Viewing entries in
News

10 Essential Tools for the Lean Web Developer

There is no correct set of tools every developer should be using. The right tool is the one best suited to you. We've compiled a list of 10 exceptional free or open source apps for developers to help keep costs minimal, improve productivity and simplify workflow. You will find some old favorites listed; however, you might discover some new tools for your arsenal.

Why You Can't Say Hashtag in France

French Twitter users are saying "au revoir" to the word "hashtag" in an effort to protect the French language from anglicisms. Instead, hashtag will be replaced with "mot-dièse," meaning "sharp word" in English. The change comes from the French government agency called the Commission Générale de Terminologie et de Néologie, which is responsible for promoting the French language. The group's main goal is to keep French relevant in the age of the Internet, where most widespread terms have their origins in English. It's a legal requirement for all government correspondence and legislation to use "mot-dièse," but French Twitter users won't be punished if they use "hashtag" in its place.

Really France?

Heroku's developer event

heroku's developer event the concourse  San Francisco 28 February 2013. waza is the japanese word for art and technique waza celebrates craft and the creative process of software development with technical sessions and interactive artistic happenings.

The Sketchbook Project

TOGETHER, THOUSANDS OF CREATIVE PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD ARE FORMING A TRAVELING LIBRARY OF ARTISTS' BOOKS. The Sketchbook Project is a collection of creative works in the form of sketchbooks that are contributed by individuals from around the world. Thousands of people are adding their voice to this project annually. Together, they have formed a library of over 22,000 sketchbooks from over 130 countries and growing. Anyone – from anywhere in the world – can participate in the project.

Jonathan Coulton re-releases 'Baby Got Back' cover in protest of 'Glee'

Jonathan Coulton.png
Internet folk musician Jonathan Coulton isn't sitting idly by following Glee's liberal, uncredited reproduction of his famous "Baby Got Back" cover. The musician has limited legal options — there's no legal recourse for a cover that sounds exactly like yours — but he's resorting to other means to make a point; he's re-released the cover on iTunes, Google Play, and Amazon, and says that proceeds from all re-released track sales between now and the end of February will go to the VH1 Save the Music Foundation and the It Gets Better Project (after, of course, paying iTunes fees and royalties to Sir Mix-a-Lot). In a blog post, Coulton writes that the new (old) track is "a cover of Glee's cover of Sir Mix-a-Lot's song, which is to say it's exactly the same as my original version."

hipKey Proximity Sensor for iOS Devices Now Available Through Apple Online Store

The hipKey is a high tech way of keeping track of your valuables. Simply attach the device to the item of your choice and you’re ready to go. Made of a sculptured one-piece anodized aluminum ring surrounded by high-quality plastic parts, its sleek oval form fits perfectly in your palm or pocket. You can even attach it to your keys.

Kim Dotcom claims over one million Mega users during outrageous launch party

Screen Shot 2013-08-21 at 12.55.57 AM.png
In just one day, Kim Dotcom's new Mega service has reportedly garnered over one million users. The impressive tally was revealed by Dotcom himself during a lavish launch party for the cloud storage platform in New Zealand. No doubt pleased with this early momentum, Dotcom said bluntly, "we cannot be stopped." Further, he emphasized that Mega was built from the ground up after MegaUpload was felled by the US Justice Department, which deemed Dotcom's previous project to be an "international organized criminal enterprise" that permitted piracy on a grand scale. The two web services thus share little to no code in common. "We have scrutinized every pixel to ensure it’s built from the ground up to adhere to the law," Dotcom insists.

Take an Incredible Bird's-Eye Tour of Manhattan

The stunning shot of Manhattan, taken from a unique "bird's-eye" perspective, is part of panoramic photo project called AirPano. Essentially, it's Google Street View from the air — viewers can virtually access the entire island, from Battery Park up to Washington Heights.

29 new inspiring responsive designs on the web

Take a look at these new, smart and stylish responsive layouts and get inspiration for your next website. Spanning across different kinds of companies, strategies and aesthetics, all of these websites have one thing in common: great responsive design.

I want the world to scroll this way.

I want the world could scroll this way.png
It's hard to read on the web. Your favorite newspaper or magazine probably lets you read articles on its website. It's convenient but there are a couple of draw backs. Compared with print, you're less likely to finish the article, you'll read it slower, you'll skip over sentences and your comprehension will go down.

Give Your Website an iOS Home Screen Icon

With more mobile web users than ever, it’s important to keep your branding strong. Let’s go one step further than the standard favicon and help your website stand out by creating icons for use on iOS and Android home screens.

In search of the perfect radius

Four ways to create nested rounded rectangles For instance, if you have created a button inset and wanted to create the button, you can either, Use a radius that just looks right Use the same radius for both the rounded rectangles Duplicate the outer rectangle layer and free-transform it to create the inner rectangle Set the Inner Radius to Outer Radius minus Border Width

Keep an Eye on These Web Design Trends in 2013

For web creators everywhere, living and working on the bleeding edge of design innovation is as exciting as ever. To kick off the new year, now seems like a good time to highlight the important trends and developments in the world of design and dev during 2013. Without further ado, here's what you need to know about web design for the year to come.

UX is not UI

“UX is the intangible design of a strategy that brings us to a solution.” UX has become a neologism. When something has “good UX” it is an implied meaning of having the core components of UX (research, maybe a persona, IA, interaction, interface, etc etc…). It’s not really necessary or desirable to tack the word design onto the end anymore. It’s a distraction and leads people down a parallel but misguided path… the path to thinking that UX = User Interface Design.

How to Configure Language Support on Your iOS Device - The Mac Observer

When you first set up your new device, you were asked for the desired System Language. Actually, this can be changed any time from the Settings > General > International pane. My iPad and iPhone are configured for the English Language and for United States English Voice Control, all using the text formatting appropriate in the U.S. "region," such as dates, numbers, time stamps, etc.

Five Best Computer Monitors

Upgrading your computer's hardware isn't the only way to feel like you have a new machine. A new monitor can go a long way towards making your computer more fun to use and more functional. At the same time, there are hundreds of displays out there by dozens of companies at all different price points. Still, we're only interested in the best, and here's a look at the top five, based on your nominations.