Creativity :: Opposite Point of View II
People tend to classify a situation quickly, which causes us to think and respond to it in predictable ways. A creative thinker will think about situations from different angles.
Try this exercise to think of these situations from the opposite point of view.
1. You just found a $10 bill on the ground. List five reasons why this is unfortunate.
2. You just had a fight with your best friend. List five positive things about this.
3. Your sink is full of dirty dishes. List five reasons why this is good.
4. Your significant other surprises you with a romantic dinner. List five reasons why this is bad.
courtesy-Mentalrobics
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Friday, May 30, 2008
Virtual Reality Latest Tool for Doctors
Virtual Reality Latest Tool for Doctors
Strap on the Virtual Reality Goggles and Fear Not, Doctors Assure
By MIKE LEE
LONDON, May 30, 2008
Do you want to be a success at work? Do you want to have better personal relationships? Do you want to worry less? Do you want to have a nicer day? Do you want to be a better lover?
If yes, perhaps you should make room beside your personal growth guides for a virtual reality self-improvement psycho-treatment Kit. It doesn't exist yet, but it may soon become as common as all those how-to books from authors who claim to know the secrets of success.
Daniel Freeman, a Wellcome Fellow at Kings College London, told ABC News that virtual reality therapy can help all of us: "I think it's definitely in the future as the costs come down and the environments are developed. It has a great potential for helping us to improve our social interactions and conqueror our fears in the workplace, home or wherever."
Freeman is one of the scientists who is testing virtual reality technology for treating various kinds of mental and emotional disorders, from post-traumatic stress disorder in U.S. military personnel returning to a fear of flying.
A reminder: you may have already experienced virtual reality technology in an amusement arcade. You put on a helmet or large goggles wired to a computer. You see only what the computer feeds into the screen in your head gear. As you move your head and walk, the computer image simulates your movements and you sense, with sights and sounds, that you are actually in a different world.
Scientists are taking that idea and making it therapeutic.
The basic technique is to allow subjects to experience the things that trigger their fear but in the safe environment of virtual reality.
For instance, a veteran from Iraq who suffers from PTSD might fear a crowd of strangers. But by repeating that virtual experience over and over without injury or traumatic experience, the subject gradually comes to accept that his or her fear is either unproved or unfounded, and is thus better able to cope in the real world.
Strap on the Virtual Reality Goggles and Fear Not, Doctors Assure
By MIKE LEE
LONDON, May 30, 2008
Do you want to be a success at work? Do you want to have better personal relationships? Do you want to worry less? Do you want to have a nicer day? Do you want to be a better lover?
If yes, perhaps you should make room beside your personal growth guides for a virtual reality self-improvement psycho-treatment Kit. It doesn't exist yet, but it may soon become as common as all those how-to books from authors who claim to know the secrets of success.
Daniel Freeman, a Wellcome Fellow at Kings College London, told ABC News that virtual reality therapy can help all of us: "I think it's definitely in the future as the costs come down and the environments are developed. It has a great potential for helping us to improve our social interactions and conqueror our fears in the workplace, home or wherever."
Freeman is one of the scientists who is testing virtual reality technology for treating various kinds of mental and emotional disorders, from post-traumatic stress disorder in U.S. military personnel returning to a fear of flying.
A reminder: you may have already experienced virtual reality technology in an amusement arcade. You put on a helmet or large goggles wired to a computer. You see only what the computer feeds into the screen in your head gear. As you move your head and walk, the computer image simulates your movements and you sense, with sights and sounds, that you are actually in a different world.
Scientists are taking that idea and making it therapeutic.
The basic technique is to allow subjects to experience the things that trigger their fear but in the safe environment of virtual reality.
For instance, a veteran from Iraq who suffers from PTSD might fear a crowd of strangers. But by repeating that virtual experience over and over without injury or traumatic experience, the subject gradually comes to accept that his or her fear is either unproved or unfounded, and is thus better able to cope in the real world.
Ultraportable VIA Nano Processor Announced
VIA Nano Processor Announced, Prepare Ultraportable for Ludicrous Speed
By Danny Dumas May 28, 2008 | AMCategories: Chips, First Looks, Innovations
Isaiahnanotop_2 Last January we saw tech conglomerate VIA announce its line of Isaiah processors. These clever chips were designed to revolutionize mobile computing through a mix of lightning fast computing speeds and low power consumption.
Today it has announced a new processor family and dubbed it Nano. Guess what kind of computers the processors are designed for? The very first 64-bit superscalars and speculative out-of-order processors ever made by the Bejing Taipei based company should provide owners of ultraportables some insane boosts in performance and function.
