joeymarburger

Google recently announced their new Google Font API which allows users to embed open source Web-friendly fonts directly into their designs. All it takes? A simple CSS call. But we’ll get to that in a minute.

Resources:
Google Font Directory
Google Font API: Getting started
Google Font API: WebFont loader Javascript library
Google Font API: Technical Considerations*

* Of course browser compatibility is important. And, as usual, Internet Explorer is the dunce.

Anyway, let’s get on to the cool stuff…

1. Choose your font
Hit up the Google Font Directory and decide which one(s) you want. Yes, you can have more than one. Then, click on the font and check out the different levels and variants. The most important piece here though is grabbing the code. Click on the “Get the code” tab and copy that CSS link.

Looks like this:
<link href=’http://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Cantarell’ rel=’stylesheet’ type=’text/css’>

You can also select different styles (regular, bold, italic, etc.) which will add on the extra parameters to the link.

Looks like this:
<link href=’http://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Cantarell:regular,italic,bold,bolditalic’ rel=’stylesheet’ type=’text/css’>

And if you’re feeling the @import, feel free to do this:

@import url(http://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Cantarell);

2. Let’s build a simple Web page for testing
Here is a link to a very simple design utilizing the Google Font Cantarell from above. Feel free to look through the code and try it yourself. You can download the code package here.

I’ll be updating this post with a few more examples as time goes on. I very much believe Google Fonts is in super beta right now. Fonts are a little messy but, after all, they are Web fonts. I’m hoping they will add a few more variations and families in the future.

Stay tuned.

After almost three years with Gannett, two and a half at The Indianapolis Star and six months at Gannett Co., I decided to take a position in The Washington Post newsroom as a designer for mobile and new digital products.

The role is a very new position created under news design director Justin Ferrell. I will also be working along innovation editor Sarah Sampsel. Awesome people.

With one day on the job I’m already seeing great work on the horizon. The team is fantastic. The energy for change and new products is cranked to 11. And the intelligence of the team is top notch. But the most exciting thing is being back in a newsroom. It already feels like my days at IndyStar.com. Everyone has a common goal to put out the best news of the day and there isn’t as much abstraction. I like that.

I’m getting the orientation and settling in bits out of the way this week. Then Cas and I will be getting the final move done next week. After that, it’s ground, meet running shoes.

Stay tuned. It’s gonna be huge!

As a Web developer/designer I’m on the go all the time and my iPhone and iPad are attached at the hip. I’ve used many of these apps on the iPhone but the iPad really unlocked their potential with more space and more processing capability. Check ‘em out and leave some comments. I know, I know, no freebies. Sadly most of these productivity apps are pricey. But support your colleagues, right?

1. FTP on the Go Pro ($9.99)
Connect to all of your servers and edit code live. This app saved me on the iPhone a few times. Now it’s even easier on the iPad. Sure, it’s not free but how cool is fixing that controller on the fly when the boss calls pissed off and you’re at the Girl Talk concert? That didn’t really happen. Just sayin’.

2. Keynote ($9.99)
Yep. You might need to present that new dev plan. Now you can do it on the iPad. Then. Look cool when you plug in and say, “Did that on the iPad.”

3. Sketches 2 ($4.99)
Great for sketching up ideas. I love the graph paper background. Very useful for building out ideas on the go.

4. iDisplay ($4.99)
Your iPad as an extra monitor. What! Yeah it’s pretty cool. Requires software on your desktop, which is a little clunky but not too bad. Then you can test tablet browser views right there. Think about it. Yep.

5. Markup ($9.99)
A little more intuitive than FTP on the Go but more buggy. Nice environment for coding. Code Monkey is also available but it’s messy. I’ve found FTP on the Go is quick for good edits but Markup is for real coding.

6. Analytics HD ($6.99)
You spent all that time on your site don’t you wanna know how it’s doing? Of course you do. I have the Analytics app for my iPhone and use it every day. I like the HD interface more and it allows me to see more data at once. A must have.

7. Things for iPad ($19.99)
Kinda pricey but it pays for itself over and over again. Keep track of everything in your life. If you’re like me, you have multiple projects in the air at one time. Things is your backup secretary. Sort lists by project and order them by due date. It’s easy to find what you need to know on the go. Also, if you have e desktop software for Things, you can sync your iPad with all of your Things.

8. iSSH Console ($9.99)
If you spend as much time in Terminal as you should be then this app is a must have. Full xterm support with color as well. SSH into server easily with multiple active connections. Also import RSA keys and much more. Great for any developer.

9. Class Browser for iPhone Developers ($1.99)
When you’re in the middle of Objective-C and you forget a class, this app is there for you. Sure you can always Google it. But this app, not free but cheap, sorts all SDK classes alphabetically. Very useful when you know what you’re looking for. Good reference but probably not a must.

10. Code – Source Code Viewer ($1.99)
Love this app and it’s cheap! View the source code of any site within the app. Or, use the Safari bookmarklet to view code. Great resource when you’re curious what’s under the hood.

Finally completed Cas and I’s wedding invites. They will be going out shortly. The best part? They only cost $42. Boom!

Oh, and I set us up a little Web site and blog at http://joeyandcas.com

Invite details
Invite size: 4″ by 9.25″
RSVP size: 4″ by 5″ postcard
Envelopes: #10 size
Orange CMYK: 0 48 88 0
Green CMYK: 48 0 88 0
Font: Gill Sans
Paper: 80 weight white

Tomorrow I will be attending the TH(ink) E-reader 2010 Summit in New York. I’ll be blogging about the event here and live tweeting from @josephjames.

Feel free to check out the site to see what this deal is all about. I’m interested to see what the talks bring. Of course, I’m sure the iPad will be a hot discussion.

I’ll be taking the Acela train up this afternoon. The conference begins tomorow at 8 a.m.

Stay tuned for more.

Check it out. Just shined this puppy up a little bit. Feel free to click around and see what’s new. I’ll be updating the sub pages this weekend with new portfolio links and much more.

Also, check out http://orangegoatmedia.com and sign up to receive notifications when the new site launches.

Rock on.

I got lucky leaving Washington D.C. before the first snowpocalypse so I could spend the Super Bowl with my family. Little did I know that was the last time I would see any luck this weekend.

Colts lost. Got a flight cancellation phone call right after Addai couldn’t punch in that last possible shred of a hope touchdown. Then, was rescheduled on a terrible multiple connection flight with Delta putting me into DCA around midnight. So I called to reschedule for today.

Hold on, let me give you a little back story.

Before I left, the weather reports were growing taller than too tall Tim. So I moved up my flight and got out of DC first thing Friday morning. Around 1 p.m. later that day, they got hammered. And continued to get hammered. I figured I would be able to get back Monday morning after everything was cleaned up. Nope. Reagan International (DCA) was shut down for snow removal until 10 a.m. Monday morning. Eep.

Oh it gets worse. Then, thinking I would get out later Monday or first thing Tuesday (today), I start to read the weather reports. Snow. Snow for Indianapolis and Chicago. AND! More snow for the DC area. Via CNN: No relief for for snowed-under Washington

So here I am. Stuck in the Indy airport as my dad tries to navigate the roads to come pick me up. At least there is free wifi.

Then there’s Delta. The kiosk lady was not helpful as the other DC bound folks and Detroit bound folks behind me were all turned away. Apparently another flight got out but because she couldn’t remember how to put in DCA into the computer she missed the time period to switch me to that flight. Oh yes. Flights were getting out, but none for me.

Luckily the fine lady I talked to on the phone from Delta was super nice and got me on the flight for tomorrow (if that even happens). But most of all, she was understanding. She was thankful that I was calm and not yelling at her after she looked through the rebooking history on her terminal screen. I said, “This definitely sucks but I’m not the only one dealing with it.” Right then she said there was one seat left and it had been taken. But she worked her magic, called her manager, and said she had already started the rebooking so the seat was hers. I got it. Whew.

We thought we had found a perfect DJ for our wedding June 12 in West Lafayette, Indiana, with the Indianapolis-based company Event One DJs. Funny how things go…

Cas and I met with Wes from Event One Djs on a Saturday afternoon at 12:30 in their Indianapolis office in Broad Ripple. He was extremely nice and professional. They even had a room full of hand-written testimonial cards from previous clients. He had a great presentation and outline the specifics of their services. Easy process. We were thoroughly impressed.

We decided to discuss it over the weekend and figure out the exact DJ package we wanted. He encouraged us to think about and said, “take your time”. We settled on the standard 5-hour package ($895). We weren’t interested in all of the grossly overpriced add-ons such as a monogram light projector with our initials, additional uplighting, or photo slideshow. I emailed him early Tuesday morning (8:30 a.m.) after flying back to DC Monday night.

We completely understand there can only be a limited number of openings for dates, but as a professional courtesy, other services we’ve booked have alerted us to other people looking at our dates if they had spoken with us first. Not the case.

I heard back from Wes at 10:02 p.m. (thirteen-and-a-half hours later) and found out another couple had booked our date. After a round of excuses he did offer another DJ service and any assistance we wanted.

I inquired about the delay in response. He apologized. I then responded about the courtesy we expected. I have yet to hear back. Looks like the bells and whistles were just that.

Cas quickly posted a  review to Angie’s List. I’ve paraphrased pieces of it here.

Needless to say we will not be recommending Event One DJs to any friends or family in the future. Am I bitter? Duh. Luckily we had a backup plan and will be talking to a few other DJs this week. I figured we were bound to get burnt eventually during the course of our wedding planning but this was my top task.

We understand the competitiveness of wedding dates. We understand we should have acted sooner. However, we also expect to receive the same level of courtesy we have received from others.

Today is my last day at The Indianapolis Star. It’s a surreal, bittersweet experience to be leaving the job I have so truly loved for the past two years.

In that time, I’ve developed as a designer, web developer, journalist, writer, editor, but most of all as a person. The knowledge I have gained from my colleagues is immeasurable. I will miss them all dearly. Luckily, I’m staying in the family. On Monday I will begin my new job at Gannett corporate as a Web developer/designer for ContentOne. I’ll post a few updates as I settle in there.

I’m not one for sappy notes or lengthy ones. With that said, so long and thanks for all the fish.

I’m in the process of archiving old files and rebooting my blog. Too much to write about. Hopefully I’ll actually keep up with it this time. Stay tuned for more…