Monday, March 31st, 2008

I have subscriptions to both PC Magazine and PC World magazine. The thing is I only read about half of each magazine when it comes in the mail because they both dedicate so much time to two subjects I care nothing about: cell phones and security.
I have a cell phone, it works - well kinda - so I don’t care about them.
The other is security. I too have a security plan in place that has worked for the last ten years, so I don’t need a review of every anti-virus, spyware, malware, and firewall software that comes to market.
But, seeing the amount of coverage these magazines dedicate to security I’m thinking it must be a hot issue. So I decided I would share my security plan with you all. I fully disclose that this may not be the “best” security plan out there. I’m sure that if some C2-level security specialist read this he would chuckle, but like I said, it’s proven effective for me over the last decade and it’s probably a lot better than what most people currently have in place.
All the software I use is free so that is why you will see these products listed below. Oh, that and the fact they all work extremely well.
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Posted in Stuff | 14 Comments »
Saturday, March 29th, 2008
Posted in Links for the Weekend | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, March 26th, 2008
Keep scrollin’, scrollin’, scrollin’,
Though the streams are swollen,
Keep them images scrollin’, rawhide.
No, I haven’t gone mad yet - it’s just been a long day and I couldn’t think of a suitable tag line so I just burst into song. As you may have guessed I’ve got a bad case of the scrolls today but the doctor says I’ll be fine.
Let’s get to the point before you run for the door. This week we will look at how to create an element where the inner content is larger than the parent. We’ll also look at how by using the overflow property on the parent we can arrange for scrollbars to appear so that the inner content can be viewed.
This may seem like a very simple task. However, there’s more to this than may be anticipated so bear with me and I think we can all learn something along the way. As usual let’s start by viewing the finished result so that you have a good idea of what we are going to achieve. Here is a screenshot of the finished result.
Figure 1

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Posted in CSS | 6 Comments »
Saturday, March 22nd, 2008
- jQuery Tutorials for Designers - Nice write up…
- Web Dev Jobs - Smashing Magazine now does jobs…
- Web Development Company - They are out of Boulder…
- Service Capture - ServiceCapture runs on your pc and captures all HTTP traffic sent from your browser or IDE. It is designed to help Rich Internet Application(RIA) developers in the debugging, analysis, and testing of their applications.
- The Naugle Group - The Naugle Group is an executive search firm focused on finding Rich Internet Application (RIA) developers and engineers. We provide searches for full-time and contract positions. Our technical expertise all Web 2.0 technologies, most notably Flash, Flex, AJAX and SilverLight.
- Speakeasy — Speed Test - Test your internet connection speed!
Posted in Links for the Weekend | 2 Comments »
Thursday, March 20th, 2008
Adobe Systems CEO Shantanu Narayen said Adobe “will work with Apple” to make sure that Flash applications can run on the iPhone. [more here]
Well it’s about time…
Now we just have to wait for the iPhone to support 3G and include GPS. When that happens I will be on board. Some say it may happen as early as June or July.
My question for you guys is: if you or I were to build a Flash app for the iPhone, what would you like it to do?
Posted in Stuff | 4 Comments »
Wednesday, March 19th, 2008
As you walk into Starbucks the aroma of coffee brewing permeates your senses. Trendy music plays in the background with earth-tone painted walls, nicely lacquered wood and friendly baristas all help to create an inviting perception of quality and comfort.
Of course this is all by design – Howard Schultz, then CEO of Starbucks made a trip to Italy during which he visited some 500 espresso bars in Milan and Verona. He observed local habits, took notes on decor and menus, snapped photographs, and videotaped baristas in action. He was looking to create the right perception.
Now compare this to McDonald’s – what’s your perception of McDonald’s? Probably fast, convenient comfort food; who do you think would have a better cup of coffee, McDonald’s or Starbucks?
Perception dictates reality – Starbucks coffee tastes better because the consumer thinks it tastes better. But, a recent Consumer Reports found that McDonald’s coffee was actually better than Starbucks. That is the power of perception!
So when you start to build a website it’s imperative that you know the perception you want the website to present.
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Posted in Website Design | 2 Comments »
Monday, March 17th, 2008
How great are the technological advancements of today?
- I work for a company is San Francisco and live in Colorado.
- I run a blog with people in Belgium and England.
- We can hold conversations with people in Tokyo, Melbourne, London and San Francisco simultaneously.
- Using RAD software we are able to write, debug and deploy software in a fraction of the time it took just a handful of years ago.
Ah, these are truly wonderful times we live in…Or are they?
According to a study by The United Nations’ International Labor Organization (ILO) US workers are putting in more hours than anyone else in the industrialized world. ILO statistics show that the average American worked nearly 2,000 hours in 1997 — up from 1,942 hours in 1990, the equivalent of almost two working weeks more than their counterparts in Japan.
WHAT? HOW CAN THIS BE? What about all the technology? Isn’t the whole point of technology supposed to make our lives easier?
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Posted in Stuff | 10 Comments »