Now you're probably wondering why you should care.
Imagine now if you would, an utraportable computer like say, the Asus Eee PC. Small computer, great cost, performs reasonably well ... for something of that size. Now imagine the same computer with VIA's Nano processor. Now the computer is running Photoshop without a hiccup. Now the computer is playing Blu-ray movies without a snag. Now the computer is running Crysis at a frame rate that's actually playable.
The new Nano processors will run up to four times faster yet consume the same amount of power as the Isaiah chipsets VIA currently offers. The Lab can't wait to get ahold of a super small lappy running one of these processors inside. Imagine, fragging fools in Crysis on a new OLPC. Ah, the dreams of geeks.
By Danny Dumas May 28, 2008 | AMCategories: Chips, First Looks, Innovations
Isaiahnanotop_2 Last January we saw tech conglomerate VIA announce its line of Isaiah processors. These clever chips were designed to revolutionize mobile computing through a mix of lightning fast computing speeds and low power consumption.
Today it has announced a new processor family and dubbed it Nano. Guess what kind of computers the processors are designed for? The very first 64-bit superscalars and speculative out-of-order processors ever made by the Bejing Taipei based company should provide owners of ultraportables some insane boosts in performance and function.
Now you're probably wondering why you should care.
Imagine now if you would, an utraportable computer like say, the Asus Eee PC. Small computer, great cost, performs reasonably well ... for something of that size. Now imagine the same computer with VIA's Nano processor. Now the computer is running Photoshop without a hiccup. Now the computer is playing Blu-ray movies without a snag. Now the computer is running Crysis at a frame rate that's actually playable.
The new Nano processors will run up to four times faster yet consume the same amount of power as the Isaiah chipsets VIA currently offers. The Lab can't wait to get ahold of a super small lappy running one of these processors inside. Imagine, fragging fools in Crysis on a new OLPC. Ah, the dreams of geeks.
The Seven Deadly Copy Editing Sins
Posted, Jan. 2, 1996
The Seven Deadly Copy Editing Sins
By Anne Glover
Assistant Managing Editor/Copy Desk, St. Petersburg Times
All copy editors strive to be perfect. Right? Well, everyone's human. To be the perfect copy editor, take note of the following "deadly sins" as enumerated by veteran copy editor, desk supervisor and newsroom manager Anne Glover. Avoid them and you'll be a shining star on the desk.
1. Arrogance.
This could also be described as selfishness: Your layout, your efforts to be clever in your headline at the expense of clarity, the choices you make about using space in your section say to the reader, "I don't care about you. This was more convenient for me to do."
I see many variations on this: grouped cutlines that make it unclear which photos they accompany, type that the reader can't read, photos played too small, a story that's hard to follow because of the layout, art heads that don't say anything.
2. Assumptions.
You assume that the reporter did the math, or that the photographer got the name wrong, not the reporter. Or you assume that the reporter meant something that he or she did not. Or you assumed that someone else would take care of the weekend planning because you were about to go on vacation. Or you assumed that you could use a certain typographic style on your front because that's what you saw the 1A designer do.
3. Sloppiness.
There are so many ways this manifests itself, but here are a few: widows left scattered throughout the page; no page number in a tease; a jumpline that refers readers to the wrong page; a cutline that says someone is in the photo when they clearly are not; a cutline name that is different from the name in the story; a bad break in a headline that makes it difficult to understand.
4. Indifference.
You treat a great story as if it is just another daily feature by giving it a small headline or playing it in a 15-pica wide hole down the side of the page. Or you play a piece of great art in a mediocre way because you can't see its need to run large or with a great crop.
Its cousin is sameness: Every page is predictable, from the headlines to the size of the art to the basic layout of the page. Give your readers something to take away with that day's page: an interesting headline, a tease, a great crop on a photo, a helpful info box.
5. Ignorance.
You run a photo of the wrong congressman from your district because you haven't been paying attention. Or you decide that World War II ended on June 6 because you didn't bother reading the package we had on 1A about VE Day. Or you thought you would be clever by using another language in a headline, but you used the wrong tense in the verb. Or you thought a television show was coming on that night when it had changed nights a month ago.
Readers always know these things, and you damage the newspaper's credibility when you show that you don't.
6. Laziness.
You didn't bother to check to see if we had file art to go with a profile because it wasn't your job and someone should have put it on the budget. Or you didn't bother teasing something because you couldn't find out what page it was on. Or you didn't finish up that advance page because your shift was up and you thought someone else could finish it for you the next day. Or you didn't bother looking up something in the stylebook because you're pretty sure it was right. Or you didn't want to check out the background of a story in the electronic library because you thought the copy chief would catch it.
