Ahh the great city of Arlington – home to the Cowboys Stadium, Rangers Ballpark, Six Flags theme park, and the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA). With a population of approximately 365,000, it is the seventh largest city in Texas and the largest city in the nation without public transportation! This has been problem for years now, and has been a topic for conversation for even those not living in the Arlington area, and even in the state for that matter. Take for instance this article written in the San Francisco Weekly, talks about the lack of transportation in Arlington and how residents should blame the city for spending money on Rangers Ballpark and then on Cowboys Stadium. While this is true, the city does and did spend money on those things, voters have rejected plans for mass transit over and over again. Oh wait we did have mass transit for one day during the Super Bowl last year, my bad.

With the UTA campus continuing to grow, I believe public transportation is currently a necessity and something is bound to take shape sooner or later. UTA student Anthia Meme has even taken it upon herself to start a petition to go before the City Council. Meme recognizes that Arlington is not as it used to be and wants to bring a proposition to voters again. Arlington is headed in the direction of growth, and as a UTA alumni and still working in Arlington, it is exciting to see these changes taking place. However, UTA is becoming less and less of a “commuter” school, with College Park now open, plans for new student housing, and new restaurants taking root. The current Ride2Work program is a big help to those seeking jobs in the Arlington area, but has seen such a need there is a waiting list. So I ask the residents of Arlington and the surrounding areas, do you think Arlington needs a mass transit system? Why or why not?

Former UTA student has this to say: “Personally, I’d love it if they started public transportation here….I spent my entire time at UTA with no means of transportation…believe me it is frustrating to get to places!!!”

Why on earth does anyone still use Internet Explorer (IE)? I have asked myself this question time and time again. Why in the age of Smart Phones, flat screen TV’s, Xbox Kinect, funny cat videos, and Facebook, would someone still be using IE when there are so many other choices? According to this article written by Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols, IE falls short on Web Browser safety. He cites an example of the Koobface (a worm that affects Myspace and Facebook users) attack and states that users of IE were the hardest hit. So why do people still continue to use IE? Some point to a lack of knowledge (I am putting this nicely btw), or lack of being tech savvy. I like this line from Cracked.com, “Internet Explorer is kind of like the Budweiser of the web browsers. It’s the most common and always “selected” out of fear or ignorance.” Personally I agree with Cracked, I think it’s because people just don’t know what else is out there or the ability browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, or others have. If someone has a Windows OS, their default browser is IE. It does take them to the websites they want to go, so what’s the problem right? The problem is IE is slow, uses more memory, and most importantly it makes things so much harder for the developers out there trying to make awesome applications and websites. Some of the tools needed to make sites look pretty and user friendly cannot even be done in IE. I could be wrong but isn’t this usually what the client is worried about? And anyone using IE 6 stop, stop right now – this is not just me asking, but Microsoft.

I understand in some corporate environments workers are forced to use IE or maybe someone using a public computer doesn’t have permissions to install applications. However, there are ways around it. You can download an extension for IE which allows you to view pages as if you were using Chrome. Although, if you have the permission to install applications (ie: you are using your personal computer) why not download a better, more user friendly, FREE web browser, and that DOES follow web standards! So make the developer’s and your life easier and make the switch now! When I asked our team here at Ayoka what browser(s) they use, most of them said Firefox and Chrome or both. And here are some quotes about why they use these browsers over IE. And you are probably wondering which browser I prefer. I use Firefox, mainly because I don’t want people to think I am dumb…

“When IE releases new versions they are just different, and claim to have new features. When Chrome or FF releases new versions they are better.”

“I use Firefox for its extensibility and tools. Chrome for its simplicity, resources management, and extensions. Both browsers make upgrading seamless and easy, and users of these browsers tend to keep them updated.”

“I use Chrome because I find it is very user friendly.”

“I use Firefox and Chrome. I like the way the browsers look and that I can customize my navigation. I get a kick out of using on IE on a clean system to download and install FF and Chrome.”

