Web Designer Jakarta | Stucel | Web Designer in Jakarta, Indonesia -

MacBook to MacBook Pro Rebrand DIY kit

Felix — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 04:04:56 -0400

Just announced in Apple WWDC 2009, all MacBook 13" aluminum are MacBook Pro now! This is surely a heart breaking news for all MacBook proud owners who just bought it.

Analysts have theory, that Apple wiped out all the MacBook line to give some room for the upcoming rumored netbook. Hmm, make sense. But what about the MacBook owners? What will they answer if someone asked them: What's your Apple laptop type? Will they answer MacBook Pro although it's labeled "MacBook" under the bezel?

For that reason, here's the rebrand DIY kit for all the heart-broken MacBook owners around the globe.

Working with Multiple Dimension Documents in Adobe Photoshop 4

Felix — Wed, 27 May 2009 09:34:18 -0400

Since Adobe Photoshop 4, they revamped the GUI and put new feature in working with multiple documents.

The tab feature is really nice, but it has some problem when dealing with very thin document when slicing in HTML authoring process.

The canvas window parent is often auto resized to an inconvenient size by Photoshop. The solution is hidden somewhere in the Window menu. Tick the "Application Frame" option and you'll have tamed Adobe Photoshop 4! Very recommended to try.

When Photoshop's Color Doesn't Look Right

Felix — Wed, 20 May 2009 11:07:23 -0400

When using Adobe Photoshop, have you ever experiencing color shift, color dodge, washed out color, result from "Save for Web & Devices"? Or maybe your website color acting weird in Safari browser? Try these folowing steps:

Run Photoshop, don't open any document. Go to: Edit - Color Settings. And match it with this:

Open any document and go to "Save for Web & Devices", make sure to deselect "Embed Color Profile" and deselect "Convert to sRGB". This way, the document won't keep any color embedded inside it.

That's all. Your colors should be fine now.

First Quarter 2009 Surprises from Indonesian Website Developers

Felix — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 23:53:49 -0400

In the 1st quarter of 2009, website developers in Indonesia have made a tremendeous pace! Launched in the late February 2009, Koprol is rocking the microblogging genre for the locals. The bright guys behind this website is the well known Satya Witoelar and Fajar. Hmm, too bad we sold MoodMill last year, so we can not compete with these guys! But I let mr. Facebook and associates do the job instead, good luck Koprol :p

Second, Richard Fang's Partee. This cool and talented artist that likes to read Twentea is trying to help indie t-shirt designer to display their work of arts (read here). Way to go Richard! Best of luck. I really dig the domain name.

Last but not least, it's GantiBaju (means: change cloth), the clone of Threadless. Although I'm not a big fan of 'similiarism', but I'm really looking forward for them to get better, unique and breakthrough idea that adds something different from Threadless. GantiBaju is powered by iCreativeLabs, Aria, Anang & Ollie. Good luck guys!

Facebook Apps Frenzy

Felix — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 08:47:51 -0500

I'm not a big fan of Facebook app and I usually ignores all the invitation for using it. But things get a little bit overwhelmed recently. Here's the snapshot:

Reply to all

Felix — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 23:54:34 -0500

Don't need that "Reply" button these days, all I need is "Reply to All". And I often corresponding with person that always hit Reply, even though there are CC'ed people. D'uh!

PS. This is my first post ever in 2009! Yee pee.

Crazy Shortcut

Felix — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 10:19:59 -0500

This shortcut surely could break my left hand's fingers!

Recognition is Huge Impact for Business

Felix — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 04:44:23 -0500

Recently, a good and talented writer asked me about how do I start it all? Then I said: it's simply a recognition!

To me, recognition is the key and it's a big impact to any business. No matter what you are, a writer, or an interior designer, you have to find way how to bring the good and potential exposure to your business.

Just before you're planning to start the big effort to be recognized, of course you should have yourself a decent website. Make a really good one, so that it can deliver the message to your audience effectively. And don't forget to put an accessible contact information there and you're set!

