Web Design Nottingham

"A good heart is worth all the heads in the world"

2006-04-06T10:38:00.000+01:00

Want to read something nice today? Check this site out - the Random Acts of Kindness site.

Test the accessibility of your website

2006-04-03T13:59:00.000+01:00

The newest way to test website accessibility has been initiated by the Usability Exchange

The Usability Exchange is taking the next step forward to ensure that websites become more accessible to users with disabilities, by offering the first real chance for disabled users and website owners to have real interaction with each other.

Usability Exchange works by allowing website owners to submit their sites for testing by disabled users. It's become the closest thing to a usability testing forum, where people from both sides of the problem - site designers struggling to know how to make their sites better, and users struggling with accessibility of sites - can meet and make their needs known.

Site owners can create tests tailored to specific end user groups, and testers can register for free and carry out tests at a time that suits them. It's the best of all worlds, because sites are being tested not by a dedicated team of users whose job it is, nor by people trying to anticipate what accessibility problems are, but by the people who are in the best position to find the problems.

Usability is becoming more and more of a buzzword for sites now, with people, quite rightly, no longer accepting that some sites are poorly designed, hard to navigate, and in some cases simply unusable. If you're really into it, or want to find out more, visit the Usability Exchange or read the PAS 78 Guide to Good Practice in Commissioning Accessible Websites, developed jointly by the Disability Rights Commission (DRC) and the British Standards Institution.

Recognition out there for bloggers!

2006-03-08T10:40:00.000Z

It seems at last that the literary world is starting to recognise the erudite contributions from the world's 60 million or so bloggers.

The first short list for bloggers turned authors has been announced - 89 entries have been whittled down to 16, and the winners will be announced on the 3rd of April.

Bob Young, founder of the self-publishing site Lulu, which sponsors the award, said that books from blogs are now becoming hugely popular.

Any blog book, or 'blook', published anywhere in the world before January 2006 was eligible for entry in one of three categories - fiction, non-fiction, and comics. The prize fund is $4,000 - the overall winner to receive $2,000, and the other two category winners will each pocket $1,000.

The majority of entries are from the US, but two of the strongest UK contenders are Belle De Jour, whose blog tells about life as a prostitute, and Russell Davies, whose eggbaconchipsandbeans blog is a guide to the best greasy spoons in the UK.

Interestingly enough, considering this marks a synthesis of e-medial (is that a word?) and more traditional publishing (paper) materials, the prize marks the 450th anniversary of Gutenberg's invention of moveable type.

Could you cope with 24 hour living?

2006-02-21T19:34:00.000Z

Imagine this a few years from now "For sale, semi detached, newly decorated, kitchen/diner, lounge, bathroom, no bedrooms.."

Doesn't quite sound right does it? What's missing? Well everyone's seen episodes of Star Trek TNG, Stargate, Deep Space Nine, (and Space1999, Blake 7, Flash Gordon if you go back a bit further!) where nobody needs to eat anymore and everyone survives on one small pill everyday, but a pill that can remove the need for sleep?

Well it might not be as far away as it sounds. Modafinil, launched around 7 years ago can allow you to function for nearly 2 days without needing the ZZZZs. Modafinil, developed by the pharmaceutical company Cephalon and marketed under the trade name Provigil, is a mood-enhancing psychostimulant that wakes you up without causing the same jitteriness, anxiety, or eventual crash that can come after using more conventional methods of giving yourself a 'lift' such as amphetamines or even caffeine. Developed originally as a treatment for narcolepsy, it seems that it might have wider reaching appeal.

Of course we all know caffeine keeps us awake and we've known this for centuries. We all probably take in more caffeine a day than we realise - tea, coffee, soft drinks, chocolate. But the other thing that has always been recognised is that loss of sleep does catch up with you - the real problem is always the accumulated sleep-debt. You know you can get by for a week on 3 hours sleep a night if you have to, as long as you can have back-to-back espressos during the day, but come the weekend, you know you're gonna have to sleep for 14 straight hours.

What modafinil would seem to suggest is that the next generation of wake-performing drugs may offer constant wakefulness without the associated sleep debt. Modafinil's not quite there yet, but who knows what's next?

John Caldwell, with the Air Crew Health and Performance division of the U.S. Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory, conducted a study of modafinil with army helicopter pilots. The study showed that modafinil can allow people to remain awake and alert for 40 hours, and still retain their ability to function normally and deal with complex problems - something that's usually missing in people that have been awake for too long. Then, after 8 hours' sleep, they can get up again and do another 40.

Joel Garreau wrote in the Washington Post that one of the oddest things about trying the drug for his article, was having to learn to distinguish between being tired, and wanting to sleep, because that's what modafinil does, removes the desire to sleep.

Could this mean that the graveyard shift is a thing of the past? In 50 years's time, will our children look on disbelievingly when we tell them that we used to drink coffee with caffeine in it and spent one third of our lives asleep?

