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You really need a dose of chaos , especially if you are a Flash designer . So , to be creative no matter what anybody says there is nothing wrong with a little bit of messing around . Meaning in both senses literally and creatively . In order for you to quickly knock an idea around , you need to have a tool that is simple to use , and which will provide a great creative process . This tool should be invisible , allowing you to concentrate on your idea . One of the great things about Flash is to be able to do something that you recently saw on a piece of software . And this software called NodeBox , a free Mac application that enables you to use Python programming language . You can choose ‘New with code’ ,  instead of creating a new document with your usual code . Simetimes all you want to do is open the box and mess around . Because every now and then , out of chaos comes something magical .

You can lose a lot of your brand identity and you have to compete with people who can be anything from part-time eBayers  to huge International companies . However Ebay is very reliable place . There is money taken out at all stages : for listings and sellings products by eBay , by PayPal , and eBay tools that you can use . Be wise , don’t think you can sell cheap and make all your margin on the delivery cost . Because people are wise too . So , you will have to focus on volume in order to make it profitable . The good tip for you is a good reputation . Yes , reputation is a key . Use your existing eBay account if you already have a reasonable reputation as a seller , and don’t really care about your name , which can always be changed . Also make your page dedicated to your customer ,which means fullfilment and service offering . And remember , reputation is everything on eBay , so make sure you deal with any problem quickly. When buying on eBay people are often very sceptical about what they are buying . So your job is to convince them that what you have is really good . Real images can help . There are also tools available to eTraders on eBay - don’t try to use the simple HTML interfaces . It will be to hard and slow , and you won’t make much money at all . By the way , there is a large community of knowledgeable sellers willing to help you on eBay . 

You don’t leave your homedoor open while you shopping write ? So if you’re a site owner you don’t ignore security features either . Most of the people are mostly concentrated on getting a good price for maximum bandwidth when it comes to hosting . But if something goes wrong , then they suddenly realise that they should have invested more time and effort into security . Just because you are paying for a hosting service , doesn’t mean that you are automatically secure . Most providers will offer you a great security together with your server , but that doesn’t  mean it’s all set up with the correct settings right from the word go . You should look for a hosting supplier that has a firewall protection as a standard , but which also has the capabilites to configure the firewall in line with your business needs . Also you have to make sure that the company you choose works with the ISO17799  standard , which promotes best practice in IT security . Obviously , a server should always be behind a firewall , and as few people as possible should have access to the settings . You should also only open the ports that need to be open to make the firewall work , and make sure your applications are designed to exposed the minimum number number of ports . Use different passwords and change them often , to prevent  haskers guessing your logins . Patches are crucial element to server security . Make sure you know if your host has a so-called ‘reactive’  approach to patches . Many servers has been destroyed in the past because a patch did more apperent harm than good . Paul Newaj , systems manager at Hostway (www.hostway.co.uk) , says that there are also a number of  systems administrator tasks that users can complete to make servers even more secure .    

PeerSpective (peerspective.mpi-sws.mpg.de), is a project exploring the potential for using social networks to help guide web search. Social networks can be used to help web search locate documents which are currently difficult to find . ” PeerSpective transparently idexes all browsed web content, and when a Google search is performed , the proxy queries Google in parallel with the user’s friend’s proxies, ” says project leader Alan Mislove of Rice University, Texas. Social networks give an opportunity for search engine to learn the interests of people within a certain community- for example , by looking at the content they select. Also this knowledge can be used to refine its selection and ranking of search results for anyone with a profile. This then is search for the MiSpace generation . Alan Missolve adds that the problem with today’s search engines is that they rank and select search results according to the interests of the web community at large. If the search engine knew more about the interests and backround of a particular user, it could select and rank search results accordingly.   

The Web 2.0 is simply just another internet fad. The ability to manipulate the data and use applications with just an internet connection and your favorite browser is very compelling. Most of the applications that we use every day have been enhanced with internet features; Looking at the current crop of Web 2.0 websites clearly demonstates that the platform is incredibly versatile.  You can take a look at AjaxWrite (www.ajaxwrite.com) or ZohoWriter (www.zohowriter.com) for a spot of online word processing. Box (www.box.net) you can use it to store your data. Backpackit (www.backpackit.com), Basecamp (www.basecamphq.com), Writeboard (www.writeboard.com) and Ta-da-list (www.tadalist.com) are all from 37Signals (www.37signals.com) who is completely embracing the Web 2.0 with the applications its developing. If you wanna build a quick site , which has to be updated often you don’t need Dreamweaver or FrontPage with Edit My Site online (www.editmysiteonline.com). Protopage (www.protopage.com) offers you a webpage that can contain a huge range of information including news, links and feeds.  And if you use Hotmail for instance and want an Outlook like calendar, check out Kiko (www.kiko.com) . The desktop and webtop are not as exclusive as they once were. With tools as Zimki (https://portal.zimki.com) now available to build web-based applicatons , may  begin sonner than anyone imagine completely abandon the desktop, but it’s not  just possible yet. However the desktop and webtop are not exclusive anymore.   

