iD News and Blog

Learn Technology, Love Technology, Teach Technology…Repeat!

Following up on our previous “Do Something Big” post about our camper-turned-programming-prodigy, Ian Cinnamon, let’s take a closer look at another iD Alumni that has gone on to do big things after camp – Annie Evans!

Proving that girls can rock in the field of science and technology, Annie started at iD Tech Camps as a student, then became an instructor and is now a technology teacher in her home state of Colorado! She is starting her own technology cycle with her students now. There’s no telling what her students (both at camp and at her school) will accomplish with an inspirational mentor like Annie and their new knowledge of technology.

We sat down with Annie to talk about her passion for technology and experiences at iD. Here’s an excerpt from our interview with Annie:

iD: What made you want to attend iD – and then work for iD?

Annie: When I was in middle school, I loved acting and was very creative. As a camper, I attended the digital video course at iD Tech Camps and loved it so much that I signed up for web design too! It was a great fit for me when I was younger, because I could be so creative while learning practical skills! Now, I love computers and I love teaching, so iD is a perfect fit!

iD: What are your favorite things about our summer camp?

Annie: I love everything about camp! I love teaching in such a fun and goofy environment. There is a perfect balance between having fun and being safe. iD Tech does such a great job training, so I always know how to handle various situations.

iD: Is iD Tech Camps a good place for girls to attend? Why?

Annie: iD Tech is a great place for girls (and boys, of course)! There are so many opportunities to be creative with computers. It’s also a great way to meet friends and learn about computer-related careers.

iD: How has iD inspired you?

Annie: When I first started instructing at iD Tech, I was studying computer science and planning to go into software development. I knew I enjoyed teaching, but I didn’t realize that I LOVE teaching until camp! It completely changed my career path. Camp has also inspired me to be the very best teacher and person possible. iD Tech creates an atmosphere of high expectations. I feel motivated, but never pushed and it brings out the best in me.

Check out the full interview with Annie by clicking here.

iD Tech Camps inspires kids and teens to take what they learn and experience at summer camp and apply it to their future, just like Annie. She’s spreading her love of technology to her students-something we’re very proud of! Keep up the great work Annie; we can’t wait to have you back at camp this summer!

Find out more about the courses Annie taught and the locations she worked at – this could be your chance to do something big with your summer!

 

Tags: girls camp, girls summer camp, Summer Camps
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MySpace Design Do’s and Do Not’s #3: Optimize your width

One of strictest rules of web designs is: “Thou Shalt Never Force Horizontal Scrolling”.

When there is an overflow of content, it is appropriate to implement vertical scroll bars but never horizontal ones.

I find that there are two major culprits causing horizontal scroll bars on MySpace.

The first is easy to fix, it is simply oversized content (images, flash toys, etc..) that spreads out an otherwise acceptable layout.  Keep in mind that just one oversized item comprise the ENTIRE design of the site, no room for “mulligans” here.  Fortunately this issue is easy to fix; simply amputate the offending content.

A more serious offense occurs when the actual layout of the page is edited via a layout editor or a user created style sheet that sets with width of layout outside of acceptable bounds. The user may simply set the total width too to wide, or may set individual page elements to widths that, when combined, exceed an acceptable screen resolution.

But wait, Grizzle, how many pixels wide should my page be?

As different computers are set to different screen resolutions, there is actually no definitive answer. But before I advise, let’s look at some examples of common screen resolutions compared to an offending MySpace page:

As you can see, though the range of common screen resolutions is quite large, many MySpace pages manage to completely blow them out of the water.  In some cases, the users monitor may have a high enough resolution that they do not realize the impact that the design will have on other machines.  However, the designer is clearly guilty in this instance and can not plead ignorance; there is no way this girl’s monitor can handle 19,813 horizontal pixels (only a handful of high end 27’-30’ monitors can do that).

As stated, there is no definitive width to aim for but most designers will agree that a width of about 980px is safe. This assumes a screen resolution of at least 1024 x 768 (which is the most common). Though some users will have a higher screen resolution, this width will still fill the screen nicely. Additionally, making it thinner then the full 1024px width allows room for “browser chrome”, scroll bars and other interface elements.

But, Grizzle, what about people with resolutions of 800×600 or less?

