Brazil 2014 World Cup Street Paintings

Featured on Google this week is a brilliant Google Maps interactive view of some painted streets and houses in Brazil celebrating the World Cup starting tomorrow.

Check them all out here:

https://www.google.com/maps/views/streetview/brazils-painted-streets

Convert .AI files to Freehand

Just a quick guideline for any graphic designers out there who also prefer Freehand to Illustrator but may be sent AI files to work with. I'm not sure exactly what it is but I'm just more used to Freehand and in particular the pen tool action.

So for this you will actually need both programs, Adobe Illustrator and Macromedia Freehand, as well as the AI file.

1. Open the file in Illustrator.

2. Release compound paths by selecting all objects and click 'Object>Compound Path>Release'

3. Save as an Illustrator file, choose version 8 in the Options dialogue:

4. You should now be able to open the fully editable AI file in Freehand!  Good luck and please comment if this didn't work or if you know of any other tricks.

Linking your Pave email with the Gmail platform

This article is specifically for Pave Graphics clients who are accessing email as set up for them on the Servage server by Pave Graphics

Use Google's Mail Fetcher feature to keep all your email in one place

If you're having problems retrieving and sending with Servage mail settings, you may wish to try linking your email account with a Gmail account.  There are many useful features you can use there and it's efficient and always improving.

If you already have a Gmail or Googlemail account, great!  Continue with the steps below.  Otherwise you'll have to set one up at www.Gmail.com

What is Mail Fetcher?

Mail Fetcher downloads all your old emails as well as new emails to your Google email account. Once you've set up Mail Fetcher, Google will check your other account(s) on a regular basis, and new mail will appear automatically in Gmail. Very handily, you can also choose to send email using the non-Gmail account.  Gmail checks each account at different rates, which are based on previous attempts to fetch new messages; you can't choose the frequency.

How to set up Mail Fetcher:

1. Once logged in to Gmail, click the gear icon  in the upper right, then select Settings.
2. Open the Accounts and Import tab. (For Google Apps domains, open the Accounts tab.)
3. In the Check mail using POP3 section, click Add POP3 email account.
4. Enter the full email address of the account you'd like to access, then click Next Step.
5. Gmail will populate sample settings, but please replace the details with the following
• Username - same as your email address as sent to you by Pave.
• Enter the password as sent to you.
• For SERVAGE
• POP server: incoming.servage.net
• port 110
• SSL Option Unchecked
• For PAVE-WEB
• POP Server: minicooper.dnshostcentral.com
• port 995
• SSL Option Checked
6. You can also decide at this stage if you'd like to:
• Leave a copy of messages on the server (e.g. if you're not sure if you'll stay with the Gmail format)
• Label incoming messages from the new account to distinguish between your accounts
7. Click Add Account.
8. Once your account has been added successfully, you'll have the option of setting it as a custom From address. This allows you to compose messages in Gmail, but have them appear to be sent from your other email account. Click Yes to set up a custom From address.  If you're happy for your Gmail address to show up on your sent emails, skip the next steps, your done!
9. Enter your name how you wish it to appear on your sent messages and un-check the Alias option.
10. Click 'Next Step' and select the 'Send through Gmail' option.  Click 'Next Step' again.
11. Click 'Send Verification' and 'Close Window'.
12. Now open a new window or tab and go to http://webmail.servage.net (Servage) or http://www.pave-web.com/webmail (Pave-Web).
13. Enter your username (same as the email address) and password as sent to you
14. You should have an email from 'Gmail Team' with a verification code and a long convoluted confirmation link.  Click the link and you're all good to go!

The Gmail system may have some getting used to; often the emails are grouped in threads or conversations.

Olympic Games Logo Designs

http://mydesignstories.com/88-years-of-olympic-games-logo-design/

Great view over the history of the Olympic Games logo designs.  Personally I like Wolff Olins' 2012 design, although it's come under lots of fire.

View Pave Graphics logo design services at http://www.pavegraphics.com

Drying Saris in India

Drying Saris

Photo: Rupak De Chowdhuri / Reuters

Rainbow Cakes!

SEO Success Story

I just had a meeting with Aberdeen Money about his various websites - we're doing amazingly on the search engines for various search terms!

Do a search for 'financial adviser aberdeen' or 'aberdeen ifa' or just about any combination, and you'll find at least one of his websites top. For some search terms such as 'aberdeen pension adviser' we've got 3 different websites on the front page. We've just published some more websites with important cross-server links so if it could get a better placing it would! We're also going to plug in their new Facebook profiles.

Search Engine Optimisation is a hugely complex science and on this blog I'll be sharing some of the secrets which helped to get Aberdeen Money a few leads a day through their various websites.

