The next step in Web Applications: Ajax

Want to know how Google creates such cool. usable apps like Gmail, Google maps and Google Suggest? Using a technique called Ajax.

While you're there, it's worth reading about Jesse James Garrett and The Elements of User Experience. Highly Recommended.

Steve Jobs and television physics

Steve's latest venture into video -- especially TV show -- downloads for the iPod is shaking things up again. This article is a great commentary on how it could upset "television physics".

Television Physics and the $1.99 price point
- Engadget - www.engadget.com

Ipodmyphoto brand extension - ipodmybaby!

Courtesy of MJS:

If the "off" and "pause" functions work this should be a winner…..
ipodmybaby

Site of the week - despair.com

A satirical take on all those (de)motivational posters...
www.despair.com

Here's a list of all the posters they sell.


My favourites are procrastination and apathy. (I have perfectionist tendencies and used to work in customer support)

Keyboard settings for Accented Characters

If you type lots of European languages with accents and graves over your letters then in Windows it's not a bad idea to us the "US-International" keyboard layout.

This page has a very nice summary of how to set it up and the ALT codes for when you only need these accents occasionally.

One of the reasons I discovered this is because I tried out "US-International" as I am from Australia and thought it would be more applicable to me! Turns out not quite so... the international here is referring to other languages that use the Roman alphabet but with some extras...

Other links at various university sites:
Vanderbilt
Gallaudet
Manitoba

80+ wpm! Data-entry speeds on a handheld device

I know I can maintain ~25wpm using grafitti on my old Palm Tungsten. I probably peak in excess of 40wpm, but 81.74 wpm?

Well, the "Dom Perignon" Speed Contests have been held every 2 years for the past few years and have produced some interesting results across Palms, Pocket PCs and even Treo thumboards.

The champ of entry methods is not graffiti, is not even the thumboard, but is a funny-looking,specially designed key layout called "Fitaly".



I don't know how much design effort went into the layout to get "f i t a l y" across the top... I think it was named because if you say it quickly it sounds like how it feels to use!

For proof, checkout the clips of the winners in action. Contestants even used a program called "FitalyLetris" to calculate their speeds...

What's really weird is that two of the past winners are from Adelaide...