Month: October 2007
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Wuss in a Blender
Wuss in a Blender. An instant classic from JoeCartoon!
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Microsoft Open-Sourcing .Net
Microsoft Open-Sourcing .Net. Didn’t see that one coming, did ya? Now if only Adobe would open-source ColdFusion…
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Basic Alternatives
Let’s face it, Adobe Photoshop CS3 isn’t ideal for every task. It’s great at a lot of things, but often I find that it’s too much software when it comes to handling basic tasks.
For red eye removal, cropping basic image tweaks/adjustments, I use Google’s Picasa. Its tools are easy to use, provide pretty consistent results and automatically save backups of my original files when I make changes. The fact that it doubles as a photo manager is a bonus. You can easily send photos via, post them to Picasa Web Albums, make cd backups and more. And did I mention it’s free? The only downside to Picasa is that it is PC-only.
For online image editing I use Picnik. It works with Flickr and Facebook, so I was able to link my accounts on those sites with my account in Picnik and make adjustments to pictures I’ve already uploaded to those services. The site is a little slow, but it’s great when you’re wanting to make basic adjustments to photos. Right now Picnik is still in beta, but eventually they will be offering a pro version of the site that will let you do a lot more with your photos.
For everything else I use Photoshop.
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More on Photoshop Express
Man, the Adobe MAX conference has unleashed a flood of information on all kinds of new applications and technologies Adobe is working on. One of the things I am most excited about is Photoshop Express. Photoshop Express is a Flash-based image editor that runs within a web browser. CNET has new screenshots and additional details on Photoshop Express. Hopefully we’ll be able to play around with it soon. (via John Nack)
In the meantime, if you’d like to check out a great online image editor – that’s compatible with Flickr, Facebook, and more – might I suggest Picnik? I’ve been using it off and on for a couple of months now and the technology is very promising.
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Think accessibility can be ignored?
Think accessibility can be ignored? Think again. A California judge has certified a class action lawsuit against Target due to its’ website being inaccessible to the blind. If Target loses this battle, other major e-commerce sites should take note.
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Adobe Thermo
Adobe unveiled “Thermo”, a new rich internet application design tool, at the Adobe MAX Conference today. Read/Write/Web has a great write-up and screenshots of Thermo: Adobe Demos “Thermo” RIA Design Tool to Delighted Crowd. Honestly, I’m blown away by the idea of this app. I’ve been toying with the idea of building apps that can be used on the desktop, but I am not a coder. I can work with pre-built code, but I’ve never dabbled in writing my own. Thermo changes the game by allowing designers to import Photoshop artwork directly into Thermo and turn the artwork into a working interface. I am definitely going to keep my eyes on Thermo.
About Thermo:
“Thermo” is an upcoming Adobe product that makes it easy for designers to create rich Internet application UIs. Thermo allows designers to build on familiar workflows to visually create working applications that easily flow into production and development.
Features:
- Use drawing tools to create original graphics, wireframe an application design, or manipulate artwork imported from Adobe Creative Suite tools.
- Turn artwork from Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, or Fireworks directly into functional components that use the original artwork as a ?skin?.
- Define and wire up interactive behavior, such as what to do when a user clicks on something, without having to write code.
- Easily design UIs that work with dynamic data, such as a list of contacts or product information, without having access to the actual data source. Design-time sample data can be used as a realistic placeholder when laying out an application, testing interactivity, and choreographing motion.
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Site Status
If you’ve been experiencing slow load times while browsing my site, rest assured I am well aware of the issue. MediaTemple issued a notice earlier today that web and mail traffic was experiencing sporadic slowdowns. Hopefully the issue will be resolved soon.
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Catching Up
Posting been light over the past couple of weeks because of work, the Webmaster Jam Session, and various other things. (*cough* Halo 3 *cough*) I’ll resume a more regular publishing schedule this week, and hopefully will find the time to post some new themes I promised to make available a while back.
I’m working on integrating the color pink into various aspects of my design as a part of Pink for October. The whole point of going “Pink for October” is to bring attention to Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In this day and age, very few people haven’t been touched by cancer in some form or fashion.
Halo 3 is fantastic. Nuff said.