7. Inflexibility.
You can't possibly change that front page because it's late in the night and just how important could a downed helicopter in the bay be? Or, you have that page all done, why are they asking for another information graphic on it now? Or you resent having to work a later shift when someone is out. Or you don't feel comfortable working in Sports.
This information originated as a handout for a Poynter Institute seminar for journalism educators in June, 1995. It may be used with attribution of the author and the Poynter Institute.
The Seven Deadly Copy Editing Sins
By Anne Glover
Assistant Managing Editor/Copy Desk, St. Petersburg Times
All copy editors strive to be perfect. Right? Well, everyone's human. To be the perfect copy editor, take note of the following "deadly sins" as enumerated by veteran copy editor, desk supervisor and newsroom manager Anne Glover. Avoid them and you'll be a shining star on the desk.
1. Arrogance.
This could also be described as selfishness: Your layout, your efforts to be clever in your headline at the expense of clarity, the choices you make about using space in your section say to the reader, "I don't care about you. This was more convenient for me to do."
I see many variations on this: grouped cutlines that make it unclear which photos they accompany, type that the reader can't read, photos played too small, a story that's hard to follow because of the layout, art heads that don't say anything.
2. Assumptions.
You assume that the reporter did the math, or that the photographer got the name wrong, not the reporter. Or you assume that the reporter meant something that he or she did not. Or you assumed that someone else would take care of the weekend planning because you were about to go on vacation. Or you assumed that you could use a certain typographic style on your front because that's what you saw the 1A designer do.
3. Sloppiness.
There are so many ways this manifests itself, but here are a few: widows left scattered throughout the page; no page number in a tease; a jumpline that refers readers to the wrong page; a cutline that says someone is in the photo when they clearly are not; a cutline name that is different from the name in the story; a bad break in a headline that makes it difficult to understand.
4. Indifference.
You treat a great story as if it is just another daily feature by giving it a small headline or playing it in a 15-pica wide hole down the side of the page. Or you play a piece of great art in a mediocre way because you can't see its need to run large or with a great crop.
Its cousin is sameness: Every page is predictable, from the headlines to the size of the art to the basic layout of the page. Give your readers something to take away with that day's page: an interesting headline, a tease, a great crop on a photo, a helpful info box.
5. Ignorance.
You run a photo of the wrong congressman from your district because you haven't been paying attention. Or you decide that World War II ended on June 6 because you didn't bother reading the package we had on 1A about VE Day. Or you thought you would be clever by using another language in a headline, but you used the wrong tense in the verb. Or you thought a television show was coming on that night when it had changed nights a month ago.
Readers always know these things, and you damage the newspaper's credibility when you show that you don't.
6. Laziness.
You didn't bother to check to see if we had file art to go with a profile because it wasn't your job and someone should have put it on the budget. Or you didn't bother teasing something because you couldn't find out what page it was on. Or you didn't finish up that advance page because your shift was up and you thought someone else could finish it for you the next day. Or you didn't bother looking up something in the stylebook because you're pretty sure it was right. Or you didn't want to check out the background of a story in the electronic library because you thought the copy chief would catch it.
7. Inflexibility.
You can't possibly change that front page because it's late in the night and just how important could a downed helicopter in the bay be? Or, you have that page all done, why are they asking for another information graphic on it now? Or you resent having to work a later shift when someone is out. Or you don't feel comfortable working in Sports.
This information originated as a handout for a Poynter Institute seminar for journalism educators in June, 1995. It may be used with attribution of the author and the Poynter Institute.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
How to Budget Your Time
on How to Budget Your Time
By David B. Bohl | May 28, 2008 |
What do Jim Donald, Susan Lyne, and Bill Gates have in common? Each of these busy, highly successful professionals has tackled the problem of too much to do in too little time, and come out on top. Let’s take a look at how these high profile managers budget their time.
Prioritize.
Jim Donald, CEO and president of Starbucks, considers himself to be fanatical about communicating. He receives over 200 e-mails per day, responding at least briefly to 75% of them. His secret is to start the day early (6 AM) because it’s the perfect time to reach out to people. In the quiet of the morning, he leaves voicemails for his managers, writes personal thank you cards and signs birthday cards. Clearly, he places a high priority on building and maintaining relationships, and he aligns his day accordingly.
Macro-manage.
