The Select tag in HTML is the code used to create a simple drop-down list on the web. In its simplest form, its usage is for organizing a long list of options and allowing a user to click one item from the list. One of the most common usages of it can be found as you fill out a web form and have the ability to select your state from one.
I had that exact need arise this week and can’t actually count on two hands over the years how many times it has come up. The code is easy but with 50 states + options like Washington DC and Canadian provinces it gets a bit tedious to re-type it all. And what’s more, sometimes you just need abbreviations of states and not the full name.
Posting mostly for my future self but in case you need a quick copy/paste down the road I’ve gone through and done up three versions:
US states + DC (full titles)
US states + DC (abbreviations)
US states + DC + Canadian provinces (full titles)
Each includes an id and a class name so you can style to your liking and a tabindex number to remind you that keyboard accessibility is useful.
Of course I’ll reserve a feet first bandwagon jump on the emerging device called The Bloom box at this point but I am curious to see where it goes. The box – about the size of a kid’s shoe box – is a fuel-cell driven, mini-power plant that is touted to be able to power your house. Wirelessly, at that. The current client list is impressive and the technology wows me but the long-term effects are yet to be determined. Can it run for more than three years? Is it a brain tumor waiting to happen?
I’ll be watching how this one progresses as well as waiting to see who will be the first to try and either buy them out or destroy it. And if somehow they get it down to $3k for a personal use box, I’ll be the first in line.
60 Minutes coverage ~ 14 minutes
(RSS readers click through to watch it)
If you’re not using Vimeo for your video hosting needs, you’re existence on this planet should be questioned. Not only did they just launch the ability to view videos in full-screen 1080p HD but they have also just made my life eight-hundred times easier by allowing me to upload the files directly from my camera to the site. This will save hours of time.
Unit Interactive out of Plano just launched a pretty nifty tool today called Unify that offers the ability for me to take your static HTML website and give you some functionality into editing it down the road. For the cost of some tacos plus my hourly rate to install, you could be rocking the updates on your own site in no time at all.
This isn’t the first system to market in this light CMS category but it certainly easier for me to translate than having to figure out how much 35 Euros would cost me.
At first this seems like it could put a hurt in my business but really after studying them a little more, they are just what they say, a lightweight inline editor. It still doesn’t give you full control over your site like a WordPress or CompleteSite can but in a pinch and a very small budget it might do the trick.
Congrats and thanks to Andy and the Unit crew on the launch of a nice little tool to add to the arsenal.
Sometimes I make things up just to see if you’ll believe me. In some circles it’s called lying but I like to think of it as a little game between us.
When it comes to browser usage, I don’t make things up. Unless I have to.
According to my latest stats, too many of you still use IE. Corporate restrictions aside, maybe this infographic will help remind you that you should be browsing happier. (more…)
