Webdesigninformer.com

Cameron Moll Go to the source

Why I Sold Zappos : Tony Hsieh, recalling nearly a decade of financial ups and downs and the meeting with Jeff Bezos that eventually led to Amazon’s acquisition: Out of nowhere, Jeff said, ‘Did you know that people are very bad at predicting what will make them happy?’ Those were the exact words on my next slide. I put it up and said, ‘Yes, but apparently you are very good at predicting PowerPoint slides.’ After that moment, things got comfortable. It seemed clear that Amazon had come to appreciate our company culture as well as our strong sales. Hsieh is still with the company and wraps up his article for Inc. with a summary of challenges the company faces post-acquisition. /via Jason Kottke … Read the rest here

Cameron Moll Go to the source

iPhone 4: 600,000 Pre-ordered on Day 1 : An official statement by Apple, reportedly. (I’ve been hunting for an official Apple.com link but can’t find one. Until then, this will have to do.) Update: And there it is. Statement by Apple on iPhone 4 Pre-Orders . … Read the rest here

Cameron Moll Go to the source

Seth Godin: Goodbye to the Office : Seth compares factories from the industrial age to corporate offices today, and draws this conclusion: If we were starting this whole office thing today, it’s inconceivable we’d pay the rent/time/commuting cost to get what we get. I think in ten years the TV show ‘the Office’ will be seen as a quaint antique. When you need to have a meeting, have a meeting. When you need to collaborate, collaborate. The rest of the time, do the work, wherever you like. Although the factory vs. … Read the rest here

Cameron Moll Go to the source

Web Design Concepts for Non-Web Designers : These slides are from a HOW presentation given by Matthew Richmond, aka Chopping Block . The slide format uses HTML5 and is based on the HTML5 Slideshow by Marcin Wichary, Ernest Delgado, Alex Russell, and Brad Neuberg. What’s significant about this presentation is that Matthew’s shop has been a Flash development shop almost since its inception. Although Matthew firmly believes that there are experiences Flash provides that HTML5 cannot replicate, he’s very aware of the heated zealous crazy current debate between the two technologies. Matthew and I, along with Patrick McNeil , had the pleasure of sitting on a panel together at HOW. Matthew and Patrick are both sharp individuals, and it was a pleasure to field questions from the audience together. … Read the rest here

Cameron Moll Go to the source

The above tilt-shift video, The Sandpit , is neither video nor tilt-shift. In an interview with Aero film , Sam O’Hare, the film’s producer, explains that the video was produced using 35,000 stills shot with a Nikon D3 and a D80. The tilt-shift effect was created in post: I did some initial tests a while back using a rented 24mm tilt-shift lens, which is the standard way to do this. However, after my tests, I found it made much more sense to do this effect in post, rather than in camera. Shooting tilt-shift requires a tripod, as it is very hard to stabilise afterwards, and gives less flexibility in the final look. I opted to shoot it on normal lenses, which allowed me options in the depth of field and shot movement in post… Read the rest here

Cameron Moll Go to the source

The above tilt-shift video, The Sandpit , is neither video nor tilt-shift. In an interview with Aero film , Sam O’Hare, the film’s producer, explains that the video was produced using 35,000 stills shot with a Nikon D3 and a D80. The tilt-shift effect was created in post: I did some initial tests a while back using a rented 24mm tilt-shift lens, which is the standard way to do this. However, after my tests, I found it made much more sense to do this effect in post, rather than in camera. Shooting tilt-shift requires a tripod, as it is very hard to stabilise afterwards, and gives less flexibility in the final look. I opted to shoot it on normal lenses, which allowed me options in the depth of field and shot movement in post. … Read the rest here

Cameron Moll Go to the source

The Evolution of the World Cup Ball : Photographs by Jens Heilmann. Click each to enlarge. What may be really interesting to some of us is that these photographs were taken with a vintage-style, large-format analog camera. Fast-forward to 3:40 in this video to see it in action. … Read the rest here

Cameron Moll Go to the source

The Evolution of the World Cup Ball : Photographs by Jens Heilmann. Click each to enlarge. What may be really interesting to some of us is that these photographs were taken with a vintage-style, large-format analog camera. Fast-forward to 3:40 in this video to see it in action. … Read the rest here

Cameron Moll Go to the source

HTML5 “Why You Should Care” Cheatsheet : It’s more conceptual than technical, but if you need a good primer for yourself or to share with others, this may do the trick. /via swissmiss … Read the rest here

