We’ve been working on a project that includes implementation of Slide.Show from Vertigo (see above images from Vertigo.com) and all was well and copacetic until this AM when I upgraded to FireFox ver. 3. All of a sudden I was being prompted to install Silverlight, and that was where it would stop — with the prompt over and over again, even after closing and restarting the browser.

A brief tour around the forums told me that the SL ver. 1.0 version of the SilverLight.js was the culprit as the way FireFox was handling certain connections changed from ver. 2.x. The SL 2 Beta 1 didn’t address all the problems, but it appears that SL 2 Beta 2 is the fix. You can download and install the SL 2 Beta 2 SDK and get a copy of the new SilverLight.js file, or you can get the Silverlight 2 Beta 2 Silverlight.js script here at the Vertigo site. I had gone there to see if they had Slide.Show working for FF3 and sure enough, it was. The one caveat is that the full-screen feature doesn’t work once you install the SilverLight 2 plugin, which is necessary to access applications such as the Hard Rock Memorabilia site and NBC Olympics coverage. The developers are promising a fix sometime in the future, so keep an eye on this space for source code updates for Slide.Show.

BTW — check out Slide.Show as it’s quite the deal — Open Source, lots of features, and a Slide.Show Pro version when you want to incorporate video and such as well or use with Flash or Lightroom.

The NBC online coverage of the Olympics next month (Aug) will be via a custom SilverLight player that will deliver multiple ‘live’ event feeds as well as hundreds of available recorded feeds covering that two weeks — along with data overlays, blog overlays and more. They are showing preliminary competitions and events now. Way back in March, Adam Kinney posted some screen shots of the player and made this comment:

17 days of 34 sports which results in 2200 hours of video, shown live and then made available as video on-demand[.]

What can one say? – Wow!

Cheat-Seeking Missiles Relaunched

Laer Pearce’s Blogger blog was relaunched today, 6/26/2008, at its own hosted URL, www.cheatseekingmissiles.com. Arthur Baker Design got the honor of doing the design work and the WP installation. Like with the A6B blog, we used a multiple placement of the WordPress loop in his template design to allow a newsletter type of placement of posts in a special area of his main page dependent upon which category that post is assigned to. We also implemented all the latest/greatest WP Ajax-powered plugins for the blog presentation and for the admin side. WP 2.5x is quite amazing — here at ABDesign we are very much jealous of Laer and all his new toys. Now to find the time to upgrade ourselves!

Congratulations Laer — Happy blogging!

ABDesign is proud to have helped a young Los Angeles entrepreneur get his Joomla 1.5x powered website MostValuableMajors.com recreated, back up and running complete with an OSCommerse powered online store. Joomla is the cutting edge content management system powering multitudes of websites around the world giving the site owner/manager unparalleled ease of content additions and modifications.

Join MVM as they become the ESPN of Academia, focusing on those who are passionate in their pursuit of knowledge.

iMediaScience is a newly launched Internet site for MediaSciences Partners, L.L.P. that will take their visitors on an exciting “subscription only” ride through such heavy concepts as Life After Death, new meanings found in careful examination of a Gainsborough painting and their seeing an impending “Collapse of America”.

Heady stuff for those that wish to pay for it!

The video created for Airforce One Performance Industries, Inc and displayed in their SEMA Show booth last October has been recut to a crisp 3-minute length and placed on YouTube.

ABDesign had about 40 seconds of actual video footage to work with, plus a selection of product images, from which a 5-minute showing was produced that highlighted their newest products, their unique features and wholesale programs. The new YouTube hosted version is directed toward the retail customer instead.

For SEMA, the video also acted as the main signage for the display. Although 2007 was the first year for AF1 being an exhibitor, the company is no stranger to the SEMA Show as this picture of the custom Hummer H2 intake shows, which was fitted to the Overhaulin’ showcase vehicle for that year.

The AF1 exhibit structure was formed from mandrel-bent polished stainless-steel tubing, the same materials used in the AF1 intake systems. The walls were alternately covered with their pleated, 8-ply blue filter material with short-pile black carpet used in the display areas to showcase the jewel-like qualities of the polished metal and blue filter baskets. For a small 10 x 20 foot exhibit, there was room to display fifteen complete intake systems, have a secure cabinet for the video player and literature as well as provide enough room to accommodate customers and work the booth.

ABDesign is proud to have been the designer of AF1’s SEMA exhibit and for being given the opportunity to create their promotional videos. Arthur Baker is also no stranger to designing for past SEMA shows, which will be showcased in future posts.

3-D sketch of AF1 SEMA exhibit

As a teaser, here is the header graphic being considered
for the redesign of this very website.

As an alumni of the transportation design program at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, Arthur Baker is partial to automotive imagery, and many of the ABDesign clients are affiliated with the automotive aftermarket; however, with the current emphasis on blogs and other industries, it’s time for ABDesign to showcase some of its other facets.

Stay tuned — we’re trying hard to get the cobbler’s children some shoes around here.

Article6blog.com was relaunched today, in a brand new format that uses the WordPress engine as a content management system as well as functioning as a traditional blog. Full audio and video podcasting is being implemented as the site will feature timely interviews with the movers and shakers in both the religious and political theaters.

Your obedient designer was the point guy on both the design and the extensive coding modifications of an available WordPress template. Definitely not just a style sheet overhaul, the main theme php files were severely worked over, with the famous WordPress loop redefined to allow multiple loops on a single page, each showing information from specific categories in different manners. Much appreciation goes out to the author at Perishable Press and his definitive tutorials on how to make multiple loops play nice inside WordPress.

Congrats to the bloggers, John Schroeder and Lowell Brown over at A6B for creating such an exciting blog premise, and thanks for trusting in ABDesign to rework your very special blog.

ABDesign has just launched the all new TeamXenon website for American Best Car Parts Inc. Just in time for the 2006 SEMA show, this site features the urethane body kits and acrylic lighting accessories for their Xenon and GT Styling product lines. Incorporated into the site is a WordPress powered blog, which ABCP will use to keep their dealers and customers upsated on all their newest product applications.

Future plans include a forum for end users to showcase their customized rides, and a fully interactive online catalog of their SKUs for their authorized dealers convenience. A ZIP-code based Dealer Locator lets anyone find the nearest stocking dealer for either or both product lines.

Thanks Team Xenon for having ABDesign be the point guys on this project!

Check out Article 6 Blog which just launched today.

ABDesign set up the site and the WordPress blog for two talented bloggers, John Schroeder (Blogotional) and Lowell Brown (Hedgehog Blog) and wishes them much success.

[The following is an announcement about a new section added to one of our clients websites and store.]

All of us at BTGMotoring.com are super excited to be able to offer this beautiful line of automotive themed home, office & garage accessories. Now you can express your love of performance and racing cars with unique expressions of your personal enthusiasm.

High-style items made from stainless-steel, machined alloys and carbon fiber showcase masterful design.

Just in time for Christmas & Holiday giving, what better gift could you find for that automotive enthusiast on your list?

See the entire line of AUTOart™ Design here, at BTGMotoring.com.