I’m not the type of guy who likes to blindly follow charities and other non profit organizations, and general causes that much of America likes to rally around. Protect the environment? Save the whales? Feed the hungry? Those are all well and good–but I’ll let someone else fight the fight for me.

All that changed when I discovered Save the Developers, a group with one simple goal in mind. Help people finally escape from that which plagues the web, Internet Explorer 6. Can you actually believe that 30% of the populace still uses that garbage? Disgraceful.

Call me lazy, call me stubborn, but I’ve dabbled in a bit of web design (and development), and I simply refuse to develop for IE 6. Software Battle could look like crap on the aging browser (and it probably does with my overzealous use of transparent png images). I don’t know, and I don’t care. Internet Explorer 6 is dead to me. And apparently I’m not alone.

Save the Developers’ goal at this point is simply to “Say no to IE 6″–but I say they need to take it one step further. Say no to any browser that breaks the web. It’s not like there aren’t any other options out there. Firefox, Safari, Opera, Flock. All fine options. And painless to switch to. Opera even passes the Acid 3 test as of today.

Of course, 75% of my visitors are Firefox users, so I suppose I’m preaching to the choir.

[via TechCrunch]

I am not a social networking type of guy. I guess I never really saw the point in spending hours designing the page layout for a domain that I don’t even own. It’s like building a house on property that isn’t yours.

But I didn’t let my distaste for social networking get in my way when trying out Hurox for the first time. Besides, Hurox, pronounced Who-Rocks, is more of a web desktop meets online storefront with social networking tendencies. It makes my head spin just to think about all the things this site does. A lot of thought obviously went into Hurox’s development for such a site to be able to do so much.

However, and here’s my major complaint, Hurox doesn’t feel like it is anywhere near completion. Like the MacBook Air, Hurox feels more like a technology demonstration than a real, functioning, product. Pages fail to load correctly at times, the interface gets in the way, the glass effect is overused, and the default image set is only designed for those with very small monitors

If Windows Vista was to be turned into a website, this would be it. Hurox design alludes to the sad fact that all of budget was spent on the underlying systems and not on a snazzy exterior.

On the positive side, there is a solid technological background running Hurox–it just needs the assistance of a well seasoned web designer to bring the project to life.

Designing a unique website in Hurox is a dream. The workflow is easy to get used to and some pretty spectacular pages can be made in less than an hour, thanks to the rapid speed at which the website functions.

So what’s the draw to Hurox over other social networks? Personal pages are easy to create. Art can be bought and sold via credits. Images and music can be shared. There’s a live IM client. Templates can be made and traded. And users can even earn advertising revenue just for browsing others’ Hurox sites. And there’s even more when you start digging around.

I love the technology behind Hurox, I just think that it has a lot of growing up to do if it hopes to become the next big social network. A total reworking of the site’s design is a great place for the developers to start. Hurox will attract a much larger following with a more professional design. It’s strange because some pages exhibit pure design genius while others look like they were just slapped up there.

Hurox works on OS X and Windows. It renders the best on Firefox, has a few problems on Safari, and works well on Internet Explorer 7 and Opera. While I won’t be using Hurox only because I’m not a social networking junkie, I recommend that everyone check it out. You may be pleasantly surprised.

Borrowing heavily from Portal’s script, SHIFT and its sequel, SHIFT 2, are a couple of enjoyable 2D, black and white, platforming puzzle games with a unique twist. You get to control whether or not your character is black on a white background or white on a black background. And you do it all with, wait for it, the Shift key.

A bit confusing at first, the controls are simple and easy to master. By the time you’re done with SHIFT, you’ll be a master at running, jumping and shifting between black and white. Like Portal, SHIFT really is exceptionally easy to pick up and play.

The only real problem with the gameplay is that its too short. Expect to finish off SHIFT in about five to ten minutes if you’re playing it for the first time. But as you dive into SHIFT 2, you’ll quickly find that things have changed greatly since the first time around. The levels are longer and more complex. And you’ll be collecting more items than just keys. Multi-directional level rotators and checkerboard unshiftable floors make an appearance to impede your progress. Needless to say, SHIFT 2 really ramps up the difficulty that SHIFT was so greatly lacking.

