Keeping up with technology is a lot of work. Luckily, we enjoy wading through the noise just to find the gems of awesomeness sprinkled throughout. Fusion Radar is our gift to you, Current or Potential Client, so that you can enjoy all of the awesome without any of the drudgery. Unwrap it each week, and know that you’re loved by the geeks and pixel-pushers at Agency Fusion.
Myth
Myth is a preprocessor which lets developers and designers write pure CSS without giving up the benefits of tools like LESS and Sass.
Estimote
Estimote is a small wireless device that broadcasts Bluetooth 4.0 signals to smartphones in the area. When the phone recognizes Estimote, it then displays “micro-location” based notifications for users. For example, a department store might place several of these throughout the building and use them to send personalized messages, special offers, and reminders when the Estimote detects someone’s phone nearby.
Progress Style Buttons
A while ago, we talked about some tools from Codrops that offered code for creative button styles and animated checkboxes. Now, the same team has developed some progress button styles with similar smooth effects. It’s worth checking out if you’re ever looking for an alternative to the standard loading bar.
Google Zeitgeist 2013
For the past few years, Google has released its version of the year in review–which typically includes the most searched phrases. This year they’ve also put out a well-made video and an interactive globe that allows you to explore trends all over the world at a city level.
Devtools Terminal
Devtools Terminal in Chrome is a simple but useful tool that allows you to open your terminal as just another tab in Chrome. This could be a great solution for anyone who’s ever been frustrated at having to go back and forth between their Terminal and browser windows.
Litmus
Litmus is an email testing and tracking system that has a few more powerful features than other email marketing tools like MailChimp and Constant Contact. Although it’s a bit pricier than some of the other services we’ve seen, it does offer features like comprehensive design testing for 30+ email clients and devices, spam testing for common ISP and corporate filters, and thorough email analytics.
NBA Stats
Linked below is an example of the NBA website’s powerful game summary feature. Not only does it break down points by quarter and player, it gives a play-by-play of everything that happened during the game, complete with linked video clips of the events. It details everything from jump shots and blocks to turnovers and fouls. The data analysis and processing behind this is pretty staggering.
Back of a Napkin
Back of a Napkin is an interesting way to test how ready you are to start moving forward with a new idea. Filling out their survey (which asks who’s on your team, what you’re building, and a few other questions) automatically creates a document that everyone on your team agrees on and signs. We’d still suggest hiring an attorney, however.
A Moment to Breathe
Many of the topics and tools we talk about on this blog are geared towards helping you work more efficiently; but it’s important to remember that work isn’t everything and that sometimes we just need to take a moment to breathe. This article describes a few things we can do throughout the workday to stay sane, as well as some guidelines for life outside of work.
Arby’s Logo Change(s)
A few weeks ago, we talked about how JCPenney changed their logo three times in three years. Now, it looks like Arby’s is following suit after they drastically changed their logo last year, then reverted back to a more traditional logo a few weeks ago.