Saturday Link Round-Up 3
My apologies for this being so late, I’ve been working on it off and on since around 10am this morning because my eyes feel like they’re going to pop from straining them to see the screen. As always, heed the massive number of images beneath the cut and enjoy this weeks round-up!
Firefox
Load Links with the Keyboard in Firefox – About a month ago I reviewed a Firefox add-on which added numbers to Google’s search results so that the links could be loaded by simply pressing the corresponding number. That add-on was only working with the first ten results in Google, other search engines or websites were not supported by it.
HaH which is an acronym for Hit A Hint is a Firefox add-on that takes that feature to the next level.
Tweak the ‘AwesomeBar’‘s Suggestion Algorithm – Firefox 3’s Smart Location bar suggests URLs as you type based on an algorithm that combines both how often you’ve visited a web site before, and whether you’ve got it bookmarked. A combination of frequency and recency of visits, the Mozilla developers call the “AwesomeBar”‘s suggestion algorithm “frecency“—but it’s not set in stone or hidden away somewhere. In fact, the weight of each attribute is set inside your Firefox’s about:config area. Let’s take a look where they are, and how to adjust them.
See How Often You Visit Web Sites in Firefox 3 – One of Firefox 3’s newest (and most revealing) backend features is its built-in usage tracking—it keeps a running tally of how often you visit a web page over a period of time, which informs the Smart Location Bar’s suggestions and creates things like smart bookmark lists of “Most Visited” sites. Smarter features informed by your behavior are great, but checking out the raw data can offer a whole lot of insight into where and how you spend your time online. Exactly what site have you visited the most since you installed Firefox 3 and how many times did you go there? Here’s how to find out.
Trim down the Location Bar in Firefox 3 to show results in one line – By default Firefox is displaying each result in two rows. The first row is showing the title of the result while the second row contains the URL of it. If you are like me you prefer a trimmed down version that does not fill that many screen estate. This can be done by removing the titles of the entries that are found.
Firefox 3 Themes: Vista on XP, or XP on Vista – Are you using Windows XP but prefer the Firefox 3 theme for Vista, or vice versa? Unfortunately Mozilla decided that Windows users shouldn’t be given the option between the two themes, but it was only a matter of time before someone duplicated them for everyone to use. As you can see above I’m running Windows XP, but Firefox 3 has the Vista theme enabled.
Four Extensions That Tweak Firefox 3’s AwesomeBar – Firefox 3’s new Smart Location Bar earns its unofficial title of “AwesomeBar” right out of the box. The location bar suggests web site addresses as you type from your bookmarks and history, and learns as you surf, ranking pages you visit more often higher. Still, there aren’t a whole lot of ways to configure the “AwesomeBar”‘s behavior in Firefox’s default options dialog—but there are a few new Firefox extensions that can do it for you. Here are four Firefox 3 add-ons that adjust the smart location bar’s behavior in small but useful ways.
Sxipper Automatically Fills in Web Forms – Firefox only (Windows/Mac/Linux): Firefox extension Sxipper automates your web logins and form filling through a simple, attractive interface.
Select Multiple Lines of Text in Firefox 3 – There have been more comments than usual on an article that I wrote about the Firefox 3 Location bar also known as the Awesome Bar. Many users voiced their opinion that they did not like the new functionality of the location bar and that they would switch back to Firefox 2 or even another browser if there would not be a fix posted soon.
Disable Bookmarks in the Firefox 3 Awesome Bar – There have been more comments than usual on an article that I wrote about the Firefox 3 Location bar also known as the Awesome Bar. Many users voiced their opinion that they did not like the new functionality of the location bar and that they would switch back to Firefox 2 or even another browser if there would not be a fix posted soon.
Making use of the new Firefox 3 Page Info menu – The Page Info menu in Firefox 3 has been redesigned to provide the user with additional information about the currently active website. The easiest way to reach that menu is by left-clicking on the Favicon of the website and then on the More Information button. For those that do not know, the Favicon is the small icon on the left side of the URL of the website.
Food
Triple Chocolate Torte – Dazzle guests with a frosty make-ahead dessert that goes together in minutes.
Mmm… Cake – My Dad, who loves the email forward, sent me this picture. Entirely cake and frosting.
