12 Lessons for Those Afraid of CSS and Standards

A List Apart: "...using CSS to create standards-friendly sites requires a mindset that is alien to many experienced developers. This requirement hamstrings a lot of talented people, and for two years I've been looking for the words that will heal their pain..."



This is a good, practical article. I think that "Lesson No. 2: It's not going to look exactly the same everywhere unless you're willing to face some grief... and possibly not even then..." is particularly salient.

Adobe & Apple Release Updates to Pro(sumer) Photo Apps

Adobe Lightroom getting Pixmantec influence

CNET News.com: "Adobe on Monday plans to release a new beta version of Lightroom, for the first time injecting technology from the company's recent Pixmantec acquisition into the program for processing 'raw' images from higher-end digital cameras... To improve Lightroom, Adobe in June acquired a small company, Pixmantec, whose Rawshooter software was devoted solely to raw-image processing. One prominent element of Rawshooter is the "vibrance" adjustment to increase or reduce color strength, said Tom Hogarty, Lightroom digital imaging product manager." The name has also notably been changed to 'Adobe Photoshop Lightroom'.



Apple: What's New in Aperture 1.5?

"Aperture 1.5 delivers compelling new features, including flexible library management that lets you store images anywhere you'd like. The free update also introduces third-party extensions that let you use Aperture as the front end to an expanded workflows. Aperture 1.5 offers RAW support for more than 50 camera models from a wide variety of manufacturers (including Canon, Nikon, Fujifilm, Sony, and others) and extends support to all Intel-based Macs - from the Mac mini and MacBook to the Mac Pro."



UPDATE: Creativepro.com offers this useful first look at new features in Aperture 1.5.

CrunchGear - Name that Squid

I entered a flash piece in this contest at CrunchGear and got some props, thanks C.G.

"We've gotten 18 entries for our Name that Squid contest including this incredible Flash toy..."

USB Cell Rechargeable Battery

"Introducing our revolutionary new rechargeable battery - the USBCELL. This NiMH AA cell can be used like a normal battery and can be recharged simply by plugging into a USB port."

Brilliant.

MOO launch Flickr MiniCards

"MOO has joined forces with Flickr, the world's largest online photo sharing community, to offer members a new way to share their Flickr information and photos offline.

Flickr MiniCards use MOO's revolutionary multipack technology to produce sets of small, customised calling cards: each card featuring a different photo from the last."

Free pack of 10 cards for flickr PRO users.

teleport Software Lets You Use One Mouse & Keyboard for Multiple Macs

"teleport is a simple utility to let you use one single mouse and keyboard to control several of your Macs. Works on Panther and Tiger. Simply reach the edge of your screen, and your mouse teleports to your other Mac! The pasteboard can be synchronized, and you can even drag & drop files between your Macs."

Wow, this is a great utility, basically a software-only KVM switch. The machines simply need to be on the same network. It has already proven to be a great boost to productivity, as I can set my laptop next to my main desktop monitor and interact with both from a single keyboard and mouse without any other hardware involved. This setup is great for authoring a website on one machine and then mousing over to the second to refresh / test it in a browser for example.

Next Mac Office to be released in July of 2007?

arstechnica.com: "David Flynn, at APC, has an interesting interview with Mary Starman, group manager for the MacBu. The good news is that the next version of Mac Office has completed the transition to Xcode... The bad news is the projected release date for Mac Office.

"Typically we release about 6-8 months after Windows Office, and they've announced general availability in the January timeframe, so we would be 6-8 months after that."

That would see Mac Office 2007 being released approximately a year from now, roughly two years after the announcement of the transition to Intel, and a year after the last Mac model, the Mac Pro, will have made the transition."

Adobe Releases Acrobat Professional v8 with "Creative Suite 2.3"

"Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced that Adobe Acrobat 8 Professional software (see separate release issued today) will be integrated into Adobe Creative Suite 2.3 Premium. Adobe Acrobat 8 Professional enhances Adobe Creative Suite 2.3 and its support for Adobe PDF workflows with advanced tools for creating, collaborating, and controlling the output of high-quality Adobe PDF files..."

Adobe appears to be continuing the trend of releasing a new version of Acrobat in advance of upgrading its other core Creative Studio (CS) products. So CS 2.3 is nothing more than the same version of CS that you could've gotten last year, but with Acrobat 8 instead of 7.

I actually find this rather bothersome, and an obvious way to get more out of customers who aren't careful enough to consider that Acrobat is included in the CS Suite. So, if you happen to go upgrade to Acrobat pro today, you can expect to 'pay for it again' if you also plan to upgrade your CS Pro suite when it launches in the near future. I plan to wait for Acrobat 8 until it's shipping as part of CS3 which will presumably include Dreamweaver 9, Photoshop 10 and so on.

Who Is Jonathan Ive?

businessweek.com: "The man who, after Jobs, is most responsible for Apple's amazing ability to dazzle and delight with its famous products, chose instead to talk about process -- what he called "the craft of design." He spoke passionately about his small team and how they work together. He talked about focusing on only what is important and limiting the number of projects. He spoke about having a deep understanding of how a product is made: its materials, its tooling, its purpose. Mostly, he focused on the need to care deeply about the work..."

Every Web 2.0 Company On One Page

Techcrunch: "Go2Web20.net is a very nicely designed Flash page with logos and basic informatioin for most web 2.0 companies. Click on a logo to see an overview of the company and links from blogs discussing it. It's also sortable and searchable."

Windows Vista Beta 2 Icon Screenshots

Here's a very helpful index of all high-resolution Windows Vista Beta 2 icons. You can also see the previous post that shows Beta 1 icons.

The Web VC Chart

Here's a nice roll-up of some "Web 2.0" VCs. It's even categorized:

"Whether you like the bubble mentality of the current era or not, it's hard to deny that VCs play a big role in the Web ecosphere. Many prominent venture firms have funded startups in social networking, online video and vertical search - helping to jumpstart the current excitement about new social technologies..."

J.Y. Design Helps Millennial Media Launch New Website

"Millennial Media is a mobile advertising company that uses its deep understanding of mobile consumers, technologies and media to sell performance based advertising solutions to advertisers. J.Y. Design helped Millennial launch their new website design..."

Amazon.com Unleashes "Unbox" Video Downloads

"If you can unwrap a DVD, you can do DVD-quality downloads. It's that easy, and less sticky. See for yourself."

The service is windows only but offers downloads and rentals.

Adobe Executive to Give Sneak Peek of Upcoming Photoshop Technology

creativepro.com: "John Loiacono, senior vice president of Adobe's Creative Solutions Business, will take the stage on the morning of September 7 at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, to kick off the largest Photoshop World Conference to date. During his presentation, Loiacono will give the thousands of keynote attendees, and media on hand, a sneak peek at some of the new Photoshop technology being developed by Adobe. Loiacono has responsibility for the development, delivery and marketing of Adobe's entire creative software portfolio."