As my search for methods to increase my browsing productivity continues, I have come across some excellent keyboard shortcuts for Firefox (my preferred browser) which I will discuss here .I am sure you’ll benefit from it if you use Firefox as your browser .

1: Automatically complete .org and .net addresses

Yes, we know that if we type ‘google’ in the address bar and press Ctrl+Enter it directly goes to www.google.com . But what about .org and .net addresses? . In Firefox, Shift+Enter takes you to .net and Ctrl+Shift+Enter takes you to .org addresses automatically . So if you wanna go to Problogger , just type the word in firefox address bar and press Shift+Enter .

2: Alt + D

You can use this to navigate directly to the browser address bar of firefox. Very useful.

3: Ctrl+T and Ctrl+Shift+T

Ctrl+T helps you to open a new tab and Ctrl+Shift+T reopens the last closed tab.
This comes quite handy in case you accidently close a tab. Another way to do this would be go to History -> Recently closed tabs.

4: Alt+Enter

This can be an extremely useful shortcut. It automatically opens a website in another tab when you highlight it in the autocomplete list. For example you want to go to Facebook and you start typing www.face…, in the address bar and it starts showing the list below. You just need to use the down arrow key to highlight the selection (facebook.com in this case ) and press Alt+Enter so that it opens in a new tab.

5: Use of Delete Key

The Delete key can be pretty useful because it helps you delete specific addresses in browser history or autocomplete forms. For example in the diagram below, when I type ‘a’ in google search I get 3 entries . If I want to delete the 2nd entry from autocomplete history , I’ll just point to it and press Delete key . Simple,isn’t it .

6: Ctrl+Tab

Ctrl+tab helps you to navigate between different firefox tabs quite easily.

7: Ctrl+[1,2….9]

Ctrl+tab can help you navigate alternate tabs but if you are a heavy tab user like me and want to go to a specific tab then just use Ctrl+corresponding tab number. Ex:To go to the 3rd tab use Ctrl+3 .

8: Spacebar and Shift+Spacebar OR PageDown and PageUp

Spacebar or PageDown key scrolls down the webpage you’re on and Shift+Spacebar or PageUp scrolls up the webpage you’re on .

9: The Middle Mouse Button

This is not a keyboard shortcut but it is an excellent shortcut . Just point to a link anywhere on a webpage and press the middle mouse(scroll) button . It opens the page in a new tab .

I hope these shortcuts will enhance your browsing productivity with Firefox . Do you know about other interesting shortcuts which I may have missed ?

TAKEN FROM /www.jeetblog.com

IKEA has outfitted a train in Kobe with sofas and curtains—probably with names like Oompa-loompa, Svenssonjohansensson, Frida, and Bucarest. Unfortunately, the makeover is temporary, to mark the opening of a new shop in the city. Good, because otherwise I would move to live in there. I will miss my stair bookcase, yes, but I would make as many one-serving friends per hour as the number of pictures in the gallery after the jump.

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TAKEN FROM gizmodo.com

Swedish furniture giant IKEA has converted the Kobe Portliner Monorail into a moving showroom before the April 14 opening of a new retail outlet at Port Island. The redecorated train, which features a colorful exterior, bright upholstery and fancy curtains, will carry passengers in style until May 6.

 

TAKEN FROM /www.pinktentacle.com

 

These traditional Japanese-style keyboards are a class apart from the grey or white boringness of the average keyboard. As well as looking different, and neat these devices are even handmade for that extra “creative” touch. The gold one’s damn attractive and would look cool on many a desk: but not the green “kara kusa” one… that just looks like a typing nightmare. That attractiveness costs, mind you, as they’re available for $154.90. Except the gold “Zip-Ang” one, which is a whopping $214.21. [Akihabaranews]

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TAKEN FROM /gizmodo.com

We are always in the search of great free resources, tips and tricks etc for our readers. Everyday, we works hard to find new resources and show them here for you. Today, we are starting another great section Discover The Best Of The Web on SmashingApps.com. In this we will find and make a list for the best of the web for the whole month. Maybe, we can not cover all of the best from around the web but we will try our best to cover as much as possible.

So, this is the first post to Discover The Best Of The Web for April 2008.

