ORTOVOX’s Post

At the beginning of January, I took a leap into the world of bouldering!! The process of discovering an intriguing climb, strategizing the best approach, and finally attempting it has become a captivating and a really addictive experience that keeps drawing me back to the gym. However, I ran into a huge problem: I’m still thinking about the climb after I get back. After the gym, I find myself constantly thinking over different climbing routes, contemplating new techniques, and envisioning alternative ways to tackle climbs using different holds and strategies. This continuous fascination with bouldering has led me to start on a personal project this spring break. I decided to start developing Pocket: a website that allows climbers to track their growth and think about ways to tackle climbs even outside of the gym. This website will allow users to share, create, and theory-craft climbs, while also allowing users to create journal entries of different climbs users are currently working on. Tech stack: ⚛️ HTML: Front-end markup language. 🤖 JavaScript: Programming language for interactivity. 🅱️ Bootstrap: UI/UX Design 🔥 Firestore: Document database. 🔑 Firebase Authentication: User authentication. I’ve been having a blast working on this project, It’s in the early stages but it’s a project I’m going to continuously work on. It’s gotten me more interested in a whole new tech stack and building a product. This is going to the moon (probably, hopefully, maybe). If you have any suggestions on what I should add, feel free to comment.

🌸 Spring 2024 Product Updates🌸 As the days grow longer and the weather warms up, we’re excited to share some exciting new features and improvements we’ve made to the OuterSpatial platform. Over the last quarter, our team has been hard at work, listening to feedback from both our organization partners and visitors and implementing updates to make our platform better than ever. Here’s a snapshot of what we released this spring: 📍 Launches This quarter, North Dakota Parks & Recreation Department launched in the North Dakota community, and we also launched a new San Francisco community! ✨ Share Current Location & Get Directions Visitors can now navigate parks and trails more easily with our enhanced location-sharing and directions feature. 🚩 Create a Report Tool Visitors are now empowered to report conditions, hazards, and incidents directly within the app, keeping everyone informed and safe. 🎉 Redesigned App Onboarding A more personalized onboarding flow that tailors the app experience to each visitor’s lifestyle and activity preferences. 📊 Access to Challenge Reports for Organization Staff Staff members can now access challenge participation and response reports directly from within the app, making it easier to track participation and engage with your community. For more details on these updates and a list of other noteworthy improvements, check out our latest blog post: Spring 2024 Product Updates. We’re committed to continually improving our platform to enhance the visitor experience and make OuterSpatial more useful for our organization partners. We can’t wait for you to try out these new features, and we look forward to your feedback. Together, let’s make outdoor adventures better for everyone! #OutdoorRecreation #ParkManagement #SpringUpdates #VisitorExperience #OuterSpatial

🚀 CruxCraze Project: Building a Climbing Gym Yelp-like Review Platform Description: CruxCraze is a dynamic web application akin to Yelp, tailored for the climbing community. It serves as a centralized platform for climbers to discover, review, and share their experiences with climbing gyms. Leveraging cutting-edge web technologies, CruxCraze offers comprehensive functionalities for gym exploration, user engagement, and community interaction. Key Features: 1. Gym Discovery: Users can explore a curated list of climbing gyms, view detailed profiles, and access essential information such as location, facilities, and user reviews. 2. Review System: Enables users to leave detailed reviews, ratings, and feedback on their experiences at climbing gyms, fostering transparency and accountability within the community. 3. User Engagement: Facilitates user interaction through features like likes, comments, and sharing of gym reviews, promoting community engagement and collaboration. 4. Responsive Design: A user-friendly interface optimized for various devices and screen sizes, ensuring seamless navigation and accessibility for all users. Technologies Used: -Frontend: React.js, HTML5, CSS3, Mapbox GL JS -Backend: Python, SQLAlchemy, Flask, RESTful APIs Project Link: https://lnkd.in/e6E6Cps5

