1. ➶ The Manual: Issue 2

    I’ve been fortunate enough to proofread this issue of Mr Andy McMillan and co’s brilliant web-design magazine.

    It’s a beautiful book with some incredibly profound articles. Best of all, there’s annual subscriptions available - and if you missed Issue 1, you can pick that up too.

    Thursday October 27th, 2011

  2. ➶ ifttt - My New Favourite Web Service

    Ifttt - that is, If This Then That - is a terrific service that I’ve been using for the last week or so. Basically, ifttt allows you to specify tasks based on web services: for example, “If I Post a Photo to Instagram Then Copy it to My Dropbox”.

    It’s free, has a tonne of pre-baked ‘Recipes’ for you to try, and I can’t recommend it high enough. What a phenomenally brilliant idea.

    Saturday September 17th, 2011

  3. ➶ Tipogram

    If you’re looking for some font-face-embeddable and vector icons, this Tipogram set looks rather handy. It’s $24.

    Thursday July 28th, 2011

  4. ➶ Javascript: Breaking the Web with hash-bangs

    A great look at the URL #! kerfuffle, via Jeremy.

    Wednesday February 9th, 2011

  5. ➶ "Good Ideas Grow on Paper"

    A terrific article from the Standardistas:

    Great designers have one thing in common: their design process is centred on ideas; ideas that are more often than not developed on paper. Though it’s often tempting to take the path of least resistance, turning to the computer in the headlong rush to complete a project (often in the face of formidable client pressure), resist the urge and – for a truly great idea – start first on paper.

    Monday December 13th, 2010

  6. The Big List: 2009 Edition

    Favourite Albums Released in 2009

    1. Passion Pit - Manners
    2. Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More
    3. Sourhaze - EP1

    Favourite iPhone Apps

    There’s been tonnes of new iPhone apps this year, but these are the new ones that have stayed on my phone since their launch in the year.

    1. Birdfeed - I’ve tried every Twitter client out there (and I mean, every Twitter client out there). This one remains my favourite - and I’m looking forward to seeing what Buzz has in the works for Birdfeed.
    2. Ramp Champ - easily the most stylish iPhone game out there, I’ve remained hooked on Ramp Champ and its ramp-packs since its launch.
    3. Reeder - I’ve waxed lyrical about Reeder here before, and it remains my favourite RSS reader.
    4. Ego - Another beautifully-designed app, Ego is super handy for keeping track of my vanity stats (website views, Twitter followers, Ember followers and the like).

    Favourite Mac Apps

    1. Viewfinder - Placed at the top as it’s the only all-new app, Viewfinder has been a huge timesaver for my Download Squad writing. If you’re forever researching images to use in posts etc, you need to be using this.
    2. LittleSnapper 1.5 - I know, I know: I’m a little biased. But LittleSnapper is one of the few apps that run all the time on my Mac. Whether it’s for desktop screenshots, websites or iPhone screensnaps: I can’t live without it.
    3. The Hit List - I’m eagerly awaiting the iPhone version to accompany it, but The Hit List is great even without the iPhone companion.
    4. Xscope - In all the work on Happening, Xscope has been utterly invaluable in gathering dimensions within screenshots and UIs.

    Favourite Web Apps

    1. Tumblr - I’ve used Tumblr since it was launched in 2007, and you’d have to pry it from my dead cold hands.
    2. Twitter - If you need an explanation about this one, where have you been?
    3. Github - I’m no SCM zealot, however Github was pretty much the deal-breaker when I started work on Happening. The social coding aspect is brilliant, and the recent UI tweaks continue to make browse commits / diff online a breeze.
    4. Upcoming - Much as I dislike aspects of the Upcoming website, it remains one of my most-visited sites to see what’s going on.

    Favourite Movies

    1. Up - As some have quipped, not so much Up as ‘Down’. The first 15 minutes of this movie is - to my mind - some of the best storytelling found in modern cinema. The rest of the film is brilliant, as you would expect.
    2. District 9 - Seen in San Francisco, front row at the Metreon, I was completely immersed in this film. Rewarding on so many levels.
    3. Star Trek - A lot of fun and definitely lacking in lens flare. Ahem.
    4. Watchmen - Whilst I’m not graphic novel fan, this was super-slick, super-stylish - though a little long for my liking.

    Saturday January 2nd, 2010