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<description>Hand-crafted web sites, pixels and text by Dan Cederholm.</description>
<managingEditor>Dan Cederholm</managingEditor>
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<copyright>Copyright 1999-2007, SimpleBits</copyright>
<lastBuildDate>Fri, 03 Jul 2009 09:22:21 -0500</lastBuildDate>
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<item>
<title>Handcrafted CSS: The Workshop</title>



<link>http://simplebits.com/notebook/2009/07/03/workshop.html</link>
<description><![CDATA[<p>Now that we've <a href="http://simplebits.com/notebook/2009/07/01/handcraftedcss.html">announced the book</a>, we can also announce another exciting thing: <a href="http://handcraftedcss.com/workshop/">Handcrafted CSS: A Day of Markup &amp; Style</a> will be a unique, <strong>one-day workshop</strong> presented by <a href="http://unstoppablerobotninja.com">Ethan Marcotte</a> and myself on <strong>September 14, 2009</strong> at the Hawthorne Hotel here in <strong>Salem, Massachusetts</strong>.</p>

<p>You'll get a copy of the book (the <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/simplebits-20/detail/0321658531">Video Edition</a>, including the <abbr>DVD</abbr>), and we'll present the content live, throughout four takeway-packed sessions, followed by Q&amp;A. Breakfast, lunch and two snack breaks are also provided. And we'll cap off the day with an after party at an awesome location to be determined.</p>

<p>The <a href="http://hawthornehotel.com">Hawthorne Hotel</a> is located in downtown Salem, just 16 miles north of Boston. It's also just a 10-minute walk from the MBTA Commuter Rail station which connects Salem to Boston in about 25 minutes.</p>

<p>This will be a unique opportunity to buy a book, then have the authors work through it live, with a chance to ask questions along the way. It's sure to be a fun day -- and we're pretty damned excited about it.</p>

<p>Early-bird and student tickets are now available at a discounted price of $399 per person. <a href="http://handcraftedcss.com/workshop/">Act quick</a>! There's limited seating for 100 fine people like you.</p>

<p>Oh, and interested in sponsoring the event? We'd love to hear from you.</p>]]></description>

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<pubDate>Fri, 03 Jul 2009 09:22:21 -0500</pubDate>
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<title>Announcing: Handcrafted CSS</title>



<link>http://simplebits.com/notebook/2009/07/01/handcraftedcss.html</link>
<description><![CDATA[<p>I wrote another book. It's called <cite><a href="http://handcraftedcss.com">Handcrafted CSS: More Bulletproof Web Design</a></cite>, and it'll be published by <a href="http://newriders.com">New Riders</a> next month.</p>

<p>I had help this time. The unstoppable <a href="http://unstoppablerobotninja.com">Ethan Marcotte</a> contributed an absolute <em>gem</em> of a chapter on the fluid grid. And I think it's worth the cover price for the pages he authored alone. You might remember Ethan's recent article on the subject over at <cite><a href="http://www.alistapart.com/articles/fluidgrids">A List Apart</a></cite>, and his chapter builds quite a bit on that, while tying it back into the book's case study. And fellow beverage aficionado and bon vivant, <a href="http://begoodnotbad.com/">Brian Warren</a>, handled the technical editing.</p>

<p><a href="http://handcraftedcss.com"><img src="http://simplebits.com/img/hcss-screen.jpg" alt="Handcrafted CSS website" class="thumb" /></a>The book is largely a culmination of the talks I've been giving around the world over the last year or so. In some ways, it's a continuation of <cite><a href="http://astore.amazon.com/simplebits-20/detail/0321509021">Bulletproof Web Design</a></cite>, in that it was convenient to be able to jump right into examples and the core of what I wanted to write about. There are a lot of <abbr>CSS</abbr> books out there, and the last thing I wanted to do was just write another general overview.</p>

<p>So this one gets specific rather quickly. And the timing seemed right. The browser landscape is changing rapidly. Browsers are implementing new and evolving standards faster. It's an exciting time to be designing for the web. Firefox 3.5 has just been released, and with it came a goodie bag of <abbr>CSS3</abbr> properties that can now be utilized between Mozilla and Webkit-based browsers (as well as Opera). I'm using the term "progressive enrichment" to describe advanced <abbr>CSS</abbr> and <abbr>CSS3</abbr> properties that work in forward-thinking browsers today. And that's a heavy focus of the book.</p>

<p>A single case study for the fictional "Tugboat Coffee Company" was used as a common thread throughout the entire book, where progressive enrichment, reevaluating past methods and best practices and flexible, bulletproof concepts are stressed. Part of being a craftsman of the web is paying attention to the details that matter most, and the book is an attempt to share a collection of those details using current methods.</p>

