Gmail Addes Rich Text Signatures, Hacks no Longer Needed!
Great news everyone: you no longer need any hacks (as seen here) to have rich text, or stylized, signatures in Gmail. When you go to the Settings page, the signature option now includes a formatting toolbar.
RELEASED: Adobe Creative Suite 5 (CS5) Trials
They said it would come out at the end of the month and they kept their word: Adobe released the trials for their Creative Suite 5 (CS5) this morning. You'll need to create and Adobe account to download the trials.
Links:
CS5 Premium Trial: https://www.adobe.com/cfusion/tdrc/index.cfm?product=design_premium (2.84 GB)
CS5 Master Trial: https://www.adobe.com/cfusion/tdrc/index.cfm?product=master_collection (4.45 GB)
Photoshop CS5 Extended Trial: https://www.adobe.com/cfusion/tdrc/index.cfm?product=photoshop (979.9 MB)
Adobe CS5 Trial Release Date
The interwebs are a buzz about Adobe CS5. I'm really looking forward to the advancements in Photoshop (specifically Content Aware Filling AKA sorcery) and Dreamweaver's ability to work on CMS templates. It may bring me back to using Dreamweaver, but I like my combo of Firebug + Web Developer for Firefox/Chrome.
HTPC Part 1 - Intel Atom
This is the first part of a multi-part guide to putting together an HTCP. My goal was to put together a cheap(~$200), small, quiet, and efficient HTPC. The CPU dictates the rest of the hardware so let's start there.
Intel Atom processors are by far the most commonly used processor in netbooks because they are small, cheap, and don't use a lot of power. Because the HTPC I wanted was going to be sitting under my TV and on a lot, I didn't want a huge, loud, and expensive PC. Naturally, the Intel Atom was at the top of my list, but would it be able to handle media, specifically HD content?
Apple Tablet? I Rather the Lenovo IdeaPad U1.
As we get closer to Apple's January announcement, I'm reading more and more articles speculating about the Apple "Tablet" or "iSlate": How big will it be? How will you type on it? How much will cost? Is it just a giant iPhone? What is it going to be used for? Do we need a tablet?
I have the answer to all those questions: the Lenovo IdeaPad U1. It was unveiled at CES 2010 in Las Vegas last week and it has stolen the show amongst the geeks. The U1 came out of nowhere with little fan fare and it was met with a unanimous reaction of "that makes sense, why hadn't anyone else thought of it?"
New Articles are Coming
I know that I haven't posted anything new in a long time. My excuse: I moved and I ran out of stuff to post.
Last week I noticed that a few people had found my old guides and had requested more of them. They're coming.
Since my last guide, I've learned a few new tricks and will be sharing them weekly. The first few posts will be about HTPC's, specifically:
Firefox + Firebug + Web Developer Add-on = Easily Edit and Save CSS on Live Sites
I would pay to be able to edit the CSS of live sites and see the CSS take affect. I would pay but I don't have to with Firefox and the Firebug and Web Developer add-ons. I have written about Firebug before, which has been both a life saver and a productivity booster in that it gives you the ability to quickly identify elements within a design. Web Developer is an add-on I feel that I should have known about and am kicking myself for not knowing about it sooner. Besides the plethora (been waiting to use that word) of options, it gives you the ability the see and edit the CSS files affecting the page you're on and the edits affect the site live.
New Mac Minis Released, Still Doesn't Make us Nerds Happy
Since the first Mac Minis were released, I've been combing the Internet for a deal. I don't really need another computer but there is something about having this tiny, quiet box on my desk. The price has always been holding me back: it's not in the $400 sweet-spot for a computer. Yes, I know that Apple is not a lower-end brand but the pricing on the Mac Minis compared to its features, including the hardware revisions released today, is ridiculous.
Five Misconceptions about Web Design and Web Designers
I'm not sure why I didn't write about this sooner since I have have to deal with misconceptions about web design and web designers daily. Web design is still in a gray area of trade since anyone with a computer and Frontpage (I realize it's 2009 but people still use it) claims to be a web designer and companies overseas are churning out designs for a few dollars. I can't think of another industry where the tools make the profession, not the people using the tools. In no particular order, the misconceptions I deal with the most:
My first week with a DSLR: Nikon D40
When I bought my first camera, I knew the type of pictures that I wanted to take. My budget was tight, so I bought a Fuji point & shoot. It took great pictures that were sharp and vivid, but the pictures didn't come out how I wanted. A year later, that camera was dropped and gave me the perfect excuse to buy a better one. I went up a notch and bought a Panasonic DMC FZ8, which gave me manual controls, could shoot in RAW, and had a wicked 12x zoom. The style was getting closer to what I wanted, but it still didn't look like what I imagined in my head. Fast-forward a year later, specifically last week, when I bought my first DSLR: a Nikon D40.
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