Think Local
Several months ago, I wrote about Google personal profiles, which are a bit like Facebook pages: aggregates of information about you, created by you. However, your Google profile shows up when someone does a Google search on your name.

I'm still dubious about the idea of committing lots of personal information to Google, where it can live for eternity for anyone to see. It's rather like getting a tattoo -- what you think is incredible at 18 may be embarrassing at 38.

But there's a professional spin on this idea of controlling your Google presence that is well worth your time: the Google Local Business Center. Once you register your business (it's free), you can add tons of information: photos, videos, client references, and more. And, like a mini Google Analytics, the Local Business Center reporting dashboard shows you what people search for to find you. That kind of information can help you refine your listing, which may lead to more leads.

One Good Kern Deserves Another
Manual kerning is the best way to even out the spaces between characters, and display faces in particular can look much better after kerning. Just don't go overboard, as someone did in the top version of this example:

James Felici explains how to find the right kerning rhythm and go with the flow.

Draw Paths with Photoshop's Pen Tool
It might seem odd to find vector-drawing tools in a pixel-pushing program like Photoshop, but once you understand the Pen tool, you'll turn to it often. Colin Smith demonstrates how to draw clean, controllable shapes and paths; cut out something from a photograph's background; and create shapes that upscale without distortion.

The m curve is just one shape you'll master:

Scanning Around With Gene: Illustrations Carved in Steel
Before the advent of photography, it was up to engravers to depict the majesty of natural wonders. And as Gene Gable points out, they had to etch their art into metal -- backward. No Undo for them!

Review: Snap Art 2
The improved interface and algorithms in Alien Skin's Snap Art 2 make Photoshop art easier and more realistic. For example, author Jeremy Schultz processed this fish with the Watercolor filter’s factory settings to produce a beautiful watercolor effect:

View Source: Designing and Testing Sites for Internet Explorer 8
IE8 is faster and better, but if you’re not careful, the new browser version may ignore all of its fancy CSS and JavaScript improvements and revert to displaying pages like IE7 or even IE5. Happily, Dave Sawyer McFarland knows how to outsmart IE8 when you're designing Web sites.

Using CSS you can insert graphics at the beginning and end of an element. Looks great in Internet Explorer 8 (top), and Firefox (bottom). Users of IE7 and IE6 won’t see those quote marks:

New weekly podcast: Great info on sharing files over the Web, testing Windows browsers on a Mac, troubleshooting CSS, and much more.

Photoshop.com Now an iPhone App

Free FreeHand!

Quark and Microsoft Announce Integrated Editorial Solution

Quark Dynamic Publishing Solution Gets XML Updates

If you're not in the Halloween spirit now, you will be once you visit this site.

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