Parallax

One of the latest web design trends popping up all over the internet is called Parallax Scrolling.

Parallax is a difference in the in the apparent position of an object viewed along different lines of sight. The Parallax effect or parallax scrolling in web design is the technique that features layered images that move around the website in different speeds/perspectives creating an interesting 3D illusion.

webdesignledger.com has put together an compilation of 21 great examples of parallax in web design - ranging from individual designer's portfolios to Nike.

Smashing Magazine also has a parallax scrolling tutorial that provides the HTML, CSS, and javascript you need to get starting designing a parallax website.

Happy scrolling!

App Measures the Madness of March Madness

There are few sporting events more exciting than the NCAA Basketball Tournament. It's sports tradition to fill out a bracket and predict how each of the 67 games will unfold. This creates huge interest in every game of the tournament. And now, there's an app called Thuuz that gives every game a rating based on how entertaining of a game it will likely be. The app uses an algorithm that produces a final "excitement quotient" that can be anywhere from 0-100. A score over 85 implies that a game's likelihood of being a must-watch is very high. So if you're flipping through the channels and you're not sure which of the five games on television you should watch, Thuuz can be very handy! The original article can be found here.

The Great Library Roadshow visits Morris Library

Check out this page for videos and pictures from the visit 3 librarians made to the Morris Library yesterday as part of The Great Library Roadshow. I appear in a video (which I have yet to view) and props are given to Mike Gates for his welded sign of our logo.

Some MegaUpload users may have been gov't officials

In the wake of the government seizure of file-sharing site MegaUpload in January, speculation is arising that some government officials are actually victims of the site's closure as well. MegaUpload founder Kim Dotcom, who was recently released from prison on bail, said in an interview earlier this week that many MegaUpload accounts belonged to members of the Department of Justice and the U.S. Senate. The legal counsel for the site is currently working with the Justice Department to help users retrieve valuable personal files. It seems bizarre that government officials would attack something that they use, or even use a system so commonplace for potentially crucial information. This just marks another saga in the Wild West that the Internet is becoming.

DoubleFine Adventure

Hey everyone!

As I'm sure some of you know, crowd-funding websites like Kickstarter and RocketHub have gained a lot of popularity lately. These sites allow anyone with an idea to seek funding to start their project, and donors get all kinds of great rewards as well!

In this case, the idea man is Tim Shafer, founder of DoubleFine, and the project is an adventure game that is fully crowd-funded!

Shafer initially asked 400,000 in donations, but has received close to 3 MILLION! This is fantastic news.

Why is this important, you may ask? Video games have gained a lot of popularity, and these days only big name publishers release the AAA games we hear so much about. And while these publishers hold an important role, their focus on security and bottom line profits have stifled innovation in the industry; big publishers are part of the reason games like Madden and Call of Duty come out nearly every year, often with little to no new content.

3 million is a small amount as far as publishers are concerned, but it is certainly enough for them to take notice. With more games getting crowd-funded, developer straight to consumer, there will be a rise in games that go the extra mile, dare to be different, and are overall better for the medium and society as a whole.

There are 24 hours left to fund the project, and as little as 15 dollars gets you a copy of the game! Now's your last chance to be a part of gaming history!


Andrew Czudak

e-waste?

Before you throw away that old cell phone or monitor, take a moment to  think about electronic waste.  The following chart will help to put into perspective waste from 2010.  Take a look:  Electronic Waste   (make sure you click to enlarge the image.)

Using Siri to the Fullest

With the sales of iphone 4s's skyrocketing, you may be wondering what the fuss is all about.  Well as many people know the only difference between the iphone 4 and the iphone 4s is the voice recognition named Siri.  But what exactly can this Siri do for you?  Check out some of the most popular uses of Siri here according to apple.

Firefox Video Contest

Mozilla presents "Firefox Flicks: A Global Video Contest To Tell Our Story."

"We need your help to tell the amazing story of Mozilla Firefox, our users and how one browser can build a brighter future for the Web."

Create a short movie for a chance to win prizes!

See Firefox Flicks for more details.

HTML5

If you've been curious about what all the fuss about HTML5 has been about, here's an easy to read graphic that lays out what additional features it offers, how it compares to Flash, and why we should care:

Google privacy changes,

As many of you probably heard about, Google has changed . Many are concerned that Google will now be tracking websites and other online data of people using its services.

