Thursday, August 28th, 2008
Here’s a cute little video that helps to remind us that doing everything on our own can often feel like bashing your head against a brick wall.
Don’t forget to ask for or employ help to get the job done much faster.
You can check out the great little video at youtube.com.
Friday, June 13th, 2008
For all you Image Browsers and Researchers, I’ve discovered a brilliant new plugin for your favourite browser.
It’s called Piclens and it’s a whole new way to view any of the web imagery you’d normally search for on google images or flickr.
Simply load the plugin into your browser by visiting the web site at: www.piclens.com.
I found the process was easiest with Firefox which was a simple one click installation.
The program current allows you to search through:
and displays the results in an expanding 3D landscape that not only looks fantastic, but saves on having to constantly click the ‘next page’ button.
There is no sign up to use PicLens and it’s completly FREE!!!
You’ll need to use PicLens to get the full effect, so I suggest you go on over try it out for yourself.
Then let me know what you think.
Wednesday, March 19th, 2008
TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design and a is conference that brings together great speakers from around the world.
The TED web site houses a gold mine of presentations given on topics ranging from Business to the Environment, from Culture to Innovation.
With talks by guests such as Jane Goodall, Al Gore and Brian Greene each FREE video presentation is packed with insightful and interesting information.
Each speaker is given (approx) 18 minutes to give the talk of a life time on their chosen subject.
There is some really great stuff on the site and I would highly recommend that you take some time to check it out.
I’ve also selected a category on design which I think you’ll interesting – “Design like you give a Damn” features a range of great speakers talking about all aspects of design.
If you found this interesting, leave me a comment and let me know.
Monday, March 10th, 2008
So what is so good about Drop.io?
Well, first let me explain what it is.
Drop.io is a web site that offers file exchange services. Much like an ftp area within a web server, you have the ability to drop files into the server and have them picked up anywhere in the world where web access is available.
Sounds good, but most people have access to their own ftp area. Why do I want this one?
Well, for starters, it’s free. Up to 100mg is available free to anyone world wide and you don’t even need to sign up to use or create a work space.
You simply create a folder, directly on the home page. Put a password on that folder and you’re ready to go.
No sign up. No email input. Drop.io will log your IP address to in case of illegal activities, but the server you create is completely secure and unreadable by anyone without your password. Including the drop.io staff.
But wait – There’s more!
Once you have your own server. You can use it’s rss feed to monitor when the folder has been updated. Great for group file exchange
Another very useful application is the ability to accept facsimiles and voice messages. Each drop.io folder has a phone extension assigned to it.
The number can receive faxs which it will then turn into downloadable pdfs and voice messages will be converted into mp3s.
I find the fax particularly useful because I don’t have fax requests often these days, but they do happen. The cost of a separate line and fax machine to receive these messages can add up. If I can get a service like this for free, then why the hell not.
Of course, you may find that 100mg is simply not enough space for your file exchange. So, for $10 US you can purchase 1gb pf space which will be held for 12 months.
No bad at all.
I’ve already used many of the functions of this web service and I’m sure to use more in the future.
If any of you decide to give it a try, please let me know what you thought and if it was useful for you.
Drop.io can be found here. Enjoy.
Monday, March 3rd, 2008
Here’s an interesting little post that I found the other day, that walks you through how the Google logo was created and how it’s colours were chosen.
In my opinion, the Google logo itself is nothing for a designer to marvel at.
But…
By keeping the logo simple, the design doesn’t have many flaws (a key to successful design) – Allowing it to become one of the worlds most recognizable symbols today.
It’s always better to go with simple and clean, than over-complicated and over-worked.
You can read the article at: www.wired.com
Wednesday, February 20th, 2008
Helping future clients find you online.
Millions of people search for products and services each day on Google, Yahoo and other Search Engines.
So, of course, we all want our part of it. But how can we help your web sites to be found online.
We optimize our sites for keywords and phrases that people use to search for our business.
But how can we be sure that the keywords we’re aiming for are the right ones?
Well, we could guess. Pick words that we think people will use to find us.
Unfortunately, it’s often hard to know what words people ‘outside our business’ might use to describe our business.
Now, Crimson Fox fixes the problem by providing you with a keyword testing system that will allow you to test your keyword theories and get some real results about what people are searching for.
The customers that have used this service so far, have been surprised at the results.
We’ve been able to help them redirect the aim of their web site and they are already showing the returns.
If this service sounds interesting or if you would like to know more – contact us and we will be more than happy to let you know more.
Wednesday, January 16th, 2008
Here’s a list of name that you might want to try and remember.
All these young entrepreneurs are under 30 and have all created little online empires for themselves.
One thing to keep in mind though…All this net worth is on paper. They would need to sell their business and assets to great this amount of capital.
Still…I wouldn’t mind being in some of their shoes.