To top off all the puzzling goodness, the GLaDOS inspired omnipresent voice in SHIFT is there to provide a bit of comic relief. If you’ve played Portal, the story in the SHIFT series is practically the same and you’ll get a couple of chuckles here and there. Alas, the only thing missing from the adventure is a Weighted Companion Cube.

I remember a time when these “Hot or Not” style websites were all the rage. As the internet moved forward, I thought these sites had all but vanished, but alas, they’re still going strong. And it seems they’ve permeated into nearly every aspect of digital life.

Now, as much as I enjoy rating attractive girls, Software Battle is a site devoted to apps, the internet, and technology in general. And to keep things in the tech genre, I present you with two unique offshoots from the hot or not craze: Web OK or KO? and CommandShift3. No pretty girls here. Sorry.

Let’s start with Web OK or KO. This site takes its roots almost directly from the Hot or Not format with the characteristic 1 to 10 voting scale and single screenshot. There are a couple of links to click on to visit a particular site if you so see fit, but the screenshot is more than enough information to make a decision on. If voting isn’t your thing, you can always submit a site, leave a comment, or search through the site’s growing database. It’s all pretty straightforward.

The problem with Web OK or KO is that it doesn’t break any new ground. Nothing new whatsoever. It’s cool to see sites from around the world–but it gets boring fast.

CommandShift3 is a completely different beast that somehow manages to get lumped in with the other Hot or Not clones. If you’re not an Apple user, Command-Shift-3 is the keyboard shortcut to take a screenshot.

Right off the bat, you can just tell that CommandShift3 is a better designed site than Web Hot or Not. Much more work was done here–from the simple effects to the running collection of screenshots documenting changes to the site for the last month.

Unlike the traditional Hot or Not model, CommandShift3 makes users select one site or the other instead of giving a 1-10 rating. No rocket science here. Also, to keep you voting, the site displays random motivational headers that just ooze satire. Nevertheless, CommandShift3 still gets boring pretty quick.

Recommended:

CommandShift3 is the clear winner. It has the better design, the more upbeat atmosphere, a unique spin on the Hot or Not trend, and an overall more impressive collection of websites. As an inspirational tool for designers, CommandShift3 is spot on too.

An interesting aside, CommandShift3 affixes the “nofollow” attribute to their links, so don’t expect to get any backlinks by submitting your site to their database. Web Hot or Not, however, does not.

Handy Chart:

If you’ve ever had the desire to start your own blog, there are hundreds of sites to check out. Thousands even. A lot of these sites provide some pretty good information for beginners, but you really have to piece everything together here and there if you want to get the complete package. Some pages have themes, some have information about ads, and others have methods to get to the top of social bookmarking sites. But a site that combines all of that information–those are few and far between.

Several months back, when I was looking for my first theme, I came across a site called Upstart Blogger. It offered something I had never seen before. A mix of themes, well written articles on how to blog, and a great page dedicated to helping people start a semi-profitable blog in 30 days. It was so informative that I just had to stick around.

While the content on Upstart Blogger is exceptional, a lot of people think of the theme as hit or miss. I actually love it. There’s something about a site that is almost completely devoid of pictures that feels very powerful, very authoritative. With only the words on the screen to carry the reader along, you know there is going to be some powerful prose packed into each post. As for the abundant use of underscores–fantastic. Very few sites are willing to try something truly unique, and the typography at Upstart Blogger borders on perfection.

Despite the overall good design, Upstart Blogger’s homepage suffers from problematic navigation. It’s the first blog I’ve seen that includes a post’s permalink under the excerpt–and it doesn’t work too well. I welcome design that breaks out of the box, but some things should be standardized.

Unlike so many other blogging tip sites, Upstart Blogger is not just about putting words on a page. There’s a real sense of commitment to the whole blogging medium as well, and nothing showcases that commitment better than the growing set of custom downloadable Wordpress themes offered on the site. They’re all Creative Commons licensed and most of them are worth checking out if you’re into minimalist design. Impressive work all around.

