CSS Mania

2008 Top 10 Selections

Monday Jan 05, 2009 · Categories: Yearly Selections.-

Yes, we are back. Time goes by and we have jumped from 2008 to 2009. We will keep another post for the next week to explain what 2008 has meant to us (in terms of CSS Mania feelings). We will not talk about our personal life ... otherwise we should close the web.

So, lets get into our selection, in no particular order (except, as always, the alphabetical one), CSS Mania respects to all of them (non selected designs also).

Oh ... well... they will not

Saturday Jan 03, 2009 · Categories: What's going on.-

Our kids will not be able to have a Wii as the kids in the video below ... not even a gift probably.... but they will be happy also this 2009 cause they will be able to attend to school.

So, let's think this 2009 in all those not having more cause they really can´t have more. As thought, the cost of a Nintendo Wii can make a child in India attend to school for 1 year and a half (including breakfast + lunch at school).

Happy new 2009 for all our CSS Mania readers.

Creme de la Creme - December 2008

Friday Jan 02, 2009 · Categories: Creme de la Creme.-

In no particular order (except the alphabetical one), here is our top 10 selection for the month of December 2008. Enjoy.

The next billionaires

Sunday Dec 21, 2008 · Categories: What's going on.-

Probably this will only be understood by our spanish friends... but... tomorrow 22nd we most likely will be the next billionaires down here. 38132 , that's the number we are playing with.

Queen of Puddings

Monday Dec 15, 2008 · Categories: Site of the Month.-

There's nothing quite like a good pudding. Then again, there is nothing quite like a good website. Farmhouse Fare provides me with the best of both. JavaScript libraries are becoming more and more commonly used everyday. Helen Colley's website shows why. The use of mootools and jquery is excellent and for a largely image intensive site - loading time isn't bad at all. The amount of interactivity without the use of flash is such an added bonus and really helps take this site to the top shelf (right next to those puddings!).

Right from the start you can see the designer has put some love into this piece. The box grid has been broken, chopped up and turned upside down (excellent!) and the overall feel of the site has been pulled off really well. A warm "Farmhouse" feel is demonstrated right from older style photos of Grandma Anderson through to the style of kitchen utensils, cup decorations and photo frames. The use of texture is fantastic. Check out the subtle texture on the wall of the house, the wood grain on the cabinet or the snow on the phone box (not too mention all the shadows). Branding is kept consistent which is a definite must. Whole pages change in look and direction but majority of the time the logo is always prominent and in the same place. A big pat on the back for Farmhouse Fare and their puddings. Anyone else getting hungry?

With usability in mind I handed the website address around the office and started to watch a few people drive this thing. They were all really impressed but I did notice some users where left trying to work out how to "make it move to the next bit". They seemed to forget the navigation up top, not that it's drowned out - it looked like they were just really engrossed in the site - either that or hungry! That leaves me to wonder. Would an arrow either side of the screen allowing the user to move from slide to slide hurt that much? Just comforting and gaining trust from the user to the full extent.

Over 50 pudding awards in five years is pretty outstanding (I had no idea there is so many pudding competitions!) but this site certainly wins an award from me. Top notch Design, usability and very attractive pudding recipes wins me over yet again (or could it be that Christmas spirit). Who knows? Merry Xmas, Happy Holidays. See you in 09.

Matt Evans

Why we are not updating the blog

Friday Dec 12, 2008 · Categories: What's going on.-

Cause we don´t have anything to say. Who knows, maybe tomorrow?

Creme de la Creme - November 2008

Monday Dec 01, 2008 · Categories: Creme de la Creme.-

In no particular order (except the alphabetical one), here is our top 10 selection for the month of November 2008. Enjoy.

Intel ATOM 330 server - Entirely new server

Friday Nov 14, 2008 · Categories: Sponsors.-

Our newest advertiser, SingleHop, a web hosting company in Chicago asked us to make a quick review post about the new server they just launched, the ATOM Dual-Core 330. The processor was originally designed for use in laptops. The Single Core 230 version of the processor was originally deemed not powerful enough to really compete in the server market. Then, in October 2007, everything changed when Intel released a Dual-Core version of the ATOM processor called the 330 series. What a difference!

