It’s 1998 all over again, folks!  Browser wars are BACK.  This time with a vengeance!  In the late ’90s there were only three browsers to choose from: Internet Explorer, Netscape, and Opera (which was never a big player).  The epic struggle between these browsers raged on, the battle fields of shameless promotion into underhandedness and finally ended with legal action.  Internet Explorer won the day, but it didn’t last.

Now there is Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Opera, Konqueror (for Linux), and Camino (for Mac OSX).  And that’s just the main players. There are also some derivatives like Flock and Songbird, which are both highly customized versions of Firefox.  Even the mobile platform is seeing a share of the browser wars.  Opera Mini is now the most popular Windows Mobile web browser for smart phones, trumping the default Internet Explorer.

Previously, Microsoft was able to keep Internet Explorer at the head of the pack because it was provided as the default browser on Microsoft Windows.  Since Windows is the most common desktop operating system by a long shot, most folks just ended up using good ol’ Internet Explorer.  However, that is changing again.

Thanks to the work of some VERY motivated competition, Internet Explorer faces challenges for the top spot on every platform it supports.  At the very least, it is at risk of becoming just one more browser in a wide world of browsers.

So why does this matter?  Because now things are going to get better!

Everyone thought it was so great when the first browser war ended… until 3 years later when we realized NOTHING had been done to make web browsers or the internet better.  There were no new user focused features and IE’s security was lax.  Hackers figured out how to exploit  it’s weaknesses at the users expense (anyone regret downloading those free smilies?).  Users demanded better and the Open Source community was quick to answer with Firefox.

Now, because of Firefox and others, all the players are pushing the envelope in security, usability, and good looks.  Microsoft has had to start rushing to keep up.  Everyone in the market is now pushing to make their browser the best.

That means the user wins.

With the information technology community and a blossoming web development industry screaming for standards compliance and an increasingly educated user base, every browser has to be at the top of its game.  Gone are the days where ANY company can rest on it’s laurels.  Every browser is in a race to add features, increase stability, and enhance the browsing experience.

A side effect of all this is technologies, like HTML and JavaScript, which had remained unchanged for years are being upgraded and given enhancements to meet the demands of today’s internet applications.  Again, this benefits the user since more and more the internet is where people go to find information, be entertained, and do business.

At lifeBLUE we understand and embrace the need for this innovation.  Sure, there is some pain involved, but the rewards are well worth it.  The variety of browsers do present some design and development challenges.  However, we can do more today than we could five years ago and we will be able to do more a year from now because these technologies are growing.  The future looks bright as the web browser continues to evolve and innovate.

The web is a vast landscape and in this months newsletter we explore a handful of fun and occasionally useful points of interest. At times, ecommerce, online marketing, researching and online information can overshadow all the wonderful distractions to be found on the net.

The Internet is an interactive medium, so unlike your TV it is entertainment that engages and quite literally involves the viewer. This list we have assembled is only a small sample of web projects which have taken such concepts well out of the box and really express that interactive element. While these seem to be great time wasters, the genius behind it is the possibility of a large return on investment though advertising.

	Make Your Own Warning Label Online Make your own custom warning label easily by choosing an image and type in your own message.		JacksonPollock’s Original Design Use this application to express your creativity while making a pretty cool mess. Using your mouse to splatter paint has never been so fun, enjoyable or creative!
	Pop Bubble Wrap Online Remember all those times that your mom and dad told you to stop popping that bubble wrap? Now you can pop it to your heart’s content. The “manic mode” lets you go crazy to your hearts content.		Subservent Chicken The Subservent Chicken, brought to you by Burger King, is a man in a chicken suit, standing in the middle of a room. Input a suggestion and wait while then chicken will do what you say. Let your imagination wonder while laughing at the chicken.
	Obamicon.Me The Presidential election is over but everyone still wants to express themselves just like Obama. Make your own “Obamicon”, inspired by Shepard Fairey’s iconic poster.		aM Laboratory aM Labroatory is a wave-map that can be triggered by each square. Selecting squares makes and changes the tune heard. Turn up your volume and make some sweet music.
	Falling Sand Game Falling Sand Game is a simulator game in which the user places particles inside the screen to watch the types of elements react with each other creating many possible scenarios. You have never had so much fun playing with fire, water, salt, oil and sand!		Sprout Builder Sprout Builder is a visual solution that allows creative professionals to easily create branded, rich-media content and widgets. Sprout Builder can help you produce and launch a branded social media campaign.
	ChaCha Simply text or call in your question from your mobile phone as if you were talking to a smart friend and ChaCha will send you the answer. It’s that easy!		Kuler A designers dream, Adobe Kuler generates color themes that can inspire any project. No matter what you’re creating, with Kuler you can experiment quickly with color variations and browse thousands of themes.

