David Roessli's Empty Set

Links for 2009-07-02 [del.icio.us]

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:00:00 PDT

WriteMaps Site Map Application.
Create, edit, and share your sitemaps online
HTML5 Doctor
Helping you implement HTML 5 today
Creating Ogg Theora Files on Mac OS X With ffmpeg2theora
The best easy way to create Ogg Theora files on Mac OS X isffmpeg2theora

Links for 2009-07-01 [del.icio.us]

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 PDT

Proudly Announcing: Modernizr | FarukAt.eş
Modernizr is a small JavaScript toolkit that uses feature detection techniques to determine whether or not the current browser is capable of any of the following features from CSS3 and HTML5.

Web Trend Map goes dot com

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 05:17:20 +0100

Earlier this year I mentioned that Information Architects Japan (iA) had published their annual Web Trend Map (v4) onto the Tokyo Metro map.

Well, currently iA is building an interactive version of the Web Trend Map under webtrendmap.com which looks cool. A preview is available on YouTube.

This web app is scheduled to launch July 14th. Stay tuned.

Links for 2009-06-27 [del.icio.us]

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 00:00:00 PDT

APNG - the animated PNG
Animated PNG files that retain backward compatibility with non-animated PNG files, w/support for 8-bit transparency and 24-bit images

Homebound

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 12:45:24 +0100

Waiting in lounge at London City Airport. @media 2009 came to a close yesterday with Patrick announcing he's retiring from web design, development and conference organising.

I'm feeling a little emotional, but I wish to thank Patrick for what he brought to this industry in general and to me in particular. The people I met, the talks I followed, the post conference chatting over the last 5 years have opened my eyes and broadened my horizon, both on a personal and professional level.

It's not the end… Web Directions will be picking up the event from next year, so we'll meet again ;)

Thanks mate for everything and best of luck!

Currently playing in iTunes: Nicest Thing by Kate Nash

Links for 2009-06-22 [del.icio.us]

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 00:00:00 PDT

50 Fresh Useful Icon Sets For Your Next Design
Beautiful and free icon sets always come in handy

Do you wonder?

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 01:41:12 +0100

I love Jessica Hagy's doodles and couldn't resist sharing with you her last one which happens to be very relevant on a personal level.

Enjoy.

Orig. Jessica Hagy's This is indexed dated June 23rd, 2009.

The widest smile

Sat, 20 Jun 2009 11:47:47 +0100

It was last Wednesday, around six thirty in the afternoon. Mathias had left for his camp early Monday morning, and was scheduled to call in early evening.

Emma had been sleeping in his bed and wearing his swimming trunks at the pool erlier in the week. The phone rang. She took the receiver and displayed the widest smile I have ever been given to see.

It was not just her mouth and her lips smiling, but her eyes, her face, her body and her soul. She was glowing with happiness. During that short time, that little girl gave the world a gallon of love.

Time stopped. I closed my eyes, burning this image deep into my memory cells, to feed off it at a later, more lonelier stage.

Beyond the words, the sheer energy that radiated over those few seconds made the world a better place. My world at the least.

The irony was that when I was held the receiver, I only had time to hear Mathias' voice before the dialing tone kicked in. Mathias was calling from a public phone booth, and like most late 20th century children, has little or no experience in using coins to place a call, and hence extend it if required. Unfortunately, I couldn't return the call, as I didn't have access the caller id. The state of my home telecom is currently a mess.

I was dumbstruck with disbelief, but happy nevertheless. What went through between Emma and Mathias made up for all the rest. Sometimes quantity is irrelevant, in the light of the quality of what goes through.

Struck by the widest smile, my emotions travelled at the speed of light.

Links for 2009-06-17 [del.icio.us]

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 00:00:00 PDT

PHP Security Guide: Sessions
Topic on session security
Fever° Red hot. Well read.
Fever takes the temperature of your slice of the web and shows you what's hot.

Links for 2009-06-15 [del.icio.us]

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 00:00:00 PDT

Date Duration Calculator: Days between two dates
Handy

Links for 2009-06-14 [del.icio.us]

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 00:00:00 PDT

FancyZoom meet jQuery
Cabel Sasser's FancyZoom to work with JQuery
Highslide JS
Nice left/right arrow control when zoomed

iPhone v3.0 OS MMS and tethering

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 10:19:46 +0100

A quick post to share with you how I managed to activate tethering (Swisscom) on my iPhone 3G running iPhone OS 3.0 (build 7a341).

