click for Welcome

Welcome to my studio,

Cubic Arts.

Here, three principles apply:

1. Designing stuff can be hard… but it’s fun.

2. Macs can be hard… they’re fun, too.

3. Persistence pays off with amazing results.

That computer in front of you: What a tool! Point it one way, it’s a telescope… point it the other way, it’s a microscope. It can build whatever you can imagine. The only limit it finds is the one within you: “the nut that holds the wheel”.

Need some help? I'm a freelance media designer and Mac technician.

I solve problems. When I design a website, a photobook, or a video, the problems are about information architecture. When I repair a Mac, the problems are hardware or software. These problems aren’t so different. One is right-brain, the other left-brain, but they both surrender to whole-brain solutions.

I have owned, studied, dis-assembled, upgraded, and enjoyed nearly every model of Mac since 1984. For 25 years, I ran a manufacturing business that was powered by Macs. I designed databases, networks, and product catalogs. I used Macs for spreadsheets, graphs, and bookkeeping. Before the internet was invented, I used an Apple //c for a Telex terminal and a fax machine. Computers in business became so fascinating, that I sold the company in 1999, to explore full-time the many feats Macs can perform.

Need a freelancer? Want amazing results? I’m an experienced designer and technician who is fluent in things Mac. I’m one person with multiple skills, not a group of people with one skill each. You can find me either in Santa Barbara, California, or on the Spanish island of Mallorca.

Welcome to Cubic Arts.

click for Website Designs

The whole world is watching

There is no wider audience than the worldwide web. For anyone with a website, this is good news. But not all websites — or website designers — are creative equals.

Today’s best websites are fun to visit — and they tell a story. But to hold your visitor’s attention, your website must LOOK GREAT. Think of your website as a FASHION STATEMENT.

But a web design needs more than flair. At its foundation, a great website rests on top of a GREAT IDEA.

Any website designer can arrange the basics:

a unique Domain Name,
a Hosting contract, and
a design.

But if you choose me to build your website, it will also be:

optimized for the web's Search Engines (SEO),
registered with Google, Yahoo and Bing, and
built on a GREAT IDEA.

Need some inspiration? Here are a few of my recent website designs…

Oil Paintings by Philip Beck
http://www.oilpaintingsbyphilipbeck.com/
Oceanfront property available
http://www.27seaviewdrive.info/
Sea Forager of San Francisco
http://seaforager.com/
Casa de Tim and Gully, Mallorca
http://casadetimandgully.com/

Click to download my whitepaper,
"Seven Things You Need to Know about Website SEO"

click for Print Designs

Photo books

Your story, in words and pictures...
carefully edited...
composed into pages...
and published as a hardcover book.

Your great photos deserve
a great photo book

Over the years, you’ve taken a lot of pictures: your family growing up… your business developing… the people in your life. Your words and pictures tell a story. Now you can see that story… in a book.

Together, we can can design, write, edit, and privately publish your story in a limited-edition, hardcover book. No pre-fabricated themes, no generic backgrounds, just a clear, elegant, original presentation of your words and pictures.

The minimum number of books per order is just one.

What are you waiting for?

Advertising brochures and product catalogs

Your company brochure — it's like a website… but on PAPER.

Brochures introduce your company to current and potential customers and clients. They show people what you WHAT YOU WANT THEM TO KNOW about your company.

Brochures deliver your message to people who ALREADY CARE what you have to say.

Businesses need lots of printed products. I design them, too:

Brochures
Business Cards
Calendars
Catalogs
CD / DVD Sleeves
CD / DVD Covers

Color Copies
Data Sheets
Door Hangers
Envelopes
Flyers
Greeting Cards

Letterhead
Memo Pads
Newsletters
Notepads
Postcards
Posters

Presentation Folders
Rack Cards
Sales Sheets
Stickers
Vinyl Banners
Vinyl Bumper Stickers

click for Video Designs

What happened?

It wasn't supposed to be this way.

Somewhere in your life, there's an important collection you've been meaning to organize — your trove of personal media.

Photo albums, LP records, slides,
videotapes, music CDs, and clippings…

You've been holding on to all that media for a reason — because it tells a story about your life. In some ways, it's precious. But neglected, it's nearly worthless.

How is the story going to get told?

An unwritten story becomes a forgotten story.

The personal media that goes into your video can
be re-purposed, and published as a hardback book.

Ask to see samples of the DVDs, and the books,
published by Cubic Arts.

Footnote: Any people whose pictures you may see on this website, or in
samples of my work, have their kind given permission for those purposes.

click for Mac Tuneup

When good software goes bad

Sometimes, it's a bug.

Other times, it's a corrupt file. Or a damaged directory. You may need to re-install a printer driver — or the Operating System.

You can be forgiven if you imagined that using a Mac is easier than it really is. Apple has worked hard to make the Mac (and their marketing) look both elegant and simple. But "easy" it isn't.

Whatever your experience level, you're going to run into trouble. Someday, your Mac will crash — and not recover.

Whom will you call?

People who know me, call me. In Santa Barbara, CA, and on Mallorca, I make house calls. For remote tech support, I take video calls on Skype, and on FaceTime (email me first, to arrange an appointment).

Need a Mac diagnosis? a tuneup?

I might be able to help. Start by sending me an email.

click for Mac Repair

Working inside your Mac

If your Mac is operating strangely — but still operating — then software is the likely culprit. However, if your Mac fails to start… if the monitor is black… if there is visible damage of any kind… then Yes, your problem is hardware.

