First things first, a clarification:

• Client Side: code that is executed by the client’s (user’s) browser, like HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and the likes. You can see the source code of client side languages.
• Server Side: code that is executed by the server and sent back out to the client in the form of HTML/text, like PHP, Ruby and ASP. You can not see the source code from your browser. This article will not deal with server side languages.

This will be all about the client side languages. Mainly (x)HTML and CSS. I will also be assuming you have no prior experience, and have no idea what either are. Please also note, this is not a tutorial on how to make a web page, rather a guide from one experienced person to someone wanting to learn how to learn, essentially.

The Hyper Text Markup Language

HTML stands for just that: Hyper Text Markup Language. When you put an X infront of it, it stands for eXtensible. The first thing that comes into your head might be, “I’ve heard of this, but what does it have to do with a web site?“.

The answer to that is simple. All web pages output HTML to the browser, which is then read by the browser and outputted to your screen accordingly. Simple, right? All you need to know is that if you want to have a page on the internet, you will use HTML. Whether you outsource the coding and don’t know a thing about it, you still need it.

HTML is like the air we breathe for the web.

Next, with these two seemingly identical ‘languages‘ there must be some differences besides on letter. Of course, there are, but before I can get into that (for now it’s over your head) you need some resources. These links will put you on your way to mastering the most basic of all web languages:

• Basic HTML Tutorials from Pixel2Life
• Your HTML Source (Excellent!)
• XHTML Tutorial Series from W3 Schools

Look like a small list? You don’t need any more than that! It’s that simple. Hopefully you understand.

Cascading Style Sheets

CSS isn’t just a game, you know, it’s what makes websites look the way they do!

For anyone completely new to CSS, I like to get them to do this. This is for Firefox users, and if you aren’t one, then become one I’ll also be touching on the cross-broswer issues of today later on. Anyways, here’s what to do:

1. Go to any website. You’re reading this on one right now, so head to #2.
2. Up top, go View > Page Style and click No Style.
3. What happened!?!

You just saw the affect CSS has on web pages. XHTML isn’t to make websites look good, its just the markup. The canvas, if you will. CSS if the paint. CSS styles web pages using a variety of different methods, and to understand this, here are some more resources:

• Your HTML Source Stylesheets (Again, excellent resource)
• Pixel2Life Basic CSS Tutorials

That’s all you should need, really.

HTML + CSS + Web Browsers

When I said the browser outputs HTML accordingly, I meant it. Different browsers will interpret CSS and HTML differently than others. This is an ongoing issue in the web development world, and always will be, mainly for one reason: Internet Explorer. Firefox and other browsers such as Opera, Safari, etc… display CSS more as intended than IE. It’s like IE tried to fix things it sees wrong.

The problem? Your website may look perfect- just as intended- in all broswers, but when you come around to IE things are misplaced, broken and dithered. This can be very discouraging, so it’s important to remember some things:

• There is usually one solution to a problem, but don’t kill yourself finding it.
  
• HTML ‘if statements’ (conditional comments) can help you to use browser dependent style sheets. Read about it here.

XHTML vs HTML

The differences between the two will be seemingly non-existent or minimal at first, but if you do a little bit of research, you will start to see some differences. This article from W3 Schools outlines one differences, and is a good read for beginners.

Essentially, XHTML is a stricter version of HTML. Today, XHTML is used on the more modern and web-savvy sites. In normal HTML you are likely to come across tables for layouts, animated GIFs and the like, whereas XHTML users are more likely to promote validity and accessibility. All with tons of exceptions of course.

What can these two do together?

A great way to conclude this is to show you a series of websites named CSS galleries. These sites gather the best looking websites from all over the internet that make use of CSS and XHTML properly. Here’s a few good ones:

• CSS Zen Garden - Shows the true potential of CSS. Users submit CSS files to style one HTML file that does not change. Everything must be done with CSS.
• CSS Remix
• CSS Import
• Screenalicious - More basic, but still worth a look.