Design Tips, Tricks and Tutorial
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Awesome Photorealistic Coloring Techniques
In this tutorial we will color a black and white photo using gradient maps, solid colors, and the “color” blending mode. Using these techniques, you will be able to hand color any black and white photo in a way that looks photorealistic.

16 awesome Aviary tutorials
This post presents 18 tutorials on how get started with Aviary. Aviary is a suite of web-based applications (RIAs) for people who create. From image editing to typography to music to 3D to video, we have a tool for artists of all genres.

63 Impressive Website Background-Images: Trends, Resources and Tutorials 
They have hand-picked background image resources and tutorials one can use to create amazing background images for the next website design.

Swirl Mania in Illustrator & Photoshop
In this tutorial he will show 4 ways to create swirls, and by mixing them you will learn some very powerful techniques that will allow you to easily make tons of different styles of swirls and crazy sperm vectors.

7 Principles of Effective Icon Design
If you want to create effective icon designs, then you should take a holistic approach to issues such as: audience, size, simplicity, lighting, perspective, and style. This article gives you a good starting place for creating icons that work well together and fit seamlessly within your designs.

Build a Sleek Portfolio Site from Scratch
In this tutorial they are going to take that PSD file and build it with some nice clean HTML and CSS.

Create Abstract Backgrounds
Abstract backgrounds are easy to create in Illustrator with a couple of simple techniques. Using Gradient Meshes, Steps Blends and Opacity Masks you can quickly create an abstract background.

Awesome HOT TIPS for YOUR WEBSITE in 2008
Fadtastic, have secretly been trawling the best websites and breaking down what’s good about them all. They’ve conveniently made a list of these unmissable golden nuggets of advice below. Use with caution - you don’t want to be too hard on your competition!

Artwork, Digital Photography and Inspiration
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Packaging design inspiration
A beautiful and attractive packaging can boost the selling and stands out from the rack of competitors. In this article you will find some coool packaging deisgns to inspire yourself.

(Really) Stunning Pictures and Photos
In this post, you’ll find 50 brilliant photos and stunning pictures — some pictures tell stories, some are incredibly beautiful, some are funny and some are very sad.

Illustration Design Inspiration
Few really inspiring design illustrations from various designers.

Cool Web Characters Part 
I have compiled another list of Web Characters, thanks to all your suggestions and comments, I felt that there were so many more online,  

Propaganda Design & Aesthetics: Soviet Retro Posters
One of the great aesthetic legacies of the Soviet Union is the great wealth of magnificent propaganda posters it left behind. In this post, Lars Hasvoll  present some personal favorites.

30 Must See Comment Designs Showcase
This list shows 30 blogs where the web designer didnÆt just throw together the same old comment design and put extra effort into their comment design to make it fit with their blog design.

Best of Wallpapers Made in Russia
An amazing collectin of some impressive wallpapers designed by Russian designers.

Javascript and Ajax
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Custom JavaScript Dialog Boxes
A lightweight (~4.5kb) JavaScript dialog box library. The script currently offers four dialog styles: alerts, warnings, prompts and success.

51+ Best of jQuery Tutorials and Examples
There’s stuff all over the Web about jQuery, but finding the best tutorials to get you started can be tough. Here are Examples and tutorials from jQuery masters to keep you on the right track.

Ajax Image Sliders Part 2: Intervals with On Demand
We want to make this look as if the slider is actually changing the image while we scroll it.

41 of the Best MooTools Ajax Example Downloads
A collection of MooTools examples that you can freely download and learn or use from.

xHTML and CSS
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30 Exceptional CSS Techniques and Examples
In this article, I’ve pieced together 30 excellent CSS techniques and examples that showcases the capabilities and robustness of CSS. You’ll see a variety of techniques such as image galleries, drop shadows, scalable buttons, menus, and more - all using only CSS and HTML.

Web to Print: Restyling Pages on the Fly with CSS
Matthew shared the experience he has gained writing a print stylesheet for Bits O’ NewMedia.

CSS do’s and dont’s Part 1: CSS Selecting
Css Globe is starting a series of lightweight articles named “CSS do’s and don’ts”. This series is aimed at pointing out some of the bad habits when it comes to css and web standards in general.

Using captcha without displaying it
Does the user have JavaScript enabled?
If yes, he’s ok. Let him comment.
No? He’s a suspect. Read him his rights and give him the ultimate “are you human?” test.

