuff! And they like to share what they found. So, make the service free for the users and you will end up with some big rewards (get paid by advertisers when you have millions of visitors at your site or use your products).

This is also true for Open Source Development.

Legacies of War, Boston Exhibit 2007

Oct 01, 2007 by Nor Sanavongsay with 0 Comments

Rarely, do I get a chance to work with such a team of passionate and highly motivated group. The Legacies of War organization is fast becoming a force to be reckon with in the advocacy world. You can find out more about them at their website: Legacies of War: History | Healing | Hope

More pictures are coming soon.

I will be updating this section as I find more time in the coming week.

A Fresh New Look at nawDsign.com

Sep 23, 2007 by Nor Sanavongsay with 0 Comments

“Again, with the squeaky shoes.” A line from Kung Pow! a very funny and bizarre movie. That quote always seem to make me giggle. What does that line have to do with my redesign? Nothing. Just as random as that line in the movie, so was this redesign.

I have been working on this redesign for weeks and finally got done with the minor tweaks and fixes. It amazes me though that this refresh was in line with Apple‘s redesign of their website. There are some similarities between mine and Apple’s. I am a big fan of their product and design so, it’s no coincidence that the look is similar. Well, anyway, i hope you enjoy the new look and I will try my best to keep writing.

iPhone was worth the wait

Jul 02, 2007 by Nor Sanavongsay with 0 Comments

Was it really worth the wait? I would have to say heck yea. I’ve been playing with it over the weekend and I can not put it down. I’m a web designer so I live on the internet. Anywhere I can get WiFi access, I’m giddy.

Friday June 29 3:30PM

I was waiting in line with my 2 year old daughter (sorry Amily for putting you through that). We waited at the AT&T store in Carpentersville for an hour and a half. Amily did not like that one bit. Finally, we were near the door and I was sure I’m going to get it that day. The store guy came out and said they were sold out, but we can order it and get it before the store. Bogus! I was so mad, but I signed up anyway, just in case they run out at the Apple store. After that, I took Amily home, so she can rest for a bit. I called the Apple store in Woodfield and they said they still have a couple left and there was no line. I packed Amily up, who was already set to go to bed. “Where are we going daddy? I want to go sleep!” she said. Sorry, sweetie, daddy have to get the iPhone today.

Friday June 29 7:30PM

We headed off to Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, IL. Went to the Apple store and saw that it was still packed with people. We went through the path leading up to the iPhone at the genius bar and saw a wall full of iPhone. I was surprised and happy to see a ton of iPhone still left.

Friday June 29 9:30PM

We went back home to activate the iPhone. It was a simple process which took 10 minutes. Most of the time was itunes accessing the AT&T account and sending the information back to the iPhone. They made it very easy for people to get activated, which is typical of Apple. I’m glad I don’t have to call any AT&T person to activate my phone this time. I’m going to have to say, I’m really satisfied with the purchase.

Friday June 30 4:00AM

Still playing with the iPhone.

You can take a look at my iPhone gallery on my facebook (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=4901&l=a2d36&id=500018071).

A Greener Meaner Apple

May 07, 2007 by Nor Sanavongsay with 0 Comments

Graphic linked from Apple’s website.

It has been awhile since my last post, but after learning the new policy at Apple, I just couldn’t help but write about it.

I have been supporting Apple and their products ever since I got into using computers. They make quality products and stand behind them. I don’t mind paying the premium price for their product and this new policy change makes me want to support them even more. You can read their full statement here.

Atari 2600 Pac-Man and Axel F

Jan 05, 2007 by Nor Sanavongsay with 0 Comments

I was 9 years old when Beverly Hills Cops came out in the theaters and that same year my uncle bought me the Atari 2600 system. Pac-Man was was hot! Nothing close to the arcade version. Annoying sound effects and blocky characters. I could not be beat when I’m playing pac-man with the Axel F theme in the background.

My cousins and I use to stay up all night playing video games no matter if it’s the school season or summer vacation. We could not stop playing our Atari system. I remember one night we were up playing pac-man of course, either that or Pong, we were taking bets on who will have the highest score. The loser had to sleep in the basement for the night. Being the scardy cat that I was, I was determined not to lose. Each person gets one game play and the lowest score loses. Finally, my turn was up. I stepped up to the joystick with sweaty palms. A little heat flash through my body. I was set and focused on winning. 20,000 points to beat. I was missing one thing that could hype me up. Where was my Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack cassette tape (not CDs at the time, kids)! Who hid it? I was freaking out. Then I remembered I hid in my underwear drawer so no one would take it. I had Axel F theme pumping. My blood was circulating. No one can stop me now.

I was down to my last guy and 2,000 more points to go and the song was almost over. I can do it. The song was over. 1,000 more points to go. I got hit by the ghost. I’m dead. Did I make it? Urrrrghhhh I thought I lost. 25,000 on the screen! Alright!

That was a fun moment from my childhood. Of course, I will never achieve what this guy did.

Points are exaggerated from my blurry memory of the 80s.

Happy New Year!

Dec 31, 2006 by Nor Sanavongsay with 0 Comments

Welcome 2007. I look forward to making this a year of improvements. There are many things I try to improve upon this year. The most important being my health. I haven’t been getting enough sleep and lack of exercise in 2006. I’m hoping to make some improvement on that. I still say sleeping is a waste of time.

Merry Christmas, A Special Tribute to My Sponsors

Dec 25, 2006 by Nor Sanavongsay with 0 Comments

‘Tis the season to be thankful. There are many things that I am thankful for. One thing in particular are my sponsors. Without them I would not be here right now. God bless them.

My family and I are refugees of Laos. We came to the United States on January 29, 1979. Thanks to a very special family in Kingsport, Tennessee — The Scotts.

I don’t remember too much of my life in TN, but I do remember their generosity and love. They helped us learn the ways of being Americans. They helped us to be self sufficient. They even helped us to make do with what we got. Sadly, we only stayed with them for six months.

When we first arrived in Kingsport, it was snowing. “What is that?” I remember asking my parents. I was only five at the time. It was freezing! Luckily, the refugee camp gave us some coats before we came.

The next day, we were bombarded by reporters of the Kingsport Times. We were one of the few refugees to arrive in the area. I thought nothing of it and was too busy playing with the toy cars they gave us. They were asking my parents questions and taking lots of pictures.

I could only say two words in English; yes and no. When it was dinner time, I would just point at the things that I want to eat and my sponsors would give them to me. There was one package in particular that really caught my eye. I asked them if I can have some of that! Turns out, it was a box of dog food. Yummy!

I remember the good food, I remember the laughs, I remember the weird kid that licked juice off the table in school, and most importantly I remember the love that they have for us. There is no present that anyone can give me that would top bringing us out of poverty in Laos. For that, I am truly thankful.

Be Like Water

Dec 22, 2006 by Nor Sanavongsay with 1 Comments

Welcome to my blogging site “Be Like Water” (BLW). Here, I will discuss everything and anything that interests me. I would love to have you join in the discussions and comment on my blog. I am not a professional writer or claim to be one. I’m just an artist trying to do everything humanly possible. I am a HUGE Bruce Lee fan as some of you might have guessed already. “Be Like Water” was one of Bruce Lee’s philosophies.  What it means is to be able and willing to adapt to your environment. “Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water my friend.” [1]

I will try to put new articles and writings up as time allows. Come back often, or if you would like, please subscribe to the RSS feed. Hope we can share some wonderful insights about life and anything contained within it.

Be Water My Friend.