Pearls of wisdom. The Squidge Blog.
Missing cat... & other amusing design emails!
Ceri (one of the Squidge Media crack development A-team) loves funny animal pictures, especially emu's - we're not sure why. Anyway, he's been waiting for a chance to get an animal picture on the blog for years... and now I've beaten him to it! Sorry Ceri.
A friend posted this on Facebook today with the quote "I'm crying with laughter, my sides hurt" . Although I'm sure it's not quite cutting edge, it did make me laugh. A lot. So here it is: the comedic missing cat story.
It's not the only one out there, check out the most amusing email conversation ever! Luckily we love our clients, thank you for not being like these guys!
Read More posted by Andy on July 31st, 2010
The Big Bang from Blu
The Italian Graphic artist Blu treats us again to a fantastic new stop frame animation. The scale, effort and imagination here is just incredible.
BIG BANG BIG BOOM - the new wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.
Read More posted by Andy on July 13th, 2010
AT-AT dog
We really like this stop-frame animation from Patrick Boivin, great idea!
Read More posted by AD on July 8th, 2010
Squidge Campervan
Some of you may remember that last year we had a super-hippy-free-giveaway-campervan-crazy-monster-bonanza... No? Well for those that missed out last time, your in luck as its back by popular demand – presenting the one and only Squidge Media Campervan Giveaway!
Thats right, every single one of our visitors can get their very own campervan without spending a single bean. Simply click the image below to become the proud owner of a Squidge Campervan....
We would love to see your assembled vans, preferably parked in a driveway... the best snaps we will put up on the blog. Enjoy!
Read More posted by AD on May 14th, 2010
"Freeze Frame HTML5"
For all those that don't know, the title's a "How I met your mother" reference... terribly addictive!
So HTML5... what's all the buzz about. I mean, it's not officially ready until 2022 right?! Wrong!
There's a lot of great elements of HTML5 that you can use right now and it's making the world (wide web) a better place. I guess.
I've only just started with it and already there's a lot of difference, but don't let that put you off, it's worth the effort. Here's a few handy hints for all those developers who want to start developing websites in HTML5 and get ahead of the game:
- Get the new CSS reset for HTML5 and read it!
- Read the freebies from Mark Pilgrim at http://diveintohtml5.org
- If you're a jQuery user, download the new jQuery tools library for HTML5
- Try it out! No seriously, i knw it sounds obvious but you will make mistakes. Just have a go and check out your mark-up to make sure it matches the HTML5 spec... easy!
Read More posted by Andy on May 12th, 2010
Chrome speed test
We've been using Chrome quite alot recently here at Squidge, and one of the main reasons is the speed of it. Firefox is excellent at many tasks but does slow down when you have multiple add-ons (which in themselves are very useful) installed. Although Chrome still has many glitches due to its lightweight nature, such as inconsistencies with embedded flash, it is quick and nimble which is probably priority no.1 for a web browser.
This great viral does very well in promoting Chromes best asset...
Read More posted by AD on May 11th, 2010
Up there, where the air is clear
This fantastic animation demonstrates the flightpaths during and after the dust had settled following the no-fly restrictions after the Eyjafjallajökull eruption.
As commented on CR blog:
Airspace Rebooted by ITO World is, according to ITO's Vimeo page, a "visualisation of the northern European airspace returning to use after being closed due to volcanic ash. Due to varying ash density across Europe, the first flights can be seen in some areas on the 18th and by the 20th everywhere is open. The flight data is courtesy of flightradar24.com and covers a large fraction of Europe. There are a few gaps (most noticeably France) and no coverage over the Atlantic, but the picture is still clear."
Read More posted by AD on April 30th, 2010
The Monster Mash
We have two new inhabitants in the Squidge office, please give a warm welcome to Brian and Lloyd. Brian and Lloyd are both monsters, who hail from the planet Bikebox and arrived in the office last friday on a beautiful summers day (in April). Although the new guys are a bit one-dimensional in terms of their skills as web designers, we hope that they will provide a motivational role, especially when those deadlines and late nights roll in...
Read More posted by AD on April 12th, 2010
Pixel Invasion
Fantastic short from Patrick Jean - NYC invaded by pixels...
Read More posted by AD on April 12th, 2010
Time to charge for web content?
The Times and The Sunday Times websites have annouced that they will start charging users to access their content online from June of this year, a brave move for paper owners, News International. Users will pay £1 for a day's access and £2 for a week's subscription.
During the planning process for each web design project we do we carefully encourage our clients to think of new and innovative ways to engage their visitors within the first few seconds of their site visit. Plus, we're constantly seeking exciting tools to make our clients websites "sticky", giving visitors a reason to return time and time again.
Underpinning the entire site planning process is the understanding that the web is a FREE environment, visitors need to access relevant content quickly, easily and for free and we'll convert these visits to sales.
Are you willing to pay?
What really interested me from this story was the comparison James Harding made to the music industry of four years ago. "People said the game is up for the music industry because everyone is downloading for free. But now people are buying from download sites."
Yes it's true that people are buying music online but I personally think this is due changing way that we listen to music. It's nothing new for people to buy music to listen to at their leisure, we've been using Walkman's for years, it's just that now - we have MP3 players that demand MP3's! It also comes down to sheer convenience, most people have an iPod or iPhone and it's no surprise that iTunes dominate the download market. If our method of reading news was integral with The Times website, I could see the similarity. But it's not. There are equally as good, non-bias, publications which are freely available to the casual reader.
I do believe that the web is a free environment and that's supported by the recent success of innovations like Spotify. Spotify has turned the download market on it's head, the software gives the user free access to streaming music in work, at home or on the move. We love it, check out the Squidge Media Spotify Playlist!
The inside scoop!
There is more to this story however and we have insider info... we know that, in the future, some entertainment artists plan to charge their fans to access exclusive material (e.g. pre-release gig tickets, non-album tracks and personal messages from bands and artists). We've also been reading a lot about the success of subscription sites which offer discount vouchers for local attractions.
So where's the web headed? Will paying for online content become the norm or is this a desperate attempt by NI to save a paper with a declining readership? Let us know what you think, we would love to hear your opinions :)
Read More posted by Andy on March 26th, 2010
Apres Ski
Bonjour!
Squidge was lucky enough to take some time out this year to hit the French slopes. One team hit La Clusaz and the other spent an extended weekend in Morzine. Fantastic views, great slopes, no broken legs and a mix of beautiful sunshine and terrifying thick fog, and not a computer in sight made for an excellent break all round. We have returned with fresh faces, a renewed energy and a pipe dream to move Squidge to the Alps and make skiing a lunchtime activity...
Read More posted by AD on March 15th, 2010
Hello World, I'm brand new...
Here it is, the brand spanking new Squidge Media website! Isn't it lovely?
Its been a while coming. You know those weeds you need to pull out of the garden path, but keep putting it off? Or the cluttered garden shed that really needs emptying and a lick of varnish - one of those things you know you need to do, but there never seems to be time? Thats how we felt about the Squidge Site.
However, we finally had a break in projects and lept on the opportunity to get the new site out. Let us know what you think by dropping us a line on the contact page.
Read More posted by AD on February 24th, 2010
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