Miscellaneous Articles
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All 120 Crayon Names, Color Codes and Fun Facts
Here we go down crayon color memory lane with all 120 color names and hex codes, fun facts and photos.

60+ Unusual WP Blog Designs
Tak a look at 60 Creatively unusual WordPress blog designs that are a little bit more distinctive from the regular WordPress Blog designs.

Incredible Firefox Keyboard Shortcuts Which You Probably Don’t Know About
Abhijeet came across some excellent keyboard shortcuts for Firefox which he is discuss here .

The Graphics Design Resume Guide
In this you will find everything you need to know regarding putting together a successful graphic design resume

42 Must-Bookmark Resources for Web Designers - Inspiration, Design, Color, Fonts and More
Design inspiration, CSS resources, web design guides, color tools, free fonts and more

12 Practical Ways for Freelance Designers to Increase Leads
There are plenty of different ways to find potential clients, and in this article we’ll take a look at 12 things you can do to increase the number of leads you receive.

Taken from http://www.smashingapps.com/

When you mention patterned/tiled backgrounds, people immediately think of horrid MySpace pages and web designs circa-1990’s. It is therefore a worthy achievement when an artist is able to use this technique to make a website look stunning and attractive. An effective background design pattern can leave a memorable and positive feeling on the people who view these works of art.

by Ben Ostrowsky

Here I’ve compiled 20 beautiful and artistic websites that use tiled patterns to set their webpage apart from the ordinary.

1) Enlighten Designs

2) DNA

3) Sideshow

4) We Do The Web

5) Impressive Work

6) Hotel Belwether

7) David Loop

Olly Hite

9) OnTrack

10) Elitist Snob

11) Imagined Creative

12) THE SIDES

13) Tanya Merone

14) kesone.de

15) Jen Gordon

16) Viget Labs

17) variable.nz

18) Robert Beerworth Blog Australia

19) MAKAO

20) Saint Augustine Bed and Breakfast

These are all designs I feel have truly achieved a unique look by using a background pattern instead of going the safe route with a solid color.

Do you have any other websites to add to the list? Did I miss a website that belongs here? Be sure to leave the links on your comments.

Special Thanks & taken from sixrevisions.com

Are you an advanced JavaScript coder looking for more sites to sharpen your coding prowess? Maybe you’re a web designer wanting to double as a developer (or at least know enough to add a bit of rich content into your designs). Either way, if you’re looking for more information on the topic of JavaScript, the following resources are worth a gander.

Reference, Resources, & Tutorials

DevGuru - JavaScript Quick Reference

DevGuru provides an extensive list of JavaScript syntax, alphabetized similar to a glossary for easy scanning and searching.

TechCheatSheets.com - Javascript Cheat Sheets

A roundup of 10 JavaScript cheat sheets in one place; includes cheatsheets for frameworks such as jQuery and Prototype.

Google Groups - comp.lang.javascript

If you’re looking for a community of JavaScript’ers comp.lang.javascript is an active and helpful community of developers.

jQuery for Designers

jQuery for Designers is geared towards designers who want to learn about the jQuery library to add more dynamic content in their designs.

Freetechbooks.com - Free Online JavaScript Books

In this collection, you’ll be able to download 5 excellent e-books on the topic of JavaScript, all for free.

DZone

Although not purely a JavaScript resource, DZone regularly features articles, tutorials, resources, and news about JavaScript.

W3Schools - JavaScript Tutorial

W3School’s section on JavaScript offers beginning to advanced JavaScript topics.

15 Days Of jQuery

Straight off the home page, 15 Days of jQuery has “Fantastic tutorials and example code that takes you from zero to hero in no time flat“.

The “Mootorial”

//clientside’s tutorial on the mootools framework has a built-in console for you to try out JS code.

Premade Scripts/Code

AjaxDaddy

A collection of downloadable DHTML scripts. AjaxDaddy provides a demo for the featured scripts.

MiniAjax.com

Another site with a collection of DHTML and Ajax code, similar to AjaxDaddy.

JavaScript Kit

Here, you’ll find downloadable scripts, as well as tutorials and guides on JavaScript.

Dynamic Drive JavaScript code library

DHTML scripts organized into 16 categories including Calendars, Image Effects, Links & Tooltips, and more.

DHTMLgoodies.com

Yet another place to get your fix of DHTML/Ajax scripts. They also have a fairly nice and straight-forward Ajax basics tutorial.

