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Custom SVG error pages (for download)

To change default error pages, simply create your own html files — upload them to your server, and add the following to your .htaccess file: (source)

 
ErrorDocument 400 /errors/badrequest.html
ErrorDocument 401 /errors/authreqd.html
ErrorDocument 403 /errors/forbid.html
ErrorDocument 404 /errors/notfound.html
ErrorDocument 500 /errors/serverr.html

You are welcome to use the ones I’ve created (links & image previews below). I’ve used SVG as background images as I wanted them to be scalable — you can replace with any image type you want. Note: that SVG is only supported by recent browsers.

Download zip — contains 5 html files and 5 svg files (all the code is simple and validates)

Check out the example page links: (re-size browser to see how sharp the svg re-sizes)

If using SVG (as in my example) you will need to make sure the remote server sends the appropriate MIME type so these lines may need to be added to .htaccess file: (source)

   
AddType image/svg+xml svg
AddType image/svg+xml svgz 

Powerful, short, fat burning session

This really works—just one kettle needed, shouldnt take longer than 15 mins: Lose The Spare Tire With Just Two Exercises

Maintenance mode for wordpress (without plugin)

Sometimes you need to do some private alterations to your wordpress site and rather than installing a plugin or locking things down you can paste the below code snippet into your functions.php file. The site will now only show to admins. (Remove it when you are done)

function cwc_maintenance_mode() {
    if ( !current_user_can( 'edit_themes' ) || !is_user_logged_in() ) {
        wp_die('Maintenance, please come back soon.');
    }
}
add_action('get_header', 'cwc_maintenance_mode');

Thanks to Jean-Baptiste for this and other useful WordPress hacks

humanscale office chair

Sitting for several hours at a time and sometimes over fifteen hours in a day — a chair and good screen are two items I really value in my profession. I’ve tried a number of chairs from ergonomic to great looking designer ones. My favorite and most valued chair is the Liberty — it’s not just the chair, Humanscale are second to none in service. I have one of the original New York chairs (they are now made in Ireland).

I used to get back problems even with my old ergonomic chair but have been sound with my humanscale. I have had my kids spin on it and it’s great to raz from one side to the other of the room and super comfortable even with your feet on the desk. No need for loads of controls — it holds postion perfect lumbar support automatically due to the three-fold mesh.

Glance at Shigeo Fukuda

Shigeo Fukuda was the first Japanese designer to be inducted into the New York Art Directors Club Hall of Fame after his talent was noticed by Paul Rand

His work is incredibly inspiring and it may appear simple but creates emotion and intrest within me; the play on illusions seems to rock you to the other side and then intern allow you to find a fresh balance!

The below famous work (which was my first introduction to Shigeo Fukuda), is entitled Victory 1945:

“Much of his work was designed to make a social impact rather than a commercial one and he was a strong advocate for pacifism and environmentalism.”

Check his awesome sculpture out of clamps and the shadow that’s created with it:

“I believe that in design, 30 percent dignity, 20 percent beauty and 50 percent absurdity are necessary,” — Shigeo Fukuda

View some more poster design and his book

where are you when you are walking?

Perhaps an odd thought but where are you when your in transition?

I’m walking home from work—my wife rings me and asks “where are you hun?” I pause—I’m not at work, not home—each step is changing—I’m in transition. I don’t say all that, I say “ I’m on my way”

But the thought has already paused me. I’m nowhere—yet I’m here. And always here, yet always in transition. What is home or work but a reference, what is each step but a reference point. I’m loving the transition more than ever—and wanting to go into it more deeply where I’m not here or there–but so am. I’m not wet or dry; I’m in-between feelings, perhaps even in-between moments!—I’m not this or that—I’m at peace in the middle; the part that is so often ignored and can’t be defined yet I can’t ignore where my foot lands and lifts

Multiple backgrounds with CSS3

No need for non-semantic nested elements and unlike CSS2.1 you can have the images as layers. So the first is the closet to the user (top) and the others beneath.

the syntax is straightforward (simply using a comma with the standard background property) —here’s the code for the above example:

#multiple-backgrounds {
background: url(num1.png) top left no-repeat,
url(num2.png) top left no-repeat,
url(num3.png) top left no-repeat;
}

Browser support is relatively widespread with Mozilla Firefox (3.6+), Safari/Chrome (1.0/1.3+), Opera (10.5+) and even Internet Explorer (9.0+) all implementing multiple backgrounds

illustration of a foxes thoughts

Lovely illustration by my daughter Muskeen (aged 10)—with the contemplation of her favotire animal, the fox and her other favourite, the rabbit— and their unique relationship ;)

high

Messing around with the word ‘high’. Keeping to capitals and with one of my favorite fonts, Caslon— originally by William Caslon I (1692–1766), and various revivals since. “Caslon is cited as the first original typeface of English origin” and used in many historic documents, including the U.S. Declaration of Independence

Continue reading…

CSS3 type and mask images

Quick play with using mask-image for type. Though not supported by some browsers, it degrades gracefully and anything that can help using actual text over images is a big plus.

Using something like letteringjs.com would make any letter tweaking much eaiser — anyhow above quote was from Walt Whitman and here’s the original code from Trent Walton’s article:

.mask-box h3, .mask-box p{
-webkit-mask-image: url(/path/to/mask.png);
-o-mask-image: url(/path/to/mask.png);
-moz-mask-image: url(/path/to/mask.png);
mask-image: url(/path/to/mask.png);
text-shadow: 0px 0px 30px rgba(30, 28, 28, 0.6);}

Surrounded by questions

amazing how a word (pronoun in this case) can be surrounded by question on either side. Any phrase starting with ‘did’ (past simple) will produce a question and intern end with a question mark. And then we have the whole noun sandwiched by question ??she?—such as:
where did she?
how did she?
when did she?
how could she?

2011 year of the rabbit

Illustration inspired from our mischievous white fluffy rabbit ‘Rexy’ (with his pointy alert ears). He’s been with us for one year now and 2011 is Chinese year of the rabbit

Typographic kids names

Saw Muskeen (my daughter soon to be 10) signing her name with capital M & E (to bring out ‘it’s me’ in her signature) which inspired me to do a quick play with her and my sons names

10.june.2011 note: missed the ‘s’ in Krishan—trust me to spell my own sons name wrong :)

love & live

Should it be love? or should it be live? Are they one and the same? Love to Live. Live to Love.

doesn’t have to be instant

the chamford coffee press is a gem which brings a good cup of real cooffe to eveyone. Easy to use and clean and affordable (between 15 and 25 quid). The ‘French’ press was actually invented by the Itallian Calimani in 1933. This coffe plunger is the orignal design by Carsten Jørgensen for Boduim in 1982. No excuse to put that nasty instant crap in your body ;) The shape and construction allow for the most simple method of brewing fresh coffee. A functional piece of art.

Links to some great design sites

yellow for typography sites, red for design resource sites and blue for some ridiculously talented guys and gals!

turn it down freely

It can be free but you don’t have to take. It’s given to you, don’t have to accept—take what you want and leave the rest

can’t squeeze reality into a verbal shape

The mind craves for formulations and definitions, always eager to squeeze reality into a verbal shape

typographic doodling

not because I’m reliving my primary days but it’s so much easier to play with a name your familiar with—my own! ;)

I’m possible! (Audrey Hepburn)

Nothing is impossible, the word itself says ‘I’m possible’!
—Audrey Hepburn

How could I not illustrate that!

Some other boosted & related quotes:

impossible becomes possible with practice — Gobind Singh
The word impossible is not in my dictionary — Napoleon
impossible is nothing — Addidas
It always seems impossible until its done — Nelson Mandela