Funny Church Bulletins

They're Back! Those wonderful Church Bulletins! Thanks for church ladies with typewriters. These sentences (with all the BLOOPERS) actually appeared in church bulletins or were announced in church services:


--------------------------
The Fasting & Prayer Conference includes meals.
--------------------------
The sermon this morning: 'Jesus Walks on the Water.' The sermon tonight: 'Searching for Jesus.'
--------------------------
Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Bring your husbands.
--------------------------
Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our community. Smile at someone who is hard to love. Say 'Hell' to someone who doesn't care much about you.
--------------------------
Don't let worry kill you off - let the Church help.
--------------------------
Miss Charlene Mason sang 'I will not pass this way again,' giving obvious pleasure to the congregation.
--------------------------
For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.
--------------------------
Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir. They need all the help they can get.
--------------------------
Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on October 24 in the church. So ends a friendship that began in their school days.
--------------------------
A bean supper will be held on Tuesday evening in the church hall. Music will follow.
--------------------------
At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be 'What Is Hell?' Come early and listen to our choir practice
--------------------------
Eight new choir robes are currently needed due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones.
--------------------------
Scouts are saving aluminum cans, bottles and other items to be recycled. Proceeds will be used to cripple children.
--------------------------
Please place your donation in the envelope along with the deceased person you want remembered.
--------------------------
The church will host an evening of fine dining, super entertainment and gracious hostility.
--------------------------
Potluck supper Sunday at 5:00 PM - prayer and medication to follow.
--------------------------
The ladies of the Church have cast off clothing of every kind. They may be seen in the basement on Friday afternoon.
--------------------------
This evening at 7 PM there will be a hymn singing in the park across from the Church. Bring a blanket and come prepared to sin.
--------------------------
Ladies Bible Study will be held Thursday morning at 10 AM. All ladies are invited to lunch in the Fellowship Hall after the B. S. is done.
--------------------------
The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the Congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday.
--------------------------
Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 PM. Please use the back door.
-------------------------
The eighth-graders will be presenting Shakespeare's Hamlet in the Church basement Friday at 7 PM.. The congregation is invited to attend this tragedy.
--------------------------
Weight Watchers will meet at 7 PM at the First Presbyterian Church. Please use large double door at the side entrance.
--------------------------
The Associate Minister unveiled the church's new campaign slogan last Sunday:
"I Upped My Pledge - Up Yours".

Haudagain Roundabout

Check out our new little 'Plaything', the Haudagain Roundabout (Aberdeen) at rush hour.

UserCake Automatic Login

UserCake Automatic Login

I just finished a little code snippet for the Open Source User log in system 'Usercake'.
It automatically logs in a new user upon successful registration by redirecting the page, automatically posting the username and password using document.form.submit (but only if there's no errors AND email activation is turned off).


Insert this code on register.php just before the <!DOCTYPE bit at around line 90.

if(!empty($_POST) && count($errors) == 0 && !$emailActivation){

      echo "<html>/n";
      echo "<head><title>Logging you In...</title></head>/n";
      echo "<body onLoad="document.forms['login_form'].submit();">/n";
      echo "<center><h2>Please wait, you are being logged in</center>/n";
      echo "<form method="post" name="login_form" ";
      echo "action="login.php">/n";

      echo "<input type="hidden" name="username" value ="$username" />/n";
      echo "<input type="hidden" name="password" value ="$password" />/n";
      echo "<center><br/><br/>If you are not automatically logged in ";
      echo "within 5 seconds...<br/><br/>/n";
      echo "<input type="submit" value="Click Here"></center>/n";
      
      echo "</form>/n";
      echo "</body></html>/n";
   
 } else {

And of course remember to close with a curly bracket right and the VERY END of the page.


I used this to pass an additional $_POST variable telling UserCake that it was the first login.


Hope this helps you!

Rainbow Library - Man-made Rainbows

I love the rainbow stuff she posts up on 'Things Organized Neatly' so I'm gonna start my own Man-made Rainbows thread...
My sister always used to take all her pencils out of the Caran D'Ache box (starting with the 10 pack aged 7 and working up to 50 or so aged c.13) and organise them in different colour orders, usually based on the rainbow.  I guess the fascination rubbed off...

More Lovely Infographics

Creative Review - New York magazine: data done right

Infographics from the New York magazine

Browser Sizes

Just found this pretty neat feature from Google Labs - a web 'mask' showing usage percentages for browser window sizes.

http://browsersize.googlelabs.com/

Pretty useful tool for us website designers! I'd say it looks like optimising your website design for c. 1000x550px resolution is a happy medium (at the moment) of usability over design possibilities...  Although some would say you should make your site available to absolutely everyone!

There's also useful raw chronological browser stats including size, operating system, browser, from W3 Schools http://www.w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_display.asp

New Web Browsers

I've been test driving the new browser based on Firefox called 'Flock'.  It features a sidebar where you can load integrated social media (FaceBook, Twitter), RSS feeds, Email and much more.

Also excited to try 'Rock Melt' if/when I get an invite via their Facebook page...

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Error 404 - Pave not Found

Always loved quirky 404 error pages

 

Loads loads more at http://www.plinko.net/404/area404.asp

In a similar vein, Smiley Cat showcases Error Messages Design

@font-face

Yay the @font-face css declaration is here!
Read more about it at the

• Web Font Awards - http://www.webfontawards.com/about
• A List Apart - http://www.alistapart.com/articles/cssatten
• CSS3.info - http://www.css3.info/font-face-fonts-the-way-you-want-them/

I've looked into using custom fonts before, mainly for SEO and page-loading-time reasons; there were a few very ugly solutions out there, including one that generated a Flash swf showing the desired text and embedding the requested font - UGH!!
So can't wait to implement this on client sites and our own upgraded v.3 website in the making.

HTML5

Wow just found this site for Google's Web project HTML5...
Thus concludes Google's takeover of the interweb...

http://www.html5rocks.com/

Bad Design

Will keep on the lookout for more of this kind of thing...

Some Funny Infographics

Back from Honeymoon!

Well back to the grind now after a lovely honeymoon!
Been checking out EUFreelance for a wide range of Freelance job opportunities in our sector.
Hard to get started but hopefully some good business in it once we're up and running!

http://www.eufreelance.com/