The only real drawback of Upstart Blogger that I can see is that they are mostly directed to Wordpress bloggers. If you’re using another platform, they have some good general tips, but a lot of the content is Wordpress specific.

I have no invites left for Aviary (but I may get more soon)

Aviary is a suite of web apps designed for artists, designers, musicians and pretty much anyone who has every wanted to create anything. Think of it as a mix between the Adobe and Apple program suites. I’ve been playing around with Phoenix, the Photoshop style image editor, and it is mighty impressive.

I have Unlimited invites to PMOG

PMOG offers a new twist on the multiplayer online game. Instead of conquering monsters and pillaging dungeons, you browse the web. It’s an interesting concept and a major time killer. I haven’t tried it on Linux, but it works fine on OS X and Windows. Requires Firefox, though.

I have 9 invites to Wuala

Wuala, aside from having a name that is annoyingly difficult to type, is a P2P storage system. Works on all operating system, encrypts and spreads chunks of your data on multiple computers, and is completely free of charge. If you have a fast internet connection and you’re online more than 17% of a day, you are entitled to as much storage space as you want–but you have to share some of your own hard drive space as well. Everyone who signs up gets 1 GB of space automatically.

If you haven’t already guessed it, SafePasswd is a site that generates safe passwords. There are plenty of settings and variables to choose from and if you don’t like a particular password, it will generate a new one for you with the click of a button. No doubt about it, if you need a password, this site is handy. It loads quick, generates even 256 character passwords in seconds, and works flawlessly.

The layout on SafePasswd is spartan–but that’s not necessarily bad. Simplicity is welcome with a tool like a password generator, and such bonuses as a password strength notifier and a length slider are a nice touch. SafePasswd could benefit from a button which copies the password directly to your computer’s clipboard, however.

Future plans for SafePasswd include implementing the API on a variety of sites or programs (if they will allow it) to automatically generate safer passwords for users of the millions of web apps out there. It all sounds pretty slick, although the API isn’t finished yet.

So what did I mean when I said this site doesn’t have a real purpose? The problem with password generation sites like SafePasswd is that most people just don’t give a damn. They’re too stuck in their ways, using the same old password for each and every site they sign up to. Learn a new password? The majority of users say no way.

The Details:
Developer: Robert Accettura
Version: Beta
Price: Free
Website: SafePasswd.com

On first glance, I almost mistook Cookthink as just another recipe site. Type in a couple of ingredients and it searches the database. But Cookthink, thankfully enough, is far more than a simple recipe site. It offers enough uniqueness to set it apart from staples like AllRecipes.com and Cooks.com. Yes, it has a “Web 2.0” flare to it, but there is much more working here than meets the eye.

There are a couple of ways to get to know Cookthink. The first is to just type in a few ingredients. And that works just fine. Alternatively, there is a large tag cloud which can be used to select ingredients, dishes, cuisine styles, and oddly enough, mood. The tags and subtle scripting effects make the site operate smoothly and look attractive, but the tag bank does not hold near to enough different options, sometimes making the refresh button a necessity.

After selecting ingredients, styles and so forth, users are presented with a dish that matches their exacting specifications. The results seem to be spot on. Each selected meal sounded like something I would indeed like to eat. However, there is an option to view other similar recipes should a user not be as thrilled as I was by the selected dishes.

The site is still new, but there are already hundreds of recipes from a variety of sources–though most are original Cookthink creations. Recipes range in style from high end restaurant to quick and easy, making Cookthink a site that just about everyone may find useful. There’s even a special section for vegans. The only section that’s currently lacking are desserts.

It’s not all about recipes at Cookthink, though. Their site runs the gamut of food related topics. From how to buy produce to various cooking techniques, there’s a pretty sizable database for those who want to learn how to prepare even the fanciest dishes.

One of the biggest benefits of Cookthink, though, is not the recipe selection or the tips and tricks, but an algorithm that learns what individual users like and don’t like. They supposedly have a variety of personalization options they’re working on, so Cookthink should eventually develop into a mixture between a personalized recipe finder and a social network of sorts.

