BRUSCA

Nikon Nikkor 50mm 1.4G AF-S Test Shots

Posted by Brusca under Uncategorized

Nikon Nikkor 50mm 1.4G AF-S Test Shots, originally uploaded by brusca.

I finally bit the bullet and bought the Nikkor 50mm 1.4G AF-S lens I have been looking at for some time. Added a polarizing filter to it as well.

I took a few test shots to show off the bokeh and depth of field this lens provides at different ‘f’ stops. This is a sweet lens and I am going to have some fun learning to use it. More photos to come.

Brusca

Interspire Website Publisher 5 First Look

Posted by Brusca under Design, Software

Interspire build some very decent open source PHP products for providing online solutions, from Shopping Carts to Email Markters. I have been using Interspire products since 2005 with Australia Zoo, utilising the Email Marketer (formerly Sendstudio).

Since moving to contracting in December of 2008 I have become an Interspire Partner to help serve some of the smaller clients I have. I recently received notification of an update to Website Publisher. Being a partner gives me the opportunity to install an NFR (not for resale) copy to play with. Now I did say I have been using Interspire since 2005, but Website Publisher I have never actually tried as it was never an option for Australia Zoo being such a large and diverse site it was all developed in house. So lets take a look at Interspire Website Publisher and I will touch base on just a couple of the cool features.

What is Website Publisher?

Website Publisher is primarily a CMS (content management system), an online tool for managing the content you deliver to your website or online presence. There are plenty of CMS systems around these days, a couple of other PHP open source FREE examples are Wordpress and Drupal, both very good in their own right. Website Publisher is similar but looks to take things a bit further, and removes the need for having technical know how in managing your content.

Installation

Installation was simple to follow. Upload the files to a directory of your choice, set up a database before the installation procedure and you’re ready to go. Interspire offer an installation service if required. Once installed the software is simple and easy to use.

Interface

Like all Interspire interfaces, they are pretty consistent, keeping the menu well organised with drop downs, it is not hard to find what you need. Although there is a contextual menu to the top right, which could be better organised and even sending some of the links to the main menu might be better served.

Interspire Website Publisher Interface

Website Design - Templates

Similar to Wordpress and Drupal, Interspire comes with the option to download and install templates. Although there is less technical ability needed to manage the template implementation in Website Publisher, you simply click on the download button and the template is ready to select once the download is complete.

Interspire Website Publisher Templates

On top of the easy to install templates is the template editor. A very nice interface of drag and drop options to alter any page within a given template. There is also permission features to lock off areas for certain user groups.

a 3 column editable template

Glow Gray Template

Interspire Website Publlisher Modules

Modules

As displayed in the image to the right Website Publisher 5 comes with some nice default modules. I particularly like the hassle free implementation of YouTube and Twitter. Simple configure your modules and place them where you want them in the template editor. Unlike Wordpress there is no option to download extra modules, but I am sure they will come.

Content

Website Publisher has some great CMS features and a selection of content types to add directly into your site. Content such as a Blog, a generic web page, an article and a news item. They all vary in features and serve specific purposes for what you are trying to communicate. I quite like the range of choices.

Add a Blog

This is only just touching base on Website Publisher 5 as there are a tonne more features to look at and experience. From my first look I will certainly be considering this as an option as a service to provide for small to medium size businesses needing their own CMS. For further details on Interspire Website Publisher, check out the website.

Blast from the Past - Andy’s Art Attack

Posted by Brusca under Animation, Design, Flash

When I started the process of developing my web design skills to compliment my pre press experience around 1996-7 there really wasn’t a lot to go on in terms of online resources for advice, learning and inspiration to develop your skills in this area. There certainly was nothing in terms of classes and university courses. Of course these days online resources are a dime a dozen and there are many design blogs out there discussing best practices and showing off some amazing designs. Over the course of the past 12-13 years, many courses and subjects have flourished in the industry of web design and web development, making their mark on university campuses around the world, creating jobs that did not exist only a matter of a few years ago.

In 1997 web design resources were seldom, I  soon discovered a website called AndyArt.com (now Scream Design), or Andy’s Art Attack created by Andy Evans of Utah. In 1997 this was for me the benchmark in web design, cleverly placed and animated gifs with rollovers with a 3D look and feel. It was something to behold and at the time there was nothing around to match the way Andy had carefully sliced and animated the individual images. Of course then I downloaded FutureSplash (bought out by Macromedia and now Adobe Flash), and the rest is history (a blog for another day).

Andy's Art Attack was one of the only online resources around in the 90's

Andy’s site grew into a plethora of FREE images, tips and tutorials on how to get the best results for designing for the web. He even had a CD rom for sale which I purchased by faxing payment details to the Untied States, and I still have it to this day. I couldn’t believe my luck in finding this awesome resource and it really catapulted my transition into screen design and inspired me from early on. Andy inspired me and helped me transition into full time commercial website design and development and I am happily still going strong to this day. So if you’re out there somewhere Andy, cheers my web Brother.

The CD Rom I purchased in 1997, started me on my way to transitioning to screen design

Tutorials was something of hige value back in the day

Update: New post and the old website