It seems Meta and I are always in the car. Driving isn’t a big deal; being from both Texas and Montana, we’re used to long drives. Twenty-two hours from Bozeman to Dallas? Done it, many times. Four days to Boston? OK cool. Two days to Toronto, no problem. Two days to Nova Scotia, sure. We’re always going on a roadtrip somewhere. One great thing about New England (as opposed to Montana) is that there are tons of things that are an hour or two away. There’s always some little town with a flea market or community bazaar, and we’ve become quite hooked on getting up, putting the dogs in the car and heading off in some direction. We’ve actually driven to Portland Maine to have blueberry pancakes (two hours). As a weekend thing, we load Arlo and Birdie up and head off somewhere, usually just a day trip. Motels are hella-expensive now, so a long day in the car is just fine. We take the guys to dog parks we find, and they sleep most of the time anyway. Meta will read about some flea market or community event, and we’re off in the car. It’s all part of what we call the Graphic Design Roadtrip; more about that later. We go to bookstores, flea markets, junk stores, thrift stores, and the occasional antique mall. Now, some of those stores are good, some are bad. We’re not looking for grandma china or decorative glass—of which there is a lot—but usually, for paper ephemera. These are items intended for short-term use, created for a specific purpose and then discarded after use. Magazines could be an example, but it’s also billheads, packaging, tickets, menus and maps. It’s becoming harder and harder to find good paper… I look for travel ephemera everywhere, and occasionally, find amazing things. In 1955, a family drove from New York to Florida, and collected every tourist attraction brochure they could find… alligator farms, hot springs, everything. Motel brochures, restaurant menus…Hundreds of them. I bought a whole box full for less than $5, you know, just in case I might need them later for a project or something (that’s where Graphic Design Roadtrip will come into play later). They have absolutely zero value to most people, but for me, it’s a look into popular culture, which is a big interest of mine. I’m really interested in design that isn’t fancy, or famous, and usually is sort of homely, but authentic. The paper (especially packaging) gets kinda pricey, so Meta started taking photos—I mean like thousands of photos—which she occasionally posts on FB or Insta. This documents the things without us having to buy them, so we can look at stuff all day and spend like ten dollars or something. She did a great logo for Roadtrip, we wanna make some hats or something. I’ll leave all the pretty pictures for her. I want to tell you a few stories. Stay tuned.

#learningsinUK series  1)     Don’t forget to make an ID in UNIDAYS After reaching the UK and getting your student email ID, one thing that you should make sure of is downloading the UNIDAYS App. It is a must-have app if you want great discounts and free deals on websites and availing services. For example, if you are a student in the UK with a student email ID, you can get Amazon Prime free for 6 months, free food delivery from Deliveroo, discounts on clothes etc. So make use of this opportunity and take as many benefits as possible. 2)     Get a waterproof jacket, shoes/boots, and backpack: The British Weather is infamous for being super dynamic. Meaning, it is windy, cloudy, rainy, and sunny on the same day. Because of this, you need to be prepared for this change before moving out of your room as it does not give you a chance to adjust when you are out there. Hence, I would recommend you get a waterproof windcheater, waterproof shoes/boots, and a waterproof backpack once you reach here. You don’t need to bring that from India. Get them from here itself. Apart from this, you also need an umbrella, but I am not suggesting relying on it completely as the wind makes it go crazy. If you don’t want to get a waterproof backpack, then carry all your essential items in plastic bags inside the backpack. I am doing the same and it works fine. The choice is yours but don’t take this condition for granted as it can cost you a lot of damage if your belongings get wet. I hope you liked this post. Do let me know in the comments if you have any similar stories to share related to the learnings mentioned above. #unitedkingdom #studyabroad #learnings #studentdiscounts #resilience

At 4am, I finally shut down my laptop and called it a day on working on my Disney Parks Accessibility app. 😮💨😊 I fixed everything -- the routing, accessing the embedded class attributes through string interpolation in the HTML, the styling... Everything is pretty much done. 🥰 I just have to replace a couple images. Today, I'm gonna look further into how to create the custom maps with the image overlays. I'm pretty sure it's gonna be a pain in the ass trying to find or create little graphic illustrations of each of the attractions for the image overlays on the map. 😩 Plus, I'm just not that great at reading maps anyways, and I definitely don't know how to make one. 🥴😅🤣 Once I get that done, I'll start the long tedious task of separating all the accessibility information according to each attraction and park 😮💨, since right now, I just have placeholder text in the seed data. After I've created object instances for all of the attractions in each of the parks and added their location data, I'll have everything in place to implement the route calculation feature later on down the line. Anyways, I'm hoping I'll be able to easily do the route calculation through the Google Maps API because when I was researching possible ways to implement it, I came across a DSA problem called "The Travelling Salesman", which I've seen mentioned in my DSA courses. I've never actually tried to solve it before, but from what I've read about it, I'm fully anticipating it to kick my ass. 🥴😅🤣 Don't get me wrong, I love a challenge (or conquering it anyways 😂)! But the routing wore me the hell out, to be honest. 😅 I was damn near ready to tap out. 🤣 I wish I could've kept trying to figure it out on my own, but truthfully, after 4 days, I was completely outta patience. 🤬😂 As excited as I am to see this thing finally come together and see the finished product, I almost kinda don't want it to end because I'm really loving it just that much. 🥰 Although I know my husband can't wait for this to be over because he's kinda aggravated with me staying up so late to work on it every night. 😬 I don't know why he can't see that I'm doing this to try to give him and our ferrets a better life. 😠😩😂

