The Solution

This one was not fun to diagnose, I initially thought it was something with the HTML5,  Chrome Frame or Modernizr. I was wrong, it was a bug with jQuery.

It is an issue with jQuery version 1.6.2 (which was the latest version at time of development). Luckily they fixed the issue, so the fix on your end is simple… Update to the latest version of jQuery.

Here’s the support ticket from their change log.

With some help from LongTail Video Support (thank you!) I found a solution.

It turns out that sometimes the config attributes for the playlist are not carried over. So, you can force them in your [jwplayer] shortcode attributes.

Here’s some sample code to show you what I’m talking about.

Original:

[jwplayer playlistid="123"]

Updated:

[jwplayer playlistid="123" playlist.position="bottom" playlist.size="250"]

The key attributes being “playlist.position” and “playlist.size” I hope this helps!

You can resolve this by uploading your files to a live production server, but that is a pain, especially if you’re still in development.

There’s a very simple solution:

1. Close Chrome completely
2. Launch Chrome from Terminal with the “–allow-file-access-from-files” argument

open /Applications/Google\ Chrome.app --args --allow-file-access-from-files

This will allow that session of Chrome to access local files. Note: Once you close and reopen the application you’ll no longer have access to local files again.

A freelancer is not just a designer or developer, you have a few new roles now like sales, accounting and customer service. Introverts have to work a bit differently than our outgoing counterparts. So here are some helpful tips for freelancing and keeping the business going.

“Sir, Would You Like to Buy These Pixels?”

Our biggest hurdle is sales.

We don’t typically make good salesmen, but we can use this to our advantage. People who are serious about getting results are less interested in getting sold to and more interested in what you have to offer. Spend some time and go through your own resume, why are you qualified? Did you get results for clients at your last job? Talk about it, especially if it’s a well-known client. Be real and don’t fake it trying to sound like Joe Schmoozer, because it will show!

Build partnerships. Lets face it, even if we hold to the advice above, our cold calling skills aren’t going to win us a lot of business. We sound awkward, and we’re not good at holding conversations about the weather or the Dallas Cowboys. Get some friends that compliment your services. If you’re a designer start getting in touch with some development agencies (and vice versa). Even if you have to offer a discounted partner rate (and you should) partnerships will be keeping your lights on.

Keep a great portfolio. I won’t spend time on this because it’s obvious, but the point should be made that our work is what’s going to sell what we do.

Take GOOD care of your clients. Your business is going to be made up of a lot of referrals and repeat customers. This is a good thing. Referral projects and projects for repeat customers cost us no advertising or sales dollars. Be sure to hook your clients up with a freebie here and there, and if you close a referral they send, give your referring client a gift or work in a cut of the profit.

“Where Does This Decimal Go?”

This really isn’t just a tip for introverts… but don’t be afraid to get professional help. Don’t mess around and get yourself in trouble with the IRS, find a good accountant to take care of your taxes. There are a lot of invoicing and accounting software packages that will help you out as well. Definitely check out Harvest, FreshBooks and QuickBooks to name a few.

Keep yourself accountable and don’t let the freedom get the best of you! Since you no longer have a manager breathing down your neck, you’re going to need some goals. Use time-tracking software to make sure you’re still working a solid workday. Check out Harvest, FreshBooks and Basecamp to name a few.

“The Phone Keeps Shaking, and So Do I”

Being a business owner you’re going to feel that need to always be connected. Do yourself a favor, turn off email notifications after business hours and give social media a break. Sure you can still check it when necessary to make sure the sky is still in place. But let’s be real, we’re quickly drained by a lot of social activity, I think this still applies on the digital world. Give yourself some time to enjoy peace and quiet. If you feel the phone shake, you’re going to check it and too much connectivity can be dangerous.

To Conclude…

There will always be ups and downs, but that’s the recipe for any good adventure. Above all things mentioned in this article, the best advice is to use what some consider to be downsides as an advantage. What you lack is networking skills make up for in solid client relationships, what you lack in sales make up for with building trust with partners and existing clients.

Let me know if you need anything!

Now it’s time to sell you…
Emerge specializes in attractive website design for businesses, developers and agencies. I know the web really well, so as a standard my sites are always easy to update, optimized for search, and ready to promote your business (as long as it’s not shady).

It is finally time to start switching to HTML5 for projects moving forward. If you’ve been following the progress you already know that xHTML will eventually be outdated and browsers will, eventually, support HTML5 functionality. So it doesn’t make sense to continue with xHTML; plus, now our clients to use HTML5 functionality as it becomes available without too many headaches.

Below basic doctype template I’m starting out with, please feel free to give me feedback.

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
  <title></title>
  <meta name="description" content="" />
  <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" />
  <link rel="shortcut icon" href="favicon.ico" type="image/x-icon" />
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="style.css" />
  <script src="js/jquery.min.js"></script>
  <!--[if lt IE 8]>
  <![endif]-->
</head>
<body>
</body>
</html>

Note: I included a holder for JQuery and and IE specific stylesheet (just in case). These can obviously be removed if they’re not needed for the project.

With that being said, we should take some time and talk about life over coffee. No phone calls, no texts, no tweets.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is a man whom I don’t know enough about, but from reflecting on his writings I am inspired. He spoke honestly about social and political injustice. He was a voice for peace, but a peace without conformity or complacency. He lived the life he preached, and the results of that are marked with the blood of his assassination in 1968.

Even though it would be easy to write him off as a great humanitarian, I don’t think that is his story. Don’t get me wrong, he made incredible strides and accomplishments for humanity. It is however impossible to separate what he did from the relationship and divine inspiration he had from our God.

In his sermon writings on “The Answer to a Perplexing Question,”¹ he referenced a scripture in Matthew 17:19: “Why could not we cast him out?” Jesus’ disciples were unable to cast out an evil spirit from a man’s son.

We learn from Dr. King that men throughout the history of mankind have attempted to “remove evil” from this earth, but humanitarian efforts are not enough. When we base the foundation of our lives on scientific knowledge, eugenics now becomes justifiable on moral grounds. An atomic bomb becomes a solution to a problem. However, Dr. King is clear that science itself is not corrupt:

“Nor would I minimize the importance of science and the great contributions which have come in the wake of the Renaissance. These have lifted us from the stagnating valleys of superstition and half-truth to the sunlit mountains of creative analysis and objective appraisal.”^1a

There is another method of “removing evil” from this earth. We learn that others prefer the method of “praying and waiting,” or in other words, just waiting on God to rid the world of evil. However, Dr. King is clear that removing responsibility from ourselves is not the answer:

“The idea that man expects God to do everything leads inevitably to a callous misuse of prayer. For if God does everything, man then asks him for anything, and God becomes little more than a ‘cosmic bellhop’ who is summoned for every trivial need.”^1b

Neither methods of removing evil are successful, nor are these methods godly. Dr. King says, “We must pray earnestly for peace, but we must also work vigorously for disarmament and the suspension of weapon testing. We must use our minds as rigorously to plan for peace as we have used them to plan for war.”^1c God and man working together can accomplish great things. Jesus himself said, “…anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.”² God gives us the grace and mercy, but we are the hands of feet of God on this earth.

Come, let us do greater works. Let us use our free will for good. Let us not leave the dream unfulfilled. Let us not become complacent.

Some stuff I referenced…

¹, Strength to Love by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Chapter 13
^1a, Page 130
^1b, Page 131
^1b, Page 132
², John 14:12

Thanks for checking it out, hope you enjoy!