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Magic The Gathering: Amazing Character Concept Artworks of Filipe Pagliuso

Filipe Pagliuso is a Brazilian digital artist known for his captivating character designs and fantasy illustrations. He graduated in Graphic Design from UNESP and has a strong foundation in digital art techniques. He has contributed to the Magic: The Gathering (MTG) universe, creating artwork for several cards. Notable examples include “Kibo, Uktabi Prince” from Jumpstart […]




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Artist Duo Creates Absolutely Amazing The Beatles Collectable Toys

London-based creative duo Joseph Lattimer and Caitlin Derer, founders of Collectable Cities art toy studio and veterans of the creative agency Fancy Lamp, have channeled their love for travel and storytelling into creating figures that celebrate iconic moments in pop culture. Their latest project is a vibrant tribute to The Beatles, featuring two collections inspired […]




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The Best 13 Tools & Resources for Designers and Agencies for 2023

There is a huge variety of free and premium web design tools and resources to choose from to help you create stunning websites. They range from complete website design platforms to design frameworks and wireframing tools to plugins featuring “must have” functionalities. And, a whole lot of things in between. These design tools and resources […]

The post The Best 13 Tools & Resources for Designers and Agencies for 2023 appeared first on WebAppers.




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10 Awesome WordPress Themes to Check Out in 2024

The good news is there is no shortage of awesome WordPress themes that can help you create an engaging and well-functioning website. The not-so-good news is that the options open to you can be overwhelming because of the thousands of great WordPress themes available. Finding one you can rely on to help you quickly create […]

The post 10 Awesome WordPress Themes to Check Out in 2024 appeared first on WebAppers.




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15 Great Tools & Resources for Designers & Agencies in 2024

It’s 2024 and the number of web design resources and tools on the market seems overwhelming. That’s good news since you need the right tools and resources to come up with competitive designs. The bad news is, rather than sifting through thousands of products to get the ones that best meet your needs you might […]

The post 15 Great Tools & Resources for Designers & Agencies in 2024 appeared first on WebAppers.




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Universal themes: Some ideas

With the Full Site Editing project well underway, theme developers need to be thinking about what the future holds for themes.  Why block themes? To take advantage of the Site Editor, themes need to be built out of blocks – this is why we need block themes. Block themes are an entirely new way of […]




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Resources for block theme development

With WordPress 5.8 launching on July 20th, it seems like a great time to round up some resources to help theme authors prepare for the future. By now, you’ve probably heard about block themes and the upcoming future of full site editing. Perhaps you have even begun to explore creating a block theme or adapting […]




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Is a cashless society closer than most realize?

In North America, it’s easy to see that we’re heading towards a world that is driven by digital commerce. Many people order a good chunk of their daily supplies and impulse purchases online. Apps make buying things even out in the real world much easier than cash. Then, there’s the credit and debit card trend […]

The post Is a cashless society closer than most realize? first appeared on TECH Intelligence and is written by Michio Hasai.




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The future of software development Is automation

Before the turn of the new millennium, development teams could get away with supporting two platforms: Windows and the web. Today, there are dozens, with more created monthly. As a result, teams struggle to manage vendor, device, and platform fragmentation. To fully realize the potential of virtual reality, the Internet of Things, and other platforms […]

The post The future of software development Is automation first appeared on TECH Intelligence and is written by Aidan Cunniffe.




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Top 10 reasons to select WordPress as the platform for your website development

1. Low Cost to start with: Its open source and thus the platform itself is free to use and develop on – starting on WordPress is like less than half the cost of custom developing from scratch or using any other robust CMS. 2. Additional Functionality with Plugins: WordPress community is huge and developing everyday […]




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How to Choose the Right Home Design Software: Essential Tools for Real Estate Developers and Builders

Top home design software for real estate pros: explore features, benefits, and tips to streamline project planning, design, and budgeting.




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Dublin, Southern Ireland





Dublin, Southern Ireland, a set on Flickr.

Photos from my weekend trip to Dublin, southern Ireland.




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3 Tools That Will Let You Examine What Software Your Competitors’ Websites Are Built With

Understanding the software that powers a website can be invaluable for web developers, digital marketers, and business owners alike when they want to analyze their competition. The process of building and maintaining a website is ongoing; it involves constant updates, feature enhancements, and user experience improvements. As you navigate the digital landscape, you may find […]

The post 3 Tools That Will Let You Examine What Software Your Competitors’ Websites Are Built With appeared first on Designer Daily: graphic and web design blog.




