Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with custom

SWM ISO of Software Developer for Causal Encounter

LongDrive — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 06:08:40 -0800

Dearest Hivemind, I am looking to hire a freelance software developer to create some sort of workflow management tool for a small arts business. Apart from web designers/developers, I have never done this kind of thing before and am wondering if anyone could possibly have a look at my list of demands, and point me in the right direction to find my dream developer? I'm using Macs btw. So it goes like this: I run a boutique illustration agency, and after our first year of operation, business is booming, and my files and folders are need of some serious discipline.

This isn't a project management issue, as we use Basecamp for all jobs, and that works a treat. It's managing the actual assets of each job which I file locally which is the biggest headache.

Every day I open anywhere from 1-4 new jobs. Each job needs to have a specific folder structure, and depending on the type job there is a master indesign file that contains layers for all the necessary paperwork related to the job. Then there are folders for sketches, final art, work in situ, briefs, etc.

From there, I used to have a simple spreadsheet that I entered each job into and then things like the status of each job, so I could quickly glance at it and see which invoices were overdue, which artwork was still embargoed for publicity, etc. This quickly got out of hand as there were too many different states of status to keep track of, and it developed to this completely insane method of colour labelling, which is starting to confuse even me.

I am soon going to be hiring an assistant, and the whole process needs to be overhauled so that anyone can essentially step in and do it.

My dream workflow would be as follows: (and yes, I realise this is probably impossible, but who knows)

Initial interface: When a job or quote request comes in, I enter the relevant details and it creates the necessary files/folders on my system

Paperwork Generation Pt I - During this process, certain information is used to populate a quote/agreement/estimate form and creates a PDF and automatically files it in one of the new folders it just created and emails it to the client.

Automatic Asset Filing - When assets come in either via basecamp or email, I can use some sort of contextual menu to file it to the appropriate job.

Asset Filing Pt II - If asset is a high resolution image, it is automatically converted/resized for web uploading.

Paperwork Generation Pt II - When the job is to be closed, an invoice is generated and automatically emailed.

Secondary Interface - As jobs are filed or in status, they can be sorted by which are in progress, archived, unpaid, etc.

Phew, so thats the long and the short of it. Again, I realise this may not all be possible, but I just wanted to put it all out there because honestly, I have no idea what sort of person to look for or where to start. Filemaker came to mind, but I have no idea if filemaker can interact with the finder in that robust of a way. Even if it was a cobbling together of existing software or starting from scratch (probably cost prohibitive, but I would consider it if it was feasible).

Most other things I could usually rely on word of mouth, but again, I have no idea what I am actually looking for. A miracle worker perhaps?

Hivemind, can you work your magic? I can be emailed directly at jwortsman at gmail dot com or via mefimail.

ps- I am located in Melbourne, Australia if that makes any sort of difference.

Build My Custom Road Bike!

sciurus — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 14:53:28 -0800

Build My Custom Road Bike! I bike to work 7 months out of the year, but I'm by no means a bike geek. However, I'd like to build my own road bike because I'm tired of my Mongoose. MeFites, please guide me through this process and/or recommend resources to help a first-timer out. I need recommendations for each and every aspect of the bike; frame, brakes, shifters, gears, tires, etc.

I'd like a 21-speed road bike. My Mongoose Pro is a 21-speed with 26" tires, if that helps out any. I basically use the bike to commute to and from work, 6.6 miles round trip each day. I could just buy a bike, but I'd like to geek out about this a little and do it myself.

If you have any questions, please ask; I'll answer what I can.

Hot Google on Google Action Denied!

ian1977 — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 21:40:13 -0800

Is there any way to embed (is that the right word?) a Google Custom Search Engine on a Google Site? I posted this to the Google Sites help group but to no avail, it is surprisingly low activity-ish.

What I want to do is have my Google Site host my Google Custom Search engine. But when I try to paste the code (given by Google) into the HTML box it errors out. Is there anyone out there who has done this or knows a work-around or am I S.O.L?

I find this really strange because it would seem like Google would be all over hosting their CSEs on their Google Sites. But what do I know?