The 330 ATOM Processor outperformed a similar Pentium 4 2.8 Ghz server by 263% in one MySQL Benchmark test. In fact, in every category the Dual-Core ATOM 330 outperformed the Pentium 4 and Celeron servers it was tested against by a third party testing lab. What does this mean for you, as a webmaster? It means that a dedicated server is no longer out of your reach. At just $99.00 per month, the ATOM is also beats both the P4 and Celeron in price.

Don't take our word for it. Read the benchmark test results here.

They include 13% faster disk reading and writing and a whopping 263% speed increase in MySQL read/write tests.

The server is available now and SingleHop has been kind enough to extend a special offer to all CSS Mania readers: Switch from your Pentium 4 or Celeron server to a SingleHop Dual-Core ATOM 330 server and they'll give you a $50 credit on your second month of service.

For the full server details, please check out this on SingleHop's website.

Find the differences - win an ipod

Wednesday Nov 12, 2008 · Categories: Inspired by.-

You all know we don´t do this normally.... but... well.... we drunk a dozen of beers having lunch, and we are back to the office.... and we are happy , so we have to write about it.

Find the differences between the original one and the copy one and win an Ipod Nano. We are sure you will not find a single difference.

The Talent or The Smart One

Friday Nov 07, 2008 · Categories: Inspired by.-

I recently watched a movie called That Thing You Do, directed by Tom Hanks. It covers the rise of 1960s band The Wonders, and, as you might have suspected, because it's not the household name The Beatles is, also the subsequent fall.

It remains a mostly "rise" movie, because the fall isn't really the focus. (Wow, that's a rough set of sentence structures for the first paragraph of the post. No worries though. I'll get warmed up shortly. Hang in there.)A wonderful concept was introduced to me through this movie. Towards the end, (i.e. "the fall"), the manager of the band tells the drummer, also the main character, that the lead singer is "the talent," whereas the drummer is "the smart one." The drummer ponders this concept, then goes on to jam with a few jazz greats, marry the girl of his dreams, and start a music school in Bainbridge Island, Washington, USA. The lead singer, who was not the focus of this movie, reportedly goes on to start another band which eventually earns a Gold Record for one of their albums.So this is the big question: Are you The Talent, or The Smart One?

The Talent is the one with the temperament, the one who causes greatness as well as distress, the one who has the girl, then loses the girl due to his instability. The Smart One is the person who understands what's happening around him, takes what he's got and reacts in a way that keeps him jamming, whether for fame, fortune, or simply satisfaction. Is he talented? Yes. Is he The Talent? No. If he was The Talent, he would go on to make Gold Records. The Talent, arrogant but understandably so, may not find his place, because his place is no place. His satisfaction is not achieved, his demon is what he has inside of him to keep him doing what he does. Monetary gain is not his muse. The Smart one? He understands what monetary benefits exist, what the sacrifices are, and what decisions should be made based on the circumstances at hand. The Talent is unwavering in his beliefs, his passions, his ideals, his decisions not a reflection of circumstance, but of core beliefs in who he is and what he has to do.You young folks in the crowd might be thinking, "I'm clearly The Talent." You older folks might be thinking, "I'd like to think I'm The Smart one."

Whoever you are, you are designers. You are developers. You put your blood and sweat into your projects (and let's face it, sometimes you only put in half the hours quoted). You do what you do because you know how, and it sure beats the alternative. Whether you're The Talent or The Smart one, I doubt you have any say in the matter. The truth is, those of you with your heads in the clouds thinking you'll win awards and fame for your work will most likely be disappointed. Some might call that sour. I call that real. But I tell ya, I doubt Stefan Sagmeister ever decided to give up and not be The Talent. I doubt David Carson ever thought he was anything but The Talent. Or did they? Maybe they're The Smart ones. Maybe they're the ones that saw what was happening around them, put their talents to work and did the time that made them who they are today. Even Einstein said something significant at some point about genius being a whole heck of a lot of hard work. (You'd think with Google these days a blogger would just look up the exact quote... LAZY. LAZY. Who does this guy think he is? The Talent?)

There's no real conclusion to this post. More of a food for thought sort of thing. (Yes, I hate that cliché too.) Feel free to send me your thoughts.

David Riensche