Samorost2

2006-02-07T19:59:00.000Z

Play this. It's great.

Er, what?

2006-02-07T19:17:00.000Z

Ever had a frustrating day when nothing goes right, and then to cap it all off your PC crashes with some unintelligible message that you feel thick for not being able to understand, and you end up hunting around on the manufacturer's website only to find no-one else in the entire world has ever had the same problem, and therefore the manufacturer concludes that in fact either a) there is no problem or b) you're stupid?

Well it's not only you. And chances are if the message seems unintelligible, you're not imagining it, it probably is. When Ben Ezzell of Guerneville, California was researching his latest book "Developing Windows Error Messages", he and his publisher O'Reilly & Associates asked people to send in some of their favourite bad error messages.

For ones that are guaranteed to cause a bit of head scratching and some severe metaphysical uncertainty, here are some of the best.

1) "The procedure failed with the following error: the command completed successfully. "(Oh, good... I think...)

2) "Error: keyboard not found. Press F1 to continue or Del to enter setup." (Someone's having a laugh, surely.)

3) "Your mouse is not working. Please click here to acknowledge."

4) "Contest entries." (????)

5) "Windows has found an unknown device and is installing a driver for it." (Hmmm, that'll be the generic 'unknown device' driver then. If you can get drivers for unknown devices how come I have to search the Epson website from top to bottom for the correct driver every time I want to reinstall my printer?)

6) "You need to supply a fax number in order for your request not to receive fax notifications to be processed."

7) "Your system shell has changed. The Compaq software will work with your new shell, but the new shell will not work with your Compaq software. Do you wish to keep your Compaq software working? Click Yes if you are unsure." (Can I have the options again please?)

8) "Printer on fire." (Oh my God, is it?!!!) NB. This is a unix error, apparently it has been changed in version 2.4.20 to read 'unknown error' instead of 'on fire'. How dull.

Warning: Windows virus set to activate on 3rd February

2006-01-30T12:58:00.000Z

PC users are warned to scan their PCs before the 3rd of February to avoid being caught out by the Nyxem virus.

Nyxem has infiltrated many computers by disguising itself in an email attachment labelled as pornography. The virus is also known as Blackworm, MyWife, and Kama Sutra amongst others.

On the 3rd of February, the virus is set to delete Word, Powerpoint, Excel, Access, Zip, Photoshop and Acrobat files on infected machines. The virus also tries to protect itself by disabling anti-virus software on infected machines, and disabling the keyboard and mouse.

Home users are thought to be most at risk from viruses, as they are less inclined to regularly patch Windows and update anti-virus software than large businesses.

Virus-scan your PC before the 3rd February to make sure you're not at risk.

If you think you're infected and your regular anti-virus software doesn't remove the problem, F-Secure have a disinfection utility available as a download from their site.

Anti-stress ideas for the new year

2006-01-30T11:18:00.000Z

I don't know about you, but I sometimes find the new year pretty stressful. It's when you realise that you did everything "too much" over Christmas - ate too much, spent too much, sat around too much, and January is always the time for having to bite the bullet and deal with the results. It's the time when you realise that you have to sort out the credit card, get off the settee and do some exercise, stop watching valium TV in the evenings and do something intelligent instead. And all that can of course bring on stress.

I found the other day, in the Co-Op Bank magazine, 10 top tips for beating stress. Not really the first place you'd look for anti stress ideas, but some of these actually sound quite sensible.

1) Have a laugh.

Apparently it's impossible to be amused and stressed at the same time, so give up the anxiety and find something to laugh about instead. Just in case you're already stressed and can't think of anything funny off the top of your head, here's a joke to kick things off: Two vultures were eating a clown, one said to the other, "Does this taste funny to you?" (Joke courtesy of codebrush, not the Co-op bank.)

2) Walk the dog (even if you don't have one)

Hmm, naughty Co-op bank, advising us to nick other people's dogs to walk with. This is a 3-part-combo on the stress beating front though, hitting 3 stress-busting areas at once; exercise, fresh air, and distraction from the things that are causing you to be stressed.

3) Decide whether the thing that's stressing you is within your sphere of influence.

The idea behind this one is that if the thing that's making you stressed isn't in your sphere of influence, there's no point worrying about it because there's absolutely nothing you can do to change it.

For example, if your train is cancelled and it's going to make you late for a meeting, calm down, phone the people you're not going to be able to meet, buy a coffee and a paper, and relax and wait for the next train. Getting stressed about things we can't control is purely a waste of energy.

4) Breathe in some lavender.

Lavender oil relieves stress and eases tension. The bank advise that you keep a hanky in your pocket with some of the oil on it. You'll smell like a summer garden to other people, and will waft around on a little cloud of serenity. Lavender oil does also help you sleep though, so be careful smelling it if you're on the last night train home and you don't want to miss your stop.

