Nice going, Ethan. Definitely one to keep in the ol’ bag o’ tricks.
Posted in Tips
Adobe’s plugin for Photoshop CS4 to disable canvas rotation via the trackpad
I’m linking to this because I’ve been stung by the problem too. The issue is with new MacBooks and MacBook Pros with the button-less trackpad. These trackpads have no dead zone like the old trackpads did. So until I get accustomed to using them, I often end up resting my right thumb on the lower portion of the trackpad where the physical button used to be. Because of this, once I go to move the cursor with the trackpad, I inadvertently perform a two-finger gesture, which Apple now recognizes on these new trackpads. Photoshop interprets these as either zoom or rotate actions, which is rarely what I want to happen. This plugin disables those actions in Photoshop, until Adobe engineers figure a graceful way to interpret (or otherwise ignore) two-finger gestures.
Google Calendar tips
Since I’ve been an early user of Google Calendar for a few months now, thought I’d share a few tips that may make the jump a little smoother for others. Some tips may seem obvious, other tips may be completely new to you. Specifically, I’ve noticed hesitation by Mac users in trying Google Calendar, which I’ll address in a few Mac-only tips sprinkled in with the rest. continued
CSS organization tip 1: Flags
Do you write and manage large CSS files? Ever get tired of scrolling up and down in search of a specific rule or set of rules? The CSS files I work with for client projects are often quite long, requiring constant scrolling up and down several screen’s worth of text to alter rules or add new ones. While working on a current project, I just made a tiny little addition that makes finding what I want almost immediate. continued
Filtering CSS
To the point: This entry introduces a new CSS filter that can be used to import a separate style sheet for IE5/Mac, named the IE5/Mac Band Pass Filter.
Back Story
Ideally, I try to avoid the use of hacks in CSS files, if at all possible. Sadly, the continued discrepancies in the way browsers interpret CSS specifications (and then implement them) still require the use of more hacks than I’d like to see in my style sheets. I would prefer not to use any hacks or filters, but sometimes, they’re a necessary evil. Fortunately, hacks, workarounds, and filters can be used with discretion to ensure as much cross-browser design consistency as possible. continued
No limits
When I was designing Wired News last year, I was limited by what I knew I could implement. It was exciting to be experimenting and pioneering a large site redesign and conversion to web standards. But the design was, in part, dictated by my acquired knowledge of CSS at the time. It’s obvious to me whenever I look at Wired: there are things I would have designed differently had I known how — and been able — to pull them off. continued