OK, these Visio templates are just too cool! Not only are the Periodic Table shapes cool, but there are a lot of others too: Bingo shapes Smart-Fading Tree USB Stick shape Multi-Earth shape and many more that I won't list here but that you can find at http://www.visguy.com/shapes/ I ran across these when I was doing a quick search for Visio templates that I could use for quickly mocking up web page and web control elements. I also ran across this template from the Interaction Designer's Coffee Break blog. Lastly, I have to make note of how the Visio Guy actually takes time to explain how his templates work and are designed. For example, take a look at his description of how to make a glass cover effect - wow! And, he has references to other good resources for those interested in creating their own Visio graphics. Of course, seeing is believing, and it behoves me (I love to use rarely-used words) to show you some screen-shots. Thank you "Visio Guy" (aka Chris Roth)! (And by the way, you can donate if you use & appreciate his work...) Technorati Tags: Visio Visio Guy » Blog Archive » Do You Know Your Elements? A Visio Periodic Table

[Read the rest of this article...]

I couldn't help but read the line in an article (see link below) about "poor standards compliance with IE" and think to myself: "You know, most users don't really care about 'poor standards compliance' in a browser; they just want it to browse the page safely & look nice." And that's not a small point to consider. Come on, people! The only ones who care about "standards compliance" are the developers, not the people viewing the sites. Developers want standards compliance because it will make their lives easier. The average Joe doesn't really care about making the lives of web developers easier - they just want to see the pages they're looking for. Web developers still make up only a small percentage of the people who actually browse the Internet, and I would not be surprised to see if many web developers actually (gasp!) have both browsers installed on their computers - if only to test their pages for both audiences. For those of you who might take me to task on referring to "both" browsers (as if there were only two), that is simply because there are only two major choices among users. Yes, there's Safari, Opera, et.al., but these are small fish in a big pool, and the majority of people still say "Who?" when those browsers are mentioned. Personally, I don't care either, anymore. Hey, I'm a part time web developer, back from the days when the browser compatibility issues were really, really painful (HTML, JavaScript, CSS). I know the pain developers feel around standards compliance. I have felt the pain. But as I stare in the eyes of my non-techy friends who haven't a clue of what I mean when I refer to different browser DOMs or having to do CSS hacks - when I stare into those eyes that look bewildered and hear them say "It looked fine to me," then I realize that the only reason my shorts are in a knot is because I (the developer) was the one who tied it up in the first place. Now that I've aged a bit, and have seen how far browser builders have come in getting their individual "standards" to mesh, I find the differences just don't bother me anymore. And, now-a-days, I don't think they bother my non-techy friends either. So, when it comes to asking questions about the "market share" of a given browser, don't try factoring in "standards compliance" for the big picture, because this is an issue that just doesn't factor into the minds of most users. Firefox, Safari, or Neither? - washingtonpost.com

[Read the rest of this article...]

If you are in any way interested in learning how to improve your site ranking in search engines like Google, then head on over to Google's Webmaster Central blog. Here you will find tips & tools that can help you craft your site so that it gets higher & higher page rankings. But, don't go looking for "quick fixes." The biggest factors determining your site's success are content, content, and content! And, if that wasn't enough, it had better be good content (and by that, I mean content that is rich, well-crafted/written, and relevant to your intended audience). Sure, there are tools that can help you analyze your site and fine-tune your site for better SEO (Search Engine Optimization) - tools such as WebCEO as well as Google's own Webmaster Tools. But the really hard work is to write your content so that it's going to be "bang-on" when Google (et.al.) scans it. To do that, you have to A) know your business, B) know your market, and C) know how to write well. Then, once you've got the ABCs done, you're still left with having to do the work (or pay someone to do it). If you've read this far, then you might be feeling somewhat discouraged - "I didn't know it would be so hard!" But, take a moment to look at the other side: Because improving your site's page rankings is so hard, most people won't go to all the trouble, thereby leaving you the opportunity to excel! Like Thomas Edison is reported to have stated: "Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." [From Jan Karon's Patches of GodLight: Father Tim's Favorite Quotes] Official Google Webmaster Central Blog Technorati Tags: SEO,Search Engine Optimization,Google,Webmaster

[Read the rest of this article...]

Now, this looks like a very cool article. Can you imagine - adding your own methods to something like the String class?!? WOW. ASP.NET.4GuysFromRolla.com: Extending Base Type Functionality with Extension Methods

[Read the rest of this article...]

[Note to self: Share this with my students - it's helpful to see just how big the .NET Framework really is...] Brad Abrams : Number of Types in the .NET Framework

[Read the rest of this article...]