*HOT TECHNOLOGY TIPS page 3 *
Graphic/Web Design Techniques for a Starter
Offer to provide them services, pro bono. Doing work for a client, even if its not paid work, is excellent experience and a great resume-builder. If you get a few of these jobs under your belt, it shows potential employers that you are motivated and that you know how to work with clients, which is one of the more challenging aspects of design. Another great aspect of working with clients is that it helps with networking. If you do a good job for them, they are liable to recommend you to someone else, who might be a paying customer or a potential employer. But even if it doesn't lead directly to paying work, it builds your network, which is the next major thing to work on.
Tools for Creating an Interactive Infographic
- 10 free tools for creating infographics
- tableau.com Visualize and Share Your Data in Minutes For Free
Graphic Design Classes
Creativelive.com offers TONS of free courses
that
you view live online. Short of actually going to a class they are excellent. If you can't view them live,
they do rebroadcast once, and after that, the cost to purchase the course is reasonable (and you get files
you can download, including notes from the class). The instructors are of high quality, and the courses
range from beginner to advanced and are in many categories. If you watch live, you can ask instructors
questions in the chat room. If you buy a course you can watch it over and over while you work on your own
files. If creativelive was around when I was a student I would have saved tons of tuition $$$$ and started
my business decades earlier. Classes are available for every level of experience ... or inexperience.
Another great thing about creativelive is the focus on developing your business and working with clients.
Art schools I attended assumed I was looking for creative stimulation, not gainful employment. It is hghly
recommend this site for learning things the first time and for continuing education.
No Junkmail top
FREE Junk Busters
No Advertising - Get rid of all of this crap on my screen
Do Not Call - cell phone and land line
MOBILE SITES
2012 Jakob Nielsen's article about the difference between a mobile version of a website and a mobile app for a smartphone and recommendations for what to do now vs. what will be common practice later.
UI Diversity Kindle Fire usability study concluded, you need a separate app with a separate UI to deliver decent usability. Report on iPad usability for tablet usability.
293-page report on Usability of Mobile Websites and Applications with 210 design guidelines and 479 screenshots is available for download.
Basic iPhone
Styling
DRY stands for "Don't Repeat Yourself" and is a software development principle stating that
"Every piece of knowledge must have a single, unambiguous, authoritative representation within a
system." The term was coined by Andrew Hunt and David Thomas in their book The
Pragmatic Programmer (Addison-Wesley).
NETWORK TOOLS top
TitanPad
If you're looking to work with colleagues who might be located in different places, TitanPad might be
just the application you require. The application can be customized for a number of different uses, but at
its essence it Provides a shared space for visitors to coordinate work on documents and to also discuss
their work via a specialized chat window. Visitors don't need to sign up, and the site also includes a
blog for information about updates and so on. This version is compatible with all operating systems.
Weebly
create a free website and blog. The program uses a drag and drop website editor, so users just need to
move
the videos, pictures, maps, or text they want into place. Weebly provides the hosting, and they also offer
over seventy professional templates. There is also a special version available for educators and schools.
Visitors are required to register online, and this version is compatible across all operating
systems.
Wordle
Create a "word cloud", visitors just provide the text, and the application will generate these
"clouds", which give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently. Users can tweak
the
clouds with different fonts, layouts, and color schemes. On the website, visitors can look at samples that
use the US Constitution and other pieces of text. This version is compatible with all operating systems.
Quizlet
Allows students and teachers to create flashcard sets and they
can also share their flashcards with friends via email, Facebook, or MySpace. The site has a great
"How
do I?" section that provides many answers to how to best use the program. Quizlet is compatible with
all operating systems.
Wallwisher
Make an online notice board? Visitors can use the application to put up just about any item on their wall,
including video clips, audio files, drawings, photographs, and so on. "Walls" can be set so only
certain individuals can have access to them, and visitors do not need to sign up an account to get
started.
This version is compatible with all operating systems.
SEO Tools top
WC3 Validation Mark Up Service
Webpage Backward Compatibility Viewer
Asirra (Animal Species Image Recognition for
Restricting Access)
is a HIP that works by asking users to identify photographs of cats and dogs. This task difficult for
computers, but our user studies have shown that people can accomplish it quickly and accurately. Many even
think it's fun! Asirra is free and helps protect your site from spammers.
Asirra is a human interactive proof that asks users to identify photos of cats and dogs. It's powered
by
over two million photos from our unique partnership with Petfinder.com.
When scanning an image that has already been printed, you may see a moire pattern from the halftone dots in the image. If your scanner doesn't have a de-screen option, experiment to find a resolution that minimizes the moire. Often, a resolution equal to or double the printed line screen will work. Once you get a fairly good scan, use Photoshop's Gaussian Blur filter (at a setting of less than 1 pixel) to slightly blur the moire until it's not visible, and then apply an Unsharp Mask to sharpen the image back up. You may also improve the scan by rotating the image slightly, which changes the halftone screen angles. Rotating 45 degrees works well for black-and-white images, but with CMYK images you'll need to experiment.
Helpful Addresses top
Free resource links to Newspapers, Libraries
Free Email Address Directory POP3 email services store your mail on a server, ready for you to retrieve using an email client such as Outlook Express or Eudora.