<p>In addition to the book, I also recorded a <abbr>DVD</abbr>. A video crew from Peachpit came and <a href="http://simplebits.com/notebook/2009/04/24/shoot.html">set up here at the BitCave</a> in Salem, and the result is <cite>Handcrafted CSS: Bulletproof Essentials</cite>. It covers concepts from my previous book and the new one, while relating all of it to the Tugboat design. There was also a ukulele hanging around the office and I managed to put it to good use as a background score. The video acts as a unique bridge between the two books, and either comes bundled in a Video Edition of <cite>Handcrafted CSS</cite> or by itself.</p>

<p>More info can be found at the book + DVD's <a href="http://handcraftedcss.com">companion website</a> and <a href="http://twitter.com/handcraftedcss">Twitter account</a>, where Ethan and I will be announcing another exciting aspect of this project in the next day or so. Stay tuned.</p>]]></description>

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<pubDate>Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:35:36 -0500</pubDate>
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<title>APNG</title>
<link>http://animatedpng.com/</link>
<description><![CDATA[Open source animated <abbr>PNG</abbr> project. Currently works in Firefox, Opera, KSquirrel and XnView (a browser I've never heard of until now).  <a href="http://simplebits.com/notebook/2009/06/25/apng.html" title="permanent link to this entry">#</a>]]></description>



<guid isPermaLink="false">1600@http://simplebits.com/</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 25 Jun 2009 11:14:27 -0500</pubDate>
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<title>Wine for the Confused</title>
<link>http://www.hulu.com/watch/79439/wine-for-the-confused</link>
<description><![CDATA[Filing this one for later. A wine documentary hosted by John Cleese. I love it already (via <a href="http://airbagindustries.com/commentary.php">Airbag</a>). <a href="http://simplebits.com/notebook/2009/06/25/wine.html" title="permanent link to this entry">#</a>]]></description>



<guid isPermaLink="false">1599@http://simplebits.com/</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 25 Jun 2009 11:07:52 -0500</pubDate>
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<title>LESS - Leaner CSS</title>
<link>http://lesscss.org/</link>
<description><![CDATA[A Ruby gem that "extends <abbr>CSS</abbr> by adding: variables, mixins, operations, and nested rules". I share this mostly because of the syntax they chose, which looks to make more sense than some of the other <abbr>CSS</abbr> helpers I've seen out there. <a href="http://simplebits.com/notebook/2009/06/25/lesscss.html" title="permanent link to this entry">#</a>]]></description>



<guid isPermaLink="false">1598@http://simplebits.com/</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 25 Jun 2009 11:04:38 -0500</pubDate>
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<title>Vertigo Theme</title>
<link>http://saulbass.tumblr.com/</link>
<description><![CDATA[A rather thorough Tumblr theme based on Saul Bass' movie title work (via <a href="http://twitter.com/weightshift/status/2212203325">@weightshift</a>) <a href="http://simplebits.com/notebook/2009/06/18/vertigo.html" title="permanent link to this entry">#</a>]]></description>



<guid isPermaLink="false">1597@http://simplebits.com/</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 18 Jun 2009 14:06:51 -0500</pubDate>
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<title>Anonymous Pro</title>
<link>http://www.ms-studio.com/FontSales/anonymouspro.html</link>
<description><![CDATA[Mark Simonson's new version of a "fixed width sans designed especially for coders". Haven't given it a spin yet, but it looks/sounds excellent. <a href="http://simplebits.com/notebook/2009/06/11/anonymouspro.html" title="permanent link to this entry">#</a>]]></description>



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<pubDate>Thu, 11 Jun 2009 10:25:14 -0500</pubDate>
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<title>Web Standards Solutions, Special Edition</title>



<link>http://simplebits.com/notebook/2009/06/09/wssse.html</link>
<description><![CDATA[<p>It's been a long five years since it was orginally published, but last month month a new <cite><a href="http://astore.amazon.com/simplebits-20/detail/1430219203">Web Standards Solutions, Special Edition</a></cite> was released by <a href="http://friendsofed.com">Friends of ED</a>. </p>

<p><a href="http://astore.amazon.com/simplebits-20/detail/1430219203"><img src="http://simplebits.com/img/wss-se-3d.gif" alt="book cover" class="thumb plain alt" /></a>Late last year, I gave the manuscript a little freshening up, mostly reviewing things in the crop of browsers that have been released since the initial version. I'll stress that this was not a large overhaul of the book (hence Special Edition rather than Second Edition), so if you've already read the original, or own it, you're better off spending your dime on another book.</p>

