design.news

Firefox is looking to set a new world record for the greatest number of downloads in one 24 hr period.  You need Firefox 3 anyhow, so why not be a part of the worlds biggest download? Could be fun!

In the commercials, airline pilots do it at the terminal; musicians do it backstage; hair stylists do it in the back; and Mum is doing it wrong. It’s about time I recycled too.

I’ve been taking my coke and juice bottles back to the depot for years. All those nickels add up quickly, and for years it has been the closest I’ve got to a savings plan.

But now, it’s time to encourage others to take up a habit of mine: recycling type.

The internet, email and text messaging use up a lot of resources - electricity, time and the one that we’ve had for almost as long as time, the alphabet. There are only twenty six letters and we need to learn to use them wisely.

Every time you backspace (oops, there I go again) those letters get lost, never to be seen again. Never to grace the screen or page again. Gone. Forever (ahh, another c bites the dust).

What a waste.

Instead of simply DELETING, try recycling those letters - copy and paste. Take the letters you were going to doom to the waste basket and make them useful again. Instead of backspacing over an entire word (SHOCK!) simply use your arrow keys to go back to where you need to edit.

Education is the key here. Learning to type with a simple online typing course will save you millions of letters in the longterm. Consider investing in a keyboard that enables or at least helps you to type more accurately. Ergonomic keyboards make the task easier on your wrists and elbows, reducing the effects of repetitive stress. As a tendinitis sufferer, I value my curved keyboard a lot more than it’s cash value.

Reduce, reuse and recycle, and do your part in helping the language environment. We want it to be around for our children and their children and their children to enjoy.

If we don’t care for the alphabet, who will?

As I’ve already mentioned, Firefox (now in version 2.0.0.14) is the best browser in the known universe (the Mars rover may find better ones…). Firefox is compatible with truckloads of plugins, the latest one that I’ve enjoyed is called FireFTP.

FireFTP is a FREE ftp plugin (donations welcome and recommended) that allows you to connect to your server of choice and upload/download at will.

Sometimes email is not the best way to get files transferred, especially if they are larger than about 5Mb. Some hosts will allow larger attachments, but unless you have permission first, larger ones are not suggested. When working on jobs that require larger raw files, then FTP is the way to go.

FireFTP features:

• It’s free!
• Cross-platform: Works on Windows, Mac OS X, Linux
• Secure: SSL/TLS support, same encryption used with online banking and shopping
• Synchronization: Keep directories in sync while navigating
• Directory Comparison: Compare directory content (compares subdirectories too!)
• International: Available in over 20 languages (although one is enough for me…)

Just for fun, try my public ftp area. It’s where you can download/upload files for your next project.
Get the FireFTP plugin, click Manage Accounts > New… and use these details, EXACTLY as shown:

Account Name: NBurmanDesign Public
Host: ftp.nburmandesign.com
Login: public@nburmandesign.com
Password: firefox2000

Have fun!

Firefox. Not Internet Explorer. Please download firefox!