Susan Lyne, president and CEO of Martha Stewart Living, doesn’t get caught up in the little stuff. She manages at the macro level, trusting her staff to do the job right. Lyne says that the best way to grow a company is to hire fantastic people. She only hires people that she feels have the potential to do her job! Macro-management allows Lyne to focus on what’s most important, while freeing her staff to do their best work.
Digitally empower.
Bill Gates, chairman and chief software engineer of Microsoft, uses digital tools to organize his day. Really, would you expect anything less? Three synchronized screens form his computer’s desktop because, he says, “once you have that large display area, you’ll never go back, because it has a direct impact on productivity.”
Email is Gate’s medium of choice. A select group of people have direct access to him via email, with the remainder filtered through his assistant. Not a fan of to-do lists, he relies on e-mail, desktop folders and an online calendar to stay organized. He saves time looking for documents by making full use of desktop search instead of using his computer’s hierarchy of files and folders.
Capture Ideas.
One common thread with each of these people is that they make sure to capture ideas as they occur. One uses a hardback black binder, keeping it with him at all times. Another uses a simple notebook. Mr. Gates, as you’d expect, uses a Tablet PC. Regardless of the format used to record information, they all refer back to their notes at the end of the day, making sure good ideas are acted upon, and making sure nothing slips through the cracks.
There you have it, four simple ideas that work for highly successful managers. Make room for your highest priority first. Free up your time while empowering your team through macro-management. Learn how to use your existing digital tools more effectively to manage your time and documents. And make sure to capture ideas as they occur, returning to your notes by day’s or week’s end for actionable items. Apply these ideas at work and home, and feel your productivity and effectiveness soar.
Source: Fortune Magazine [http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2006/10/16/8390317/index.htm?postversion=20061013
By David B. Bohl | May 28, 2008 |
What do Jim Donald, Susan Lyne, and Bill Gates have in common? Each of these busy, highly successful professionals has tackled the problem of too much to do in too little time, and come out on top. Let’s take a look at how these high profile managers budget their time.
Prioritize.
Jim Donald, CEO and president of Starbucks, considers himself to be fanatical about communicating. He receives over 200 e-mails per day, responding at least briefly to 75% of them. His secret is to start the day early (6 AM) because it’s the perfect time to reach out to people. In the quiet of the morning, he leaves voicemails for his managers, writes personal thank you cards and signs birthday cards. Clearly, he places a high priority on building and maintaining relationships, and he aligns his day accordingly.
Macro-manage.
Susan Lyne, president and CEO of Martha Stewart Living, doesn’t get caught up in the little stuff. She manages at the macro level, trusting her staff to do the job right. Lyne says that the best way to grow a company is to hire fantastic people. She only hires people that she feels have the potential to do her job! Macro-management allows Lyne to focus on what’s most important, while freeing her staff to do their best work.
Digitally empower.
Bill Gates, chairman and chief software engineer of Microsoft, uses digital tools to organize his day. Really, would you expect anything less? Three synchronized screens form his computer’s desktop because, he says, “once you have that large display area, you’ll never go back, because it has a direct impact on productivity.”
Email is Gate’s medium of choice. A select group of people have direct access to him via email, with the remainder filtered through his assistant. Not a fan of to-do lists, he relies on e-mail, desktop folders and an online calendar to stay organized. He saves time looking for documents by making full use of desktop search instead of using his computer’s hierarchy of files and folders.
Capture Ideas.
One common thread with each of these people is that they make sure to capture ideas as they occur. One uses a hardback black binder, keeping it with him at all times. Another uses a simple notebook. Mr. Gates, as you’d expect, uses a Tablet PC. Regardless of the format used to record information, they all refer back to their notes at the end of the day, making sure good ideas are acted upon, and making sure nothing slips through the cracks.
There you have it, four simple ideas that work for highly successful managers. Make room for your highest priority first. Free up your time while empowering your team through macro-management. Learn how to use your existing digital tools more effectively to manage your time and documents. And make sure to capture ideas as they occur, returning to your notes by day’s or week’s end for actionable items. Apply these ideas at work and home, and feel your productivity and effectiveness soar.
Source: Fortune Magazine [http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2006/10/16/8390317/index.htm?postversion=20061013
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Radio Glitch Delays Activities for Mars Lander
Radio Glitch Delays Activities for Mars Lander
NASA officials say radio glitch on orbiter over Mars delays moving Phoenix lander
By ARTHUR H. ROTSTEIN Associated Press Writer
TUCSON, Ariz. May 27, 2008 (AP)
The Associated Press
NASA couldn't send commands to the Phoenix Mars lander for most of Tuesday because of a radio glitch, delaying a second day of activities, officials said.
