"How do I have iTunes rip CDs into MP3 format?"

ITunes converts songs into a proprietary AAC format when you import them from CD's. If you would like to keep them in an MP3 format, check out Ask Dave's artcle.

SafariTest | Mac Screenshot Compatibility Test

Test your web site in Safari. It's not perfect: for one thing, you won't be able to preview things that require clicks like JavaScript or AJAX elements, and Flash and frame rendering are imperfect, but for it ought to save the Windows-only designer a bit of time anyhow.

"Produce MP3 files from a CD with Windows Media Player?"

How an I produce MP3 files from a CD with Windows Media Player?" from the Ask Dave Taylor! Tech Support Blog

GotVoice, Inc. - Advanced Technology for Voice Messaging

GotVoice, Inc. - Advanced Technology for Voice Messaging: "Get your home and cellular phone voicemail on the web or in your email inbox. Download, save, and organize your voicemail on your computer.

* Access your voicemail on the internet
* Easy to sign up
* Get all your messages in one place with one click
* GotVoice is FREE - No credit card required to register"

Pearl Crescent Page Saver

Pearl Crescent's Page Saver looks pretty interesting. It's only for Firefox 1.5 and above and uses the Canvas feature to capture either the visible portion of the page or the whole thing without your having to do so much touch your scrollbar. The only caveat is that at this point it isn't able to capture the output of plugins such as Flash.

I try not to download too many plugins for Firefox but I think I am going to try this one.

BBC NEWS | Technology | How much of a geek are you?

Most of you will pass this Geek Test from the BBC!

"How do I add current weather to my website?"

"How do I add current weather to my website?" from the Ask Dave Taylor! Tech Support Blog

"Is Santa Claus real?"

"Is Santa Claus real?" from the Ask Dave Taylor! Tech Support Blog

"Produce MP3 files from a CD with Windows Media Player?"

"Produce MP3 files from a CD with Windows Media Player?" from the Ask Dave Taylor! Tech Support Blog

REUTERS Showcase

Reuters Pictures of the Year: 2005

Motion Design Center

Adobe has added a Motion Design Centerto its site, showcasing motion and interaction design using traditional Adobe products and some of the new software Adobe acquired from Macromedia. The best part of the site is the small collection of video tutorials. The current videos (excerpts from lynda.com training movies) are intermediate/advanced level tutorials addressing various aspects of using Flash with Photoshop and After Effects.

A Kindergarten Weblog

A teachers uses a blog to bring news to her Kindergarten parents..

Using Font Size

Do I use pixels, points, ems, or which?? This table is nicely set up and very easy to read.

School District Web Site Policies

This seems to be a popular question in my classes and emails: What should be in a school district web site policy? Here are some links to ones online. If your district doesn't have one, they really should! If yours is old, maybe you need to revisit it. The final document should be given to your district lawyers for their final insight and approval. So, here are some samples to

• Novato Schools Board Policy
• Hilston (NY) School District
• Montgomery County District
  
• Edna (MN) District
  
• Peters (PA) Township District
  
• Post Gazette Article
• Yarmouth Maine District

These are just a few samples. There are many many more out there for your perusal. Once you settle on your own policy, the lawyers and the board have approved, make sure it's followed!

The Web Developer User Group meetings is another good forum to discuss what your distirict IS doing, HASN'T done yet, or is just learning about. Please feel free to post comments to this blog...

• 
  

My Next Home

I found my real estate company! Sotheby's International Realty....Now to find some money..

Run! Run! Run!

Prefer to use the Run Command in Windows XP? Here's a list of 99 Run Commands for you!

Screenshots of Windows Vista

ActiveWin.com: ActiveWin.com: Windows Vista November Community Tech Preview (CTP) Build 5259 High Resolution Screenshots

Edmiston Yachts

Ok, so it's off topic but we can all dream, can't we? Edmiston Yachts

The Story of Movies

The Story of Movies: Free School Curriculum and lesson plans. Looks promising...From the Film Foundation. IBM, and Turner Class movies.