Also useful when you end up next to someone with questionable body odour on the tram.

Co-operative bank

Users decide about your site in 50 milliseconds

2006-01-18T14:18:00.000Z

A Canadian study has shown that internet users make up their mind about whether they like a website or not in a fraction of a second.

The research, published in the journal Behaviour and Information Technology showed that the brain can make a decision about the quality of a page in just one 20th of a second, less than a 10th of the time that researchers had expected, and these first impressions have a lasting impact.

Volunteers in the study were shown brief glimpses of websites, lasting only 50 milliseconds, and were then asked to rate the websites in terms of how aesthetically pleasing they found them.

Surprisingly, the research team found that these 'quick' conclusions tallied very closely with opinions formed after the users had had much longer to examine the sites.

The researchers believe that a phenomenon known as the 'halo effect' is responsible for these quickly formed impressions lasting. If people have a positive impression of the way a website looks, these positive thoughts will influence the way the user sees the rest of the site, such as the website content.

Since people like to be right, they will carry on using the website that gave them a good first impression, and this will reinforce their belief that the intial decision was a good one.

Dr Gitte Lindgaard, lead researcher of the paper, said that companies should be aware of this.

"Unless the first impression is favourable, visitors will be out of your site before they even know that you might be offering more than your competitors," she warned.

Who needs an iPod? My headphones are plugged into my trousers.

2006-01-13T13:57:00.000Z

Alyce Santoro has created Sonic Fabric. Inspired by the use of small strands of cassette tape used as wind indicators on sailing boats, and by Tibetan prayer flags which are inscribed with blessings activated by the wind, Sonic Fabric is woven from old cassette tapes.

The sounds contained in the weave can be played by passing a tape head over the surface of the material.

Million Dollar Plus Brainwave

2006-01-11T12:52:00.000Z

For those of you who read the blog last year, you may remember that in October, we mentioned the Million Dollar Homepage, brainchild of 21 year old student Alex Tew (see 'What are you looking at?', October 2005)

The concept behind Million Dollar Homepage is selling pixels on a webpage, as advertising space, at a dollar per pixel. The minimum purchase is $100 for a 10x10 pixel square.
At that time, Alex was roughly at the halfway mark, having sold about $500,000 worth of pixels on his site.

Now however, he's very, very close to reaching his target. His last 1,000 pixels will be auctioned off today on eBay. Bidding is at $140,000 already, so all in all, Alex stands to make much more than his aimed $1,000,000.

Apparently Alex is already working on ideas for what to do after this. I don't know about you, but I'm going to keep a close eye on this guy. He seems to have a talent for spotting what people are going to want next.

Text 'Save' to place your vote for Molly the cow

2006-01-11T12:29:00.000Z

Town residents of Great Falls, Idaho will decide through a telephone poll whether a cow will remain a resident of Montana, or live the rest of its days in an animal sanctuary in Seattle.

The cow escaped last week from a Montana slaughterhouse, and led workers and police on a six-hour chase, actually crossing the Missouri river on its way.

The heifer has attained celebrity status, with television and news organisations requesting interviews(?!), and calls flooding in not only from the US, but from overseas also.

Del Morris, manager of Mickey's Packing Plant in Great Falls, commented that it was a rare cow that escapes slaughter. "I watched her do things that are just not possible for a cow," he said.

Microsoft Fix for Windows Security Hole

2006-01-11T11:58:00.000Z

Microsoft have earlier this month rushed out a security patch designed to prevent hackers exploiting a loophole in the way that Windows handles certain types of images.

The problem, called the Windows Meta File (WMF) bug, is potentially very serious: it means that a malicious user can hide code on a webpage or in an email containing files with the wmf extentsion.

Samples of code designed to exploit the hole have been posted on the internet, and can successfully attack even fully-patched Windows XP SP2 systems. Some examples are spyware which tries to trick people into handing over their credit card details, or which installs software to send thousands of spam e-mails.

The potential for exploiting this security hole is even greater. "This one is particularly nasty because is allows people to take control of your computer from over the internet," said Rob Helm, research director at US analysts Directions on Microsoft.

Attention was first drawn to the hole at the end of December last year. Patches are now available for all at-risk versions of Windows, and can be downloaded from http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/Bulletin/MS06-001.mspx

For more than three years now, Microsoft has been working to improve the security and reliability of its software as more and more malicious software targets weaknesses in Windows and other Microsoft software. More than 90 percent of the world's personal computers run on the Windows operating system. Vulnerable versions of Windows include ME, 2000, XP and Server 2003.

Happy New Year from Codebrush

2006-01-09T13:05:00.000Z

Happy New Year to everyone out there.

We hope your Christmas was fun (and that your Christmas Holiday was long enough!), and best wishes for 2006 from us all here at Codebrush.

It's Christmas!

