Jim interviews Nate Cooper, a former Apple employee that is now teaching technology in New York, and his use of kickstarter to fund his webcomic, skillshare and meetup classes, coworking spaces, and the startup bus.

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The following are some excerpts from my awesome interview with Nate Cooper. Check out the entire podcast to hear the whole interview.

Nate’s background
After moving to New York City from California without a job, this ‘independent academic’ worked his way up from being a seasonal hire at Apple, to full time employee to event trainer. Jim asks what is it really like to work at Apple, and what was his greatest experience there. Nate talks about the fact that since the Apple brand can attract such a quality, creative workforce, the type of people he got to work with were really amazing. Many went on to some really high profile jobs.

The conversation moves to how Nate made the transition from working the floor at Apple to running their events and training, and the reason he decided to leave.

Meetup
Nate credit’s meetup.com as the online tool that inspired him to take the next step in his career. Because he was excited about teaching, here was a way for anyone to get online and easily organize people into classes around a given topic.

Jim wonders, “Are we spoiled in New York City?” The stats would seem to indicate so. A search for internet and technology meetup groups numbers 276 in the New York area, vs just 14 in Phoenix. Even major cities like Boston (47) and Chicago (55) have fewer than a quarter of the number of available groups. Ironically, it was our mutual friend John Murch (from Episode 146) — who I met at a meetup — who introduced us.

Our connection worked as successful ones often do… both parties benefitted.

- Nate contacted me because he was looking to turn his course into a book. As he spoke to his network about this, my name came up in 2 different conversations based on my experience with technology and publishing.
- Meanwhile, after getting laid off just days before, I was firing “what do I do now” questions at Nate, since he had been working independently for almost a year.

Freelance advice
The one thing Nate kept hearing over and over as advice for those trying to go freelance… You just have to do it.

In his first year, he has seen projects take off and others fail, but he has learned to adapt. A site like Meetup makes it easy to try something out and see how it goes. The downside of too many meet ups might be that there is TOO much going on for people to focus.

Key advice
I realized that Nate had hit on the very thing that this new direction of my blog was going to be about.

Between Wired and Apple, we were at some pretty great companies… names that people would die to work for. Living and working independently sounded like a dream, right? Everything you hear about working remotely, hanging out at home, and controlling your own hours. The only little problem is, how do you make money? We bonded because we were both teachers at heart with the same problems…

- Meetup and Skillshare were great, but how do you best leverage them?
- How do you find the sweet spot when charging for a class?
- How do you market it to get the word out?

Reboot Workshop
We start to talk about why and how do we decided on the Reboot Conference. Advice he got was to learn by doing, so we figured maybe we just get a bunch of people together that we like and see how they do it. We handpicked things like accounting, storytelling, social good, got all these people together, and just went for it. See the next episode for a full analysis.

Startup bus
Our thoughts then turn to the Startup bus. Like SXSW, some people are like hmmmm, what’s that? While others are speechless with excitement.

For those not in the know Startup Bus is a “hackathon” on a bus. It’s a 72 hour trip from various cities (NY, DC, Boston, etc) to the SXSW Interactive conference in Austin, TX.

During the trip, the riders put together a company, completing as best they can by the time they pull into Texas. What was surprising was that it wasn’t just a bunch of website geeks, but actually hackers, designers, programmers, and even [gasp] business people!

Kickstarter
Nate’s flagship course is “website bootcamp for creative professionals,” a course that is not really HTML, not really servers, but weaves in and out of the themes. There are a lot of people that need help and know certain terminology, but don’t know what other things mean or how they work, like FTP or whatnot.

His Issue?
The class has been successful here in New York, but he had no way to reach people outside of the city.

He had already been writing a book, and since he wanted to get it across to a non-technical audience, he had a seminal moment: make it into a comic book. He teamed with talented illustrator Kim Gee and is funding the project through Kickstarter as a way to teach a technical subject to a broader audience.

What is Kickstarter?
It’s a new social media way to raise money, sort of a grassroots way to fund a passion project. If you don’t need ton of venture capital, just some help starting, pitch your project to the crowd and they will tell you if it is good or not.

Key takeaway and advice
In a microcosm, Nate had illustrated the exact steps that someone can take to lead a better career lifestyle:
1) Experiment with your core skills. Nate knew he wanted to be a teacher and was good at it, so he used free services like Skillshare and Meetup to rapidly test his ideas.
2) By doing so, he knew what was successful and what wasn’t within days and weeks, not years.
3) Once he knew what resonated, he was able to hone it with each successive class
4) Finally, once he had a great product in person, he could then reach people outside New York by creating a digital product

The other huge piece of advice was building relationships. We know someone at almost every co-working space in the city, yet have remained “workplace agnostic” with our business ventures. Coworking functions as the modern day coffee shop – with the difference being that people go there because they WANT to run into others.

Jim says, in a major corporation, you’ve got your collection of management, low level employees, slackers, new people, and old farts.

But in a coworking space, every single person is outgoing and exciting and working on 17 projects at once. Amazing connections continually happen.

Wrapping up, we discuss:
- As a newbie, what is Nate expecting at SXSW and what are his goals?
- What would he do other than his current profession?
- How do you maintain a worklife alance?
- What websites do you visit every day?
Answer: Reddit and Jason Kottke
- What is the first thing he thinks about when he wakes up in the morning?
Hint – his phone is his alarm clock
- What book he puts out to impress visitors
Answer: Book he is reading right now: Where do good ideas come from? by Steven Johnson
- What advice do you have for those looking to start own company, or make the transition

Find out more about Nate at NateCooper.co and @natecooper

This is part of the series: How to work remotely from Buenos Aires

Every geek worth their salt has a checklist of their favorite gadgets, and I am no different. It’s just always good to review the obvious (laptop, smartphone), the often forgotten (earplugs, adapter to back up SD cards), and the gadgets that aren’t even gadgets (mini moleskin notebook and travel pen).

Here are a few of the items in my travel kit:

- Kensington travel plug adapter
- Sandisk 16GB thumb drive
- Transcend adapter to transfer photos from my camera’s memory card to my laptop
- Canon T2i DSLR camera and mini tripod
- iPod Nano and Nike+ for running and music
- Buenos Aires tour book
- Ear plugs
- Moleskin notebooks

Check out the gadget packing list for International Travel video for more details:

This is part of the series: How to work remotely from Buenos Aires

There’s no doubt smartphones have changed the lives of millions. We put up with the costs and hassles of the carriers because we pretty much now have a computer that we can carry around in our pocket, giving us access to a phone (do people still use those?), texting for quick messages, maps when we get lost, music to make us happy, games to kill the time, photos and videos to share, and the entire web at our fingertips.

