When you run a web server on your personal machine, you can access your web documents a few ways: using http://localhost or http://127.0.0.1, virtual hosts (http://whatever), and the internal IP of the machine. Unless you are directly plugged into the internet, the internal IP is the address the router provides. The format is usually 192.168.0.xxx, where the xxx is unique to each computer.

But what happens when you want localhost and 192.168.0.xxx to point to different locations? Apache treats 192.168.0.xxx the same as localhost, because it is the same—when you define document locations and configurations on production sites you use 127.0.0.1 (localhost) which points to the IP of the machine. The reason you don’t use the direct IP address is because it can easily change.

For me, setting the internal IP of my machine to point to a different location is very important. I want to be able to develop my personal sites under localhost, while developing all my work sites under a virtual host. But I also want the internal IP to point to my work sites, that way if I need to test a site on another computer or send works-in-progress to co-workers, the IP would point to my work sites and not my personal sites.

Turns out the solution is pretty simple.

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Can I just say that as the last person in a fully developed country that doesn’t have cable OR high definition television, the internet is like a treasure trove for me? This morning I went on YouTube and caught the highlights of last night’s South Carolina debates, checked out some blogs to get people’s reactions and joined my candidate’s support group on Facebook.

I’m not alone in my affinity either. The web is almost a way of life for most people: a one stop shop for banking, bill pay, entertainment, interpersonal connection and of course, shopping. So then, doesn’t it make perfect sense that it’s a major platform for the 2008 Presidential Race?

The very thing that makes the internet a dangerous place is also what makes it great for political feedback: anyone can post their own content. With the advent of blog sites like WordPress, Blogger and Xanga anyone with a keyboard, monitor and internet connection can become a political pundit.
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At LevelTen Design, one of the things we focus on when developing websites is usability. Usability on websites encompasses everything from creating usable navigation to making sure the website is accessible for the blind. Although we focus on several aspects of usability, one aspect of usability that has been ignored has been color blindness. Read the rest of this entry »

The single most important thing about your website is not it’s functionality or usability, it’s not the marketing behind it our the hours your team spent developing the single most important thing about your website is good design. No matter how you slice it if you can’t engage your traffic beyond that initial 8 second first impression all the clever bells and whistles in the world won’t equate to additional page views and conversions. So I reiterate that good design is vital in achieving what ever your goals and objectives are for the website, but what if you don’t have access to a great designer or better yet really don’t have the capital to afford one right now? I’d suggest using a pre-designed template; we’ve been using them for quite some time and they’re really a great economic choice for someone on a restricted budget for a couple or reasons. First, you save a few bucks and everyone likes saving some money. Second, you can actually see what your design will look like before the developers even get started; and finally, they’re ready to go so usually you can have your site up and running in no time at all.

If your interested there are several great resources out there for some beautiful templates take a look and let us know if we can get one plugged in for you.

FreeCssTemplates.org
Free-Css.com
TemplateWorld.com
Arcsin.se

Every now and then someone takes my sarcasm to the next level, and this is one of those times. Granted Agency Fusion came up with the concept, but I posted my little snip first only without the video work. If you’ve ever worked with difficult clients you’ll get a real kick out of Make My Logo Bigger Cream, Enjoy!

My morning tea is always piping hot due to our splendid watercooler of local fresh spring water. I know I am blessed to have such a healthy work environment that is equally environment conscious of plastic and paper consumption and recycling. The figures are staggering when you realize how costly the individual bottles of name-brand spring water.
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Sam’s Club®, a division of, Wal*Mart, is now offering small business owners local search engine marketing (SEM) programs through vendor Innuity.com, a publicly held “Software as a Service (SaaS) company” using their LeadConnect program.

This is hilarious such an unrelated industry giant would brand and offer these services. Although it should worry me that SEM could become commoditized by such a large non-industry company in this way, it may actually be a good thing for a number of reasons. Read the rest of this entry »

The last thing I want to do when I’m sick is go to the doctor. Scheduling an appointment when you need one is almost impossible. Then sitting in a waiting room of coughing patients watching a parade of drug reps go in ahead of you only adds insult to injury. It’s no wonder so many people completely avoid the doctor and forego preventative health care.

I recently read about a Dr. Jay Parkinson, a Williamsburg, Brooklyn doctor who is changing the way people think about a doctor’s visit. Dr. Parkinson has no office and does consultations by e-mail, video chat or IM. For face-to-face visits, Parkinson visits the patient at work or home, preferably in Williamsburg. Having a virtual office saves him money on rent, staff, and office supplies. Read the rest of this entry »

While I work in an interactive development agency, I still find my self a little lost sometimes with all of the new technology and online developments. Recently Chris Brogan wrote a great blog on how to help others understand social media, and I found that this was probably one of the most helpful blogs I’ve read in a long time.

Instead of using the most technical terms for everything, Brogan uses Common Craft videos to go over the three main aspects of social media in the simplest terms. The first of the three is Understanding Blogs, the second is Understanding RSS, and the last of these is Understanding Social Networking. If you click on those links, it will take you directly to the video page from Common Craft - which, by the way, has such a plethora of videos that help you understand a wide range of topics in terms you’re sure to understand. Even if you read blogs or have your MySpace or Facebook page, these videos are sure to shed some additional light on these subjects for you.

Another great outlet Brogan covers is literature. He goes over a list of books that might be helpful for you, your friends, coworkers and even your boss. The most important in his list is The Cluetrain Manifesto: The End of Business as Usual by Christopher Locke, Rick Levine, Doc Searls, and David Weinberger. You can also go to their website (www.cluetrain.com) and download/read the entire text for free.

The last call to action in this blog is for others to share additional resources, books and sites that are helpful in understanding these subjects. What are some of the resources that you find helpful? Please feel free to share them with us!

Let’s face it, we’ve all been sold to our entire lives; at the car dealership, at the electronics store and even at the pushier clothing stores. I’m an informed consumer and I know what I want, so please don’t sell me. What I need is a knowledgeable expert who can provide me with some in-depth advise about my options and assist me in purchasing the right solution for my needs. Read the rest of this entry »