» Smart Phones, Web Design, Google or whatever
Archive for July, 2009
CSS Shorthand
Jul 31st
Looking around for my last CSS post about cross-browser transparency I ran into a post about 5 Cool CSS Tricks on BrightCherry.co.uk by a dude named Maruf which reminded me of some other cool CSS that I find useful. Here is one of those – CSS Shorthands.
CSS Shorthand
CSS can get quicker and easier to use if you know some of the shorthand properties (more CSS shorthand properties). For example you could code a background image and its placement like this:
CSS Shorthand for Background
.backgrnd {
background-image: url(images/background.jpg);
background-position: top center;
background-repeat: no-repeat;
}
You could do it that way or you could use shorthand:
.backgrnd {
background: url(images/background.jpg) top center no-repeat;
}
CSS Shorthand for Font
.maxedoutfont {
font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
font-size: 12px;
line-height: 14px;
font-weight: bold;
font-style: italic;
font-variant: small-caps;
}
You could do it that way or you could use shorthand:
.maxedoutfont {
font: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif 12px/14px bold italic small-caps;
}
Note that, as Maruf mentioned in his post, you must specify at least the font-family and font-size. If you do not specify line-height, font-weight, font-style or font-variant then normal (the CSS defaults) will be used/inherited.
Cross browser CSS Transparency
Jul 31st
I had to rip this off of Chris Coyier’s www.css-tricks.com because I want to be able to find it more easily.
.transparent_class {
filter:alpha(opacity=50);
-moz-opacity:0.5;
-khtml-opacity: 0.5;
opacity: 0.5;
}
Also from the same post, this info defines what the different parts of this code do:
opacity: 0.5: most versions of Firefox, Safari, and Opera
This is the “most important” one because it is the current standard in CSS. This will work in most versions of Firefox, Safari, and Opera. This would be all you need if all browsers supported current standards. Which, of course, they don’t.filter:alpha(opacity=50): Internet Explorer
-moz-opacity:0.5: Netscape
You need this one to support way old school versions of the Mozilla browsers like Netscape Navigator.-khtml-opacity: 0.5: old versions of Safari (1.x)
This is for way old versions of Safari (1.x) when the rendering engine it was using was still referred to as KTHML, as opposed to the current WebKit.
NEXT
CSS Shorthand
Gmail’s New POP3 Option
Jul 30th
When you choose to use Gmail for your POP3 email client instead of using a POP3 email client (like Thunderbird, Outlook etc… some) email programs show both your Gmail address and your POP3 email’s address.
I do this at work because I prefer Gmail for its superior spam protection, and because when I want to access my email I don’t have to be at my home or office, and I don’t need to worry about transferring emails, settings and such every timwe I get a new computer. So at myemail@gmail.com I get email from mywork@myjob.com, and until now some email programs would show my emails as:
From myemail@gmail.com on behalf of mywork@myjob.com
Not so cool, but now I don’t have to face that.
Read the Gmail blog post that explains how to do this…
New Gmail POP3 settings
Blackberry Tour
Jul 30th
The Blackberry Tour has no Wi-Fi, but it does have a full HTML browser. So if you are a jetsetter and enjoy the freedom of being able to go to your favorite spots and “jack in” to the Internet via Wi-Fi, you might not want to switch. But if you don’t mind relying on 3G Networks you are in for a blast!
I understand the Blackberry (as a brand) is THE smartphone to use if you are choosing your phone for business. The iPhone has lots of hype, but Blackberry has the market. Now according to the Blackberry site the tour features features Texting, Phone (duh?), Browser (Internet, Email, Instant Messaging, Social Networking), GPS, Organizer, Blackberry maps, Caera and Video and more more more!
BlackBerry Tour 9630 Review — Hands On (7:59)
By Wirefly.com
MORE BLACKBERRY TOUR LINKS
Where To Buy Blackberry Tour
GadgetReview Links for Blackberry Tour
BoyGeniusReport.com Linnks for Blackberry
CrackBerry.com Pictures of Blackberry Tour
User-friendly ‘Darknets’ may become a Reality
Jul 27th
ZDNet ran a story recently called Researchers create browser-based ‘darknet’ that sheds favorable light on computer manufacturer HP, and gives some credit to Google Chrome, Mozilla and Firefox. Evidently HP has come up with a browser-based darknet (Wikipedia – Darknet) that they have no intention of patenting, copyrighting or making into anything more than an open source their idea.
Advances in JavaScript engines, such as Google’s Chrome V8 and Mozilla’s TraceMonkey, have also helped make browser-based darknets possible, according to Wood. These engines allow browser-based communications to be set up quickly and encrypted. The Veiled darknet uses RSA public key cryptography, but any cryptography will work.
So thank HP for getting the ball rolling and pushing the envelope with new browser advancements and the promise of simpler file sharing, but expect the open source community to have to actually write the code for the project since HP isn’t sharing code.
MORE DETAILS
Read ZDNet – Researchers create browser-based ‘darknet’
Read HP – Hello darknets, my old friend…
Read Slashdot – Researchers Build a Browser-Based Darknet
Chrome Missing Print Selection
Jul 27th
Google Chrome is a great browser. I think its great that the separate tabs run separate processes that can crash separately from one another so that a crash in one tab doesn’t close all of them, and I like that Chrome is fast.
But, Chrome is missing some mainstream features that can make it a little aggravating, and the one that comes to mind is that there is no Print Selection feature. This means when I want to print just part of a page – and I do often to save paper and ink – I need to copy and paste the link into another browser.
It is a minor issue, but I sure hope Google addresses it sooner rather than later. If you happen to know **why** this feature is mising from Chrome, please drop a comment, I’d like to know.
Prototype for Xbox 360 – Alex Mercer is Alive!
Jul 26th
Prototype for the Xbox 360 has 2 cool stories behind it. First is the acquisition of the game by Activision, and the interesting story of the game’s details as they unfold.
Prototype for the Xbox 360 has some pretty cool features I haven’t found in any other post-game credits. First is that there is actually some audio worth listening to as the credits begin rolling, sort of like when a movie is over and you get those unexpected bits after the movie in the credits. Second is that time was actually spent making the credits interesting with visuals, and third, perhaps the most exciting, there is a prompt on the screen to press A to skip or end the credits. So you don’t have to walk away while the credits roll by … Thanks Activision.
MORE
Gmail July Wrap-up
Jul 26th
Wow! I’ve missed a lot of features lately…
Gmail came out of Beta (hooray!); announced you can now retrieve your password via text message from your cell phone (you must turn this feature on and priovide your mobile number for security purposes); launched a new feature showing their “super-trustworthy anti-phishing key” graphically you an email has been pre-filtered (in Gmail Labs); Gmail’s Tasks has graduated out of Labs, and is Gmail Lab’s first proud graduate; images in Contacts are now displayed automatically if you’ve emailed them twice (so far); and most recently launched a new feature to aid unsubscribing newsletters.
Hurry on over to these articles and read the details since I’ve just come back from vacation I’ve not added any comments or opinions except the simple “hoorray” that Gmail is out of Beta.
