CiaranGaffey.com

CSS3 giving you sore wrists from typing prefixes for each browser? Well now you don’t have to. Greek web designer and CSS3 superfan, Lea Verou, has created a really cool little javascript that detects which browser is being used and adds the appropriate prefix. So before if you had a CSS style with attributes that looked something like this:

 #access a {
 -webkit-transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out;
-moz-transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out;
-o-transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out;
-ms-transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out;
-webkit-border-radius: 15px 15px 0px 0px;
-moz-border-radius: 15px 15px 0px 0px;
border-radius: 15px 15px 0px 0px;
}

…it can now just be typed as this:
 

#access a {
transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out;
border-radius: 15px 15px 0px 0px;
}
 

Pretty sweet eh? Also the less CSS that needs to be loaded the faster your site is gonna be.

Go here to find out more about it and download the javascript.

I did this years ago in college. Motion graphics are fun, but time consuming. This is pretty rough now but I’m still proud of it.

Well if this logo doesn’t make people think HTML5 is the saviour of the internet then nothing will. Although Google’s siding with Flash with regards to what video codecs Chrome uses may halt integration a little bit….oh the time’s they are a changin’.

Japanese casualwear giants Uniqlo have probably the coolest website in the world. It’s batty, technically impressive and just all round delightful. I dare you to not stare at it for hours on end.

Just discovered this guy Hilo Chen. Whatever you think about the subject matter these photo-realistic paintings are amazing. More here.

I’ve just completed the redesign of the website of Irish band The High Kings. The new design was provided to me while I did the development of the site, the content management system and the 3D animation on the home page. The site also features a members area with exclusive content that requires users to sign up and log in to access. There’s also a newsletter functionality and full video features. Click here to check it out.

Ingredients:

• Olive oil…LOTS of olive oil…to be reused
• Potatoes (1 big potato per person)
• Eggs (2 eggs per person)
• Salt
• A large plate (large enough to cover the pan)
• A big glass of wine (red)

First have a sip of the wine.

Thinly slice potatoes. All slices should have the same thickness and should be the same width from end to end.

Put the potatoes in a bowl. Add a healthy dose of salt and mix around the potatoes. It’s best to err on the side of caution with the salt when making this for the first time. It’s super easy to put in too much and ruin it completely. Having said that one of the keys to a good tortilla is adding the right amount of salt, a large amount.

Put a TONNE of oil into a big, deep and definitely non-stick pan. We’re practically going to be deep frying here. Heat the oil.

Put the eggs into a big bowl and whisk. Add salt but again don’t go too nuts.

Sip some wine.

After a few minutes test the heat of the oil by dipping a slice of potato into it. If it’s starts to crackle it’s good to go.

Put the potatoes into the pan. The oil should cover the potatoes. As I said we’re deep frying.

The potatoes shouldn’t brown but rather turn soft and yellow. Keep them moving in the oil and occasionally turn. You won’t need to turn much if you’ve a lot of oil as they’ll be fried well enough. They’ll probably cook in about 5-10 minutes. The potatoes might begin to break up a little, this is generally an indication that they’re cooked although this varies depending on what potatoes you use.

Don’t forget where you put your wine glass.

When cooked remove the potatoes from the oil. If you can try and use a utensil that’s sort of in between a ladle and a spatula as you’ll want to be able to drain as much oil from the potatoes as possible. I’ve no idea what the utensil is called…but really who cares. Add the potatoes to the eggs.

You can put the oil into a jar now to use again some other time. Make sure though the oil isn’t too hot for the jar.

Put a small bit of oil back into the pan and reheat.

Mix the potatoes around in the egg. Try and get the potatoes seperated and evenly distributed through the egg.

If necessary refill your glass.

Me and Alberto with his (much better) tortilla.

Pour the mix into the pan. Move the mix, cook all of it, poke around a bit so the egg is getting everywhere. It will quickly begin to solidify at the bottom and sides depending on how runny the whole mix is. Don’t let the bottom burn. When the bottom is cooked place the plate over the pan. Keeping your hand firmly on the plate flip the pan over. Hopefully the tortilla will have landed perfectly on the plate and the underside of it isn’t dripping everywhere.

Add a little oil to the pan and reheat. Slide the tortilla back onto the pan and keep it moving, don’t let it stick. The tortilla will be finished in just a few moments. Slide it back onto a plate. If you’re eating it hot eat it quick. Otherwise it’s good cold.

The above image is my first ever attempt at a tortilla. It was in fact a little too salty but overall I was pretty satisfied with the fact that it stayed together and didn’t descend into just eggy potatoes. Success!

So somewhere in between Dublin and Barcelona I lost my Dell 65w power adapter and cord. Devastated comes close to describing how I felt on realising this. I don´t think I even turned on my laptop since I left for my week away yet somehow I managed to leave the adapter somewhere that wasn´t the inside of my suitcase and now I´m stuck with a 5kg paperweight that used to be my laptop. So what am I to do?
Dell are selling the power adapter for €88 incl. postage and packaging, I could order one and it would be in Berlin by the time I get home. I could have the power supply sent from Dublin, where I probably left it, to Berlin or I could scour Barcelona´s electrical superstores and see if there´s something that could replicate the power supply. Although I have a feeling that Dell more then likely have patents on anything remotely resembling their power supplies effectively forcing you to order only from them….I´m frustrated. The prospect of not working for the next week because I don´t have a stupid power cable is angering me greatly.

Although if there´s nothing I can do maybe I should just relax and accept the fact that I can´t do anything for the next 4 days…hmmm…otra cerveza por favor.

[EDIT] I found a universal power adapter with about a dozen different jacks in a tiny shop across the road from where I’m staying. Success!