Archive for March 2005

This is just too cool for words. Enter a letter, letters, or a name and watch the magic happen at The Baby Name Wizard’s NameVoyager.

I’ve done stupid things to my computer, things I would never admit. But I’ve also saved its life and dealt with accidental reformatting (not my fault!). Every PC is different like our fingerprints. We customize options, install applications, remove default settings and do different things to it. So, a solution may not be the same for two PCs experiencing the same problem. This means trying out various workarounds and fixes.

I rarely have trouble addressing the problems I run into with my PC. If I can’t do it, then I go to the other pro in the house whose job relates to tech support. Usually between us, the problem gets solved. On rare occasions, we call the manufacturer. Still, we find found in the book tips that we hadn’t tried. Others in our shoes might find it useful as well and if someone comes to us asking for help, we can loan them the book when we can’t assist.

Throughout the book the authors share horror stories, which are good teaching tools so you can learn the lesson from someone else’s mistake and avoid making your own. Not only are computers covered, but also PDAs, cell phones, digital cameras and scanners. This is a well-rounded book with coverage on theft, backup and recovery, viruses, spam, junkware and fraud.

If you’re not into techie things, but want to keep your computer healthy–the book won’t bore you. Quite the opposite, as the authors write with humor and down-to-earth feel. An example: after attempting to rescue a hard drive which continues to sputter, try the “defibrillator” method. It states to unplug the computer and remove the computer’s cover, and then “yell ‘CLEAR!’” and lightly tap the face of the hard drive. How can you not like a book with stuff like that?

The authors clearly explain networking and wireless networking. Anyone befuddled by such topics will appreciate the book for those chapters alone. Some problems have simple answers such as, “Is the monitor turned on?” Hearing this from tech support might be embarrassing, but the authors don’t talk down to anyone whether or not a solution is super easy or complex.

The sections use a handwriting style font adding to the book’s friendly nature and engaging writing style. It feels like a buddy helping you figure out the problem or having your own personal support person nearby. In addition to hardware and software troubles, the book includes advice for being proactive such as how to avoid spam and junkware and evade fraud and identity theft.

The text is easy to scan for quickly finding things, the contents are well-organized with topics covering almost everything we deal with when it comes to gadgets. When we hit a roadblock, it’s painful and frustrating. You can rely on the book to get you through any situation without the attitude that we sometimes face when we ask for help.

Title: Surviving PC Disasters, Mishaps, and Blunders
Author: Jesse Torres and Peter Sideris
Publisher: Paraglyph Press
ISBN: 1932111980
Date: January 2005
Format: Paperback
Pages: 416
Cover Price: USD: $19.79
CDN$: 30.79
UK£: 15.61

Does your notebook need legs or feet? The latest product from LapWorks Inc. gives legs to PC notebooks and feet to Mac notebooks for keeping them cool while throwing a curveball to carpal tunnel. All it takes to add the accessories to your notebook is to peel ‘n stick. Of course, make sure you put them in the right place unless you like your notebook upside down or on its side.

Most laptops don’t come with fold down legs anymore because they broke. The missing legs have been found and they’re better quality and sturdier than the ones that came built-in. The legs have three options, which are big feet, little feet, and no feet. Did I just channel Dr. Seuss?

When you’re on the move and not using your notebook, use no feet to flatten the legs or put them at rest so nothing pokes at you or sticks out of your bag. Big feet and little feet depend on your comfort level. Big feet elevate the keyboard higher than the little feet.

Lapworks says, “The legs support a constant weight load of 15 pounds indefinitely and have been tested to fail at a 40 pound weight maximum.” So, mamas, don’t let your babies sit on notebooks—with or without the legs. My notebook doesn’t weigh 15 pounds, but it’s considered weighty for a notebook due to the wide screen. The legs have no trouble withstanding the heavy load and typing is more comfortable thanks to the feet that add height like heeled-shoes do for its wearer.