"How do I remove Windows OneCare?"

Looks like this is causing some folks problems but Ask Dave has a solution.

New Resources, Federal Resources for Educational Excellence (FREE)

Off topic but some really great and FREE resources here:
New Resources, Federal Resources for Educational Excellence (FREE): "New Resources"

School Safety Report Released

I thought this was an interesting and positive article:
School Safety Report Released: "FOR RELEASE:

November 20, 2005"

Newswise | Students With Disabilities Unable To Use Web Technology

Newswise | Students With Disabilities Unable To Use Web Technology

Dreamweaver Extensions

"Confirm Links (free) "

Changes in Dreamweaver 8 Templates!!

"Changes in Dreamweaver 8 Templates"
Very important to read if you use templates in Dreamweaver!

Blummy - The bookmarklet management bookmarklet

This looks pretty interesting..Access your favorite web sites quickly though a bookmark toolbar.

School Technology Leadership Blog

School Technology Leadership Blog. Some interesting articles and links for your district's Technology staff and Directors.

Spyware Removal

One man's recipe for keeping spyware off your computer system...

Sony CDs Install Rootkit on Your Computer!

Sony Music CD's have a new technology that you need to be aware of..

Macromedia Studio 8 From The Inside: Exclusive Q

Macromedia Studio 8 From The Inside: Exclusive Q&As With The Studio 8 Team @ MX DEVELOPER'S JOURNAL

Geek Cruises

I think I could do one of these cruises, especially the Alaskan one, although the Mexican Riviera in the middle of February sure looks appealing... Anyone else interested?

"How do I export my America Online (AOL) Address Book and Email?"

Want to export your AOL Address Book and EMail to another system? It's not easy but it can be done. Ask Dave has a few solutions for you.

How to display your web site logo on the address bar and in the favorites list

If you check our home page, you'll see our *.ico in the address bar. It's pretty easy to do and here are some easy directions. If you get stuck, you can always email or call me: www.chami.com/tips/internet/110599I.html

"How to use Apache htaccess to password protect a directory"

Dave Taylor has some information about this.

Best Free Portable Software for Windows

Free software that runs from your USB key drive, your iPod, memory stick, or any extrenal drive plugged into a USB port
http://nedwolf.com/Freeware-Portable.htm

Glossary of web design, graphics, interactive terms

Glossary of web design, graphics, interactive terms

Hybrid CSS Dropdowns

Hybrid CSS Dropdowns. Check out the rest of the site as well.

Microsoft Sues Eight Companies for Software Piracy

Microsoft Sues Eight Companies for Software Piracy

Students ARE the Help Desk

Students Man the Help Desk..what a great idea!

Killersites Blog

New Site..new blog...www.killersites.com/blog/

Cheat Sheet Roundup - Over 30 Cheatsheets for developers

Lots of info here

SitePoint Forums - Web Page Design

Nice forums here with interesting information: SitePoint

Macromedia - Dreamweaver 8 : New Features

Take a tour of the new Dreamweaver 8 (video)

CSS Properties

All CSS Properties Listed Alphabetically

Hidden Windows Apps

Interesting stuff: Hidden Windows Applications.

I remember some of them from many years ago!

Web Watchers: Teaching Kids to Stay Safe Online

Web Watchers might be something to check out. A new program is teaching teachers how to prepare children to protect themselves online from viruses, identity theft and even chat-room bullies.

Spyware Daily

Really interesting stuff here:
Spyware Daily: "Internet Web Browsers"

"Protecting Yourself from Identity Theft" from The Real Life Debt Blog

Came across this from a link at another blog and thought it had some pretty good advice.
"Protecting Yourself from Identity Theft" from The Real Life Debt Blog

css Zen Garden Shot - read a little

css Zen Garden Shot - read a little

Return of Design - Color Schemes, Design, Development, and Inspiration

Return of Design - Color Schemes, Design, Development, and Inspiration

FONTSMACK

FONTSMACK is a repository of sIFR fonts along with TrueType and PostScript fonts. sIFR fonts are Macromedia Flash files (SWFs) that you can easily drop into your site. Instantly, you’ll have custom designed fonts that make your web site POP!
sIFR, TrueType, and PostScript fonts - FONTSMACK

Color In Motion

More information about colors in a flash presentation: COLOR IN MOTION

Using Photoshop and CSS!

