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RT @tlrobinson: WebSaver, a WebKit-based Mac OS X screensaver: http://github.com/tlrobin... Use any webpage or JavaScript / canvas app.
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13Oct
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13Oct
Well folks, it looks like the Globe and Mail’s website (Canada’s largest-circulation national newspaper) has been hacked into recently (unless this is a clever marketing ploy), because after loading its front page, if you enter the Konami code via your keyboard, you’ll get a surprise.
Go ahead, try it.
up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, b, a, enter, shift+space
Type help to see available commands (Unfortunately, there’s only two).
Voilà. Press shift+space again to hide the console.
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13OctZack Grossbart gave a jQuery "jumpstart" talk to a bunch of Java devs, and you can see it here http://www.zackgrossbart.com/extras...
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13Oct
There are few things less sexy in the world than getting the flu. However, one of those things is being annoying and uninformed about the disease. Even with all the expansive swine flu coverage and available information, plenty of people have no idea what to look for when it comes to the flu and how to differentiate it from the common cold.So, as flu season is truly upon us, a good place to start is Flu.gov. Conveniently enough, the US government’s put this site together to inform the public. Not only does it track confirmed cases, but it gives you tools to find vaccine locations and provides FAQs about the flu as well. We’re geeks, people. Being informed is our thing.
Some of the features that are particularly helpful on Flu.gov include a state-by-state drop-down option to localize the site. There are a few helpful graphics, too, that chart the flu’s progress across the US, helping you to access the risk in your area. And, in slick Web 2.0 fashion, Flu.gov includes everything from podcasts to streaming videos, resulting in more information than you can shake a syringe at.
Tips to remember:
- Get vaccinated. Really. Seriously? If you’re worried, go get poked. In some cases it’s free or very cheap, and I’ve heard of some employers even paying for their workers to get the shots. There’s no excuse to get one, really, even if you think your chances are low of getting the flu in the first place. Some people seem to have naturally high resistances to the flu, and often don’t bother. Others attract it almost every year. Either way, it’s something to consider.
- There are currently two kinds of flu active this season: the seasonal variety and H1N1, or the swine flu. There are vaccines available for both. But keep in mind that some are age-specific. Various locations may not have, for instance, the vaccine for children on hand. So check ahead.
- Common flu symptoms include sore throat, runny nose, headache, body chills, and fatigue. Unlike the common cold, these symptoms typically linger and don’t clear up after a few days. Exhaustion is one of the key symptoms, as it happens early in the flu’s progress. Fever is also important, as colds only rarely exhibit with high fever.
- While deaths from H1N1 are covered extensively in the news, keep in mind that flu–in general–typically proves more fatal in those with pre-existing conditions, the very young, and the very old. So, try not to freak yourself out. Put down The Stand and walk away from Outbreak. Trust me, you’ll feel better. If you’re sick: rest.
- Know the facts about how the disease spreads and how it mutates. In April, during the height of the swine flu media frenzy, GAS writer Jimmy Rogers did a piece called Science is Sexy: What is Swine Flu? How Does an Animal Disease Spread to a Human Host? If you’re looking for the science behind influenza, this is a great overview.
- A simple, common-sense approach to hygiene goes a long way. And if you have a fever over 100F, stay away from coworkers and public places. Rest, relax, play some WoW or watch the all of Firefly again. What? It works for me!
Related posts:
- Swine Flu Update: Disease Source Identified!
- H1N1 Prevention Rap
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13Oct
There are beautiful free image gallery applications (check Galleries category) around but it is hard to find ones that are compatible with iPhones.
Jaipho is a free JavaScript image gallery application that is optimized for iPhone.
It works very similar to the "Photos" application & can display images:
- as a slideshow
- with prev-next buttons
- using finger gestures
And, it has companion named Pipho which is the PHP-powered dynamic version.
Pipho can read photos from a desired folder, creates resized thumbnails, slide images & generates Jaipho JavaScript code automatically.
Special Downloads:
Ajaxed Add-To-Basket Scenarios With jQuery And PHP
Free Admin Template For Web Applications
jQuery Dynamic Drag’n Drop
ScheduledTweetsAdvertisements:
Tags: Javascript, Php
SSLmatic – Cheap SSL Certificates (from $19.99/year)
Dreamhost $50 Discount Code: WRD
Follow WebResourcesDepot At Twitter And Get More Resources!
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13Oct@font-face performance from @souders: "IE doesn’t render anything in the page until the font file is done downloading." http://www.stevesouders.com/blog...
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13Oct
Hmmm, Microsoft may want to think about re-branding their search engine name if they ever launch it to China, what do you think?
Related posts:
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13Oct
You remember the last time you channel surfed? We all do it when there’s nothing good on TV — nothing that holds our attention.
Well, you can’t channel surf with a book. You can skip pages, put the book down, or stare off into space, but that book isn’t changing (unless you have something to write with or a pair of scissors in hand).
That gives the book power. The book controls how you pay attention to it, in a way television can’t.
