9 Useful Adobe Flex / AIR Applications

Adobe's Flex framework and the AIR component have brought allot of versitility to both websites and the desktop.  Here is a small collection of some of the best applications out there currently.

1. Mediamaster - is an application that will save your entire song library so you don't have to rip/download/buy them all over again if you ever lose them due to a computer crash.  You can also share your playlist with other users and browse their music selections.
   
2. Acrobat.com - Is an application to help you get thru your next project.  It contains a document creator called Buzzword, a desktop sharing app for collaboration and meetings, and Adobe share which gives you 5gb of file storage.
   
3. Finetune - This is a awesome internet radio application which allows users to create and share playlists.
   
4. Mooflair - This application is one of the best video delivery system around.  It allows you to browse through videos, create playlists, and download them to your desktop so you can easily drop them onto your iPod.
   
5. Photoshop Express - This application from Adobe, combines the photo editing capabilities of Photoshop Elements in a Flex RIA. You get 2 gigs of online photo storage, and a free URL to host all your pictures and albums. It can also be integrated with other social websites, like flickr, facebook, and  picassa.
   
6. IExpenseOnline - This financial application helps you track what you spend vs. what you make, and it also has tips on how to cut down your expenses and save your money.
   
7. Tweetdeck - This application lets you seamlessly read and write tweets for Twitter, outside of your browser.
   
8. Craig's List Desktop - This application makes searching thru listings on Craig's List much easier.  There are multiple searching options, and pictures are included in the results.  You can save your searches, and all of the listings update in real time.
   
9. Timetoast - A handy appliaction to organize numerous dates.  Add the dates you need to remember along with a description and Timetoast will chart them on a timeline for you.  Picturs can also be added and you can share your timeline with other users.
   

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List of New Cool Websites

I am always looking for cool and interesting new websites on a variety of topics.  Here is a short list of some of those that I have come across recently.

Surf the Channel - this is a site that indexes "all videos, everywhere" and lists them in easy to navigate pages. Think of it as an agrregator for video sites across the net.  It combines Youtube, Hulu, and other video websites.

Mygazines - this website that allows you to browse, share, archive and customize unlimited magazine articles uploaded by hundreds of users.

Soundunwound - think of this website as a sort of Wikipedia for music.  It is part music store, part wiki, and designed to be the resource of choice for all music fans that need information about their favorite artists.  It is still in Beta, and pairs together two web giants Amazon and IMDB.

Stormpulse - this website tracks current storms as well as provides detailed historical information on past weather mischief.  It uses rich media interactive maps and statistics.

Quarkbase - is a free web application that allows you to find complete information about a website.  It is a mashup of over 30 data sources and gathers information from all over Internet on topics like social popularity, traffic, associated people, etc.

Indeed - this is a search engine for jobs - with a radically different approach to job search. It spans job Web sites, newspapers, and company career pages by keyword and location to fit your needs.

Diaroogle - this site helps you find quality public toilets from your mobile phone.  This is only useful in NYC at the moment, but with more cities to follow. 

getmooh - (Get Me Out of Here) is a website that will ring your phone at a specified time and playback a message, this is useful to send a b-day wish to a friend, annoy someone ;), get out of a horrible date, or cut out of a meeting early.

Vyew - this is a free desktop sharing application similar to GoTo Meeting or Webex but with more features and best of all it doesn't cost anything ;)

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Diablo III

Ever since Blizzard introduced the first Diablo game many moons ago I have been hooked. I recall countless hours slashing skeletons and picking up gold piles as I trudged thru the many haunted corridors in the various dungeons. Seeking new weapons and armor, as I battled the forces of evil. So I was very excited when they announced that they would be releasing Diablo 3.

The story picks up two decades later, and the worlds are rendered in stunning 3d detail. There are two character classes already revealed: The Barbarian and the Witchdoctor, but in the finished game there will be a total of 5 to choose from, both male and female. The environment is also new, and it allows players to set traps and use the destructible objects against your foes. It is based on the powerful Havok physics system. Blizzard has also stated that Battle.Net has been enhanced making it more enjoyable for cooperative online play. There is no release date as of yet, and I will be jonesing till this game comes out. ;)

Check out the 20 minute Gameplay trailer here.