The 3.0 update was seemless. I downloaded my developer's copy and updated the iPhone via iTunes by opt-clicking the “Check for Update” button in the iPhone summary pane.

I won't go over all the 3.0 new features as they are extensively covered elsewhere. Nevertheless, the update run smoothly and without incident. All new features were instantly available (incl. MMS), except tethering.

If you read around, you'll notice that MMS and tethering may require changing your operator settings. Prior to iTunes 8.2, you could load new operator settings, called a carrier bundle (e.g. Swisscom_CH.ipcc), that enabled them. The files also allows the carrier to enable and disable features such as MMS, data roaming, and tethering, and set their carrier logo etc. Apple have disabled the adding of non-signed .ipcc files in iTunes 8.2, released alongside iPhone OS 3.0. So it wasn't as simple as loading a new set of settings.

Digging around I discovered on Andrew Harrison's weblog you could enable functions by loding a .mobileconfig file:

The solution: .mobileconfig. These files – which can contain similar information to .ipcc files, but for specific functions – are allowed by Apple, and are executed on the phone, not through iTunes.

The idea is simple: you need to build, or find, the .mobileconfig file for your operator, send it to yourself by email, and open it from the iPhone.

I found a list of .mobileconfig on Benm.AT which amongst others offered the Swisscom settings. Check his site for yours.

Base Deutschland
E-Plus Deutschland
Mobilkom Austria A1
O2 Deutschland
Orange Austria
Orange Austria Tethering
Orange Schweiz
Sunrise Schweiz
Swisscom Schweiz
T-Mobile Austria
T-Mobile Austria #2
T-Mobile DE Complete Tarif
T-Mobile Deutschland
Tele.ring Austria
Vodafone Deutschland

You can connect to your iPhone either by bluetooth or with an USB cable. To connect by bluetooth, turn bluetooth on, pair your iPhone and your Mac, and open the bluetooth menubar icon. You'll find an item with the name of your iPhone with a submenu named “Connect to Network”. Select it and your done.

A new network device named “Bluetooth PAN” appeared in my Network Preference pane.

I quickly ran a speed test and obtained 2.8 Mb/s downstream and 0.34 Mb/s upstream which is acceptable. Heck this is the real world…

Checkout the YouTube video “iPhone Firmware 3.0 Beta - Demo of Tethering and MMS (HD)”

I yet have to evaluate the impact on the iPhone's battery life when you tether by bluetooth. Tethering via the USB cable is probably preferable.

Nameless

Sat, 06 Jun 2009 11:39:31 +0100

Up too early again. Literally with the birds and my thoughts, not knowing which awoke me.

Probably my thoughts. There is quite a bit going on lately, on all fronts. Professionally, several dormant projects have bounced back to life all at once, others are gaining in momentum and I am being requested to a take part in a bunch of greenfield projects. I know I shouldn't complain in this day and age - and I'm not - but once again, I come to realise I lack the resources in time and space to concentrate on ventures closer to my heart and soul.

On a more personal level, this nameless draining feeling that has been around for the last few months hasn't subsided as I hoped it would, and it is slowly getting to me. I may not be as resilient as I thought I was.

name•less | ˈnāmlis |
adjective
1 having no name or no known name • deliberately not identified; anonymous
2 (esp. of an emotion) not easy to describe; indefinable

June is a busy month, both socially and professionally. The kids have lots going on, happy events for the most, friends organise parties now the days are longer and the weather dry and warm, the summer music festivals finalise their agendas, it is a fabulous time of year. Lots of good vibes around.

There is also the clients that realise the summer holiday break is only a stone throw away and all wake up at once. This is anticipated, so you deal with it. But looking back at what you hoped to achieve by mid-year, you realise that you're off track. Again.

June is my happy month, but I'm having trouble dealing with it this year.

Currently playing in iTunes: Nicest Thing by Kate Nash

Twitterverse

Thu, 28 May 2009 08:38:16 +0100

Discover the twirl of services and applications that gravitate from or around Twitter. Twitter by all means is a micro social network, but I was surprised to discover a wealth of macro services I had never heard of. I love to be surprised by new uses - and abuses - of a tool I use on a daily basis.

Check out the discussion on Flickr.

Last Day Dream

Thu, 21 May 2009 19:41:01 +0100

Last Day Dream [HD] from Chris Milk on Vimeo.