One of the hardest things about web design is getting over the first hurdle. Making your first design is one of them, and making it come to life is equally ground breaking for someone new to it all. As someone who has been through many websites in all kinds of levels, all kinds of techniques and styles, I’d like to share what I think is the best way to go. The following tips are mainly general and might not work for everyone but remember- you can succeed in this. You just have to give yourself and your talent a shot.

Take good advice.

When you come across articles like this where someone is offering advice and tips based on experience, read up. Be a sponge. You can never know enough in the web design world. Even the seasoned gods of web design learn new things everyday. Design is a funny thing. You can be from varying talents and techniques and everyone will always come up with a different design, and a different opinion on this:

Your overall skill to design (websites) is a mixture of pure, god given natural talent that can not be learned and the things you can learn, like the tools, techniques and tricks.

Finding your talent and a balance between the learning portions is important. You can’t just walk into this, unfortunately. If you’re the most talented designer this world has ever seen, you’re nothing without your tools. Photoshop (or your weapon of choice) is like a language. A language to communicate your talent and ideas with. Someone who comes to a foreign country with a Ph. D. can’t use their education without being able to speak a word of the language, can they?

So, how do I go about gaining these skills? Well, the aforementioned parts of design that you can learn are widely available on the internet. There are many ways to learn design. The way I went about it was back in the Photoshop 7 days, I would toot over to Good-Tutorials and soak up every cool looking technique I could. Abstract waves, grunge buildings, bubble gum text, you name it- I could do it. But how has all that helped me today? I actually couldn’t do that today if you asked me to. All that helped me learn Photoshop.

I may not be able to create amazing fantasy art work with all glowing and amazing effects, but 100% I am more comfortable with the Photoshop interface and all things associated. Shortcuts, options, panels, windows, I know it all. The only way you can know it all is by just doing it. Here’s a simple quote:

Just do it. - Nike

Now, it may seem cliche, but think about it. You can manufacture experience by just doing it. Make the coolest looking desktop around, and some awesome forum signatures. Learn how to use renders and popout signature effects. Join a graphics community. This all may have nothing to do with web design, but like I said- you can’t just walk into this.

Today when I see a bad design, and I mean realllly bad, I can assume one, or even both of the following things:

1. The person has not used Photoshop a day in their life, and this is what they can do. It’s their limit.
2. They have no design eye. They don’t have that talent.

I’ve been constantly referencing Photoshop here, but that’s only because Photoshop is my tool. Photoshop is my weapon of choice. It may not be yours- and thats perfectly fine. Fireworks, GIMP, paint- whatever. In the end we can all admit that it’s not how you do it, it’s what you do.

So after all this, and you’re into the entire graphics thing, and you can do all this nice stuff, and most of all you’re comfortable with your tool- it’s now time to dip your feet in the water.

First things first. Basic stuff to set up your document.

• Size: Around 1000×1000 is where I always start. 800×600 users obviously don’t care much about how a site looks anyways, right? Also, you’ll find in this market especially, the average user runs 1280×1024.
• Colour: RGB colour. Safest way to go when dealing with the web, and dithering problems for IE users (*spits*).

Alright, great, so now you have this huge blank space. This is where you explore your own creativity, but here are some common mistakes:

• Alignment: If things don’t line up, your design probably won’t look right. Structure is key. If you have to, create a ‘wireframe’ first. This is when you make little outlines of where every element will go before adding an colour, etc…
• Colours: When starting, try to stick to a one colour scheme. It’s best to not add more, because early on it gets a little messy. You’ll be surprised how fast you’ll find how colours match and clash, and even how it applies to clothes, paint, etc…
• Effects: While gaining the first little steps and getting them under your belt, feel free to go crazy with brushes, effects, renders, anything. You’re not going to walk into ‘web 2.0′ on your first day.

Your style is something that will develop over time, and will progress as well. If you’re not one with that talent, or eye, don’t worry about it. It’s not one of those things that you really see in yourself, but something that comes out and is quite obviously there.