But if there is one area of confusion and fear that most smartphone owners have, it is what happens when you take that phone across international borders. This article by Caty Kobe on outrageous cell phone bills gives several examples:

A British news site reportedthat an iPhone user had gone on a Mediterranean cruise and returned to England to find a 54-page phone bill totaling $4,800. The iPhone didn’t know it was cruising through foreign waters, so it was checking for new emails every five minutes – even when the phone was off – racking up hefty charges by the hour.

A NY Times article where San Francisco man whose European vacation cost him an additional $852 because he didn’t deactivate the iPhone’s automatic email-checker, which looked for new messages more than 500 times on his trip through Italy, Croatia and Malta.

If you DO want to use your phone overseas, what is the best option?
- Sign up for an international plan?
- Buy a SIM card?
- Rent a phone in the country you are visiting?
- Buy a prepaid phone card?

Your choice will vary based on they type of travel you are doing and just how connected you need to be. My opinion is in the video below.

If you decide NOT to use your phone, how do you set the iPhone so you don’t get huge charges?
Hint: you’re going to want to turn off the two settings in the “network” section. Needless to say, a lot of money is at stake with getting these settings right, and it’s not always comforting to rely on friends, blogs, Apple reps, or the crack customer service teams at the carriers. (And since I fall into that category, let me give a disclaimer saying please check your owner’s manual for exact instructions and I’m not responsible if you’re the next person the news reports come calling for).

Here is my video tutorial with screenshots to tell you how to set your iPhone for international travel:

This is part of the series: How to work remotely from Buenos Aires

What can I say? Some people spend their extra income on clothes or shoes or golf or Vegas. I like technology.

Now that I had a killer desktop for my home base, I wanted a lightweight laptop for travel, working remotely, and basically anywhere I needed it around town… co-working spaces, lunch meetings in a cafe, or speaking presentations. I see it as an investment. So as soon as I started my own business, I got the 11″ Macbook Air.

It. Is. Glorious.

Here is my video review of the Macbook Air:

If you want even more computer-buying advice – how I arrived at my decision to buy the 21.5″ iMac for my home computer and everything else you need to know – check out my epic 4,000 word post called:

12 Questions to ask before you buy your next computer.

Jim gives an epic guide showing how to work remotely from Buenos Aires.

- Download podcast: Via iTunes | Save to computer (Right click, Save As)
- Play it below:

Hey everyone! Want to be “location independent” and work from exotic places but don’t know where to start? Today I am going to do an epic, 2,000+ word post AND have several sub-posts with photos and videos as a way to go way overboard and over-deliver on the amount of content you’re going to get.

I always strive to deliver “walk the walk” content to my readers, so after years of hinting at working remotely from a foreign country, I put my money where my mouth was and after leaving my full time job in November 2011, booked a 12-day trip to South America from Dec 29, 2011 – Jan 12, 2012. Where did YOU spend New Year’s Eve?

Below, I detail everything you need to know about working remotely from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Learn the safest neighborhood, best hotel, closest co-working space, 9 ways to generate income, the tech gadgets you’ll need and what to do for fun.

Additional content:
Review: On the road with the Macbook Air
Review: Best hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Review: Urban Station Coworking Space in Buenos Aires
How to set your iPhone for international travel
Gadget packing list for International Travel
How I generated 9 income streams within 30 days of getting laid off
Fun things to do in Buenos Aires while working remotely

Why work remotely?

So the first question you may be asking is, why work remotely? Well, there are plenty of resources out there such as books like The 4-Hour Workweek or The Art of Nonconformity and other blogs that promote the virtues of location independence, so I won’t go into it too deeply.

But it falls into what I’m seeing as the workplace trends that I spoke about in Episode 176, and what this new blog is all about.

Staying at your job and working from an office from 9 to 5 forever and taking the rare 3 day weekend here and there is no way to live. Similarly, the ability to take several weeks off away from the office on a stress-free vacation also isn’t an option for most people.

Face it, the concept of a singular workplace is blurring.

For the majority of people I know, 1-2 hours a day are spent physically at work, yet doing personal things like being active on social media, answering email with friends, and surfing the web. However, 1-2 hours a day are spent outside of the office on their free time, checking on business email or catching up on work projects.

Being able to balance fun and international travel while keeping the bills paid can be a great option in the new economy.

Why Buenos Aires?

I will quote from John Belushi in Animal House:
-Kroger, your Delta Tau Chi name is Pinto.
-Why Pinto?
-[belches] Why not?!?!

Seriously, this is how I answered this question. When you do something out of the ordinary that others aren’t used to, such as telling them you’re planning on going to South America by yourself for a few weeks just because, they really don’t know how to handle it.

Why Buenos Aires?

Why not?

Another answer I gave with a smile is, well, Tim Ferriss told me to go there. Listen, I’ve promoted this guy’s book so much I should get royalties, but I’m a believer in not reinventing the wheel, and since I’m trying to emulate the 4-Hour Workweek, why not follow in his footsteps?

I also LIKED that it shocked people. It sounded fun. It sounded exotic. It sounded scary. I wanted to push myself to do something that caused fear and uncertainty.

From a logical point of view, my other reasoning was simple:

Weather.

It was freezing winter in New York, so why not go somewhere warm and sunny? That ruled out Europe or the Northern Hemisphere. Australia seemed too far. I’ve already been to South Africa. So hello Buenos Aires. Done.

Where to stay in Buenos Aires?

Now the fun part started for me, the research. I love love love the thrill of the search… for flights, for hotels, for neighborhoods.

I had two main considerations: Safety and Convenience

Since I was going to a foreign country that I had no knowledge of, I don’t speak Spanish, and was traveling alone, being in a safe part of town was very very important to me. I also wanted it to be incredibly convenient, with restaurants and cafes outside my door, anything else within taxi range.

Palermo Soho

After much research, I settled on the neighborhood (or barrio) of Palermo Soho. Runners up were Palermo Hollywood and Recoleta. After staying there and visiting all of those neighborhoods, my personal opinion is that I chose correctly and Palermo Soho is the absolute best choice for safety, convenience, and overall location for someone working remotely.

