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Archive for April, 2010

Hover Text Replace – WordPress plugin

Apr 8

Posted by admin in General | No Comments

On my language-learning web site, Fluent Every Year, I have a feature that shows a translation inline by swapping out text when the mouse rolls over it. It’s very handy, and it occurred to me that I should make it a plugin, so other people can use it too!

Features:

  • Add the “translate” class to a containing element, such as a blockquote or a ul tag. Then, any em tags with a title attribute will automatically swap their content for the title when you move the mouse over them.

Planned features:

  • Allow any tag or classname to be specified as the containing element.
  • Allow any tag or classname to be specified as the translate element.

Download
The current version can be downloaded at WordPress.org.

Changelog

  • 0.1
    • Initial version

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My new iPad

Apr 3

Posted by admin in Technology | No Comments

This morning there were people lined up around the Apple store, standing in the rain as they waited to be the first to own an iPad. The store opened at 10:00. I went at 12:30. No wait, no line. I walked out at 12:35 with my new iPad.

I didn’t expect to like it so much!

The first thing that’s immediately clear is that it’s not just a big iPod. Its more. The iPad is big enough to read on. It’s completely useable as a web browser, e-Book reader, video player, etc.

Even with the small handful of apps available today at release, I am already impressed. The news apps are fantastic. The weatherbug app is awesome. Kayak is killer. So far, I’ve only downloaded free apps, but most of them are exciting to see and use. The potential for this device is huge.

The built-in apps are updated, too. The music player looks a bit more like iTunes now. The contact book looks like an actual contact book. The photos app has lots of cool new features, including allowing the device to act as a digital picture frame. And I’ve never had so much fun playing with Google maps as I had today.

After playing with it all day (battery life also rocks), I have just two complaints. First, typing with the on-screen keyboard is painful; it would probably be fine for on-the-go use, but anyone making extended use of the iPad is going to want the accessory keyboard. And second, it runs apps designed for iPhone/iPod, but they run small and are a pain to use; though I imagine that over time, most apps will be updated to work on the iPad and this will be less of an issue.

I’m convinced this is the future of computing for many people. Apple has redefined the computing paradigm with the iPad. And thanks to the iTunes Store and App Store, it will be extremely difficult for any competing product to pose a challenge.

I’m also convinced that this will be a Kindle-killer. Or, perhaps more accurately, that Amazon will have to put some serious new features into the Kindle, and lower the price, if they hope to survive in an iPad world.

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