Phoenix
This image provided by NASA, JPL-Caltech and the University of Arizona shows a portion of the... Expand
This image provided by NASA, JPL-Caltech and the University of Arizona shows a portion of the Martian landscape seen from the Phoenix Mars Lander after it landed on the planet on Sunday, May 25, 2008. The spacecraft touched down in the northern polar region of the planet after a 422 million-mile flight from Earth. Collapse
(JPL-Caltech, University of Arizona/ NASA/ AP Photo)
More Photos
The minor problem was fixed later in the day and the Mars Reconnaissance orbiter resumed relaying the lander's images of the Martian landscape back to Earth, said NASA officials.
Phoenix, the latest spacecraft on Mars, communicates with scientists through two NASA orbiters circling the planet.
The Reconnaissance orbiter earlier had turned its radio off, possibly because of a cosmic ray, said Fuk Li, manager of the Mars exploration program for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.
Li said the orbiter was programmed to respond as it did.
"All this is a one-day hiccup in being able to move the arm around, so it's no big deal," said Ed Sedivy, Phoenix program manager at Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co.
Even with the glitch fixed, SPL spokeswoman Veronica McGregor said the second orbiter, the Mars Odyssey, would be used Wednesday to send commands to Phoenix during its morning orbital pass. It will tell the lander to begin unstowing its robotic arm.
Since landing on Mars on Sunday, Phoenix has delighted scientists with the first-ever peek of the planet's northern arctic region. The terrain where Phoenix settled is relatively flat with polygon-shaped patterns in the ground likely caused by the expansion and contraction of underground ice.
Peter Smith of the University of Arizona, the mission's principal researcher, and his colleague Alfred McEwen, who operates the camera aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, said photos taken since the landing show that Phoenix is at the edge of a trough that will make an ideal place for digging.
Smith said plans had called for maneuvers Tuesday to unhook the lander's 8-foot robotic arm from a protective sleeve that held it in place. That movement will be delayed by a day because of the radio outage.
The arm is at the heart of the lander's scientific functions during its three-month experiment.
NASA officials say radio glitch on orbiter over Mars delays moving Phoenix lander
By ARTHUR H. ROTSTEIN Associated Press Writer
TUCSON, Ariz. May 27, 2008 (AP)
The Associated Press
NASA couldn't send commands to the Phoenix Mars lander for most of Tuesday because of a radio glitch, delaying a second day of activities, officials said.
Phoenix
This image provided by NASA, JPL-Caltech and the University of Arizona shows a portion of the... Expand
This image provided by NASA, JPL-Caltech and the University of Arizona shows a portion of the Martian landscape seen from the Phoenix Mars Lander after it landed on the planet on Sunday, May 25, 2008. The spacecraft touched down in the northern polar region of the planet after a 422 million-mile flight from Earth. Collapse
(JPL-Caltech, University of Arizona/ NASA/ AP Photo)
More Photos
The minor problem was fixed later in the day and the Mars Reconnaissance orbiter resumed relaying the lander's images of the Martian landscape back to Earth, said NASA officials.
Phoenix, the latest spacecraft on Mars, communicates with scientists through two NASA orbiters circling the planet.
The Reconnaissance orbiter earlier had turned its radio off, possibly because of a cosmic ray, said Fuk Li, manager of the Mars exploration program for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.
Li said the orbiter was programmed to respond as it did.
"All this is a one-day hiccup in being able to move the arm around, so it's no big deal," said Ed Sedivy, Phoenix program manager at Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co.
Even with the glitch fixed, SPL spokeswoman Veronica McGregor said the second orbiter, the Mars Odyssey, would be used Wednesday to send commands to Phoenix during its morning orbital pass. It will tell the lander to begin unstowing its robotic arm.
Since landing on Mars on Sunday, Phoenix has delighted scientists with the first-ever peek of the planet's northern arctic region. The terrain where Phoenix settled is relatively flat with polygon-shaped patterns in the ground likely caused by the expansion and contraction of underground ice.
Peter Smith of the University of Arizona, the mission's principal researcher, and his colleague Alfred McEwen, who operates the camera aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, said photos taken since the landing show that Phoenix is at the edge of a trough that will make an ideal place for digging.
Smith said plans had called for maneuvers Tuesday to unhook the lander's 8-foot robotic arm from a protective sleeve that held it in place. That movement will be delayed by a day because of the radio outage.
The arm is at the heart of the lander's scientific functions during its three-month experiment.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Friday, May 16, 2008
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Guide to HTML website creation
The Bare Bones Guide to HTML
A very useful site for web designing
WHAT'S HERE
Bare Bones Guide to HTML
The award-winning resource.