After you're ready, let the creativity and your inner 'opportunity hunter' seek the way. Let's say if you're a writer, you should act much on National Novel Writing Month or be a contributor in a magazine blog; if you're a website designer, get yourself listed in web galleries or make a free WordPress theme for thousand-reader-blog such as Smashing Magazine; if you're an icon designer, submit a modification icon for a famous application, or compile an e-commerce icon, or whatever.

The point is: exposure, contribute to the community and stay active.

If you're not succeeded to be listed / win a contest today, you could always write up a quality article for your blog in your website. For example, if you're an architect, you can write: "The 2009 Residential House Trend" or something. People in your business field could google your blog and be your reader. Who knows they could bring good business opportunity to you.

People can not notice your skill if you're idle and they won't buy you if you're nobody! In the early starts, where sales is painful; mr. recognition could save your day.

Find a parade, get in front of it and walk around the city.

ArusMedia Founded

Felix — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 01:18:06 -0500

Recently, I've been involved with the launch of a small start-up named ArusMedia. It's an e-business company with the focus on opinion blog network, here in Indonesia. We started the game with Twentea, Ruang Freelance and MakeMac.

With the group of six, I will be responsible in Research and Development. But basically in this early stage, everybody is doing everything :D

Got Gmail Theme?

Felix — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:21:17 -0500

Yee pee I got one! (Evil laugh)

10 Facts About Me

Felix — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 02:19:30 -0500

I've been pinged by my good friends at NavinoT in this post a while a go. Better late than never, so here it goes:

I grew up with Nintendo, Microsoft DOS, Microsoft Windows 95, Netscape Navigator, Michael Jordan and football (it's soccer).
My first website (it was a personal website) launched in 1998. It had a visitor counter in the footer and the content was center aligned because it's wicked cool back in those days.
I went to university and studied computer science in 1999. I was a big time slacker and the GPA was 2.74 / 4, and C mark on thesis.
My the-most one and only favorite game is Warcraft III. I played thousands of game since college (you can see why my GPA so high ha-ha). My first account is auto deleted by them (no login in 2 months) and this is my current one. I'm retired and enjoy watching top rank player replays.
In childhood, my dream profession is to be a real uber-elite computer programmer. Guess I never will be ;)
IT staff was my first real job. I worked in the big car radiator factory. Then after a week, I decided to chase my dream as a programmer on mobile value added short message service company for two and a half years.
My books in the rack are mostly programming (lots of PHP, Java, J2ME, Perl/CGI, Turbo Pascal, and lots of geek stuffs). I stop buying those topics a very long time a go and I'm planning to give it all to Toni. I never have Adobe Photoshop how-to book. I only interested in marketing / management book these days. But I like Reader's Digest.
I play guitar in regular basis (great for stucked inspiration). I played several instrument on high school band but never really expert one. I spent 1 year in a professional band, as a keyboardist. And the interesting part is: I can't read musical notation.
I quit my daily job without any preparation on Stucel business. I was young and naive :0
I don't eat lots of meat. Only chicken breast and a small slice of beef please. I don't eat pork, I really don't like pork.

As for the target, I will generously ask these people to write some fact about their self:

And the rules:

Each blogger must post these rules
Each blogger starts with ten random facts/habits about themselves
Bloggers that are tagged need to write on their own blog about their ten things and post these rules. At the end of your blog, you need to choose ten people to get tagged and list their names.
Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’ve been tagged and to read your blog.

Another Sad Day for moki Monsters

Felix — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 02:21:54 -0500

I just found out (again) that this blog is using a modified copyright of moki theme! I don't know why people really can be evil, low life, no manner ><

I hate Auto Loan.

6 Commandments for doing CSS in IE6

Felix — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 13:19:18 -0400

Internet Explorer 6 was released on August 27, 2001. This old buddy is still believed to have large cake of usage share of web browsers till today.

