text:
Autumn Leaves in the GardenOctober 29
Another major Zen Garden update this evening, with not three but six new official designs courtesy Americans Ray Henry and Lance Leonard, Brit Mike Stenhouse, Italian Sandra Greco, and fellow Canadians Nigel Goodfellow and Wendy Foster.
More updates to the comprehensive design list as well, but no new translations this time. We're still working on the server issue with foreign character encoding, so the Polish version I have on deck will have to wait.
This should more or less bring things up to date. If you have submitted recently and haven't heard back from me yet in any way, please, by all means submit again. I just jumped to Thunderbird as my mail program of choice, and have had some tremendous problems keeping things straight when it comes to the Garden backlog.
Fun Garden Facts
There has been a Zen Garden submission from every continent except the Antarctic. There are 56 official designs from 42 designers in 9 different countries, and 135 total designs. There are twenty translations with more to come. I get about seven to ten new design submissions per week. It usually takes me up to two weeks to process them, although I do try to rush official designs. In an average day, the Zen Garden gets in the neighbourhood of seven or eight thousand unique visitors (though it has cracked 10k a few times now), moves over a GB of traffic, and sends just shy of a thousand unique hits to each of the eight most recent submissions (the ones listed by default).
MOSe MenusOctober 27
When in doubt, reload.
I introduced my idea of MOSe, or Mozilla/Opera/Safari Enhancement about four months ago, with my Zen Garden submission mnemonic. It's time to take it further.
By logically structuring the bits and pieces that used to be strewn about the top navigation area and the sidebar, I've reduced the number of possibilities to 'About' (which covers information on the site, me, and a FAQ) and 'Weblog' (which features the RSS feeds, archives, etc.) Each of the two main navigation items link to a respective secondary page that lists menu items in a little more detail.
Responsible navigation allows all users equal access to content; doing it the way I have offers a way out for IE (and other CSS-capable browsers that miss the menus). A little bit of redundancy goes a long way toward accessibility in this case.
An extra
div was necessary for each menu, thanks to my centered, absolutely-positioned layout. Given that FIR is used for the main menu items to start with, the code is a bit more targetted with extra
classes and
divs. These are necessary for the specific background images I use.