I like Cookthink, but it has a bit of growing up to do. That’s fine, though, as the site is still in beta–just like nearly every other web app out there. If they continue on their same path, I can see Cookthink becoming one of the best recipe resources on the web. But in the meantime, I’m off to make some Mushroom, Pineapple, Tomato, and Beef Kebabs.

The Details:
Developer: Brys Stephens & Chip Brantley
Version: Beta
Price: Free
Website: Cookthink.com

Then came a post from Chris Wilson, the IE platform architect over at Microsoft. To sum it up, in said post he states that IE8 will render correctly in “standards mode” but still retain the same “quirks mode” from IE7. That’s all well and good. We get the tried and true rendering capabilities of IE7, which was certainly better than IE6, along with the supposedly better Internet Explorer 8 rendering engine. Sounds great, right?

But alas, the IE devs seem like they want to keep their feud against web developers going a bit longer. In order for a web page to render correctly following web standards, website designers and developers have to modify their meta information so that IE8 will play nice. Absolute garbage. Just make the super standards mode the default mode. Web standards are good–Microsoft needs to learn to go along with them. Such a decision to make the super standards mode the default would promote proper web coding and greatly reduce the need to test a site in multiple browsers.

On the positive side, the use of a meta tag to turn super standards mode on and off is better than forcing web designers to incorporate code in other parts of the site that could easily break something else on another browser. It’s still a tacky thing to do to web designers. The meta tag should have been used the other way around–to mark code that needs to be rendered in quirks mode IE7 style.

I suppose the real question here is how difficult is it to make a standards compliant rendering engine from the get-go. Safari and the rest of the WebKit based browsers have been able to pass the Acid2 test for years. Presto based browsers like Opera and the Internet Channel on the Nintendo Wii pass the test too. Even a “small” browser like Konqueror meets web standards. Firefox 3’s new version of the Gecko rendering engine can keep up with the standards just as well too. That’s practically every well known browser except for Internet Explorer. I would expect more effort from a company with an almost limitless budget like Microsoft. Cater to the customer–don’t make the customer cater to you.

Maybe it would be best if Microsoft just scrapped the Internet Explorer rendering engine and switched over to WebKit.

The photo-hosting niche has to be a tough one to crack into. There is a ton of competition from the dozen or so sites already popular among the masses. If it wants to stand out from the crowd, a newcomer really has to provide a hot new angle that nobody has thought of before. Hence, Photwo’s claim that anyone can make a photo album in two minutes. A lofty claim. Let’s see if it holds up.

Alright, so I’ve signed up, and it’s time to start the clock. I’ll be timing the process with the handy iChrono widget from TOSSEN. Click the new album button and GO!

My first test took only 2 minutes and 22 seconds to make a new album and upload 15 pictures with a total file size of about 1.7MB. Not bad at all. But you can’t judge something on one time trial alone–so I did another with the same pictures and came up with a time of 1 minute and 24 seconds. Photwo’s claim was spot on–it’s a snap to make a photo album in roughly two minutes.

Photwo runs so quickly because it uses a unique photo uploading style. Instead of the traditional “browse around your disk for individual files” approach, Photwo provides a Java powered upload box that you can drag photos or whole folders right into. It works with all of the most common image types, although it doesn’t support RAW files.

Once the files have been uploaded, just click a link to create one of two different slideshows. A traditional left to right style slideshow and a fancy looking stacks style slideshow (below). In the near future, users will be able to buy prints too.

Along with the “two minute” photo album, Photwo also offers some pretty decent features for free. 200MB of storage, individualized web addresses, and album embedding for blogs and websites. Email activation isn’t even required.

I love the simple and straightforward layout. Everything is right there, easy to get to, and even easier to use. There are quite a few features that need to be added. Categorization, easy single image embedding, etc. Photwo is a fantastic product that should easily establish a foothold in the photo-hosting market.

The Details:
Developer: Gnus (Magnus Andersen)
Version: N/A
Price: Free for basic features
Website: Photwo

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