Hotel vs Apartment

This was my most difficult decision. For weeks I was juggling the following:

• Researching hotels on Trip Advisor, analyzing reviews, locations, and cost
• Debating going low-end with more of a fun element at hostels
• Engaging with individuals on AirBnb.com and Roomorama.com to rent a private apartment
• Doing a vacation swap with my New York City apartment
• Communicating with apartment rental firms in Buenos Aires

All of them had their pros and cons. The hostel would be cheap and beneficial as a solo traveler since it would force interaction with other people, but I’m a little too old for that demo and had security concerns. Apartments were lower cost and some were really amazing, but I was concerned about location, transfer of money, and getting trapped working inside all day – like I was already doing. Finding a person to exchange locations on the exact same dates wasn’t working.

So in the end, because this was my first time there, and I wanted the benefit of being able to speak with people that spoke English in the event of an emergency, I decided on a hotel.

I ended up splitting my time in half, first staying at a place called Five Cool Rooms, and then moving next door to the Soho All Suites. Both had amazing location and a hot tub on the roof. In the end I would highly recommend the Soho All Suites because the rooms were much larger and they have excellent WiFi.

See: Review: Best hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina (including videos and photos)

Getting work done

While relaxing with my laptop in a caf̩ or on the rooftop deck is a great way to get work done Рand one I did often, sometimes you really want to spend several hours in a highly productive office environment.

Based on my recent experience in New York, I decided to investigate co-working spaces. As it turns out, there was an amazing one exactly 1.5 blocks from my hotel. The space was big, bright, and I got a ton of work done. I ended up sitting across from someone from Brooklyn.

See: Review of the Urban Station Coworking Space in Buenos Aires (including videos and photos)

Gadgets and technology needed for international travelers

Ah, my favorite part – gadgets. No digital media traveler is complete without a personalized list of all the cool things they ‘need’ in order to be productive.

Being a solopreneur often means going against conventional thinking. That’s why, just 2 weeks after getting laid off, my first thought wasn’t to crawl into a turtle shell of radical cost savings, but rather, to strut into the Apple Store and drop $1500 on a new 11′ Macbook Air and upgrade my aging iPhone 3G on AT&T to the new iPhone 4S on Verizon.

Of course, I don’t recommend this if doing so would cause a “can’t-pay-the-rent” level of pain in your finances. But the reason I did so is that I viewed these items as investments to help me make money, rather than expenses costing me money.

- Simply, my iPhone 3G under AT&T was not high enough quality for me to make professional phone calls for my business; when you’re speaking to someone about hiring you, continual dropped calls and apologies doesn’t cut it.

- Secondly, the new Macbook Air solved many problems. It was faster than my old 15′ Macbook Pro. It was smaller and lighter, saving back pain and making it a no brainer to always have with me. And lastly, I feel it exuded a more polished, professional image for me as a consultant and speaker.

See: Review: On the road with the Macbook Air (including videos and photos)

Speaking of my phone, another question that every international traveler has, is what the heck do you do about a phone when traveling?
- How do you avoid killer roaming charges?
- Do you change your plan with your carrier?
- Do you rent a phone when you are there?
- What about something with a sim card?

I considered all of these things, and my decision was to turn off phone and data coverage and rely on Skype, Email, and Wi-Fi. There are 2 specific screens you need to know about to do this, so again, it’s easier explained on it’s own, under:

See: How to set your iPhone for international travel (including videos and photos)

So in addition to the Macbook Air and my iPhone 4S, the rest of my arsenal was made up of the following:

- Kensington travel plug adapter Note that if you have a modern device like a laptop or phone, as long as the charger says it can handle both 110 and 220, you just need this adapter to handle the difference in the outlet size, not voltage. If you have a hair dryer or something like that, do more research.
- Sandisk 16GB thumb drive
- Transcend adapter to transfer photos from my camera’s memory card to my laptop
- Canon T2i DSLR camera and mini tripod
- iPod Nano and Nike+ for running and music
- Buenos Aires tour book
- Ear plugs
- Moleskin notebooks

See: Gadget packing list for International Travel (including videos and photos)

Making money while working remotely

Now the tricky part. How do you make money while working remotely? Preparing for a fun trip is well and good, but the ideal scenario is to be able to earn while you travel.

To be clear, this was the very first trip I took in the attempt to work remotely, so in every way I was viewing this as a test. Did I make enough money while I was gone to pay for everything? Definitely not.

But what surprised me, was that I was able to pinpoint 9 different ways I was able to earn some small amount income – or in most cases, create scenarios for future income — while traveling abroad.

These include:
1. Renting out my apartment when I was gone
2. Being paid to write a blog post
3. Worked on my podcast, which is sponsored
4. Planning a conference, email saying sign-ups
5. Consulting over Skype for Salary Tutor
6. Plan a Skillshare Class
7. Consult at the hotel in return for a free night
8. Affiliate commission for web hosting
9. Fun Fantasy Football ‘earnings’

See: How I generated 9 income streams within 30 days of getting laid off (including videos and photos)

Fun things to do in Buenos Aires

So lastly, all this seems like a lot of work. What about the fun? Let me say that it was an amazing country. The weather was spectacular, the people were friendly and beautiful, the Palermo Soho was safer than New York, and free, strong Wi-Fi was available in 90% of all the bars, restaurants, hotels, and cafes I went to.

Some of the highlights include

• Cafes like Mott and Bar 6
• Restaurants like Campo Bravo
• Clubs
• Running in their version of Central Park
• Recoleta Cemetery where Evita is buried
• Taking Tango lessons
• San Telmo street fair
• The colorful buidlings in La Boca
• The government buildings of downtown
• Even going to an Ex Pat Bar to watch NFL playoff football

See: Fun things to do in Buenos Aires while working remotely (including photos)

If there’s one thing I regret, it’s that I went at time during the year that there was no professional soccer being played. But hey, that gives me an excuse to go back.

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Jim interviews Nick Gammell, CEO and founder of workout app Gain Fitness.

- Download podcast: Via iTunes | Save to computer (Right click, Save As)
- Play it below:

When it comes to working out, there are questions that come up time and time again:

- We all know we SHOULD work out, what can be done to make sure I DO work out?
- How can I find the time to work out on a crazy schedule?
- How do I keep from getting bored with my workouts?
- How can I keep better track of my results?
- Why do personal trainers cost so much?
- How do I see results once I’ve reached a plateau?