Because of the links in hypertext, web content is vulnerable, just like television, to channel surfing.
Your content doesn’t have the final say in how it’s structured, because the user chooses which web pages to visit, and what order to visit them. One web page doesn’t necessarily demand her attention all at once.
Your blog is a lot like a television channel, except the net has more channels than cable (meaning there’s lots more competition). You have very little time to make a good impression, keep your reader hooked, and direct her to your call to action. Your reader’s mouse is a remote control, and the instant you lose her attention, she’ll channel surf away.
You have to fight that remote
Anne Mangen, an academic who studies how people read digital texts, explains:
“A click with the mouse immediately changes the visual input so that our attentional focus can be maintained. Thus, our urge to click and the consequent impatient mode of reading can be at least partly explained by reference to psychobiologically hardwired dispositions of ours.”
In simpler terms, channel surfing taps into our innate instinct to change the scenery the moment we get bored. Unfortunately for you, that training translates to the web.
Your reader’s mouse (your blog’s remote control) puts millions of web pages at her fingertips. And that trains her to get bored more easily with your content.
So you need to write and design in a way that will keep your reader so engaged that any urges to click will have to wait until she finishes your beloved content first.
10 ways to make your blog channel-surf-proof
Here are ten helpful ways to keep your reader’s hands off that remote:
- Give your reader the low-down right at the start. Think about the most popular TV channels. Their content either gives them away in the first few seconds (as being a source for news, celebrity gossip, cooking, nature), or their branding tells the story for them (big-money dramas and sitcoms, mainstream news, Leno). The viewer always knows what to expect. Make sure your brand is just as clear. Your reader always needs to know just what she’s here for.
- Don’t sound like a chimp. When professionals goof up on TV, it’s easy to gloss over it and follow their next move. But when typos glare at your reader, she’s wondering if she’s on the right channel.
- Make sure your blog has more to offer than the most recent programming (your last blog post, testimonials page, or sales pitch). That way, you can entice a little internal channel surfing, to the rest of your great content. Ditch the old school reverse-chronological style, and design your blog architecture so that your readers have plenty of cool stuff to do.
- Keep your programming fresh by writing magnetic headlines, using compelling pictures, and appealing to your readers’ emotions.
- Keep your writing simple, fast-paced, and dramatic. The final season of “Lost” will attract a lot more viewers than a public access channel featuring lectures from dull, verbose professors.
- Keep the flow logical. If your plot doesn’t make sense, your blog reader will change to a program that does. So go over all of your transitions and self-edit, edit, edit.
- Offer cookies to your reader so she has a reason to stick around.
- Don’t follow the lead of TV commercials. (Your reader is too smart to fall for those anyway.) If you’re going to engage your reader’s insecurities, make sure it’s to offer a solution and mobilize her for success. It’s ok to use a little pain in your copywriting, but do it in an honest and win-win way.
- Think carefully before you put up ads. Will they add to or detract from the attraction value of your channel? And don’t let excessive ads clutter up your site. The only clutter you find on TV is in the bedroom of a so-called “reality” star.
- If you have to take commercial breaks (by embedding advertisements, affiliate links, and/or endorsements in content), at least make them infomercials. That is, make them informative, short, and humorous if you can — then get right back to the scheduled programming.
Don’t give up
You have to fight hard for your air time, because as a blog owner you deal in hypertext, which grants your reader tremendous control over what she consumes. She’ll leave the minute she gets bored, so do everything you can to keep her engaged.
Battling that remote forces you to become a better messenger. When you get it right, the connection you make with your readers can be immediate and powerful in ways that aren’t possible with a book or television.
If you’ve got more ways to keep your readers away from your blog’s remote control — share them in the comments below!
About the Author: Melissa Karnaze writes about the intelligence of emotions on Mindful Construct and Twitter.
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13Oct
By Casey Lynn
Contributing Writer, [GAS]
A woman in Tennessee was recently arrested for… a Facebook poke. The poke in question violated an order of protection (i.e., restraining order), since an OP prohibits “telephoning, contacting or otherwise communicating with the petitioner.”This definitely includes electronic communication (I’ve seen judges vehemently remind respondents that it means “no texts!” and “no emails!”). This is obviously important as cyberstalking becomes an increasingly prevalent problem. Though a Facebook poke is pretty much at the very bottom of the communication spectrum, since as the news article pointed out, it “conveys no other message but informing a user they have been ‘poked’ by another user.”
Pokes have always confounded me, to be honest. What does it mean? Could those pokes actually be ominous? I can definitely see how they could be annoyance, however; if it weren’t a violation of a restraining order, then the restrained person could in theory send a thousand pokes a day…
Violating an order of protection in Tennessee is a misdemeanor that carries a maximum sentence of 11 months and 29 days in jail, and maximum fine of $2500. The woman arrested had bond set at $1500 and will appear in court at the end of the month.
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13OctBehold the, um, Beholder! - http://ajaxian.com/archive...