About this Site and
its Author

about dave

about

faq
Once you get around some of the hoops I had to jump through to position the menus properly on this site, the CSS is remarkably simple. The menu is hidden by default:
#sec1 {display: none;}
And then to show it upon hover, all that's needed is this:
li.li1:hover > #sec1 {
display: block;
Mozilla and Safari allow us to apply
:hover to arbitrary elements, in this case meaning specifically the
li that contains both the parent link and the child menu.
Why couldn't I have just applied it to the
a element within, and allow that to control the menu? Wouldn't that have worked in IE? No, because XHTML doesn't allow
a elements to be nested — the menu's
ul would have to site inside the original
a element. Besides, IE doesn't support PNG.
The Visuals
And because I've written off IE by this point, the door was wide open for using PNG images to enhance the menus, which is exactly what I did. The background gets a 50% opacity blue PNG, and a nicely faded image sits just below each menu to give me a faint drop shadow effect.
I'm a little unsure how to finish them off — the mouseover image effects on the 'About' menu may be dropped, or I may apply them to the 'Weblog' menu eventually. I'll have to start using them to figure out which way I'll go.
No new technique is without its share of bugs, naturally. I am aware that Opera 7 doesn't seem to get the absolute positioning right, and that resizing fonts seem to break the menus. It would seem the links aren't quite being treated as block-level items, so overlap occurs. I have no clue why this is right now.
Let me know in the comments if you come across anything else. For now, I'm content to put these out there and see what happens.
And finally, a screenshot for you poor folk stuck on IE:
(Yes, I'll probably end up boosting the opacity a little more to keep the menu items readable.)
Bzzzzt.October 26
I'll skip the really bad entomological puns then, yes?
Ethan Marcotte and I have become the two newest members of the Web Standards Project.
WaSP is "a grassroots coalition fighting for standards that ensure simple, affordable access to web technologies for all." For a more practical look at what this means, consider:
Many books on web development still teach outdated methods, and many practitioners take pride in delivering sites that look and work exactly the same in compliant and non-compliant browsers alike, at the cost of accessibility, long-term viability, or forward compatibility. Others develop proprietary code that works only in a handful of popular browsers.
Thus one of WaSP's primary goals is to provide educational resources that can help our peers learn standards-compliant methods that are in their interest and that of their clients and site users.
WaSP was originally founded in 1998 to encourage browser makers to use and promote core web standards; by the year 2001 it had become emminently clear that they had met their goal. The problem WaSP addresses today is developers coding for the browsers of yesterday, through habit or ignorance.
Today's WaSP exists to inform, encourage, and even inspire developers and designers to use what's at their disposal, to create a better web for us all. It's an exciting time, and a great group of people. I'm proud to be a part of this.
Here's to the web of 2004!
IE Development: XAMLOctober 24
Looks like the covers are slowly slipping off - a glimpse of Microsoft's browser strategy focussing on web applications has turned up overnight, courtesy Simon and Eric.
What all this is about: XUL, or XML User Interface Language was developed by Mozilla as an XML-based language for web applications. More simply, what XHTML does for web pages, XUL does for web applications. And this is all very important, largely because of the XML foundation and the implications for business.
Now what Microsoft has done is effectively developed their own version of XUL for Internet Explorer, which they're calling XAML. Remember the browser wars? Remember custom-coding DHTML libraries for two different platforms? Remember how ridiculously redundant that was even in an era when people had a stupidly casual ability to throw around bags of cash? It won't happen again.
The operating system lock-in created and perpetuates the browser lock-in. Now the browser will give that extra boost to the OS. "Our application only works on Windows, using IE. No, sorry, extra development costs are too much. You'll just have to use a Windows desktop."
Apple has a tremendous amount of momentum right now, and about three years to innovate and compete against an OS that was released two years ago tomorrow. If they embrace a development platform like XUL and actually make inroads with the customers who will be deploying applications using it, will it be enough?
All this can be somewhat negated by the opportunity that exists for Microsoft to play fair. If, as Simon postulates, XAML can be transformed server-side to XUL (using XSLT), then we all win. But Eric remembers his history, which suggests we shouldn't rely on that happening. I'll throw this into the ring then: even if it's possible, will it be cost-effective? For organizations to spend an extra 20% of a development budget to support a 3% share of the market is a bit of a stretch. But it's obviously do-able, seeing as how many still bend over backward for NN4.x.
The end result is still anyone's guess. A lot can happen in three years. This is an encouraging step forward for the web in general; at least the current stagnation is starting to show signs of ending. Whether the final outcome means an impenetrable hegemony is unclear. The only for sure thing is that the web landscape in 2008 will be radically different than what we see now.
That can't be a surprise to anyone.
Link FestOctober 23
In an attempt to catch up with all the things that would have made the Dailies if they weren't still down, here are a few juicy bits and pieces for your linking pleasure.
- Branding Mozilla: Towards Mozilla 2.0
- Fellow Canadian Steven Garrity writes a tremendously good article on branding Mozilla which should (and hopefully will) be used as a starting point for the re-branding effort.
- YellowLane
- Saffron-fresh weblog from Texas designer Josh Williams.
- SXSW Web Awards
- 2004 Awards are open for entry. I'm thinking of entering the Zen Garden. Can you do that and not be at the conference? I'm still not sure if I'm going or not.
- iTunes for Windows
- Everyone and their dog has seen this by now. It's pretty, but slow.
- CSS House
- A house entirely in CSS borders. Built for Claire's CSS Challenge. Why? Because they can.
- More ESPN Flash mischief
- Adrian Holovaty uncovers an incredibly odd use of Flash for headlines. Mike Davidson defends it well. Still…
- FloatTutorial
- THE place to go to brush up on CSS floats.
- Top Ten Canadian Weblogs
- Well look who's number 8. All your suspicions have been confirmed: Canada is rather geeky.
- Original 'Master of Orion' game art explained
- Ten years old, and I still play this game from time to time.
- MOMA Redesigns Logo
- Who's more anal: semantic web geeks, or typography geeks?
Notes From All Over IIOctober 22
ALA 3.0, ReUSEIT! deadline, Garden thievery, iBook updates
The elves have been busy. A List Apart, after months of teasing, lives once more. A brand spankin' new design and backend publishing system drive the revised online mag, and three fresh articles kick off the rebirth.
Congratulations to Zeldman and everyone else who made this happen. It's not easy balancing a) making money, b) a successful, non-profit project, and c) being newly-wed. Zeldman is truly the Man Apart.
In this issue of ALA, Douglas Bowman contributes to the ongoing tab mania, with a beautiful example of thinking beyond the box. Dan Benjamin publishes the manual for his great PHP image rotator script, in convenient article format. Joe Clark tackles head-on the accessibility failure that is Fahrner Image Replacement.
Of course, having a vested interest in the topic of FIR, this is the sort of article I was dreading, but figured would happen sooner or later.
But this now-somewhat-outdated story (his own words) covers permutations involving
display: none and
visibility: hidden, which were popular at the time of writing; other methods have come to light since which would seem to solve some of the more dangerous problems. A forthcoming article is promised by the same, which I'll be eagerly awaiting. §
Slight navigation tweak around here. Things may look funny. In those immortal words, when in doubt—reload. §
Bob Sawyer writes to inform us that the deadline for the ReUSEIT! contest is rapidly approaching, and now is the time to finalize your entry. A set of great prizes awaits the winner, and your work gets passed by an impressive lineup of judges (which I somehow managed to become a part of). §
Right. This gets me going. In response to yet another ripped off Zen Garden design (just the CSS, which is normally fine, except no credit was given and the license was removed, which is definitely not) --
I had asked a web designer to come up with an unusual design for [organization]. This is the design he came up with! I sincerely apologise for any distress this may have caused you. We would like to retain the design and I am happy to follow your guideline as to placing your accreditation, for your design on the site. I have since spoken to the web designer about this matter, and given my disaproval for how the sites design came about.
- Note to You
- If you're re-using Zen Garden designs and trying to make money off of them, you will be found out, and probably in a highly embarrassing manner.
- Note to Me
- When there's reasonable doubt, give the benefit of it to the victim. They may indeed be an unwitting participant. §
Argh. At first I was put out that OS X 10.3 was announced but two weeks after buying my iBook. Now I'm even more so because they just upgraded the whole line to G4 processors. Moving targets are frustrating. §
Garden UpdateOctober 20
Such is life — for about 24 hours this weekend the Zen Garden was inaccessible. What was supposed to be a simple server update turned into a nightmare for the generous souls hosting the site thanks to kernel compile errors, blown processors, and all sorts of other things I don't even want to think about. A few version synch glitches here, a little elbow grease there, and we're back online. Those guys rock.
To make it up to you, the viewer, my planned weekend uber-update went live this afternoon. Three new official designs, a slew of new designs on the comprehensive list, and a bunch of new translations await you.
Cornelia Lange submits a creative take for design #50 — 50! — a brief summary of some of the incredible work the Garden has received. Daniel Leroux, a fellow Vancouverite submits the subtlely gorgeous Budda. And FastClemmy throws another beautiful horizontal scroller in the ring with HoriZental.
The comprehensive list sports 123 designs, and is running the risk of becoming completely unwieldy. Perhaps a make-work project is in order to categorize better and make it easier to browse.
Translations! Czech, Hungarian, Indonesian, Swedish, and Turkish join the growing list, with Polish coming sooner or later. Currently the non-Romanized Asian languages (Chinese, Korean, Japanese) are a bit of a mess thanks to PHP's notorious lack of proper Unicode support, but we've hopes they'll be back to behaving properly later this week.
See if you can spot what I've done differently with the French translation — will the others follow suit? Time will tell!
Update: Actually, most of the translations that require non-Western character encoding seem to be broken, and I think it has to do more with the HTTP headers than it does with PHP. That should be resolved in not too long.
A Typeface FantasyOctober 19
And this is where we dive right in to the pressing issues, the questions that matter by god! The burning quandry at the forefront of all of our minds is, of course, where in the world did they pull a generic font family like 'fantasy' from for CSS?
It's been around since CSS1, but the CSS2 spec explains far better what exactly a fantasy font is:
Fantasy fonts, as used in CSS, are primarily decorative while still containing representations of characters (as opposed to Pi or Picture fonts, which do not represent characters). Examples include:
Latin fonts: Alpha Geometrique, Critter, Cottonwood, FB Reactor, Studz
Okay, sure. Let's face it, no one has ever implemented precisely that. Unless a particularly keen user has overridden their settings, no browser has ever rendered it properly according to the spec. Comic Sans is not a decorative typeface. So in the wide world of fonts, why was it considered a priority, or even a good idea to introduce something so vaguely impractical?
Not only is this quirky font family a design nightmare, but accessibility suffers for it. A default font size that is considered more than generous using, say, Verdana, Georgia, or even Times could be completely indistinguishable given the intricate detail that goes into a pictographic or decorative letter.
No one in their right mind uses it (a complaint from 1997 that wasn't addressed then, and 6 years later still remains completely valid). It's an unpredictable time bomb on any page that dares. It's cruft in the spec, it's been suggested that it should be dropped, but it's not going anywhere in CSS3. Of course, we'll have WebFonts to look forward to once that's out (which includes some font selection capabilities that will make your head spin), but there in the middle, right amongst all the forthcoming goodness is useless old fantasy.
So who did it? Where did the idea come from, and who considered it important enough to sit in the comparitively small CSS1 spec? I had not a clue, so it was time to turn to Google. Dredging back to the early years of CSS proved quite a task, thanks no doubt due to web rot and decentralization (we're talking 1995 and 1996 here, when things were a lot smaller).
I browsed the relevant www-style archive from its inception to the release of CSS1 as an official recommendation. No luck. I Googled newgroups and the web as far back as I could go. Nothing. I haven't been able to find a single word anywhere on the public web toward explaining why this was a good idea at one point.
I have a hunch my answer might be found within the yellowing pages of Cascading Style Sheets: Designing for the Web (1997) by Lie and Bos. I haven't read it, and no one carries it anymore. If you have a copy, or have any clue whatsoever on how this came to be, please, reply in the comments. We're all on the edge of our seats.
mozilla.org NotesOctober 16
If you don't have thick skin before doing work for a high profile organization with fans who are very opinionated, you develop it in a hurry. The response has been great, but there are still points to be addressed.
A big one. What happened was I got asked to put some thought into that, but because of a restricted timeline I couldn't explore it as much as I would have liked. There are plans to spend some quality time on this in the next few months, but it couldn't happen all at once so I did two things.
First, I decided we wouldn't try a paradigm shift just yet. Colours were culled from the existing site, logos were tweaked rather than redesigned, and the only thing I really contributed that was completely new was a bug image for Bugzilla. Anything but the hideous devil chip that exists now.
Second, I worked on a new treatment of the logo which, by most accounts isn't right. Bad: the boxed head. Good: the text treatment. Most didn't even notice the typeface swap, and those that did liked it. It felt wrong dropping a floating dino head in a white area, so the black box was conceived out of necessity. Chances are that both will be scrapped in the end, but it's something for now.
There are a few things that are problematic here, and again I'll have to defer to the restricted timeline. Most pages are full-screen, but the home page is constrained to a hard pixel width. This, if you can believe it, was because I couldn't figure out the necessary CSS in time. It's the only way I got it working across all platforms consistently, although now I'm finding there's a bug in Konqueror anyway.
