So Adobe finally released their online version of Photoshop. It is a Flex based RIA called Photoshop Express. While the tool is a very nice tool, it only slightly similar to the desktop version, and IMO doesn't really deserve the "Photoshop" name. The Express version seems like more of an online photo manager repository type thing. Maybe I'm not seeing the big picture? Maybe Adobe is planning to integrate the online tool very closely with the desktop tool, which might justify the name. Either way, the app itself is pretty slick.

Check it out here: Adobe Photoshop Express

Apparently there's this thing called Google, and you can just type in what you're looking for and it finds it.

Amazing, eh?

Hence, I found another tool. It's called Pixel Ruler. Take a guess what it does.

I just found a tool we all will probably find valuable. It's called Virtual Magnifying Glass. It basically allows you to bind a hotkey to transform your mouse into a magnifying glass. If you're like me, you're constantly squinting to assess some tiny graphic flaw, and then you may end up taking a screenshot into Photoshop and zooming in several times to be sure. This tool eliminates the need for that.

I have worked some with the AS2 Yahoo! maps components, and the AS2 version integrated pretty well with Flex, but I have been anxiously waiting for an AS3 version.

With only a couple of lines of code, literally, you can get their mapping component working in your own Flex app...

Check it out here:
Yahoo! Maps AS3

The Ultrashock community has been a big inspiration for me over the years. I haven't spent as much time on their site lately, but I used to really enjoy reading through their forums.

A site upgrade may have been long overdue, but they have certainly outdone themselves this time around. They have hooked up one of the sweetest Flex sites I have seen. I'm not sure how practical this type of implementation is (especially in regards to search engine compatibility), but it sure looks cool :). It also looks like they have earned an FWA site of the day. Nice!

Finding that perfect color combination can sometimes be a tough nut to crack. I find that for me, it's all about inspiration, so here are 5 great resources for "color-block." And of course they're presented in a list... because everyone loves lists.

5 - COLORJACK
http://www.colorjack.com
Extremely useful online utility that allows you to create color palettes by experimenting and tweaking a whole slew of options. When you're done, you have the option of exporting your swatches to Illustrator or Photoshop.

4 - COLORZILLA
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/271
Sometimes inspiration comes from other sites or random images floating around on the WWW. So instead of hitting the ole' "print screen," I use ColorZilla. It's one among a plethora of useful plugins for FireFox. Basically once installed, you're able to sample any color displayed within your browser in all its hexadecimal glory.

3 - BEHR COLORSMART
http://www.behr.com/behrx/workbook/index.jsp
Behr has a fun application for choosing paint colors for your home, and I find that it's a great resource for finding interesting palettes for design work. One advantage that I see in the site is that you get to see what's hot and trendy in interior design.

2 - KULER
http://kuler.adobe.com/
Kuler, from Adobe Labs, is by far the sexiest of the five resources listed here. It has a slick interface and intuitive usability. The "create" feature is clean and fast, and the social, community aspect is great.

1 - COLOURLOVERS
http://www.colourlovers.com
...the queen mother of color sites. Although Kuler has a better "mixer" tool, COLOURlovers has a superior online community full of people who are passionate about color. The blog posts are interesting, and they truly seem to have their fingers on the pulse of color trends. And as an added bonus - the site is beautifully designed.

Helvetica is a new documentary out by Gary Hustwit. It basically takes a look at the history of the typeface and its impact on our visual culture.

The very bearded, Bill Jones, sent me a link to it on Google video - watch the documentary in its entirety here.