Entries from April 2008

Δ Is it time to re-introduce sound to the web? So long as any audio files you incorporate in your website are not auto-players, and there is a way to switch the sound off, sure, why not. It was probably one of the first things you did when you first started playing with HTML, but background music, and funny sound effects when you clicked buttons, went ... Read full entry

Good, or should I say, excellent web and identity design, is the reason for the Obama is elitist barbs that are currently emanating (mainly from the Hillary Clinton camp) in the US, says Anthony Dever. There was this thing I learned back in the day when I studied marketing that the design, ads, everything can be too good and people perceive the price is higher for the product or ... Read full entry

Stop using Ajax! James Edwards aka Brothercake, and co-author of the The JavaScript Anthology, argues the case: See, the web already was accessible to everyone. Tim Berners-Lee's original vision for the web was all about universal access; and the technologies involved - such as HTTP and HTML - were designed to be platform and device agnostic; it shouldn't matter what kind of technology you use to access the web. ... Read full entry

Absinthe's Mind-Altering Mystery Solved Highly concentrated alcohol has been named as the "mystery ingredient" of Absinthe, following tests of 100-year-old samples of the muse-inducing tipple, also known as "the Green Fairy". The culprit seems plain and simple: The century-old absinthe contained about 70 percent alcohol, giving it a 140-proof kick. In comparison, most gins, vodkas and whiskeys are just 80- to 100-proof. Clearly the reports, legends, and myths, of some other ... Read full entry

A little sporting trivia. It's almost 20 years since local rugby club Randwick RFC played the mighty All Blacks at Coogee Oval. Despite overtones of the infamous All Blacks verses Munster clash, the All Blacks went on to win the match 25 to 9. In a small nod to Randwick RFC however, the All Blacks have apparently refused to play against Randwick since the 1988 game.

A pen is not merely a writing implement, and a great pen should feel like an... extension of your hand. Finding a great pen is not a matter of browsing the pen aisle at Officeworks though, and choosing the first one you like the look of. If that's what you think, then it's time you learnt about Joy Vectors. The way the pen sits in my hand. I should feel I ... Read full entry

I Made This For You by Chris Ashley. An advent calendar featuring drawings, created not with Photoshop or Illustrator, but with HTML code, a "medium" Chris often works with, as well paint and canvases. Considered as a form of painting, Ashley's HTML, virtual and non-physical as it is, prompts musings such as, "What direction is the light coming from?" or, "How big are they?" The works don't ... Read full entry

Social networking applications can pose security risks Your Facebook profile may be set to private, and you only accept friend requests from people you actually know, but still your private data can fall into the hands of undesirables by way of... applications. While the mind boggles at what might be here, one result of application harvested personal information appears to be targeted advertising, and high precision ad targeting at that. Jonathan Gaugler, ... Read full entry

10 Dumb Ideas that Made A Lot of Money Maybe not so dumb after all. The Pet Rock was a classic. You couldn't find these things in your own backyard, or at a nearby park, could you? This was a simple, million dollar idea. Pick up a rock, throw it in a box with some hay and sell for $4.99. Who knew millions of people would prefer to buy a rock ... Read full entry

50 0f the best. And exactly as the title suggests. These are (Really) Stunning Pictures and Photos.