RockMelt
I’ve been using a new web browser for the last week and have been extremely impressed. The browser goes by the name of RockMelt. That name is probably the lamest part of the browser experience. It’s built on Google Chrome. So, if you’re a Chrome user as I am, the transition is pretty seamless.
Where RockMelt outdoes the standard Chrome is the full immersion of Facebook and other social media. By no means do I consider myself a heavy social network user. (I don’t care that you just ate a burrito, watched Glee, or are sitting at Starbucks.) But…having RockMelt has made me want to share more than usual because it’s so easy. My ideal social network experience involves sharing photos, cool websites, new music, etc. I like to know what my friends like so I can go try it out and see if I like it. RockMelt makes it easy to share a website or share your status because it’s built into the browser. In fact, you can see any feed in handy little buttons on your sidebar. The buttons even show how many tweets or Facebook messages you have unseen. Admittedly, this can be a distraction while working.
The search box built into the browser also functions differently than what most users are used to. Instead of jumping right to a new tab or page within the browser, RockMelt displays a window that shows all of your results which you can then click to view the link. There is a button to simply just open up the search results in a standard fashion. Very handy.
Check out this video to see RockMelt for yourself.
AppMakr
I’ve been reading lately about a company called AppMaker that claims to offer the ability to create a free Apple iPhone App. It seems pretty cool and is worth looking into. There are of course some limitations, but overall it seems like a good concept. You don’t have a lot of freedom in what to display. It show various types of RSS feeds. So, it’s basically just an iPhone App version of a blog. I’m sure there are some creative ways to show or deliver the content. You can also publish a photo gallery that links to your photostream on Flickr.
According to the website CruchBase “Thousands of brands large and small have created apps using AppMakr, including PBS, Accenture, Harvard Business Review, Maclife, Macworld UK, US Congress, PGA TOUR, Seth Godin, Guy Kawasaki, along with churches, music bands, and smaller publications like Racer X.” At least some of the users are a little mo
They list several apps on their website that were created using their services so I downloaded about six. As I figured, they all function exactly the same. It’s interesting to see the range in quality of the design that goes into the loading screen, home screen icon, and content found on the app. It truly is free and you can tell with most of the apps. None of them featured images that could be viewed clearly on the high retina display. This also cheapens the look and feel of the app. I did go through the setup process through their website and did notice that you can now upload images suitable for the high retina screen. I guess either no one does it or I just wasn’t looking at the right apps.
10:10:10 Time is now
So this up coming weekend will have the unique date of 10:10:10, on Sunday. Besides a fun day to sign your checks, it is also a global day of action to do something to lower CO2 emissions.
This global event is the brainchild of 350.org and 10:10 – two organizations that are insisting that CO2 levels must be globally lowered, each has two similar but different goals. 350.org (not to be confused with the grass roots local economy movement 3/50), basic goal is to lower total CO2 levels at 350 parts per million (ppm). Right now the global CO2 level is 385ppm, and rising. Their goal is to act now to lower it 35ppm, which is an achievable goal. Bill Mckibben, who wrote a book called “Eaarth” exploring how much Earth will be changed by run-away CO2 levels, so much so that we might as well rename the planet. Additionally he recently attempted to get the Obama administration to accept the original Jimmy Carter solar panels as an artifact and make a commitment to put solar on the White House (he was brushed off by some EPA political appointees).
The organization is 10:10, [Author's Note: This morning (10/05/10) the US website and Face Book page are down - embarrassing right? No known cause yet, other than my luck.]a British based organization that recently expanded in the US here in Seattle. 10:10′s program is more hands on. It is a voluntary pledge to reduce personal CO2 emissions 10% every year for the next 10 years. (So for me, my emissions are 13.40 tons/ year. So I need to reduce my emissions by 1.34 tons this year). Individuals, families and businesses can join and take the pledge to reduce CO2 emissions. This is direct emission reductions, not a pledge to buy offsets, offsets may fund forest planting and renewable energy expansion, but it is not a direct reduction. Other ways to reduce your carbon foot print is buying local food and from local businesses in addition to home and personal transport energy reductions.
So on October 10th There are over 5000 events world wide, in over 170 countries. The events range from educational demonstrations to tree planting, to other activities (and after work parties – network, network, network!). So if you’re feeling like the world is standing still on this issue and you want to get involved find something near you!
5 (Free) Serif Fonts
Sometimes it’s easy to quickly overlook serif fonts in graphic design. At least I do. There’s just something in your head that always says “Times New Roman” and you want to get as far away as possible. Lately, though, I’ve been finding a place for serif fonts and learning to appreciate their unique characteristics and what makes them look so nice. I’ve actually been a little obsessed with Droid Serif lately. It’s such a clean, well conceived font. Here are a few free serif fonts to download and try with your next design.
iPhone App Design Resources
There are numerous resources out there with design elements for the iPhone and iPad. I’ve looked through quite a few and selected a few of my favorite and a few that I believe will be of greatest value to anyone designing an app. You should have just about all you need to get started on your own app.
Enjoy this collection.
iPhone GUI 3.0
Free iPhone Toolbar icons
Glyphish
Free Vector Icons
Hand Gesture Icons
7 Free Grunge Fonts
Sometimes a nice pre-made grunge font is just what you need in you’re design. I’ve selected seven of my favorites from the website dafont.com. All are free, but have some usability rights so make sure to check the documentation when you download. Click on the title above each image to navigate to the download page.
Enjoy.
Skin & Bones
Old Typewriter
Masterplan
Chicago House
Sidewalk
Turbo Ripped
Base 02