2005-12-09T11:59:00.000Z

I know it's quite fashionable to despise Christmas, and be a bit world-weary about it, but I love it. I like the lights and the decorations - even the brass bands playing carols (what do they do the rest of the year?). The window shopping, the yearning over things that you know you can't really put on your credit card, reading the Radio Times and highlighting everything you want to watch, most of which you'll miss in the end. And everything always seems extra shiny over Christmas. The catalogues are glossier, the shop windows gleam a little bit more, even the sales assistants have a hint of polish about them.

But of course, as the big day looms closer, the Christmassy cheer becomes a little tinged with panic as everyone starts to wonder whether they've bought as much for their other half as their other half has bought for them. ("Oh no, I've only bought him the XBox 360 with 18 games, the Jack Nicklaus coached golfing holiday, the limited edition numbered Issey Miyake aftershave, the Ferarri 355 Driving Experience, and the lap-dancing kit! He'll think I don't love him!") And what if I can't get the Bratz Meygan Collector Doll for the kids? And what if the dog feels left out?!

So, as a tribute to those for whom it's all getting a little too much, here are some of the things that will end up in people's stocking's over Christmas, and after Christmas, will leave you wondering whether you really should have saved yourself £200 and talked to the family first to find out what you all actually wanted.

1) Dog Lips

Yes, that's right, and no, not lips from real dogs - lips for dogs to play with. They're big comedy lips that have a grabby bit on the back, so when your dog picks them up to play with, he looks like someone's drawn an enormous grinning mouthful of teeth on him - of course you may have the kind of dog that already looks like this.

And, in case you've been wondering just how clever your pet is, Kaleidoscope also supply a home IQ test for dogs, the "How smart is your dog test".

Apparently, these products are "thoughtfully designed with dogs psychology in mind"...Oh good.

2) Become a lord or lady

For a nominal charge of £29.99 you can purchase the right to be addressed as Lord or Lady of Glencairn.

What you are actually buying is one square foot of land forming part of the Glencairn estate in Scotland. Once you've purchased the land, you're entitled to call yourself Lord, Lady, or Laird.

You're also are at liberty to visit the area where the plots are located, although presumably you run the risk of running into some of the other potential hundreds of Lord, Lady, or Laird Glencairns that might have bought the square foot of land next to yours.

3) The Peekaboo Pole Dancing pole.

Well it's said to be the latest way to keep fit, with a list of star devotees such as Desperate Housewives actress Teri Hatcher. Now you can purchase your very own and practice your seductive moves in front of Eastenders.

The best thing about this pole is that it's described as "suitable for taking to parties", and comes with a pink dance garter and fake money that people can stuff into it. Hmmm, so much for being an exercise accessory. Oddly enough though, it does warn you that it won't support your bodyweight.

4) A pink toolbox.

Enough said.

5) Own land in the Caribbean

This really has to be the most pointless gift ever, even more so than becoming the nominal Lord or Lady of Glencairn. For the same price, you can purchase a piece of land in the Caribbean - again, one square foot of land to be exact.

Why? What on earth could you possibly do with it?

Drop us a line if you think can think of uses or reasons for these presents to exist that we may have missed! Or let us know if you've seen any that are even more pointless. I'm sure this list will get added to over the next two weeks - there are still 10 shopping days till Christmas after all - plenty of time for crazed panic buying of things that you normally wouldn't even buy from one of the shopping channels!

An eagerly anticipated new arrival

2005-12-08T12:36:00.000Z

For any of you who've been following jayhay's 'Parental Guidance' blog, you'll have been reading about the delights (and the stresses) of waiting for a first baby. If you've read it over the last few days you'll know that baby Tobin has finally put in an appearance!

Yes, Joe, the baby of codebrush, has now produced a baby of his own, and big respect to him and Leela for having made it through a very difficult pregnancy whilst still (as far as we can tell) talking to each other.

Obviously, seeing Joe on a daily basis as the pregnancy has progressed, we've had a little bit of an insight into the kind of unforseen aspects of pregnancy - both good and bad - but it's not until reading his blog that I've realised just how much hard work's involved before you even get to the birth, and how incredible a thing producing a baby is. I just can't imagine how it must feel to look down and think "wow, that really is a whole new person" (and after hearing some of the birth stories, 'imagining' is as close as I think I want to get to the whole process, at least for now.)

So well done to Joe and Leela, and hello to baby Tobin. May he turn out to have his mother's looks, his father's inventiveness, but please God not his father's sense of humour.

Hello Tobin!

Is email the new Pilates?

2005-11-21T11:20:00.000Z

Students at the Minnesota State University, Mankato, now have the option to check emails, do homework, watch TV, or surf the net while exercising.

This is part of the latest technology upgrade on campus: computer equipped exercise equipment.

It's easier to work out with something in front of you to keep you entertained," said freshman Cassie Pap.