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Useful Online Web Design Tools

Here is a nice little online collection of useful tools for any web designer.

Golden Ratio
This tools calculates the golden ratio for your designs.

Grid Calculator
Very handy tool for the designer who uses grids to mock-up site layouts.

Reflection Maker
A tool with creates a reflection for any image.

Table Generator
A tool for creating tables with column classes applied.

CSS Type Set
A tool for testing out CSS styles on your web content.

Markup Generator
Markup Generator is a simple tool created for xhtml/css coders. It’s main purpose is to speed up your work by generating xhtml markup and a css frame out of very intuitive, shortened syntax so you can jump directly to the elements styling.

Vector Magic
A tool that generates Vector artwork from a bitmap image. It is allot like Illustrator's live trace.

YAML Builder
An interactive code-generating tool for authoring custom CSS layouts.

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12 Firefox Extensions for Web Designers

I just updated Firefox to Version 3.0 and although I still have to test pages in IE for the web, I exclusively use the mozilla based browser for all my surfing needs. Firefox's use of extensions greatly enhances it's functionality and there are a number of great plug-ins for the web professional. Here are 12 that I use and have found very helpful.


Screengrab! 0.95
Screengrab saves entire webpages as images...
FireShot
FireShot is a Firefox extension that creates screenshots of web pages. Unlike other extensions, this plugin provides a set of editing and annotation tools, which let users quickly modify captures and insert text and graphical annotations.
ColorZilla
Advanced Eyedropper, ColorPicker, Page Zoomer and other colorful goodies...
MeasureIt
Draw out a ruler to get the pixel width and height of any elements on a webpage.
JavaScript Debugger
a powerful JavaScript debugging environment for Mozilla based browsers.
Picnik
Add a menu options and a toolbar icon to make importing images into Picnik easier.
Autofill Forms
Autofill Forms enables you to fill out web forms with one click or a keyboard shortcut.
Firebug
Firebug integrates with Firefox to put a wealth of development tools at your fingertips while you browse. You can edit, debug, and monitor CSS, HTML, and JavaScript live in any web page
Web Developer
Adds a menu and a toolbar with various web developer tools.
YSlow
YSlow analyzes web pages and tells you why they're slow based on Yahoo's rules for high performance web sites.
CSViewer
A simple CSS property viewer

Let me know if you have any favorites and i will add them to the list ;)

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Online Tools For SEO Ranking

Here are some great online tools for checking on the ranking of websites. It is a collection of services to benchmark your site performance versus your competitors.

1. SEO Tool - Rank Checker
2. WebSiteGrader
3. Keywordspy
4. Compete
5. Touch Graph
6. Check Your IndexRank
7. SeoDigger
8. Xinu Returns

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Useful Web Development Tools

There are many tools out there to make your web development job easier. Here are a couple I have come across online in my travels.

CSS:
CSS Grid Builder
CSS Sprite Generator
Blueprint: A CSS Framework
CSSTidy
logicss: CSS Framework
CSSFly

Ajax:
Clean AJAX
Sajax
Google Web Toolkit

Javascript:
JavaScript Code Improver
JSUnit
Venkman: JavaScript Debugger

Browser Plugins:
Firebug
Web Developer extension for Firefox
Internet Explorer Developer Toolbar

Web Performance:
Test Everything
Pingdom Tools

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Web Design / Development Podcasts

I am always looking for new resources in web design and development. I recently came across these Audio and video podcasts that highlight design news, new web technologies and applications, and the latest trends in the design and development field.




Web Design

Audio:
Boagworld - This long running podcast interviews allot of experts in the web design field.
The Rissington Podcast - A humorous podcast that answers questions from it's design user base.
Audible Ajax - Discuss the latest news on Ajax and the changes in the field.
Web Axe - This podcast covers web accessibility issues.
Rookie Designer - Podcast covers a variety of web design topics.

Video:
Web Design TV Videocast - Covers various web applications
Adobe Creative Suite Video Videocast - Tools and features of Creative Suite 3
Lynda.com Videocast - Based on the award winning training videos on design.
Photoshop User TV - Tutorials and tips in using Photoshop
Layers TV - Everything Adobe
Photoshop Killer Tips - Tips and tricks for photoshop

I will add more to the list going forward. :)

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