Custom inlay for a shift knob?

de void — Thu, 15 May 2008 08:24:20 -0800

Suggestions on something to put in the pattern/logo/inlay area on my car's aftermarket shift knob? I found an aftermarket shift knob that matchd my car's color and interior very well, so I bought it and installed it.

However, the "inlay" in the knob (circular area that usually has the shift pattern) was cracked and had a logo that I didn't care for, so I removed it.

Any suggestions on what I could put in the circular area on the top of the shift knob instead? Car is a 1st generation Scion xB, by the way.

I haven't had any luck locating someone that can make a custom shift knob inlay to order.

Images of the knob:

Image 1
Image 2

How to use google maps API to create new functions?

figTree — Tue, 06 May 2008 14:42:50 -0800

How would one go about creating new functionality with google maps API?(eg. create a button that controls the zoom interface in order to with the click of one button zooms out then zooms in a new location at some preset speed, or perhaps flies you to several locations with one button click) Im more a scripter than a programmer and am especially interested if there is already some sort of open source library of tools that have been built for this kind of idea.

Im not sure how intense such a project would be if doing it from scratch and what combination of tools would be optimal. Im also not sure if there are any legal points to consider when hacking API?

Custom fit hole-drilling worth the cost? the potential for error?

skyper — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 08:38:27 -0800

Bowling ball wanted; I'm seeking advice as first-time buyer. My local bowling alley has to special order a 10-lb plastic (for straight rolling) one so I must wait til Monday for it to arrive. They took measurements on my fingers but I am petite/fineboned enough (wrists under 5" around) that on a normal game I'd use an 8 lb ball. At least that's my recollection; I bowl infrequently, just read somewhere how much bacteria etc. finds its way into public-use bowling balls' holes, so it made sense to purchase one.

What does a first-time buyer need to know -- esp. has anyone gotten the holes custom-drilled and *not* found it to their satisfaction? And, since it's a $25 markup for the custom, has anyone found it's just as easy to track down a *used* ball that fits just fine?

(FYI they won't drill until I've arrived to pick it up and, I don't pay til they drill. I'm just uneasy that the drilling could go awry).

help me find a coffee mug printer who rocks!

clango — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 16:56:37 -0800

Anyone with personal experience printing coffee mugs? Ordered out for a few cases from a printer I would prefer not to libel, got a mushy print job in return. Can you recommend specific printers? (Especially if they can do even, opaque flat area coverage on dark mugs) Newest Q I see on here is from 2004, I'm guessing the landscape may be somewhat different.

Outlook/Custom Forms/Web Site Programming Type Question

finitejest — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 15:26:34 -0800

I'm trying to negotiate the oft confusing waters of Microsoft products in an Enterprise environment. Long story short: trying to link to a custom form, or at least to the "choose a form" dialog box from a web page. I'm working with an intranet, Outlook 2003, and very little Microsoft tech knowledge.

Apparently there have been some security changes in the latest Microsoft updates that have made it impossible to launch a custom form by exporting it as a .oft file to the server and then linking to it. Which is how we have been doing things. Error messages like "The custom form could not be opened, Outlook will use an Outlook form instead" appear.

I don't know too much about Microsoft products in general (though I do have a nice programming background in *nix technologies), but I need to either link to the custom forms themselves, or at least launch outlook with the "Choose a form" dialog box appearing.

Is there any generic registry change that I could make to adjust the security settings so I can do this? Or a vbs script that could launch outlook and the dialog box? Or some other new method I don't know about?

Do windows really cost $295 to replace?

bigtalldave101 — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 12:42:20 -0800

Am I getting screwed over? Is $295 for a double paned glass window normal or is that too much? One of my guy friends and I live together renting out his parents' old house, and as you might imagine for two guys, we have a couple BB/pellet guns that we like to shoot around in the back yard with. My neighbor recently found a hole in one of his windows and wanted us to pay for it, assuming it was us who had shot it out. First of all, rather than coming to us, he called the police first and had a police officer talk to us first, which I thought was a little stupid.