The main header is a little light on functionality. There was more that should have gone into it, but the focus changed as we developed. I originally designed for a more portal-like site with different search options, a font switcher, and the like—but that all got dropped.
Well, I thought I did a hell of a job here with my extraneous titles and skip nav links and relative fonts sizes and such, but it appears 90% doesn't exempt one from criticism. What's being discussed is how much we should defer to a user's settings, and allow their preferences to prevail. Particularily, no specifying of underlining or not underlining links (an issue I will happily concede) and no specifying of a default font size (one which I won't).
Markup & Validation
Content was frequently copied & pasted from older documents, so a lot of pages will spit out errors. My templates were okay, so we'll have to blame the content here. There are a lot of pages to retro-fit, so this isn't going away any time soon.
As well, the whole XHTML 1.0 and MIME type issue has reared its ugly head. I debated what to do about this at the beginning, and in the end I think chose wrong. HTML 4.01 will probably be the final goal, if for no other reason than to quiet the pedants.
It was tough work, and it's definitely not over. Reactions have been great, and those that haven't were (mostly) constructive and useful. Obviously you can't please everyone, but a lot of the basics have been covered.
I had about two weeks to throw design and code together. The project started last month, and my initial deadlines were ultra-tight. My involvement was strictly voluntary, and I've kept my standards as high as they are when building commercial work, but I didn't get everything right. Which isn't to say that I got most things wrong, but to explain that I can't be everywhere at once.
There are things you would do differently. There are things I would do differently! But this is what we have, and what we have is mostly good.
mozilla.org RedesignOctober 15
"If you want to change the world, shut your mouth and start to spin it." - Cracker
The past few months has dealt the web string of disappointing news item one after another. Microsoft all but killed IE, AOL gave Netscape the touch of death, and Eolas' plugin patent is making things really difficult.
The web is more popular than ever, but the major forces behind it are pulling out. Now is the time for all good men to come to... well, you know how that one goes.
Soon the Mozilla foundation will re-launch mozilla.org (available now in public beta) in the hopes of gaining back the market share that AOL/Netscape conceded to Microsoft over the past 5 years. That is to say, the 90% plus share that Internet Explorer currently enjoys somehow must erode for the Mozilla Foundation to be successful.
They are competing head-on with Redmond, and no one more than they recognizes what a monumental undertaking this is. Microsoft is only helping by letting Internet Explorer stagnate, but the remaining installed base is huge and it will take drastic measures to undermine its dominance. A non-profit organization stealing back market share from a company with over $40 billion in cash on hand?
They're going to need some help.
Why don't we all just let Microsoft continue its dominance of the market and let them call the shots? Because competition is in the best interest of everyone. An application service provider needs a free and open platform that doesn't cost an arm and a leg to get a foot in the door. A web developer needs non-proprietary, well-supported standards to decrease development time and focus on more important issues like accessibility and usability. Businesses large and small need the chance to compete in an environment without the threat of one company with an illegally-gained monopoly easily crushing them if they're deemed 'competition'. An end user needs a secure computing environment. IE offers none of these.
Why is it important for Mozilla to win? Mozilla is a non-profit organization that seeks to better the web, not line their pockets. Decisions made will be in the interests of everyone, not for financial gain of the few. Right now, any market share not going to IE is a good thing. Support Opera, love Safari. But long term, Mozilla must capture a significant enough portion of that share to prevent us from ending up here again.
The Mozilla Foundation can't do this alone. They need the help of developers, distributers, and designers. If you haven't yet begun using Mozilla 1.5 (released today to coincide with the new site) or Firebird 0.7 (also released today), why not? If your browser of choice is symbolized by a stylized blue 'e', perhaps you should investigate the other options available.
And don't stop with yourself. Tell a friend. Tell five. The first time you demonstrate a browser that just doesn't allow pop-up windows, you will have made a friend. When you show off the power of tabbed browsing and type-ahead find, you will have made a convert out of the most stubborn IE fan. You don't even need to get into the built-in security and cutting-edge standards support; the other features speak for themselves.
The new site exists to further the Mozilla brand, and make it ridiculously easy to get the latest Mozilla software. Support the foundation with a donation of time or money if you can. Support the site by making sure it's well-linked. Support the cause by spreading the word.
Mozilla needs your help. Consider lending a hand.
If you have been reading this site for any period of time, you'll remember various pieces detailing the fall of IE, and what could possibly be done to make things better. Ideas have come and gone. Nothing has happened. Ideas can't live on their own without a life support system that comes from action.
So action it is. This is my contribution. This is my way of making the world a better place. Some write. Some code. I design.
Godspeed, good lizard.
I worked with an excellent production team to bring my design to fruition, so thanks also due to Rafael Ebron, Tristan Nitot, and Dawn Endico.
Also note: I don't know where the new Firebird home page came from. Today's the first time I've seen it. So don't blame me.
Dangling CarrotsOctober 10
Speculate away.
(Those of you in the know may remain smugly silent. It won't be long now.)
Syndication FormatOctober 9
I realize I'm opening up a can of worms here, but I honestly want a solid answer. I'm hoping everyone can put aside their differences and help constructively. Flames and off-topic comments will be deleted liberally. Consider this a social experiment. I can't believe I have to write all this.
The issue: due to various constraints which I will not discuss, if I had to choose just one syndication format to publish with today, which should I choose? Consider aggregator support, ease of human readibility, and ease of implementation. I want Really Simple Syndication, not Rich Site Summary.
Choices are RSS 0.91, 1.0, and 2.0. Discuss.
Eolas FalloutOctober 6
Ethan Marcotte has an excellent summary of the technical information now available from the major parties affected by the recent Eolas ruling.
He points out that Microsoft, Apple, Real Networks, and Macromedia have all published information on the changes, and Microsoft has gone so far as to release a special preview version of the changed Internet Explorer and publish screenshots of how the new system works.
I guess the bright side is that work-arounds were created to keep the experience transparent to the end user. But a quick read through the steps involved confirms what you knew from the day the ruling was announced: the end result makes things worse. And I really have to question how a couple of extra hoops to jump through can satisfy any patent issues when the net result is identical to the so-called infringement.
Looks like any optimism in this previous conjecture was premature. Well done, Eolas. Well done, Verisign. Well done, everyone else doing to the web what spammers are doing to e-mail. Society thanks you.
Zen Garden TriviaOctober 5
It was only a matter of time before I got one of these.
I bought this little ornamental zen garden because it fascinated me. I would like to know the history of zen gardens. How to set them up, and also how to get full relaxation benefits from them.
Just as Zeldman became an expert on Lawrence Welk for a short period, looks like I'll have to stockpile a reserve of information on Zen Gardens.
Google and a brand new form e-mail to the rescue!
Do Your Research?October 2
So here's a question: how accountable to fact must you be when posting information for public consumption?
When I write here, I consider myself to be exploring an issue, not sounding the final word on the subject. I have no control over your interpretation of the same. Some may view my voice as authoritative, and as misguided as it may be I can't stop that. I make mistakes with my facts, mostly due to lack of knowledge or proper research. I know what I know and I write about it. Sometimes I check my facts, other times what I know or think is wrong though I assume otherwise. That's what gets published.
If I were adhering to an established journalistic standard, this would be abhorrent. But I'm not.
Consider my recent two entries about colour-blindness for example. The first was obviously (to me anyway) poorly researched and hinged around conversations and memory as opposed to solid fact-finding. The second was more in depth and valid, and even confidently presented researched material as fact.
But then, what is fact-finding? What is inherently more legitimate about deadening the muscles in your hind end while flipping through dead trees, than conversing with the same sort of person who would have written the text in the first place?
Especially when it comes to web-related topics, what constitutes valid research? Everyone knows you can't trust the information on the web. But when the majority of what you do takes place there, and isn't transported to other mediums, then you clearly have to start taking the information available more seriously. Or at least finetune your BS detector.
Of course the danger with that is the self-supporting network it creates. B publishes thought Q, C quotes B, D takes C's quote as fact, and F, G, and H all develop theses around Q, citing B, C, and D as proof.
If B didn't do his homework, that's a large chain of untruth to unravel when Q pans out as a falsehood. But who's on the hook? B was musing publicly. He never expected his thoughts to be taken as fact, let alone be quoted as authoritative.
So the question is who determines the nature of a weblog? If the author intends on publishing nothing more than exploratory musings, is the readership responsible for treating the subject matter as temporal and non-factual? If the readers notice reliably consistent factual information from the author despite what he or she claims, can they reasonably expect future publishing by the author to maintain the trend?
Of course the answer is obvious. It depends on the source. Just as a report by CNN is considered more authoritative the Weekly World News, an entry by an individual who has established credibility and legitmacy can be relied on further than one who has not. Then again, that's not to say that CNN never makes mistakes or panders to advertisers either.
The final onus must be exclusively on the reader. Do you believe everything you read? Do you believe everything you see on TV? Neither should you believe everything on the web. The only truth is your own experience, and everything else is just second hand.
It's the way it always has been, and a new medium doesn't change that.
Colour Bland: ContrastOctober 1
This is the continuation of a series. View previous.
Greyscale is only one method of removing colour from an image, and as it turns out, it's an unrealistic way of doing it. The term colour-blind is misleading - almost no one sees in literal black and white (although that's tempting to disbelieve at times when debating).
'Colour deficiency' is a more descriptive label. There are two main categories of deficiencies (and a handful of rarities and sub-types):
- Anomalous Trichromacy
- The least severe, those afflicted are still able to sense most or all colour, but ability to distinguish between them is reduced.
- Dichromacy
- Less common, but more severe, dichromats have problems with reds and greens, leaving them swimming in a world of blue and yellowy brown.
Referring back to part one, you will recall that value indicates how much light a colour reflects. Blues are darker than yellows, for example (view sample images). In most cases of colourblindness, the values don't seem to shift too radically.
Except when it comes to warm colours. Those afflcited with Protanopia (a variation of Dichromacy) see even the brightest reds as dark brown or black. This can very well mean that the viewer of a brightly-lit red stoplight would fail to notice it's even on.
So let's apply this to our work then. In part one we discussed the legibility of text, and how value affects the perception of individual colours. Let's extend that and look at how using value effectively can increase contrast of text and background colour, keeping in mind that there will be some who won't be able to view our work with a set of eyes similar to ours.
We can start with the basic principles: black on white offers the most contrast, so blue or purple on white is a step down. However, blue and purple both have darker values than, say, orange or yellow, so they offer an intermediate point between full contrast and little to none.
Conversely, black text on a yellow or orange background is only a step down from black text on white. Black on blue can be quite near impossible to read.
This applies to saturated colours. The following figure shows instances of orange text on white and black text on purple that actually offer enough contrast for most users:
Of course, the preceding examples have assumed full colour capabilities. But they've also carefully managed to avoid colour combinations that present major problems. The most common trouble spots are red and green, so what of them?
There are two directions these could go. The colourblind viewer might see these with a brightness shift, or without a brightness shift. Both instances can potentially occur, and the results may be different depending on which type of colour deficiency the viewer suffers:
It's tempting to think that, because you're designing for a screen, the light emitted will be enough to prevent the dark variants from occuring. That is to say, even if a viewer can't see the hue, they can still see light, and so would be more inclined to see variant A over variant B. That's not the case however. Consider the red stop light example from earlier. Red is dark for some, whether it's flat colour on a printed surface, or bright red light.
So the only hard and fast rule here is that there are no hard and fast rules. You can't reliably predict what the end user will view when using problem colours like red or green.
The safest way to ensure your message gets across is, unsurprisingly, by following the WCAG guideline on the matter:
Ensure that text and graphics are understandable when viewed without color.
If color alone is used to convey information, people who cannot differentiate between certain colors and users with devices that have non-color or non-visual displays will not receive the information. When foreground and background colors are too close to the same hue, they may not provide sufficient contrast when viewed using monochrome displays or by people with different types of color deficits.
There is one small grey area, ironically. If you use a blue link within a field of black text, you are excluding almost nobody. The types of vision that can't see blue are incredibly rare, and those afflicted have trouble viewing a computer monitor anyway.
Further Reading:
Causes of Colors — Almost everything you could possibly need to know about colour.


