Konami Code Plugin
Just in time for April Fools Day, I am releasing my next totally useless Mango Blog plugin for adding easter eggs to your Mango Blog. It uses the SnapTortoise Konami-JS script to handle the pattern matching, url loading and alert notifications.
I couldn't just stop there, so I added easy setups for Rick Rolling, and some of the more popular Konami Code services like Cornify, Ninjafy, Sharkify, and Nippleit. I have plans to add more services and features in the near future. If you have a favorite service not listed here please leave a comment below with a link to the service.
Whats Currently Supported
- Easy setups for above listed services
- Custom url forwarding
- Javascript Alerts
- iPhone gesture support
- Custom key code pattern matching. Your not limited to just the Konami Code!
Go ahead and try it! up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, b, a
Download the Konami Code Plugin
- Plugin version:
- 0.1
- Last Updated:
- 2010-02-19
- Requires:
- Mango Blog 1.3+
- Auto-install URL:
- http://www.visual28.com/assets/content/mango/konami.zip
→ Respond NowTags: Freebies · Mango · Plugins
Magnetic Photoshop Frame
For you designer types out there I created a series of do it yourself Photoshop magnets that you can use to frame a photo or a piece of your child's art on your refrigerator door.
All you need for this project is a pack of magnetic paper available from an office supply store, or online from retailers like amazon available for about $10 a pack.
Download the Photoshop frame file, and print onto the magnetic paper, and trim the pieces out with a razor knife. Enjoy!
→ Respond NowTags: Design · Freebies
Common Accessibility Mistakes
I gave a presentation at the Sacramento Web Standards Group about improving your sites accessibility. When I began the presentation I full expected to show lots of code. But what I ended up with was a list of common mistakes made when trying to implement accessibility into a site.
Little would I know that this list sparked some excellent conversation for the evening and maybe--just maybe--changed the way a few people create websites, and that is good for everyone.
So here is my general list of accessibility mistakes and a few ways to improve the overall accessibility of your site for everyone and not just disabled users.
→ Respond NowTags: usability · Accessibility
Creating a reusable message style in Photoshop
As a designer, I have a massive collection of layer styles and gradient styles that I refer to in order to speed up my design process. I started with some free styles I got from Designer Folio and have added a ton of my own styles to the list based on projects I have worked on.
One style that has always been missing was something that looked like an error message that you might find in many css frameworks. Typically these look like solid blocks of color with borders on the top and bottom. Granted this is not a difficult thing to design but it is time consuming and when your quickly changing up a design it can really bog you down. At least it does for me. You can always short cut the design by adding a stroke border all the way around but that's not always what I want to show a client.
Figuring out how to create the 1 pixel rule at the top and bottom of the solid block of color is the only real trick. If your interested in knowing how it was done check out the mini tutorial below. If not, you can download the sample layer styles now. Figuring out how to make the 1 pixel rule at the top and bottom of any block was a real productivity booster and it allowed me to explore and test comon design elements very quickly while not feeling bogged down in the process.
Example of included styles
Creating the effect is actually very simple. First start with a base of any color on a separate layer. I like to use a bold color that is similar to the color I intend to use. I only do this to make it easier to spot the correct layer in the layers palette later on should I need to make a change.
Figure 1
Next, you can apply one of the starter styles and modify it to your liking. All the effects are editable and non destructive.
Figure 2
As I said earlier, the effect is very easy to create from scratch. The only trick is figuring out how to make the border appear on the top and bottom of an element without using a stroke. To do this, I added a drop shadow and an inner shadow only I changed the blend mode to normal, set the opacity to 100%, angle to 90 degrees, distance to 1 pixel, and reduced the size to 0.
Figure 3
This effectively gives you a one pixel stroke at the top and bottom of your design elements. Now add some gradients and other types of fill, and now you have the ability to rapidly create many types of design elements like menus, footers, sidebar details, table rows and cells, and etc. The style is actually very versatile and can spawn all sorts of new creative ways of increasing your design productivity.
Download The Photoshop Layer Styles
I packaged up a small handful of these basic layer styles that you can use as a starting point in your own work. Note, these were based on 72 dpi resolution document. If you design at higher resolutions, then you will need to adjust the distance of the drop shadow and inner shadow to suit your needs.
Download the Photoshop layer styles for free
→ Respond NowTags: Design · Photoshop · Inspiration
Is The Phrase "Apple Killer" the new "Heavy Duty"
In the last few years it seems that every new gadget that is announced gets dubbed an "Apple Killer" of some sort. The Apple Killer rhetoric lasts up until the point when the actual product is released to the public. Then what? Nothing, you never hear about these alleged Apple killers again. Why is this?
I think the answer is simple. They are all trying to be like Apple in some way by coping their formula for success, instead of innovating like Apple. They spend all their resources just trying to catch up, and make a product that can maybe compete on some level. All the products I have seen to date all end up falling short, and not delivering on the promise of great user experience.
In the end, what elevates Apple products to the top of the food chain is great user experience. It's not a laundry list of features, and tech specs. If these other companies are going to create a true "Apple Killer" product, they are going to have to set aside the idea that the only thing people want are more features and better specs, and actually make an innovative product.
Once upon a time, the phrases "Heavy Duty" or "High Quality" meant something. At least it did to me back then. Over time the two phrases have been so badly abused my marketing companies and manufactures, just seeing the words make me instantly think of cheep offshore junk.
Seeing the phrase "Apple Killer" in news headlines today, has the same negative effect. I no longer think, could this be a real threat to Apple? My thoughts are now replaced with, poor guys, just how badly is this product going to fail?
What about you? How do you feel about the phrase "Apple Killer"? does it still mean something to you? Or are you like me in thinking that the phrase is the new "Heavy Duty"
Past Apple Killers. Where Are They Now?
Does anyone remember these past products all touted as being "Apple Killers"? Sure people bought them, and I am sure some of them are actually happy with their purchase. Most of them were only talked about by the buzz engine created by marketing companies, but most of them have already been forgotten or barely considered a reasonable alternative.
iPhone Killers
Palm Pre
T-Mobile G1
BlackBerry 9000
BlackBerry Bold
Garmin Nuvifone
HTC Touch Pro
LG Dare
Samsung Instinct
Samsung Omnia i900
Nokia N96
Apple TV Killers
Archos TV+
Netflix‚ set-top box
Blockbuster‚ set-top box
Asus O!Play
URC PSX-2
Netgear iTV
iPod Killers
Sony Network Walkman
Microsoft Zune
Cowon iAudio
Archos Gmini
PSPgo
Samsung P3
→ Respond NowTags: Opinions & Rants · General