<p>But while it wasn't a giant update, it was nice to give it some extra attention, and pass it through through tech editing, copy editing, compositing and proofreading cycles once again. In the end, I'm really happy it just made the book that much more solid for folks that haven't read it—and hopefully still a good introduction for those getting started with semantic markup and <abbr>CSS</abbr>.</p>

<p>In other book news, I've been toiling away on something brand new, and look forward to sharing much more about that very soon.</p>]]></description>

<guid isPermaLink="false">1588@http://simplebits.com/</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 09 Jun 2009 09:25:20 -0500</pubDate>
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<item>
<title>Perch CMS</title>
<link>http://grabaperch.com/</link>
<description><![CDATA[Created by Drew McLellan and Rachel Andrew, "Perch is a really little content management system for when you (or your clients) need to edit content without the hassle of setting up a big <abbr>CMS</abbr>." It looks like a fantastic solution, and be sure to visit a short page like <a href="http://grabaperch.com/account">this one</a>, and refresh. Watch the trees and birdy grow and slide into place. That's craftsmanship. <a href="http://simplebits.com/notebook/2009/06/01/perch.html" title="permanent link to this entry">#</a>]]></description>



<guid isPermaLink="false">1595@http://simplebits.com/</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 01 Jun 2009 11:20:23 -0500</pubDate>
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<title>Introducing Typekit</title>

<link>http://blog.typekit.com/2009/05/27/introducing-typekit/</link>
<description><![CDATA[<p>...you’ll have access to our library of high-quality fonts. Just add a line of JavaScript to your markup, tell us what fonts you want to use, and then craft your pages the way you always have. Except now you’ll be able to use real fonts. This really is going to change web design.</p> <a href="http://simplebits.com/notebook/2009/05/28/typekit.html" title="permanent link to this entry">#</a>]]></description>


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<pubDate>Thu, 28 May 2009 10:53:53 -0500</pubDate>
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<title>Apple’s Navigation bar using only CSS</title>
<link>http://westciv.com/style_master/blog/apples-navigation-bar-using-only-css</link>
<description><![CDATA[John Allsopp and Satoshi Kikuchi tackle recreating apple.com's nav bar using <abbr>CSS3</abbr> and no images. It also acts as a great primer for the vendor-specific <abbr>CSS3</abbr> properties that work in some browsers today, and the power and flexibility of embracing progressive enrichment. <a href="http://simplebits.com/notebook/2009/05/27/westciv.html" title="permanent link to this entry">#</a>]]></description>



<guid isPermaLink="false">1593@http://simplebits.com/</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 27 May 2009 11:17:15 -0500</pubDate>
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<title>DigitalSoaps</title>
<link>http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6721867</link>
<description><![CDATA[Realistic renditions of video game controllers (and other stuff) in bars of high-quality soap. Why not. <a href="http://simplebits.com/notebook/2009/05/22/digitalsoaps.html" title="permanent link to this entry">#</a>]]></description>



<guid isPermaLink="false">1592@http://simplebits.com/</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 22 May 2009 14:49:47 -0500</pubDate>
</item>
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<title>The Deck Ad Network Readership Survey</title>
<link>http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=tokJVl2q_2fDyGK_2fd6SmSTfA_3d_3d</link>
<description><![CDATA[A survey that's useful for the people running the survey, but also makes the survey-taker chuckle along the way? Yep, this one. <a href="http://simplebits.com/notebook/2009/05/22/decksurvey.html" title="permanent link to this entry">#</a>]]></description>



<guid isPermaLink="false">1591@http://simplebits.com/</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 22 May 2009 11:35:01 -0500</pubDate>
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<title>Dinky pocketbooks with WebKit transforms</title>
<link>http://natbat.net/2009/May/21/pocketbooks/</link>
<description><![CDATA[Natalie Downe's ingenious use of <abbr>CSS3</abbr> transforms in Webkit to build foldable, 8-page booklets from a sheet of A4 paper. <a href="http://simplebits.com/notebook/2009/05/22/pocketbooks.html" title="permanent link to this entry">#</a>]]></description>



<guid isPermaLink="false">1590@http://simplebits.com/</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 22 May 2009 11:25:47 -0500</pubDate>
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<title>Rubik&apos;s Cube font generator</title>
<link>http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/8/view/6468/jas-bhachu-rubiks-cube-font-generator.html</link>
<description><![CDATA["...the design uses a standard rubik's cube with stamps on four of its sides so that users can make 
their own typeface." Would love to get this in the hands of those wacky people who can solve a cube in 20 seconds. <a href="http://simplebits.com/notebook/2009/05/22/rubiksfont.html" title="permanent link to this entry">#</a>]]></description>



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<pubDate>Fri, 22 May 2009 11:23:57 -0500</pubDate>
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