No Bake Cookies II – An easy, no-bake cookie recipe.
Homemade Ice Cream Drumsticks – The original cones will be classics for a long time to come, but these days I’m not content to stick with only one kind of ice cream treat. I want better chocolate, more interesting flavors and – most importantly – I want it to be homemade. So, just like I did earlier this year with Girl Scout Cookies, I set about making my own homemade ice cream Drumsticks!
italian bread salad – Think of this as “panzanella verde.” There’s a lightness here and an herby earthiness that make this the kind of salad you really want on the hottest of summer days.
Nancy’s Chocolate Fudge Pie – This is a wonderful pie that my grandmother Nancy Harding Clark use to make for me. It has been a family favorite for years and I share it in her loving memory. Save egg whites for use with meringue recipe.
Cherry – Orange Blossom Cakes – More cherries! I went to visit an old friend this weekend and at the end of our visit, she handed me a bucket and pointed at the cherry tree we could see from her living room window “Go headed…Go get them. They are delicious”. Her husband tends their vegetable garden and it is always a treat to visit them as I am fed fresh tomato sandwiches, cucumber salads and tiny yellow “mirabelles” for the few hours that I am there. I rarely come home empty handed either.
Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting – Make cupcakes that are the peanuttiest! Peanut butter is in the cake and frosting; crunchy peanuts top all.
Technology and Such
How-to: Simple computer troubleshooting guide for the workplace – If you work in a large company, and you are tired of waiting for IT support, this article is for you.
I thought it would be worthwhile to make a very simple guide which you can use to do some of your own fault finding. Why not see if the problem is something you can fix yourself quickly.
Windows Software: Take control of your file types with Types – In Windows, each file has an extension in its filename which is used to identify which program will open the file, and which icon should be attached to that file. These can be changed fairly easily from within “folder options”, but the interface is not all that user friendly.
File Recovery with Undelete My Files – File Recovery tools are flooding the software market these days and it takes more than to provide a way to recover files to stick out of the masses. Undelete My Files offers several features that make it at least an interesting application to try. The file recovery is obviously the dominating component of the software. Hard Disks can be scanned which usually does not take longer than a few seconds – depending on the size of the hard drive – and the results are displayed afterward. One interesting aspect of this procedure is that multiple hard disks can be selected at once. Most other tools scan hard disks on a per disk basis only.
Resolution Changer – Resolution Changer is a neat software for Windows that can change the screen resolution temporarily or permanently. The author created the application at first for his children who were playing around with software that required a resolution of 640×480 and he did not want to change the resolution manually whenever they wanted to run their application.
ATunes: get a sophisticated MP3 player with Last.fm integration – ATunes is an open source program that combines a powerful, full-featured music player with a Last.fm-powered recommendation engine. Available features include CD ripping, internet radio, audio podcasts, smart playlists, support for portable audio devices, and others.
Font Management: Linotype FontExplorer X – First things first, FontExplorer X is available in both Windows and Mac formats. Click here to download a free copy of FontExplorer X. Install the program and import fonts by clicking File > Import Fonts. Then navigating to the fonts you wish to organize.
Linotype gives you the option to import your fonts into the main font library, into a new set, or into a selected set. Much like iTunes, a set is basically a playlist of fonts. The user can create as many sets as desired.
Just Plain Cool
Kang Portrait by Adam Vehige – Emperor Kang from The Simpsons, love it!
Clue: Blood soap dispenser – Here’s a fun idea for Halloween or a Clue theme party – blood-looking soap dispensers!
Photoshop Disasters – Have you seen a truly awful piece of Photoshop work? Clumsy manipulation, senseless comping, lazy cloning and thoughtless retouching are our bread and butter. And yes, deep down, we love Photoshop.
Jetson Green: Solar Trees – As you can see above and below, Envision Solar plans to make parking lots into beautiful power plants with their Solar Groves and Solar Trees. Envision Solar takes the hassle out of designing structures for solar with their turn-key solutions.
Hugh Laurie by Geinen – An amazing drawing of everyone’s favourite TV doc, Hugh Laurie.
