Archive for category: General

Handy tool: Belkin Mini Surge Protector and Dual USB Charger

Handy tool: Belkin Mini Surge Protector and Dual USB Charger

Belkin USB charger and surge protector

Charge your iPhone and iPad, and power three other devices using only one plower plug

360-degree rotating plug with 4 locking position and a mini-USB cable to charge virtually any USB device. I love the fact that it doesn’t cover the second plug in an outlet, and at only $12 I think it’s a bargain!

More info from the Amazon page.

02/02/2012
Super high-res satellite photo of Earth

Super high-res satellite photo of Earth

Blue Marble 2012

This has nothing to do with design or the Mac, but I thought it was too cool not to share. NASA has released a super high resolution photo of planet Earth taken by their Suomi NPP satellite.

Nicknamed Blue Marble 2012, this new image measures 8,000 x 8,000 pixels at 72dpi, which amounts to a 26-inch square image at 300 dpi.

02/02/2012
Are you ready for IPv6?

Are you ready for IPv6?

The Internet Protocol (IP) is the language that computers and devices use to communicate with each other on the Internet; it works much like phone numbers, which let us connect one telephone to another.

IPv6 is the new version of the Internet Protocol. The addresses used by the current version of the Internet Protocol, IPv4, are nearly all used. At Google, we believe that IPv6 is essential to the continued health and openness of the Internet – and that by allowing all devices on a network to talk to each other directly, IPv6 will enable innovation and allow the Internet to continue to grow.

01/30/2012
The psychology of color

The psychology of color

Color Psychology

There's a reason restaurants use red

Ever wonder why so many restaurants use so much red in their color palette? Have you noticed that the corporate colors of so many large companies includes blue? There’s a reason. This excellent infographic after the jump sheds some light on the subject.

01/27/2012 Read More
The forbidden colors

The forbidden colors

Hidden colors

The eye can't see certain colors. Or can they?

Try to imagine reddish green — not the dull brown you get when you mix the two pigments together, but rather a color that is somewhat like red and somewhat like green. Or, instead, try to picture yellowish blue — not green, but a hue similar to both yellow and blue.

Is your mind drawing a blank? These colors exist, but you most likely can’t see them. These “forbidden colors” are the subject of this interesting article by Natalie Wolchover over at Life’s Little Mysteries.

01/25/2012
Easily create vector format QR Codes – and know when to use them

Easily create vector format QR Codes – and know when to use them

I’m not a huge fan of QR Codes, I think they’re a great idea that just hasn’t taken off. Regardless, if you have a client that wants to use them, you’ll need a way to create them. There are more than a few iPhone and OS X apps that can create them for you, but most only allow you to save a JPG or PNG version. Not very flexible.

QR Code generator

Simple QR Code creation with vector file output

I set out to find one that allowed me to save a vector version so I could edit the colors freely, and scale the QR Code to any size I needed. Here’s what I found.

01/18/2012 Read More
Vizio’s new computer line

Vizio’s new computer line

Vizio recently announced their new entry into the consumer laptop and all-in-one desktop market with what I consider a stunning pair of computers.

Vizio computers

Welcome to good taste, Vizio!

The linked article shows off some closeup photos of these awesome looking pieces of hardware, but perhaps more importantly, points out that they will run an optimized and bloatware-free install of Windows. I’ll not be switching to Windows any time soon, but if I had to run Windows daily, these are the machines I would want to run them on.

01/16/2012
Tips for better PowerPoint & Keynote presentations

Tips for better PowerPoint & Keynote presentations

PowerPoint is the standard tool for giving presentations. In fact, you don’t give “presentations,” you give “PowerPoints.” Quite frankly, I find them the most boring, uninspiring method for conveying information to clients and potential clients.

I don’t dislike them because the idea of looking at slides on a large screen is bad, but because the people who create these presentations are generally out of touch with what inspires the very people they create them for. They appear to be more interested in taking advantage of every feature found in PowerPoint or Keynote.

Presentation tips

Which of these PowerPoint slides would you rather look at from across the room?

Giving a great PowerPoint presentation is relatively simple once you understand a few of the basics in giving a memorable presentation.

12/29/2011 Read More