4umi useful Javascript

A “database” of useful scripts and code snipplets that are updated fairly often.

Articles & Blog Posts

The Most Complete AJAX Framework and JavaScript Libraries List(124+)

The title pretty much says it all — it’s a huge list of JS frameworks/libraries.

The seven rules of unobtrusive JavaScript

This excellent article outlines seven things to keep in mind when trying to develop unobtrusive JavaScript solutions.

How simple is making your javascript unobtrusive? Easy as Pie.

A basic introductory article on “unobtrusive JavaScript.

The Top 40 Free Ajax & Javascript Code for Web Designers

A list of scripts geared towards web designers (i.e. not a lot of manual coding involved).

How to choose a JavaScript framework

Outlines a few considerations when deciding which JS framework is right for you.

Efficient JavaScript

An article on quick tips for optimizing your JavaScript code.

Ten Javascript Tools Everyone Should Have

A list of JS code snipplets recommended to have in your coding arsenal; among them are numeric sorting and working with cookies.

Serving JavaScript Fast

Optimal tips for serving/loading your JavaScript libraries quickly.

The Great Browser JavaScript Showdown

A comparison of the top 4 web browsers (IE7, Firefox 2, Safari 3.0.4, and Opera 9.5) when it comes to handling JS.

Quick guide to somewhat advanced JavaScript

A guide on Object-Oriented JavaScript coding.

Blogs & News

John Resig - Blog

John Resig is the creator/lead developer of jQuery and author of “Pro Javascript Techniques“.

Ajaxian - JavaScript

Ajaxian is a news site about Ajax and Rich Internet Applications. Over 850 stories have been tagged under the JavaScript topic.

Snook.CA - JavaScript Category

Snook.CA is Johnathan Snook’s site on the topic of web development. He writes about JavaScript, as well as other web dev topics.

Ajaxlines

Ajaxlines provides news and resources on the topic of Ajax. It currently has 140+ posts tagged under JavaScript.

QuirksBlog

QuirksBlog is part of JavaScript guru/web developer Peter-Paul Koch’s QuirksMode.org. His book ppk on JavaScript is an excellent book to own.

Ajaxonomy - Blogs

Ajaxonomy is a wonderful resource for JavaScript’ers interested in Ajax and other web technologies. It has many posts tagged with JavaScript.

Ajax Bestiary - A JavaScript Field Guide

Ajax Bestiary is a regularly updated blog on JavaScript.

Awesome Frameworks/Libraries

Prototype JavaScript framework

Prototype was one of the first popular frameworks. Several libraries and frameworks are based on Prototype (or still require it).

jQuery

jQuery is lightweight, elegant, and touted as one of the easiest JS frameworks to use.

mootools

My personal favorite.

The Yahoo! User Interface Library (YUI)

A big and extremely robust JavaScript toolkit by Yahoo!.

JavaScriptMVC

JavaScriptMVC is a relatively new but very promising framework that offers a lot of unique components and features not found in other frameworks.

script.aculo.us

A robust effects library that’s been used by top websites such as Digg, Feedburner, and Apple; requires the inclusion of Prototype.

Ext JS

Another solid framework; it does have a restrictive license for commercial purposes. Check out the Web Desktop demo.

MochiKit

MochiKit is a robust library that offers a lot of utility functions and effects classes.

Dojo

Dojo is another framework to consider. visit the Spotlight section on the website to see real companies using Dojo.

Additional Resources

Author’s note - April 16, 2008. After the publication of this article, I recieved several recommendations from readers about additional resources that didn’t make the list. I’d like to add even more excellent JavaScript resources worth taking a look at. I’ll add more as suggestions come along.

• Learning jQuery - a multi-author weblog dedicated to sharing information about jQuery. It’s geared at all levels of JS coders wanting to learn about jQuery.
• Mastering JavaScript — concept and resource guide - A great list of resources pertaining to grokking JS.

Got any other resources you’d like to share with us? Make sure to talk about it in the comments section!

Special Thanks & taken from http://sixrevisions.com/

In this article, I’ve pieced together 30 excellent CSS techniques and examples that showcases the capabilities and robustness of CSS. You’ll see a variety of techniques such as image galleries, drop shadows, scalable buttons, menus, and more - all using only CSS and HTML.