The first job is to identify the failed, or damaged, component. I have years of experience with many different Mac models -- upgrading memory (RAM); replacing hard drives and optical drives; replacing logic boards.

Having your computer repaired will be inconvenient, and it might be expensive. You will have questions like these:

Can it be fixed?
Can a replacement part be found?
How long will it take?
How much will it cost?
Is there any warranty on the repair?

These are all good questions we can
discuss when you bring your Mac in
to Cubic Arts for repair.

Until then, cheer up. Please enjoy this
short, endlessly-looping clip, showing
one penguin's idea of brotherly love.

It’s got nothing to do with Mac repairs — I just think it's funny.

click for Mac Lessons

Get more out of your Mac

Has your “friendly” computer turned distant and frosty?

Do you struggle to be productive, or wish you could work smarter, and faster, on your Mac?

Do you just want to ask someone your specific questions… and get back to work?

Don’t blame yourself. The truth about computers is this: they’re complicated. And there’s a lot to learn.

Also, there are many ways to learn. Some people can sit for days, alone in a room, slowly teasing results out of their computers. Some people learn best, doing drills, or watching lessons on video. Others need the excitement of a crowded classroom. Some people learn best, by teaching others.

If you work well in a small group, or one-on-one setting, contact me about arranging private lessons — with a focus on learning whatever Mac application you choose.

Stop struggling. Macs are fun.

What do you want to learn?

click for California, U.S.A.

from April to October, in Santa Barbara, CA

View Larger Map Get Directions View Bird's Eye

click for Mallorca, Spain

from October to April, in Fornalutx, Mallorca

View Larger Map Get Directions View Bird's Eye

click for FAQ

What's "cubic" about Cubic Arts?

Think about a single pixel. It's square — and it's flat. Now give it depth. What shape is it? Cubic. What would you call a creative studio whose building blocks were cubes of light? Cubic Arts, of course.

Or, if you prefer… there is this:

When my wife and I moved to Spain in 2000, I brought with me one of the most advanced computers on the planet: the Macintosh G4 Cube. My vision was to use it to create digital art of all kinds — so I came to call my studio Cubic Arts.

That original Cube — pushed to the limit with upgraded CPU, maxed-out RAM, and massive external hard drives — has been retired to a closet, but the name lives on.

What do you know about Mac repair and maintenance?

I am not Apple Certified, it's true. But I have a lot of experience working inside Macintosh computers, and I have pretty good tool sense.

A certified Mac technician deserves all respect — but in most places around the world, they are hard to find. Anyway, many of the Mac problems that crop up are not that hard to solve — they just need someone with experience. I can replace a hard drive, a laptop's keyboard, or a logic board with ease. And if a Mac's problem is its Operating System, I know how to troubleshoot, and fix, that, too. The Mac is that well designed.

If your Mac is still under warranty (and you can get it to an Authorized Service Center), take it back to Apple. But for many Mac problems, you will do as well by bringing it to an independent service provider, for repair.

Send me an email, and tell me what you need. If I can help you, I will.

What kind of Mac do you use?

My current, workhorse machine is a laptop — that's because I travel so much. It's a 17" (matte screen) MacBook Pro (2.53 GHz Intel Core i5), running OS X 10.6.8 (Snow Leopard).

I upgraded the RAM and the hard drive to the maximum this machine will support: 1 TB hard drive, and 8 GB RAM. To keep my crowded workspace in view, I use OS X's Spaces feature. And at each office, I keep an extended keyboard handy — and a 27" Cinema HD Display, for dual-screen viewing pleasure.

My basic hardware includes an iPad; a Magic Trackpad; and a wireless keyboard and mouse. The Mac rests on a pedestal (of course!), under which I keep an external, 2.5 TB USB hard drive, divided into two partitions. One volume is my Time Machine backup; the other is a Super-Duper! bootable clone of my internal drive.

Real Mac maestros make backups.

12a-john's_mac

What are those photos showing in the background of this web page?

That's a snapshot from one of the places where my wife and I live -- either on the Mediterranean island of Mallorca, Spain, or on the beach in Santa Barbara, California.

The Cubic Arts website is designed to serve up a different background picture every 30 seconds. Try it.

click for About me

John H. Lincoln

Born, grew up, and educated in Connecticut…
Bachelor of Arts, Yale (1968)…
met Carlotta in Mallorca, Spain (1971)…
married in Copenhagen, Denmark (1972)…
migrated to Santa Barbara, California (1973)…
Master of Arts, Design, UCSB (1974)…
two children (1973, 1977)…
successful screen printing and importing business (1974-1999)…

first computer, an Apple //e (1982)…
first Macintosh (1984)…
autodidact computer technophile…
sold the importing business (1999) to become a…
Freelance designer/tech, dba Cubic Arts (2000-present)…
living part-time on Mallorca, part-time in California…
Mac Personal Technical Assistant…
riding the computer whirlwind (1982-present)…

click for the book! click for the Movie!

The materials you use in one medium
(a website, a book, or a video)
can be re-purposed for use in another.

To demonstrate, I published a hardcover
photo book
using the text and images from this website.
photo-books
You can download the 25-page, PDF version of
“The Cubic Arts Book” (3.5 MB) by clicking here.

And then, just for fun, I built the same materials into a
video

…and put it on YouTube.

Take a look: