Remember Magic Eye ™? Here’s a little slice of the mid-nineties, thanks to the Easy Stereogram Builder.com

1. Microsoft’s security essentials This freebie from microsoft (weird concept, huh?) provides an exceptional level of anti-virus protection, in a mostly efficient form that doesn’t lag your system like some of its competitors. 2. Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware Viruses aren’t the only threat to your average PC.  Malware is a prominent and growing threat to the security of the web as a whole.  Take a look at Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware software to round…

With the last-stage release of Firefox 3.5.9,  many users were surprised to find the archive of “personas” that lets users customize the overall appearance of firefox. While the concept of browser themes is far from new (in fact, it’s almost archaic in web terms), firefox’s personas are streamlined, making installation as simple as clicking a “wear this” button in the personas repository.  You can even preview each persona simply by…

Even though it hasn’t even left the finishing room floor at the W3 organization, HTML 5.0 is shaping up to be a force to be reckoned with for interactivity on the web.  The lines between operating system and web browser will be blurred, as the features and functions of each merge to the point of overlapping. HTML 5.0 will make it possible to drag files from your desktop to web-based…

This is a common question for webmasters. Here’s a simple compilation of sites geared towards getting your site map into the hands of the search engines.  Each search engine generally offers a different set of criteria, and some offer additional XML fields for their sitemaps, but the majority of the popular search engines (google, yahoo, bing, etc..) can read the standard sitemap.xml as long as it’s properly formatted. Google :…

When trying to choose an SEO firm, there can be many obstacles. Here are just a few pieces of practical advice on choosing a SEO company for your needs. Please note this was written in general, and I do not offer SEO services. 1. make sure to vet the firm you’re looking at. Call their references, and see if they actually did a good job for them. also make sure…

It’s an age-old quandary, with a host of solutions with varying levels of success. Testing web designs across the spectrum of browsers has always been a priority for web designers. Features that work in one browser do not always work in others, so it’s imperative that a good designer test each browser type to see any bugs. In a recent bout with Internet Explorer 7, I stumbled across a browser…

Since it’s humble origins as a cultural niche, the open-source platform movement has grown to a huge user community dedicated to improving their CMS of choice. Instead of a small design team, open-source content management systems rely on a dedicated fan base for their ongoing support. Some may have dedicated corporate designers, but for the most part outside of the core features and functionality any work relies on the efforts…

Choosing a content management system can be a little un-nerving at first. With the variety of options available, and literally dozens of systems to choose from, a first time installer can easily feel a little overwhelmed. However, you can make the process simpler by following a few guidelines. 1. Make sure the hosting for your website can run a CMS. Generally, you’ll need either PHP or ASP hosting. Some hosting…

In the spirit of holiday giving, I’m seeking 3-4 charities to voluntarily do website work for. Ideally, these would be charities without an existing website, in true need for their cause to be heard. If interested, contact me at ryanb[at]lostinthetext.com or use the contact form on this site