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Awesome, Best and Cool Facebook Timeline Covers

We have gathered Awesome, Best and Cool Facebook Timeline Covers and pictures for your profile.You can download awesome timeline covers. Using the best facebook timeline covers helps you personalize your facebook profile, and makes your profile more cool and attractive. Incoming search terms:design an awesome facebook timeline cover

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Create Some Tragedy in your Designs Using Comic Fonts

I am also going to share with some more valuable content below, you can see a list of comic fonts. Basically it’s also a way to explore the new ways of creativity because comic fonts are also able to create extra-ordinary presentation of your designs...

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30 Awesome Latest Free High Quality Web Templates

Hello friends, I have compiled some of the beautiful web templates, now if you want to design a website you can probably use these templates, this will help you to reduce your designing work. Thanks to the original designers for sharing such wonderful templates for free.

View and Vote




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Resources Bowl #2

In this second Bowl of resources I gathered some awesome FREE stuff, it took me a while to gather all this thing ‘cose I wanted to sustain the quality of the resources, not just publish bad stuff to keep traffic flowing (right?). Well anyways I hope you find them useful and if you have a [...]

View and Vote



  • Tools & Helpers

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Mild Traumatic Brain Injuries and Risk for Affective and Behavioral Disorders

Children who sustain an mTBI are at increased risk for developing new affective or behavioral disorders over four-years post-injury.




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Sweet Plugin: TablePress, the successor to WP-Table Reloaded

About two years ago (yeah, really!) I reviewed the WP-Table Reloaded WordPress plugin on our show The Sweet Plugin. After a rebranding and reworking of the code, WP-Table Reloaded is now TablePress. The developer Tobias relaunched the plugin, renamed it with a much better name, and revamped a number of the plugin’s features. One of […]

The post Sweet Plugin: TablePress, the successor to WP-Table Reloaded appeared first on WPCandy.




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How Cheerleading Became So Acrobatic, Dangerous and Popular

Nikki Jennings started cheering when she was 4 years old. She was small and flexible and became a flyer, a human baton spinning and twisting through the air before being caught by teammates. Until sometimes she wasn’t: She got her first concussion in the third grade.




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N.C. State quarterback Grayson McCall retires from football at 23 after concussions

North Carolina State quarterback Grayson McCall is retiring from football, he announced Wednesday after sustaining a head injury during a game earlier this month. "Brain specialists, my family, and I have come to the conclusion that it is in my best interest to hang the cleats up," he continued. "I have done everything I can to continue, but this is where the good Lord has called me to serve in a different space."




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Make Art or Die? For Some Veterans Creating Art Can Heal from Trauma

Most people may be familiar with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and other common types of psychotherapy, but art therapy remains somewhat of a mystery to the general public. Not incorporating it into a treatment plan could be a huge missed opportunity for veterans who’ve experienced trauma and other patients in need of mental health support. “Art is a means of therapy and a way to heal,” says Marine Corps veteran Jerry Rael. “It helps me escape some of the things that I went through during my time in service.”  Art can also be therapeutic for families who have lost a loved one in battle, as seen in Make Peace or Die: Honor the Fallen. In the film, Marine Anthony Marquez carves battlefield crosses out of wood for each lost service member and then hand-delivers them to Gold Star families, including a grieving mother who had attempted suicide.




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13 Awesome Tools & Resources for Designers and Agencies for 2023

Web design tools and resources, both free and premium, are designed to help you take full advantage of your creativity. Thereby enhance your ability to create stunning websites. There is a huge variety of products and services to choose from. They are ranging from complete platforms to specialized software applications. Just like design frameworks, wireframing […]




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10+ Excellent Web Design Tools & Resources to Use in 2024

It’s a New Year, but one thing hasn’t changed. The number of web design resources and tools just keeps on increasing. That’s a good thing. But it does make it that much more difficult to find a theme, plugin, or resource you really have a need for if you are to stay abreast of or […]




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A Brain Injury Does Not Mean a Person Loses His Civil Rights

The judicial system is very reluctant to deprive any individual of the freedom to make important financial and personal decisions.




