Evaluating the rules

How much stuff do you do for free? We’ve all been there… Doing something just for the love of it, because it represents a challenge, trying to help people out, working to obtain new skills or to gain respect in a community. This trend is well known in both software and academics. Thousands of coders from around the world have built (and are building) systems that can achieve a lot more than corporate software created by industry giants. How can a home made aircraft shoot down an F-18? Passion. People doing stuff because they love to, not because they have to.

The same approach is often seen in startups. And NuLab is another startup I’ve been a part of in the last couple of years. They’ve all shared the same characteristics (at the beginning, at least): the buzz, the informal work environment, the free flow of ideas and the lack of bureaucracy. At this stage, we’re more productive than we’ll ever be. I for myself am involved in three different projects that define who I am. They all define my workday, my thoughts and ideas even when I’m not near the office or with the group of people I spend most of my time with.

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Wireframe your ideas with iPlotz

Wireframing has become one of the most important steps when designing websites and web apps because of the shorter iteration cycles and early client feedback on basic information architecture. When one makes a personal decision to only use Ubuntu Linux or Mac, things might get tricky. OK, I admin, I also have Windows XP on dual-boot, because I need Internet Explorer to digitally sign all the companies’ documents on EVEM. If there’s one thing more unpleasant than Windows, it is standing in lines, waiting for my share of the state’s bureaucracy. But I manage to use Ubuntu or Mac’s OSX for everything else.

A few weeks ago I stumbled upon Gary Barber’s article on SitePoint. The story was more or less what I expected. The good tools were either expensive or only running on Windows or Macs. I also tried Pencil, a FireFox plugin, but didn’t really like the whole idea, it seemed inappropriate for bigger projects. When I read the iPlotz review I knew I found something I can work with. The application is running on Adobe Air, which basically means that the same code can be reused to power a web app or a desktop application. Furthermore, Adobe AIR framework lays on top the OS, so iPlotz will run just about anywhere (on Windows, Linux or Mac). If you decide to only use the web-based version, you’ll need a Flash plug-in.

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Beta testers wanted!

I know it’s April Fool’s Day but we’re totally serious. We’ve started working on DJ Deekline’s online record store a few weeks after his set in Klub SubSub. I’m off to London pretty soon to sit down with Charlie Snug One, the artist responsible for the amazing artwork.

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Nu website + Nu office @ NuLab

It’s been a few months since we founded NuLab (December 2008). A lot has happened since and big things tend to happen all at once. I for myself have had a turbulent year (as always) and building a company (d.o.o.) was quite a spectacular finish. Before NuLab, both Matevž and I worked for OpenAd.net, which started as an exciting new project, but after three years we decided to move on.

This year started quite slow, so we used that time to learn about the new environments we’ll likely be using in the future. We developed the MixedBizness website, followed by an already successful project Momentum-Brokeri. We also started hosting quite a few websites and the wheels started turning much faster. Since we’re also quite involved in music (I’ve been a club DJ for about 7 years), we met DJ Deekline in February and things kicked off by themselves. Currently we’re working on the Booty Farm project, which will be the best place to buy music from labels, such as Rat Records, Sludge, Hot Cakes, etc.

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