CrossSlide

I really love Slideshow 2! JavaScript class for creating slideshows. It is super easy to use and customize. The only thing I wish it was based on jQuery instead of MooTools.

Well, I just found CrossSlide. I have not actually tested yet, but from the demo it has the basic functions of Slideshow 2! except the navigation bar. The better thing of course because it is based on jQuery, so I am happy to have this option. I am sure over time more feature will be added.

My full support for Tobia Conforto, the creator for this cool jQuery plugin.

September 28, 2008 | Filed Under Web development | Leave a Comment 

Super Nice Work Desk

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Andrew Listers home office desk

Andrew Lister's home office desk

This is what I want my desk to be! Well, well maybe I need some extra space for my other stuff too like USB cables, which you will need sooner or later, blank CD/DVDs, etc. But it is always nice to see others’ well organized desks.

Picture is taken from Andrew Lister’s Flickr via Unplggd’s post.

September 25, 2008 | Filed Under Uncategorized | Leave a Comment 

Counting Down to Google Android Launch

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This is it, the next big thing that really excites me since the announcement of iPhone a few years ago. I will not comment anything about it yet, as better articles are already all over the web. But this is definitely going to be exciting!

September 23, 2008 | Filed Under Uncategorized | Leave a Comment 

Review: XBMC Remote for iPhone

Website: remote.collect3.com.au

Rating: ★★★½☆

I love my modded Xbox with XBMC. I still believe it is the best and cheapest digital media system that you can get to this date. Until AppleTV can natively run movies in multi format of course.

When hear that XBMC Remote is available on Apple App Store I was so excited and tried to accept the $5 price tag that makes it a middle-priced for an iPhone/iPhone app. I bougth it anyway in the end and hoping it can really work like Apple’s Remote app to control iTunes/AppleTV.

Review Note
A little breakdown on my current system: I use the latest XBMC build by T3CH. I previously used a very old version of XBMC which could not work with this app. More on this below. My Xbox has just a little over 1,000 songs on its library. A IR-receiver is plugged on one of the controller jack and I regularly use my Logitech Harmony remote to control it.
Another thing, I understand this is a very early release so I am sure with a few more updates this app will be a lot better.

Installation
Like all iPhone app from App Store, installation was a breeze. Just click buy and the app will be downloaded and installed on your iPhone. You also need to turn on Web Server function on your XBMC, details provided here.

First Try
On my case after I set everything up, I was having a frustrating time because I could not make the remote work even though it could connect to my XBMC. The app FAQ page just did not give enough information of what to do to solve this. At the end I decided to upgrade my XBMC and it worked.

Interface
It is definitely inspired by Apple’s Remote app for iTunes. All the buttons are nicely done, album cover thumbnails are slow to load but this is something that will be updated on the next release.

Performance
I am going to be super honest here, the performance is not exactly the way that I had hoped for. Everything feels lagging, like when I choose a song it may take a few seconds before it starts playing. Worse, when I click on Songs tab and click Shuffle it will make the app and Xbox freeze and if I am lucky it will start playing a few minutes later. I understand this can be the limitations on my Xbox’s power as XBMC is not only limited for Xbox only but also available on Mac and Linux which may have better processor and memory. But then again this should be something that is mentioned on their product page, considering this is not a free nor a beta version.

Support
Apart from the lack of information on their website, support is something that the developer’s put attention to. They provided forums for people to ask questions and give suggestion. They are also quite responsive when I emailed them regarding my problems.

Price
For $5 I feel this app is a bit overpriced, considering similar app was already developed a year ago for jailbroken iPhone. Maybe I am being too subjective here, but $5 also feels hefty because everything else about XBMC are community-maintained and free.

Conclusion
If you have an Xbox with XBMC and use it a lot, it is nice to be able to browse through your libraries without needing to turn on your TV. If you have a huge music library and need to keep it organized and sync with your iTunes, maybe buying an AppleTV is a better option.