text:
Dr. Federico Cardona Peña
(Please inform you are a Top Doctors patient)
By using the telephone number provided by TOP DOCTORS, you automatically agree to let us use your phone number for statistical and commercial purposes. For further information, read our Privacy Policy
If you can't contact, book a medical appointment
Top Doctors
- Home
- Madrid
- Aesthetic Medicine
- Dr. Federico Cardona Peña
Dr. Federico Cardona Peña
Aesthetic Medicine
Dr. Federico Cardona Peña
Aesthetic Medicine
Professional statement
Dr. Cardona Peña specializes in cosmetic surgery and hair transplant expert. The main procedures are performed hair transplant, the FUSS technique, FUE and Platelet Rich Plasma.
*Translated with Google translator. We apologize for any imperfection
Expert in:
- Alopecia
- Micrograft hair transplant
- Bio-stimulation with platelet-rich plasma
- Hair Transplantation
- Trichology
Professional experience
• More than 25 years of experience• Cosmetic Surgery specialist FEMM Surgery and Aesthetic Medicine
• Professor graduate Aesthetic Medicine (especially Laser) and Plastic Surgery Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery.
• Medical and Cosmetic Surgeon since 1985. He completed his studies in Plastic Surgery Reconstructive Plastic Surgery Specialty Hospital Medical Center La Raza (Mexico)• Obtained the title of Specialist in Plastic Reconstructive by the National Autonomous University of Mexico, with internships at the Institute of Aesthetic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (New York University) and the Plastic Surgery Hospital Gregorio Marañón (Madrid) • He is Medical and Cosmetic Surgeon Certified by the College of Physicians of Barcelona ...
Languages spoken
- Spanish
*Translated with Google translator. We apologize for any imperfection
Alopecia is excessive hair fall which causes baldness. It is caused by three main factors are heredity, age and male hormones. It is usually triggered Alopecia is excessive hair fall which causes baldness. It is caused by three main factors are heredity, age and male hormones. It is usually triggered by the presence of high doses of dihydrotestosterone in the blood, which in women is in short supply, so it is a disorder that affects mostly men. For alopecia, treatment may vary depending on root causes (androgenetic alopecia, alopecia areata, or caused by stress or other disorders). Anyway, the most common treatments are nutritional supplements or as systemic drug (finasteride) and topical (minoxidil, lotions and preparations). In some cases, patients also opt for hair transplantation. ...
Bio-stimulation with platelet-rich plasma
The PRP is a cosmetic treatment that pursues rejuvenating facial skin, especially between the eyebrows, in the crow's feet or the area between the nos The PRP is a cosmetic treatment that pursues rejuvenating facial skin, especially between the eyebrows, in the crow's feet or the area between the nose and lips. This technique involves the extraction of plasma from the patient, obtained from a blood sample, is injected into the desired area for achieving the cell tissue regeneration and combat the signs of aging. Thanks to treatment with platelet-rich plasma, the skin regains its firmness and smoothness and fine lines on the face are reduced. Currently, platelet bio-stimulation is also used for other treatments, such as correction of stretch marks, since using the patient's own plasma there is no risk of rejection of the substance and a good result is guaranteed. ...
Hair Transplantation
Patients with common baldness increasingly turning to hair transplant treatments, which consist of a surgical intervention for capillary presence Patients with common baldness increasingly turning to hair transplant treatments, which consist of a surgical intervention for capillary presence in the areas where there is no hair. It is a technique that is performed with local anesthesia and is painless. Basically it consists of transferring a hair root area of the scalp where hair still left abundant to areas where there are no longer roots. Thanks to this capillary graft hair progressively in different sessions is replanted until populate the areas of the scalp with hair loss. The results are highly satisfactory because the roots grow naturally drawn at its new location. ...
Micrograft hair transplant
The hair transplant is a technique that allows facing the alopecia. It is a hair transplant from the patient that is done under local anesthesia, the The hair transplant is a technique that allows facing the alopecia. It is a hair transplant from the patient that is done under local anesthesia, the root of the hair of a zone are implanted in areas where there is lack of hair. ...
Trichology is the science that studies the diagnosis and treatment of alopecia, hair problems, scalp and hair follicles comprising dandruff or grease, among others. The head is one of the main areas of our body and is constantly subjected to different factors that can affect the health of our hair or scalp as the sun, styling products or other causes. Such alterations can alter the nervous system and vascular irrigation head surface causing premature aging and impoverishment of the skin and hair. Different techniques consist trichology treat hair as an extension of the skin and improve your health. ...
Abdominoplasty is a surgical procedure that handles the extirpation of excess skin and fat from the middle and lower abdomen, while reposition and strengthen the muscles of the abdominal wall. This type of abdominal surgery significantly reduces its bulging and flabby appearance, achieving a flat stomach and a slimmer waist. The intervention begins with an incision above the pubic hair area and extends to the hips. Through this cut excess abdominal skin is removed and the abdominal muscles are strengthened. The patient should be aware that the scar resulting from the operation is permanent but its extent depends on the incision practiced according to the severity of each case. ...
Arms lifting
The arm lift, also known brachioplasty is applied surgery to remove excess skin unsightly arms in order to improve their appearance so that they are more firm and smooth. The surgical procedure involves making an incision on the inside of the upper arm, of variable length according to the amount of skin that you want to delete. In severe cases, it may require a cut made from the armpit to the elbow, the inner arm. Through the incision, all the excess skin is removed easily, but if the patient would also remove excess fat from your arms can be completed this intervention with liposuction, this technique absorbs the fat through a cannula introduced under the skin. ...
Blepharoplasty, or surgery circles, is a surgical procedure to correct the defects of the eyelids, and sagging and excess skin or the appearance of bags. Through this intervention eyelid surgery, bags and eye edges, removed and rearranged excess skin, muscle of the eyelids, both above and below tightens and localized fat is extracted to remove the bags that form around eye. With eyelid surgery is improved and rejuvenates the appearance and expression of that area of the face, correcting the defects of the eyelids which give a tired and aged appearance to the face. ...
Botulinum toxin (botox)
Botulinum toxin (Botox) is a drug that is injected in minute quantities at strategic points on the face to try and minimize the furrows and wrinkles. Botox works by slowing the contraction of facial muscles temporarily, leaving the skin smooth and toned, and correcting wrinkles and preventing its progression. The effects of the injection are not immediate, depending on the patient begin to reveal after three or four days, but the results are highly satisfactory. Furthermore, according to the patient the effect of botulinum toxin can last between 4 and 8 months, so to keep treatments are to be undertaken reminder. Apart from its aesthetic utilities, Botox also has other medical applications such as the correction of excessive sweating, or treatment of tics and spasms. ...
Breast Asymmetry
Breast asymmetry is caused by a congenital malformation of a physical difference compared to the other breast. This difference is shown when shown a disproportionate breast size, when the architecture of the breast is different and / or when one breast showing a fall or pstosis, loss of nipple-areola complex. With the aim of preventing other diseases, often a mammogram is performed. Breast asymmetry can be caused by excess fat, Gandulas or both. Depending on the degree of asymmetry, one treatment or another it will be chosen as a breast augmentation with implants, a breast lift or mastopexy or breast reduction. ...
Breast augmentation
Breast augmentation or breast augmentation is a surgical procedure aimed at improving the size and volume of the breasts. Normally, surgery is recommended with both breast implants to correct the asymmetry between the breasts to make them more attractive. The breast enlargement operation is performed through a small incision made according to the anatomy of the patient, around the areola of the nipple in the groove under the breast or armpit. Through the incisions on each breast, breast tissue is lifted and breast implants are inserted directly under the breast tissue or under the chest muscle. These implants can be silicone or saline and various forms, generally rounded, oval or anatomical, currently, there are prostheses rough textured surface to provide a more natural look. The results of the intervention of breast augmentation are very satisfactory and the incision scar is practically invisible. ...
Breast augmentation with lipotransference
The lipotransference breast augmentation is a surgical procedure that increases the volume of the breasts using as filler fatty material extracted from different parts of body of the patient, generally the abdomen or hips. The use of own fat grafting is the most secure and compliant to remodel and give a natural looking volume to the breasts technique, so it is the best alternative to breast prosthesis. The operation involves the removal of fat from the area chosen through a liposapiracion or liposuction by water pressure. After removing fat, is subjected to washing, purging serum. Then, to ensure a lasting result and keep fat is reabsorbed, infiltration or fat grafting is performed through tiny incisions using micro cannulas under the skin. That is, inserting it intramuscularly. ...
Breast Reconstruction
Breast reconstruction, also known as breast augmentation, is surgery done to restore the loss of a breast, usually removed because of breast cancer. Besides the aesthetic breast reconstruction with as closely as possible and texture to the original, this operation helps the patient to recover from the shock that implies suffering from cancer. Depending on each case, different surgical techniques are recommended: with breast implants, silicone containing besides other substances that vary depending on the prosthesis; techniques using the patient's own tissues to achieve a safer and more natural, generally extracted reconstruction abdomen, buttocks or thighs; or techniques that combine the two types of reconstruction as needed. Besides, after about 3 or 4 months after surgery, when the tissue is fully desinflamado, intervention for restoration of the nipple and areola, which are aesthetically perfect is performed. ...
Breast Reduction
Breast reduction is a surgical procedure performed to reduce the size of the breasts for cosmetic reasons, but for many women the aim is to obtain breasts more proportionate to the rest of your body as excess weight breasts too major causes of neck and back pain. As each patient, the surgeon will advise the technique most appropriate breast reduction, although normally the operation is performed through incisions around the areola to remove fat, excess skin and breast tissue, and fit the entire breast to achieve the position and size desired. Thus, a smaller, firmer breasts are achieved while reducing the problem of sagging breasts. ...
Buttocks Augmentation
The buttock augmentation surgery or gluteoplasty corrects and improves the size, shape and volume of the gluteal area. Given the characteristics of the patient, the operation is generally carried out by placing the prosthesis intramuscular or buttocks implants, to achieve a substantial increase in volume. The surgery begins with an incision in the crease that separates the two buttocks, so the scar is hidden and is virtually imperceptible. Through the incision and place the implants inserted in the appropriate place according to the volume you want to achieve. If a child under the buttocks increase is required, the operation is performed with techniques lipoinjection hyaluronic acid, or by infiltrating patient's own fat (lipotransference). ...
Buttocks lifting
The butt lift is a cosmetic surgery that enhances the firmness and shape of the buttocks, correcting the excess skin and the irregular shapes of the buttocks. By removing the excess skin is causing an effect of stretching and tension of tissues of the buttocks, making return to their ideal position. Thus, it causes the flat shape of the buttocks becomes more rounded and hanging tissue area that gave an appearance of the bag to rise. Therefore, this type of surgery, also called lift buttocks and back, also contributes to cosmetically enhance the transition between the buttocks and thighs. In case you also have excess fat in the buttocks, it could recommend combining this with the technique of liposuction to remove excess fat from the area. ...
Cellulite is characterized by the appearance of dimples around the thighs, buttocks and other areas of the body where there are areas close to the skin fat. People who develop without necessarily being overweight. The treatment is based on the use of a technique that produces subdermal change in texture and appearance of skin. The most common are the Manual Lymphatic Drainage, Mesotherapy and Radiofrequency. All cellulite treatment should be combined with a healthy diet and exercise. ...
The facelift, or facial rejuvenation surgery, is a procedure that corrects the most visible signs of aging of the face, by tightening of the muscles of the face, reducing fat redistribution skin and tissue removal excess. A full facelift reduces sagging and restructuring or taken down damaged areas of the face. This operation is usually performed through incisions inside the hairline and behind the earlobe, continuing to the neck if necessary, so that scars are camouflaged. According to the areas of the face that you wish to treat, there are several types of facial lifting: forehead lift, which raises drooping eyebrows and eliminating forehead wrinkles, medium lift, which removes the accumulated fat in the cheeks and raises the cheeks; and the lifting long, which reduces fat rim of the jaw and neck (so-called double chin). ...
Facial rejuvenation is the use of various techniques to correct the signs of aging on the skin. Aging is a slow and inevitable process that begins to be felt on the skin of the face after 35 years. As a result there are a series of changes in the skin such as wrinkles, sagging, appearance of pigmented lesions (spots) and vascualres among others that can be corrected and achieve rejuvenation of facial skin. For example, fillers may be treated with wrinkles, peeling and dermabrasion, laser or botulinum toxin. For sagging can use radiofrequency techniques. Peels, cryotherapy or pulsed light can erase pigmented lesions. And in the case of vascular lesions (vascular and couperosis spiders), one must resort to the laser. ...
Facial Fillers
Wrinkle treatment with facial fillers is a technique of facial rejuvenation without discrimination on the infiltration of substances such as hyaluronic acid, to remove wrinkles and restore firmness of the skin, especially in the corners of the mouth surgery, the upper lips, eyebrows, forehead or cheek. The filler is injected with a fine needle and a short skin depth, depending on the type of substance that composes, its effect has a different duration. Among the different existing facial fillers, the most used are: hyaluronic acid, a natural substance that adds volume to tissues and stimulates collagen production by its high water content; collagen, an essential protein from the skin, which acts replacing the collagen that has been lost in the treated area, effective both to remove deep wrinkles and fine; calcium hydroxyapatite, or Radiesse, a mineral gel compound, calcium and water, suitable for deep folds; among others. ...
Gynecomastia is a breast reduction surgery practiced to men who have an excess of mammary glands, whether due to hormonal, pharmacological, obesity or drug causes. The operation involves making a small incision around the areola to remove accumulations of fat and glandular breast tissue, achieving a firm and flat chest appearance. If the sinus problem is only an excess of fat tissue, the surgery will be performed through a small incision through liposuction technique, based on the aspiration of fat through a hollow tube attached to a vacuum pump. The scars of this intervention are not visible and the result is totally definitive and satisfactory. ...
Hair Graft
Capillary graft is a treatment for alopecia. It is a hair transplant from the patient that is done under local anesthesia, the root of the hair of a zone are implanted in areas where there is lack of hair. ...
Inverted nipples
The surgery to correct inverted nipples, also known as flat nipples or nipples umbilicated is responsible for placing them in the natural position, overhung forward rather than withdrawn. There are different degrees of severity of this malformation: it may be that the nipple is reversed only occasionally, or actually be inserted inside the breast because the muscle filaments in charge of keeping it in its proper position not exist or are too short . The surgical correction process, for mild cases, involves making an incision around the base of umbilicado nipple projecting outwardly and away from the muscle filaments. In severe cases of this anomaly it will require inevitably removing the breast ducts that allow the passage of milk in times of breastfeeding, so the patient should take this into account when deciding if practiced this intervention. ...
Liposculpture is a surgical treatment used to reshape the figure and remove excess body fat permanently. It is indicated in cases where diet and exercise fail to get rid of the fat that tends to accumulate in specific areas of the body such as the abdomen, thighs or hips. The conventional liposuction is performed through small incisions in the skin through which a cannula connected to an aspirator that absorbs fat, from performing multidirectional movement is introduced. To reduce potential blood loss during surgery, liposuction before practicing a type of cold saline is introduced into the area. Currently, there are other techniques to perform this treatment, such as ultrasonic liposuction, which removes fat and cellulite in about 4 to 6 sessions sonication, liposuction or laser, which is performed similar to conventional but using an optical fiber to destroy fat by laser light. ...
Liposuction, or lipoplasty, is a surgical procedure that removes excess fat deposits in certain areas of the body where neither diet nor exercise have effect. It can be applied in different areas, but the most common are the abdomen, hips, thighs, knees and buttocks. Aspiration liposuction is performed by introducing a cannula which absorbs excess fat located between the skin and muscle evenly through small skin incisions in inconspicuous places. This procedure successfully eliminates unsightly fat deposits, thus achieving a molded figure. ...
Mentoplasty or chin surgery, is a surgical procedure that aims to change the size of the chin to achieve a more proportioned and handsome face, facial asymmetry correcting congenital or caused by an accident. Depending on the purpose of the intervention, the most appropriate technique for each patient applies. If required correct the shape of the chin or give a more defined and toned look, implantation of a prosthetic chin, infiltration of fat tissue from the patient, or the advancement of a portion of the jaw bone is used. If the deformity is very accentuated chin will be necessary to make a sanding or a section of bone (osteotomy) through an incision inside the mouth. ...
Neck lifting
The neck lift is a cosmetic surgery applied to rejuvenate this area of the body that tend to form wrinkles and excess skin. To carry out this operation, an incision on the neck is done, just before the line of hairline, and one behind each ear (of approximately 5 cm). Then, through these incisions, the surgeon separates the skin of the neck muscles, tensing to remove wrinkles, and removing excess skin. The results of neck lift are usually very durable and satisfactory as a younger and smoother appearance neck is achieved, while completely eliminating the saggy skin. ...
Obesity is a disease characterized by the presence of an excess of fat mass (fat) in the body and for weight gain, usually due to a disproportionate food intake. This condition is easily diagnosed by assessing the body mass index and overall constitution of the person. The sum of factors that cause this disease, typical of the XXI century, include a sedentary lifestyle, a poor dietary patterns, and genetic and environmental factors. On the other hand, obesity is often aggravated by a number of other associated diseases, such as diabetes, cholesterol, triglycerides and hypertension, in addition to incur certain social rejection and lead to psychological problems. Also among the population suffering from this disease, there is increased risk of cardiovascular events, particularly in patients with abdominal obesity (an indicator of insulin resistance). The treatment of obesity through the monitoring of the recommendations of endocrine and nutritionists, based on a good individualized dietary plan, and changes in daily routines, especially when it comes to exercise. It is also important to establish these guidelines from childhood to avoid the appearance of so-called childhood obesity. ...
Otoplasty is the facial surgery performed to correct prominent ears and remodel, managing to improve their proportion and position. The intervention is responsible for both reposition protruding ears that are too far apart from the skull, as downsize if they are too large, reshape the pendant lobe or recreate the outer fold if necessary. Depending on the age of the patient, the operation can be performed under general or local anesthesia. Typically, the procedure involves a small incision behind the ear to reshape the cartilage and make it fold in appropriate areas. Thus a more natural ear is achieved and the scar is hidden in the back. ...
Thighs lifting
The thigh lift or crural meloplasty, surgery is responsible for aesthetically enhance this part of the legs, removing excess skin and giving it more firmly. According to the objective pursued, there are several types of intervention: lifting the inner thighs, bilateral thigh lift, or lifting in the middle of the thighs. Lifting the inner thighs addresses the problems of loss of skin elasticity, and is performed from an incision made at the junction of the thigh and pubic area to remove excess skin. The bilateral thigh lift is used to tighten the skin on the front and outer leg area through an incision in the upper leg. And finally, the lifting of the middle thighs reduces excess skin of the upper inner thigh through an incision in the groin area, which extends to the back of the gluteal fold . ...
Tuberous Breast
Tuberous breast surgery is performed to correct a defect that causes the breasts to have a tube-like rather than adopt a rounded shape. Generally, this defect is due to the existence of a genetic disorder of the tissue lining the mammary gland that has an abnormal stiffness, preventing breast develop harmoniously during adolescence. There are varying degrees of malformation, therefore, the surgical technique used varies case to give the bust a volume and rounded, placing the areola and nipple in the proper position. Generally, if there is a slight anomaly it can be corrected by the implantation of a prosthesis, without need for any complete glandular remodeling, as in the case of serious malformations. In these cases, the diameter is reduced and the areola incisions require approximately the same and / or base of the breast to the loosening of the rigid chest area and redistribution of the gland. ...
Skin wrinkles are formed by the passage of time and aging. The skin is deteriorating by gravity and external factors that are detrimental as too much sun, snuff, no rest or some diseases. It is very important to keep the skin clean and moisturized and avoid long exposure to the sun to prevent the process accelerates. To remove wrinkles there are different beauty treatments. ...
Choose a time on the calendar to book online
Dr. Federico Cardona Peña
Ops! This time has just been booked by another user. Please choose an alternative time.
You may be attended by another doctor who is member of the Team. Do you want to book the appointment in any case?
Top Doctors
25 Jan.
26 Jan.
27 Jan.
28 Jan.
No availability these days. Next: 02-02-2017
No atiende primeras citas
- First consultation:
- Follow-up consultation:
Health insurance accepted
- Private patients (without medical insurance)