We're both pretty smart college guys and we don't drink, so we're always cognizant enough to not actually shoot at anything that has a window behind it, and neither of us remembers shooting in that direction or having heard any shattering noise after having shot (once again we don't drink so it's not like we might have done it and not remembered).

The police officer himself said that there was no way to actually prove that we were the ones who had broken the window and that the size of the hole seemed too big for the guns that we had, but I'm a nice guy and I agreed that it was probably our fault, and that we'd pay for the window, thinking it wouldn't be too expensive.

Today, the guy comes over and hands me a photocopied invoice for $295. I politely accepted it and said we'd get back to him soon, and muttered a few obscenities in his direction after he left and I had shut the door. Being college guys (my roommate basically unemployed and myself working at a church) we don't have a lot of money to throw around.

So, I'm wondering, am I getting screwed over with this price? On the invoice it's billed as an office window replacement, and written in the items list is 2 x SP 29x38. Any advice you can offer would be appreciated

Render, damnit, render!!!

SoulOnIce — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 19:20:29 -0800

I can't believe I'm asking this, but oh well.... Okay, I write and troubleshoot a lot of code in classic ASP and have IIS running on my local machine... ...this is my development environment. When I am testing things and there are ASP errors (syntax, ADO, etc.) I get "The page cannot be displayed" page which gives me the Technical info about the error -- Error Type, line number, etc. If I upload this page to the live server (production) and run it, the page renders up until the point of failure meaning if the bad code is 2/3 of the way down the page, all the previous code gets rendered and displayed to the browser which is far more useful in troubleshooting the problem in the first place, plus it allows me to do Response.write's so that I can check variables, SQL statements, etc. What do I need to change in my local environment so that errors are treated the same way they are treated in production?

My first thought was some kind of Custom Error page but that didn't seem to be it....maybe I'm missing something...

Thanks in advance!

They make sound so easy on What Not to Wear!

waywardgirl — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 18:58:25 -0800

I think I need a seamstress or seamster, but I am not sure how to find one. I am looking for a talented sewer to seriously alter a jacket that I own, and also to re-create a skirt out of fabric that I will provide. I think these jobs will require more than what the tailors at the dry-cleaners and local men's stores are willing to do.

I tried searching for seamstresses and seamsters in my area (Oakland County, Michigan) on ReferenceUSA and also on Google, but I am not getting very promising results.

Does anyone have any advice on how I might locate a seamstress or seamster? And how to find a talented one? Also, any idea about the cost of these projects? I looked over some previous Ask MeFi questions on seamstresses, and the answers all seem to say that the price will be something like twice the price of what you would pay for the item at the store, but I own $40 skirts, and I own $100 skirts... Does anyone have a dollar price that they have paid for similar work in the past?

Who makes personalized bath products?

campy — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 18:32:33 -0800

What web site provides a "Design Your Own" service for unique personalized bath abd body products? Several years ago I found a web site (via MeFi or some other similar method) that created personalized bath products for you or someone you know. The process involved a questionaire that I completed online with questions relating to the person's personality, likes and dislikes, and colors and other concepts.

Somehow, by using this information, they create customized products for you. I completed the questions then ordered body lotion, shampoo, conditioner and body wash. The packaging and product names were also personalized with messages that I chose... in small words on the back of the bottles there was a link to the web site with a code to reorder that specific type of product.

Fast forward to Christmas, 2007. Wife tells me that this was one of her favorite gifts of all time and that she would like me to order it for her... trouble is I have no idea what the site was, nor do I have the original bottles or email from the order.

Lots of googling and reading has left me with absolutely nothing... not even a similar service. Does anyone know of the company that I am looking for? Have they gone out of business? Is there a similar site where I can order this type of personalized product?

Thank you!

Custom Coloring Book Help

burnmp3s — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 10:24:54 -0800

How should I print and bind a custom coloring book? I ran a bunch of my photos and other material through some photoshop filters to make black & white coloring book pages out of them. I want to put these together into a coloring book for my niece.

