CSS Tips and Tricks for Blogger.
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Here are some tips and tricks for Cascading Style Sheet (CSS) in your blog.......
In old Blogger the css section is enclosed between tags. In new Blogger the css follows the same rules except that it is enclosed between
After searching around for somewhere to host my site I finally settled with Blogger. Why? Because I decided I preferred the choice of templates and in particular the drag-drop gadgets and page elements.
What I didn't like is that it is purely a blogging site. This is quite restrictive in terms of content as I really wanted the ability to create more of a website than a blog.
Well after a bit of trial and error, it turns out the new Blogger templates are fairly easy to 'hack', and as such I've managed to get the best of both worlds. I have the cool WYSIWYG gadgets and templates of Blogger, but have also fashioned a static home page and navigation structure.
This article has been updated to reflect the simplified technique that I'm currently using for this website. There are also several alternative techniques which involve editing the Blogger template directly, or by making use of the new static pages. I've briefly described these solutions below for reference.
This technique is simply a Blogger setting which allows a user to limit the number of blogs displayed on the default page. By changing this setting to 1, a static homepage is created which will always display the most recent post. By manually configuring the publish dates of the blogs you can then control which content will will displayed on the homepage.
To set the post limit login to the Blogger console and navigate to Settings -> Formatting. Change the "show at most" setting to "1 post".
Next override the publish date of the post you wish to display on the homepage. This can be found in the Post Options menu at the bottom of the blog editor.
An alternative technique I've previously written about involves editing the Blogger template, and adding code to redirect to a URL of choice. This has the advantage that you don't have to manually edit the post dates every time you create a new post, but does break the Blogger designer view and is not SEO friendly.
To implement the redirect on the homepage login to the console and navigate to the template editor Design -> Edit HTML.
Backup your existing template before making changes.
Using the editor scroll down to the tag, and insert the following code directly beneath this line. Replace http://mysite.com/post.html with the URL you wish to use as your homepage (this should be the URL of a specific post, or you could use a static page now supported by Blogger).
1 | <b:if cond='data:blog.url == data:blog.homepageUrl'> |
2 | <meta content='0;url=http://mysite.com/post.html' http-equiv='refresh'/> |
3 | |
The code above causes a client-side redirect as soon as the page loads. If you really want to go all-out and improve the implementation further, you can also include the following edits. This will reduce the time taken for the initial page-load prior to the redirect and further improve the user experience. It also provides a manual link for users with JavaScript disabled. I'd recommend only making these changes if you are comfortable editing HTML.
Using the editor scroll down and locate the tag in the template. You now need to wrap the entire contents of the tag with the following code. This is everything inside the tag and the tag.
1 | <body> |
2 | <b:if cond='data:blog.url != data:blog.homepageUrl'> |
3 | [existing template code] |
4 | <b:else/> |
5 | <p> If the page doesn't automatically refresh click <a href='http://mysite.com/post.html'>here |
6 | |
7 | |
Remember that with this technique in place you will not be able to use the Blogger designer to manage your gadgets. To do this you will need to temporarily disable the hack.
That's all there is to it. In the next article I'll explain how to set up a navigation structure within Blogger.
Uploaded by AatmaStudio on Aug 23, 2011
Amazing Concept iPhone 5. This CG iPhone 5 has advanced iPhone features such as a sleeker iPhone design, a laser keyboard & holographic display all rolled into this iPhone 5 video.
The computer generated Concept iPhone 5 features is an exponential leap to the iPhone 4 or iPhone 3gs of today.
We hope you enjoy this iPhone 5 video more than the current trend of iPhone 5 rumors such as iPhone 5 leaked and iPhone 5 unboxing videos. Apple is yet to make the iPhone 5 announcement. So have your fill of this new iPhone video before the iPhone 5 release.
Soundtrack "Movement Proposition" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons "Attribution 3.0" http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
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Do me a favour? Are you using Safari as your main browser? Go check out Activity Monitor, sort the columns by “Real Memory” with the largest at the top, and tell me what you see. Go ahead. I’ll wait.
Do you see something called Safari Web Content? That’s part of the new Safari 5.1. It’s a part of the “sand-boxing” that Safari does, keeping pages loaded in their own compartmentalized areas, so that if a process on one page crashes, it doesn’t take down everything with it.
Well, now that it’s a separate process from Safari, it’s easier to see just how much memory Safari Web Content is taking up. In fact, it takes up quite a bit, with some users reporting that with many tabs open the memory usage can get over 1.0GB or more. If you’re experiencing this, you’ll probably notice Safari getting slow as the memory creeps up. So, what to do?
Well, the first thing that some are suggesting is to disable any Safari extensions that you may have running, and see if that helps matters. Theoretically there could be some incompatibility issues with extensions and Safari 5.1 that might lead to increased memory usage. If you turn them off, and re-enable them one by one, you might be able to ferret out which extension is causing the problem. TUAW’s Chris Rawson found his Safari Web Content memory usage drop from 1.06GB down to around 300MB when he disabled most of his extensions.