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Why Does Everything Hurt So Much After Brain Injury?

More than 50 percent of people suffer from chronic pain disorders in the years following a brain injury. Getting the right treatment can be complex, but doable.




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Susan Meiselas awarded Sony World Photography Awards’ Outstanding Contribution to Photography 2025

In a significant recognition of her pioneering role in documentary photography, Susan Meiselas has been awarded the 2025 Outstanding Contribution to Photography by the Sony...

The post Susan Meiselas awarded Sony World Photography Awards’ Outstanding Contribution to Photography 2025 appeared first on DIY Photography.



  • news
  • Sony World Photography Awards

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Fuji is making its first cinema camera, and it’s got a medium format GFX sensor

In a surprise announcement, Fujifilm is entering the cinema camera market. But instead of leveraging their APS-C X-Trans sensor tech to make Super35 cameras, they’re...

The post Fuji is making its first cinema camera, and it’s got a medium format GFX sensor appeared first on DIY Photography.




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Eliminate Breathing Sounds and Mouth Noises

No matter how good your technical equipment might be, it is almost impossible to avoid capturing unwanted in-/exhaling sounds and mouth noises during voice recordings. After some users asked for an automatic removal of such sounds to improve the audio quality, we got to work and are now proud to present a major upgrade to our Denoiser, including the automatic removal of mouth noises and a new “Remove Breathings” option!
Check out our Audio Examples and the Getting Started Guide below.

What is new?

  • Remove Breathings: When the new “Remove Breathings” option is enabled, all the inhalation and exhalation sounds will be muted like all the other noises.
  • Eliminate Mouth Noises and Eating Sounds: With our upgrade to the Denoiser, we have integrated the elimination of all types of mouth noises, such as smacking, chewing and clicking. These sounds are set to silence in your output file.

Breath sounds are traditionally either manually silenced or removed via level-based gating algorithms using a pre-defined threshold to discriminate breaths from speech. However, depending on the speaker and recording setup, levels of speech and breath sounds may be very similar, making accurate breath removal difficult. If the threshold is set too low, some unwanted breaths may pass. Conversely, if the threshold is set too high, quiet speech may be unintentionally removed. In contrast to these traditional approaches, our new AI-based “Remove Breathings” algorithm is trained on a huge collection of breath sounds to automatically discriminate breaths from speech and to reliably remove the former while keeping the latter intact.

NOTE:
By default, mouth noises and breathing segments are muted but not cut. If you want to cut out all silent segments, just add the “Cut Silence” option for “Automatic Cutting” in the audio algorithms.

Audio Examples

1. Example: Breathing Removal

In our first audio example (Freak Show 136), a speaker breathes directly into the microphone, creating a Darth Vader-like effect. This heavy breathing is removed using the “Remove Breathings” algorithm and the Dynamic Denoiser:

Original:
Denoised:

2. Example: Mouth Noise and Eating Sounds Elimination

The following example is an excerpt from the Joe Rogan Experience #2054 where Elon Musk and Joe Rogan are eating pizza and talking about how terrible it is for the sound. Listen to how the chewing and smacking sounds are removed after processing with the new Dynamic Denoiser:

Original:
Denoised:

Getting Started Guide

For the Auphonic Web Service:

To remove breathing sounds in the Auphonic Web Service, simply create a production or preset as usual and check the “Remove Breathings” checkbox for “Noise Reduction” in the “Audio Algorithms” section.
“Remove Breathings” is only available for Speech Isolation and the Dynamic Denoiser, but NOT for the Static Denoiser.

For the removal of mouth noises, no special settings are required. Just enable the Speech Isolation or the Dynamic Denoise method for Noise Reduction.

For API Use:

To use “Remove Breathings” with the API, set the "denoisemethod" to dynamic or speech_isolation and the "debreath" flag to true, as in these two examples:

"algorithms": {
    "denoisemethod": dynamic, "denoiseamount": 100, "debreathamount": 100,
}

"algorithms": {
    "denoisemethod": speech_isolation, "denoiseamount": 12, "debreathamount": 100,
}

For more information about the API, please visit our API help page, where you will also find all other API Audio Algorithm Settings.

Conclusion

Breath and mouth noise removal is essential for podcasters, as it enhances audio clarity and ensures a more professional, polished presentation. By removing distracting sounds, you can maintain listener engagement and provide a seamless listening experience.