However, HTML and CSS authoring process for IE6 takes very special treatment for this every-web-designer's-favourite browser (sarcasm). I'm going to call it a feature, instead of pesky bug; because maybe that's why the world will always be in hunger for talented HTML author.

Everybody have their own secret sauce to workaround the IE6, but here's my 6 commandments that worth sharing:

1. Floats need display: inline; to get mixed with margin-left / right

If you do float: left; with margin-left, make sure to add display: inline;
Same thing goes to float: right; and margin-right.

2. Add font-size: 0; to short height div

You have 3 divs for a round cornered box (hat, content, shoe) and the hat and shoe must be short height (i.e 6 pixels). Make sure to add font-size: 0; so that you'll get that short height div displayed correctly in IE6.

3. Add width: 100%; to really long div

Usually, this is the super recipe that can fix things dramatically from completely messed up displayed web site in IE6, to be neat in a zap.

4. Width / height don't mix with paddings

This is a bug where IE6 wrongly count the width / height and padding instead of just the width / height to be the total width / height of a div.
To counter this problem, go with two divs so that the parent have the width / height, and the child will have the margin. You'll get the same result.

5. Add position: relative; or floats before going position: absolute;

That's right kids! If you're planning to have a position: absolute;, you'll need a position: relative; or floats as its wrapper to the rescue.

6. Development: everything that looks nice on Firefox, someday it will be nice on IE6 too

I'm not going to lie, but this is true! That's what I said to my team back in the good old office days.
In development process using the Firefox, don't check your site look in IE6 if you're not finished. You'll be wasting time trying to fix the unfinished project.
The right way is to check IE6 after you finished the development. After that, you can start the long and boring IE6 fixing process ;)
But always be remember that someday it will be nice on IE6 too. There's no thing that can't be displayed correctly in IE6. You'll find the workaround for your problems.

Closing Tips

PNG doesn't work in IE6, so that you'll need this.
CSS browser reset.
CSS browser selector comes in handy when you give up the 6th commandment.

Just Married

Felix — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 00:21:50 -0400

First met in April 2004, I'm married to the lovely Lany in August 31, 2008.
Life would be very different from now on. It's full of fun, full of new inspiration and of course it's full of love. Thanks to the friends and relatives for the support!

Three Types of Website Developer

Felix — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 01:50:58 -0400

I only have a few friends in the industry that studied design-related major, back in the university days. Take Kuswanto of Zeusbox Studio for example. He's a great illustrator and icon artist. He surprisingly was studying biological stuffs and I guess it is obviously far from design.

Before I took a plunge to the design industry. I was a full time programmer and it was the only job type I ever wanted since day one as a computer science student. It was more like a dream come true.
Web design was just a hobby to me. Love the blended art, technology and the fancy things since the rise of the internet.

I never regret the decision for not studying design. Despite I'm really bad with drawing, I found out that having a non-focus / spreading speciality, could turn out to be a great benefits in the industry.

Based on my experience, there are three types of website developer (this includes designer and programmer), and here they are ...

Web Programmer

This usually called the "pure coder" and they are the Jedi Master of backend (ex: PHP, JSP), or the frontend (AJAX, JavaScript libraries such as: jQuery, script.aculo.us, MooTools). And they also good on database scheme & strategy.
Famous role model: Matt Mullenweg

Web Designer

They handles only the artistic side, and some other visual-and-feel things of the website. They do anything but codes. Usually the person in this category is really good at colors, user interface, Adobe Photoshop ~ Illustrator, pencil and paper sketching.
Famous role model: Dan Cederholm

In Between

This is the category where the person is mastering design and code. Basically they are the magician of the website development. From handling website design, to fully object oriented backend code.
They also have good skills in frontend which is XHTML authoring and Javascript visual fancy effects.
Famous role model: Shaun Inman

I was a Web Programmer, and long story short - right now I'm In Between but not really 50%, but 80% towards to Web Designer. Guess I should consider to take design courses.