You should be on a good path by now, but remember, all the things mentioned here won’t take you a day, a week or even a month for that matter. Give it time. Your designing is like a plant. It needs to grow. With proper nurturing and attention it will sprout up no problem, and people will notice it I leave you with this:

Respect your inspiration

Basically means don’t steal from those you look up to.

1. Mozy - An online backup system for your PC that safely and automatically backs up your files online. For the free version, it goes up to 2GB, but you can pay $4.95/mo to get unlimited storage. Mozy isn’t the best way to store your files online to share with your friends, or to post around the internet, but if you want online backups, then you want Mozy.
2. Box.net - A friendly looking storage system that is more geared towards sharing. It’s mainly a paid service, but you can try them out with 1GB space for free. Upon paying $7.95/mo you get 5GB of space. Box.net has some cool features, like setting up sub accounts for other people to view certain files, backups of certain files, or being very easy to share. Very nice interface as well.
3. OmniDrive - Store your files online and access them from anywhere at desktop-storage-speeds. The free version offers 1GB storage and 5GB bandwidth, but the paid options come out to be much cheaper than the competition. First paid plan is $40/yr for 10GB storage and 20GB bandwidth.The things I liked most about OmniDrive were its cross platform compatibility, and API possibilities. Not only do they have an application for both OSX and Windows, but they have a web version for Linux users or other users who feel like it. The API program also allows extensions and further developments.
4. eSnips - A file uploading and sharing community where you can share, drive traffic to your site and join like minded communities. You start off with a nice 5GB storage for free.The thing that bothers me about eSnips is the fact that they have less than 1000 users, and less than 4000 hosted files. What if they were to blow up and become huge? Could they survive the first part of that? This site only appeals to those interested in a community situation as well.
5. Xdrive - This site had one of the better first impressions, on a design based judgment. You can conveniently upload, share, backup and access from anywhere your files with Xdrive. The free plan comes with 5GB of storage space. If you want to upgrade, it’s $9.95/mo for 50GB. Xdrive has one of the better looking interfaces, so it’s safe to say that AOL (parent company) knows how to hire a designer. As far as features, its very similar, but what sets it apart is its Pro Package, where you get 50GB for $99.50/yr or $9.95/mo.

There is not a lot of diversity in this field, but here are some conclusions.

• Online Backups: Definitely go with Mozy.
• Free File Storage/Share: Try Box.net first.
• Upgraded: Go with Xdrive for best value.

Its three other compartments allowed room for my laptop’s extra accessories which included all of the following: the AC adapter, mouse, wireless card, not to mention a few DVD’s for the ride.

The Slappa backpack’s water-proof exterior gave me sound of mind knowing my laptop is protected against harsh weather. The small pouch on the backpack’s strap allow for easy access to your cellular phone or music player.

My opinion on the size, however, is that it’s not necessarily made for everyday travel or commute. Considering it be excessively bulky to lug around, the backpack’s padding is definitely present when you carry it. Perfect for a trip somewhere, the bag is reminiscent to that of a suitcase on your back.

Paths you wish to take on your trip will be highlighted plus you can add your own text and photos for annotation to truly personalize your map. Its creation of a KML (Keyhole Markup Language) file will allow compatibility with the software, Google Earth.

The website offers a low transaction fee compared to other review website and only gives the job to well known bloggers that receive a lot of traffic, which pretty much makes it a guarantee that the review will be viewed by a lot of people. The layout of the website is simple and economic which allows for easier usability. The sign-up system Sponsored Reviews uses two types of accounts, Bloggers and Advertisers. This is smart because it doesn’t really let any mix-ups happen through miscommunication. Overall Sponsored Reviews is a great way to connect advertisers and bloggers together for writing reviews.