Veerle's Blog: Veerle has posted a wonderful tutorial on designing a CSS-based template. Tale some time and check it out!:

Veerle's Blog

Photos from the Launch of Studio 8

Flickr and Studio 8 Launch

Killing Spam Zombies Made Easy

Killing Spam Zombies Made Easy

Millions of Windows Users at Risk by Massive ID and Bank Account Theft Piggybacking on CoolWebSearch

Be careful and check your computers. Make sure you have a firewall that tracks outgoing data.
Millions of Windows Users at Risk by Massive ID and Bank Account Theft Piggybacking on CoolWebSearch

"What's a Google Web Page "heat map"?

Tracking the order people read on a web page:
"What's a Google Web Page "heat map"?"

Sample heatmap, courtesy of Marketing Sherpa

"

Online Consumers Don’t Like Pop-Ups, Flash Animation, Says Survey

Online Consumers Don’t Like Pop-Ups, Flash Animation, Says Survey

Iconico

Iconico - ColorPic - The Free Color Picker for Your Screen that allows you to select many palettes of colors at once

Web Design Reference Guide

When we go to Web sites, we might not give much thought to colors unless they're outrageous or you're a designer who notices such things as part of the job. Experts say that when a site's colors aren't noticeable, its team has done it's job in integrating the colors with the site's design. The approach to color has changed in ten years with more monitors having the capability to display more colors:
Web Design Reference Guide:

Eric Meyer: CSS

Eric Meyer: CSS

How to Snatch an Expiring Domain

Great article from someone who has done this: Mike Davidson: How to Snatch an Expiring Domain

Windows Music

And you thought the Windows sounds were boring?? This Flash page will change your mind (I think): www.ded.kiev.ua/mus.swf

Make Your Own RSS Feeds

Step by Step Make RSS Feeds
Make your own RSS feeds for your web site. Don't know what that is? You might want to take our Blog and RSS class here at the MHRIC. Call us at 255-1450 x 1316 for more details.

Macromedia Blog

How to Learn Dreamweaver: teach yourself to build things faster.

"How do I find product manuals online?" from the Ask Dave Taylor! Tech Support Blog

Some good information here to help you in searching for anything: "How do I find product manuals online?" from the Ask Dave Taylor! Tech Support Blog

Fair Use: Overview and Meaning for Education

Some information on Copyrights in Education: Fair Use: Overview and Meaning for Higher Education

Printing on Canvas

Printing on Canvas: This should make your digital photos really stand out!

Visual Recipes - Community of Cooking Enthusiasts

I know this is WAY OT (off-topic) but I thought this site looked interesting. See photos of the recipes and they are NOT staged ones. They look like they were taken in real people's kitchens:

Visual Recipes - Community of Cooking Enthusiasts

Grant Resources

Seems to be a pretty inclusive site for grants:
Grant Resources

Complete CSS Guide - Cascading style sheets reference

This is the complete definitive guide to CSS. There is also a special edition of this guide that you can download and install on your iPod. Read all about any CSS feature in the air, while you commute, or at your desk, with no need to open a book, or fire up your browser.
Complete CSS Guide - Cascading style sheets reference

Font guide for webmasters

Font guide for webmasters

the CSS playground | CSS sliding photo-gallery

Interesting Way of doing a photo gallery:
| the CSS playground | CSS sliding photo-gallery

BoardBuzz: NSBA's Daily Weblog

Even the National School Board Association has a blog!:
BoardBuzz: NSBA's Daily Weblog

Microsoft Geek Blogger

Robert Scoble is a Microsoft employee. Although this is his personal blog, he has some interesting tidbits here: Scobleizer: Microsoft Geek Blogger

Rocketboom

Rocketboom is probably among the most popular video blogs that are available online. Andrew Baron and Amanda Congdon spend three to six hours per day to shoot, edit and splice together this 3 to 5 minute video show, in which news, technology, public events and a good dose of irony and commentary take center stage: Rocketboom

Mike Davidson: The Accessibility Chronicles

Mike Davidson: The Accessibility Chronicles: "In case #1, you have a cost that is too high. Expecting all content creators to translate every single word on their site into remedial reading material would take forever. It’s simply not a reasonable thing to demand."