"Last Day Dream"
a man watches his life pass before him

Produced for the 42 Second Dream Film Festival
Beijing China 2009
www.42x42.com

Shot entirely on Lensbaby Lenses and Canon 5D Mark II SLR Camera

“Taking Your Talent to the Web” is now a free downloadable book

Sat, 18 Apr 2009 11:15:30 +0100

This book was initially published in 2001, and it took me ages to find a copy as it was out of print when I discovered its existance. Eight years later, most of the advice and vision remains true and spot-on.

Download front cover is available as a TIFF image (1.8 MB) and the book as PDF, book galley (9.5 MB) directly from zeldman.com.

Thanks for sharing this with us and releasing it free.

The iTunes Store's missing songs

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 21:05:53 +0100

The iTunes Store introduced variable pricing and states it is 100% DRM free since last Tuesday. Maybe. Maybe not.

I have regularly updated my iTS purchases to the 256kbps ACC/DRM free versions as they became available, so I naturally assumed that I was one upgrade away from having a 100% DRM free iTunes Library.

I selected to upgrade the few albums and tracks that iTunes suggested, and ran a search by curiosity to find any remaining .m4p files on my hard drive. I was hoping to find close to none.

Surprisingly, I still have over 200 tracks which are in .m4p format, some of which are iTunes Exclusive (EP). I checked the iTS to see if those tracks/albums were still available or not, and unsurprisingly, they were not. When they were, they appeared under that weird iTunes 'partial album' denomination, with missing songs (often the bonus track was missing).

Among the missing albums were some purchased a day or two ago. Among those still in .m4p format I found,

Billy Cobham | Heroes
Sophie Hunger | Monday's Ghost
Lamb | What Sound
Nightmares on Wax | In a Space Outta Sound
Aloan | We Play
Albert Hammond Jr. | Yours to Keep
Ane Brun | Spending Time with Morgan
Archie Sheep & NHØP | Looking at Bird
dEUS | 7 Days, 7 Weeks
Jay-Jay Johanson | The Long Term Physical Effects…
Lisa Ekdhal
Massive Attack | Unleashed
Nina Simone | Little Girl Blue
Nouvelle Vague | Bande à Part
Pat Metheny Group | The Way Up
Queen | The Platinum Collection
South | Live Sessions
Thelonious Monk | Monk, Alone in Paris
Victoria Tolstoy | My Sweedish Heart
Wynton Marsalis | Live Session (iTunes Exclusive)
Us3 | Schizophonic

I wonder what this means? Did Apple fail to upgrade all the tracks and pulled out those they couldn't? Or did they have some kind of deadline they didn't manage to meet, and the missing tracks will silently trickle back in?

TidBITS Talk users report that the switch isn't complete possibly because Apple couldn't acquire resale rights for DRM-free versions or simply because the tracks ae not yet available in iTunes Plus format.

What are web standards?

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 09:56:08 +0100

An interview of Jeffrey Zeldman on web standards by Big Think. Found in the daily report on zeldman.com.

Just under ten minutes with the man without whom the web standards would probably not have taken off. Author of “Designing With Web Standards” which was probably the most enlightening book I have ever read in my field.

I was lucky enough to meet him at the first edition of @media 2005 where he gave the opening talk. That event was awesome, just as those that followed, but the first one really lifted me off the ground. If you are into web design conferences don't miss this year's edition end of June.

Web Trend Map v4

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 14:14:09 +0100

Information Architects Japan (iA) have published their annual Web Trend Map (v4) which lists the top 50 most influential domains (333), and the people (111) associated with them onto the Tokyo Metro map.

The domains and people are selected by the iA research team based on their own set of criterias. The result, eventhough subject to discussion, is astonishing.

Overall, the content is very anglo-centric - is this a surprise? - both in the domains selected and the people. I was surprised not to find the BBC or Al Jazerra on the broadcasting line. On the other hand, how do you decide what is important in cultures/languages you don't share or speak? I have very little insight in the Asian views and usages of the web. I don't read african or chinese weblogs and I am not subscribed to any japanese RSS feeds. I guess the ISPs have usage stats that provide leads to a the global view, but a better image could maybe be provided by the users themselves. I think this is the approach iA partly adopted.

Information Architects Japan are the guys who wrote that great article “Web Design is 95% Typography” back in 2006.

