I’ve discovered a new web development friend which I’d like you to meet. It’s eased the pain of viewing and testing websites and apps on various devices. It’s especially awesome for responsive web development. I’m not one for touting a particular product, but when a small tool helps in a big way and fits in seamlessly with your work process it’s worth sharing.

Ready…it’s name is Adobe Shadow and I’m a fan.

It doesn’t do a ton of things but what it does do is exactly what I need. Synchronized browsing, screenshots and remotely inspecting your code.

Here’s the scoop.

1. Pair multiple Apple iOS and Google Android devices to your computer over a wireless connection. With Shadow, you can browse in Google Chrome and all connected devices will stay in sync.
2. Take screenshots of the current page from any connected device.
3. Target a device for remote inspection, make changes to the HTML, CSS and JavaScript using familiar development tools, and see your device update in real time.

As the Internet has quickly become one of the most ideal platforms for entrepreneurs to grow ideas on, the engineering side has thrived with a plethora of technologies that allow us to create these dynamic, data-driven experiences. There is now an abundance of tools, frameworks and tutorials available to aid engineers and developers with getting these sites and apps up and running.

With all these new tools, comes fierce loyalty and dispute between which is better and why. In an ideal world, I think these tools were always meant to co-exist in harmony, allowing developers to choose a workflow that suits them, and helps them efficiently complete the tasks at hand. Many of these evangelists, will berate other tech simply because it works better for them. The assumption that it works best for everyone is at best, foolish. As a PHP developer, I openly admit I’m not a fan of Ruby/Rails, or Python. The syntax structure just isn’t my cup of tea. However, there are piles of developers and engineers who love that type of syntax style, and are very proficient at writing code with it. This doesn’t make one better than the other, it simply gives developers a choice to code to their tastes. Any site/app written in PHP can be written with Ruby or Python, and vice-versa.

As developers, we should be celebrating the choices we have, to build the things we love. We should recognize and acknowledge the strengths and weaknesses of each tool, and ultimately choose the best one for the job.

Summer is proving to be a bit of a challenge for Hypenotic’s crack (or cracked?) team of bloggers. In a previous post I noted that when it comes to blog posts, “focus breeds discipline.”

To that end I’m kicking off a series that Barry, Lionel, Rick, Chris, Collin & Amanda will run with in the following weeks (hear that gang?) It’s called “Damn Good Advice”

Here’s the idea; Somehow or other we’ve all ended up at a values-based enterprise where doing good matters most. How did we get here? This series is intended to give a brief glimpse into the (morally superior) people we’ve become.

Damn Good Advice.

History 101. First year undergrad at Western.

I cornered my T.A under the guise of asking some questions about the final exam, but what I was really after was someone to help me feel like I could deal with the end-of-semester pressure that was crushing me.

Years later I figured out I had an anxiety issue when the whole thing spun out of control.  But at that time it was just gut rot, pressure on my chest, and a general sense of impending doom that could only find relief in ceaseless work (punctuated by ceaseless smoking and bathing in heavy rotation.)

The conversation with the young History 101 T.A turned from the assignment to the bigger picture. Passover was coming up, my family would be gathering for dinner and I was totally conflicted about whether I could make the trip from London, ON to Toronto for the weekend. All of this very important work was on my plate and if I didn’t sit my ass down I would never get it done. Then I would fail and my life would basically suck.

After patiently listening to my litany of concerns, the kind T.A leaned forward, looked me in the face and very simply said “Jodi, go home.” I immediately knew he was resoundingly right.

I made the trip home. My 3 foot nothing Bubbie Rosie greeted me with a hug, and the greasy Passover food nourished my weary soul. I remembered I was a human being, not a fucking exam machine. It gave me what I needed to get through the semester.

Truth be told I’m still working on putting this good advice into practice.  20 years later I’m getting better at not “forcing it.” Last year I wrote about “Not Doing the Hustle” or trying not to buy what Abe Lincoln said:

“Good things may come to those who wait. But only the things left by those who hustle.”

It’s a noble struggle and a life’s work. In short, I’m still trying to take his advice.

This graffiti image snapped on the streets of Cambridge (thanks Tonya Surman) pretty much sums it up.

This spot for the Paralymics is mind blowingly good. In it, Paralymians are repositioned as Super Human. It takes a deficit and turns it into more than an asset–a fucking superpower. Watch.

When I was completing the most recent version of the B Corp Assessment today, this set of questions caught my attention. Anything jump out at you?

I find it fascinating that Payday Loans are on this list of products/services that will put you in the proverbial B Corp doghouse.

In short, payday loans are short term, unsecured loans that are to be paid on, you got it, payday.

So what makes them so bad?

I set out on a journey to dig deeper. I admit, I’ve been increasingly curious about payday loans as I’ve watched them multiply like weeds in the downtown core. So, why is Mr. Payday considered Mr. Monsanto’s next door neighbour? Here’s what you need to know.

Why Payday Loans?

• Payday loans target the working poor whose needs are largely ignored by Canada’s mainstream financial institutions
• For those without credit payday loans may be the only safety net in times of financial need or crisis
• Poor people are disproportionately subject to judgments and garnishments that make it preferable to operate in cash
• Payday loan outlets tend to have convenient hours and super friendly service. And the whole transaction takes about 15 mins no questions asked.

• In Canada, the average payday loan has an interest rate of 350-600% APR (Annual Percentage Rate). By contrast, a gold Visa card has a 9.9% APR interest rate
• According to a research report by the Centre for Responsible Lending (CRL) ”A full three quarters of loan volume of the payday lending industry is generated by borrowers who, after meeting the short-term due date of the loan, must re-borrow before their next pay period” In other words, its not the first loan that’s the problem, it’s the loan on the loan on the loan.
• This inability to pay is what’s called a “rollover.” As CRL found rolling over loans accounts for 76 percent of total loan volume in Canada
• A US study of payday loan customers found that “about 20% had rolled over 9 or more advances.”
• In 29 of the 35 US states that permit this kind of lending, payday loan storefronts outnumber McDonalds’ restaurants (NTY, 2009)

In case you’re interested in knowing the lived experience of Payday loans, jere’s a short video CRL put together to describe one US woman’s experience.