Anyway, we hope you enjoy the new features!
If you have any feedback for us on how the breath and mouth noise elimination is working for you, please feel free to contact us via email or directly comment in our production interface!







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Stephanie Harrison: How Hacking Happiness (Actually) Works

Stephanie Harrison’s story starts with a mindset similar to many in their early 20s. Gainfully employed, ambitious, and with all of New York City at her feet, she was exactly where she wanted to be. On paper. Something felt missing, even though her longtime dream of living independently in the Big Apple had been achieved. She recalls being miserable without a clear idea of why. Eventually, ignoring the problem took its toll. Her body began to rebel with physical symptoms – rashes, sores, and panic attacks that left her feeling lost and desperate for answers. So she found them by reading up on the science of happiness. Years of research and reflecatino later, Stephanie has found the hack. Thousands areound the world now seek to learn it through her philosophy-led company, The New Happy, which has been recognized by the likes of CNBC, Fast Company, Forbes, and Harvard Business Review. In this episode of the podcast, we have a candid conversation about what true fulfillment looks like and how to achieve it in a world that prioritizes productivity and external markers of success over inner peace. Question What People Say About Happiness The first, most direct way anyone can fix...

The post Stephanie Harrison: How Hacking Happiness (Actually) Works first appeared on Chase Jarvis.

The post Stephanie Harrison: How Hacking Happiness (Actually) Works appeared first on Chase Jarvis.




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Arthur Brooks: The (Real) Reason You’re Not Happy

Arthur C. Brooks, a Harvard professor and happiness expert, reveals that the real reason you're not happy has nothing to do with external achievements. Instead, it lies within you. Learn the science and philosophy behind true happiness and uncover the steps you can take to find lasting contentment. By following these insights and practices, you can start your journey toward a happier, more fulfilling life. Remember, happiness is not a destination but a direction. Start walking that path today.

The post Arthur Brooks: The (Real) Reason You’re Not Happy first appeared on Chase Jarvis.

The post Arthur Brooks: The (Real) Reason You’re Not Happy appeared first on Chase Jarvis.




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If my business sponsors an overseas worker on a Temporary Skill Shortage (482) visa, can they work for another employer?

When a Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa (subclass 482) is granted by the Department of Home Affairs it come with a mandatory condition, Condition 8107. This condition governs the visa holder’s employment arrangements and ensures that they adhere to the requirements of the visa. While holding a TSS visa the individuals work rights were generally […]

The post If my business sponsors an overseas worker on a Temporary Skill Shortage (482) visa, can they work for another employer? appeared first on Australian Visa Experts.




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Old and broken – but oh so beautiful

For years now I’ve had a thing for old doorways with big old locks – now on Cyprus it escalated a bit due to the number of absolutely beautiful old doors. Many of them not restored but broken or run […]




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When is the last time you said “I’m sorry”?

In December of 2012, I officially became a parent. Thinking back on those first years of my daughter’s life (before our other kids), it’s amazing the things you remember and forget (until something reminds you). Now that she’s a bit older, I see that one of the easy things to forget is what a handful …

The post When is the last time you said “I’m sorry”? appeared first on Nathan Rice.




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What does it take to be a great software engineer?

I spent the better part of the twenty-teens working as a software developer/engineer. To be honest, I paid very little attention to intentional professional growth during most of that span. We were a relatively small company, and I lacked the confidence and experience to think ambitiously. Being a great software engineer can be satisfying and …

The post What does it take to be a great software engineer? appeared first on Nathan Rice.




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Harry Potter If It Was Made By Wes Anderson

Attention all Muggles and Wizards! ✨🧙‍♂️🔮 If Harry Potter was directed by the one and only Wes Anderson, you ca ...




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The Impact Of AI Software On Architecture And Design: Revolutionizing Creativity And Efficiency

The emergence of AI software in the field of architecture and design has sparked a significant shift in how professionals approach their work. With advancem ...




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Personal User Interfaces: A.I. Augmented Reality And The Future Of Personalized Advertising

Technology today loves making stuff just for you, and it's changing the game in how we get our digital kicks. In an era where personalization is paramount, ...