Campus officials, planning a renovation of the recreation building, hit on a high-tech solution as a way to encourage students to exercise, and asked the school's technology staff to help out. When they went looking for exercise equipment with computer capabilities, they couldn't find it, so they set up adjustable stands next to 40 pieces of exercise equipment. Each stand has a computer, a keyboard and mouse.

Kent Kalm, a professor in the university's human performance department, says that it will take time for students to get better at multitasking. "I can't run and type at the same time," says fourth year student Jessie Nelson, "I'd probably fall over."

Not everyone thinks it's a great idea. Stephanie Maks has worked with CEOs and other busy people in her 20 years as a personal trainer. In the past she has to take people's mobiles away from them to get them to concentrate on the exercise they're doing.

It seems to have caught on at Minnesota though - the computer equipped machines are now so popular that students have to book places in advance. Personally, I think it's a great idea. There are only so many times you can watch Eastenders from the treadmill without wishing for something not quite so relentlessly depressing. And if it does make some people forget what they're doing and accidentally fall off the equipment during their workout, well, going to the gym is grim, we could all use a little extra entertainment.

For the full story, see Wired News.

Who runs the internet?

2005-11-15T12:12:00.000Z

World Summit on the Information Society
Next week sees the second phase of the World Summit on the Information Society, in Tunisia (WSIS). The summit looks at the progress that's been made since the last WSIS in Geneva in 2003.

A plan of action was created at that meeting, laying the groundwork for a series of practical steps that could be taken to build "an inclusive information society", for example "an internet link in every village in the world by 2015”.

Response to the summit was mixed, with the development community feeling that the actions set were unambitious, and disappointment that no funding was allocated for implementation.

Internet Governance
In the run up to the summit, the US's unilateral control over the internet's domain name system has been attacked.

In theory, internet governance refers to the making and enforcement of collective policies for the global internet community. Many of these policies are technical, but they also have social and political consequences.

In 1998 the US government subcontracted these functions to a not-for-profit organisation with international participation, called Icann – the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers.

Icann operates under an understanding with the US Department of Commerce, which, to some, looks like American control of the internet. Icann was due to gain its independence from the Department of Commerce by September 2006. However, in July the US said it would "maintain its historic role in authorising changes or modifications to the authoritative root zone file".

America's determination to remain the ultimate purveyor of the internet has angered other countries such as China, Iran, Brazil and several African nations. There have also been threats to create a system of new internets if the US doesn’t relinquish its control.

Special preparatory meetings to address the internet governance issue are under way ahead of the summit's official start on Wednesday.

Freedom of Expression
Another important item on the agenda will be how to ensure freedom of expression online. Some critics say that Tunisia's own record of censorship make it unsuitable as a venue for such an event.

"This summit is a masquerade," says Julien Pain, who runs the Internet Freedom Desk at the Paris-based group Reporters without Borders.

"Organising a summit about the internet in a country that is so repressive of internet freedom is ridiculous."

Mr Pain calls the situation for internet users and bloggers in Tunisia "scary". He says many websites are blocked by the Tunisian authorities, and many sources of information are banned. “If you're a blogger in Tunisia, and you want to criticise online, there's no way your website will be accessible in Tunisia. As soon as the censors find your blog, they will ban it, and they will block access to your website.”

The Tunisian government defends its record. It says it only censors online postings that are deemed an incitement to violence, or racial hatred.

Tunisia is also a symbolic choice, according to Robert Shaw, who serves as Internet Strategy and Policy Adviser to the ITU. "Africa right now represents only about 3% of the world's internet users," he said. "It's still extremely unrepresented. So having this in a developing economy is very, very important."

Virtual Property Ladder?

2005-11-10T09:55:00.000Z

A gamer who spent £13,700 on an island that only exists in a computer game has recouped his investment, according to the developers of the game.

The 23 year old, known as Deathifier, made the money back in less than a year. He made money by selling land to build virtual homes as well as taxing other gamers to hunt or mine on the island.

Deathifier bought an island which exists within the large multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) Project Entropia. Project Entropia offers gamers the chance to buy and sell virtual items using real cash. In the words of the game creators, Project Entropia is "a virtual universe with a real cash economy. It is set on the distant colony of Calypso, the first habitable planet mankind has ever found. The players take the roles of colonizers that strive to build a new world together, under the threat from various enemies that wants to destroy the colony." Players must collaborate in a real-world fashion, to establish their own economy and build their society.

The game is free to download and there are no subscription fees. The Entropia economy works by allowing gamers to exchange real money for Project Entropia Dollars, (PED). The exchange rate is 10 PEDs to 1 US dollar), and players can earn cash by accumulating PEDs via the acquisition of goods, buildings and land.

Last month, another of Entropia's virtual properties - a virtual space station - sold at auction for £57,000. (Original story on BBC.)