U-G-L-Y Your Bike – Nature is the master of disguise. The tiger swallowtail caterpillar starts out camouflaged as a bird dropping to discourage hungry birds. Take a tip from the crawling turd and keep your bike from getting swiped.
DIY
Crafters Medley: 21 Neat-O Projects To Make – I plan on making this a monthly feature since last month’s Crafters Medley list was a lot of fun to put together and a big hit with readers :).
Here are 21 new craft projects for you to check out, there are a few projects at the bottom for the kiddos.
How-To: Make a hardcover book – Alvenh sent in this site on how to make your own hardcover book. This isn’t a project you can make in an hour, but in the end you should have a nice book that will last for generations. Just make sure you use archival paper and glue!
How to Sew. – This instructable will cover the basics of hand sewing – tools needed, threading the needle, knotting the thread, running stitch, basting stitch, backstitch, slipstitch, blanket stitch, whip stitch and finishing with knots.
Under-bed pocket from tote bag – If you’ve got a tote bag with a broken handle, a stain on one side, or you simply don’t use it, it may lead a better life as a pocket for your bedside. Neale McDavitt-Van Fleet (try saying that ten times fast) has made a quick and easy tutorial for making this convenient under-bed pocket.
Portable Cardboard Table – This is a neat idea, especially if it could be made out of recycled cardboard. I only wish it came with a seat, or two!
diy wednesdays: woodgrain oilcloth lunchbag – recently, we’ve been making an effort to a) pack ourselves delicious lunches, and b) rid our lives of wasteful, disposable plastic bags. we find it’s much easier to accomplish these things when we’ve got a cute and useful alternative. in honor of this week’s wonderful guest bloggers, we thought it would be both fun and oh-so-appropriate to whip up this faux bois oilcloth lunchbag. brown-baggin’ it has never been so fun! click here for the full project or just click “read more” below.
Cutting Techniques and Tricks – I had a run in with a piece of rayon spandex jersey this past week. I ended up cutting it with an underlay to keep it from moving around. It reminded me that an underlay is useful for other things besides chiffon, georgette, and charmeuse.
Prep Time – I love color. Painting is always relaxing to me and I love to see the subtle differences in paint colors when they are viewed in different lighting conditions. I often get my fix by painting my nails, since it is much simplier than painting a room or a piece of furniture. But like any type of painting you may do, you never want to skimp on the preparation. And like any refinishing project, you always want to seal your work to protect from damage. That’s where base and top coats come into play on your nails.
Freebies
35 FREE abstracts and cool Photoshop brushes hand-picked from Deviantart – Some really nice brushes are linked here.
99 Free Canvas, Paper, Paint, and Metal Textures – As a designer, it’s not always possible to take the time and generate your own textures for all of your graphics. Thankfully, there are tons of convenient stock textures that others have freely contributed to the design community! We’ve gathered 99 of our favorites in this gigantic list!
37 FREE Must-Have Fonts – Again, the title say everything. Here you have 37 FREE must-have fonts. There are tens of thousands free fonts out there, it’s an hard choice. Below you’ll find a collection of my favorites… ;)
300+ Vintage Style Textures and Photoshop Brushes – Vintage design, when done well, can make a user feel like they have been transported back in time. This particular style often uses design elements that look like they were found in the attic of an old house dating back to the 1920’s, 30’s, or 40’s.
71 Gradient Resources for Web Design – For web designers and graphic designers, gradients provide almost unlimited options for creating the perfect look. This list is a collection of excellent tutorials and resources for effectively using gradients. Some of the tutorials and resources are specific to Photoshop and Illustrator, and others are general. Regardless of whether you use gradients every day or if you’ve never used a gradient, there should be something here for you.
WaterColour Brush Set 2 – Set with 25 high resolution (1400px – 2500px) watercolour brushes. Thick strokes and messy shapes.
You’re free to use them commercially. Enjoy
Flower Doodles – Flower brush set.
101 Gorgeous Wallpapers hand-picked around the web – Ok, a new collection. Today i’m very glad to present 101 gorgeous wallpapers handpicked from a series of cool websites. There is something to suit every taste: nature, 3D, abstract, vintage, mystical, funny, fantasy, ironic… As usual, if you want, I invite you to share some new wallpaper in the comments! Have a good “new” desktop ;)
Web Design Resource for Free Patterns, Backgrounds and Textures – When it’s time to select the right background for your new web design project, take a look through this list of 32 sites filled with patterns, textures, seamless backgrounds, and high resolution photo textures. Adding visual interest to a website header or page background has never been easier.
