Ideas to Inspire Pro Screencasting With all the screencasting going on in the blogosphere lately, what with tutorials running rampant across all different video sharing websites…I thought I’d share a few screencasting tools for those of you looking for a free alternative to some of those higher priced utilities. This review covers both PC and Mac utilities, and not wanting to leave anyone out…one for those running Java. AviScreen AviScreen captures screen activities and converts the output into an .avi file or alternatively into several images. AviScreen is very easy to use and I really like its “follow the cursor” feature. The one thing I don’t like is that it does not support audio and the GUI seems clunky sometimes. OS: Windows only CamStudio CamStudio is a nice capture program that records all screen and audio activity and creates standard .avi files. Copernicus Copernicus is for you Mac people out there. OS: Mac only Screencast-o-Matic Screencast-o-Matic is a neat online application that creates videos. Jing
For Beginners Welcome! Are you completely new to programming? If not then we presume you will be looking for information about why and how to get started with Python. Fortunately an experienced programmer in any programming language (whatever it may be) can pick up Python very quickly. It's also easy for beginners to use and learn, so jump in! Installing Python is generally easy, and nowadays many Linux and UNIX distributions include a recent Python. If you want to know whether a particular application, or a library with particular functionality, is available in Python there are a number of possible sources of information. If you have a question, it's a good idea to try the FAQ, which answers the most commonly asked questions about Python. If you want to help to develop Python, take a look at the developer area for further information.
Search engine visibility Search engines have become a part of our lives. When we want to know something we turn to the search engines. People search the Internet when they want to find a company, product, service, cause or idea. Most people who search use generic, descriptive words to search online - not brand names or terms. In the mind of the searcher, the web sites that show up in the first half of the first page are the major players in that field. Optimize your web site content. Start with keyword research. find out what words people use when they look for a company like yours. Send out optimized press releases based on these same keywords. This is the quick fix. See the case studies on optimized press releases > Send out an e-newsletter full of useful information. Help your public to understand how your product or service works and what it can do for them. Write articles. Write articles for other web sites and magazines and newspapers. Start a corporate blog. Syndicate Your Content in News Feeds
Application Usability 1: Usability Week 2011 Conference Graphical user interfaces (GUI) have a rich vocabulary with screen components for many different situations. Effective design and implementation of these screen components have profound, positive implications on the overall user experience; while unusable design can have adverse effects on your users and customers. In this seminar, we’ll explore the behavior of application screen components, including both standard behaviors that users expect and unique interface components designed for specific interactions. "This course ties together all of the principles learned throughout the rest of Usability Week and applies them directly to application design. Meredith EnglundIntronis Please note: This course does not cover mobile apps. Topics Format The basis of the course is a lecture format with a couple of group exercises to reinforce the learned principles and guidelines. The course also includes:
Mobile User Experience 2: Usability Week 2011 Conference Different platforms require different user interface design. What works for mouse-driven desktop design is not the same as for gesture-driven touchscreen design. Additionally, apps allows us to streamline functionality in more phone-specific design. In this course, you will learn the UI elements for creating successful apps on devices such as iPhone, iPad, Android, and Kindle. This course focuses on the user experience, not on development or programing. Topics Behavioral differences between tablets and phones Usage patterns and activities among mobile users Design standards that people expect Device differences: Android vs. iPhone vs. Free Material with Course Attendance Nielsen Norman Group Tablet Website & Application UX report (a $198 value). Format The basis of the course is a lecture format with a couple of group exercises to reinforce the learned principles and guidelines. The course also includes: Companion Course
37 Data-ish Blogs You might not know it, but there are actually a ton of data and visualization blogs out there. I'm a bit of a feed addict subscribing to just about anything with a chart or a mention of statistics on it (and naturally have to do some feed-cleaning every now and then). In a follow up to my short list last year, here are the data-ish blogs, some old and some new, that continue to post interesting stuff. Data and Statistics By the Numbers - Column from The New York Times visual Op-ed columnist, Charles Blow, who also used to be NYT's graphics director.Data Mining - Matthew Hurst, scientist at Microsoft's MSN, also the co-creator of BlogPulse.Statistical Modeling - We might disagree on certain things, but Andrew's blog is one of the few active pure statistics blogs.The Numbers Guy - Data-minded reporting from Carl Bialik of the Wall Street Journal.Basketball Geek - Like statistical analysis and basketball? Statistical/Analytical Visualization Maps Design & Infographics Others Worth Noting
Boxes and Arrows: The design behind the design Humanized