Posted by Ben Jackson Fri, 23 Dec 2005 02:29:00 GMT
I've been wanting a decent way to convert Markdown-formatted text to a nice, printable PDF on our company letterhead forever. I even tried rolling my own with some InDesign scripting, but quickly gave up when I realized that its XML support is below dismal.
Enter Prince. It takes html and css and turns it into a PDF. And it works. No fuss.
Read more...Posted by Ben Jackson Fri, 23 Dec 2005 00:38:00 GMT
I was perusing the Church of Satan Website (no, I am not a Satanist, so let it drop) and stumbled upon this jewel at the end of The Nine Satanic Sins (emphasis mine):
9 - Lack of Aesthetics—This is the physical application of the Balance Factor. Aesthetics is important in Lesser Magic and should be cultivated. It is obvious that no one can collect any money off classical standards of beauty and form most of the time so they are discouraged in a consumer society, but an eye for beauty, for balance, is an essential Satanic tool and must be applied for greatest magical effectiveness. It’s not what’s supposed to be pleasing—it’s what is. Aesthetics is a personal thing, reflective of one’s own nature, but there are universally pleasing and harmonious configurations that should not be denied.
The whole list is a good read.
Posted by Ben Jackson Mon, 19 Dec 2005 20:00:00 GMT
Update: read the HOWTO.
Most of my colleagues, when I tell them that I develop Flash on Mac OSX, ask me what would ever compel me to do something so frustrating (or, as Dave so generously put it, "masochistic"). If you've ever had the displeasure of using Flash MX 2004 on a Mac, you probably still wake up some nights in a cold sweat cringing at the memory. Calling it "unusable" would be akin to calling that paperclip character from Microsoft Word "a little annoying."
Read more...Posted by Ben Jackson Tue, 13 Dec 2005 23:22:00 GMT
On average, I spend between 1 and 2 hours out of my 8-hour day doing and reading things that are pointedly not what I'm working on at the moment. How can I afford this kind of time when deadlines are looming, the client is screaming over the phone and the neighbors are complaining about that smell emanating from the kitchen? Well, in my opinion, I can't afford not to do this. It's called research, and it's what ensures that I'll be as competitive in three years as I am now.
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