Do you have a favorite site that helps you sit back, relax and pass the time? Send us your favorite time wasters on the Internet and we will post it in our blog section in the coming weeks.

Some would argue choosing a domain name is the most important first steps you will taken when setting up your online presence. Here are some tips to take into consideration when picking the perfect domain name:

1. Make it two words or less. Think of some of the most used or visited sites… www.apple.com, www.nike.com,  www.starbucks.com, www.google.com, www.facebook.com… you get the picture.
2. Try to stay away from using numbers. You don’t want to take the chance with confusion. People will not know whether to spell out “eight” or write “8″.
3. Register your domain name NOW! You don’t want to get stuck with “the-domain-name-no-one-wants.us”
4. Don’t include a location, unless you only serve that specific location. Even if you do ship nationwide, you may never get the chance to let customers know that.
5. Dot what? Dot com is probably the way to go.
6. Try to get em’ all. Once you have nabbed your-amazing-domain.com, try to get the .net. If you have “yourname.com” and “yourname.net” no one else can take it. **You don’t need a separate website for each domain; several domains can point to the same site.**
7. When you have settled on several available name choices, see what your friends and clients have to say. A name that may make perfect sense to you may be too hard for others to remember. Is your name easy to say? It is hard to spell? Do you have to explain why you chose the name?

These are only a handful of things to take into consideration when choosing the right domain name for your new website. Overall, just make sure it’s short, sweet and to the point. Chances are if you have to think too hard about it, so will your clients. The more self explanatory the domain is, the better your chances in getting lots of hits!

Web designers, like those in any other creative professions, occasionally hit walls when it comes to being creative or coming up with new and interesting ideas. The Internet is like the school bully that cares–it’s there to slap you around, steal your lunch money, and give you a Super Atomic Wedgie, but at the same time it’s willing to lend you a helping hand when you’re down or need inspiration.

Consider me your caring bully. I’m here to show you several good sites that will inspire you the next time you find yourself stuffed in a locker or hanging from the flagpole by your undies:

Smashing Magazine Fonts
Smashing Magazine has great collections of freebies–their free font round-up should be more than enough to spark your creative fire.
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/category/fonts/

Fam Fam Fam Icons
Over 1000 free pixel-perfect icons for use in your web sites and applications. These little icons are great for adding subtle touches to menus or actions–and all come on transparent PNG backgrounds that allow you to easily integrate them into your site.

IconsPedia
Where Fam Fam Fam lacks in size (most of their icons are 16 x 16), the icons at IconsPedia make up for it with 256 x 256 glossy-ness.  These icons are high-quality, and most all of them come in sizes from 32px by 32px all the way up to 256 x 256. As a bonus, IconsPedia has a great search feature that lets you search for keywords or themes relating to icons.

Woork: The All-In-One Solution
As my final act of bully-kindness, I’ll introduce you to Antonio and his blog, Woork. Woork has great tutorials and resources for both designers and programmers–and most of the stuff he has is free and very well documented on how to use it in your own projects.

Got your own web-design-writer’s-block cures? Leave us your best resources in the comments below!

This is one of the most exciting political periods in our time. Many Americans have found within themselves a renewed interest in politics, and it’s got me thinking about the recent candidates in terms of programming languages. So, in no particular order…

Hillary Clinton is Javascript.

Before I offend anyone that thinks I’m relegating her to a small and insignificant language, think about Javascript. It’s loosely based off of a programming monster, Java (aka Bill Clinton). It’s the heart and soul of a lot of stuff you see on the web today, like AJAX or JQuery. A lot of those fancy things you love about sites like Flickr or Facebook are filled with Javascript. And, just like Javascript, she’s got the backing of a lot of big players and the pedigree of a respected and well-tested precursor.

Mitt Romney is .NET

Romney is one of the more well-funded candidates on the campaign trail. Like Romney, deep-pocketed Microsoft’s .NET languages have features that are admired by many, but its colleagues seem to be growing tired of its rhetoric, and often team up against it much like the candidates at the New Hampshire debates teamed up against Romney. It’s losing ground to open-source, grass roots languages like PHP and Ruby on Rails, but .NET still holds significance to many people.