I especially enjoy the mapping skills that have been deployed to produce this map. I can spend hours just navigating through it. I admit, visual display of quantitative data fascinates me. I'm a sucker for maps and graphs.

I love Jessica Hagy's Indexed weblog { PUBLISHED WEEKDAY MORNINGS as the COFFEE BREWS } which delivers fresh and unusual ways to apprehend the current zeitgeist through a line or pie chart. Funny and very creative. Spring and good intentions,

I remember ordering the first Map of the Internet from ThinkGeek back in 1999 and being captivated by its exploration (just like the one Vint Cerf showed at Lift 2009). The Opte Project offers visual representations of the Internet, quite like my 10 year old map. Map of the Internet, Jan 2005,

It was about at the same time I discovered the works of Edward Tufte, an expert in the presentation of informational graphics such as charts and diagrams. ”Visual Explanations: Images and Quantities, Evidence and Narrative”, “The Visual Display of Quantitative Information” are all time favourites of mine. Just up my street.

More recently, I found interesting visual representations at xkcd (A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language), namely a map of online communities,

Or a map of the internet IPv4 space 2006,

Anyway, all this to tell you to check out iA's latest revision of the Web Trend Map. Enjoy.

Coeur à Choeur

Sat, 04 Apr 2009 10:28:52 +0100

Last night I discovered the Chorale des Bains' new show named “Choeur à Coeur” at La Traverse in the Paquis.

So much more than a traditional choir, the Chorale des Bains delivers a full fledge show, tied up in a neat choreography, full of surprises and good ideas.

You are lead by the hand through their passion for populars songs, discovering their connivance with their choir leader, laughing and smiling throughout the performance. Set after set, costumes change, new accessories appear and the stage balance changes. There isn't a dull moment.

The show is rich, dynamic, high in colours, funny and delicately layed out with all the necessary ingredients for you to spend an enjoyable moment. You won't regret it.

Hurry up and book a seat, it ends tomorrow (Sunday 5 April 2009).

On a more personal level, yesterday was the first time we left the children babysit themselves. Time is going by at an astonished speed lately. Mathias and Emma are growing up fast, and I am having more and more trouble retaining the sands of time from trickling through my closed fingers…

La Traverse
rue de Berne 50
1200 Genève
Booking 022 909 88 94

I Can Make You A CSS Zen Master

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 22:04:20 +0100

I Can Make You A CSS Zen Master from Andy Clarke on Vimeo.

LOL

Ori: For a Beautiful Web Blog

Volchok

Sat, 28 Mar 2009 14:22:41 +0100

Last night I lived one of those magical moments life is punctuated with.

We walked down the road to the place Audéoud, at Chêne-Bougeries, to take part of the Festival des 20 ans du Théâtre-Cirqule. Three circus tents, a friendly bar tent and scores of little caravans take up the green parish green. The atmosphere is set by stripes of little coloured bulbs hanging from one pole to another.

We headed for the oval red tent where Trottola was performing “Volchok” that evening. Stalls where located on either side of the stage with two distinct entries. Immediately, an intimate feeling grew to wrap you up.

The show was composed of three artists, comedians, equilibrists, clowns, acrobats, humans. All at once. Not only do they perform their act, but lead you from one act to another, creating and developing their personas as they go on. Wordless musical storytellers, they slowly build a magical world and suck you in with them.

The live soundtrack is upheld by two instrumentalists that make use of everything and anything to colour the sound dimension to the rhythm of the action.

The trio exploit their physical differences and talents to the extreme throughout the show. Titoune, a slim and slender young women flies through the airs, defying gravity and the boundaries of the tent. Bonaventure Gacon, her large beardy companion lifts and stumbles, climbs and carries everything and everyone. Mads Rosenbeck, the fine art juggler, questions most of the laws of physics by dancing with a dress on the end of his broom (magical!), stopping an ever falling plate, pushing around a chair steady on two feet.. amazing.

This is not the circus you grew up to know. It is of a new kind. The kind that goes to the essentials. No strass or shiny costumes. Things are crude here. Dusty. Natural. Exciting.

A evening I am not ready to forget. Enchanted, it lifts us into a new dimension. More natural, more human.

You leave lightheaded and dizzy with pleasure. Eyes sparkling, with a wide smile spread accross the face.

I want more.

Festival de cirque du Théâtre Cirqule
Place Audéoud
Chêne-Bougeries
Booking and info 079 305 28 41
Check out Trottla's Tour dates.