Cameron Moll Go to the source

B&H Video Tripod Buying Guide : Tripods, also known sticks in film lingo, are a different beast when it comes to video vs. photography. Don’t make the mistake of assuming a tripod built for photography will also work for video. This guide explains a few things to look for when purchasing a tripod for video. You can also watch “Gear Pt 2” (day 1, session 4) in Vincent Floret’s HDDSLR Cinema Workshop . He explains several of the same principles discussed in B&H’s buying guide. … Read the rest here

SimpleBits Go to the source

Redesigning the Coffee Cup : Miller Creative’s eco-friendly proposal for a better cup of coffee. … Read the rest here

Cameron Moll Go to the source

“What I’d Prefer for the Safari 5 Reader” : Concept by Justin Stahl. I have to agree, the justified text kick that Apple is bent on right now is seems as one-sided as their Flash vs. HTML5 rhetoric. I honestly don’t get why a simple option isn’t available to allow the user to switch between justified and flush-left text, especially in iBooks. … Read the rest here

Cameron Moll Go to the source

IE and HTML5 Testing, or “Apple’s Hilariously Disingenous ‘HTML5’ Showcase” : Bruce Lawson, Opera employee and member of The Web Standards Project : In the 18 months I’ve really focussed on HTML5, I’ve seen approximately 238 different HTML5 ‘testing’ sites appear. Most of them wildly pick and mix specs, checking for HTML5, related WHATWG-derived specifications such as Web Workers and then, drunk and giddy with buzzwords, throw in SVG, CORS, CSS Media Queries, and some Apple proprietary CSS extension before hyperventilating and going to bed for a lie down. He goes on to mention Apple’s HTML5 Showcase in support of his argument, while commending IE9’s HTML5 tests: Therefore, it’s particularly refreshing to see the new Microsoft IE9 HTML5 Testing Centre bringing some sanity to the party. None of the scope-creep for our friends in Microsoft. … Read the rest here

Cameron Moll Go to the source

Prefetch Content with HTML5 : This sounds too easy. Add a line like this to your head element: or … and the browser fetches the content in the background as soon as the user’s computer is idle. If it sounds too easy, it’s probably because Firefox is currently the only browser to support this feature. But this has the potential to be a really useful feature. … Read the rest here

Cameron Moll Go to the source

Smokescreen: Convert Flash to HTML5/JS : This is pretty slick. Retool your existing Flash files as HTML5/JavaScript via animated SVG. /via Daring Fireball … Read the rest here

Cameron Moll Go to the source

ESPN 2010 FIFA for iPhone : Just 10 days until the first game. ESPN’s app is a fairly solid experience for tracking scores, news, schedules, and the like. The New York Times reviewed several other apps , some of which also run on BlackBerry and Android. What’s interesting to me is that for the FIFA 2006 World Cup, SMS and the mobile web were the primary means of following scores and updates. In 2010, nearly all of us with something other than a Nokia will probably track the same with an app. … Read the rest here

Cameron Moll Go to the source

“I’ve Changed My Mind About The iPad” : Fred Wilson: Our iPad is our family computer in way that the kitchen macbook never was…. It feels less like a computer than any computing device I’ve owned. It’s easy on me in a way that the other devices are not. … Read the rest here

Snook Go to the source

Awhile back, I wrote an article on how to animate background images with jQuery to create some nifty effects. One of the most common questions I receive on that article is, "How do I handle active states?" It is time to answer that question. There are two ways in which you can handle the active state: Create a different animation for active elements; or Change the background image to be animated. The HTML The HTML for this is exactly the same as before except an active class would be applied to the LI . You can add the active class to the link, if you wish. … Read the rest here

Cameron Moll Go to the source

Why Creatives Are Always Confused : Bob Hoffman, CEO of Hoffman/Lewis Advertising: When their friends like it, their clients hate it. When their clients like it, their friends hate it. They are encouraged to be collaborative. But the more people touch their work, the worse it gets. They are counseled against becoming prima donnas… Read the rest here

Cameron Moll Go to the source

Evans G Plus Coated Drumheads : I’ve been a Remo Clear Pinstripe guy most of the time I’ve been drumming, but last Christmas I asked for the Evans G Plus coated heads after reading some positive reviews. I finally got around to installing them this past weekend. So far, so good. They seem to have more volume and a warmer tone than the Pinstripes. And for tuning your drums, it may be difficult to find a more thorough guide than Scott Johnson’s Drum Tuning Bible . Although I didn’t follow his process exactly for tuning my heads, there’s plenty I learned reading through the entire guide… Read the rest here