The site is a collaboration between myself, Rich Clark, Bruce Lawson, Jack Osborne, Remy Sharp and Tom Leadbetter. We met at FOWD to discuss HTML 5 and ended up making a commitment to spread the word about the upcoming standard and how it can be used now. That’s right, if you haven’t yet heard already you can use many HTML 5 elements now and even some of it’s more advanced technologies like <video>. Of course, you can’t quite expect all browsers to play nicely yet, particularly everyone’s favourite IE, but we’ll be giving the best advice we can to making things work.

If we have yet to answer something you have a question about, you can ask the doctor and we’ll see what we can do. If you have topic you’d like to write about, contact us and share your thoughts.

So what are you waiting for? Head on over to HTML 5 Doctor to learn more about HTML 5. Also, what would this post be without a shameless plug for my own article? Check out Understanding <aside> to learn about a misunderstood, but semantically useful, new element.

I won’t be entirely offline, my hotel will provide Wi-fi access and I’ll be bringing my Macbook. The main reason for this is somewhere to unload and upload any photos I take with my new Olympus e420 or any video from my Flip. Of course, whenever I am online I’ll update twitter to let anyone interested know what exciting things I have been up to.

I’ve been really looking forward to this trip, it’s my first time abroad and my first time in such a large plane. I’ve been in a small plane before, but nothing like what I will be flying in and certainly not for that length of time! If anyone has any recommendations for things to do/see in Penticton or Vancouver, feel free to let me know in the comments.

IE6 Update is like most of the anti-IE6 scripts out. It delivers a helpful message to encourage IE6 users to update, linking them directly to where they can do so. However, the sneaky part of this script is it displays the message as if it was a built-in IE6 message. These messages are often used to alert users to missing ActiveX plug-ins, and fresh installs of IE will use the same message style to notify the user of things like turning on and off auto-complete or the use of a security certificate.

It’s a clever idea and it may be enough to sway users to upgrade, possibly because they will believe it is absolutely necessary even though that is not completely true. While I don’t agree 100% of this tactic, it could help to diminish the IE6 user count even further. I am far from alone in thinking that is a good thing ;)

Scripts that encourage IE6 users to update, or even scripts and css rules that change a page to a lo-fi version, are not new. Each provide subtle, or not so subtle, nudge to users of this ancient browser to either get IE7/8 or even switch to Firefox, Safari or Opera.

I don’t support IE6 on my own site, as I said in my previous post, and since I don’t get a large amount of IE6 traffic I don’t see the need in adding one of these scripts here on akamike. However, I support most movements that push to get rid of that pain-in-the-ass browser that has plagued our industry for so long.

For a long time my twitter stream has been filled with updates mentioning me working on a new akamike design, each time referring to a completely different concept to what I last tried. In a few days I have made a push to get this designed, built and put live so I can finally stop over-thinking it!

I’m very happy with the result, it is everything I need right now. Of course, I am open to the idea of expansion in future but I don’t need most of what version 2 had. I had no need for a work section, and my extras page was rarely updated because I didn’t have the time to create things to share. If I do need such sites I will likely make them standalone sub-domains. This is now just a blog.

There are a few things I have yet to clean up. The one that most people will notice is the background isn’t too sharp and doesn’t use the right colours. Truth be told, I am missing the original PSD and can’t quite get the replace colour feature of Pixelmator to do the job on the flat PNG. Other problems will come from backwards compatibility with older posts, but most visitors are unlikely to be reading them!

I am not supporting IE6 in this version, IE6 users aren’t my target audience and the share of IE6 users visiting this site is extremely low. We still support IE6 at Lift but I don’t in my personal work unless absolutely necessary.

Please leave your feedback in the comments! I am completely open to suggestions as to what I can improve or even just a few ego-boosting pats on the back ;)

Oh, and as with the launch of version 2, here is a screenshot of the previous version for posterity:

UPDATE: I just found out that the comments form wasn’t working. This has now been fixed, so please submit your comments again :)

Each year on the 9th of April, websites all over the web strip off their CSS coating to leave only the (x)HTML. This lasts for one international day, so while it is still the 9th somewhere in the world this site will be naked.

Not only is this day a bit of fun, but can prove to be a learning experience too! Looking at my site without CSS it is clear I have made a few odd choices when marking up and styling it, particularly with the supplementary content.

Want to take part? Strip off the CSS from your own site and check the CSS Naked Day web page for more details!

