For Christmas I received Beginning Ajax with PHP From Novice to Professional. So far things are going well, however I find that the code examples would be better suited if they came on CD or if there was a resource available online to see the code in action. I’ve only gotten through a few chapters but so far I see it’s going well, despite wishing to actually see the code working.

I also received Ajax in Action. I will provide more feedback at a later time on both of these books. So far I’m happy with the first book.

A word we use almost daily has finally made it into the dictionary. “To google” meaning to use the Google search engine to find information on the internet.

To google

I’ve been looking for several months for a place where you can discuss web design and web design practices, ask for help and has a growing community. Well a few days ago I found a place I beleive fits the criteria. Webmaster Talk. This forum covers everything from HTML and CSS to SEO discussions. I’m still getting the general feel of the site, but it’s going well and so far I think it’ll be helpful when problems elude me and a good place to get to know fellow designers.

Nifty Corners is a way to create rounded corners with out the use of any graphics using CSS and Javascript. Nifty Corners also allows for clean markup to be created. All added CSS is done via the Javascript and is transparent in your markup.

Nifty Corners Cube is a great way to make a blocky looking site softer with out the weight of graphics and extra markup.

May 1st marks the annual CSS Spring Reboot. This is another event which showcases designers work that are standards compliant.

Web Standards has become bright on many designers radar, but there are many people how there who still do not understand them and their uses. On April 5, 2006 Dustin Diaz started the Annual CSS Naked Day to help people understand really what style sheets can do for you.

The premise of this is to annual disable your style sheets and only display your content. This is a good way to make sure your formatting is done all in your style sheets. We did not participate this year as we found out about it too late, but next year you will see us on the list of participants.

In the search for better CSS design for three column layouts, I found the article Throwing Tables Out the Window at Stop Design.

In the search for better CSS design for three column layouts, I found the article In search of the One True Layout at Position is Everything