The competition, which has become an answer to the Oscar’s. The organizers have introduced a range of new categories that seek to keep on top of changing industries and new technologies. One of the best alterations is that websites, microsites, DVDs and CD-ROMs can be entered specifically on their graphic design merit. The D&D judjing panel evaluates the entered portofolios that have commercially released between 1 January and 31 December 2006, for three days in March. A full list of rules and regulations you can found on the Award’s website (www.dandad.org).   

There are so many benefits of jumping the festive shopping and odering our Christmas gifts over the internet.But the new survey reveales that we are still reluctant to do  so.Enterasys Network questioned about one thousand British adults about their online shopping , and found that just 50 per cent had ever actually purchases  in this way . Women proved themselfs more hesitant than men , with 54 per cent of men making internet transactions over 47 per cent of women , while age semms to be very important over  perception of safety. However the survey was able to conclude that a typical Enternet shopper would be a married ‘30 something’ of age working full-time and living in London or southern England . If only half of us are brave enough to buy online , than the Ecommerce market would be a surprisingly untapped place for business.”The best way for businesses that want to encrease their online sales is to ensure that their network is highly secure and get that word out to customers .” www.enterasys.com

Let’s admit it, Wikipedia  is one of the most wonderfull experiences online. It represents a free encyclopedia of user-submitted information , it  is also a pleasure of not requiring any sign-up process to view, while you are totally free of advertising. Despite its success, it is not about to change , although its founder, Jimmi Wales, is unvelling  a set of commercial tools  that you can take an advantage .  www.Wikia.com  was also founded by Jimmi Wales but it’s completily separated from Wikipedia . Wale’s  new project is behind  a service of tools available to people who want to build community websites. These tools are free and creators can also keep all advertising revenue, however the link to Wikia.com  must be provided . Your domains will be created by using the open-source wiki platform that allows users to add , delete or edit content on Wikipedia. An estimated 400,000 articles have been posted on Wikia-related websites and November saw Wikipadia strike a powerfull statement for online free speach . Business and organizations have jumped on this highly versatile model to build collaborative resources for employers and customers. At the same time that stuff can use Wikia to expresss and share your ideas on particular professional projects, that can be an example of customer service delivery or some product release notes being communicated this way.   

Some programmers get very scared at the prospect of learning how to develop in Flash. The problem is pretty much down  to attaching code to a sequential timeline- based runtime is very confusing. Am I animating a movie , or am I building an interface? Seems very strange. Don’t ever fear though as those experts  at KillerActionScript.com (www.killeractionscript.com) have donated a set of QuickTime video quides that gently walk you through the core concepts behind coding in Flash’s own language. After first part briefing on introductory issues, you will be able to move on the wide world of data , before a look at variable types, naming and initialisation. All that can be downloaded direcrtly from the CD interface and to your desktop , while you’ll also find an instant download link for the QuickTime player itself. If you like it , please be sure to drop by the KillerActionScript site for more. It is so much easier to learn  Flash when you have your own expert talking you through the fundamentals.

THE 2006 PIXEL AWARDS BEST IN SHOW WINNERS ARE ANNOUNCED: 2006 MOVIE WINNER, CASINO ROYALE BY DNA STUDIO (WWW.SONYPICTURES.COM/MOVIES/CASINOROYALE/SITE)

BEST IN SHOW ,mediaBOOM (WWW.MEDIABOOM.COM)

ANIMATION WINNER,NIKE AIR BY BIG SPACESHIP(WWW.NIKE.COM)

2006 COMMERCE WINNER, TIJUANA FLATS BY PUSH (WWW.TIJUANAFLATS.COM)

THE PIXEL AWARDS have announced the winners of the 2006 prize. The awards were established  to 20 different categories from: Movies and Magazines, through to Geek and Non-profit sites.As well as individual category winners, a title also went the Best in Show - a gorgeous stylised interactive design and development site by mediaBOOM (www.mediaboom.com) - and People’s Champ (www.joekidoanstingray.com) The judjing panel - comprised of a cross-section of executives,creatives and visionaries at top agencies -critiqued each site against criteria including innovation, content, navigation and functionality. All winners received a Sweet Prize Package, which included a hand-crafted Pixel Awards trophy, a three-month subscription to GameFly, 500 email credits from MailChimp and a Pixel Awards t-shirt; although they shure that the free promotion was worth more than anything. If you’d like to take a part in this year’s Pixel Award’s, entries will be accepted from June 2007. Keep an eye out at www.pixelawards.com for information, and maybe next year you could be a winner.