Finally, a little amusement from explaining today to Sasha:

Sasha

What is CSS Naked Day?

Mike

You know how we use CSS to style webpages? Well…

Sasha

You’re going to code CSS naked?!

After using deal sites to save money on games, I felt the need to hunt down anime deals to expand my own anime DVD collection. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be any other sites dedicated to this. Occasionally I will find deals on HotUKDeals but reports can be rare. I decided to fix this problem myself, so I purchased the domain and quickly put together a Wordpress blog with simple custom theme.

I plan to seek out anime DVD deals at least once a day and post up my findings, to share them with other UK anime fans. Anime in the UK is a bit messy, with delayed or even non-existent releases. The releases we do get are often expensive or hard to find. Even anime on TV only seems to be whatever is hot in America, usually with bad dubbing or a lot of content removed. With AnimeDeals I can spread awareness of deals in these difficult times and maybe even build a community around it.

Of course, I would be lying if I said I don’t get a little something extra out of this. I am using affiliate links where possible to gain a little revenue from the site. However, I don’t expect this to be much but hopefully it will cover the sites costs. These are low at the moment but if the site gains popularity I will need to put a bit of money towards it’s own hosting and other things. This also gives me a chance to experiment with affiliate services, and maybe further advertising as the site grows.

That doesn’t mean I won’t post deals from sites I am not affiliated with. My primary goal is still to build a community around the site. I am aiming for the site to grow into a service where users can share their own deal findings, discuss and review their purchases (through AnimeDeals or not). I feel there is a lot of potential here and I am keen to see how far I can take it. I also have a number of ideas for tools to help manage the site, which will be interesting to develop and hopefully prove to be useful experience.

For now the site will only promote DVD deals, but I do intend to expand into other merchandise such as posters and models.

If you’re an anime fan in the UK, visit the site to check out the latest deals. Don’t forget to subscribe or follow the @animedeals Twitter account.

I can’t start this post with anything other than the fantastic Pure Reason Revolution, a progressive rock/new prog band from right here in England. In fact, two of the members originate from Reading! I have tickets to see them at the beginning of March, a few days before the release of their second album: “Amor Vincit Omnia”. However, the album was leaked a little while ago and I just couldn’t resist downloading it to check it out, though it should be noted that I have already pre-ordered a physical CD copy.

The album is brilliant. PRR have gone for more synth sounds than their previous, but equally amazing, “The Dark Third”, but it is a welcome change. It just suits them! I am completely addicted to “Victorious Cupid”, “Deus Ex Machina” and “Les Malheurs”, but still love every song. I cannot wait to hear them play this live. Fun fact: “Victorious Cupid” times perfectly with my walk from the bus stop to the studio in the mornings, so it has become a habit to listen to it each time.

Next up is the highly-anticipated 4th dredg album. I only started listening to dredg last year, after meaning to do so for so long, and they quickly rose to become a definite favourite of mine. They are a progressive/alternative rock band from California, with some very impressive work to their name. “El Cielo” is a masterpiece and “Catch Without Arms” is excellent, so I have very high hopes for what comes next. The way they experiment with sound and not have it sound awful is very promising and inspiring. However, the album has been delayed from the 24th of March to April.

Porcupine Tree have also announced that they are recording their next album, to be released by September for another tour. PT is another progressive rock band, from England, with very experimental sounds that often cross multiple genres within one song. While it took a while for their last album, “Fear of a Blank Planet”, to sink in I still love it. “In Absentia”, “Deadwing” and “Stupid Dream” are also amazing albums, containing many of my favourite songs. At the time of writing this, their official site seems to be failing to load so I can’t gather much more about the new album, but I am sure it won’t disappoint!

What is most likely my number one band have also announced a new album will be appearing sometime in the near future. I am talking about the incredible Oceansize. Their 2007 release, “Frames”, is brilliant, with fantastic songs like “Savant” and “The Frame”. Ever since first listening to Oceansize, however long ago that was, their music has had a hold on me like no other band. Days of listening to “Effloresce” and “Everyone into Position” were certainly not wasted, “Frames” only adding to that audio bliss. I really cannot wait to hear this new album, and I really hope that it will be released this year.

And it doesn’t end there! Oceansize’s “brothers-in-amp”, Amplifier, have announced that their double album, “The Octopus”, is coming this year! For a while now they have quietly been working on both their 3rd and 4th albums, which seem to have been merged into this one release. “Insider” and their self-titled album were awesome, and I expect they will have many excellent songs in this behemoth, as the band is defining it.