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Between stealing the gold coins from that travel agency and snatching the 13th chapter of the Mosconi Codex, Neal Caffrey (Matt Bomer) has been a very naughty boy this season on White Collar. And unfortunately his crimes may be catching up with him.
In this exclusive sneak peek from Thursday's episode (9/8c, USA), Peter (Tim DeKay) reveals that he's found one of the gold coins Hagen (Mark Sheppard) forced Neal to steal for him in the season premiere. Even worse, Peter reveals to Neal that he's so determined to solve the crime that he put those coins on an FBI watch list.
The best TV shows of 2013
So is it only a matter of time before Peter links Neal to the coins? "This was my first case after prison. My last case as a federal agent," Peter tells Neal. "I'm not going to stop until I catch the thief who stole that gold."
White Collar airs Thursdays at 9/8c on USA.
View original Exclusive White Collar Sneak Peek: Peter Found One of the Gold Coins! Is Neal Toast? at TVGuide.com
Other Links From TVGuide.com
Location, ST | website.com


text:
Here's how RW members rated this race (191 votes).
In short: Fast and FlatIn full: I entered this for a PB, which I managed by over 5 mins (granted I am fitter now). Flat course on road. Enough water station, there were enough marshalls. Good T-shirt, medal and food at the end. BBQ food also available. Plenty of parking a short walk away from start/finish. Great race all round, will do it again!!....Date of review: March 11, 2013
In short: Do you remember your first time?In full: My second time at the Lydd half, definitely much easier than last time, and managed to run it almost 11 mins quicker than 2012 - so a very special race for me.Organisation was excellent, chip collection and bag drop was quick and efficient. The race started pretty much on time and, despite the rather congested lap of the field avoiding rabbit warrens, the field spread out pretty quickly.Great marshalling and markers (apart from the missing 1 mile sign). Road is part bumpy lane, bit of track and starts and finishes on a reasonable road so you need to watch where you're going - difficult when you're enjoying the scenery. It wasn't really that windy - try running along the sea wall to Dymchurch - but still glad I had long sleeves on.Still a bit of a pain trying to negotiate cars leaving the race when you're still running - I nearly went over the bonnet of a Peugeot which pulled out right in front of me near the finish; it would be better to ask people to park in the town - it's only a short walk to the race.Medal and t-shirt (which I missed) and some very welcome Jaffa Cakes - and hot drinks - at the end.Thanks again to Nice Work, the brownies at the water stops and the marshalls who must have been absolutely freezing.Date of review: March 10, 2013
In short: Flat as they come............In full: A very local race for me so I knew it was going to be a very flat course. Out on the country lanes, very little traffic to bother the runners. Previous reviewers comments about the wind being an issue must be from people who don't live on Romney Marsh. It was quite a gentle breeze for this area (try running along the sea wall at Dymchurch, now thats windy!) Temperature was quite low but if wearing the correct amount of clothing no problems. Race started on time, not too keen on the lap of the field at the start to make up the distance would be good to extend it out on the road somewhere. Timing chip collection and bag drop off were both very quick and efficient. Overall a good friendly atmosphere and a good crowd at the end despite the chilly weather. Not too many spectators out on the course but this is expected as its down little lanes without many houses. Great to see Jaffa cakes and snack bars aplenty at the finish and also the t-shirt was much improved on last years dull grey thing. Medal is quite a nice design aswell. Overall a good friendly race, ideal for first timers and those searching for pb's. Thanks to all the brownies handing out the water and various parts of the course and the marshalls for their good work as usual. Will definitely be back next year.Date of review: March 10, 2013
In short: Good course for a PB, but not in today's weatherIn full: The course was flat as advertised, but the downside of this was that it was exposed to the wind, which was quite strong (and cold!) this year. Virtually traffic free - I only saw a couple of cars the whole way round. Not a lot of support except from the marshals, but this was hardly a surprise, given how cold it was. Particularly appreciated the Jaffa Cakes etc at the finish - a nice touch.Date of review: March 10, 2013
In short: Nice run - Very flatIn full: 1st time at Lydd, was as advertised, very flat, great for running but a bit dull scenery. Wind somewhat of a problem, but didn't expect anything else.Only niggle was venue, bit cramped but hey - is a small town, But....... Changing rooms, some of us like a shower afterwards, especially if we're cold and wet, and at Lydd, in mens changing room anyway, there were 2 showers, neither of which worked - no water at all. I presume the organisers pay hire charge for use of the facilities - so clean, clutter-free changing rooms, with showers that work, please.Date of review: March 10, 2013
In short: Wel organised event but from a personal view supporters around course were missed. I also missed out on goody bag.Date of review: March 10, 2013
In short: Good one for a first half-marathon. Thanks to the organisers and their team.Date of review: March 10, 2013
In short: Very good raceIn full: I ran the lydd half marathon today, this was the first time I had ran this particular race. I am training hard for the London marathon which is in a few weeks, and it was an excellent training race.It was nice to see Raynet there, it always makes you feel safe a secure to know they can radio for help should any one need it.The course was flat, so it was good for PB and speed, and I would also recomend this race to someone that would like to try a half marathon for the first time.Towards the end of the race, at about 3 miles to go, a man in a white van drove along checking that runners where ok, which was a nice touch.It was nice to see ST.Johns lending a hand today as well. And I noticed them go and help someone out towards the end.I was glad that there was chip trimming, it's always nice to have it. Especially when you are training for a big event.It was great to be able to help yourself to Jaffa cakes at the end.... There is always something nice about having them at the end of a big race!We where lucky with the rain, it held off till I was on the motor way, in my nice warm car!I would say that this is one of the best events I have run via nice work so far.I hope this event is on again next year.Thank you nice work for a brill event!Date of review: March 10, 2013
In short: The best race in the calendarIn full: Congratulations to the organisers, all the helpers and the good people of Lydd for hosting a fantastic event. Everything was well organised, people were really friendly, both at the start and around the course. The goodies after the event surpass those offered by other pricier events; and I've never been so pleased to see a jaffa cake. An outstanding eventDate of review: March 10, 2013
In short: A good race, could be great if they get people to park away from the start/finish area.Date of review: June 12, 2012
Visit the official Runner's World page
Follow Runner's World on Twitter
Click here
Other Natmag-Rodale Sites
Run For Charity
Injury Clinics
About Runner's World


