The web developers at CBC want to save me from an “older version of Internet Explorer”. That’s nice and all, but I’m on a Mac, using Firefox 10. Part of me blames Daniel Alfredsson, this is the kind of stunt he would pull.
Updated January 16, 2012
New frontiers come with unexpected challenges. I like using the hCard microformat in websites to make it easy for people to add contact information to their address books. I also like building websites in HTML5 for the semantics and am confident it is the way forward. Tools like Modernizr make browser support less of an issue with the new tags.
The hCard format is great for publishing contact info in HTML, but to turn it into a vCard that can be downloaded and added to your address book, something has to do the conversion for you. (more…)
I love using QR Codes for what I believe their intended purpose is — to transfer a short string of data to somebody’s smart phone. Specifically, a URL for a responsively designed web site. Single-purpose mobile optimized web pages are ok in some circumstances too, but that’s a topic for another post.
There is no more efficient way to get a person to open a specific web page on their smart phone from the physical world. In fact, nothing else comes close. Not augmented reality. Not Google Goggles Search. Nothing can touch QR Codes for sending a person to a specific web page on their smart phone from outside their smart phone.
I think Google+ has nailed a lot of useful features, and has a great web interface. No question in my mind that if it launched before Twitter, I would think it is the best way for me to share with others online.
But it did not launch before Twitter, and now I have a list of Twitter-ers that I rather enjoy following and sharing with. I don’t want to pick and choose what I post to Twitter and what I post to Google+. I need to post to both automatically.
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If you are reading this, you know the gist of “!important” is to counter-act the normal application of CSS rules based on selector specificity. One way to look at this is that it’s a shortcut to make up for another rule’s selector that is too broad. Another way would be to describe it as getting things done and moving on. We can argue both ways depending on how much time/budget you have — but more importantly — how many places a given CSS file will be used.
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Called “The Survey For People Who Make Websites” this is one for people like me to participate in. I’ve completed 2008 and 2009 surveys as well and actually enjoy thinking about the questions the folks at ALA have compiled. The results are always interesting when released too.
If you also make websites, why not complete the 2010 edition and check out the findings from 2009.
Google Voice Invitation - Denied!
I received a nice email invitation from Google this morning to try Google Voice. I assumed that meant it was available in Canada now, but sadly no… this is the page I get after clicking on the invitation link… sigh…
Is it possible that Google somehow does not know I’m in Canada? That’s unexpected… I assume they know what I eat for breakfast.
Do you manage a web development team? Have you hired one to build a website or application? Making sure your web developers embrace Progressive Enhancement makes a better experience for your end-users, your web development team, and you. (more…)
Melted sheathing on MacBook Pro power adapter wire
I’ve never had anything like this happen with any power adapter for any device ever before. The problem was not the same as this well known issue with MacBook Pro power adapters. Not a pleasant discovery, since I tend to leave this thing plugged in until 100% charged (which can take hours — not always attended), and it sits on the wooden table you see in the background. (more…)
So I’m trying out Google Chrome browser for Mac, and it works pretty much the way I expect a good browser to work. What would make it even better is if it could open HTML files. I will have to do some research, but I’m hoping this is just a typo and not a policy or “feature” about not opening local HTML files.
Google Chrome (Mac) can't open "HTML document" format