Photoshop Tutorials
Straightening Scans In 10 Seconds – If you’ve scanned an image and it’s crooked when you bring it into Photoshop, you can fix it in about 10 seconds flat.
The Quick and Easy Guide to Color Correction Part 2 – In part one of this guide I covered the basics for color balancing. In this guide, I’ll show you more advanced techniques on how to take your color corrected photo and turn it into a gorgeous, glossy photo you might find on the cover of a magazine. This process relies a lot more on artistic interpretation than straight-foward color correction, so an eye for color certainly helps.
Fix A Broken Photoshop Without Re-Installing – I want to share a very useful tip with all of you who have ever wanted to throw your computer across the room because of Photoshop for one reason or another. It’s inevitable, every once in a blue moon, software can just make your day a living hell for no obvious reason. It can be anything from the Layers palette won’t show up, to menu items grayed out when they shouldn’t be. I want to show you a quick way to put your problems behind you without having to re-install Photoshop.
5 Ways To Work Faster in Photoshop – Here are some helpful hints, tips and tools to increase your productivity level in photoshop.
Web Apps
Less Friends – Do the people you follow on Twitter, follow you? Find out.
Don’t Fancy Twitter? Try Jaiku – I’m not a big user of social networking sites for a very simple reason: I simply don’t have the time. The little time I spend at home can definitely be better utilized than hanging out on Facebook, Myspace, Orkut, etc. Having said that, I know plenty of people who just can’t do without their social networking.
Designoogle.com – Designoogle is a site where you can find design inspiration based on adjectives, charectoristics, colors, etc. Need ideas for texture? Try searching for “rough texture”, looking for great red colored design? Search for “red”.
Home Decor
Concrete Washbasin from HighTech – Ammonite washbasin shaped as a fossil – Introducing new concrete washbasin shaped as a fossil, the Ammonite washbasin from HighTech. Inspired by the archaic beauty of ammonites, this unique design showcases the organic qualities of concrete.
Spa Shower Heads – Designed by Sieger Design, these shower heads seem to appear out of nowhere. This is because no pipes or faucets are visible, they just look like a simple white box giving away water for whoever wants to enjoy it.
ZK – Can I say I’ve died and gone to heaven? I wish I could because heaven would be this stunning apartment designed by ZK. Who are ZK? They are the stylish, the elegant the oh so hip design duo Cara Zolot and Elizabeth Kohn. Their young and creative take on the tradition of symmetry and traditional design takes this apartment to the next level. I’m clammering for more but at the moment this is the only project on their website but more are promised. I’ll be checking back regularly. I need another fix!
sneak peek: miller’s nursery – it seems that all my friends are starting to have children these days, so i’ve been paying special attention to nursery decor over the past few months. so i was thrilled to hear from designer denai jones of petunia pickle bottom (a great resource for all things baby and mom) and catch a glimpse into her son miller’s beautiful nursery.
New Tall Soaking Tub from Stone Forest – enjoy deep relaxation! – Something completely different… the new Tall Soaking Tub by Stone Forest presents a unique bathing option that you may not have considered before. It allows you to enjoy soaking vertically, rather than horizontally, providing a satisfyingly deep soak.
Code and Design
My Favorite Sites for Web Design Tutorials – For those of us who are interested in always learning new tricks and improve our design skills, we’re fortunate to have a number of very valuable websites and blogs that regularly publish high quality, informative tutorials. In this post I’d like to take a look at some of my favorite places for tutorials, and I encourage you to share your favorites in the comments.
Designing and Formatting Blog Posts for Readability – Most of us probably put a great deal of thought and effort into the design of a blog, but once it’s launched there is a tendency to type a post and hit publish without giving much thought to the visual elements of the post. I know I fall into that trap quite often, and I don’t think I’m alone.
Displaying Related Categories in ExpressionEngine – While working with ExpressionEngine on a client project, Doug Avery and I ran across a problem. We had a weblog full of articles, and we wanted to show a list of related articles on single entry pages. The key was using EE’s related_categories_mode parameter, which pulls back entries based on categories in the entry.