How should I go about printing and binding this into a coloring book? I want it to look and feel as much like a real coloring book as possible, so the paper should be heavy (hard to rip) and not glossy. The binding should be child-safe and shouldn't be easy to tear apart.

I have an inkjet printer if that helps. Also, I would only need to make one copy of the book.

Creating a personalized form letter

bove — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 10:20:15 -0800

Help me create custom documents out of pre-written paragraphs in Word. I am a professor and I teach the same class 3 times a year. I am trying to work on making my life more efficient. One of the tasks I am trying to do is to stockpile comments for student's final projects. Students tend to make similar mistakes and do similar things well. So I have written a number of comments that I can use based on what they have done in the paper.

What I need to figure out is an easy way to select certain comments and output a new document containing only those. Obviously, I can cut and paste, but I thought it would be really cool if I could somehow just click on the ones that apply to a specific paper and then have it spit out a new document with only those comments that I could email to the group.

Any thoughts would be appreciated. The only thought I have had is that I could put the comments into an Excel file and then do a mail merge, but the problem with that is that a mail merge is designed to use the same fields each time. What I want is to be able to customize which fields get expressed each time.

Custom Couch Not Customized Correctly

kirkaracha — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 11:08:14 -0800

Are we stuck with a custom-made couch we ordered that wasn't made to our specs? We ordered a custom-made couch that was delivered this morning. We paid an extra $150 to have the couch be 84" long. The couch they delivered was 78" long. The problem is, we signed a delivery receipt that says the furniture was in good condition "as ordered." Are we stuck?

If we're not stuck, should we ask them to make us a couch to the original specs or keep this couch and ask them to refund the $150 for the custom work? We could probably live with the couch they delivered.

Where to get a jersey customized?

ganzhimself — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 16:52:10 -0800

Where can I get a hockey jersey customized in the Madison, WI area? I recently received a very nice authentic hockey jersey as a gift and I would like to get it customized with my name and number. The jersey is the 2007 Wisconsin Badgers Men's alternate jersey (http://www.buckyslockerroom.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=5002136).

I'm a huge Badgers hockey fan and I see fans with customized jerseys all the time at the Kohl, but I haven't bothered to ask anyone where they got theirs customized. Any ideas where I can take a brand new jersey to get a nameplate and numbers sewn on in the Madison area? I'm drawing a blank at the moment.

Just a little bit of help with Access...

dance — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 11:27:16 -0800

I've been asked to create a software facility through which a nurse can print medicine dosing cards for patients. At the moment, the nurse writes out these cards (templates sold by a big company) by hand. Fields are medicine name, dose, and when it should be taken. There can be more than one type of medicine needed to be taken.

They serve as an aide memoire for the patient and as general information about what the patient is taking for reference.

My thinking is that this could be done in Excel (perhaps not so pretty) or Access. My choice would be Access because I think it's a more natural fit than Excel. The forms the nurse would use would pull names of medicines and patients from tables and then feed that data into reports which would form the 'cards'.

Before I start, is this the right way to be going about this, and has anyone any tips on (for example) how to print precisely onto templates. In films somebody shoves a cheque into the printer, types an amount into a box, hits print and bam, there's the amount perfectly positioned on the cheque. When I try this I usually end up with a lot of wasted paper before I hit the jackpot. Is it just trial and error?

Custom Page Cannot Be Displayed Error

linklog — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 11:39:56 -0800

I know you can create custom error pages (via htaccess) for specific sites but is there a way to create a custom 'Page Cannot Be Displayed' page on the browser side with Explorer? I was thinking it might be nice to include a link to google cache of the page or perhaps automatically redirect Explorer to that page.

Custom motorcycle helmet makers?

MrTangent — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 07:18:14 -0800

Custom motorcycle helmet artisans? Am needing to find someone to fabricate a DOT-approved motorcycle helmet for me. Artist/machinist needed. I am thinking of having a motorcycle helmet made and I am going to probably need help finding someone to fabricate it. I want to make a DOT (Dept. Of Transportation) approved helmet that on the inside is padded, comfortable and so on, but the outside will look like the evil villian Kroenen from Hellboy, which you can see here: http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y95/chibiwakki/KroenenMask2.jpg

Need help finding the perfect artisan. I've contacted numerous f/x artists but none of them have experience in doing real helmets (i.e. their stuff would look great, but wouldn't protect).

