Digital UK Design Blog
Rickrolling originally began as an internet prank where one person would be provided a link to something allegedly awesome. When they clicked the link, they would be taken to Rick Astley’s video “Never Gonna Give You Up”… something decidedly not awesome… well maybe slightly awesome. Here’s an infographic detailing the act.
Oh yes and then the video itself…
Via: Online Schools
Today Google has released something very interesting, a Font API and directory that offers high quality open source web fonts for web developers. At first glance these fonts are extremely easy to integrate with just a few lines of code needed.
The Google Font API provides a simple, cross-browser method for using any font in the Google Font Directory on your web page. The fonts have all the advantages of normal text: in addition to being richer visually, text styled in web fonts is still searchable, scales crisply when zoomed, and is accessible to users using screen readers.
The interesting part of the subject of baking fonts into images and using font replacement scripts is actually how ‘searchable’ they are. Now with Google Font API you should be more comfortable in the fact that if Google have developed this, they ‘must’ be search engine friendly… right?
Getting started using the Google Font API is easy. Just add a couple lines of HTML:
<link href='http://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Tangerine'
rel='stylesheet' type='text/css'>
body { font-family: 'Tangerine', serif; }
We’re proud to announce we have partnered up with HDR Darkroom to bring you the chance of winning 1 of 5 pro copies of their fantastic HDR Darkroom software in our first ever photography competition. This photography competition is open to anybody interested in HDR photography or has a passion to start learning. The rules and guidelines are detailed below along with a competition closing date.
You can enter in 3 different ways.
HDR Darkroom will pick the 3 best HDR photos from the flickr group who will win a pro copy of HDR Darkroom. 2 winners will be picked by random draw from the Twitter and comment entries. All entries should have a clear contact method in case of winning and will be contacted direct via email after the competition end date.
The end date for all entries is 1st June.
If you tweet, comment and enter your best HDR photography into our Flickr group you will have 3 chances of winning. Up to 3 photos are allowed to be entered, 1 comment and 1 tweet. Any abuse of the rules may mean you are eliminated from the competition.
The copyright of all photo entries remain with the original owners of the photo. We may use your photos on this website when showcasing the winners and other worthy entrants. The photos will not be used in any other promotional campaign without the originators consent. The photos will remain in the HDR Flickr group until at least the end of the competition.
It seems the domain Google.com has been UNLOCKED for transfer. I wonder where it’s going? Maybe if nobody else wants it it can come and pay my account a visit. Hmmm, to request transfer or not to request transfer, that is the question.
As a freelance web designer, I’m often engaged in conversations with clients that surround requirement gathering. The first thing I always ask before starting this conversation is “What is your budget?”
Now I’ve heard it said that some clients feel you’re asking this question so any price estimates will be increased to meet their maximum allowance. However, this is very rarely possible in any situation I have ever been in. I often find the client doesn’t have nearly the budget available to meet every demand they have, and have never ever been in a position where I could happily meet the clients demands for less than their maximum allowance.
Finding out their budget, as soon as possible, is vital for me to not only decide if I can provide a solution, they would be happy with that can be within budget, but also to allow me to manage their requirements and expectations to fit in-line with their finances. Read the rest of this entry »
Today all of the UK’s major airports grounded flights in and out due to a volcanic ash cloud from the Icelandic erupting volcano Eyjafjallajökull. The impact of this can be seen visually on the Live Air Traffic website flightradar24.com. What would have been frenzied airway activity over England and Scotland has now been replaced my an eerie silence and clearance of planes. The yellow plane icons represent planes currently in flight, the blue crosses represent closed airports.
Opera Mini Web browser for the iPhone, iPod and iPad has only just launched yesterday but has already dominated globally Apple’s App Store in the Top 10 Free apps section. Below is a screen grab of the App Store which shows the free browser at position 1 in every country Apple currently serves.
The second you launch your brand new, painstakingly thought-out and designed website onto the World Wide Web, you’re instantly global – anyone in the world (with a web connection) can and may stumble upon your site. It’s worth considering, then, that 78% of the 1.8 billion current web users do not speak English as a first language (Internetworldstats.com).
So if your website is designed solely with an English-speaking, western audience in mind, that’s less than a quarter of your potential online audience who’ll be interested in visiting your site. Crucially, for those sites with business in mind, research also shows that 85% of consumers will not buy from a website if they can’t read about the product in their own first language (Common Sense Advisory, 2006).
Did you know how slow you run? Well if you’re anything like this guy, an average guy running in a suit, you’re pretty god damn slow. During this 50 yard sprint he topped out at 15.9mph which seems quite fast at first glance for a fat guy in a suite, then you overlay a selection of other runners with differing speeds and it’s pretty clear this guy would never make the bus.
I thought I was fast until I learnt my 5ft 4″ girlfriend could run the 100 metres over 2 seconds quicker at school. Maybe a am really slow, though I’ve been told you’re only as slow as your fastest competitor.
The embargo is over and I can finally announce that I have not had an iPad to play with or review for the past week (not like that Andy Ihnatko fellow). Yes, I signed an embargo to not say that I didn’t have an iPad before the release. I’m terrible about contracts (I have 8 time shares, 4 adopted children, 2 wives, and an endorsement deal from Rita’s Water Ice). Now that I can finally talk about the fact that I have nothing to talk about, I thought I’d share my (completely made up) review of Apple’s new iPad.
©2006 - 2009 The Floating Frog