This is shaping up to be an amazing year for music, and I’m sure there is more to look forward to. Are there any upcoming releases that I have missed that you think I should keep an eye out for? Spread the word in the comments!

EDIT: I can’t believe I forgot this, but Elliot Jay Stocks is also working on a musical release. He has posted a preview medley which sounds pretty damn good, and it seems to be nearing completion! He has also been blogging his progress, so be sure to check out his site for a behind-the-scenes log and some interesting ideas that have formed during recording.

Another one I missed: Isis have their next album, “Wavering Radiant”, scheduled for release on the 5th of May (with a limited Vinyl release on 21st April). I own both “Panopticon” and “In the Absence of Truth”, which I really should listen to more but still have enough confidence in them and their next album.

At work we went out for lunch to The Packhorse pub, who made lovely food and provided good service. The team bought me Jamie Oliver’s “Cook with Jamie”, which will really come in handy. Clare also arranged for me to have a surprise ice-cream with a candle, which was really nice despite feeling absolutely stuffed by the end! Thanks guys :)

At home I was greeted with gifts and cards from various family members and friends. Mostly I got clothes, all of which I love, plus a 21st mega mug (this thing is huge!). My favorite gifts have to be the drawings that Sash and a couple of our friends drew for me.

Shnell made cat versions of herself, Sash and I in a group picture.

Gifty drew a cat version of me which looks sorta like Pen, who absolutely adores me.

Sash’s is absolutely fantastic! It’s an anime version of me, and it looks amazing for her first attempt at something like this. A wonderful present to mark my 21st!

Sash also bought me Left 4 Dead for Xbox 360, which we stayed up to play. It’s so much fun, I will definitely get lots of play time from it.

My grandparents also have a present for me which I’ll pick up later in the year when I see my parents, but they did make sure I had a card to open on the day :)

Finally, my Mum sent over some money for me to get something really nice for myself, so I think I am going to use it to buy a Flip Ultra. With FOWD and my trip to Canada coming up this year, it will prove to be very useful. I might even post some up here.

Thank you everyone who sent me messages throughout the day! It was a fantastic day :)

There are two locations I check out online for money saving deals, Frugal Gaming and HotUKDeals. Of course, these are UK based and therefore useless to my international readers. However, I welcome everyone to share their deal hunting locations in the comments, UK or not. :)

Frugal Gaming is a blog, updated daily, with deals for Xbox 360, Wii, PS3, PS2, DS, PSP and PC. There have been some fantastic deals listed there, such as the Xbox 360 Wireless Bridge at £33 rather than £60 and word of the Wireless Entertainment Pack (Wireless Controller, Lego Indiana Jones and Kung Fu Panada) for £20. Darren, who runs the site, also updates the Frugal Gaming Twitter account and has just launched a forum so readers can share their own deals and discuss gaming.

HotUKDeals is a digg-like site where users submit tips on deals, vouchers, freebies and more for online and off retail. This site goes beyond gaming, with clothes, DVDs, electricals, music, food and more spread across several main categories. Users can then rate a submitted deal hot (good) or cold (bad) to help other users know what really is a good deal.

For gaming deals, check out the Entertainment section and occasionally look at Computers, as a few get submitted there as well. Don’t forget to look at the new section as well, because some deals don’t last long!

I hope these two sites help with finding some gaming deals of your own, all year round. Share your sources in the comments, and lets all go play some games :D

Ok ok, less ego more information about the conference. Hosted as always by the excellent Carsonified, FOWD London 2009 features another selection of fine speakers:

• Elliott Jay Stocks
• Mark Boulton
• Drew McLellan
• Folkert Gorter
• Jamie Pittock
• Jim Coudal
• Kath Moonan
• Meagan Fisher
• Mike Kus
• Molly Holzschlag
• Robin Christopherson
• Ryan Carson
• Sabrina Dent
• Simon Sankarayya
• And another that has yet to be confirmed!

Some talk details are still undisclosed, but from what I can see on the schedule the conference will be very interesting. I won’t be taking any of the workshops, but I cannot wait to hear/see the speakers and meet up with anyone attending. Feel free to just walk up to me (and Jack Osborne) at the conference and say “Hi”, or preemptively do so in the comments or on Twitter.

I’m pretty excited! Who else is going to be there?