Technology and Money

Optimize Image Sizes Online With Yahoo’s Smushit

Yahoo recently introduced a web based tool called Smushit to help you optimize the size of web images without affecting visual quality.

Smushit reduces the file size of images by reducing the number of colors, strips off excess metadata, and also discards other non visual data.

There are three ways you can use Smushit:

• Upload a bunch of pictures in your browser
• Provide a list of image URLs
• Firefox Extension to optimize the images found on any web page.

Interestingly, the Smushit site seems to hosted on Dreamhost, not on Yahoo servers as one would expect. Thanks Webware.

Also see: Cropping Pictures with Photoshop is Risky

Optimize Image Sizes Online With Yahoo’s Smushit - Digital Inspiration

WordPress 2.7 Release Scheduled for Nov. 10th

My WordPress dashboard keeps reminding me to upgrade to the latest version of WordPress 2.6.2 but I am holding off because WordPress 2.7 is expected sometime next month.

The WordPress roadmap says that version 2.7 release is planned for November 10, 2008 and now there’s a "not so official" WordPress Upgrade party on the same day at CubeSpace to celebrate the launch of 2.7.

That may be a strong hint that WordPress 2.7 release may go as per schedule. Go here or here to see a list of all features that are expected to be part of WordPress 2.7 or check this detailed review of what’s coming next in WordPress 2.7.

*This screen capture shows the new navigation panel of WordPress 2.7 – courtesy Jane.

 

WordPress 2.7 Release Scheduled for Nov. 10th - Digital Inspiration

Ubiquity Tutorial: How to Write a Simple BSE Sensex Tracker

Ubiquity is a new Firefox plugin that can be used as a command line for creating simple Web mashups. What follows is a simple tutorial on how to write a new Ubiquity command (let’s call our command ’sensex’) that displays the current BSE Sensex chart inside any website in Firefox.

To get started, install Ubiquity, press CTRL+Space, and enter the command "command-editor".

Then copy and paste this code in the text editor – the command is automatically saved as you type and you may start using the command with restarting Firefox.

CmdUtils.CreateCommand({
  // The name of the Ubiquity command - this is what you would type to invoke the command.
  name: "sensex",

  // The description of the command.
  description: "BSE Sensex charts.",

  // The preview display - since we only need to view the graph (and nothing else).
  preview: function (html) {
    // Take the graph from the bseindia.com site, and insert it into the Ubiquity preview window.
    html.innerHTML = '<img style="width: 490px; height: 240px;" src="http://www.bseindia.com/images/line_graphs_zoom.png"/>';
  }
});

Press Ctrl+Space again and type "sensex" – There you have the live sensex chart accessible from just about any other website.

Ubiquity Tutorial: How to Write a Simple BSE Sensex Tracker - Digital Inspiration

Is That Company a Scam? Google Suggest May Have a Clue

Here’s one clever use of Google Suggest. Type some name and look at the search suggestions to see how legitimate the company you’re dealing with is. Thanks Techdirt and LooseWireBlog.

Is That Company a Scam? Google Suggest May Have a Clue - Digital Inspiration

A Good Looking Blogger Template for your Blogs

If you are hunting for a customizable and professional looking XML template for your Blogger blog, your search probably ends here.

Antonio Lupetti, who knows the ins and outs of Blogger templates more than anyone of us, maintains his blog on blogspot.com that is awesome both in terms of content and web design.

Today Antonio released the full source code of his Blogger template to public for free with absolutely no strings attached.

The template design supports easy integration of third-party ads (both AdSense and custom 125×125 banners), Twitter, Job board, Flickr pictures, delicious bookmarks, and you may also embed RSS feeds via the FeedBurner service.

The only downside is that this Blogger Template code is available in XML format so it may not be useful for old Blogspot users who haven’t migrated from the Classic HTML template yet (like my old tech blog).

A Good Looking Blogger Template for your Blogs - Digital Inspiration

Cymbolism - See How People Associate Colors with Words

If you’re designing a website that should appear “happy” on first glance, what color scheme should you choose?

Enter Cymbolism - this is an attempt “to quantify the association between colors and words, making it simple for designers to choose the best colors for the desired emotional effect”.

People can vote on colors which make them think of words like “happy”, “sad”, “sunny” or “jealous” and refer to the results to decide the appropriate color for any site.

Also see how to find good color schemes with Flickr & Kuler

Cymbolism - See How People Associate Colors with Words - Digital Inspiration