Accounting Basics for Designers – I recently read a great post on Freelance Switch about accounting basics. Its is a great article and certainly worth a look, you can read it here. While the article covers the basics as far as what you should be doing to keep track of your accounting; I wanted to elaborate on some of the things mentioned, as well as add some resources.
Web Design Inspiration – 25 Websites With Beautiful Background – Backgrounds are one of the most important aspects in the overall design and feel of a web page, Designers try to impress visitors with appealing design elements, Background images are one of those , unfortunately they are often overlooked or misused, This section will attempt to Give some examples of websites which used page backgrounds impressively .
Grab data from Wordpress database – Previously we have learned some useful WordPress Tricks which gave us new possibilities by turning WordPress into a kind of Content Management System (CMS). Basically it was for beginners level so now we’ll do something more advance by learning how to grab various data from WordPress database and then style it etc by using a bit more of pure PHP.
Fuel Up Yourself For Creative Design Ideas With Inspirations From 16 Designer’s Community Website – What do you do you normally when you are planning for your new design project and you are curiously finding for an inspiration or just want yourself to bring up with some amazing creative ideas which can help you to create your project like it will make a trend or inspiration for others. But sometimes, your mouse is not moving around as you want or your hand is not in your creative control or maybe when you are just tired and do not have creative mood to work. So if you want to get fresh your creative man or come up with some creative ideas or just to motivate and inspire yourself, we are today getting an amazing designers community list for you.
How Does Your Blog Really Look? – We all think we know how our blogs look. We look at them everyday. We boot up our computers, fire up the browser and…
Wait. What web browser are we using? And is it even a computer?
Firefox or Internet Explorer? PC or Mac? Windows or Linux? Desktop or handheld? iPhone or PS3?
There are a lot of possibilities, but some are more important than others. This is the order that I would recommend testing them in, and how do the test.
Using CSS to Fix Anything: 20+ Common Bugs and Fixes – Without a doubt, a logical and structured layout is the best way to go. Not only because your layout varies between browsers, but also because CSS has a lot of ways to position every element you have. Today we wanted to share with you some quick tips on how to avoid easy pitfalls when creating your CSS layout.
A simple PHP HTML/CSS templating system – It is beyond silly to repeatedly copy and paste the same HTML into the top and bottom of every HTML file that you create. That’s why god invented include() but, the humble header/footer HTML include file needs to be extended slightly – that is, unless you want all your pages to have the same title/meta description/CSS files etc.
When Validation Becomes Unimportant – Validation becomes unimportant once you’re ahead of the game, and not a second earlier. Even then, truly mastering HTML and CSS, it will usually be best to stick with valid markup and styling, but fighting latency might then mean a by all means legitimate reason to stretch a little bit.
33 New Places to Get Design Inspiration – The quality of design sites around has just been escalating and escalating. Last year we published two articles on finding design inspiration – 34 Places to Get Design Inspiration On and Off and the follow up 60 More Places to Get Design Inspiration. Since then I’ve been collecting new sites that didn’t make those two lists, and today I’m happy to deliver 33 New Places to Get Design Inspiration! Without further ado:
GIF vs JPG – Which is Better – When a design is in it’s final stage and ready to be moved to a developer, or if there are product images ready to be uploaded that just need some final touches to get file size down, the “Save for Web & Devices” window (formerly part of Imageready I believe) can save you tons of issues with file size and compatibility. In this tutorial I’m going to break down a few things I have picked up through various projects that may help you with your own projects.
40+ Most Wanted Wordpress Tricks and Hacks – Have you ever came across a Wordpress blog, saw something you liked, and questions like ‘how they did that‘, ‘is that a plugin or hack?‘, ‘where can I get those cool mods‘ begin to pop? Well, it’s really pretty normal because most of us did the same thing. For this article we’ve spent time with some 14 Wordpress bloggers, finding out what kinda hacks and plugins they are really looking for to enhance their blog in any aspect. Here’s our outcome, 40+ most wanted Wordpress tips and hacks, including those you don’t even knew the keywords to search for.
