August 2009
8 posts
2 tags
Create a simple Ajax RSS Widget with Jquery
A medium to advanced user’s tutorial for using Jquery to display a set of RSS headlines as links in a widget on your page. There are code samples on this page, however if you want to follow along easier, here is the complete final file (it’s all in one HTML file for ease of use - obviously you’ll want to separate your JS and CSS out into external files..) So, suppose you want to...
2 tags
Why i moved my blog to tumblr.
In an attempt to get the content flowing again on my site, i’ve moved (in a seemingly inexplicable backwards step) from using my custom django blog, to using a custom themed tumblr blog.
Why? What the hell were you thinking? i hear you asking…
Well, firstly, tumblr is a simple, hosted solution and it comes with an iphone app, and some simple content classes that i like the look of.
...
3 tags
Internet High Five →
Hehe. I love geeky humour… but the funniest thing is that I almost did it, then decided I didn’t wantto put smudges on my screen.
2 tags
Down for everyone or just me? →
Down for everyone or just me is a super simple website. Basically, it lets you check if a web server is down from a third party location. The idea being, you panic because you can’t hit your web site, so you go and check it through Down for everyone to see if it’s a problem with your connectivity, or the web server - super useful!
2 tags
Concept: Semantic Markup
The term semantic markup has become another of today’s buzzwords. People always talk about it, but few of them really understand the concept. The problem is unless you’re a philosopher, the idea of semantics is about as meaningful as metaphysics.
So lets try and clarify what semantic markup is and what significance it has to the web designer.
Semantics is the study of meaning....
1 tag
“OH: Statistics are like bikinis - what they reveal is interesting, what they...”
– twitter: @freakboy3472
2 tags
doctype: stackoverflow for web designers →
doctype: a clone of stackoverflow that allows you to ask web design and dev questions and get them answered by the community.
1 tag
Digital Color Meter..
Digital Color Meter is basically your Photoshop colour picker for your entire mac desktop. Gone are the days where I needed to open a PSD just to work out the hex codes for a colour off a site.
DCM lives in the Applications/Utilities folder on your mac When you open it you are presented with a small window, the left of which shows a small zoomed image of what’s under your mouse and the...
January 2009
1 post
2 tags
I hate spam bots. But i hate captcha more.
I posted a message a while back about spam in comments and Django. I don’t agree with a lot of the opinions I held at the time, however one point I raised that I believe holds true is that the responsibility for spam provention should be the developers, not the user. In short, I hate and completely disagree with “captcha” style spam protection on forms. As a user I find...
November 2008
1 post
3 tags
Coda Plugin: HTML Word Counter
** Updated! Version 2 supports reading thousands in correct english.**
Download the plugin here - 8.5Kb
So Coda 1.6 has been released. The major change appears to be the addition of a plugin system for adding functionality. Basically this allows developers to write small scripts that manipulate text from Coda. These plugins are then displayed inside Coda in the Plug-ins menu (or with keyboard...
August 2008
2 posts
1 tag
Creating an accessible navigation menu from a UL
Styling the nav of a site is something we do.. well, everytime we build a site.
The nav of a site is one if the most important (and often most neglected) elements. So what can we do to make sure our nav is as accessible as possible?
To start with, we create the markup for our navigation..
<ul class="nav">
<li><a href="/">Home</a></li>
<li><a...
1 tag
Expanding your reach with Twitter..
There are two camps in the web world regarding microblogging tools like Twitter. Half of us think they’re great the other half are still scratching their heads wondering what possible purpose these tools can serve.
Plenty of arguments have been presented to show how Twitter can serve as a viral marketing platform and networking tool. Recently, as most people will know, Twitter acquired...
June 2008
3 posts
2 tags
Photo libraries are devaluing photographers..
A look at photo libraries from behind the lens.
**Designers hate plagiarism.. it steals our worth. Stock libraries are killing photographers.. but designers still love them.. why? **
Background: what am I ranting about now?
This article is a reflection on the pros and cons of stock photography. Disclaimer: my girlfriend is a photographer / photo editor who has worked in photo libraries and...