I have seen notebooks experience problems from overheating. Adding legs or feet helps alleviate the problem. I’m still using Lapworks’ Laptop Desk 2.0 and never have burned legs or hot spots left from where the notebook rested. Some people may prefer the Legs since there are no additional objects to carry as the legs stick right onto the notebook. The Laptop Desk is a separate accessory.

Each package comes with four legs or feet for use with two notebooks. Laptop Legs are PC gray while Mac Feet are Mac white, but they fit all standard notebooks. The difference is the color for better matching with your notebook. The regular price is $24.95, but the company has an introductory price of $19.95 from now through April 30, 2005.

I did a mass clean up of temp files and other garbage using CCleaner. It worked well. I hate to lose my cookies [insert joke here], but it was necessary. But then when I opened my blog admin page in Mozilla, instead of the MovableType logo, I got a sideways picture of a girl in a nightgown and my text boxes were narrow. I panicked without thinking and submitted a trouble ticket.

Then I wake up and open the same page in Maxthon. Everything is normal. Whewwwww. Then Firefox. Normal. Mass relief ensues. So I uninstall and reinstall Mozilla. No change. I don’t delete my Mozilla folders, which is where the problem lives. So I say, “To heck with Mozilla. Time to go to T-bird and use it with Firefox.”

I uninstall and re-install T-bird so it would automatically import my stuff over. When I run it, it doesn’t import. Stay cool, calm, and collected. I uninstall yet again and delete every Thunderbird mention I can find in the Documents and Settings folders. Re-install and it imports everything from Mozilla like a charm—emails, folders, bookmarks, filters… everything.

Meanwhile, I find the Mozilla problem odd. So I look around and reload pages to no avail. The Google logo is replaced with a stretched out Firefox logo. Several pages have broken graphics links. For the heck of it, I try clearing the cache again. It works. I’ve never seen this happen before. But my digression leads to switching to T-Bird, so it’s worth the adventure.

So, you’ve downloaded Firefox and love what you see. If you haven’t extended it or modified it in any way, “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet!” (to quote Al Jolson). Some of the more fun things you can do with Firefox are to extend it, customize it, and tweak it. Here are tips for taking Firefox beyond its basic setup.

I’ve either been involved with or held a process-related role since 1994. It started in the government with TQM (Total Quality Management). Then before I left the government, I worked with ERWin and some process standard model—I’ve forgotten its official name. We had pages and pages of flows that were not easy to follow.

In 1997, we worked with a fancy software application that was not user-friendly and spit out huge process maps. In 1998, I joined another company and the department had its own process for managing process additions, changes, and deletions. The organization got much bigger and then we dove into CMM.

I’ve written several articles on process.

I bring this up because Will pointed me to this, which led to my finding Katie’s version of RUP:

Step 1: Write about running really fast.
Step 2: Go and draw a plan of the racetrack.
Step 3: Go and buy really tight lycra shorts.
Step 4: Run really, really, really fast.
Step 5: Cross line first.

Unfortunately, the outcome of RUP is that you end up with extremely well documented TERRIBLE designs.

This blog has the best quote:

Process won’t help you if you suck. It will just make you suck more repeatably.

I believe process is important and necessary. Documenting everything doesn’t help because no one studies the document. We’re too busy with our own little world. It’s the new employees who benefit most.

Anyway, templates are useful to ensure you consistently document with every project and remember all the components. If you can make it better, do it! There’s always a better way of doing something. That’s why we have CPI: Continuous process improvement. The hard part is finding an effective way to do things and documenting it.

In this ultra-vain country of mine, we’re obsessed with our looks. See what happens after plastic surgery. Hmm… still doesn’t change my mind about wanting to do something myself.

This book is for CSS haters, people frustrated with CSS, and those making the transition to CSS-based design. I fall under the frustrated crowd. My site has been using CSS for a few years now and yet, I still waste a full day trying to get something to look right. Other resources are better served for those who haven’t touched an inkling of CSS. Once you have basic grounding in CSS, then come back to this one.

While reading the book, I wipe away my history with CSS so I can see it from it perspective of a person new or relatively new to CSS. Based on the title, it’s true you don’t have to read the book from front to back; however, it flows well so it is possible to read it cover-to-cover.