And for the Apple fans out there…
- My iPhone can do just about everything, but can it make me look better naked?

On this week’s podcast, I spoke with Nick Gammell, the CEO and Founder of Gain Fitness in his attempt to answer all of those questions.

He comes from a good pedigree of brains and brawn… a lifelong athlete and former college football player to address the workout side of things, and an analytical brain with experience at Deloitte consulting and a little tech company named Google to fuel the technology side.

After chatting for just a few minutes, it became clear that I was the perfect demographic for his product.
- I enjoy working out but don’t have a lot of time
- I generally do the same workouts so need variety to get out of a rut
- I like to track my progress and see results

What the gain fitness app on my iPod touch allowed me to do was set up some initial parameters (gender, equipment access, intensity level) and then enter how long I wanted to work out.

On a Saturday, I did 45 minutes and did a lower body gym workout. On a Tuesday before work, I did 30 minutes of “push” exercises (incline dumbell press, etc) at the gym as well.

But then life got in the way. After hitting snooze a few too many times the next day, running late for work, and still feeling a bit sore, I did something I wouldn’t have done without the app.

Instead of skipping the workout, I programmed a quick 10 minute, low-intensity, at-home workout. This ended up being mostly stretches and a few strength exercises, but I could see how getting in an extra quick workout or two every single week would really pay off.

The best thing for me was it was like having a trainer, telling me new exercises and structuring my workout.

In the interview, I go on to ask Nick:
- What was his background that led him to consulting, Google, and then CEO

- What kind of advantage does having a group of former Google employees give their startup?

- How do the analytics on the backend help customize the workout?

- How is Gain marketing the app and getting the word out, given the $120,000,000,000 fitness industry and hundreds of thousands of apps in the app store?

In the end, success in any workout plan comes down to changing habits. So far, bringing along my own little personal trainer has given me a new level of excitement. Only time will tell if I’ll be uploading before and after workout photos to prove that success.

Gain Fitness Website | Gain Fitness On iTunes

Jim walks you through his latest computer purchase, and tells you everything you need to know before buying your next computer.

- Download podcast: Via iTunes | Save to computer (Right click, Save As)
- Play it below:

[Disclaimer: If you despise Apple products, you may want to skip this post. But there should be something in here for everyone.]

Oh man, it’s like Christmas. I can’t contain my excitement. After weeks and weeks of deliberation and research, I just bought a new computer. And since I’m the guy that many people turn to for advice, I’m going to give you every piece of knowledge that I have.

Why should you trust me? It’s in my blood. I’m a geek. I used to buy and read something called The Computer Shopper. Do you know what that is? It’s a magazine that lived from 1979-2009 — with a peak in the 80s and 90s — that advertised computers. That’s it.

To call it a magazine is an understatement. It regularly topped 800 pages! There were probably 5 articles. It was the size of a phone book and just page after page after page of ads. Glorious ads for the latest and greatest computer parts and peripherals. This article by Jason Scott tells more.

So I urge you to listen to my advice – but then make sure you are making the right decision for you. Two reasons. In February 2009 I wrote a curious blog post about buying a netbook and was just as excited, although reading it again now, you can tell right from the title that I was caught up in the hype, not making an informed decision.

Secondly, I decided to buy a desktop. A guy at work that I trust that talks computers with me bought a powerful desktop awhile fairly recently and says he rarely uses it and now regrets it. Apple says that more than 70% of their sales are laptops. Am I living too much in the past? We’ll get to that.

On to the questions

Q1: Can I afford a new computer?

A: What did you have for dinner last night? Ramen noodles or Filet Mignon?

Interestingly, while the answer to that question might indicate whether you are a starving student or an accomplished CEO, there’s a lot more to consider.

Long gone are the days when buying a computer was a luxury… something that was nice to have. Now anyone with an email address needs some kind of access. that doesn’t mean they need the latest and greatest.

So check that bank balance as you contemplate whether you need a new computer, or just want one. Having worked with a financial planner since MY Ramen noodle days, I’m fortunate enough to have most of my ducks in a row. So if you’re maxing out your 401(k), have a little emergency fund, are not living paycheck to paycheck, and this purchase isn’t being added to a mountain of credit card debt, continue.

Q2: Do I even NEED a computer?

A: If the whole retirement fund reminder made you think twice, perhaps you don’t even need a computer. A close friend of mine is an artist, and it definitely shocked me when she told me she didn’t have a computer at home.

‘I simply don’t need one,’ she said. “I can stay a bit late and use my computer at work if I have any major projects to do, they have a printer there as well, and I have my iPhone. The main thing I’m doing outside of work is writing quick emails, texting, making phone calls, checking maps and directions, taking an occasional photo, using Yelp for restaurants, and checking Facebook once awhile, and my iPhone does all those things perfectly fine for me.”

Q3: Will an iPad work just as well?

A: While work computer + smartphone can satisfy the computing needs for a decent percentage of people, adding an iPad to the mix broadens the circle even wider.

I agree with the countless reviews that have called tablets the right choice for consuming content, not creating it – lean back vs lean forward. Everything my friend does on the iPhone — quick emails, maps, social media, viewing photos, and surfing the web – the iPad does bigger and better.

Add in a better movie, news and gaming experience, and next thing you know you’ll be selling your TV, getting rid of cable, canceling your newspaper subscription, and pawning your Xbox.

What’s more, specialized apps keep getting better and better. Even high octane programs like Garageband and presentation software like Keynote are translating well to the iPad, making creating content a viable option.

Factor in the iPad’s $499 starting price and lightweight size, and the death of the desktop seems imminent for some.

Q4: How important are computers in your life?

A: OK, now we start to dig into your buying psyche. Know thyself. I’m a computer guy. Have been since I got a Commodore 64 when I was 12, and when I chose Computer Information Systems as a major when I was 18.

I’m also a car guy and a sports guy.

That means I’ll never say ‘A car is just a way to get from Point A to Point B.’

That means I once snuck off and drove to a trucker bar on Route 95 in Maine to watch a Red Sox playoff game — Hey, it was rehearsal for my cousin’s wedding, not the wedding itself!

And it means it’s worth it to me to invest in the right tech gear.

Maybe you’re different.

If eating at amazing restaurants every night, always having the latest fashion, or filling up pages of your passport with exotic locations are your thing, then that’s where you should spend the extra money. Know thyself.

