Use Groove Salad To Block Out Noisy Distractions

No Comments Written by steve on December 27, 2007 in development, lifehacks.

SomaFM independent internet radioI recently invested in a nice pair of noise canceling headphones to help counter the general clamor of my office environment. They’re great for your basic droning office noises, but conversations taking place around me can still break through my little white noise barrier, and don’t even get me started on ringing phones… I’ve tried several different types of ambient noise/music to compliment the headphones, but most just leave me feeling sleepy. Music from mp3s and sites like last.fm or Pandora can be just as distracting as conversations, if not worse. So what’s a developer in need of a little quiet and concentration to do? Among all the options I’ve tried, Soma FM station Groove Salad stands out above them all. Yes, the station plays mostly ambient music, but most of it is up-tempo enough to stave off the drowsies without being overbearing. If you’re looking for a solution to help combat noise in your office, give it a try and let me know what you think.

Groove Salad


Graceful E-Mail Obfuscation

No Comments Written by steve on November 6, 2007 in development.

A List Apart  has a great article today detailing a method for giving users working mailto: links without exposing email addresses to spam bots.  The basic premise involves using server side scripting to publish your links as obfuscated URLs, then using rewrite rules to make those URLs work correctly for the user.  Take a look at the full article for details on how to implement this technique on your site.

A List Apart: Articles: Graceful E-Mail Obfuscation


A List Apart: Articles: Findings From the Web Design Survey

No Comments Written by steve on October 22, 2007 in design, development, recommended, usability.

A List Apart has recently released the results of a survey they compiled in April of this year.  It contains some great insight on the current state of the web design industry from the people who know best, those of us working to make the web a better place every day.

A List Apart: Articles: Findings From the Web Design Survey