text:
The Best Way to Make Internet Radio Stronger
While I agree with the author -- Spotify is an unintuitive mess and Rdio provides a clean, hassle-free platform -- he, like many others, fails to draw the distinction between different types of Internet radio. You can't just take what you perceive as the best of Spotify and the best of Rdio and meld it together to create the ultimate service.
There's pure-play Internet radio -- in the redefined, yet traditional sense of the word. That pretty much begins and ends with Pandora
There's relatively straightforward on-demand. You know exactly what you want to listen to. And in what form. You search for something specific and crank it. By far, Rdio represents best of breed in this category.
Then there's the poorly defined, hybrid-type services that achieve varying degrees of success such as Spotify. Frankly, I'm not sure Spotify knows what it wants to be. It doesn't have the focus of Pandora.
And that's OK. There's room for Internet radio players along this continuum. I use them all, plus the stuff that fits somewhere between on the spectrum -- Google's
We shouldn't approach the question of Internet radio from the standpoint of how do we create the ultimate service? That makes no sense. Who listens to only one traditional radio station? Who watches just one television channel? Who uses one app per sector?
We require the great diversity of experience that everybody from Pandora to Rdio to Spotify to YouTube and Vevo provide. Without this diversity, much of what's great about Internet radio dies. Sirius XM
That said, the Internet radio space absolutely requires consolidation. It might even need a Google or Apple to come in and make a big acquisition. Or three. That's the key for me. Maintaining the breadth of experiences -- a large number of eclectic platforms -- but creating a more powerful Internet radio bloc to, once and for all, put the unfortunate "enemy" (that collective known as "the record labels") in its place.