They can go back to their caves.

But seriously, optimizing for the lowest common denominator slows down the progress of technology and give designers headaches. This demographic represents less than 9% of users (circa 2006, wikipedia) and they need to get with the times.

I should note that there is one way to avoid this issue altogether and that is through “liquid design”, this approach will configure the layout of your page relative to the users resolution.  However, many of you will be stuck working within the confines of various MySpace editors where this may not be an option.

So, at the very least:

Make sure that your page doesn’t exceed the width of your own monitor

Bonus points: Adjust your monitors resolution to test how it will present.  (from right click the desk-top and choose “properties” and then the “settings” tab).

For double bonus points, test it on a friends.

 

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Did you hear the one about the teenaged inventor?

I know a lot of jokes start with that line; “Did you hear the one…?” — but this is no joke. A 15 year old self-professed “hardware hacker” who goes by the name of Xteaphn (think “Stephen”) decided that having a Wii wasn’t enough for him – he wanted a portable one. So he built his own. Rechargeable battery? Check. Integrated IR emitters to make sure the Wiimote works correctly? Check. Folding screen? Got that taken care of, too.

What does this have to do with iD Tech Camps, you ask? Well, this is the sort of project you get excited about taking on once you sign of for a week (or more!) of RoboContenders at one of our iD Tech Camp locations across the country. Starting with raw parts, you build a working robot. Doing-it-yourself is cool, and remember, campers – its not just about building a robot that can win a “BattleBots” style contest – it’s having an awesome idea, about figuring out how to make it work for you, and going big.

Credit where credit is due – I first read about Xteaphn in engadget.

 

Tags: DIY, hacker, hardware, RoboContenders, Wii, Xteaphn
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MySpace Design Do’s and Do Not’s #2: Manage Your Content

Welcome back. In this 2nd installment, we’ll be addressing another MySpace-design peeve of mine: too much content. Many MySpace pages are simply bogged down by an unnecessary amount of content causing long loading times and a gauntlet of images, animations and media which distract users from the more “meaningful” content of the page (you know, like your zodiac sign and who your top friends are). I understand this litter of content is intended to better express the user’s individuality and social history, but really, it is just a sensory overload that no one is going to read, because it’s TOO LONG. Let me demonstrate my point, below is a visualization of several full-size webpage’s, shrunken down:

Less is more. No one really wants to read a list of every baseball player and no one wants to pick through a MySpace page that is even longer.

Here are some quick rules to follow:

Animated content: One per page, unless you are testing your friends for epilepsy.

Pictures: Don’t use your front-page profile as a picture gallery, MySpace has a built-in feature for that, it’s called “a picture gallery”.

Quiz’s, Flash Toys, juke box’s, etc…: See tip for “animated content”. The more you have, the less people care.

Your friends comments: Keep things relevant, recent and prune excessive imagery.

“Glittery” animations of words/phrases: Just don’t. This one probably requires its own article…

Written content: I’ve heard that magazine writers are told to write articles that can be read in approximately the same time it takes to pass a bowel movement (as that is when most magazine articles are read). This is the length you should be aiming for. Keep your eyes on the prize.

 

Posted in iD Tech Bloggers | 1 Comment »

 

 

Saving Time With the Actions Manager

It’s me again.  If you’re like me, you really aren’t into reading directions.  Particularly when it comes to computer applications (and games), I prefer to dive in head-first and just start working, clicking through menus and exploring the various options and what they do.  Therefore, I don’t always go as deep into applications as I would had I taken a seminar or class, or read a book.  With Photoshop CS4, however, I have found some really cool features!  One of my favorites is the action manager: you can use it to manage repetitive tasks.  For instance, I scan a lot of photos, and when all of the photos are the same initial size, I end up doing the same thing, over and over.  I cut my scanning time in half by using the actions manager (which you can get to by making sure that windows/actions is checked) to record an entire action that you often repeat.  I use it to connect to the scanner, scan a set sized photo, and save it, all with one keystroke.  All I have to do is swap photos, hit that key, and I’m ready to go again – no more mousing around in menus.

CS4 has been very, very good to me.

 

Tags: computer camp, CS4, macro, photography, Photoshop, recording, time saving
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