Integrating AJAX into the website has become one of the latest trend in web technology. Not everyone knows how to write the code. However, there’s a site that help you to ‘include’ AJAX into your website, especially for web designers with a little knowledge of web programming. Check out this site: http://miniajax.com/.

There are several simple and nice looking AJAX code for download. Click on the image and go to respective sites to read more on each AJAX code.

Flash 8 has this issue when working in Windows Vista. It is freaking slow if you zoom in while doing the editing, with an animated marque that took forever to open. So, try the solution below:

1. Find the “flash 8.exe” file
2. Right Click & go to properties
3. Set the compatability to win xp SP2
4. “Disable desktop composition”

This should do the trick! ;)

Starbucks has a remarkable logo. Cheers to Doug Fast - The designer of the latest green Starbucks logo :).

After some research, I came to this site, http://www.deadprogrammer.com/starbucks-logo-mermaid, and found it comprehensive about Starbucks logo. Here’s the brief of the evolution of Starbucks logo:

There’s a chapter about Sirens in the book called A Dictionary of Symbols by J.E. Cirlot. The woman-graphic in the center of Starbucks logo was believed originated from the mythological half-women, typically called Siren (with the half-bird/half-woman and the half-fish/half-woman varieties). The half-fish type normally called Mermaids. Wise mythologists came up with an answer that it is a two-tailed mermaid sometimes called a Melusine.

The original brown cigar band-shaped Starbucks logo had an slightly altered Siren from that book. The belly button and the unattractive shading around the bulging tummy were removed and the tail-legs was merged. The new Siren also smiles a little compared to the 15th century one.

This is the original “cigar band” logo.

New “cigar band” logo with the nipples covered up:

Next, here’s the more familiar stylized green Starbucks logo.

The current logo, with the Siren image cropped, only showing a hint of the tails.

This is the new supporting graphic of Siren image with only one tail. It was used as part of store decoration and product packaging.

Below is one of the latest coffee bags that re-imagines the siren in a modern and attractive way.

Flash designer always need to do a lot of tweening animation or effect, whether using the frame or using actionscripts. Try this: http://laco.wz.cz/tween/. It saves a lot of time! It simplifies the way we write the actionscripts to animate the movie clips.

First you need to download and install the .mxp file from http://laco.wz.cz/tween/?page=download.

#include “lmc_tween.as” for ActionScript 2.0 (runs fine on Flash Player 6) or #include “lmc_tween_as1.as” for ActionScript 1.0. After which, you can use following methods for every MovieClip, fast and easy to use:

MovieClip.tween()
MovieClip.stopTween()
MovieClip.isTweening()
MovieClip.getTweens()
MovieClip.lockTween()
MovieClip.unlockTween()
MovieClip.isTweenLocked()
MovieClip.alphaTo()
MovieClip.brightnessTo()
MovieClip.brightOffsetTo()
MovieClip.colorTo()
MovieClip.colorTransformTo()
MovieClip.contrastTo()
MovieClip.frameTo()
MovieClip.scaleTo()
MovieClip.slideTo()
MovieClip.rotateTo()

Go back to the site, http://laco.wz.cz/tween/, to read the online documentation for further explanation on how to use the functions. There are examples, http://laco.wz.cz/tween/?page=examples, too to show you how to write the code.

Need inspiration for new design, animation, digital art, CG, advertising idea, flash design, etc.? Wanted to know about some outstanding designers in another corner of the world? NewWebPick provides E-Magazine specially for designers.

To start downloading the magazines, first you need to sign up as member (Yeah, it’s free!). Then go to http://ezine.newwebpick.com/, login and choose the series that you like.

Well of course not everything is free, they provide free or lite version here: http://www.newwebpick.com/_issue/. If you like their magazine and want to download the complete version then you’ll have to pay. It’s well worth anyway I think. Oh ya! The complete 16th issue is given out for free! More pages, more pictures, more designs!