The 10 Worst Jobs in Science

2005-11-07T16:11:00.000Z

So you thought your job was underpaid, unappreciated and generally tedious? Well think again. http://www.popsci.com/ last month released its 3rd annual roll of honour of the Worst Jobs in Science (by John Galvin).

You're a what??

Imagine explaining it in the pub "So what do you do for a living?" "Well, actually, I'm an Orangutan Pee Collector...." Just what exactly do you say to that?

But there really is such a job, and if you took the bull by the horns and applied for it, you might find yourself trekking into the Gunung Palung National Park in Borneo, Indonesia, searching for likely groups of the endangered primates. Once spotted, techniques involve suspending plastic sheets between the trees, and, er, waiting for nature to take its course. Or for greater precision, you can follow the animals around with a bag on a pole... (niiice)

The animals, which are vulnerable to extinction, only reproduce about once every eight years, so DNA extracted from the urine can be used to analyse fertility, weight gain and loss, and stress levels, all of which can be used to help understand the reproduction patterns of great apes.

Oddly enough, this job only came in at number 10 on the list.

My grandfather wasn't a monkey!

You wouldn't think the job of a teacher in Kansas would be that bad, would you? Apparently, if you're a biology teacher, it can be harder than you think.

In 1999, a group of religious fundamentalists won election to the Kansas State Board of Education and tried to introduce creationism into the state's classrooms. More temperate forces prevailed in subsequent elections, but anti-evolutionists gained the majority again last November, promoting the theory of Intelligent Design (ID).

ID is the idea that complex elements of the natural world - the human eye, say - cannot be explained by evolutionary theory and therefore must be the work of an intelligent designer - that is, God.

"The evolution debate is consuming almost everything we do," says Brad Williamson, a 30-year science veteran at suburban Olathe East High School and a past president of the National Association of Biology Teachers. "It's politicized the classroom. Parents will say their child can't be in class during any discussion of evolution, and students will say things like 'My grandfather wasn't a monkey!'"

This job came in at number 3. Don't apply to become a biology teacher in Kansas unless you know what you're letting yourself in for!

Hmmm, maybe my job's not really that bad after all. Time to go and get a coffee from the machine and check the football scores online I think...

Read the whole article, and find out what the other 8 jobs are, at Popular Science.

World Usability Day

2005-11-01T11:57:00.000Z

3rd November is World Usability Day.

We've all been irritated by things like milk cartons that seem un-openable, CDs that come in plastic wrapping which is physically impossible to remove, and the old chestnut, gadgets that are dwarfed by the manual that you need to read to use them.

Irritating....

But of course usability can also be a problem on the web. This can range from anything to sites where poor colours and/or layout means you spend 10 minutes looking for the 'Next' button. Text that is far too small to read, even for users with 20-20 vision. Online forms which, if you make a mistake, delete all the information you've entered and take you right back to the beginning. And of course, e-commerce sites where you click 'Enlarge Image' to have a better look at what you're trying to buy, only to have a brand new window open - with exactly the same size image as before.... the list goes on.

Web Usability

That's a fairly light-hearted selection of irritating usability problems, but World Usability Day aims to bring to light some of the issues that make day to day tasks far harder than they need to be for some users. Finding the web an easy place to access is one of these tasks. Imagine how annoying it would be if you wanted to go online and search for holidays (say) only to give up after an hour because half the sites you had been to were unreadable by you?

The web should be a comfortable place to use for as many people as possible. It shouldn't be a place where only techies feel at home, and the rest of the world feels too nervous to venture, in case they 'get it wrong'. Neither should we put up with over complicated, too visual sites, where the usability is seriously impaired by the fact that the font is only 2mm high and you have to wait 4 minute for the Flash introduction to finish - these are fine in their place, but not when you're doing your online banking. Ease of use should be a requirement, rather than a bonus.

World Usability Stories

Check out the World Usability Page for more information and some more stories about the frustrations of unusable items in a supposedly modern world (including the man who paid $3,000 dollars not to be able to listen to music in his truck and the dutch urinal with a fly painted on it to give the gents something to aim at)

Related Articles

If you're interested also, have a look at these articles on the BBC website, 'The secret of making things work' by Max Gadney, Head of Design for the BBC News website, and 'Why easy to use is not enough', by usability expert, Tom Stewart.

Comments

If you have any comments on any usability issues, drop us a line, or you can email stories to the World Usability Day website team at usabilitystories@gmail.com.

Scary stary Halloween!

2005-10-28T16:12:00.000+01:00

Little scary monster faces

Check these out for the coolest halloween masks...!

What are you looking at?

2005-10-28T15:07:00.000+01:00

It can be very easy to get into the habit of just using the web when you’re looking for something specific – you go to your office, login, type ‘buy lawnmowers’ and there you are. But, if you have the time to spend to have a bit of a wander around, you’ll find that people are putting up some incredible things. Here are a few of the sites – recent and not so recent – that we’ve been looking at over the last month.

