Wednesday, November 11, 2009 at 9:30AM 
Check those calendars... It might not even be the middle of November quite yet, but in the retail world, we are now into full-on holiday mode. The proof? The Apple store has been tweaked to show Apple is ready to meet your holiday needs. The site features holiday gift cards, touts the free engraving service for the iPod, and signature gift wrap options.
Ho,ho, ho!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009 at 6:47AM 
Some sites out there are so good, you want to keep them to yourself, especially when they can give you an edge in your professional life. For those who work with Photoshop, Aperture, After Effects, or Motion for a living, greyscalegorilla.com is one of those sites. The site, founded Chicago motion designer / photographer Nick Campbell mixes tutorials and tips with demo reels and some great contests, designed to get pros to add to their reels while sharing their craft with other designers and photographers. And of course we're suckers for the extensive use of video, along with practical and inspiring projects.
Even if you just have a passing interest in these types of apps, be sure to check out greyscalegorilla.com
Wednesday, November 4, 2009 at 6:47AM 
It's hard to believe, but there was a time before YouTube, and even before Wikipedia. It was a time in which knowledge, humor, and news online was delivered in a much simpler (if hard on the eyes) way: via textfiles. If you've always used a Mac, you might not have had that .tvt extension emblazoned on your retinas the same way our PC brethren did, but you would've still run into textfiles plenty of times. Textfiles.com is a wonderful repository of BBS postings, software manuals, and just about anything else ever sent as a textfile. This one, for example, teaches you "How To Hook an Apple IIgs up to a Linux Machine via a Dedicated Serial Line." Those were the days!
From the main index, you can also fins a whole subheading of Apple II documents. (Also worth noting you can turn off the period-accurate green on black display for black text on white, from the bottom of the screen.) It was a time when each connection to the local BBS or bulletin board system, could hold unknown treasures. It was like looking for a needle in a haystack, and you never knew if the needle would be any good once you found it. It was also a great way to happily stumble upon something unintended, compared to the pinpoint accuracy of today's search engines. I can't help but wonder if we've lost something along the way.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009 at 7:08AM 
You, dear savvy TDL reader, are probably already familiar with snopes.com If not, you're secret is safe with us. If you are familiar with the site, then join us in our effort to educate every distant relative who sends ridiculous email forwards on the difference between fact and fiction.
Snopes cuts to the chase, telling you which urban legends are based in fact, and which are fiction, and perhaps more importantly which have slices of truth in them; probably the most dangerous kind. So whether it's a political rumor, doctored photo, corporate myth or missing person report, snopes will set you (and Aunt Martha) straight.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009 at 10:37AM 
Whether you're a film pro, aspiring graphic designer, or just curious about all aspects of digital design, check out Motionographer.com. In addition to showing some of the coolest tv ads and film effects, there are links to several resources including, tutorials, event schedules, and communities centered on specific programs/workflows.
These days, most of us have to at least dabble in graphic design, so check it out: it might even make your next yard sale sign look better. Or your feature film.