September 18, 2008 | Filed Under Reviews | Leave a Comment 

Characters Window on Mac

More than three years using Mac, I have always been frustrated when I need to type non-regular characters. On Windows I usually had this huge list of ASCII characters list then entered them by pressing ALT + (ASCII code number).

On Mac I think it cannot work that easy, but I maybe wrong. Anyway, just today I just find the better way to do this by accident. Turns out all you need to do is press alt+command+T and it will open the Characters window.

Not all the characters I use are there, but still need to check it more.

September 13, 2008 | Filed Under Applications | Leave a Comment 

Wordpress Automatic upgrade

My new best WP plug-in starting today: Wordpress Automatic upgrade

Seriously, as much as I love active development of super-good web apps/systems, upgrading the ones you are currently using is always a pain. This may need to be done every few months. Well, with this plug-in now I am more than happy to wait for every WP update. Cheers!

Visit plug-in homepage

September 12, 2008 | Filed Under Uncategorized | Leave a Comment 

75 (Really) Useful JavaScript Techniques

I love the guys at Smashing Magazines! I have been collecting and indexing the coolest scripts I find for months, if not years. Now they just posted an article with 75 (Really) Useful JavaScript Techniques. Almost all the ones I like are there and so many more. Thanks!

Read their article here.

September 12, 2008 | Filed Under Web development | Leave a Comment 

Web Developer Browser Extension

Everybody loves Firefox. Even if I use Safari as my main browser most of the time, Firefox’s expandability is still irreplaceable. With so many available themes, plugins and extensions, you can personalize your browser according to your browsing or work behavior.

Firefox toolbar with Web Developer extension

So, what’s my favorite? Since switching to Mac, I do not test out everything one-by-one anymore but I have to say Chris Pederick’s Web Developer extension is one of the best of productivity purpose. It provides you with almost every tool you need as a web developer like customize how the CSS should be displayed, window resize, display outlines (tables, links, frames) and so much more.

For me this is perticularly important and makes everything easier to learn how a site or webpage is built.

This extension is available for Firefox, Flock and Seamonkey, and will run on Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.

Chris Pederick’s Web Developer page link

September 9, 2008 | Filed Under Browser | Leave a Comment 

Graffletopia - Stencils for OmniGraffle

If you use a Mac, you would probably use OmniGraffle to replace Visio as a tool to create diagrams, flowcharts and other similar documents. The coolest thing with it is you can add a list of graphics called stencils from the originally provided ones to make a wider use of the app.

Just today I stumbled on Graffeltopia, a site dedicated to give OmniGraffle users a huge range of free stencil add-ons. These are contributed by users, so expect for the number to keep on growing.

Check it now to start adding your stencils or look for the ones you need for your projects.

September 3, 2008 | Filed Under Applications | Leave a Comment 

Sendloop

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Sendloop by Octech

Sendloop is a promising email marketing service with simple and easy user interface. It is developed by the guys from Octech who created Oempro, a popular email marketing software.

If you have been wanting to promote or manage an email marketing for your website or business, I would recommend to try it. With sleek web 2.0 look & feel, you can easily adjust yourself with the system. I dare to say this because the first email marketing software I used years ago just so hard to adapt, although it worked.

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Clean User Interface

A screenshot of Sendloop's clean user interface

Now with Sendloop and other similar services, everyone can create and manage their own mailing lists for regular newsletter or occasional email blast. This is a hosted service, which means you do not need to install and set it up on your own server. You just need to manage your lists, create your campaigns and send them.

They only charge you when you send email to your list(s). For 1 cent per recipient, this is quite a bargain. If you have 1,000 of subscribed email addresses, you only need to budget $10 for your monthly newsletter. Of course if you have more than 10,000 addresses and you need to send them weekly, considering to install your own newsletter system is a good idea.

One last highlight why I have been following their news recently, because they have this one feature that integrates with Shopify’s webhooks. It will enable you to automatically import your customers email addresses to Sendloop.

More information can be found their website.

September 3, 2008 | Filed Under Web tools | Leave a Comment 

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