Below is a list of galleries my site has been featured on in the last few months.

Commanshift3

Boxed CSS  

Best Design Web Gallery

CSS Glance

CSS Impress

Nice Style Sheet

CSS Star

CSS Clip

CSS Exchange

CSS Gallery

CSS Based

CSS Design Yorkshire

CSS Leak

CSS Daddy

CSS Creme

W3C Sites

Designs Creme

CSS Art

CSS Warfare

Epreo

CSS Container

W3Cs

CSS Flash

CSS Anarchy  

I think this will be very helpful to businesses that currently have a website and will be a good plug on why you should get one if you don't already have one.  So check back next month and see how you can market yourself effectively while using a minimal amount of capital. 

Microsoft continues to improve its support for web standards and this change verifies that.  In the past few months it looked like Microsoft's new version of Internet Explorer (IE) would utilize "version targeting".  This means the new releases of IE would perform the same as their predecessors.   Microsoft would require the web developer to identify in the code what version of IE you would like to utilize.  After some grumblings in the web developer community Microsoft has changed their mind and the new browser will be compliant. YEAH! Read more here .

Links

CNet Article
Draft from Ed Markey's Site

Ford however previewed a new in dash computer at this year's Chicago auto show.  The new computer, labeled "Work Life Solutions", pulls together a number of very useful technologies for on-the-go business people.  It does everything from remote desktop to surfing the web.  It also has all of the basic features like phone and GPS.

Don't worry Ford always keeps the working class in mind, especially in its trucks.  That is why they added the tool tracker.  This feature helps prevent the loss of tools on the job site.  It also makes sure you have all of the tools to perform the job.  You can make custom lists within the application and define what tools are needed for the job.  Once you select that job it will tell you what tools are missing from the truck.  By utilizing RFID tags the application tracks the tools that are in the bed of the truck.  This means when you get to the job site you should have all of your tools on hand. 

Check out the videos provided by AutoBlog on YouTube

• Video 1
• Video 2
• Video 3
• Video 4

Check it out here.  

I also enjoy this time of year because sometimes you get to do fun things on the web.  It's great to have the opportunity to celebrate the season with a little holiday cheer.  I get to do this on a couple of websites I manage.  Here is a screen shot of one.

Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year everyone!

So take a few minutes, hours or days to select the top sites on the internet.  You can also submit your own if you think it has a chance.  Oh and remember to always vote magmag as the winning site.

So to deal with these problems I have come up with a few suggestions.

1.  Put the user first - Make sure the users experience will be the best you can possibly give them within the constraints that have been placed on you.  Don't sacrifice usability for elements you feel would make the site look better.
2. Push the limits - Know the constraints and know them well.  This will allow you to push the limits of what previously was thought was acceptable. If you know the constraints you can find loopholes that will allow you to make more appealing design and make the site more usable.
3. Conform to the constraints - I know I just told you to push the limits and now I am telling you to conform.  Follow the constraints at all times. That means if they view your work and feel that some of the elements of the design our too far out of the constraints fix it. Don't go down without a fight. Express your concerns but in the end let the constraints and branding win.
4. Voice your opinion - If you do 1 -3 then you will be more successful at making changes to the constraints.  When individuals have a good experience on the site they come back and spread the word. This will get back to the marketing group and will put you in higher standing. By pushing the limits you can open people's eyes to change. At the same time by following their lead and making the appropriate changes you will have a greater influence for change. Get to know them well and eventually they will listen.

These are just a few ideas that have helped me in my position when working within set constraints.

Since the event was so successful this year the Pac-10 schools have decided to do it again next year.

Here are some quick stats:

• The site had over 12,000 participants register.
• Those participants logged over 46,000 activities.
• Those activities attributed to more than 183,000 miles to be logged.
• The site had close to 500,000 page views in 5 days.

Next year should be even bigger. I can’t wait to see how many individuals participate and how many miles are logged.

The site hasn’t been too difficult to develop. Most of the pages are run by custom user controls so when changes need to be made I only have to do it in one place. The authentication piece didn’t take too long to make and the registration was straight forward.