Q5: Mac or PC?

A: If you think there is a simple answer to this, then you’ve never seen the comments on a Wired.com or other tech sites. I was a PC user for more than 15 years, use one at work, and have nothing against them, but here is why I switched to a Mac in 2007 and have never looked back:

- I can do everything on a Mac that I need to do
- I have never had a virus on my Mac, while I have had a few on my computers in the past, and my parents routinely get them on theirs, leading to hours and money spent when I visit instead of spending time with them
- I prefer Apple’s design and attention to detail
- The included software (especially Garageband for podcasting) is valuable to me
- I can ask a friendly, knowledgeable employee for advice in their stores
- I can bring my computer to them if I have any issues
- I own an iPad, iPhone, and 3 iPods – why not go all in?

Thus, I would recommend to friends and family to get an Apple computer, and many of the tech specs will cover Apple.

Q6: Laptop or desktop?

A: For a large majority, a laptop is the way to go. And why not? They are no longer the weaker-built little brothers of the desktop.

By all means, if you are a student, travel often, are pressed for space, and don’t want the hassle of a large computer, go with a laptop. Apple can walk you through most of what I would add here, suggesting a Macbook for basic needs, a Macbook Pro if you are more of a power user, and a Macbook Air for those that fit that niche.

Q7: When is it time to upgrade your computer?

A: Often it’s a simple choice. Your old computer dies. You’re going off to college. You’re traveling more and need a laptop.

But many times it’s a combination of many things.

Here is why I bought a 21.5′ iMac desktop.

Disk space.
My MBP has a 120 gigabyte hard drive, and about six months ago I started running low on storage space. So I did the logical thing and started looking for big files to clear off. I backed up 100 podcast files, deleted a lot of junk, and it freed up some space.

That lasted a month or two.

Now you start digging a little deeper, and it hurts a little more. Should I delete those photos or will I want to see them again some time? I really don’t listen to those songs anymore, but I hate to delete them. Will I ever need to reference a bunch of those PowerPoint presentations, or can I trash them?

Then things really are a pain. You don’t want to install the 200MB iTunes or OSX update. Your iPad is having trouble backing up. The low disk space is cropping up every few days.

The problem I found was that I had lots and lots of files in lots of categories. In other words, I didn’t simply have 40 gigabytes of music I could remove. The disk space was spread evenly among photos, videos, podcasts, music, presentations, and other projects.

Yes, I could have been disciplined and backed up things on to drives, but I didn’t WANT to. I wanted all my stuff on my computer.

Yes, I could have paid someone a few hundred dollars to buy and install a larger drive, but I didn’t want to.

Speed.
Once again, this wasn’t an all or nothing item. Does my computer run ok? Sure. But it feels a lot slower. Photoshop is dragging. Videos on the web are struggling. It’s not as ‘snappy’ as it used to be. The computer is feeling four years old.

Functionality.
The fact is, the things I plan on doing more of require more horsepower. If you are writing a novel in Word or simply playing Farmville on Facebook, go with the basics.

- I do a weekly podcast, creating and editing large files every single week in GarageBand.

- I have a fairly new Canon T2i 18 megapixel DSLR camera, which cranks out huge photos in ‘high quality’ mode that need to be edited and resized in Photoshop

- While I DID take time to write a book, it was much more than MS Word. I am hands-on and the book has an associated Facebook page, Twitter page, website, email list, newsletter, speaker page, press kit, publicity, and hopefully, an iPad app. All of these things require tools manage.

- Lastly – and cool for people that listen to The Hopkinson Report podcast – is that I want to do more video. This will be both for the podcast and for the book, but I want to give a shot at using my HD quality DSLR, getting some basic lighting and sound, and learning Final Cut Pro. More than anything, that requires some horsepower and screen size.

Q8: What tech specs on the iMac are worth upgrading?

A: Let me take you right through it, based on June 2011 configurations:

- Should I get the 21.5′ or 27′ iMac?
- This was easy. Although I thought about going for the largest size, I live in a 400sf apartment in Manhattan. I already have a 46′ LCD TV on one wall, so adding a 27′ screen across from it seemed excessive. Although it didn’t look THAT big in the store, when I pictured it on my small desk, it would have been overwhelming. Considering that I am on a 15′ screen now, that’s a lot more real estate
- Verdict: 21.5′

- Should I get the 2.5GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5 or the 2.7GHz i5 chip?
- I’m sure that for 99% of users, they cannot tell the difference between the two i5 chips. Splitting hairs. The $300 increase on the Apple page is more about the larger hard drive (increasing from 500GB to 1 TB) and better graphics card (model 6750 vs 6770). For this choice, it was easy.
- Verdict: 2.7GHz i5

- Should I spend $200 to get the 2.8GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7 chip?
- This one was a tougher. I knew deep down that the increase in speed from the i5 to the i7 would be minimal. Maybe 5-15% at best. And it wasn’t like I was going to pick up Final Cut in a weekend and be editing The Hangover 3 by the end of the year. Plus, even the lowest chip option would be significantly faster than what I was currently using. However, as stated earlier, I’m a computer guy. It’s worth it to me to get the best. This computer is going to last me 4 years, and if I use it nearly every single day, and I do start to do more editing, I’ll be glad I spent a little extra on the chip.
- Verdict: Upgrade to the i7

- Should I spend $200 to upgrade from 4GB of ram to 8GB of ram?
- While differences in chip speed may be slight, 20 years of experience have taught me that more ram is always, always better. I’m looking at you, Photoshop.
- Verdict: Upgrade to 8GB of ram

- Should I spend $150 to upgrade from the 1TB hard drive to 2TB?
- Yes, video, photos, and music take up a lot of room. But I survived 4 years – and 157 podcasts – with only 120GB of disk space. I had already effectively upgraded from 500GB to 1TB in an earlier step, so I’m hoping 10x my current storage level will suffice.
- Verdict: No, remain at 1TB

- Should I get the Apple magic mouse or magic trackpad?
- Thought about the trackpad for a second, but doing podcast editing and photoshop, I need a mouse. In fact, I might even keep my trusty Logitech wireless mouse. We’ll see.
- Verdict: Magic Mouse

- Should I get the Apple wireless keyboard or the wired keyboard with numeric keypad?
- For a beat, the accountant in me kicked in and I thought about that keypad. But the wireless will be fine for me, and offers another huge advantage (see below).
- Verdict: Wireless keyboard

I did not get any other software or accessories.

