Today ComCreations completed the launch of the Anacapa School’s new online portal. The new site replaces a nearly 10 year old design. By using WordPress and a theme based on Modularity Lite, the new site allows the office staff to make easy updates, as well as feature various school events and activities on the front page with a gorgeous slideshow that automatically pulls photos from the most recent “Latest News” posts. This project was the result of a tremendous effort by all of the faculty and staff at the school whom all contributed to the revision of Anacapa’s online presence.
Posted December 15, 2010 at 19:05. Add a comment
With the corporate board approval of the United and Continental airline merger the two companies launched a new Web site to promote the idea of creating the world’s largest airline. For those of us in cities serviced by both airlines this might ultimately mean that there are fewer flight times and fares for our destinations, however that remains to be seen. What is known is that if the merger is approved, the unified airline will be known (appropriately) as United but will bear the Continental globe logo and font. Is it just me or does this look like an alternate reality from a Hot Tub Time Machine malfunction? This livery design is not an upgrade. The serif font and 1980′s AT&T-like logo is a side-grade from Continental’s current look and a downgrade from United’s relatively new branding.
Posted May 3, 2010 at 10:48. Add a comment
I read the now (in)famous Steve Jobs “Open Letter to Adobe Flash” last week. Jobs did an excellent job explaining his position. I agree that the insecure and proprietary system that seemed poised to dominate the web 8 years ago was misguided. The best sites on the Web don’t rely heavily on Flash (except for maybe YouTube, which may soon adopt HTML 5 video tags) and most of us browsers are sent searching for the “skip intro” button as soon as we see some lengthy splash page animation. Madison Avenue has finally come to realize that Flash frustrates and have dialed it back. That and the push for compatibility with mobile devices has stemmed some of Flash’s growth.
However, I find it ironic for Steve Jobs to compare Flash’s proprietary model to that of the iPhone/iPad, yet go on to say that being proprietary is ok for us (Apple) but not for them (Adobe). His crusade against Flash, while it has some merit, seems more like corporate bullying. These are the same or similar tactics that Bill Gate’s tried early on in the browser wars of the last decade in a format held over from before the PC (see Gate’s Open Letter to Hobbyists which attacked open source before the term “open source” existed).
While I don’t agree with what I believe to be Job’s mostly self-serving motivations, I am happy to see the creative ways that hackers and coders have make other technologies work for them in place of Flash. On the Full Channel site that I maintain we have had a Flash slideshow on the main page for some time. It has been an easy way to keep the site fresh and visually interesting, something we would not have been able to easily do without Flash just a few years ago. However, our slideshow began showing up as a mystery box on more and more devices that did not support Flash.
With the release of the iPad and the ever-increasing sight of passersby engrossed in their iPhones it seemed that this Flash-disabled audience was reaching critical mass. So, today I retired the site’s increasing incompatible .swf slideshow in favor of Jon Raasch’s very simple and elegant jQuery Slideshow. I like that jQuery’s motto is “write less do more.” jQuery is a lighter duty alternative to memory-intensive Flash and it works on many mobile devices including Apple’s. That and I feel a special kinship with Raasch as he too must also be spending a lifetime explaining that in fact there are two “A’s” in his last name.
This dual may not be over between Apple and Adobe. The fervor over Job’s letter is just beginning.
For more on this: Ars Technica has a nice piece today arguing that “Apple is presenting users with a false choice between Adobe’s proprietary software and Apple’s walled garden.”
Posted May 2, 2010 at 22:50. 1 comment
UC Santa Barbara Computer Science Professor Dr. Ben Zhao joined us on the radio this morning to talk about the privacy implications in the exploding social media scene in the wide world of Web 2.0. Listen to the podcast.
Posted March 9, 2010 at 10:40. Add a comment
This fall my colleague Timothy Grigsby and I started a new public affairs and eclectic music public radio show called Intents & Purposes on KCSB/KJUC Santa Barbara. Our latest episode features studio guests from City at Peace Santa Barbara, a non-profit organization helping teenagers to create safe, peaceful and productive lives through performing arts. Their group is hosting a climate awareness gathering tomorrow along with others around the world called Project 350. Also we featured music tracks from Systems Officer, David Bazan among others and a special international block.
Posted October 23, 2009 at 22:30. Add a comment
Make your own at wordle.net
Posted March 20, 2009 at 00:36. Add a comment
For those of you using WordPress and a Mac be warned before you upgrade to the Safari 4 beta: Building The Perfect Beast » Blog Archive » Safari 4 Breaks Some WordPress Features.
Posted February 28, 2009 at 15:08. 2 comments
This is the first day of the new site design. I realized that I had far too much fragmentation online so I decided to make this site a single portal to the work I am doing. Periodically there will be posts in the main blog as well as updates here about what’s new inside. Have a look around, check out the photos, and please, make some comments.
-LCM
Posted February 18, 2009 at 02:08. Add a comment