This writer argues that the policy change is only a 3 out of 10 on the privacy "Richter scale".

There are several posts offering advice on how to guard your privacy such as this one from NPR

One common suggestion is not logging in to Youtube or using a search engine other than Google -- I remember in early internet days when Yahoo reigned supreme!

Wolfram Alpha

Wolfram Alpha is a search engine that works on a few different levels than the standard Google or Yahoo webcrawler. Wolfram Alpha will let a user upload a picture, input data tables, and other files to search throught something other than just keywords.

Another great thing about WA, is that it displays a variety of information based on the searched keywords, formulas, etc. For example if you search "1 Lemon," nutritional information, and tables with detailed information about what's inside a lemon will be displayed. There is also an option to specify whether to include or exclude the peel into the calculations.

Here is a nice blog post about one persons five favorite features of Wolfram Alpha.

www.wolframalpha.com

Are you addicted to your phone?

You're not alone.

According to recent research by SecurEnvoy, an internet security firm, more people feel anxious and tense when they are out of reach of their phone -- and the younger they are, the more likely the stress.

Known as "nomophobia," a recent online survey found that almost two thirds (66%) of respondents were afflicted, a rise of 11% when compared to a similar study four years ago. According to the survey, the younger you are, the more prone you are to nomophobia. The youngest age group (18 -24) tops the nomophobic list at 77%. Nomophobia is also more common among women than men.

Research has also found that people who use mobile phones for more than three hours a day have a higher chance of getting nomophobia. Prevalent as it may be, nomophobia, however, is not yet a qualified phobia, though it is a growing problem.

Insane Art Formed By Carving Books with Surgical Tools

I am not advocating anyone carve our library books, but some of these are wonderful.  See them here Insane Art

SSH

SSH or Secure Shell will allow every enrolled student at UD to publish files into the web.  The School of Education has a video that will guide you through the process.  I would also suggest it as a tutorial for users.  Here is the site.Publishing to the Udel Web with SSH

New Aspects for DAZ Studio 4

Here are some great new things you can do with DAZ Studio 4!

Calling all hackers

Google is offering $1Million dollars to hack its Chrome browser.  What a way to find vulnerabilities!  You can read more at Pwnium.

Copyright confusion

Copyright is a topic that can be confusing, to say the least-- and big media companies with an army of lawyers who send cease and desist letters can be enough to make anyone doubt themselves about using a particular copyrighted video or music clip in their own projects. Copyright can get complicated, but that shouldn't stop you from trying to educate yourself-- or exercise your fair use rights.

Duke University's Center for the Study of the Public Domain has an informative resource in comic book form called Bound By Law? that goes over copyright law and fair use from a documentary filmmaker's perspective. It's easy to read and quite informative. You can watch the flash version online, or download the pdf version.

In the market for a new tablet?

You may want to wait just another week.

Reports from CNN, and numerous other news sources, expect that Apple will launch the new iPad 3 at a special event scheduled for March 7th. Apple sent out invitations on Tuesday that included a photo of someone using an iPad, with a single line: "We have something you really have to see. And touch."

The iPad3 is rumored to boast longer batter life, a faster processor, better camera, Siri voice assistant, and the ability to run on 4G networks. The announcement comes on the heels of popular iPad2 retailers like Best Buy offering the iPad2 for $50 off the normal price tag. So if you're looking for the latest and greatest, or can settle for last year's model with a reduced price tag - hold out for just a few more days.

The Internet is Running Out of Airwaves!

 
Although it seems infinite, the wireless Internet used by smartphones does have its limitations and it may reach these in the near future! This is because of the spike in data consumed by smartphones in the past few years and the large number of smartphones now being used globally.  What does this mean for smartphone users? Well, according to CNN Money, the spectrum crunch could raise the prices on data packages, increase the number of dropped calls, and slow down messaging speeds and Internet speeds on smartphones and tablets. When this happens, which could be in the next year or so, it will be interesting to see how wireless carriers such as Verizon and AT&T will react. Will phone companies merge? Who will be the top carrier? Will the world have to convert back to flip phones? As we sit back and wait to see what happens, these carriers are frantically trying find answers to the problem!

Buoyant Beats!!

New Eco Terra Waterproof Boombox helps you to bring your music where water wouldn't normally allow, let's just hope the Sharks don't like your taste in music.

http://www.gizmag.com/grace-digital-eco-terra-waterproof-boombox/21632/