Q9: What time of year should I buy my computer?

A: An invaluable resource for all Apple products is the Macrumors.com Buying Guide. They track the product development cycle so that you know with a pretty good deal of certainty when the best time to buy that device is. That’s why I waited to buy my iMac (updated in the last 6 weeks) and why I didn’t get the iPhone 4 yet (hoping for August).

Another thing to keep in mind is software and operating system updates. When I ordered my computer, Apple had just announced the Lion updated, so I asked myself:

Should I wait until July 2011 to buy my computer so that OSX Lion is already pre-loaded on the computer? I decided not to, for three reasons.

First, it is risky to have the first release of any kind of software, so if I have the older operating system on there, I can wait a few weeks to make sure there aren’t major bugs.

Second, the Apple rep confirmed that the upgrade from Snow Leopard to Lion wouldn’t sacrifice disk space and functionality. I’m taking them at their word, but I was able to seamlessly update from Leopard to Snow Leopard. I shudder at taking a Windows PC from Windows XP to Vista, and all the drivers and files that would be left behind in the process.

Third, I made sure that I was in the window where I would get the upgrade to the new OS for free, thus saving $30.

Q10: Are there any discounts when buying an Apple computer?

A: Yes. Check with your company to see if there is a corporate discount. Conde Nast offers one, and it turns out that it is 6%. Not amazing, but it adds up on a high price item like a computer.

However, since I also teach and have taken classes at NYU, I was able to get their education discount. The sales rep ran the numbers and it turned out to be a discount of 6.7%, so I went with that.

The other thing that worked out was that Apple announced their annual back to school program the day before I ordered. While some are disappointed at the offer (previous years have given away free iPods), I am fine with the $100 gift card to the App store, which I will use on Final Cut Pro X (see below).

I am also lucky enough to have a friend that works at Microsoft, who is able to get me (purchasing it legitimately as an employee) MS Office for the Mac at a price less than what Apple charges.

Q11: Is Apple Care worth the money?

A: Ah, the Apple extended warranty. As one message board put it: Do you feel lucky, Punk? You can Google the question and get lots of advice, but they all boil down to this:
- What is your risk tolerance? Are you willing to spend a few hundred dollars to have peace of mind for 3 years and go to sleep every night knowing that if something breaks, they will fix it free? Or do you roll the dice and hope you don’t have a problem?

Here’s my thought process. A laptop takes a lot of abuse. It gets open and closed, jostled in bags, run through security, has a lot of little parts, is exposed to the elements while traveling, and has the occasional Tall Vanilla Soy Latte spilled on it in a Starbucks.

I got really lucky with my Macbook Pro. The video or logic board or something got fried out of warranty – what would have been a costly fix – but when they looked it up it was a known defect from the month and year that I purchased it (June 2007) and evidently Apple got the part manufacturer to agree to replace them whenever a user had a problem. So I got it done for free.

But the desktop that I am buying pretty much sits in the same place on your desk all the time. And I’m also of the feeling that if something is going to go wrong, it’s going to do so in the first year of use.

So I hedged. For now. Apple allows you to wait until the very end of your included one-year warranty before deciding if you want to purchase Apple Care, so I am going to see how things go for the next 11 months and make the decision then, but I’m thinking of rolling the dice.

Q12: What changes in 2011 and beyond are going to effect my computer purchase decision?

A: It’s true… this might be the last desktop computer I ever buy, and it may be the wrong decision. But this is my favorite part… predicting the future and listing what I am excited about.

Cloud computing
I already use Google docs and Dropbox pretty extensively, and cloud computing is going to continue to grow. We will still need an input device for managing these files, and for me right now I think the best tool will be the desktop. Apple has tried it’s hand at cloud computing in the past, so there is hesitation to think that their new iCloud service will get it right. We’ll have to wait and see.

Mac App store
My timing and desire to get into editing video is an interesting one. At exactly the time that I began asking myself… how can I possibly think about spending $1000 on Final Cut Studio, I read about and witnessed the release of Final Cut Pro X in the Mac App store. It’s not even available on disc. What’s more, the price for me will be $200 when I apply that education discount. Video is going to continue to blow up in the next few years, and I’m ready to see what I can do.

Picking the right device for the job

To be clear, I am still hanging on to my laptop as a backup for now. As I analyzed my life, I realized that there were two scenarios where I might still need it – teaching my class and giving presentations. Both require portability (rules out the desktop), the ability to play large Powerpoints with embedded video, connecting to large displays, and demo’ing my podcast (might be a challenge for the iPad). But that’s about it.

Desktop - In the end, I’ve chosen a computer setup that fits my lifestyle. Right now I spend an hour or two most days on the computer at home at my desk, working on side projects or staying in touch with family. A desktop will be the best use for this purpose (I’m not a ‘blog in a coffee shop’ or ‘work from my bed’ kind of guy).

Smartphone – My iPhone (of course this could be a great Android smartphone) is my constant companion, and picks up the slack wherever I am.

Tablet – The iPad or (this could be any tablet) has settled into a great little niche for me. It’s great for getting really quick information, like an actor in the movie you’re watching or getting directions after you’ve shut down your computer.

It’s also amazing for travel. It’s perfect for a plane, and to keep me connected until I get to a business location (where I can use a computer) or to family members (when I can use their computer).

I’m also excited to see if I can push it to the next level, in three ways.

Bluetooth keyboard – I plan on using the wireless Bluetooth keyboard that comes with my iMac for data entry on the iPad. Yes, I know it will still not be perfect. But when I am in Buenos Aires next year writing the next great American novel, just a keyboard and a screen will be all I need.

Presentations – At some point I will upgrade to the iPad 2 (or maybe wait for the iPad 3), so that I can test the video-out functionality with my presentations. I also will see how the Hopkinson Report Podcast template in GarageBand translates to the iPad version. After seeing one presenter try to ‘swipe’ his way through presentation slides with a few hiccups, I’m going to say it’s not quite there yet.

Log Me In – The tech friend at work I was telling you about? He told me about Log Me In, a top-rated app that lets you access all your devices – home computer, work computer, parents computer – from your iPad. It’s something on my list to check out, as the ability to instantly tap into my powerful home computer will make me miss my laptop a little bit less.

Summary: What is the most important thing to keep in mind when buying a new computer?

