apndavies's blog

Am fuming about this.  I am working on a project at the moment which requires that I work with DWG CAD files natively - in other words AutoCAD.
 
I am now a Vectorworks expert having spent several years learning it.  Though I am keen to learn a new drafting package as I have a keen interest in all these things, I would rather be working in Vectorworks.
 
But my big issue is that the UK version of AutoCAD LT for Mac is OVER TWICE THE PRICE of the US version!  How can that possibly be justified??
 
Mac App Store in the US - $899

My new office is allready for action!  I am delighted with it and the job Decorated Shed did for me.  A few hightlights :

Feel quite sad today.  

Around 7 years ago, I signed up to a hire agreement for a dedicated Microsoft Windows server with 1&1 Internet.  

I'd got the Web Design bug - and had 2 or 3 sites underway and needed a reliable web-server to host them on.   The server worked flawlessly for those 7 years, and had hosted several websites over that period.  Politicians (Jack Straw), charities (Running for Ella), Lighting companies, web design companies to name but a few all had websites hosted on the server.

So after three years of working out of the small front bedroom, I have decided to finally do what I have been talking about for a long time and build an office at the bottom of my garden.

This will not only give me more space to work, but also a room outside of home so I can separate work from home life.

Work is due to start in early July - once I am back from the BP Graduate event in Texas (which is preceded by my third HSBC Presents Wimbledon in Rockefeller Center, New York).

Am pleased to say I now have got my secure projects area up and running - and am really pleased with the results.  Technically, it was built on Drupal 6 using the Organic Groups module.

There is still some work to do on it, but I am keen to get the basics working well before adding too many bells & whistles.

As I write this : 

One of my big interests is CAD drawing / rendering. I've been using Vectorworks for several years now, and really enjoy using it. I like being able to work up creative ideas into something that can be costed and built.  Not all Production Managers do CAD, but I find it makes my job a lot easier. I don't leave it at 2D either.  Being able to produce a 3D model / render of what something would look like can be very beneficial.  However it can also be very time consuming.

Ive been lucky enough during my freelance career to have only had one bad illness that has stopped me from working.

I spent two weeks in Lewisham Hospital in 2009 after an emergency appendix op. Luckily for me, it happened just after I finished a large HSBC job so didn't have any major work implications. But I have often wondered how I'd cope if something worse happened - at a bad time.

No work, no pay - that's how it works for freelancers.

So a bit more information on how I see "web collaboration" working. It's not a new thing - web collaboration. There's Microsoft Sharepoint, Google Docs etc. and they are all very good. I've tried most of them in my quest to find the ideal solution for me - but each one has failed. (or been too expensive). So I am going to try and set one up based around this site. This site runs on Drupal - an Open Source content management system. It's quite a beast to learn - but I think it is worth the effort.

Had to share this image.  Made by my daughter on her new iPod Touch.
I think it's rather apt for this industry!

So in the two years I have been trading - I have designed myself approximately 3 or 4 different logos. Each time I finish one I think - "that's good", only to go off it a few weeks later (see an example of this to the right).  So I decided it was time to have a logo designed properly and am so glad I did. I gave the brief to Sheila Duggan who gave me several ideas before I plumped for this one. Hope you like it!