Student makes a million.....

The Million Dollar Homepage is the creation of 21 year old Alex Tew, a student at Nottingham university. Alex was looking for ways to make a little extra cash before beginning his course this October, and came up with the idea of selling advertising space on his website. The site is made up of one million pixels, selling at $1 each. Alex has already sold over 500,000 pixels, and confidently expects to reach the one million mark before Christmas. (Damn, why didn't we think of this one first....)

The Road to Enlightenment

An oldie but a goodie, this is the opening phrase of the Zen Garden website, a site dedicated to showing what can be achieved with design using CSS stylesheets. Users contribute their own stylesheets to create a new version of the site.

Like a good photo?

Heather Powazek Champ has been an award winning web designer for over 10 years, she now works with the Flickr team at Yahoo, and edits JPG magazine whilst also maintaining the Mirror Project. Visit her site, and that of her husband, Derek Powazek for an entrancing glimpse into their photography, and Heather's blog. I came across this site looking for something else entirely, and 3 hours later I was still reading.

Fancy a cuppa?

Visit Adagio Teas – you will have had no idea that there were this many or that people could make such a pretty looking site dedicated to tea. Where else are you going to find a tea called ‘White Monkey’? (Note – we have no affiliation with Adagio Teas, and we're not promoting them for any commercial reason – we just liked the way the website looked.)

One big place to play...

Sites made by people, and for people, who see the web as one big playground. Try the 'When Hamsters Attack' game...

And the winner is!

With the web (as with everything else) there are awards and votes for best sites. Check these out for sites people have voted as the best they’ve seen. Go here for sites in general, or here if you want to see Flash sites only.

99 Rooms

If you fancy something a little out of the ordinary, I'm always blown away by this site. The creators describe 99 Rooms as “a unique internet art project”. Navigate your way through the rooms, finding the key in each that will unlock access to the next room. This year long project has resulted in “a scintillating intermediary world which invites the observer to an interactive journey through its morbidly-beautiful rooms”.

We’ll keep posting links to sites that we think are interesting, out of the ordinary, doing things better than other people, or just plain weird. If you’ve seen any sites out there that you think are worthy of a mention, let us know.

A starting point for security

2005-10-14T11:12:00.000+01:00

During one of our many trawls throught the net we've found this little list of simple steps to ensure you're doing the minimum to protect your PC. Hopefully this if nothing else will get you thinking in the right direction, as time passes the criminals get cleverer.. so should you.

We will continue to post information and exciting links to the sites we are spending our time at.

10-Step Security

How you can batten down your machine's hatches against Net threats new and old.

Dennis O'Reilly
From the November 2005 issue of PC World magazine
Posted Friday, September 30, 2005

http://msn.pcworld.com/

Each new wave of computer viruses, spies, and spam may have you ready to dust off your typewriter, but PC security can be effective without being a chore. To keep your computing safe from current and future threats, we've distilled our security advice down to the basics. These ten quick and easy tips will help protect your hardware, software, and data.

1. Patch automatically: Ensure Windows is set to update itself. In XP, click Start, Control Panel, Security Settings (if you're in Category view), Automatic Updates. In 2000, choose Start, Settings, Control Panel, Automatic Updates. In both versions, verify that 'Automatic (recommended)' is selected. You can also have Windows notify you before it downloads an update, or you can install the update manually. (The steps and options are only slightly different in Windows 98 and Me.)

2. Don't wait for Windows: If your PC has been off for more than a few days, don't wait for Windows' automatic update to kick in. Make the Windows Update site your first Internet stop. Also, there may be a lag between when a patch is available and when Windows Update pushes it to you. Microsoft releases Windows patches on the second Tuesday of each month, so to be safe check for updates manually every couple of weeks. And don't forget to set your antivirus and anti-spyware tools to update automatically (or check weekly for updates yourself).

3. Use XP's security monitor: Windows XP Service Pack 2's most welcome addition is the Windows Security Center, which alerts you when your PC's firewall and antivirus protection are disabled or out of date. Still, XP's own firewall protects you only from inbound pests; it doesn't alert you to suspicious outbound traffic (see "Tweak Windows XP SP2 Security to Your Advantage" for more). We recommend that you disable the XP firewall and instead use Zone Labs' (ZoneAlarm) or another third-party firewall program that protects both ways.

4. Make your file extensions visible: Some viruses masquerade as harmless file types by adding a bogus extension near the end of their name, as in "funnycartoon.jpg.exe," in hopes your system is set to hide such extensions (the default in Windows XP and 2000)--you see '.jpg' but not '.exe'. To make these troublemakers easier to spot, open Windows Explorer or any folder window and click Tools, Folder Options, View. Ensure that the option 'Hide file extensions for known file types' is unchecked.

