Sales of DoyleSoft are up 38% on the year over last year.

I officially offer four products on the site and I have made sales from three of the four products.

The latest product/service added is the option to upgrade for $29.95 if the customer bought the Standard Version more than one year ago.

In the next year, I will be adding an option to have a Site License to run Knowledge Base on 200 or more computers at $1199/year.

Good things are in the works for 2011.

Happy holidays!
Brandon

http://doylesoft.com

My lovely husband has agreed to let me post on his blog about this great opportunity from shutterfly.

I love Christmas cards!  I love designing them, sending them, and getting them.  Every year around August/September I start thinking about what I am going to do that year for Christmas cards.  I have sent out letters without pictures & 4x6 pictures,  homemade cards with DVD's, Costco cards, and last year I was so exhausted that they didn't get sent out until Valentine's day -- and even then only about half of them went out.  This year might just be the same.  I am exhausted because of my medical issues as well as being the mommy of three children ages 3 and under.  So what is a girl to do?!

Well, I'll tell you what I will probably do -- Shutterfly cards.  I saw a promo for 50 free Christmas cards from Shutterfly by just writing this blog post.  i I have only used Shutterfly once - just very recently in September to make a photo book for my mom for her birthday and she and I loved how it turned out. The pictures were clear, the pages were nice and smooth, and the album was just beautiful.  I liked it so much that I am working on another one for my dad's birthday which happens to be right after Christmas.  Here is more info about their books - you really should try them - they make great gifts.
www.shutterfly.com.

Anyhow,  I am so excited to see what their Christmas cards will be like.  Here are a few of of my favorite ones...however, I am not going to tell you which one I am going to pick -- because that's like opening your Christmas presents too early.

#1  I really like this one because it does double duty -- It's shows cute pictures of your family and has the little family update/letter on the side.    That would just be so easy to do and cute too. http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/cards-stationery/family-letter-blue-christmas-card-5x7-flat

#2  I just think that this one is just elegant and reminds me of a modern Christmas with the cinnamon and brown colors.  I love damask so this was a winner in my mind.  What do you think? http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-holiday-cards/cinnamon-damask-christmas-card-5x7-flat?sortType=1&storeNode=93491

Wow, my once daily blog has turned into my once monthly blog. Shame. Shame on me. Anyway, I noticed it has been almost a year since I changed the main pic and I don't have a pic of Kaleb up. How very naughty of me.

It's up now. I will probably change around the pics from time to time when I come across a pic I really like. : )

Also, Bridget, sorry for not getting to your last comment until now. I just saw it a few minutes ago. Promise.

* * *

Anyway, life is good. Crazy, but good. Our department at work is doing nothing but expanding so it has been VERY busy. I am cross trained with one other major product and I am taking on more role(s). I am hoping for a 20% raise in the next few months once I am worthy of my next title in my career. : )

In the meantime, I stay VERY busy with kids and school. My Linux and Marketing class is: accelerated, on campus, and totally kicking my trash. I like both classes and I am shooting for an A in my Linux class and hopefully a very good grade in my Marketing class.

Then, I can take a small breather just before family vacation. It should be a good Summer.

Also, can I just say that I am "in like" with the good folks at Wells Fargo Home Mortgage. Wells Fargo as a whole has managed to annoy me more than a few times, but the people at the mortgage division have really taken care of me for the past 6 1/2 years. It's really refreshing.

* * *

The kids just left the zoo with the Mrs. so I have the whole house to myself at the moment. I LOVE the silence. Although I should probably make a half-baked effort to clean up a little before she gets home.

Have a good weekend everyone!
- Brandon

I got home from work at 3:00 and all the kids are asleep. And I don't have class until 5:30. This seemed like a good time to write a post.

Lots of things have been going on. Spring semester is over and I am happy with my grades. I did a wee bit better than the unspeakable Fall semester. Today is the first day of class for Summer. I'm going to be very busy for the next few weeks.

Lots of good things are happening with DoyleSoft. The Single User Version of Knowledge Base released this week and I am working on getting another product up on the site, 'Binary Clock Screensaver'. I am also thinking of getting into educational software like Flash Cards, Worksheet Creator(s), Bingo Card creator(s), and things like that.

It would be pretty simple to create a Flash Card or test taking app that recorded all the students results to a database so that a parent or teacher could check on the student's progress.

There are lots of different possibilities. I want to add dozens of products to the site. Working up to maybe about 100 products within the next year. I already have about 24 DOABLE project ideas kicking around.

How do I manage all of these project ideas with school at the same time? Well, not very well. It's hard to find free time to work on DoyleSoft and it's even harder with school. I keep telling myself it's just two more years but it seems so far away.

It's also hard to have energy to do much of anything else after wrestling with the kids all day. A few years ago, I didn't know that I eventually wanted several dozen different products under DoyleSoft. But given my personality, it's so obvious.

So look for good things in the works in the coming months. : )
Hannah is awake. I guess that's my cue.
Brandon

After my RF Modulator fix to foil the toddlers, I found out last night that it may be too late for the RCA inputs on the TV. I went to plug in the "yellow" and "white" RCA cables on the TV to play the neglected Wii and get some Ninja Gaiden going. ... Holy temperamental batman!