Mike Huckabee is PHP.

If only for the reason that Huckabee has Chuck Norris as his biggest “Hollywood” supporter, Huckabee is the tough and no-nonsense PHP. Like its conservative counterpart, PHP is known for providing a solid set of tools and having a vocal group of ardent supporters. It’s relatively extendable, easy to like, and performs well in public–just look at Facebook for PHP in action.

Fred Thompson is Flash.

If Flash had a counterpart in the political realm, it would be one-time senator and part-time actor, Fred Thompson. Granted, Mr. Thompson himself isn’t all that flashy, but Hollywood is. And you can compare Flash’s ActionScript with Thompson’s turn in “action thrillers” like Die Hard 2 and The Hunt for Red October. Like Flash, Thompson has his niche, and even though he didn’t win the race, he is still useful and interesting nonetheless.

John McCain is Perl.

Perl is your dad’s pocket knife that’s been handed down for a few generations. It’s seen a lot, been in a few scrapes, and is always better for the wear. Perl as McCain is old and slowly losing its effectiveness, but provides those who know how to use it a vast amount of influence and power. Aging well, it shows that no matter who or what steps forward as a new leader, Perl will always be around as a stalwart alternative.

Barak Obama is Ruby on Rails.

If you’ve been programming for anytime at all, you’ve heard about the Rails framework. And whether you wanted to or not, you’ve noticed Barak Obama as well. Obama’s splash came at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, when the relative newcomer burst onto the scene as the keynote speaker, enamoring a section of voters that had become tired of the typical political monotony. Rails, too, was announced in 2004, and has quickly emerged as a leading contender because of its ease of use, youthful loyal following, and ability to combine old programming styles with newer streamlined methods. Who doesn’t like the apps from 37signals, which are done with RoR?

Rudy Giuliani is Visual Basic.

What is Giuliani–a conservative Democrat or liberal Republican? What is Visual Basic? A Windows-based application language or an internet VBScript language? I’ve always had a fondness for Basic, since it was my first programming language, and Visual Basic was always intriguing to me because I could easily build usable Windows apps. In a similar way, most of the nation developed a fondness for Giuliani during the immediate aftermath of 9/11, and he’s hoping they still love him when he decides to run for an office again.

Dennis Kucinich is Smalltalk.

Look, I don’t know anything about Smalltalk, but this joke just writes itself.

In our world today, the advances in technology are becoming better than ever… electric cars, music playing sunglasses, 3D movies and most importantly Facebook in your pocket at all times. But the absolute coolest thing out right now, and most brilliant piece of machinery known to man, has got to be the Apple iPhone [subliminal message: lifeBLUE loves Apple and they should send us stuff]. It basically does everything for you except the dishes and laundry (lets hope that’s coming soon). If you don’t have one, you’re practically living in the stone age. I mean, all the cool kids are doing it, why haven’t you? Along with its daily schedule, nifty calculator, weather information, high quality camera, and list of a million apps for you to choose from, the internet integration is outstanding. And what do all the great features and internet integration have in common? You get to them with a simple touch of a nice, shiny, glossy, rounded button. Who doesn’t love those icons? Who hasn’t brainstormed in their head ways they can use that same interface look, whether it be in a marketing campaign, a webpage design or simply wallpapering your house? It’s become a “trend”, these stylish little buttons.

The cool part is now you can make your own. Within the Safari internet browser, when bookmarking a website, you are now able to customize your own buttons by taking a screenshot of the page, creating even more icons on your home screens. Why just bookmark something when you can add a button directly from your main screen. Talk about convenience.

But let’s take this one step further. Have you ever noticed that when you bookmark a more well known, popular site, it doesn’t just take a screen capture, instead it already has its own default icon for you to use. Google has the “G” icon and Yahoo has the “Y” icon. So how do they do that? How neat would it be for you to design your own icon as well, for your personal website for everyone to see? Yahoo can, so we should be able to. Have no fear, you too can do this custom icon trick for your personal website as well and be just as savvy as those other big businesses, and all in about 3 easy steps.

1. First of all start with a 57 x 57 canvas (pixels), and create your design.
2. Save it as a PNG file named “apple-touch-icon.png”
3. Upload this to the root directory of your website.

Your Image	How It Appears

Leave it to Apple to do the rest, your design will automatically be given the curves it needs, along with the inside glow, your icon will fit right in with all the others.