Bonus Tip 1: To get the most complete picture of your Windows setup, check Show hidden files and folders and uncheck Hide protected operating system files (Recommended).

Bonus Tip 2: Click here to play Microsoft's video guide to Windows XP security settings.

5. Keep Internet Explorer safe: Many people find IE 6's Medium security level too obliging to ActiveX controls and other small programs, or scripts, that the browser runs on your PC. ActiveX and JavaScript enable such useful Web features as order forms and security scans, but they also may run malicious code and give attackers access to your system. To make IE safer, click Tools, Internet Options, Security, Custom Level, select High from the drop-down menu at the bottom of the Security Settings dialog box, and click Reset, Yes, OK.
Unfortunately, setting IE to the High security setting can lead to the browser's unleashing a fusillade of warnings and permission pop-ups every time you visit a site. The solution is to add the sites that you access often to IE's Trusted Sites list: Choose Tools, Internet Options, Security, click the Trusted Sites icon, and then click the Sites button. Enter the Web address, click Add, and repeat as necessary (see the Trusted Sites screen below). Be sure to uncheck Require server verification (https:) for all sites in this zone. When you're finished, click OK twice.

6. Make Firefox more secure: The only way to block JavaScripts on a site-by-site basis in the Mozilla Foundation's free Firefox browser is to download and install the NoScript add-in that was created by Giorgio Maone. NoScript places a warning bar at the bottom of all the Web pages you visit that use JavaScript. Click the bar to see options for allowing scripts on the site (permanently or temporarily), blocking scripts, and other operations (see the NoScript screen below). The program can also stifle Flash animations and other Firefox plug-ins, but keep in mind that going Flash-less means you'll be missing out on some of the Web's richest content (along with all of those great dancing ads). Although NoScript is freeware, the author does accept donations at www.noscript.net.

7. Handle e-mail links with care: If a virus infects your PC, chances are good it arrived piggybacked on e-mail. To reduce your risk of an e-mail-borne infection, don't click links in suspicious messages (the text in the message may mask the actual Web address). Instead, enter the URL in your browser's address bar manually, or go to the site's home page and then navigate to the page in question.

8. Scan attachments for viruses: Run each of the e-mail attachments you receive through your antivirus software before you open them. Rather than double-clicking the attachment to open it instantly, save the file to a drive on your PC, open Windows Explorer, right-click the file, and choose the option to scan it for viruses. (Better yet, set your antivirus software to scan incoming and outgoing e-mail automatically.)

9. Close the preview pane: Some maleficent messages need only be opened in your e-mail program's preview window to do their dirty work. That's why we recommend that you close the preview pane in all of your inboxes. In Microsoft Outlook 2003, click View, Reading pane, Off. In Outlook Express 6, click View, Layout and verify that 'Show Preview Pane' is unchecked. In Mozilla Thunderbird, click View, Layout and confirm that 'Message pane' is unchecked (or press to toggle the preview pane on and off).

10. Read your mail in plain text: Since many e-mail pests rely on HTML code to achieve their nefarious goals, you can stop them in their tracks by viewing your messages as plain text. In Outlook 2003, click Tools, Options, Preferences, E-mail Options and check Read all standard mail in plain text. In Outlook Express 6, choose Tools, Options, Read and click Read all messages in plain text. In Mozilla Thunderbird, select View, Message Body As, Plain Text.

Back to School

2005-10-11T10:19:00.000+01:00

As Monday drew to a close we decided to test our grey mulch, armed with a "phd certified premium IQ test"? we attacked the 40 questions with gusto.
Like any quiz there is a lot a stake, here the hierarchy of the office could be decided once and for all. With so much at stake it is no wonder that we had our own coughing in the audience moment, when someone, who shall remain nameless was caught using Google to try and figure out the position of a car after it had travelled 8 miles then made a left turn for 6 miles.
This aside the test was a success with no one posting scores that would get them sacked.

http://web.tickle.com/tests/uiq

Results in reverse order:

R 131

Your Intellectual Type is Word Warrior. This means you have exceptional verbal skills. You can easily make sense of complex issues and take an unusually creative approach to solving problems. Your strengths also make you a visionary. Even without trying you're able to come up with lots of new and creative ideas. And that's just a small part of what we know about you from your test results.

N 136

Your Intellectual Type is Facts Curator. This means you are highly intelligent and have picked up an impressive and unique collection of facts and figures over the years. You've got a remarkable vocabulary and exceptional math skills — which puts you in the same class as brainiacs like Bill Gates. And that's just some of what we know about you from your test results.

J 136

Your Intellectual Type is Visionary Philosopher. This means you are highly intelligent and have a powerful mix of skills and insight that can be applied in a variety of different ways. Like Plato, your exceptional math and verbal skills make you very adept at explaining things to others — and at anticipating and predicting patterns. And that's just some of what we know about you from your IQ results.