Clicking on the title will direct you to the documentation/tutorial, while clicking on the accompanying image will direct you to the demo page if it’s separate from the documentation.

1. Hoverbox Image Gallery

A pure css-based gallery; hovering over an image enlarges it.

2. Advanced CSS Menu

A creative and complex navigation scheme.

3. Sliding Photograph Galleries

An accordion effect; hovering over an image expands it.

4. Lightbox Slides

Part of an article entitled “Supercharge your image borders” showcasing how you can use CSS styles to make images look more interesting.

5. Drop shadow on an image

Aan image effect demo and discussion based on a A List Apart article entitled, “CSS Drop shadows“.

6. Cross Browser Multi-Page Photograph Gallery

Hovering over the tabs changes the category, while hovering over an image enlarges it.

7. CSS Photo Zoom

Uses a single image and adjustment of the background-position attribute.

8. CSS gallery layout—smells like a table

Mimics a table layout, but uses lists. The gallery is also fluid width.

9. Sticky Footer

A static footer with very little XHTML required.

10. whatever: hover

A navigation menu that mimics Window’s Start menu.

11. CSS-Only Accordion Effect

An accordion effect using div’s and :hover; the accordion effect can be vertical or horizontal.

12. Scalable CSS Buttons Using PNG and Background Colors

A technique that addresses vertical scaling, the use of many images, and lack of a hover effect.

13. Pushbutton Links

links that are styled to look like buttons without using images.

14. Scrollable Table with Fixed Header

The table’s captions stay put which is excellent for long tables.

15. Content Overlay with CSS

When you hover over the image, the container div is shown with more text.

16. A CSS styled table version 2

A beautifully styled, table with semantic mark-up - uses a background image.

17. PNG Overlay

Another way to add flare to images (rounds the corners and adds a border and drop shadow).

18. Showing Hyperlink Cues with CSS

Simple tutorial on adding icons to different types of links.

19. Simple Rounded Corner CSS Boxes

Uses only one image and very few lines of code and mark-up.

20. Sitemap Celebration

Tree-like navigation using nested lists, great for sitemap pages.

21. Easy cross-browser transparency

Opacity technique without the use of JavaScript (but at the cost of using non-valid XHTML code).

22. Curved corners 2

Fluid width and height divs with rounded corners.

23. Creating a graph using percentage background images

List items <li> styled into bar graphs.

24. CSS Bar Graphs: Examples

3 bar graph examples - “Basic CSS Bar Graph”, “Complex CSS Bar Graph”, and “Vertical CSS Bar Graph” using div’s and definition list tags.

25. Animated Rollover Arrow

The arrow follows along the entire width of the navigation bar smoothly, without the use of JavaScript or animated gif’s.

26. A CSS-based Form Template

Showcases an accessible web form.

27. CSS Image Text Wrap

Using empty spacer div’s, the page’s text mimics a wrapping effect around the background image.

28. Before your very eyes - a fade-in image

A demo using opacity and a single image that gradually fades in to cover the text.

29. Pure CSS Pop-ups

A pop-up technique that works even in IE 5 Mac.

30. CSS Gradient Text Effect

Uses background image overlays, and empty span tag, and position: absolute to create a gradient effect on text.

Special Thanks & taken from http://sixrevisions.com

Free professional WordPress themes are now become most demanded on the internet and there are also alot of free themes website from where you can download thousands of free wordpress themes. But to find corporate, professional and attractive wordpress themes is still very hard.  Today, I am going to introduce you with another great wordpress collection website from where you can get exclusive and beautiful wordpress themes.

SkinPress offers you to download free professional wordpress themes at no cost. Yes, Its absolutely free as long as you follow the license conditions.  Their all the themes looks like a premium wordpress themes which you can download easily. All the themes listed there has been released by SkinPress. They also release php link directory themes while zencart themes and website templates section is coming soon. Just take a look now and find the perfect professional wordpress theme for your blog.

Taken From www.smashingapps.com

The Crystal Project, has more than 1300 icons in six different sizes, divided into the following categories: Actions, Apps, Files Systems, Devices and Mime Types. You can just download and use them free of cost but dont forget to read the license to use them.

The Crystal Project icons are presented in PNG, the standard file format for icons on Linux. The files can be opened in any image editing software and converted to any other file format required.

Taken From http://www.smashingapps.com/