I have no desire to open up a 15 year old TV to investigate. So as a result, we have an old VCR we have been kicking around; I tried to sell it at a yard sale for $4 a few years ago... but it might still have some usefulness left.

I will just hook up everything into this junky VCR and not have to mess with RCA cables any more. Then, I might buy a $4.99 universal remote at Wal-Mart if for nothing else than my Type A getting the best of me.

My unproductive goal for this year is to complete Ninja Gaiden. : )

Brandonbert

http://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/bl0vx/a_feature_request_for_all_webmail_clients/

Brandon

For several months now I have had our DVD Player hooked into the TV in the Living Room with RCA cables. (DVD Players don't have RF Outputs) The only RCA inputs on this particular TV are in the front. So naturally, the toddlers take delight in unplugging and video and audio inputs all the time. I can only assume they enjoy something they can control. My favorite is when they unplug the video portion and plug it into the "audio" RCA input and get an awful feedback noise from the TV. Awesome. Like I need a very high pitched reminder that the toddlers just did something I don't approve of for the millionth time.

One day I was sitting on the couch with Rachel watching the kids play and they did it again. I said to myself: "This is absurd! I just need to fix this." I was 99% sure I had my trusty $30 Wal-Mart RF Modulator out in the garage. (At the time, a video capture card I owned only worked on the RF input... don't ask.)

I walked out to the garage and luckily the modulator was right where I thought it was. Yay for my impeccable organization skills. A sense of victory and satisfaction lit up my face. "I will move the RCA cables and hook up my trusty "RF Modulator" in defiance of the toddler's wishes!"

I grabbed a pre-made three foot coax from my nest of wires and walked back into the house. I quickly moved the TV cabinet out and started hooking everything up. I had my solution working in no time! The picture is a touch grainy and dark but I can live it. I'm not going to stress over it. Especially since it's our secondary TV and our Wii is always picture perfect. Best of all, no more awful feedback noise!

Of course, the one year old still takes delight in changing the channel or turning off the TV on the two year old. Ah, but I come prepared. We have purchased four dozen or more AA batteries since last Summer. So it's generally no problem for me to find a needed battery and just take the remote controls with me as I sit on the couch with the kids.

I have won this round! Daddy 1 - Toddlers 0

Brandonbert

Dear blog, I am very sorry. It has been a month since my last post.

With that out of the way, it has been a very busy month. Life and the bathroom remodel have consumed more than a fair share of time. We have also been re-arranging bedrooms yet again and the dust still hasn't settled from that. However, I am pleased to say that things are close to getting back to normal.

NOTE: 'Nerdy' Nintendo stuff below:

In the meantime, (my addiction to reddit.com aside) I saw the latest web episode by the Angry Video Game Nerd. Historically AVGN has been WAY over the top but generally amusing. So prepare yourself if you are interested in watching any of his videos. His latest review is Ninja Gaiden for the NES. In his review he is quoted as saying: "I have played the game for 20 years. I want to complete it..."

As the review went on "the Nerd" managed to make it as far as the second to last boss of the game. I know that because I watched a near flawless speedrun of it on YouTube by a different gamer. I already know that if you die on the third to last boss you are sent back to Stage 6-1. But in arguably one of the biggest slaps to the faces of young gamers in the 80s and 90s:

If you somehow manage to beat that first boss, you go on to the second boss WITHOUT having your life bar refilled and if you die on him... yes, you go back to Stage 6-1 again! The game totally owns you.

After watching the latest AVGN episode and watching him constantly die on the second to last boss and proclaiming that you simply can't beat the game... I thought: "We will see about that." I eagerly went to Wii Shop and gladly shelled out my five bucks for the game. (I wonder what game I will get with my remaining five bucks on my account.)

Now, I wish I hadn't. The AVGN was absolutely correct. I get owned on this game time and time and time again. I can make it to the third to last boss but I die every time. Completing this stupid game is an addiction. It is as if it is mocking me.

Curse you. Curse you AVGN for being right. I should have just took your word for it.

Brandon

Squidoo blissfully posted $1.56 to my PayPal account on April 7th last year. Cool. What can you buy for $1.56? I'll tell you. A 2-liter of Pepsi... that's about it. Still, it's cool to get paid and see the system in action.

Since then, for reasons that escape me, I have done next to nothing on the site and my earnings are already at a staggering 92 cents. I wonder how much I could make if I put any effort into the site.

Anyway, I am looking forward to my next PayPal payment. From what I understand, when you ask PayPal to send funds to your checking account, you can usually access your money within a day or two.

Some people make a pretty decent living from Squidoo. Squidoo handles all the boring stuff so you can focus on creating content. Squidoo then splits the profits with you 50/50.

Seems like they have a good thing going. Their current worldwide rank is 272.

Brandon

The latest version of Knowledge Base is now available from the download page! This version has some expanded search features. The one I am most excited about is -- when clicking Search a window displays a small breakdown of your search results instead of showing a message stating how many articles were found.

Here is a screenshot from 2.9.91:




I am excited about the latest version. I am preparing to release Version 3.0 soon. So stay tuned for that. As always, let me know if there is something you would like to see in Knowledge Base.

Stay tuned!
Brandon