HTML Dog

HTML and CSS Tutorials, References, Articles and News -: "CSS Property Reference"

WDUG Agenda: Aug. 19

Our agenda for the first meeting on August 19 here at the Conference Center has been set. The order of presenters has not been determined yet. Coffee and tea will be at 8:30 and we will begin promptly at 9. Remember that registrations are required!

Macromedia will be presenting Contribute and the Contribute Publishing Service. This is an effective, cost-efficient method for districts to publish their web site and retain total control over it.

Rose Malpica, Webmaster for Orange-Ulster BOCES, will show us the latest in Photoshop Elements 3. Mike Kroemer, Cornwall School District, plans on showing us some tricks and tips with Macromedia Fireworks.

This is a workshop for all levels of Webmasters and those new to developing web sites.

If you would like to present at our Spring 2006 User Group, please let me know. It's set for April.

We are fortunate to live so close to Mohonk. If you haven't been up there hiking, take the next opportunity and go. Most pictures are of the Mountain House but there is a lot more to see hiking around the grounds.

How Your Laptop Can Help You if Stuck in an Airport - Reported by Aunty Spam's Net Patrol

How Your Laptop Can Help You if Stuck in an Airport - Reported by Aunty Spam's Net Patrol: "SleepingInAirports.com"

Web Design Tips

Things to consider when designing your web site: Bud Ugly Tips For Webpage Designers

Computers for Classrooms

Off topic but a worthy idea: Conquering A Digital Divide

Bloglet

Thanks to Denise O'Barry of www.deniseoberry.com for this great site.

Bloglet (http://www.bloglet.com ) offers email subscriptions to your blog that keep your users coming back and is supported by most major blog sites. This looks really great and, as soon as I get a chance, I am going to add it to my blogs.

Denise also has a Small Business Blog Directory at www.blogsforsmallbusiness.com/ that you may want to check out.

Truly Unbelievable Credit Card Pranks: Be Very Afraid

Real Tech News - Independent Tech � Truly Unbelievable Credit Card Pranks: Be Very Afraid: But this one, you are not going to believe! Unbeliveable what some people will do....

CSS Panic Guide

Lots of links here for CSS sites and information:CSS Panic Guide

Search the Web for Sounds

FindSounds - Search the Web for Sounds

EFF: Legal Guide for Bloggers

EFF: Legal Guide for Bloggers: "Whether you're a newly minted blogger or a relative old-timer, you've
been seeing more and more stories pop up every day about bloggers
getting in trouble for what they post."

Flash!

I happened to rent this movie tonight and was checking out the web site. What a phenomenal use of Flash (and the music is also outstanding). It is well worth a look at this site to see what can be accomplished with Flash: Saints and Soldiers

The Principles of Design

Beautifully written! Imagine the CSS behind this page as well. The colors are very calming while the content is exhilarating! The Principles of Design

How to remove the Contribute administrator password from the web server

Uh oh! Forgot or lost the Contribute Web Administrator password?? All is not lost. Just follow these directions from Macromedia:
Macromedia - Contribute TechNote : How to remove the Contribute administrator password from the web server

Free Fonts

Top Free Fonts
(but please don't use them on your web sites!)