A: The most important thing to keep in mind is to know your individual habits. Don’t let someone convince you to get the latest and greatest device if you don’t need it or can’t afford it. Also remember that you are constantly fighting the path of obsolescence. Will I be ticked when a newer Mac with a newer processor comes out very soon? A little bit. But I’ll feel better knowing that I bought the best computer I could at the time.

Today I talk about one of the latest technology trends, the Square reader and digital payments.

- Download the podcast via iTunes
- Download the podcast to your computer (Right click, Save As)
- Play it below:

For my full thoughts, please listen to the podcast.

Summary of Topics covered:

My digital trend spidey senses are tingling.

People often ask, what’s the next big thing? Sometimes I don’t know.

But sometimes…
- Something intrigues me
- I see it in Wired
- I’m curious about it
- It makes sense
- Big names around it
- Then I want one

The topic of the podcast is the rapidly evolving digital payments space, basically the ability to pay for things other than with cash.

– Note from Jim –
The interesting part is I recorded this on Tuesday 5/24, mostly based on articles I had seen on the Square. Then on May 26th, Google rolled out its highly anticipated mobile-payments system, there were tons of links around the story, including one I must have missed around Visa announcing their Digital Wallet.

By Friday May 27, “PayPal had sued Google, alleging that two of the search titan’s senior executives who had previously worked at PayPal violated their contracts, and in one case actually stole confidential PayPal information and shared it with Google and other companies.”

So on one hand, this stuff has been brewing for some time, and I know that.

On the other hand, I feel that it has risen to the point of public awareness (at least for those like me that are on tech sites like Wired every day), to the point where Wired offered up a Near Field Communications FAQ.

The Square reader
For me recently, it started with the Square reader. It’s a small device attaches to iPhone, and lets merchants accept credit cards.

It was founded by Jack Dorsey of Twitter, who took the simple idea of quick communication, and grew it to 200 million users. Right now as of May, they have shipped 500,000 Square readers and the company has hit the milestone of booking $3 million in a single day.

This is according to one of my favorite Wired writers, Jason Tanz, who interviewed Dorsey in the latest issue of Wired, Twitter Cofounder Takes On the Credit Card Biz.

Why is this a great business?
- Getting an account is hard to do (merchant account, red tape – 4 weeks)
- There are several high fees (4 different sources)
- It fills an untapped need
- It’s linked with a burgeoning technology — Global smartphone shipments increased 74% from 2009 to 2010.

What is Square’s next step?
- They recently announced Square Register
- Helps merchants, lower fees, track inventory
- It collects lots of data, and as geeks and techies and marketers, we know data is good

What’s the marketing angle?

While I’m all for business models and metrics, sometimes having something that is just darn cool can give you a lift. If you are one of 100 artists at a show, and you can accept credit cards with your smartphone on the fly with a device few people has seen, that has to count for a little something.

But mostly, there are many people that came to mind for me that could use it:

Fund raising
Artists
Friends at a dinner or away for the weekend or bachelor party
Betting
Every pretzel guy in New York
Musicians
Designers
Selling your car
Yard sale
Mow the lawn

Sadly, when I looked for a demo of the Square, I found the video above by Kevin Rose (an investor). He basically steals my thunder by showing how it works — before it even came out — and listing many of the options I did. But you instantly get the idea of what Square does.

This is going to be the GREATEST THING EVER

until…

Near Field Communication, or NFC, starts taking hold.

This goes Square one better by not even requiring the use of the small dongle that fits into the earphone jack.

Major players like Visa and Google and Samsung are already hard at work. And what about our friends at Apple? Will we see this in the iPhone 5?

Sarah Clark of SJB Research and Near Field Communications World, told Wired.com recently ‘Apple is undeniably working on this, and they have some very interesting patent applications that show that they are serious about it,’ Clark said. ‘If Apple puts NFC into the iPhone, that’s going to be Day One of the commercial marketplace for NFC technology.’

Finally, I sum up the podcast by giving users a business idea around this (you’ll have to listen to hear what it is).

And if you run with the idea and do well, slip me a little bonus — straight cash please.

Today I tackle a new change at Apple that could affect you in several ways.

Download the podcast from iTunes, or play it below:

A great off-the-cuff podcast today looking at the changes to Apple’s subscription policy.

First, I do two quick points:

1) I learned a new buzzword via Forrester Research on AdAge: T-commerce
- There is E-commerce on the web
- Then M-commerce on the phone (good for research, but not big enough to shop)
- T-commerce is now happening on the tablet

- Many retailers report that over 50% of their mobile traffic is now coming from the iPad
- These are not incremental sales, says Forrester, but T-commerce will largely grow by capturing and cannibalizing traditional PC-based retail traffic

2) Turbo Tax: Love ‘em or hate ‘em?

- I’ve talked before how they should not be on Twitter
- Just 4,600 fans
- Not the best place for complicated private questions, and who loves doing taxes?

Sample tweet: Filing your taxes tonight? Take a look at these awesome videos on tax basics we’ve got going on.

Really? You have AWESOME videos about tax basics? AWESOME?
And they’re about a couple taking care of their elderly mother and whether they can claim her as a dependent on our tax return?

Verdict? The videos are NOT awesome, but, they are well-produced and the host is adorable (11 second mark).

- Then I went on to rant about filing your taxes with your iPhone
Really? You want to do your taxes on a tiny device?
Something you do once per year?
And with AT&T you can’t even keep a signal?
Do you NOT have a computer?

- But then I looked and saw the actual TurboTax iPhone product, called SnapTax.

Turns out, it’s for the 1040EZ form only, and all you do is take a photo, answer a few questions, and send it in. OK, so do I STILL think this is a product that the universe needed? No.

But who knows … maybe it’s a new generation thing. Everyone has a phone. Everyone has gone digital. For a younger generation, or for someone that is too lazy to use a computer or snail mail once per year, yes, I guess it SEEMS to make it easier.

Now on to the Main Show

The topic is around Apple changing their in-app subscription terms. It’s a little hard to explain, check out Ars Technica or Wired for a better summary if you’re not familiar with the story.

In a nutshell:

Anyone who sells subscription-based content outside the App Store must also use Apple’s system, giving Apple a 30 percent cut. Subscriptions offered within iOS apps must be the same price or less as the company’s other offerings, and the apps can no longer link to an outside store where users can purchase content.

So does that make Apple a bully?
- I tell the funny story of my first business trip to New York, hailing back to the days when I tried to buy a then-state-of-the-art Palm V organizer. Oh, how far we’ve come with our smartphones.