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Theme: Portfolio Solution for Creative Professionals

Daisho is a portfolio solution for creative professionals and companies looking for a minimal and professional look. Flexible and responsive presentation, smooth navigational flow and clutter-free approach. Put your works in focus. Powerful Typography Plugin included. The definitive portfolio solution for creative professionals available now. Pricing: $50 Requirements: WordPress Source: Buy it Now




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Get My Illustration Prints on Society6

I just uploaded four of my illustrations (Koi, Peacock, Abstract Pheonix, and Japan 11-03-11) on Society6, a print shop that sell art prints on behalf of the artists around the world. You can get illustrations printed on various meterials: sketched canvases, posters, T-shirts, hoodies, laptop and iPhone cases.








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No longer an Underdog, Sony cameras and lenses win multiple categories at TIPA 2022 World Awards

The Technical Image Press Association, otherwise known as TIPA, has just released its list of...

The post No longer an Underdog, Sony cameras and lenses win multiple categories at TIPA 2022 World Awards appeared first on Alphatracks.





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A Guide to Accessibility Resources for Global Accessibility Awareness Day

Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) is May 16, 2024! GAAD was created to help bring attention and awareness to digital inclusivity. No matter your role on a project team, digital accessibility should always be a priority from start to finish. Why is accessibility so important?

  • Over 1 billion people worldwide have a disability, and that number is growing every day
  • 15% of people with disabilities say they never go online, compared to 5% of people without disabilities, according to Pew Research Center
  • According to a survey by Click-Away Pound, 71% of disabled users are forced to leave a website if they find it difficult to use

Digital accessibility directly impacts people’s ability to access information, buy products, apply for jobs, engage in discussion, and everything else that people do online that is becoming critical for modern life. Accessible spaces even benefit people without disabilities, as it allows anyone to take in content though their preferred method (reading the captions on a video instead of listening in a noisy environment, for example), and often breeds innovation as engineers work to find the best way to be sure everyone can access information equally.

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has developed the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) in an effort to standardize digital accessibility. However, many websites unfortunately fail to meet these standards, leading to a lesser-quality user experience. WebAIM’s yearly report has highlighted some surprising statistics about WCAG across the top 1,000,000 home pages:

  • The most common accessibility failure across home pages is low contrast text
  • 98.1% of home pages have at least one WCAG 2.0 failure
  • On average, there are 56.8 accessibility errors per page (this increased 13.6% from 2023!) 
  • 16.8% of home pages had more than one <h1> tag

As you can see, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done to create a more accessible web for everyone. If you’re interested in learning more about digital accessibility and how to improve accessibility on your own projects, there are plenty of resources and online courses available. Resources range from free, to paid courses, to professional certifications. Below are some courses and resources that we recommend.

Free Courses and Resources

If you’re looking to introduce yourself to digital accessibility, these free resources are a great place to start:  

  • A11ycasts with Rob Dodson - A series of video tutorials on YouTube that highlights topics including semantics, focus, the correct way to use a button, and a11y testing
  • The Beginner’s Guide to Web Accessibility - An article by Dequeue University that summarizes why digital accessibility should be a priority, and how to determine if your website is accessible
  • Common Mistakes with Using Colour in Accessibility - Digital designer Andrée Lange provides insights into how to take color contrast into consideration when designing for the web
  • Deque Accessibility Resources - Dequeue offers a variety of free accessibility resources, including webinars, blog posts, and their accessibility testing browser extension, axe DevTools
  • HTML Semantics and Accessibility Cheat Sheet - WebAIM provides a list of the most common HTML tags that have an impact on digital accessibility
  • MDN Accessibility Tutorials - MDN is an open-source project documenting web technologies, which also includes an informative section on web accessibility documentation and best practices
  • Section 508 ICT Testing Baseline - Outlines minimal accessibility testing requirements for federal agencies subject to Section 508
  • WCAG 2.2 Quick Reference - WCAG are a series of web accessibility guidelines released and maintained by the W3C, with 2.2 being the current version of the guidelines. This page provides a reference to standards that websites should meet in order to meet current accessibility standards
  • Web.dev Learn Accessibility Course - A series of informative articles ranging from beginning a11y topics, to more advanced topics including animation and motion

Deep Dives with Paid Tutorials

If you’re a developer who has experience in accessibility and want to dig more into the topic, these comprehensive tutorials will help you improve your a11y knowledge:

  • Accessible Web Academy - Accessible Web Academy includes more focused a11y courses for designers, developers, content creators, and marketers looking to target specific topics 
  • Inclusive Components - There is a free online summary of Heydon Pickering’s Inclusive Components, but you can also purchase an eBook on the topic. Heydon’s blog provides examples of a pattern library that bakes accessibility into each component
  • Practical Accessibility by Sara Soueidan - Sara Souedien is a prolific front-end developer who specializes in accessibility. Her course, Practical Accessibility, is a comprehensive guide for all developers, from those looking to familiarize themselves with accessibility, to experienced developers looking to expand their a11y knowledge.