Snap Judgements

Digital photos can look great, but some labs won't print those that appear too professional:
SignOnSanDiego.com > News > Technology -- Snap judgments

Things to do when you're bored

Okay..this is totally useless!
Things to do when you're bored - a bumper list of pointless timewasters: "

� useless homepage

"

Old Time Radio - Free Radio Show Downloads (MP3, Real Audio)

When you are taking a break, check this site out:
Old Time Radio - Free Radio Show Downloads (MP3, Real Audio)

Community MX

One of the best sites for information, tutorials, extensions for Macromedia products:

Community MX

Macromedia - Dreamweaver Support Forums

Great site for questions, problems, solutions for Dreamweaver Users:
Macromedia - Dreamweaver Support Forums

Update on the WDUG Meeting (Aug. 19)

The presenters are lined up for the 1st Web Developer User Group Meeting at the MHRIC on August 19. You must register to attend.

1. Macromedia will present Contribute and the Contribute Web Publishing Service.
2. Mike Kroemer (Cornwall Schools) will demonstrate some web techniques using Macromedia Fireworks. Optimizing graphics and rollovers are just 2 of topics he will show us.
3. Rose Malpica (Orange-Ulster BOCES Webmaster) will introduce us to Photoshop Elements 3 and give some pointers and tips in using this program.

The presenters are scheduled to start promptly at 9 AM and conclude about noon. You can register the same way you would for TSS Classes. Office Automation Districts: you can register using the TSS Classes registration form on our web site: www.mhric.org/classreg/index.html

If you are not sure if your district participates in the Technology Support Service, please check www.mhric.org/tssmembers.html

For Office Automation information, please contact webmaster@mhric.org

Top Teaching Resources

Looks like a really nice site of information. You can find grants, lesson plans, educational news, even EBay teaching resources (!)
Top Teaching Resources

CSS Vault

Another resource from Larry Porres (Spackenkill):
CSS Vault � The Web's CSS Site

Where To Find Great Free Photographs And Visuals For Your Own Online Articles - Robin Good's Latest News

Unless you are taking all your own photos, web developers and designers are always looking for photo images for their web sites. This site has many links to resources that offer free photos (not just royalty free): Where To Find Great Free Photographs And Visuals

"Can I delete the contents of Windows NtUninstall?" from the Ask Dave Taylor! Help Desk

So this is what those folders are for!!

"Can I delete the contents of Windows NtUninstall?" from the Ask Dave Taylor! Help Desk: "r"

Macromedia XML News Aggregator

Dreamweaver News Aggregator...Great Stuff here.
Macromedia XML News Aggregator

Current Info on your Congressional Reps

Might be interesting to check out what your representatives are up to. Also great for the social studies classes...

Welcome to Plogress.com!

How to Make an RSS Screensaver in Tiger

Thanks to Larry Porres (Spackenkill) for this tidbit for you Mac OSX folks:

Engadget: Features

Blogging Basics: Creating Student Journals on the Web

Looking for some information about Blogging? You can also take our half-day workshop that's offered here at the MHRIC on blogging and RSS. Meanwhile, here's an article to read.

Education World� Blogging Basics: Creating Student Journals on the Web: "Get parental permission."

Avoiding the Big Page Title Mistake - Search Engine Journal

Avoiding the Big Page Title Mistake - Search Engine Journal: "The page title of any website page is set using the HTML *TITLE* tag. Even if you don’t do the programming yourself, you can always check your website pages and have your web designer make the changes for you."

Find the right colors for your site

This site will help you select coordinating colors for your own web site.


The hottest color wheel on the web

CSS Directory - Your one stop resource for css links, articles, tutorials, examples, tips, layouts, hacks, books, and web standards

CSS Directory

Web Matters - Why you should avoid Verdana

Interesting thoughts here...
Web Matters - Why you should avoid Verdana: "Font sizes"

Welcome!

This blog has been set up for the district members of the Mid-Hudson Regional Information Center's Technology Support Service and Office Automation Service Web Development User's Group. This group is open to anyone in those districts with an interest in web design and development. This will be a forum for those members to ask questions, share solutions, and network with each other.

Our first User Group Meeting will be here at the Conference Center on August 19. More details will follow in the Summer issue of MicroNews.