Check it out at: Top 20 Websites run by People under 30
Tuesday, January 15th, 2008
Just been announced at Mac World 2008.
The New Apple Laptop. Macbook Air. The worlds thinnest notebook.
Everyone had been wondering what Steve Jobs might announce at this years conference after the press that the iphone got last year.
This new laptop is ultra thin. At it’s thickest point you are looking at 22mm which then tapers down to a 4mm ‘blade like’ edge.
Even if you’re not a Mac fan, this one is definitely worth a look.
You can view the commercial here.
Or, have a closer look with the guided tour here.
I’ll be interested to read your feedback on this one.
Tuesday, January 8th, 2008
I’m a big subscriber to podcasts. The quality of information and levels of entertainment far exceed most main stream media.
Why?…Because podcasts are niché media broadcasts. You’ll find something for everyone, something targeted on just about every subject.
For those new to the subject. Podcasts are (according to wikipedia) a collection of digital media files which is distributed over the Internet using syndication feeds for playback on portable media players and personal computers.
Below are 10 great podcasts worth watching or listening to, with a brief description of each.
The list is alphabetical (so there is no favoritism).
This audio podcast, hosted by Paul Boag and co-hosted by Marcus Lillington, covers the subject of web design and accessibility. Boagworld is based in the U.K, but it’s subject matter is very universal. They often have great guests from the web design celebrity set, such as, Andy Budd and Jeremy Keith. If you have anything to do with web design, running a website or online development, this is a must listen to.
Great little weekly video podcast. This program runs as a panel format and features loads of web celeb’s. It’s hosted by tech’ journalist John C. Dvorak and has a funny tongue in cheek approach to topical tech’ news and online issues. Some interesting points of view here from people in the know.
If you haven’t heard of Digg.com you need to go check it out. Diggnation covers the top weekly stories from Digg.com. It’s a weekly video program hosted by Kevin Rose and Alex Albrecht. It’s two guys, a few drinks, a couch and a whole lot of laughs. It can be childish as times and has some pretty explicit language, but who said news had to be serious. Definitely worth a look.
Small Business Marketing Expert, John Jantsch, hosts this weekly audio podcast. It covers subjects such as online marketing and business management while interviewing experts in the weeks subject. Great interviews, that have some really informative information.
One of the most fun weekly audio podcasts online today. Hosted by Scott Johnson, ELR covers everything Geek. From comic books to computer games, movies to toilet humor. Scott Johnson also hosts a number of other podcasts which can be found here. But I thought it would be unfair to name more than one in this post, even though they are all great quality.
Mind your Own Business is an audio Podcast hosted by Guy Kingston and covers all topics regarding business and entrepreneurship. This is another U.K. program, but certainly has information that will satisfy a global audience. It seems to be a fortnightly effort, but you’ll often get a weekly show.
Hosted by Leo Laporte, this weekly audio podcast is one of the big ones. All your weekly tech information in one place, with great guests that provide both information and entertainment. Leo Laporte has a network of podcasts which you can subscribe to and you can check them out at twit.tv. This is a staple ingredient for any online or tech junkie.
This weekly audio podcast is all about gaming (that’s computer gaming for anyone thinking chess or monopoly). The guys at Sarcastic Gamer made their fame by doing online Parody Songs about subjects such as the PS3, microsoft and jack thompson (the activist, not the actor). They’ve now got a great little podcast that’s entertaining, while providing some great gaming news and information. If computer games are on your radar, this one may be for you.
This is a business related audio podcast that shows up twice a month. It follows an interview format and has guests from around the globe speaking about their business history and current business activities. Some insightful information and a great host in Alex Bellinger, who has a love all things business and for techno music which he plays at the end of each show.
Each episode of Tiki Bar is like it’s very own stage show. Pure entertainment and a whole lot of laughs. This video podcast, unfortunately, only comes out once a month. But it’s definitely worth the wait. Two guys, a girl and a tiki bar. What more do you need? …Oh yeh, alcohol. Well they have that too. This one probably isn’t for the kids, but if it’s to your taste, make sure you look through the back catalogue.
Well…That’s it!
Again, I just want to say that these are in alphabetical order. I’m not telling my favourite. Which you think is the best is for you to decide.
If you don’t find anything in this list. You can check out itunes or another podcast aggregator and do a search on your favourite subject. There is bound to be a podcast about it. If not, why not start your own.
Now I know there are more I could mention, but this is my top 10 not top 12 or 14. These are the podcasts I listen to on a regular basis, while I work or in the car.
If you have more you want to mention, then feel free to do so in the comments. I’d love to hear what are your favourites and I’d also love to hear what you think of the podcasts listed above.
Enjoy.
Friday, December 28th, 2007
Coming up to the New Year the internet is becoming flooded with the ‘best of’ lists for 2007.
Here are a few of the best 2007 design listings out there.
If you have any other great design lists, please feel free to leave them in the comments.