Advanced Knowledge with Certifications

As the world’s population and number of disabled users continues to grow, it’s clear that implementing digital accessibility in your products is more important than ever. By implementing the information from these lists, you can help users of all abilities access the content that you share, ensuring a better internet for everyone.




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Some Thoughts after a Major Ruby on Rails Upgrade

For the past few weeks, I've been upgrading an older, fairly large Ruby on Rails app from Rails 5.2 to Rails 7.1 and from Ruby 2.7 to Ruby 3.3. During this time, I have also made the switch from Webpacker to Vite for asset bundling and made various JS and CSS upgrades to go along with that change. Here are a few takeaways from the experience.

Upgrade Regularly #

First, I know I am probably preaching to the choir with this one, but just upgrading your tech as you go and whenever you can is great. It prevents you from being in the position that I was in–having to make such a big jump all in one go. It also makes sure you keep getting security upgrades, and more security is never a bad thing. If you are up for it, you can even automate the process like GitHub does for their Rails upgrades or by using something like Dependabot for notifying you on when to upgrade dependencies.

Commit Often #

This is good advice for any project, but I think it is specifically good when working through issues that arise from upgrading. Whenever I have done a larger upgrade, there’s always at least one tricky issue that takes time to diagnose. This leads to me experimenting and trying a few different things before I figure out the actual fix. Committing often allows me to reset back away from these false paths whenever I decide to go down a new one. But I could also commit these false paths if I'm stuck, store them away in a separate branch, and come back to them later if I feel like an approach is worth a second look.

Leave Code Comments #

If you have a particularly confusing piece of code where its purpose or function is unclear, leave a comment. This is another piece of advice that is relevant at any time, but I found those comments to be extra helpful during this latest round of upgrades. There were several instances of code that had not been touched in years (and never touched by me) causing errors after upgrading the underlying tech. Some of these were well commented, which made it much easier to understand their purpose and decide how to fix them—or even whether to keep them. On the flip side, there were some pieces of code that were not well documented, which made fixing the errors much harder.

Avoid Fancy Code #

As somewhat of an alternative to the code comments, you can also just avoid fancier code. Try seeing if any code that is fairly complex can be simplified into something a bit easier to understand. Also, you want to avoid calling any private APIs that might change out from under you during your upgrade process which can lead to all sorts of weird bugs and behavior. I'm not saying do this completely in place of relevant comments, but simplifying where you can will somewhat cut back the need for them.

Be Selective with Dependencies #

When upgrading a massive Rails app and the Javascript associated with said app, you are often going to have to upgrade some of your dependencies as well. The more of these you have to upgrade, the higher chance you have of breaking something, so it is important to be selective when choosing these dependencies. During these upgrades, I ran into several issues caused by a dependency that really was not doing much for us in the grand scheme of things, but was causing more than its fair share of issues. If you want to read more about how to go about choosing dependencies, feel free to reference my colleague Sol's article on the subject.

The End #

I don't think these insights are particularly original or profound, but hopefully they give you something to think about as you make major upgrades on your own app or as you think ahead to future upgrades.



  • Code
  • Front-end Engineering
  • Back-end Engineering
  • Tooling

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5 Ways to Make Your Next In-Person All-Hands Event Worthwhile

In recent years, as distributed work has become the norm, all-hands trips have become more commonplace. Even companies that have always done them now see their importance in a new light. They are expensive and demanding for everyone involved, but when they’re done well they can be incredibly impactful. Are you bringing your team together and feeling the stress of getting it right? Designing the time together takes strategic thinking, logistics planning, and the confidence to ask everyone to contribute to the event’s success.

