The Smashing Book in pictures

The Smashing Book is a printed book about best practices in modern Web design. The book shares technical tips and best practices on coding, usability and optimization and explores how to create successful user interfaces and apply marketing principles to increase conversion rates. It also shows how to get the most out of typography, color and branding so that you end up with intuitive and effective Web designs.

I have received my copy of the book today and thought of trying to shoot some photos of it. I also wanted to try the NKRemote software which i can install on my Lenovo S10, connect the Nikon D90 and shoot the photos remotely from the laptop. Which makes it very very easy to adjust the focus as it supports the Live View too.

To check out more about the book please visit: http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/12/03/smashing-book-its-out-now/

So here are few shots i wanted to share..

And in the making..

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Evernote. To serve all your notes.

For a while I was stuck with windows notepad. But as I started to work on multiple computers, it was difficult to synchronize the files with each other. So started using Google notes. Not so helpful. Found Evernote. The best productivity application I have ever seen. Was very helpful. And it’s Free to use. Lovely UI on ther desktop app, web app & iPhone app. Evernote iPhone app is the main reason for me to leave my Nokia n95 8gb and move to iPhone 3g 16gb.

Here are few of the main features i love..

• Search text from even images as well as my notes
• Images/notes can have location attached to it and i can search by location. So you can search notes created on specific locations.
• Has a web clip tool that lets you clip any web page as notes
• I can get a iPhone app and that again syncs with your online account
• I can create multiple notebooks.
• It has a portable version to install on your USB storage drives.
• Lightweight and very easy to use UI.

Here is a few extracts from their website. Truly an inspiration.

Remember everything.

Evernote allows you to easily capture information in any environment using whatever device or platform you find most convenient, and makes this information accessible and searchable at any time, from anywhere. Did we mention that it’s free?

How does Evernote do it?

Three steps:

01: You capture the things you want to remember using what you already use—your Windows or Mac computer, the web, and your mobile phone.

02: We run all of your images through our recognition technology, and then synchronize it across your devices. You can then organize and tag the notes, if you wish.

03: When you want to find something, just search or filter and there it is just like you remember it.

Evernote for iPhone

Your memories never had it so good

Evernote for iPhone (and iPod Touch) lets you capture any moment or idea as it happens, wherever you may find yourself. And, thanks to Evernote’s amazing cloud-based sync, you can recall it all any time from your iPhone, Mac, PC, the Web, or other mobile device.

Click below to get Evernote for iPhone from the iPhone App Store

Its all free. So give it a try. You are going to love it!

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Suggest me a tag line for a web farm!

It seems like there is no end for “busy 2.0″ . Over the couple of months I have moved. From place to place. Jobs to jobs. Just before resigning from my post at Bandos Maldives, i was thinking of starting my own company. A simple company which will deliver web design, development & online marketing. To start a company, we need to give it a name. After a few brainstorming session with some friends, I came up with the name “Semicolon” which is a symbol. A symbol we use half a dozen of times everyday. Also i can use just the symbol (;) to mention about the company on twitter or other places where i need to save space.

I have designed a logo for the company. But i am stuck with a tag line / slogan for the company. Below are the list of tags going through my mind. I would really appreciate if you can help me decide or you can suggest me some new ones.

- “Right click to profit”

- “It’s simple, we enable you”

- “The web company”

Here is the logo

The tag line is all yours

UPDATE:
We have finalized our tagline. Its “The right click for profit”.

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Millions participated in Earth Hour 2009.

On March 28 2009 hundreds of millions of people in over 4,000 cities and towns in 88 countries “voted Earth” by turning out their lights for Earth Hour. Here is my very own moments in pictures. The reason why I am posting the picutres today, is its Earth Day (22nd April) celebrating all over the world as an environmental free day.

Sundowners bar in Bandos Island Resort & Spa. The light you see from the bar is from candles.

Location: Bandos Island Resort & Spa / Maldives

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A new start on 2009

Its been a long long time. Since i made my last post. Life has been “busy 2.0″. Spending whole time near the pc. But keeps me wondering why i havent wrote about all the great things which inspires me. Daimmn. I want to make this a new start. Hopefully this will keep me going.

Its a good day to start with. The first day of 2009. When going back to “Today in history“..nothing much happened except the whole world including me, celebrated the first day of a new year.

Here are few pictures from my perspective.

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Blog Action Day 2008, Poverty

“Poverty in the Maldives context differs from that of many other countries. In the Maldives, poverty alleviation primarily means the reduction of regional disparities in living conditions, since poverty problems in the country are related to remoteness of the islands and lack of services in the atolls”. World Bank

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Do schools kill creativity?

Back at school I was really tired of everyone asking about who we want to be in life. In reply we heard, a pilot, a teacher, a nurse and so on.  And that’s what we wanted? Or that’s what our parents wanted. We aim for something. And we work so hard to get it, or be the one. Till the last minute. What if we fail? Does that mean it’s the end of the life? Or should we need to start for square one for something else? Or we need to aim as many as we can. And at the end of life we will have lot of choices. That’s a lot of reasons not to walk with an empty hand at the end. That was my aim. That’s what I wanted to be.
Do schools kill creativity? I hate to say yes. But they do. It may be the system we all are living on. Why is Math more important than drawing? As Sir Ken Robinson points out, every educational system on the planet was designed to meet the needs of 19th century industrialization. Subjects that are useful at work are at the top of the hierarchy. This is why our government is establishing more science schools and spends more money on science and engineering than on the arts.

Below is a presentation by Sir Robinson on education and creativity.

Remarks of Bill Gates on Harvard Commencement

I’ve been waiting more than 30 years to say this: “Dad, I always told you I’d come back and get my degree.”

“For my part, I’m just happy that the Crimson has called me “Harvard’s most successful dropout.” I guess that makes me valedictorian of my own special class … I did the best of everyone who failed. ”

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Maldivian style

Maldivian style, originally uploaded by nattu.

Traditionally, feyli has been a part of Maldivian dress and has been a part of the Maldivian culture for a long time with records even as far as 1340s.

Feyli was worn both by men and women in Maldives during the monarchy. Men wore the materials on formal occasions while women wore it both formally and informally.

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A Sunset Ride

A Sunset Ride, originally uploaded by nattu.

Got this on our way to couple of fishing spots.. I know i have a lot to make this better. if i had time.. i could try.. taking the photo from a bit low angle.. but the boats move fast.. i was on one too. And i never saw this coming.

Let me know what do you think about this. Lets hope for a next time. and what do we need to fix??

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Maldives, Islands

Maldives, Islands, originally uploaded by nattu.

Location: H.Dh Naagoashi / Maldives

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