Other resources
Information for Web developers by subject.
HTML/WWW FAQ
Answers to common questions about Web design.
Werblog
Kevin's Weblog.
The -k- Page
My personal home page.
bone_spacer.gif
Looking for a good
Web design book? Try:
HTML 4 Visual Quickstart Guide by Elizabeth Castro
Creative Web Design by Lynda and William Weinman
HTML Goodies by Joe Burns
Create your First Web Page in a Weekend by Steven Callihan
Other book suggestions...
bone_spacer.gif
Additional resources to enhance your site:
Optiview
Optimize your graphics. Enter your URL for a free evaluation:
Commission Junction-- Put affiliate program links on your site!
Ultimate Bulletin Board-- Put interactive discussion boards on your site.
I get messages every day from people asking for help in creating Web sites.
This page provides links to some of the excellent resources available on the Web. It's not intended to be a comprehensive list; if that's what you're looking for, try one of the general reference sites listed below. Instead, this page lists some of the best resources for the major areas of Web page design.
If you can't find an answer here, take a look at my HTML FAQ, which has answers to some of the most common questions I get asked about Web page design.
General Reference | HTML | Colors | Style | CGI | Forms | Counters
Guestbooks | Frames | Java
Graphics | GIF Animation | Sound | Javascript | Publicizing
General Reference
These sites have large, organized collections of links to information about every aspect of Web page design.
Andrew King's Webreference. A very attractive, well-organized site, with loads of links and substantial amounts of original content.
Web Developers Virtual Library. Thousands of links to resources on Web page design.
HTML Writers' Guild. An excellent annotated list of resources.
World Wide Web section of Yahoo. Lots and lots of links, but not much filtering or organization.
HTML Guides
These documents describe the HTML markup language, which is used to create Web pages.
World Wide Web Consortium. The official specifications.
The Bare Bones Guide to HTML. My own entry into the field. A comprehensive yet concise "cheat sheet" of HTML tags, including Netscape extensions, in common usage.
HTML Documentation by Ian Graham. An excellent, detailed (but long) tutorial.
Introduction to HTML by Eric Meyer.
Beginner's Guide to HTML. A tutorial from NCSA, the folks who created the Mosaic browser.
Setting Background and Text Colors
Colors in HTML must be entered in the form of hex triplets. Several pages provide tools to help generate the color codes; choose the one that you find most useful.
Background FAQ by Mark Koenen. A great resource with lots of information about the color tags and links to various tools.
RGB Triplet Chart. This page has a large graphical chart with about 250 colors and their hex triplet equivalents.
Colour Selector. Allows you to select colors for background, text, and links from scrolling lists. Shows you how your choices look on screen and provides the HTML code you need to generate those colors.
Color Codes Chart List. A huge chart listing hundreds of colors in RGB, hex, and named form.
Style Guides
Style and design are often overlooked in creating Web pages, but the way you present information has a tremendous impact on the way people respond to your pages.
My (brief) thoughts on what makes a good home page.
Jorn's thoughts on HTML style.
Yale C/AIM style guide. The dean of Web style guides.
World Wide Wide Consortium style guide.
W3C HTML validator. Lets you check your HTML code to make sure it complies with the official specifications. It is generally a good idea to validate all of your pages before putting them online.
CGI Scripting -- General
Common Gateway Interface (CGI) scripts can be used to perform many powerful functions, including adding forms, guestbooks, and access counters to your pages, as described below. Your ability to use CGI scripts will usually depend on whether your service provider offers access to the cgi-bin directory of the server.
The CGI Resource Index. An organized collection of thousands of CGI scripts and resources.
NCSA's overview of CGI.
Matt's Script Archive.
CGI Resources.
Fill-Out Forms
The sites below offer information on how to write scripts and HTML code to process fill-out forms in your Web pages. This sometimes requires that you put CGI scripts on your server, so you need to check with your service provider to find out whether they support forms.
Instantaneous Introduction to CGI and Forms. Detailed information on how forms work and how to implement them.
Access Counters
Access counters let you see how many people have accessed your page. They are ususally implemented either by using CGI scripts or by scanning the systemwide access log files that your server generates automatically.
Webcounter. Another "third party" counter service that doesn't require a script on your server.
Pagecount. Yet another "third party" counter.
Several of the sites listed in the CGI section of this page include counter scripts.
Guestbooks
Guestbooks let people who view your pages "sign in" and leave messages for you and others to peruse. You can create a guestbook manually, as I have, by using a form to gather information and adding the responses to your guestbook page by hand. If you are able to put CGI scripts on your server, you can create a guestbook that updates automatically.
