patricklenz.net

Very basic grid generator that is great for embedded CSS in emails and the like. It’s also easily extended with additional functionality such as prepend-x and append-y.

(Thanks for the tip, @gregnewman.)

Big One-Oh release of the most awesome Solr full-text search plugin for Ruby and Ruby on Rails. This release focusses on the current 1.4 generation of Solr released last November.

Major new features include extensions to the already splendid faceting support such as multiselect facets and named field facets, new field types, session proxies, support for class reloading, and deletion by query.

Upgrading from a pre-1.0 release is easy, just follow the instructions in the linked blog post.

New version of the one-click photoshop filters to add popular looks to your own photos.

(Via Greg Newman.)

Shawn Blanc:

It’s not uncommon to complain that we have nobody to teach us, be lethargic about teaching others, run from relationships that are challenging, and to simply surround ourselves with those who will pat us on the back. But a healthy “mentorship circle” needs to be populated in each area.

Likely the majority of people have issues with challenging relationships and challenging encounters of other people, me included. Which is why I’m picking this type out of Shawn’s excellent write-up and want to add a few thoughts to it. Especially so, since I’ve just recently ran into various situations that fit the picture nicely.

Of these challenging people, there are people who challenge you, both professionally and personally, in a seemingly annoying way. They will argue for arguing’s sake, they will question your every move. Yet still, in the end these dialogues are thought provoking. They foster your belief in your original thought. If you prove your point in these, admittedly, seemingly endless arguments between closely related people or coworkers, you will have grown a much stronger conviction (in case you needed that) and will be able to convince outsiders much more easily. Your ideas and beliefs have been beta tested, they have been battle-tested.

There sure is a another type of human beings that is just outright annoying to begin with and we run into this kind way too often in life. They will criticize each and everything. They dig deep into pointless discussions, look for problems where there are none. They will resort to sabotaging your work, your passion, your projects, and your life. They will hide behind countless pseudonyms, and will never approach you in person. These virtual encounters aren’t productive. Rather, they drain energy. They punch your dedication in the throat. They kill your motivation to be productive.

These trolls can cause whole ecosystems to collapse, if not avoided at all cost. Ignorance is a virtue and your best bet against trolls. Keep them off your lawn, as there’s nothing to win trying to argue with them. Turn around, look for the productively challenging people in your surroundings. Get back into the Purposeful Mentorship.

Paddy Donnelly:

Having too many choices is one of the main obstacles for 21st century designers. With virtually unlimited tools and possibilities at our fingertips in the digital age, our creativity can become clouded very easily. Being inundated with thousands of photoshop brushes or fonts can push the very concept of a design from the forefront of your mind.