Fire-Wired Blog

This article was first published by  dmcityview.com Every tech-enabled marketplace celebrates a new, industry-darling each year. Whether it’s movies, social media, podcasting, transportation, applications, music, or any other silo of technologically enhanced goods creation, some unforeseen innovation captures all the industry eyes. But every once in a while, something rises above their intended producer/consumer ecosystem to grab headlines across society as a whole. These red-hot crossovers inspire superlatives such as “gamechanger” or “revolutionary.” Well just starting to boil over is a cartoonishly violent, freemium videogame ‘Fortnite.’ Videogame megahits are not new. There are decades of examples to site where men, women, and children were all captivated by pixelized, remote-controlled entertainment. Fortnite is the semi-annual superhit that is inching its way into zeitgeist-wide. As is generally the case with super power videogames, Fortnite is a massive multiplayer game ...

This article was first published by  iowabusinessjournals.com Travel is a silent budget killer. Nevermind hoarding receipts for meals on the road and hotel stays, the real iron maiden of expense is mileage. If you’re using a personal vehicle to travel near and far for your business you’re no doubt burning an ocean of gasoline, and even worse shortening the life expectancy of your ride through wear-and-tear. Now if you’re part of a larger corporation or franchised medium-sized business this may be reimbursed directly through your employer; however for small business owners mileage tracking and tax write-offs is an absolute must. Thankfully your smartphone offers dozens of options to track your mileage. Of course you could take diligent notes in whatever application you prefer to do such things (Google Drive, Notes, Keep, Evernote, etc.). But for piece of mind, and better records for confidant tax deduction, there are a few applications you should really consider. First, there ...

This article was first published by  dmcityview.com 95% of the world has no idea how the internet works. Security breaches, data leaks, identity theft- these are life altering events that the internet has inflicted on millions of people (probably billions at this point). So why did every media outlet cover the recent Facebook-Cambridge Analytica story as if national security was at stake? The immediate, half answer is the sour state of American politics where everyone still trying to figure out the narrative for the past presidential election. If a foreign outfit nefariously uses US citizens “private data” to help swing an election, the harvester of that data should explain how that happened. But of course it's not that simple. “Private data” does not exist when it comes to the internet, and anyone who says otherwise is selling you something. Seriously, when you sign up for any “free” service online what you actually doing is turning yourself into a renewable commodity that i...

This article was first published by  iowabusinessjournals.com Drone videography is becoming ubiquitous in our world. For stunningly low investment you can fly a small helicopter or quadcopter with a high definition camera. What started as an expensive filmmaking tool has trickled through the market and commoditized into an accessible tool for any enterprise. Business Commercials, City Services, Landscaping, Real Estate, Agriculture; basically you think of the business it is very likely that someone is out there sending a drone into the sky to film something for it. The problem is you should not be doing this yourself. No one needs to remind you how resources for a small businesses are limited, but the itch to fly your own remote controlled helicopter is pretty enticing. But before we get to the budget breaking potential of even consumer grade drones, there is a dirty little word you have to deal with: regulations, as in Federal Aviation Authority. If you are flying a drone, o...

This article was first published by  iowabusinessjournals.com You know your job. You pretty much have to in the world of entrepreneurship. Beyond your speciality, small business ownership also demands you learn a few things about accounting, marketing, as well as a healthy dose of the laws pertaining to your line of work. Of course there are some things you don’t know, and given how precious time is in your life you are not prepared to learn. For many people –inside and out of the small business world– creative or artistic pursuits is a black hole. Personally dipping your toe in the worlds of graphic design, video production, or even professional photography is an endeavor you may waste weeks, if not months of your time and come out the other end less than satisfied with the result. Thankfully some people live in this world and are a few keyboard taps away from covering your creative needs. Now just like you, there are tons of local freelance graphic designers and small creativ...

This article was first published by  dmcityview.com With a high probability of certainty I can say that you have fallen for gimmick technology. Maybe you bought a mini-disc player or digital picture frame. You were stuck on a plane and after four hours of turbulence your brain was shook just right to convince yourself of the genius of a couch mixed with a refrigerator or a wireless text scanning pen. See all that junk seems like obvious gimmicks, but at some point a whole lot of people thought they were must haves or “the wave of the future.” Well sadly, gimmick tech is not in our rear-view mirror. Example A; 360 cameras. Not sure what 360 camera is? Have you opened up your facebook timeline and seen a video or picture that seemed to move the contents of it's frame with the movement of your device? That content was 360 degrees of fun. That might sound facetious but there are practical applications for displaying 360 environments for users to interact with… the problem is users ...

This article was first published by  dmcityview.com If you figured it out by now, nothing in tech ever lasts. Fading into obscurity almost as fast as and season fashion trend, technology producers and consumers jump from innovation to innovation, from platform to platform, and hardware to hardware without even a glimpse to the past. Whether it's iPods, flip phones, VHS, or even desk tops, technology not only advances but doesn't even hold a public funeral for the gadgets that once ruled our lives. The next former king of the technology empire to sail quietly into the night is CDs, or compact discs. While today CDs are mainly found in libraries and truck-stop bargain bins, the high fidelity compact disc was once a revelation. First unveiled in the early 80s, by the mid 1990s CDs had completely eclipsed all consumer audio technology. Vinyl LPs were holding on for dear life, audio cassettes were virtually erased from existence, and reports of new release compact disc sales jum...