The World Famous Guestbook.
Guestbooks.net.
Several of the sites listed in the CGI section of this page include guestbook scripts.
Frames
Netscape 2.0 supports a new feature called "Frames" that lets you split up the window into independent scrollable panes, each of which can display a different Web page or image.
The Netscape Frames tutorial by Charlton Rose.
Java
Java is a programming language that allows you to embed small "applets" in your Web pages.
Gamelan. Probably the premier Java site on the Web. Lots of free applets to try out.
Graphics Collections
These pages contain libraries of public domain graphics and other tools that you can use to spruce up the look of your pages.
Clipart.com. A huge collection of links to free clip art on the Web.
Barry's Clip Art Server. Another large collection.
Rocket Shop. High-quality 3D clip art.
GIF Wizard. Automatically optimizes your GIF files to reduce file size.
Pixelsite. An amazing interactive graphics renderer and some great freeware clipart.
GIF Animation
One of the most popular ways of creating animated graphics on Web pages is through the use of animated GIFs.
GIF animation tutorial.
Rose's animated GIF library.
GIFWorld.
Embedding Sound Files
There are several methods to embed sound files into their pages so that the sound plays automatically when the page is launched.
Embedding sound in Web pages. A tutorial on the WebReference site.
Crescendo help page. Crescendo makes a Netscape plugin to play midi files. This page described how to put these sound files on your pages.
JavaScript
JavaScript is a scripting language created by Netscape to create special effects in Web pages. Despite the name, it is not related to Java.
Doc JavaScript. A set of detailed articles on JavaScript.
JavaScript Developer Central. Part of Netscape's DevEdge Online.
Advertising Your Pages
Everyone wants people to know about their pages. These sites allow you to register your page with various announcement and "what's new" services on the Web.
Submit It!. Lets you use one form to submit your page to about a dozen different places.
LinkExchange. Advertise for free on other sites in exchange for banners on your pages.
Webcom instructions on how to publicize your site.
In general, the best way to figure out how to do things with the Web is to experiment, and to look at what other people have done and how they have done it. Use the "View Source" command in your browser to see how other people have constructed their HTML. Good luck!
Copyright © 1995-2003 by Kevin Werbach. Last updated March 10, 2003.
A very useful site for web designing
WHAT'S HERE
Bare Bones Guide to HTML
The award-winning resource.
Other resources
Information for Web developers by subject.
HTML/WWW FAQ
Answers to common questions about Web design.
Werblog
Kevin's Weblog.
The -k- Page
My personal home page.
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Looking for a good
Web design book? Try:
HTML 4 Visual Quickstart Guide by Elizabeth Castro
Creative Web Design by Lynda and William Weinman
HTML Goodies by Joe Burns
Create your First Web Page in a Weekend by Steven Callihan
Other book suggestions...
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Additional resources to enhance your site:
Optiview
Optimize your graphics. Enter your URL for a free evaluation:
Commission Junction-- Put affiliate program links on your site!
Ultimate Bulletin Board-- Put interactive discussion boards on your site.
I get messages every day from people asking for help in creating Web sites.
This page provides links to some of the excellent resources available on the Web. It's not intended to be a comprehensive list; if that's what you're looking for, try one of the general reference sites listed below. Instead, this page lists some of the best resources for the major areas of Web page design.
If you can't find an answer here, take a look at my HTML FAQ, which has answers to some of the most common questions I get asked about Web page design.
General Reference | HTML | Colors | Style | CGI | Forms | Counters
Guestbooks | Frames | Java
Graphics | GIF Animation | Sound | Javascript | Publicizing
General Reference
These sites have large, organized collections of links to information about every aspect of Web page design.
Andrew King's Webreference. A very attractive, well-organized site, with loads of links and substantial amounts of original content.
Web Developers Virtual Library. Thousands of links to resources on Web page design.
HTML Writers' Guild. An excellent annotated list of resources.
World Wide Web section of Yahoo. Lots and lots of links, but not much filtering or organization.
HTML Guides
These documents describe the HTML markup language, which is used to create Web pages.
World Wide Web Consortium. The official specifications.
The Bare Bones Guide to HTML. My own entry into the field. A comprehensive yet concise "cheat sheet" of HTML tags, including Netscape extensions, in common usage.
HTML Documentation by Ian Graham. An excellent, detailed (but long) tutorial.
Introduction to HTML by Eric Meyer.
Beginner's Guide to HTML. A tutorial from NCSA, the folks who created the Mosaic browser.