Waiting for information from ten different colleges and universities has been a bit of a drain though. In several cases I thought I was done with the site only to have to revisit it with minor changes. I think this will be the case until the event is over.

I will make a post when the event is over with a little statistical information about the event.

Check out the Pac-10 Fitness Challenge website at www.pac-10fitnesschallenge.com

The following links provide information on how to unlock your iPhone so you can uses it with the provider of your choice.

FREE: http://www.freeiphoneunlock.com/guide/

PAY: http://www.iphonesimfree.com/

Good luck and remember Apple stated that they are not going to do anything to prevent users from unlocking their phones.  They did add the disclaimer that they would also not be doing anything to prevent future updates from breaking those unlocked phones.

The website is totally dynamic and runs off of a custom Content Management System (CMS).  Everything from the look and feel to the registration portion was built from scratch. This will provide a stable site, better user experience and a platform to grow off of in the next versions. 

We ran a great ad campaign promoting the site and everyone is ready to see what it looks like.  So if you are not busy on Monday be sure to visit the new site at www.urec.wsu.edu

SpaceTime however is one of those products. It is an amazing piece of software that brings visual search to a whole new level. I am a visual person and really like some of the features OS X and Vista have provided me. Both operating systems still use old school browser search features. (I can say that because SpaceTime is now the new norm) I am sure now they will release something similar to SpaceTime in the future if it takes off.

Spacetime effectively creates a 3-D browsing environment. This environment allows the user to search the web and see the results displayed instantly within thumbnail form. Then by scrolling through the results a selection can be made on the result to view it.

Currently SpaceTime only allows you to choose a search from one of its partners, which include Google and YouTube, Yahoo and Flickr, Amazon and eBay, among others. I am sure that this list will continue to expand.

SpaceTime has defiantly changed the way the web can be searched. They provided a fun way to view and quickly see our results on the web.

P.S. don’t forget to check out the action jeans in the lower left hand corner.

Click here for more.

While the demand seems to be real it has to tapper of at some point. So if you are stockpiling Wiis for the holiday season it might be best to off load them on ebay now. You might not be the only one with the same idea. I have been watching Wii sales in the local market and it usually takes them a day or so to sell out instead of just hours.

So if you haven’t got a Wii yet and you want one, good luck in your quest.

Here are a couple of links for your pleasure:

• Gamespot
• Joystiq
• Consumerist
  

Even though Safari 3 for Windows has had several security holes identified don’t be detoured from downloading and running Safari for testing. I am sure it will only get better and Microsoft will have one more browser to worry about in the great browser war. Who knows maybe Safari will be able to still a few more percentage points away from Microsoft.

If you would like to download Safari please visit the Apple website.

The 15- and 17-inch models now have a boost in processor speed and a better graphics card. The 17-inch now features the new NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics and for an extra $100.00 you can get a high resolution widescreen display (1920 x 1200). The 15-inch models are sporting LED backlighting on the displays. This is a long awaited improvement. The LED backlighting doesn’t seem to be on the 17-inch version.

The prices stayed about the same with the lower end 15-inch model starting at $1999.00. So if you are eager to spend a couple grand on a new laptop, now is your chance.

The creators of Parallels Desktop are trying to change that. Parallels Desktop has been an intricate part of my Mac to Windows testing environment for some time. It was clunky at first and would crash regularly. Each release it is getting better and allowing users to do more.

The latest version looks like it is going to take a jab at bootcamp. It has a more powerful interface that allows users to do just about anything they would do on a Windows box. When I say just about anything I mean play games.

Read about all the new updates and save a little cash by upgrading now.

I love this site because they post Mac product rumors all of the time. Some of them come true and some of them don’t. I wonder if Apple ever sees a rumor on the site, watches to see how many people are interested in it and then updates the product accordingly. I think this may have happened with the first iPod video.

