The long-lived Microsoft Internet Explorer is beginning its swan song. Beginning with Windows 10, Internet Explorer will be phased out. Of course, Microsoft will be still in the browser market. As of right now, the new browser project is currently named Project Spartan (cue a web-comic with IE being “Sparta-kicked” into a hole), but that name will likely change as the project develops. Also, Spartan will come with a Web assistant named Cortana (see: Halo), as well as some other added functionality.

There are several versions of this information around the Web. However, this NPR article is among the most informative pieces I have seen on the topic. It also includes a memorable line from AdWeek’s Kristina Monllos regarding the need for noticeable change from IE to Spartan: “They don’t want people to see it as if they’re just putting lipstick on the Internet Explorer pig.” While this is true (and is definitely a challenge for Microsoft to overcome), I am sure current IE users might not mind that lipstick-covered pig. So, the challenge becomes retaining current users and attracting back some of its former market share. I am curious to see what Microsoft brings to the table to try to achieve this end.

Pricing pages are often the most important aspect of a company’s website. Due to this, it is important to make this page as effective as possible. Once again, if we look to how people process information and emotions, we can find little ways to steer customers to the optimally-desired result. This Entrepreneur article provides several tips along these lines.

The most important of these – and one we have seen before in other website suggestions – is to provide less information, not more. Giving people too much information can lead to the customer thinking too much about a purchasing decision instead of acting on emotional triggers. This does not mean, “do not provide any information at all”, but to only provide the most important information. However, if customers want more information, this can be handled either through a “See More Features” link option or some similar means.

The full article lists a few more helpful tips regarding pricing pages and psychological triggers. To read the article, click here.

It is said that New Year’s resolutions have a success rate of around 12%. So, does this mean that you should not set goals for improvement for the New Year? I would say that it is more important to set achievable goals and build from those once you have comfortably established these goals as habits. A couple of items from this FastCompany.com article I find very important for myself – and they do not require much work. The important thing is to not make excuses to avoid or ignore the task related to your goal.

Exercising for 20 minutes a day is something everyone can do with little difficulty. Once again, it is important to set your initial 20-minute routine as achievable. As soon as this routine is established as habit, look to either increase the difficulty of your routine or the length as you see fit.

Another important item is waking up an hour or two early each day. It is a lot easier to cope with the day and the tasks ahead of you, if you have had some extra time to adjust each morning. Most people just rush into their day without this additional focus (and often without enough sleep) which would likely improve their overall productivity and happiness.

While these two items are the achievable habits that I find beneficial, read the full article to see which ones might be right for you.

Having good structure in your workplace is extremely important in fostering efficiency and overall productivity. While it might be tempting to cater to the scheduling needs of your employees, it is important to keep in mind what is best for your business. Oftentimes there is a happy medium that can be utilized to keep the needs of both groups in mind. The article linked to below is largely targeted to either “virtual” organizations or remote workforces. However, all of the points suggested are important for the efficient operation of any organization or business. Read more here:

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/241087

If you are interested in starting a project with us and have a flexible time frame, check out our new “No Rush Rate”. We’ll offer you $10 off per hour of our current hourly rate if you extend your project out to be completed within a 3 month time frame.

This type of project would be worked on by a programmer during down-times of existing projects and could be completed earlier, but would not exceed the 3 month time frame. Your project will not be passed to multiple programmers; it will be assigned to one programmer and will be completed by that programmer as their schedule allows over the course of 3 months. We’d like to limit these projects to a 20-hour maximum, but we are open to discussion if you have a project that is over the 20-hour limit.

We hope you like this offer; it’s not only a great discount for you, but a great way for us to fill in the gaps in programmers’ schedules while they work on larger, on-going projects. You will still receive the high-quality work that we have always strived to provide but over a longer time period!!! Please contact us with any questions or concerns that you may have!