Last week, we came together to connect, celebrate each other, and look forward to a bright future in our quarterly all-hands event we call Third Third Thursday or TTT. It was our first in-person all-hands event since May 2023. At Viget, we actively build our culture together. The responsibility doesn’t fall on just a few individuals' shoulders. Our events are successful because individuals show up, speak up, listen, and honor the limited time we have together in-person. This is evident in the chats over breakfast pastries, the all-in approach to competitions breakout sessions, and the peer talks and discussions throughout our events. This connection and camaraderie doesn’t just happen, we work hard to make it happen. 

Reflecting on last week’s event (and 7 years of other events), I want to share these five key planning tips to help you craft a successful event. 

Leverage your physical space to help achieve your event goals. This fall we had a smaller number of attendees and we wanted to encourage discussion throughout the event so we set up the room in large U shape to foster conversation. We also made the most of our exterior space, which featured a fire escape staircase, by hosting an egg drop competition. 

Over communicate, especially around when team members can expect breaks and when they can expect to be fed. As the event lead, I share my phone number multiple times ahead of and throughout the event. We also make sure to communicate in dedicated channels, including an event Slack channel for all attendees, a behind-the-scenes Slack channel for presenters only, and an event website. We share important key information like bus schedules and flight confirmations via email. In advance of the big day, we shared this slide with our team to both inform and inspire. 

Leave room for unstructured time and connection. Over the years we learned that some of the best discussions and a-ha moments come from chats over a meal or a snack during the “unplanned” parts of the event. Now we plan ahead for these, leaving ample time for unplanned, impromptu a-has. We think about airport Uber rides, charter bus rides, morning runs, evening board games, or late-night drinks and look for ways to grease the wheels of serendipity. This was especially important for us this fall since it had been so long since the last time we all gathered together

Look for ways to celebrate what is unique to your company. One pretty fantastic thing that comes with a quarter century in business is the community we’ve built along the way. We make a point to keep up with previous Viget employees who we proudly call our alumni. We love our alumni and enjoy recognizing their contributions to Viget. One way we do so is with annual picnics, which we host when the most current Viget employees are in town for an event. These picnics are often a great mix of reconnections and networking.

Find ways to surprise and delight. Think big and small. For example, this fall we put colored pencils and butcher block paper out during our meeting time. Our autumnal decor included blue(ish) and orange pumpkins (Viget colors!). We made a subtle callout to an internal project by serving french fries as our afternoon snack. And we surprised our team with Unreal treats for their bus rides home. The treats served as dessert and a means for us to introduce our next in-person event, our spring TTT, aka Viget25. 

Some companies advocate for all-hand retreats to be social and relaxing, but not “productive.” They tout a meeting-free event. At Viget, we see the meeting time as crucial because that is when peers share knowledge, reflect on their recent work, showcase client impact, and highlight new ideas and personal growth. Similarly, our co-founders reflect on Viget’s performance and share thoughts on the upcoming business direction. The meeting sparks genuine inspiration and creates a time for us to remember what brought us to Viget in the first place – to build world class tech in support of our clients. 

On the heels of a successful gathering, it’s time to start planning the next one. For our next event we’ll head to the Allegheny Mountains where we’ll leverage a unique and memorable venue, offer plenty of unstructured time for connection (with each other and nature), loop in alumni where appropriate, plan inspiring meeting content, enjoy many meals and treats together, and of course find ways to surprise and delight. 

Work-related travel isn't for everyone, but if you know someone who appreciates the idea of dedicated time to connect with and celebrate their peers, we’re hiring. And to all the culture champions and event planners out there, good luck with your next all-hands! 




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Sony A9 III: Game-changing Full-Frame Global Shutter, 120FPS 24.6MPx Camera

This post: Sony A9 III: Game-changing Full-Frame Global Shutter, 120FPS 24.6MPx Camera was first published on Beyond Photo Tips by Susheel Chandradhas

Sony announced the Sony A9 iii on 07 November 2023, a 24.6 Megapixel Full-frame mirrorless camera with the world’s first global shutter full-frame stacked CMOS image sensor capable of shooting at 120 frames per second. The camera also boasts a processor, the BIONZ XR, that is 8 times faster than the previous Sony BIONZ X […]

This post: Sony A9 III: Game-changing Full-Frame Global Shutter, 120FPS 24.6MPx Camera was first published on Beyond Photo Tips