2 tags
Why I ditched Google Analytics for Clicky..
Disclosure : Clicky, my new web stats best friend, offer an affiliate scheme (another reason I like them). So if you are going to sign up.. follow my links when you do it?? ;)
I’ve got Google Analytics, why would I change?
Everyone knows Google Analytics is free. It’s extensive. It works well. Like all Google applications, it’s interface is dull.. filled with primary...
2 tags
Pragmatics vs Validation
Is code validation important in web design?
Something I’ve noticed recently which makes me wonder about people’s understanding of how web design works is the designer/developer obsession with validation. I’m definitely not the first to realise this (i’m pretty sure i read an article not so long ago at jeffcroft.com - where Jeff made the same point), but i’ve been...
May 2008
3 posts
1 tag
Why I hate Grid Systems..
Maybe this article would better be called, “why I hate what grid systems stand for in the design world”. Designers (especially web designers) these days seem obsessed with grid based design. While I LIKE the look that grid based designs I disagree with this formula based approach to web site design.
To demystify what I’m driving at here: I think that that good designers should be able to balance...
1 tag
Pixel Perfection - What a dumb idea.
After reading a post over at Jonathon Snooks blog about CSS resets (which I also don’t use) - and also seeing this site. I found myself thinking about whether I care if my designs are implemented pixel perfect in all browsers. The short answer is: no.
Having learned design for web around the same time as print, rather than being a converted print designer - I’ve always been a fan of gridless or...
April 2008
0 posts
1 tag
Web standards, should we really care?
My opinions on a very grey area in web design
Having been a web developer (professionally and for fun) for the better part of ten years now, I’ve watched the art of making websites change significantly.
In my first job, the majority of front end development time was spent trying to get horrible nested table layouts to render in both IE and Netscape 4. Thankfully the browser world (and more...
March 2008
1 post
2 tags
Accounting without an accountant with Harvest
So, for the past few years as a freelancer the one part work that i’ve hated is paperwork, specifically accounting. The best part about working for someone else is that they chase the money for you, so you don’t have to ask for your pay - it just appears in your bank account.
Obviously anyone who has ever freelanced already knows this. What we may or may not know is that there are some great...
February 2008
1 post
2 tags
degrees. who needs 'em?
More ranting on education.
So while surfing the net the other night I came across a freelance designer’s personal website. Nice enough site.. but without a link to a full CV and without any mention of education. Judging from her skill set, i’d say she definitely had a degree or TAFE course.. but no mention anywhere on her otherwise fairly extensive site. So i got to wondering, do you...
January 2008
2 posts
2 tags
Freelance web design: Taking the plunge.
My quick guide to how to go freelance..
After nearly ten years working in the web site industry, I’ve gone through the rather scary transition of switching from a fulltime (or at least secure) job, to freelancing a couple of times. It’s scary, people call it “taking the plunge”, “going out on a limb”, “the big step”. My aim here it to point out...
2 tags
I got a "new media" degree.. what now?
Get a real degree? Get another degree? Get a job? Your options are far more limited than they told you at the uni careers day! But fear not, many of us have been there before.
When i graduated from my degree, I was already working… which worked in my favour.. a lot! I just went to work more. I was learning more in the office than the classroom anyway.. so it didn’t matter much to...
November 2007
1 post
1 tag
why did i buy a mac?
Seriously.. where’s the care in Applecare?
I’ve been a mac user ever since they first released the andonized aluminium G4 powerbooks with OSX preinstalled (so coming up on 5 years…). I love my macs, i convert my friends, i bitch about windows… etc.
However, my global “warranty” really gets me worked up. I have just bought a Core 2 macbook and taken my...
May 2007
1 post
1 tag
Web 2.0? Pffft! I hate web trends.
It’s the latest craze. I’ve hidden myself from the concept as long as possible. But i’ve had a flurry of work from clients who want a “Web 2.0” look or style, so what the hell is web 2.0? Nicely, a couple of the jobs i’ve had have said things like, “we want a Web 2.0 look, you do this style well…” which gets me wondering when I nailed the Web...