15 Great Examples of Web Typography – Welcome to iLT’s second-quarter roundup of sites that use type well. It may be that not all the sites listed here are to your taste, but it’s hoped that something—even a detail somewhere—will inspire you. Invariably, these lists are subjective, so if you disagree, then feel free to do so in the comments below. If this list provokes discussion of what constitutes good web typography, then all the better. The designs are listed in no particular order. Click on the screen-shot to visit the site. Enjoy!
30 Inspiring Poster Designs – Web designers typically turn to other websites for design inspiration, but sometimes it is good to look at other mediums to get a different perspective on design. One of my favorite alternatives for inspiration is poster design. By looking at great posters, you can learn a lot about composition, typography, and use of color.
30 Websites to follow if you’re into Web Development – I’ve made it a goal to learn at least one useful thing each day so that I can stay sharp and well-versed on the topic of web development and design. To that end, here’s some of the websites I keep track of to find new techniques, resources, and news about building websites.
8 Common Sense Tips for Creating Clean Designs – Here’s something most people don’t know about me: although I have been doing design work for the last 5 years, my first job was as Flash Developer, doing mostly programming in ActionScript. In fact, my entire educational background is about computer programming and I never took any design course whatsoever.
7 Factors that Separate Good Websites from Bad Websites – We all naturally form opinions about the websites we visit. Some of them we love so much that we come back several times a week, and others leave us with a bad experience that causes us to never return. But what is it that determines whether a website is good or bad? As individuals we each have our own opinions and we’ll never completely agree on which websites are good and which ones are bad, but most of us will base our feelings on similar factors. Here is a look at 7 factors that I feel are influential in this determination.
Understanding the Mentality of Your Visitors – Understanding the mentality of your visitors is critical. Their opinion of your website is more important than having a pretty design . Why do they arrive at your website? How do they arrive? What are they looking for? What will make-or-break their visit? What will make them come back?
I Really Need to Find It!!! Resources And Tools For (pretty much) Everything – am constantly looking for resources and places to go for fonts, articles, ideas and jobs. I asked Jon if I was the only one and he said no, we’re probably all like that. So I figured I should share some of the sites I have used and abused. These sites are all easy to navigate, and offer a wide range of services and resources. Whether you are in need of a new font or medical insurance that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg, its here.
Typography Tuesday: Hierarchy – Unlike print, the web is interactive; establishing a visual hierarchy through typography is essential in guiding the user to the information they are seeking online. Visual Hierarchy is the arrangement of elements in a gradual series in order of importance, enticing users to interact with a web site through visual cues. Typography online is less an element and more an interface, where characteristics such as size, weight, style, color, and location help the user to navigate the site through emphasis.
Miscellaneous
5 Windows Tweaks That Do NOT Work – Information that are added on the Internet hardly ever go away which is highly problematic if the information is not correct. It becomes even more disturbing in sectors where everyone can have his say and it is not really a secret that most PC users have their list of recommended tweaks for Windows.
Create a Mac-Like Dashboard in Linux with Google Gadgets – The Tombuntu blog details how to install and get more from the recently-released Google Gadgets for Linux in Ubuntu or other Debian-based Linux distributions.
The Five Most Common Mistakes of Female Freelancers – I’m not a big fan of generalizations, but I’m also painfully aware that when it comes to freelancing, there are a number of women out there who aren’t getting the gigs and compensation commensurate with their experience.
You can blame society, you can blame your clients—and who am I to tell you that you are wrong? —But at the end of the day, there’s nothing you can really do except change the way you approach your business. In order to do that, you need to know the top five most common mistakes made by female freelancers and how to avoid them.
links: miscellanea – A bunch of links from not martha.
Remove PDF Document Restrictions – PDF Documents can be protected by the creator by disabling specific functions in the PDF reader. Some options are for example to prevent printing, copying or editing of documents.
Tags: for-you, resources, saturday-link-roundup
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Hi I'm Becky, often referred to as The Knitting Hillbilly and Pussybear, owner of this site and general nuisance. I'm a knitter, serial complainer, known whistle blower and I run the ever popular
Thanks for the food links, Becky!
That cake in the first picture looks very, very delicious! :D
#1 Emsz Jun 21, 15:25 Permalink