The introduction indicates the book is not a tutorial. The first chapter uses a different format from the rest of the book and provides a CSS refresher. The chapter is also useful for getting your CSS vocabulary straight with its describing CSS selectors, tag selectors, pseudo-class selectors, and class selectors.

Every item in the book begins with “How do I…?” with the solution following. Tips, important notes, and warnings are sprinkled throughout the chapters. The book’s layout is friendly for scanning and finding what you need. Screen shots and sample code support the content to help those who appreciate visual aids.

A good way to use the book is while you’re working on a site and you get stuck. For instance, you’re working on a form. In the old days, many of us used two-column tables to organize the form. You want to do the same thing with CSS. Here you would refer to Chapter 6: Forms and User Interfaces and check out “How do I lay out a two-column form using CSS instead of a table?” Or use the index to look up “forms” and underneath is “two-column forms.”

While my background gives you the impression that I expect sites to follow Web standards 100 percent, I actually don’t. Mega-sites like ESPN and ABC News would fail standards validation, but I give them much credit because they’re massive and dynamic. So in Chapter 9, Andrew shows how to do scrollbars and rounded corners, which only work in Internet Explorer and Mozilla respectively. No harm comes to anyone who can’t see one or the other.

Andrew also helps you create CSS drop-down menus, something I don’t encourage because it’s problematic in many ways. Even so, I’ve written articles showing how to do this because it’s a foundation for designing with advanced CSS techniques and helps you become more comfortable with CSS.

The first four chapters are available at no cost as a PDF file. To get the chapters, you will have to give up an email address. That’s generous considering there are nine chapters in the book. Plus, the site has the codes from the book for downloading. What about the rest? Yes, it’s worth it because the later chapters cover forms, CSS positioning (a biggie especially for designers struggling to drop the table habit), and techniques such as creating rounded corners with CSS that works across browsers.

The announcement of IE 7 coming out late this year will have little impact on the book except in the areas covering browser-specific issues. It depends on what Microsoft does with the new version of IE. I suspect Andrew will release a new edition when the time is right. Meanwhile, right now is a great time to get this handy book.

If you order the book from SitePoint, you get a $9.95 CSS Reference Poster free of charge.

Title: The CSS Anthology: 101 Essential Tips, Tricks, and Hacks
Author: Rachel Andrew
Publisher: SitePoint
ISBN: 0957921888
Date: November 2004
Format: Paperback
Pages: 376
Cover Price (of course, you won’t pay these prices. They’ll be discounted): US: 39.95
CDN: 57.95
UK: 20.79

Interestingly enough, I just wrote about Hard Times for Hard News when The Dallas Morning News debuted a new section today called Points. It’s encouraging readers to provide feedback. So far, I have not run into a registration-required page in the Points section. I have an account with The Dallas Morning News, but if the newspaper wants to invite many folks and perspectives, it needs to avoid potential barriers, registration being one. The first Points asks, “Is Dallas good for smart people?” Yes, it is, but there is more to smarts than IQs.

I’ve seen articles like this one from The Washington Post (sign in required) proclaiming, “The venerable newspaper is in trouble. Under sustained assault from cable television, the Internet, all-news radio and lifestyles so cram-packed they leave little time for the daily paper, the industry is struggling to remake itself.”

We do have many choices. My day can’t get off to a good start without my coffee and newspaper first thing. I’m from Gen-X. I don’t stay up late enough for the news. I do read news on the Internet, but I get sidetracked by emails and non-news Web sites. So the paper is my best source.

But this doesn’t help The Dallas Morning News, my local paper, which has undergone several layoffs. Instead of throwing in the flag, the paper started a blog (as much as it promotes its blog, I couldn’t find it from the Web site with ease so I could provide the right link), RSS feed, and does what it can to take advantage of technology. It also launched free tabloid, Quick, a great read.

What does the future hold for newspapers? With the technology available today, might we see more papers do what the Wall Street Journal does… go national? Maybe papers will merge down to a select few and those will become the national papers. Good candidates: LA Times, Washington Post, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Dallas Morning News.