“I use Google’s Chrome. It’s fast safe and it has lots of add-ons like, Remote Desktop, Google Voice, and other plugins needed for development

“I use Firefox. Firefox is what IE should be. It’s fast, reliable and is always making advancements much faster than Microsoft (as well as fixing bugs). IE is always slow and clunky and ugly.”

To most, South By Southwest is a giant music hullabaloo in Austin, Texas that takes place in March. And, while that is true, it is also one of the most important meetings for creatives from interactive software design and software development to the film and music industry. SXSW is an idea incubator, and you can look at the topics of some of the speakers to gain a glimpse as to what is important in software and music now and what is coming up just over the horizon.

A cursory look at some of the Interactive industry’s scheduled, and I’m not kidding here,  hundreds of talks reveals that Social Media is still a very important, if young, tool to be exploited. Mobile development has a large presence, showcasing new usability design and techniques. Targeted marketing to emerging users like mobilized-teens, aging Baby Boomers, and Millinials / Gen X’ers through online interaction. Buzzwords like gamification and crowdsourcing pop up again and again.

Also, it would seem that the Internet can save the world. Talks like What’s Good for the World Is Good for the Agency, Sparking Real World Action with Social Media, and Design for Social Innovation and Public Good are just some of the more socially conscious topics. It’s the kind of idealism you’d expect from SXSW’s typically young, outside-the-box conventioneers and speakers.  Hey and you may even learn some new software development tricks!

Ultimately, it would seem like the future of web development, web design, and marketing is to appear less like a one-way street. Companies will less and less be dictating their marketing and, instead, interactions with customers in social media realms will become more prevalent in order to brand a company or product. Games that sell products, discussions that promote services, and social media events on both mobile and traditional platforms will make up more and more of a company’s outreach to consumers. Great software developers and great agencies know what’s going on in their world, and paying attention to SXSW and other big conventions like it (Usability Week in New York is this is later this month, fyi) is vital. You can be sure we here at Ayoka are keeping tabs on software development trends, especially those happening in our back yard…see you in Austin! .

Six-Flags, Cowboy Stadium, Rangers Ballpark, UT-Arlington – these are probably some of the things you think of when you think of Arlington. I am a transplant from Florida and attended UT-Arlington (UTA) from 2008-2009. If you asked me what I thought about Arlington back in 2009 well… I didn’t have much of an opinion at all. I liked the school well enough but never got any sort of vibe from the students, neither good nor bad. Many of my classmates were located a good distance from campus so we found ourselves meeting at night, or on weekends to accommodate for everyone’s schedule. While at UTA I never once attended any type of sporting event nor was I even aware when they took place. I now work within walking distance of the campus and I’m amazed at the rate UTA and the City of Arlington are changing! It is starting to look like a different school and a new city, but in a good way. I think UTA has great potential and I am now envious of the students who get to be a part of this growth.

Some of you may or may not remember talk of Glorypark, it was to be located right between Cowboys Stadium and Rangers Ballpark. However, that plan was scrapped almost right after it was unveiled in 2008 because of financial complications and lawsuits. Perhaps it was for the better, because Arlington now has the College Park District just a few miles away right in the heart of UTA campus. College Park is a $160 million dollar development, spanning more than 20 acres, encompassing UTA and the surrounding downtown Arlington area. As you drive in downtown you will see new restaurants, new shops, beautification of campus, and College Park Center itself which opened February 1 of this year. The development should be a boost to student’s sense of pride, as well as the faculty and staff. Just recently, plans to build a five-story, $35 million apartment complex near College Park, was approved. The hope is to not only draw students but professors, staff and others looking to live near the development. To read more about events, see a live webcam of the ongoing construction, and the FAQ (which is quite interesting to read) about the development click here.

I would love to hear feedback from students about their thoughts on the growth of Arlington. Does any of this growth impress you or make you feel UTA is on its way to becoming more of a community? Do the additions to campus change your mind about pursuing more schooling at UTA? Any other thoughts are welcome!