As others are reporting, this issue exists on OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard as well. So it seems that this is a Safari problem, and not an OS X Lion problem. But it’s interesting that we tend to notice things when we make a big change. In our “latest new thing” mode, we tend to check out all the new features, and we check under the hood. We are more likely to notice when something is new. It’s just how we are.
Just for kicks, I tried loading the same 4 tabs in Chrome that I had loaded in Safari. Total memory usage? 82.4 MB. And I also discovered that I hadn’t updated Firefox from version 4 yet. So you see? You notice things when you upgrade your OS!
Via: TUAW
Automator returns in Leopard, even more powerful and easier-to-use. It's streamlined interface and new abilities, define the next generation of automation in Mac OS X.
Anyone can use Automator. Creating automated workflows is a simple drag-and-drop process of visually selecting and connecting the individual actions you want the computer to do for you-there's absolutely no code to write. Click the Run button and Automator goes to work. And you can be a hero to your friends by sharing your favorite Automator workflows with them!
With Automator you can automate just about everything you do with your computer. Create and print a family directory with the contacts in your Address Book. Find and add images from your favorite websites to iPhoto. Print your Keynote business presentations to your iPod Photo. Perform scheduled backups of important files. There's no limit to what you can do. Add more actions and you can do even more.
Automator can do in seconds and minutes what would take you hours to do by hand. Automator gives you direct access and control of the powerful Mac OS X frameworks like Core Image, Core Data, Core Audio and Core Video, to process hundreds of images, or folders and folders of files.
In addition, Automator moves information seamlessly between the Mac OS X applications you use every day to organize your life, like Finder, Mail, Address Book, and iCal. Even the iLife applications iPhoto, iTunes, and iDVD, can be included in your workflows. When you have to tackle complex or repetitive tasks, Automator is the right tool for the job.
| Developer(s) | http://QSApp.com |
|---|---|
| Stable release | 1.0ß60 (Build 3850)[1] / June 5, 2011 |
| Preview release | 1.0ß60 (Build 3850)[1] / June 5, 2011 |
| Operating system | Mac OS X |
| Type | Application Launcher (utility software) |
| License | Apache License |
| Website | http://qsapp.com |
Quicksilver is a computer utility software program for Mac OS X, originally developed by Blacktree Software and distributed freely. It is essentially a graphical shell for the Mac OS X operating system, allowing users to use the keyboard to rapidly perform tasks such as launching applications, manipulating files, or sending e-mail. It is similar to the Mac OS X applications LaunchBar and Alfred, but uses a different interaction paradigm. Although a complex application, Quicksilver is based on a simple three-panel interface.
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Quicksilver is designed to run all the time in the background while the operating system is running. It maintains a configurable "catalog" of items including files and folders on disk, address book contacts, Internet bookmarks, scripts, clipboard contents, etc. Pressing a configurable hotkey or a combination of keys, usually Control-Space, invokes the Quicksilver command window, which contains three panes.
The panes roughly correspond to the object, predicate, and attributes of the desired task. The user first chooses the object of the command (an application, a file, an e-mail address, an IM contact, a bookmark, etc.), then an action (predicate) to be performed on that object, and finally additional details (attributes) for the action.
The Quicksilver user interface provides access to a wide range of objects by applying incremental search to input typed on the keyboard. Most objects require typing only a few letters into any of the panes, reducing the set of suggestions and displaying the most likely match. Quicksilver uses a priority system based on previous usage (see mnemonic) to determine the most likely match, apparently "learning" from the user's actions.
Once an object is selected in the first panel, pressing the tab key moves the focus to the second pane to search for available actions for that object (the "predicate"). Each type of object has certain actions which can be performed with it. For example, files on the hard drive can be moved to the trash, revealed in the Finder, or opened in the default application for that file type.
Some actions require an "attribute" that provides further details or the specifics of an action. In this case, the third panel is used to find such an object on which to perform the command. For instance, the "Move to folder…" command requires the selection of a folder in the third panel. Quicksilver also accepts a direct-text entry mode in its panels (by pressing the "." key on a QWERTY keyboard or "=" on an AZERTY keyboard), making possible quick shell commands (Terminal) and instant messaging software (such as iChat and Adium).
Quicksilver's icon is based on the alchemical symbol for mercury (quicksilver being an archaic name for the element mercury).
Quicksilver allows users to define "triggers," which perform a specific command (direct object + action + indirect object) whenever a predefined keyboard shortcut is pressed. For instance, the <"Documents", "Reveal"> command could be bound to the F7 key. Then pressing the F7 key would open the Documents folder in the Finder and bring it to the front.
