Blog Archive
The Best Way to Setup AngularJS Controllers: The Basics
Most AngularJS tutorials lead new developers down a dark and narrow path. Once your app has more than a few controllers and templates, things start to break down and you'll end up refactoring the entire application.
Developing In The Open: Planning
I've started a new project and I'm sharing my progress, struggles, and successes along the way.
UNIX Command Line Tips & Tricks
I routinely use the following commands in my daily work. They might be helpful to other web developers out there.
Knockout Step (Wizard) Navigation
THE PROBLEM: You've got a single page that processes a lot of information and you need to break it into small, digestible steps for users.
Getting Started As A Front-End Web Developer
Every so often I'm asked how someone might get started as a web designer or developer. These are my thoughts and are based on my own experience.
iPad & YouTube - 'This video is currently unavailable.' Error
Everyone watches videos on YouTube. And YouTube allows anyone with a website to embed their videos wherever they want. But there's a problem with YouTube's service and little to no documentation about it.
I've Been Drafted
Dribbble is an elite community of designers sharing what they're working on. For years I have cursed the site and it's eliteness. Today, I have been drafted.
Best Way to Force External Website Links to Open In New Window
Gone are the days of adding target='_blank' to each and every link on a page. jQuery, the superhero of the Internet, saves the day once again.
How Much Does A Website Cost?
It's an age old question and one most web professionals cringe at when they're asked it. Pricing a website doesn't take a one-size-fits-all approach.
Highlight Search Results with this jQuery Plugin
You may have a need to hightlight keywords in a string. This plugin takes your string and your list of keywords and outputs a new string with all of the keywords highlighted.
A Simple CSS Trick to Vertically and Horizontally Center a Block
Centering a block horizontally is no problem. Centering an absolute positioned block has its challenges. Vertically centering anything on a page can make you pull your hair out. That is, until now.
Optimize Your Company's Website For Mobile Devices
Mobile is going to be huge. OK. OK. It is HUGE! Here are some simple thoughts for small business owners to get comfortable with a responsive website.
Email Newsletters - Which Provider to Choose?
There's a huge market in email newsletter providers. I list my favorites. You can draw your own conclusions.
My Legacy Grows Once More
The child is born. Our beautiful (handsome) baby boy was delivered by stork on Monday, August 19th.
Benefits of Detaching from the Social Web
Life has a way of reminding you what is important. Social media has everyone fooled. While we believe we are building stronger relationships with each other, we are actually weakening the relationships that are the most important to us.
Create Your Own Web Design Podcast Directory
I love listening to podcasts during my commute to and from work. And I love finding new podcasts. But there isn't an up-to-date podcast directory that I rely on to discover new shows. Hence, create your own.
The Best Way to Redirect for WWW and Non-WWW with .htaccess
To avoid confusing search engines, it's important to have a properly configured 301 redirect for your base domain. You must decide whether to use the 'www' sub-domain or to ditch the antiquated prefix in favor of a cleaner URL.
Don't Let Your Website's Design Interfere With Your Sales
As web designers, it's our duty to ensure a website's goals are in-line with our visitors goals. Design should never get in the way, but rather enhance the the users experience of consuming the content.
Why Apple Skewered Skeuomorphic Design
Apple's reveal of its new iOS7 operating system last week was accompanied by widespread predictions about the demise of skeuomorphic design.
A Front-End Web Developer's List of Shame
There is so much I don't know about web development. Here are the languages or practices I hope to learn in the near future.
Quick & Easy Responsive Google Maps
Embedding Google Maps on your website requires set width and height attributes. As a result, the map does not scale to fit the width of its container. Therefore, no responsive goodness....until now!
A New Startup Teaches Kids to Code
Tynker is providing resources to elementary schools that help develop basic computer knowledge and programming skills.
The CAPTCHA: There's a Method to the Madness
You've seen CAPTCHA form fields before. You know they prevent spam entries. But you might not know how Google uses them.
Elegant Use of Advanced Custom Fields in WordPress
One of the best things about WordPress is its limitless functionality. With the use of plugins, a WordPress install can be transformed with great ease.
Fixed Positioning Fails on Mobile Browsers
Designing a mobile web experience is not the same as designing a mobile app.
Will Cookies Crumble?
The debate of whether or not cookies are safe for users has been contested for years. Here are some of my thoughts on the matter.
Subversion Cheat Sheet
This is primarily for my own use. Searching for Subversion help on Google can be a daunting task. At some point I stumbled upon this gem and felt it important enough to share.
Working With WordPress Excerpt Length
When you need to corral WordPress to output your data where filters aren't practicle, write a custom function.
PHP: Function Displays Days Since Event
A helpful function that takes a UNIX timestamp and reports how many days ago that time occured.
Google Suggest Fail
Google Suggest, which is an extremely useful and powerful tool that allows you to find what you need quickly, fails our children by exposing them to damaging material.
Bad Reviews Are ...
How you handle bad reviews or criticism can have a severe effect on your business.
Whats Your Website Saying to Mobile Users?
The majority of websites I visit from my mobile phone have not yet embraced Responsive Web Design. Not familiar with this term? Keep reading.
How to Hire a Web Designer
You could hire your nephew or your neighbor's kid to design your website and have a subpar web presence. Or you could hire a professional web designer. It's your choice.
How to Hire a Web Developer
Not all Web Developers are created equal. This simple guide explains differences in web developers and how to go about hiring one.
The Future of the Web: A WebVisions Recap
A summary of my experience at the 2012 Portland WebVisions Conference.
Be A Better Social Media Marketer
Here's some tips and tricks for all you social marketing students out there.
How Content Marketing Works
Capturing the attention of new customers is always challenging. Here's a dumbed-down example of how conent marketing works.
Staying Focused To Do Your Best Work
Distractions can come from anywhere. I stay focused in my work by following these simple rules.
The Big 3 of Social Media
Every now and then something comes along to disrupt peace and sanity in the world. Facebook has had a firm grip on our attention since its launch. Here are some numbers. Make your own conclusions.