With an endlessly updating list of browsers being used on a variety of operating systems, web developers and designers require a tool for compatibility testing. Adobe fills this void in their suite of applications with BrowserLab, a new cross-browser compatibility tester. Released by AdobeLabs as beta in June 2009, it is still being revised through user comments and feedback. Adobe currently provides a free, limited version lasting through the end of 2010, for users to preview the application’s functionality and debugging. Starting in 2011, there will be a $10-20 monthly fee to use the service. For Dreamweaver (CS4) owners, there is a free plug-in available for download on Adobe’s website. This plug-in allows local testing of websites, while the web version requires a site to be live in order to download the code.

Currently, you can test with:

• Firefox 2.0, 3.0 and 3.5 (Windows XP and Mac OS X)
• Internet Explorer 6.X, 7.X, and 8.X (Windows XP)
• Safari 3.X and 4.X (Mac OS X)
• Chrome 3.0 (Windows XP)

After a long-haul of sludging through Google Reader updates this last week, a thought occurred. ‘I see all of these magnificent images, how is it that I am not always able to trace them back to their origins.’ Yes, most blogs or image aggregators are consistent in crediting the artists work that they feature, but there have been numerous times where I truly cannot find the true credit. Just because something looks cool does not warrant publishing on a website. This is an important issue, why do you see so many ads by the GAG in graphic publications to bring this issue to light?

Tumblr pages routinely promote plagiaristic activity, not through words, but actions. Don’t get me wrong, Tumblr offers a great service. The only gripe I have is an interface that encourages people to publish images over content. Most Tumblr pages are giant archives of images with a short sentence describing the image, if at all. Which in turn leads to a lack of proper credit.

Some companies go beyond accreditation issues and have outright copied and sold products based on other artists work. Many get away with it, purely out of the vast amount of artwork in existence. Companies such as Urban Outfitters have been constantly in violation of this, yet without any punitive measures taking place. This is of endless frustration to artists around the world. So much so, that there has been a blog dedicated to finding Urban Outfitter design rip offs. Aptly titled Urban Counterfeiters, their goal is to:

Bring American consumers reports from small companies and artists who have been taken advantage of by large corporations. We wish for these corporations to be held accountable for their actions and to change their business practices.

The Brazillian studio, 3bits has re-imagined the history of contemporary electronic with Sync/lost. An installation piece brought to life by two projectors and three subjects armed with Wii-motes and headphones. It guides them through the formation and evolution of prolific electronic genres as well as their sub-genre counterparts.

In developing this installation, their stated intentions:

The project’s objective is to create an interface where users can view all the connections between the main styles of electronic music through visual and audible feedback. The choice is individual and leads to a collective consequence in the spatial visualization of information.

Apple released it’s much anticipated tablet computer, the iPad, on January 27th. The device is getting a lot of attention. Twitter was abuzz with aliases such as itampon and maxipad. The New York Times has an article on it. Gizmodo was at the press conference: they have pictures and video of it in action.

The iPad, as Apple CEO Steve Jobs explained, is a personal computing device that fills a void between laptops and smart phones. Jobs says the device excels at everyday computing tasks like browsing the internet, reading email and watching movies.

A quick look at the Apple Tablet:

The Font Game for the iPhone and iPod Touch

I Love Typography (ILT) released The Font Game, a new application that tests typeface knowledge, on December 17th for the iPhone and iPod Touch. ILT founder John Boardley designed gameplay along with Kari Pätilä, who also created online support. Justin Stahl developed the game; it is his second application for the iPhone. (His first was the very useful reference tool, The Typographic Manual.)

A quick look at The Font Game:

Color Add is a visual system for the color blind developed by Portuguese designer Miguel Neiva. It uses simple symbols to represent colors. The system is based on the additive color system. The primary colors, blue, red and yellow are the primary symbols. Secondary colors are represented by adding the primary color’s symbols together. (For example, orange is represented by adding the yellow symbol to the red symbol.)

Color is an important aspect in design systems. Public transit routes, for example, are often color-coded. The system has clear  applications here. Transit maps can have a color symbol alongside the colored route. Shirt tags or colored pencils can be color-coded, as well.

This is a great example of design’s capacity for problem-solving. Color Add is a revolutionary concept because it  removes a handicap and provides new ways for color-blind individuals to see and interact with the world around them.

Be sure to check out Color Add’s website for some great facts and examples for the project.

The emergence of the eBook has been quite elusive over the past few years. It’s one of those things that seems like it’s becoming quite popular, but neither you nor your friends actually know how popular. The only instance that I’ve ever seen someone reading one has been on a plane trip back from Hawaii. Nonetheless, companies continue to create, produce, and market these now seemingly mainstream items.