I need to setup a rumor site. It could focus on celebrities and their lives. I bet everyone would visit and I could make a killing on polls and ads. Maybe that will be my next product. :)

A recent news article on the Dailymail’s website stated:

"Booming sales of laptops have led to a surge in the number of computer users with back and muscle problems, experts have warned.

Girls as young as 12 are being diagnosed with nerve damage caused by slouching over screens, a group of leading chiropractors said."

It goes on to inform us that millions are at risk of irreversible damage to their spins because of their laptop use. (Bad posture has nothing to do with it) The problem is being fueled by the increase in laptop sales.

I am sure that these “experts” are just a little overzealous and should focus on teaching proper posture so individuals can avoid injury. You know that a class action law suit will soon follow making laptops more expensive and covered in warning labels. My University required me to purchase and use a laptop in school so I think I will have to sue them. Let me know if you want in!

Blaise Aguera y Arcas has designed something called Photosynth and it is amazing. Photosynth is based on Seadragon technology and creates amazing multidimensional spaces. Within the multidimensional space the user is able to zoom and navigate its contents. Now I know what you might be thinking, Windows Vista and OS X currently have navigation systems similar to this. What they have does not even compare to Photosynth.

The results of this project are amazing and have to be viewed to appreciate how cool this technology really is. Check it out here on TED’s posting.

A little over two years ago I changed jobs again and was required to work in ASP.Net 1.1 using Visual Studio 2003 as the development tool. The technology drove me crazy and I hated it. I could see some real benefits but Microsoft fell short in their vision. This made it very difficult to develop, test, and debug. I just wanted to use anything besides Visual Studio 2003 and ASP.Net 1.1 to get the job done. It was cumbersome and seemed to take longer to get the job done.

Several months after working in that environment my employer decided to purchase Visual Studio 2005 for the collaboration and updated features. It was a breath of fresh air and I began to fall in love with it.

Microsoft products are getting better but they still lack the community support and collaboration you get with any open source product. So I ran in to a new problem. I wanted a solid but easy to manipulate Content Management Solution (CMS) that would meet my clients needs. I searched the web and found a few free CMS but they were all too large or very difficult to manipulate.

So I decided to build my own. Last month I put the finishing touches on it and launched a few site on it. So far so good, version one is living up to my expectation and exceeding my clients.

I am interested to see the results. (Hopefully they will share!) My biggest fear about on-line surveys is they might just sell all information they gather and you never get to see the results. I am interested in salary vs. skills etc.

So if you have a minute, actually ten of them, take the survey. Who knows you could be the winner of a 30GB iPod. That was enough incentive for me even if they sell my information.

Take the survey now!

Recently Adobe released CS3. The new Adobe Creative Suite contains a slew of new and improved features. I am sure from past experience that the new features will improve and increase every designer's productivity.

Like all good things, it comes with a price. The price of CS3 can be little hard to swallow if you just purchased CS2 not that long ago.

On Amazon, pricing in full details of each version of the software is listed as follows: Adobe Creative Suite CS3 Web Premium will be $1599, Adobe Creative Suite CS3 Master Collection is $2499, Adobe Creative Suite CS3 Production Premium goes for $1199 and Adobe Creative Suite CS3 Design Premium will be $1599.

Luckily, I am not the only one trying to find ways to save coin on software purchases. The Frosty Mug Revolution has a nice break down on how to get the best price on CS3. Visit The Frosty Mug Revolution.

Initially my wife destroyed my in Wii bowling. It was very frustrating to be defeated over and over again by my spouse. (She didn’t even want me to make the purchase the Wii.) After several frustrating weeks of loosing I finally honed my technique and seem to be unbeatable.

This brings me to my latest quest to bowl the perfect game. I don’t know if I can put in enough hours to ever make it happen. Nor do I feel I have the time or the perseverance. So to my delight I stumbled upon a neat little contraption that will allow me to bowl the perfect game. (It will bowl a perfect game not me.)

Once again some ingenuity, perseverance, mechanical perfection and of course Legos solve the problem. Click here to see the gadget in action.