text:
An exciting redevelopment of a celebrated building in the heart of Kitchener, this site features 43,853 sf of prime Brick and Beam office space containing open concept floor plates, soaring ceilings, and character elements like original brick walls, hardwood floors, and exposed structural beams. Visit Website »
The world's largest Internet of Things manufacturing space, this AAA industrial facility features 475,000 sf of prime maker space in the heart of Kitchener's Innovation District. Visit Website. Visit Website »
Voisin Capital is a real estate development firm that specializes in adaptive reuse projects. It is noted for identifying value in overlooked properties and contributing to the urban landscape. Founded by Frank Voisin in 2010, the company has been involved in projects across southwestern Ontario.Frank Voisin, President


text:
From the upcoming Zero1 Biennial in Silicon Valley to the buzz over London's "New Aesthetic" movement, there's no end to the buzz around art and technology these days. Yet for all the splash that these newcomers are making, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has been there the whole time — and now, an entire new dedicated program places the university even further as a leading supporter of artistic explorations of innovative technology. With a $1.5-million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, MIT has announced that it is establishing the Center for Art, Science & Technology, or CAST.
"MIT is arguably one of the only institutions that can combine internationally recognized excellence in science and engineering with a strong and deep heritage in design and the performing and visual arts," said MIT professor Philip S. Khoury, a co-author of the CAST proposal, in a press release. The announcement goes on to explain that the admirably ambitious goal of the center is to strengthen the role of the arts at the university, but also to offer "a model for other universities seeking to integrate exploration in the arts with scientific and technological inquiry."
The $1.5 million will go toward providing funding for faculty, researchers, and curators to develop interdisciplinary courses, academic projects, and exhibitions that investigate the intersection of art, science, and technology. Rather than being an isolated department, the CAST initiative will help to embed artists in other areas of the university and create organic opportunities for collaboration. The new center will also fund a biannual symposium on art, science, and technology, beginning in the 2013 academic year.
MIT's Media Lab and Center for Advanced Visual Studies already host some of the most avant-garde explorations of creative technology, but the new initiative seems to push into the territory of artistically oriented departments like New York University's burgeoning Interactive Telecommunications Program. As more artists turn to technology, programs like CAST and its attendant symposia are likely to become more common and more important in encouraging critical dialogue around the new bodies of work.