- My point is that Apple can be seen as a bully, using their monopolistic angle to say “Don’t want to play in our sandbox? Fine. Leave.” It puts publishers and other companies in tough spot, forcing them to alter their revenue models.

- The backlash, as always, is competition. The timing of this harsh stance is interesting, as the tablet industry is exploding, and companies are already
starting to roll out Android versions of their apps. What might happen next — and is already happening in some cases — is that developers will skip the iPad altogether and focus on creating Android-based apps, or programs in HTML 5.

Or is App just using their position as a superior brand?
- Here I tell the story from my ESPN days. I was always on the ESPN.com side, but I was invited to work a booth at a trade show for the Cable TV side of things. A coworker pulled me aside before we started and said, “By the way, everyone here hates us.” I asked why, and he said that ESPN used the strength of their brand to ask for incredible increases in their programming fees every single year they renewed. The cable companies were in a bind. Because the overwhelming majority of their viewers stated that ESPN’s channels were far and away the #1 reason they subscribed to cable in the first place, they had to pay whatever ESPN asked.

- The interesting case there, is that it was the content provider, not the delivery system, that had the upper hand.

- However, some developers are happy to go along and play the game. They realize that Apple is providing the infrastructure (iTunes), the hardware platform (iPad), the users, the marketing, and the credit card payments system for them. You just have to make a great app. And for that reason, while they don’t like giving away 30% of their profits, they understand why.

- Personally, these two graphics say it all for me, and why I will be developing an app for the iPad, not Android.
Source: They are from analyst Mary Meeker’s slideshow regarding Mobile trends.

I mean, seriously. Look at that freaking graph.

You thought downloading songs on iTunes was huge?
You thought everyone you knew had an iPod?
You thought people bought the iPhone at a fast rate?
Look at what the iPad has done, and how the app world has exploded.
Amazing.

Today I interview the amazing Rana Sobhany, and we talk about her new book and how to market iPhone and iPad apps.

Download the podcast from iTunes, or play it below:

Trying to keep up with Rana Sobhany is sort of like trying to gather up a handful of ball bearings after you’ve dropped them down a steep hill. While wearing mittens. And rollerblades. We were introduced at the opening party of the 2007 Wired Store, and since then there are many words I’ve used to describe her:

- Friend
- Former podcast guest (Episode 38)
- Guest speaker in my NYU class
- Entrepreneur
- Former tennis star
- iPad DJ
- World Traveler
- Speaker

And now Author.

And in fact, fellow author. In the podcast I do a quick reveal that I have signed a book deal and will be developing my own iPad app. But more on that in a future episode.

In this super fun and energetic podcast, we focus the first part on how she got the book deal, and the rest answering specific answers to the question: How do I market my iPhone or iPad app?

The book process
- Rana’s crazy revelation regarding her incredible creative focus, as she wrote her first book draft — 75,000 words in one week
- The most direct way I’ve ever heard anyone get a publishing deal
- How her topic changed after the release of the iPhone 4 and iPad
- How she is marketing the book

Book content: Mobilize – Strategies for Success from the Frontlines of the App Revolution

Here was the most important line in the book for me:
“You bought this book because you want in”

It defines the type of reader she’s targeting from a marketing perspective… usually an entrepreneur that wants to have their own app, and wants it to break through the clutter of the app store and have their product succeed.

First we start with the stats from the beginning of the app store
- The initial gold rush – 10 million app downloads in the first 72 hours
- Jim’s prediction that everyone would want in, with the barrier to entry being programming knowledge and $100 for the Apple SDK
- How Apple trained users from iTunes to create a buying frenzy in the App store (with some help from Amazon)

Two keys that helped launch the store
1) Marketing: We discuss the “There’s an app for that” campaign
2) Developers: The huge community Apple had already created, and the complete opposite experience engineers faced vs. creating phone apps prior to the iPhone

Did you know?
- How many people remember that the original iPhone was $599? (And Rana stood in a very long line to pay that)
- Did you know the iPad was developed by Apple before the iPhone?

Three words to success in the app store
One theme that kept coming up was quality. There are a lot of ideas out there, the key is building something great. A few of her sources described three key words in different ways:
- Fast, simple, elegant
- Polish, service, awesomeness
- Fun, simple, addicting

Nowhere in there does it say slow, poorly designed, and chock full of features. In fact, she urges developers to go in with HALF the features they planned on implementing. She also reveals Apple’s “30 second test.”

Another app development company said that they ask 4 questions when deciding whether or not to build an app
1) Can we sell it to a majority?
2) Will we enjoy building it?
3) Will we use it ourselves?
4) Is it better than a competitor?

Since I have my own app coming out around my book Salary Tutor, it was a fantastic way for me to ask the questions I needed to ask:

1) What are tips on naming my app?
- What about the length of the name, number of syllabus, and the subtitle
- Tell me about the keywords Apple lets you have

2) What are best practices for iPhone and iPad app icons?
- Rana answers, what is the best color icon for the app store?
- And yes, what is the worst color icon for the app store?
- Trick question: what is the best font for the app store?

3) What category should I put my iPhone app in?
- Key: It’s all about positioning

4) How do I track my iPhone app with metrics?
What is the best company for iPhone and iPad app metrics?

5) What is the best price for app success?
- Learn why what you’ll pay RIGHT NOW is key
- Why 99 cents is NOT what you want to price your app at, unless you are in this category
- When should you make your app free?

6) The launch
- What is the best day of the week to launch an app?
- What to do in the first 48 hours of launch
- What is the most important thing you must do at launch

7) What about comments and ratings in the app store?
- What is the #1 mistake developers make, and what is apple’s fault?

8 ) Seven ways to marketing your iPhone or iPad app – the pros and cons of each
1) Press releases
2) Blogger outreach
3) PR
4) Mainstream media
5) Word of mouth
6) Social media
7) Video demo

9) The Holy Grail – How to get your app featured by Apple
- How getting featured by Apple is like dating

10) How did the iPad release change the direction of her book?

11) What is the future of Android?

Seriously, you have to listen to this podcast:

Download the podcast from iTunes, or play it below:

What’s next for Rana?
Who knows… I’m still on my rollerblades trying to catch up. You can catch her performing her iPad DJ gigs or speaking all over the country.

Go to Rana.co for more information, or follow her on Twitter under the name @ranajune