First Impressions
Brilliant! The spiffy box arrived at my house just a few days before Christmas. On opening the box, I was greeted by another brown cardboard box, this one more tightly sealed. Inside lay a bubble wrap bag containing two CD pouches with the installation discs inside. A users guide and ‘Quick Reference’ book were also included, along with a wired headset. So far, so good!
In goes the disc. Okay, okay… I got through the installation process till the ‘Select a drive to install your copy of Nuance Dragon Naturally Speaking 9 on’, or somthing like that. I had lots of trouble installing the software, as it was claiming I had insufficient space on my main hard drive. Infact, I had “22.6 GB of free space” on my computer, and I finally got it up and running, after repeatedly retrying to install the software. The installation itself time took a resonable amount of time and I quickly registered my product with Nuance.
Training
I did about 30 minutes of training no problem. I was told to read the sentences that appeared on the screen so that the software could ‘calibrate’ my voice pattern. Thinking that everything will be fine, I opened up Dragon’s special dictation software, ‘Dragon Pad’. In the English language, there are a couple of things that are considered ‘standard sentences’.
The Quick Brown Fox Jumps Over The Lazy Hen.
You want to see what Dragon Pad thought I was saying? No, you really don’t… But for the purpose of providing an honest review, I have to post the results.
‘My thick round ox jumped over my daisy’s pen.’
All in all, I can type a lot quicker and more accurately than that anyway. Since I was delivered the software, I’ve used it over 20 times. I must have done the training that many times too. The software crashes every single time I use it. I’m kind of fed up now, after many unsuccessful attempts. Okay, my PC isn’t state of the art, but it’s only a year old, and has twice the recommended amount of RAM, and a 3.3Ghz P4 processor, far more than needed to run a program like this.
Overall Impressions
I’m sure that the software really is a good product, and I know it’s had outstanding reviews from many top-class websites, but for me, it’s just not worked out. I’ve had heap loads of problems, and only a few sentences of garbled text and a new Skype headset to show for it.
Maybe next time I’ll have better luck.

*Update* I accidentally deleted this post while I was deleting some spam comments for this post, so I had to repost this as a new article. Don’t you just hate it when this happens!

A browse of more specific topics takes you to the respective current stock graph of the topic (Politics: ‘John Howard’; Entertainment: ‘Pop’). Seeing how this game can be played by just about anyone with an affinity towards gambling, stocks, or the like, the ‘Entertainment’ section is probably what most people will have most fun playing around with, while the ‘Business’ section is obviously for the knowledgeable . Just like real stock markets, stock quotes can and do change in a matter of seconds. What was the most traded stock in ‘Entertainment’ a second ago; i.e. ‘Britney Spears’, is now ‘Condoleeza Rice’ and ‘Eric Cantor’.

The brainchild of 21-year-old French-Swedish Jens Agersberg, Trendio.com – not even a year old (created circa March 2006) – has already made a splash in the U.S.. Likely due to its English- and French-translated versions – and more recently, Trendio.com is ‘stocking’ up in members (pun intended) with more than 30,000 members. While some stock market savviness is a plus, a lot isn’t required and ‘investing’ in a stock at Trendio.com is easy to get into. The ‘Forum’ section is available to those who need some help getting started, which also offers some strategies. Along with the beauty of other ‘fake-money’ games, from Monopoly to online Poker, Trendio.com’s currency can be spent without any real loss or relation to real currency. But those who have the knowledge, commitment, and time have earned themselves millions in ‘Trendillions’.

If you are a college student looking for a good deal on textbooks then you should use Chambal. I found a calculus book that cost me 150 dollars for about 10 dollars using Chambal. If I found out about this website before then it would have saved me a lot of money. However it has saved me money this semester when I had to buy new textbooks. It’s a great tool if you want to save money on any product. The search results are concise and immediately show the prices without the need to open new pages like some other websites require. It also shows the ISBN number if you are searching for a book so you can make sure if you’re getting the correct edition. You can compare prices for other products like music and movies. The website offers a good variety of products to compare prices despite some needed variety in the electronics section.

The problem with Chambal is that there isn’t much variety in the electronics section; you can only compare prices to cameras and camcorders. There are a lot more products that fall under the electronics category that can be searched for like televisions and MP3 players. Chambal’s format isn’t so great either, it isn’t really aesthetically pleasing and not really that efficient. In my opinion and standard menu-bar and content similar to amazon.com would be better. Besides these minor problems Chambal is a great website if you are looking for a great deal.