That wasn’t hard at all! Now you’re just as cool as Apple and Facebook and when people (and yourself of course) bookmark your website, your newly designed icon will show up on their iPhone home screen. Go ahead, test it for yourself!

We the people at lifeBLUE Media have become quite comfortable with the use of the word “nerd”. It is certainly not a derogatory term by any means. I would actually consider it almost a term of endearment, well not really, but praise nonetheless. Here are three reasons why you should hug the next person you cross sporting a pocket protector, taped glasses and high watered pants.  He might even be that big tall drink of water next to you at Starbucks that eats binary code for breakfast. You wouldn’t know he is the soul reason your mobile device has become something you could not live without.

1. NERDs fix things. A nerd is the guy you call frantically asking him to fix the computer that you actually just forgot to turn on (#1 rule of technical support). He is your family member you ask to take a look at your MP3 player when he (or she) comes over for Thanksgiving dinner. Nerds are your technical relief when franchised computer fix-it companies want to charge you $1,000 to fix your $600 laptop.

2. NERDs simplify your life. Justly stated, thank Bill Gates and the writers of MS Word. Can you imagine going back to a typewriter or handwriting your 25 page report for your college final? I don’t think so. Long have we taken spell check, sentence formatting, and 2.12 page spacing (that’s right you cheaters) for granted. Yes, it costs a little more than a pretty penny but how much is your time worth, not to mention, your household nerd already saved you $600 by fixing your laptop.

3. THE INTERNET! Need I really say more? Of course, originally the Internet was produced by the Rockwell New Mexico aliens who turned it over to the military, who then gave it to us little people for common household use. But it is the nerd’s of the world that bring it to your doorstep everyday. From building websites, computers and server management, it is the nerd’s of the world that are keeping our Facebook statuses updated. They create endless and mindless games, costing companies billions of dollars and free music thus putting our country’s musicians in the poor house (you didn’t hear it from me).

Always remember it is a “scorned” nerd that is spamming your email with tales of Nigerian princesses and causing us to pay thousands of dollars for spamware, malware, and whateverelseware. Hell hath no fury like a nerd scorned…trust me. So next time you see a nerd, give him a hug and say thank you, you just might need him someday.

lifeBLUE Media has unleashed its own puzzle movie game for the world to enjoy. In fact I am not sure why you are reading this blog when you could be playing the game.

We call it lifeBLUE “Romance Cinema”. The really cool part about all of this is that you can win $500 in the “Share the Love” contest. Its not some random drawing contest either, you can actually control whether or not you win just by placing links to the game throughout the wonderful world wide web.

Many a person has attempted to solve the entirety of this brain buster but zero have conquered. It is precisely the intention of the games creators. Besides nobody really likes something that is too easy do they?

Have you played? Where do you stand:

Correct

Answers

0-10               I am guessing the word “romance” makes your brain fry. You are under the age of 3 or maybe you are trying to play this at work when your computer screen is right in front of your boss’s office and you can only attempt to answer in between his sips of coffee (and even that is a stretch). But don’t give up, there is still hope my young paduan.

11-20             You are now pushing the averages, but not quite there yet. You should probably get more in touch with your feminine side or read People, Glamour, or Cosmo. Regardless, this is not a number to brag about so keep this one to yourself until you can do a little better.

21-30             That is more like it. You are now average, mediocre, par for the course or whatever else you would like to call it. You have accomplished neither a great task nor a small one at this point. Do you stop here in the bowels of normalcy or do you trudge into no man’s land destined to become the greatest “Romance Cinema” genius of all time? That’s right I am calling you out.

31-40             I see you have now moved on. I am proud of you, a Jedi you shall soon become. You are definitely smarter than the average bear but loom in the shadows when compared to the geniuses of the world. Do you have what it takes to continue?

41-50             Nerd Alert! Just kidding, you should truly be proud. Very few stand where you now stand. You must have at least won Jeopardy a couple times over by now, but you are at least smarter than a 5^th grader. I have no ill words for you my friend. Now just take it a step further.

51-59             WOW! You are amazing. You could probably win American Idol just on sheer mind power alone. Don’t go near any Top Secret facilities anytime soon or you might pick up on some information the government will hunt you down for. Knowledge sticks to you like crazy glue. One more to go?

60                  Its true! You are the smartest person alive. There will be books written about you some day, not just cheesy romance novels either, but real top selling hardbound books! You put Good Will Hunting, Albert Einstein, and anyone else with an IQ of 1,000,000+ to shame. Everyone now kneels before your greatness.