Blog

Knowledge is power. This blog is our little outlet to share our stories, lessons and challenges met. The hope is that we are able to provide some insight into what we've learned over the years. We'll try to be as helpful as possible.

Our latest software launch and what it means to our customers. - Aug 06, 2010 6:57AM - By: Joe DuBord

We have some exciting news to share with you. Today we launched "When I Work.com", —a web-based employee scheduling software that connects businesses and employees to their work schedule using the web, mobile apps and text messaging. Why should you care?

Because it highlights our capabilities with emerging platforms that can be used to deliver your marketing, sales, training and educational content.

Our expertise with custom application design, including: mobile, touch, tablet and other portable platforms would be a great addition to your marketing efforts—and Meditech is here to help.

If you would like to learn more about our mobile and portable touch capabilities, please don't hesitate to call. We're excited about where technology is headed and we want to help you utilize it to meet your business objectives.

To learn more about When I Work, please read the press release below.

Thanks,

Joe DuBord
651.636.7350 x102

==PRESS RELEASE==

Businesses save time with online scheduling from ‘When I Work.com’

ST. PAUL, MN—July 20, 2010—thisCLICKS, LLC today launched When I Work.com—an online employee scheduling software that simplifies how managers create and manage the work schedule. Employees connect to their schedule using the web, mobile apps and text messaging. Employees know when they work with “When I Work”.

When I Work makes scheduling staff easy and fast—and puts each employee’s work schedule in their pocket via their mobile phone. Setup is simple—there’s no software to install. The schedule is created and employees are notified with one click. Schedules, however, can unexpectedly change—and when they do, a manager needs to fill a shift quickly. Employees get an alert by email and/or text message, and the first employee that accepts, fills that shift—saving time and increasing efficiency.

“There’s a new generation of savvy, connected management—and being able to get things done faster and from anywhere is expected.” said thisCLICKS CEO, Chad Halvorson. “A manager should be able notify their employees about a last minute shift without scrambling or wasting time to find a replacement. When I Work can do this in less than 30 seconds.” Chad says. “The workforce is connected too. An employee shouldn’t have to call or stop by on their day off to check the work schedule. That’s an inefficient use of time and an inconvenience for the employee.”

Implementation is easy. Employees get a text message or email from their employer inviting them to set up their When I Work profile and work preferences. Then employees can view their schedule, setup shift reminders, request time-off and pick up last minute shifts—all done online or via free iPhone and Android apps.

“I like getting a text reminder a couple hours before my shift starts,” said Dunn Bros Oakdale employee, Ian LaForge, “Plus, I can check the schedule online or from my phone anytime.”

Dunn Bros Oakdale owner, Carol Trombley, started scheduling with When I Work.com this summer. “It’s a great tool—it takes me less time to create a schedule and employees are setting their availability and making time-off requests online,” said Trombley. She added, “It makes it easy for to me keep track who’s available for a shift and who's not."

For more information about When I Work, visit: http://wheniwork.com

Backing up Lots of Data Remotely - Dec 12, 2009 6:41AM - By: Chad Halvorson

Recently we started backing up a few of our workstations using BackBlaze. So far it works great; it consistently backs up all our project files to a nice, cozy off-site location.

Our company file server is another story. We produce a lot of video programs, website designs, code, graphics, animations, etc. So our storage needs are huge. With our file server being Linux, finding an off-site backup service that didn't break the bank was virtually impossible.

At this point we have roughly 3TB of data on our file server. We needed a way to get this data backed up to a safe location in an automated, daily fashion.

Weighing all our options we chose to build a second Linux file server and run it at a different location. After that it was fairly straight forward. We used "rsync", a free Linux based remote file copying tool.

Configuration took some thought. We chose to sync all files 3GB or less to the remote server. That would cover all project files and assets, however, most rendered and finalized videos would be left out. We were OK with that since all final renders and videos are backed up to disc and/or tape any way.

The initial backup took the longest. We closely monitored progress over the course of about 5 days. Yup, it only took 5 days to backup just under 3TB over a 10Mbit upload connection.

So far the results have been great. The servers sync every night, updating modified files, backing up new files and removing deleted files. The whole process now only takes 30 -60 minutes each day depending on how much data we transferred that day.

The upfront cost comes with the purchase of the second server. Ongoing costs are negligible; —additional storage when needed, broadband internet connections at each location, etc.

Shooting Small Devices for Tradeshows - May 26, 2009 1:44PM - By: Chad Halvorson

We produce a lot of video presentations for medical device companies which sometimes requires us to deal with very small products. The current trend for tradeshow presentations is to use a large LCD monitor that is rotated 90 degrees—giving the video presentation an electronic poster feel.

For one client, we've been shooting their products on a solid black background in HD 1080p. The goal is to showcase the product through video similar to how the product is represented in the printed brochure literature.

To accomplish this we rig the device on a turntable. The turntable has variable speeds so we can control how the device ebbs and flows visually. Most products, such as pacemakers, are stationary and can simply be secured to a small wire while rotating, however, some products have unique movements and function—this requires some unique rigging.

Certain products need to rotate on the turntable as they move through their range of motion. For this I'll use some fishing line material to assist in the movement expected from the product. Other times no assistance is needed and we can simply put the product in action using it's native mechanism—usually a handle or dial. The shooting process is the same, but it can sometimes take longer to get the right shot when there are moving parts involved.

Another challenge we're often faced with is getting the device to fill the video frame enough to highlight the detail and design of the product. A pacemaker lead for example is very slender and small at its tip. Showing something this tiny requires a combination of camera and post production planning.

For most small products we can flip the video camera on it's side so we can shoot the product as full frame as possible. In post we find that we can scale the footage up to 120% without a significant degradation in clarity—another option we've considered is using the RED ONE camera to capture a 4K image and then scale it down as needed to 1080p.

Overall it's a fun process and the end results are visually very satisfying.

Fresh talent anyone? - Apr 01, 2009 7:39AM - By: Chad Halvorson

anyone...

I recently attended a couple portfolios shows here in Minneapolis. Maybe my expectations are too high or I'm spoiled with the awesome people we've recruited thus far.

The talent market for interactive and graphic designers is extremely saturated. However, that doesn't mean it's easy for an employer to recruit talent. The thing is—weeding through the subpar prospects make finding the really good people like finding a needle in the proverbial haystack.

Case in point. Make sure your stuff is top notch—the problem with this is everyone thinks their stuff is top notch. Thus, just make sure your best stuff is available online. With the market as saturated as it is, having your best stuff online is your best bet for employers to see your potential and have you in for an interview.