Writings from Force 5 Basecamp

07/09/13

“Games lubricate the body and the mind” – Benjamin Franklin A couple of weeks ago I updated the Weather Channel app on my Android phone and was presented with the opportunity to sign up for a program called mPoints. Using this system I can earn “badges” and “points” that can be redeemed for gift cards or merchandise. This got me

07/02/13

I love to travel and I love the Internet. The Internet has opened up the world and made it easier to travel. Finding the best price for a flight, where you can simultaneously search 1,521 different sites at once and spit out the perfect way to wing your way to adventure, well that rocks. Being able track down the perfect

06/26/13

I love local. It’s the heart and soul of a community, our neighborhoods, and our social circles.  The term brick and mortar actually means something to me. Now, I am not that person who doesn’t like a good online deal despite my local retailer, but I am that person who feels there is a happy medium. Recently my wife of

06/19/13

Getting the most out of your online store is paramount. There’s a good chance your online store exists to actually make money. The trick is to get the most from your visitors by knowing what it takes to get your visitors to return. One essential ingredient in creating a “sticky” online store: Engagement. But how do we create engagement? There

05/01/13

Recently the design community has been debating the trend of skeuomorphism in design – specifically UI design. While the debate itself has blurred to the point of debating about what was being debated about, the core question remained: “When does Skeuomorphism make sense in UI design?” What is Skeuomorphism? In relation to UI design, Skeuomorphism is the method of creating an

03/01/13

Every student in every school should have the opportunity to learn to code:

01/22/13

Force 5 is proud to announce to we have added three more hospitals to the ICE Michiana app! This expands the coverage of the smartphone application beyond St. Joseph County and now includes ER facilities in Elkhart, Fulton, and Starke Counties. The ICE Michiana app has had almost 8,300 downloads since its debut in August of 2012. We encourage all

08/07/12

Over the past years, we’ve had the good fortune to work for and with great companies. Some have been clients, some vendors. In each case, these folks have been terrific. Each of them has had a common goal–to bring success to themselves, their community, and to us. On occasion, we find the company or vendor that doesn’t have this goal-its

04/11/12

So, almost a month before my birthday, Starbucks is wishing me “happy sips on my birthday.”  The email came 3 weeks before my birthday and of course it made me smile.  Free Starbucks would make anyone smile.  The postcard came in the mail 2 weeks before my birthday. There are two companies that have made an impression on me when

02/03/12

Seventy to Eighty percent of those who watch TV, also are watching a “second screen” during the same time. That second screen is a smartphone, Ipad, or laptop. And what are we doing? We’re checking email, surfing the web, and looking up material that has to do with the show we’re watching! This weekend will be no exception. During the

01/20/12

Anyone who has done development, design, or IT knows that over the course of working on a project, you collect various “nuggets” of knowledge that you ever learn or find. Here I’m going to share some of what I’ve discovered that may be able to help you in your own projects. I have cited the original source of the information

01/06/12

One Sunday last month, I started my day off with a vente iced vanilla latte with soy and double shot at 7:45am.  Yes it’s true; I am the only farm boy I know that loves Starbucks and all things gold card. To my surprise, the cashier asked if I had heard about “our Treat Receipt?”.  The bottom of my receipt