A Race Redesign for Everyone! 🏃♀️🏃♂️🏃♀️🏃♂️ The countdown is almost up!!! 2 days, 19 hours, 43 minutes, and 40 seconds left until the Salt Lake City Marathon is underway this Saturday April 20, 2024th. If you're participating in the race, congrats! If not, be aware of road closures. This unsolicited redesign is one that is close to my heart. ❤️ As a lifelong runner and 2 times marathoner, I love that the Salt Lake City Marathon allows me to see the city that I call home. 📱 Mobile Optimization: Recognizing the growing importance of mobile accessibility, I prioritized a responsive design approach. No longer will users struggle with excessive white space or buttons that can't contain their text. 🍔 Enhanced Navigation: I revamped the menu system, replacing the previously grayed-out hamburger icon. Now, the hamburger menu boasts greater prominence, improving accessibility for all users. Accessibility isn't just about catering to specific needs; it's about creating an inclusive and usable experience for everyone. ⚡ Persistent Call-to-Actions: To empower users and enhance engagement, I elevated the top two call-to-actions to floating buttons at the bottom of the mobile screen. Now, these critical actions are always within reach, ensuring a frictionless journey for participants and spectators alike. 👟💻 #UXDesign #MobileOptimization #UserExperience #SaltLakeCityMarathon #UIDesign #Mobilefirst

Let's dive into the weekend with new thoughts 💭 In the past, I was a professional swimmer with many years of pool swims and hundreds of kilometers in open water. Now, I work as a product designer. At first glance, these seem like two completely different fields, but I see something in common: 💭 Relaxation. If you tense up, you sink, whether you are in a pool, the sea, or using Figma 💭 Technique. Your success depends on the right technique, whether it's swimming or design. By using the correct stroke and breathing techniques, you will achieve much better results than if you were dropping your elbow or twisting your head like a shaker. In design, the proper use of tools, methodologies, and design techniques ensures efficiency and quality of work 💭 Discipline. Achieving success in any field requires discipline. For a swimmer, this means following a training, rest, nutrition, and pharmacology. For designers, it's clear planning, organizing the work process, and continuously improving skills 💭 Strong mindset. The ability to manage and control anxiety, stress, and difficulties, control emotions and inner state, engage deeply in the process, and understand the goal is a key factor for success in both swimming and design 💭 Continuous learning. In swimming, this means constantly improving technique, enhancing physical fitness, and learning new training methods. In design, it's mastering new tools, technologies, and methodologies And an equally important point is enjoying the process and tackling tasks. Whether it's 50 meters or 20 km in a pool, 1.5 km in a lake, or 10 km in the sea, designing tables, dashboards, or even onboarding. So, whatever you do — relax, set goals, immerse yourself in the process, enjoy it, and achieve success ✨

Are you in the Summer of your life -Ready to Build a beautiful and fulfilling Fall Life is so cyclical. Each day has a birth an activate stage, sometimes afternoon nap, more activity and then night. So too does each year, and the course of our lives. Looking for the patterns in our days, years, and life can help us plan and enjoy and the most of each phase. The Springtime of our lives we have the confidence and energy to learn and grow. We arrive at a point where it is time to shift from helping others to becoming a leader, to share our knowledge, to teach others. For many of Warrior's clients, it is wonderful to see that during the summer of their lives they have decided it is time to plan for the Fall. They choose to build something new using the skills and knowledge they have accumulates over their Spring to invest in themselves and enjoy a different approach to work. Kids are out of the nest, confident in their ability, the resources to create something exciting. Warrior software is here for those who are ready to start something new, they want a partner to help them launch their dream as they begin this new exciting chapter. If your summer plans are to build that new studio fitness business focused on a class based program then we are here to help you make that happen. We help you manage all of your digital needs. We are more than just the tools. We are there to guild you and help build your program. We offer websites, booking software, memberships, client apps and notifications, staff app, payment acceptance with Clover, and much more. Get in touch and let's work together to help you build your dreams and community. #yoga #websitehosting #websitecreation #payments #bookingsoftware #fitnessstudio #pilates #zoomba #boxing #crossfit #hiit #gymlife #studioowner

Behind the scenes here the improvements never stop 🚀 We’re excited to show you the latest boost to adventure finding on komoot. There’s a new menu layout in town and it’s the pretty face of improved usability, more logical route finding, and a boat load of smaller tweaks that, when grouped together, equal a seriously slick user experience. Kind of like the best hike you’ve ever done, with views, snacks, friends, surprise sights, and a smile that lasts long after you’ve taken off your boots. Now, where before you saw ‘Discover’ and ‘Plan’, you’ll now see ‘Home’ and ‘Routes’. To find a hike, ride, or run, head to the new ‘Routes’ tab and you’ll see the map with great Tour recommendations. You can save, navigate, or customize any Tour you find through the ‘Routes’ tab at the touch of a button. It’s as easy as saying ‘yes’ to an ice cream stop. Want to plan your own route? Just tap, ‘Plan new’ in the top right-hand corner of your screen and shape your own adventure. When you want to see what your friends have been up to and scroll through the feed to get some inspiration, just tap ‘Home’ in the bottom menu. Oh, and about that menu – we also gave it a fresh look with a lighter color scheme, along with the rest of the app. Why? Because it looks extra nice. Have a scroll around and check it out! #komoot #komootforbusiness #outdoor