Setting Background and Text Colors
Colors in HTML must be entered in the form of hex triplets. Several pages provide tools to help generate the color codes; choose the one that you find most useful.
Background FAQ by Mark Koenen. A great resource with lots of information about the color tags and links to various tools.
RGB Triplet Chart. This page has a large graphical chart with about 250 colors and their hex triplet equivalents.
Colour Selector. Allows you to select colors for background, text, and links from scrolling lists. Shows you how your choices look on screen and provides the HTML code you need to generate those colors.
Color Codes Chart List. A huge chart listing hundreds of colors in RGB, hex, and named form.
Style Guides
Style and design are often overlooked in creating Web pages, but the way you present information has a tremendous impact on the way people respond to your pages.
My (brief) thoughts on what makes a good home page.
Jorn's thoughts on HTML style.
Yale C/AIM style guide. The dean of Web style guides.
World Wide Wide Consortium style guide.
W3C HTML validator. Lets you check your HTML code to make sure it complies with the official specifications. It is generally a good idea to validate all of your pages before putting them online.
CGI Scripting -- General
Common Gateway Interface (CGI) scripts can be used to perform many powerful functions, including adding forms, guestbooks, and access counters to your pages, as described below. Your ability to use CGI scripts will usually depend on whether your service provider offers access to the cgi-bin directory of the server.
The CGI Resource Index. An organized collection of thousands of CGI scripts and resources.
NCSA's overview of CGI.
Matt's Script Archive.
CGI Resources.
Fill-Out Forms
The sites below offer information on how to write scripts and HTML code to process fill-out forms in your Web pages. This sometimes requires that you put CGI scripts on your server, so you need to check with your service provider to find out whether they support forms.
Instantaneous Introduction to CGI and Forms. Detailed information on how forms work and how to implement them.
Access Counters
Access counters let you see how many people have accessed your page. They are ususally implemented either by using CGI scripts or by scanning the systemwide access log files that your server generates automatically.
Webcounter. Another "third party" counter service that doesn't require a script on your server.
Pagecount. Yet another "third party" counter.
Several of the sites listed in the CGI section of this page include counter scripts.
Guestbooks
Guestbooks let people who view your pages "sign in" and leave messages for you and others to peruse. You can create a guestbook manually, as I have, by using a form to gather information and adding the responses to your guestbook page by hand. If you are able to put CGI scripts on your server, you can create a guestbook that updates automatically.
The World Famous Guestbook.
Guestbooks.net.
Several of the sites listed in the CGI section of this page include guestbook scripts.
Frames
Netscape 2.0 supports a new feature called "Frames" that lets you split up the window into independent scrollable panes, each of which can display a different Web page or image.
The Netscape Frames tutorial by Charlton Rose.
Java
Java is a programming language that allows you to embed small "applets" in your Web pages.
Gamelan. Probably the premier Java site on the Web. Lots of free applets to try out.
Graphics Collections
These pages contain libraries of public domain graphics and other tools that you can use to spruce up the look of your pages.
Clipart.com. A huge collection of links to free clip art on the Web.
Barry's Clip Art Server. Another large collection.
Rocket Shop. High-quality 3D clip art.
GIF Wizard. Automatically optimizes your GIF files to reduce file size.
Pixelsite. An amazing interactive graphics renderer and some great freeware clipart.
GIF Animation
One of the most popular ways of creating animated graphics on Web pages is through the use of animated GIFs.
GIF animation tutorial.
Rose's animated GIF library.
GIFWorld.
Embedding Sound Files
There are several methods to embed sound files into their pages so that the sound plays automatically when the page is launched.
Embedding sound in Web pages. A tutorial on the WebReference site.
Crescendo help page. Crescendo makes a Netscape plugin to play midi files. This page described how to put these sound files on your pages.
JavaScript
JavaScript is a scripting language created by Netscape to create special effects in Web pages. Despite the name, it is not related to Java.
Doc JavaScript. A set of detailed articles on JavaScript.
JavaScript Developer Central. Part of Netscape's DevEdge Online.
Advertising Your Pages
Everyone wants people to know about their pages. These sites allow you to register your page with various announcement and "what's new" services on the Web.
Submit It!. Lets you use one form to submit your page to about a dozen different places.
LinkExchange. Advertise for free on other sites in exchange for banners on your pages.
Webcom instructions on how to publicize your site.
In general, the best way to figure out how to do things with the Web is to experiment, and to look at what other people have done and how they have done it. Use the "View Source" command in your browser to see how other people have constructed their HTML. Good luck!
Copyright © 1995-2003 by Kevin Werbach. Last updated March 10, 2003.
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