text:
About the Author: Dan Piccuta serves as the Charge d'affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, China.Related Entry:"Preparing for Secretary Clinton's Visit: From the Advance Team to Wheels-Up" by Deputy Political Chief at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing Ben Moeling.
Arriving at work the other day I could not help but notice ahead a foreigner merrily pedaling his local Chinese bicycle (Flying Pigeon brand) into the U.S. Embassy compound just ahead of me. I laugh as I realize the foreigner arriving on the "bike of the masses" is our American SecState visit's Overall Control Officer, Ben Moeling.
For those not familiar with how high level visits are organized, beneath the Chief of Mission (me) and his Deputy, the one person most responsible for every aspect of a visit's planning and preparation is the Overall Control Officer. And, this being Secretary Clinton's first trip as Secretary, and first visit in that capacity to China, we are approaching every site and event with fresh eyes -- meaning more preparation, more details, and more effort. Ben probably has over 100 American and Chinese employees working on preparations of every aspect of the visit from the airport arrival to the tour of a highly-efficient natural gas-fired power plant.
So my first reaction is amusement as I consider the irony of the American officer (of 350 assigned here) with the biggest role and the most to do that day calmly pedaling his bike a few kilometers to work. And then another thought comes to me: how appropriate that for a trip on which we hope climate cooperation, energy efficiency and the environment will be key themes, the American officer charged to prepare the visit is doing his part with a "green" morning commute by bike.
Sunshine in China writes:
Welcome to China!
Rosemary in New Jersey writes:
LOL! When Nixon went to China, there were a few buses and thousands of Chinese people riding bikes to work. Now the Chinese are driving cars, and the American officer in control of the visit is riding he Chinese bike!
Patrick in Maryland writes:
It is good to see that people are still riding bikes to work. It's a good way to wake up and exercise at the same time. I like the name of your bikes "Flying Pigeons" it sounds kewl. Dan i think you did a great job, and I like the photo's you uploaded. I think Ben M. is setting a good example of clean energy. :) It looks like Hillary's visit went Great. I'm happy that your plans for her visit worked out so well. keep up the good work ,I hope you had a party after she left for all the people that made her visit so Good. Cya :)
Justin in Massachusetts writes:
Woo hoo! Yup, that's my brother! He rocks! You couldn't have a better person in charge!
Tom in Connecticut writes:
Three cheers for Ben!!!
Regards, Tom
Pasquale in Italy writes:
Hi Dan,
Guess who saw you on TV last week sitting close to SecState Hillary Clinton?....Pasquale B. The retired Financial Specialist from Luxembourg. It was nice to see you again. You look great. I'm still enjoying my retirement here. I'm working part-time, and I spend the rest of time gardening, playing tennis and visiting Italy and South of France. Hope that you and your wife are fine. Please let us know if you come close by. I'll be glad to cook some spaghetti for you. Ciao.


text:
Thank you for joining us for A Month of Meditation!
Welcome to Day 5!
(If you haven't read what it's all about, please click here first.)
I'm so proud of all of us for showing up for ourselves. For knowing that our soul craves this moment of stillness in our day, and for taking action to make that happen. So let's all pat ourselves on the back for that!
Each day, we'll click on that Day's page, and we'll leave a comment stating that we meditated on that day. That's all!
If you would like to write more, that's definitely welcome. It would be really great if we could share about our experiences, too: how we meditated, how long we meditated for, and what the experience was like for us.
Many of us will be using the Re-Awakening Guided Meditation Program, so we can share our experience with that as well.
I'm so excited to get started!
Being a part of a supportive community is half of the fun, so please be sure to check in daily.
Now…let's go meditate!
P.S. – Please remember to post the artwork on your blogs and share it on FB and Twitter! You can find sample tweets here.


text:
Saint Relindis of Eyck
- Relindis of Maaseik
- Renildis of….
- Renula of….
- Renule of….
She and her sister Herlindis were nuns in Valenciennes in northern France. An artist, Relindis was known for her painting and embroidery. Abbess in Maaseik, Belgium.
- c.750
- Book of Saints, by the Monks of Ramsgate
- Catholic Online
- Our Sunday Visitor's Encyclopedia of Saints
- "Saint Relindis of Eyck". CatholicSaints.Info. 18 July 2012. Web. 21 January 2017. <>


text:
Dietitians and healthy bloggers reveal what�s in their fridges and pantries and other nutrition advice in our exclusive National Nutrition Month survey.
Confused by nutrition advice? Don�t know what�s good for you�and what�s not? You�re not the only one. In the constantly evolving world of food, nutrition and health, it�s difficult to figure out what to put on your plate for dinner. To get some clarity on that score, we�ve teamed up with Healthy Aperture to survey more than 200 registered dietitians and healthy bloggers about their own nutrition best practices. In honor of March�s National Nutrition Month, they dished nutrition advice on what�s always in their kitchens, nutrition habits they wish everyone would adopt, and what fad diets they�re so over. Here are the results.
RELATED: Top Nutrition Trends of 2013
Always in the Fridge
42%: Greens like spinach, kale, arugula and Romaine lettuce
33%: Eggs or egg whites
32%: Yogurt (especially Greek)
28%: Non-dairy milk (especially almond)
Favorite Pantry Staples
41%: Legumes�dry or canned beans, chickpeas or lentils
38%: Pasta on hand (especially whole wheat)
34%: Quinoa, a protein-packed grain
30%: Canned tomatoes
Top Travel Snacks
43%: Nuts (almonds�raw, salted, roasted or flavored are the top choice)
40%: Fruits (apples, orange slices and bananas)
25%: Protein or energy bars
23%: Veggies (sometimes with hummus)
Nutrition Advice Everyone Should Follow�Now
48%: Eat more fruits and veggies
33%: Increase your water intake
30%: Cut back or eliminate processed foods
29%: Enjoy everything in moderation
Nutrition Fads That Should Fade Away
26%: No- or low-carb diets
18%: The Paleo diet
16%: Low- or no-fat diets
Brought to you by: Spry Living


text:
Mission Hills Laguna 6pc Seating Sectional with Ottoman
About this item
Set includes:
Create a warm and inviting space with the Laguna Seating Sectional by Mission Hills®. This modular wicker collection can be arranged in several different seating arrangements, depending on your style. All pieces can easily be moved and positioned to accommodate your outdoor living space.
This innovative collection features one corner sofa; two single arm sofas; two armless sofa; and one ottoman. The sturdy frame is powdercoated and covered in a dark brown wicker weave. Four decorative pillows are included with the set.
Each chair is outfitted with mildew and fade-resistant Sunbrella® fabric cushions in a light sand color and Harwood Crimson throw pillows. These cushions are soft and durable and will withstand intense sunlight, heat exposure, and numerous cleanings.
Because this seating set can construct multiple seating areas, it can adapt to the size of your party and the size of your outdoor area. Enjoy the outdoors with your family and friends by soaking up the sun or sipping a few cocktails together.
View additional information on this product here. (PDF)
- Rust-resistant frame with powder-coated finish
- Cushions made with fade and mildew-resistant Sunbrella Fabric (color Dupione Sand 8011-0000)
- Four decorative accent pillows (Sunbrella® color Harwood Crimson 5603-0000)
- Dacron polyester cushion fill
- For indoor or outdoor use
Assembled Country
Assembled Size
Component Country


text:
Emergency RadioMonday, May 18th, 2009
Any update since the issue #98 article on picking the right emergency radio?
I'm leaning toward a crank job, but when I read reviews on Amazon, etc., they're all over the field. Add to that that every schlock outfit that can cobble together a radio sells them with all kinds of useless do-dads. One criticism of the Sangean was that it runs for progressively shorter durations after cranking each time it runs down.
Rob Wagner
All of the hand crank radios I have tested have not been very good with many broken cranks and other failures. I have, however, tested many small radios that require very little battery power and it's just as easy to keep a pack of spare batteries nearby.
I am not a big fan of rechargeable batteries as then tend to play out when you really need them and the older they are the shorter they hold a charge.
The Sony radio I have shown in several articles has AM, FM, Weather, and TV-sound bands and will fit inside your fist. Since it can use an earphone, it requires very little battery power to operate for very long periods. A spare pack of batteries should give you weeks of operation during an extended power outage.
When I buy LED flashlights and other battery powered equipment, I try to standardize on only 2 battery sizes, then its easy to keep refreshing my spares as the older ones get used for everyday use.
I'll take a Sony earphone radio and a pack of 16 AAA copper-top batteries any day instead of one of these hand-crank specials with no batteries.
Hope this helps,
Jeff Yago


text: Piper women's cross country earns team academic honorThe Hamline women posted a 3.53 GPA to earn their spot on the list. For a team to be considered for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team award, they must have competed and compiled a team score at an NCAA Regional Meet. The team must also have a minimum 3.10 team cumulative grade point average. A total of 153 Division III women's programs received the USTFCCCA's All-Academic Team honors this year. To see the complete USTFCCCA' list of All-Academic Teams, click here.