In addition to keyboard triggers, the "Mouse Triggers" plugin allows commands to be bound to simple mouse actions such as clicks or mouseovers in different parts of the screen. A plugin called "Abracadabra" supports triggers activated through more complicated mouse gestures.
Quicksilver has a plug-in architecture, with each plug-in providing integration with a program, interface, or new feature. For example, plug-ins exist for sending email via Mail without opening the application or manipulating images via text commands.
Because shell scripts and AppleScripts can be stored in the catalog, any function which can be performed using a script can be tied to Quicksilver, either through the command window, or through triggers. Because most Apple-native applications have extensive scripting libraries, many common tasks can easily be performed from Quicksilver. For instance, iTunes can be told to play or pause, increase or decrease the rating on the current track, or skip to the previous or next track.
There are various visual interfaces for the Quicksilver, alternative Constellation Menus and also a Notification Hub, which supports Growl via a plugin.
On November 6, 2007, the source code for Quicksilver was made available via Google Code.[2]
Quicksilver is now developed by a team of volunteers with work on the open source project increasing throughout 2010.[3]
In November 2009, development shifted to using GitHub.[4]
At the end of 2010, a new website QSApp.com was launched, with the aim of unifying and collating all of Quicksilver's fragmented builds, plugins and support groups. Since its launch, the site has included a new Plugins Repository, Wiki and Downloads section. After several months of development, Quicksilver version β59 was released; a marked point in the history of the application.
Experimental trunk builds of Quicksilver, known as Alchemy, have many major changes.
These builds have four major components: Crucible, a framework with extension to AppKit and tools common to all Alchemy apps; elements, a framework supporting the plugin architecture; quicksilver, a command window driven launcher; and catalyst, which triggers a preference pane.
Mac OS X, Security, Tips & Tricks - August 10th, 2011 - 2 Comments
FileVault 2 is the all new disk encryption method that comes with Lion, and it’s more secure than ever, using XTS-AES 128 encryption on your entire disk, as opposed to just the user directory as in past versions. The other huge change that came with FileVault 2 is the significant performance boost, where using full disk encryption barely makes a dent on system performance.Bottom line: if you have a Core i3, Core i5, or Core i7 processor, you’ll barely notice the impact of disk encryption, regardless of whether you’re using an SSD or traditional platter drive. Is a tiny performance hit worth the peace of mind of total data security? You’ll have to decide, but if you have sensitive data and a newer CPU on your Mac, it probably is.
If you want to enable FileVault 2 yourself, you can do so in the “Security & Privacy” panel of System Preferences. You can even store the key with Apple which can be retrieved by answering some standard security questions, making it virtually impossible to accidentally lose access to your own data if you forget a password or lose the encryption key.
Easily and quickly send files and folders to multiple destinations across your LAN by simply dragging files onto recipients in a popup window.
The easiest way to get things from one place to another quickly without dialogs, passwords or confirmations. DropCopy is FREE for personal use (up to 3 machines on a network) and $25 for larger networks but donations are always welcome.
Macworld says: “It’s become one of the first things I install on any new Mac”
- read the full review here.
DropCopy is designed to function as intuitively as possible: simply launch it on 2 or more computers (or iOS devices) and wait for the dropzone to appear. Then drag a file to the dropzone and drop it on your chosen destination. Watch the short video below to see DropCopy in action:
Also see Mobile DropCopy for iPod/iPhone
I’m a big fan of Edovia’s Screen VNC client for the iPhone and iPad. Whilst I still use LogMeIn when I need to access my computer’s filesystem remotely and I enjoy the service’s social features and network-recognition capabilities (when combined with Hamachi), my basic VNC needs can be easily satisfied with Screens, which provides a very intuitive interface to set up new computers, connect to them, and use them. I don’t recall a single time I haven’t used Screens at least once a day in the past few months to quickly connect to my iMac while I’m on the couch, and fire up some Spotify through the room. For quick connections, Screens is a great app — it even works on 3G and remote Wi-Fi networks thanks to a companion desktop app that will make your Mac available outside your local network.
In my overview of the improved Screen Sharing app in OS X Lion, I detailed how Apple enhanced the system utility with new clipboard features, per-user login, and possibility of grabbing a screenshot of the connected machine. With Screens for Mac, released last week, Edovia offers an alternative to Apple’s default Screen Sharing app that doesn’t have new breakthrough functionalities, but dramatically improves the organization of your remote desktops, and gives you more control over what you’re connecting to.
What is SiteSucker?SiteSucker is a Macintosh application that automatically downloads Web sites from the Internet. It does this by asynchronously copying the site's Web pages, images, backgrounds, movies, and other files to your local hard drive. Just enter a URL (Uniform Resource Locator), press return, and SiteSucker can download an entire Web site. |
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| SiteSucker can be used to make local copies of Web sites. It can download files unmodified or "localize" the files it downloads, allowing you to browse a site offline. |