Can anyone recommend a good custom flag or banner maker?

ignignokt — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 00:06:28 -0800

Can anyone recommend a good custom flag or banner maker? I've got this big empty area on my living room wall, and I think it'd be cool to hang a custom flag on it. I have a few different ideas for flags to hang, and I imagine I'd hang a different one every month or so. For example, off the top of my head, I was thinking of a Strong Badia flag and a Slayer flag. I can get a Slayer flag, but the Strong Badia flag would have to be custom.

Google yields a lot of results for online flag and banner makers, most of which are a bit too costly. Has anyone had experience with any of them? Can you recommend one, preferably one that makes flags with grommets in them?

Dust off my PSP!

juv3nal — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 17:14:05 -0800

What's the latest/greatest custom firmware for my psp? What's my optimal (safest, easiest) way to get there? (I went 1.5-->3.10 oe which is where I am now)

I have done a quick look at pspupdates.qj.net but it seems there are all sorts of patches and add-ons I have to look out for? Or is that not the case and there's some all-in-one package I can use?

I need new cushion covers!

crewshell — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 06:23:52 -0800

I need covers for the cushions on my couch. Where can I get them with these custom dimensions for a reasonable cost (20ish a piece)? I have 3 that are 17.5 x 23.5
and 3 that are 24 x 25
both sets are 5 inches thick.

What are my best options for finding these? I just want a solid color.. maybe dark gray or black, very dark red would work too.

I could try to make them... but I dont think that would turn out well.

Suggestions?

(i've tried surefit, they dont really have cushion covers, which is odd considering its easier to make those than full couch covers!)

Turkish men kissing?

kraigory — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 23:59:26 -0800

culturally normal for turkish college-age men to kiss before bed? I recently got a new college roomate, and he is from turkey. He has a friend here with him, also from turkey. The other night when his friend left our room, he gave my roomie a big kiss (probably on the cheek, i didn't see it real well 'cause i was behind them) goodnight. Is this a normal cultural thing, or could my roomate be homosexual? Note that he does have two luis vuitton bags, although I know that isn't really weird for men to be so stylish in most parts of europe.

So, if anyone familliar with turkish, or just general european culture and customs could enlighten me as to what's going on with my roomie and his friend, I would appreciate it. PLEASE NOTE that i'm not trying to discriminate or anything here, I wouldn't care if he was gay, but i'd just like to know.

Thanks!

Give me the (custom-made) boot

sandra_s — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 18:55:25 -0800

Where are the makers of custom-made, high-heel fetishy boots? Its a girls worst nightmare. I cant wear any off the rack boots. I have rather muscular lower legs that taper to thicker ankles. They're not unsightly, but they are source of consternation in this one instance.

My google-fu is not yielding any results. I have found a TON of customIZEable boots (existing standard sizes where you pick colors and options).

What I need are actual built from scratch boots. Stripper-type, fetishy boots.

I am trying to find a person/company/whatever that can take a shoe size, an ankle measurement (circumference), a calf measurement (circumference), and any other appropriate measurements and produce a professional looking, durable boot out of leather or patent leather, with 4" or 5" heels, and in a couple of different colors. Could be slip on or laced.

Pricey is OK (and expected)

Help!!

Bonus question: Are there any boot brands that manufacture boots to accommodate larger ankle/calf sizes?

P.S. Oh, and Ive tried all the boots that call themselves "stretch". they don't work for me, either. :-(

"Ace of Cakes" equivalent in or near Seattle?

matildaben — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 10:55:32 -0800

I'm looking for a place in Seattle or nearby that makes wacky and creative custom cakes similar to those featured on the Food TV program "Ace of Cakes". I've Googled, but nothing really jumped out at me. A few years ago I saw a van driving around for a company that seemed like what I want (it was a couple of guys' names, I think), but I can't find them anymore so they may have gone out of business.