To educate, inform, inspire

Windows 8 apps with HTML, CSS, and JS

March 4, 2013 - Technology , Web , Windows - by Mark - No Comments

I recently spent a little time investigating what it takes to develop a simple app for Windows 8 using only HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Obviously, one needs Windows 8 to start and to test the resulting app. One should also have a copy of Visual Studio 2012 (this seems to […]

Edge Reflow – the code

February 25, 2013 - Adobe , Technology , Web - by Mark - No Comments

Last week, I examined the recently released Adobe Edge Reflow tool itself. I thought it might be worthwhile to examine the generated code. For reference purposes, the file I created last week is the one I plan to examine in this current weblog post. As mentioned last week, these generated […]

Adobe Edge Reflow – first look

February 18, 2013 - Adobe , Technology , Web - by Mark - No Comments

Responsive design (where content is modified to display on a given device) is easy to discuss and sometimes difficult to implement. Not only should your text be positioned properly for various devices, but images and fonts should respond accordingly. The days of having a website which can be only viewed […]

Book review: 31 Days of Twitter Tips

February 12, 2013 - Technology - by Mark - 2 Comments

31 Days of Twitter Tips: Grow Your Online Influence, 12 Minutes at a Time by Becky Robinson is a useful book for those just getting started with Twitter and for those who have been using Twitter for some time. As many readers know, I use Twitter (some would say a […]

LESS CSS

February 4, 2013 - Technology , Web - by Mark - 1 Comment

CSS files can become quite large/ cumbersome. Additionally, there are some issues with CSS. These include: not having an ability to use math (for example take current border width and add 5 pixels to it), not being able to reuse common styles not being able to modify existing values not […]

Mac tips

January 28, 2013 - Apple , Technology - by Mark - 6 Comments

Since I obtained a MacBook Pro in 2012, I have been accumulating various tips and tricks to customize the environment. I thought it would be appropriate to share some of these with readers. If you are aware of others and would like them included, please place your thoughts in the […]

Node.js Server

January 21, 2013 - Technology , Web , WOW - by Mark - No Comments

Now that we have some understanding of some of the capabilities of Node.js, it is time to investigate its true strength – as a web server. Recall that many reseller accounts will not allow Node.js to act as a server as it is viewed as a long running task (and […]

Markdown and Node.js

January 14, 2013 - Technology , Web , WOW - by Mark - 1 Comment

I realize that not everyone wants to write HTML. Tools like Dreamweaver make it much simpler, but there are times (particularly when taking notes) that an alternative might be more appropriate. Markdown has been around for a number of years. Essentially, you markup your document in plain text and can […]

Node.js

January 11, 2013 - Technology , Web , WOW - by Mark - No Comments

Node.js uses JavaScript to run a web server – yes, JavaScript on the server. One of the main benefits is that a single language is used on both the client and server sides (JavaScript). I know some would argue that JavaScript is not a “true” programming language since it is […]

Adobe Education Exchange Live

November 13, 2012 - Adobe , Technology , Travel , Web - by Mark - No Comments

I had the honor of being invited to speak at the Adobe Education Exchange Live event in Toronto, ON (November 8 and 9, 2012). In addition to the event, I was also able to participate in the Adobe Design Achievement Awards ceremony in the evening (Nov. 9). I thought that […]

Tagged: Education

IE 10 on MS Surface

November 6, 2012 - Technology , Web - by Mark - No Comments

Now that I am more familiar with my Ms Surface tablet, I thought it would be time to explore specific applications. First stop would be Internet Explorer 10. It comes in two flavors on the Surface. The first is an app (no plug-ins such as Flash Player are allowed). The […]

Bootstrap Overview

November 5, 2012 - Technology , Web - by Mark - No Comments

Bootstrap is a framework for front end web development and uses HTML5. One can employ responsive web designs with relative ease (the page will shrink and images will resize as the amount of screen real estate is reduced). This framework uses a 12 column grid for initial layout of items. […]

Tagged: frameworks

WordPress Attacks

November 1, 2012 - Technology - by Mark - No Comments

Those reading this weblog likely know that it is based on the popular WordPress application. I know many individuals and organizations who use this application. Some time ago, I provided a post dealing with WordPress security (and I recommended a number of plugins and techniques to minimize potential threats). Since […]

Tagged: security WordPress

MS Surface Shortcut keys

October 31, 2012 - Technology , Windows - by Mark - No Comments

This post is actually for my benefit (and I hope others also find it useful). I keep forgetting which keys do what and the Windows key seems critical when working with the MS Surface “laplet.” No, I didn’t coin this term, but it seems appropriate laptop + tablet. Unfortunately, it […]

Tagged: Tablets

MS Surface First Look

October 29, 2012 - Technology , Windows - by Mark - 2 Comments

My MS Surface tablet arrived on Friday, October 26, 2012. I had a chance to experience this device at the 2012 Working Connections Institute and decided to purchase the Windows RT version (with the ARM-based processor). I could have waited for the more expensive version, but decided this would likely […]