Official Name: Academy Award® of Merit

Height: 13½ inches

Weight: 8½ pounds

Number of Awards Presented: 2,701

First Recipient: Emil Jannings, named Best Actor for his performances in “The Last Command” and “The Way of All Flesh” in 1929

Design: A knight holding a crusader’s sword, standing on a reel of film. The film reel features five spokes, signifying the five original branches of the

Academy (actors, directors, producers, technicians and writers).

Designer: Cedric Gibbons, chief art director at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Sculptor: Los Angeles artist George Stanley

Manufacturer: R. S. Owens & Company in Chicago

Manufacturing Time: 3–4 weeks for 50 statuettes

As designers and developers we are all responsible for the product we produce, and cross browser testing is a must in our line of work. Although the W3C statistics show about 7 browsers that people tend to use most, in my opinion, two of them are the most important and should be given special attention to perfecting (Firefox and Internet Explorer).

Below are some commonly used browsers, tools, solutions, and hacks to overcome your daily issues.

Commonly Used Browsers
Firefox - (Download)
Internet Explorer - (Download)
Safari - (Download)
Google Chrome - (Download)
Opera - (Download)
Want to find more? Checkout Smashing Magazine’s article.

Cross Browsing Tools
Sometimes its not possible to have a running browser with multiple versions (example: IE7 + IE6 on Same PC) so its useful to have standalone browsers to help you debug and test. Here are some tools below that may be helpful for you.

IE Tester
Browser Camp
Browser Shots
Want to find more? Checkout Smashing Magazine’s article.

Great Articles For Your Everyday CSS Fix
Using CSS to Fix Anything 20 Common Bugs and Fixes
IE CSS Bugs That’ll Get You Every Time
Solving 5 Common CSS Headaches
Using Javascript to Fix 12 Common Browser Headaches
CSS Hacks
I hesitate sharing these hacks, because most beginners have tendencies to want to hack everything up, which leads to a nightmare in the long run. I have come a cross a few of them which I would like to share, but please use them wisely. With good XHTML/CSS structure, hacks are not needed. If all else fails, go ahead and check some of the options below.

IE Conditional Tags

Checkout Site Point’s Article on conditional tags for IE

IE 6 Hack

*html .classname {}IE 6 ‘!important’ Hack

.classname {
float: left;
margin: 200px !important; /*--The !important; hack tells IE6 to skip this line.--*/
margin: 220px;
}IE 7 Hack

*+html .classname {}Safari Hack

html:lang(en)>body .classname {}Opera 7 Hack

@media all and (min-width: 0px){
.classname {}
}CSS Hack Resources
Opera CSS Hack
Google Chrome Hack
http://www.stylegala.com/resources/css_hacks.htm
http://www.centricle.com/ref/css/filters/
http://www.sitepoint.com/article/browser-specific-css-hacks/
http://www.w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_stats.asp
http://www.webdevout.net/css-hacks
Conclusion
As you can see, testing and making your design work in all browsers can be a pain at times, but the more you get the hang of this the smoother your work flow will be. If you have any other solutions, tools, or tricks of your own, I would love to hear about it!

* Do not use more than three colors.
* Get rid of everything that is not absolutely necessary. \
* Type must be easy enough for your grandma to read.
* The logo must be recognizable.
* Create a unique shape or layout for the logo.
* Completely ignore what your parents and/or spouse think about the design.
* Confirm that the logo looks appealing to more than just three (3) individuals.
* Do not combine elements from popular logos and claim it as original work.
* Do not use clipart under any circumstances.
* The logo should look good in black and white.
* Make sure that the logo is recognizable when inverted.
* Make sure that the logo is recognizable when resized.
* If the logo contains an icon or symbol, as well as text, place each so that they complement one another.
* Avoid recent logo design trends. Instead, make the logo look timeless.
* Do not use special effects (including, but not limited to: gradients, drop shadows, reflections, and light bursts).
* Fit the logo into a square layout if possible, avoid obscure layouts.
Avoid intricate details.
* Consider the different places and ways that the logo will be presented.
* Invoke feelings of being bold and confident, never dull and weak.
* Realize that you will not create a perfect logo.
* Use sharp lines for sharp businesses, smooth lines for smooth businesses.
* The logo must have some connection to what it is representing.
* A photo does not make a logo.
* You must surprise customers with presentation.
* Do not use more than two fonts.
* Each element of the logo needs to be aligned. Left, center, right, top, or bottom.
* The logo should look solid, with no trailing elements.
* Know who is going to be looking at the logo before you think of ideas for it.
* Always choose function over innovation.
* If the brand name is memorable, the brand name should be the logo.
* The logo should be recognizable when mirrored.
* Even large companies need small logos.
* Everyone should like the logo design, not just the business that will use it.
* Create variations. The more variations, the more likely you are to get it right.
* The logo must look consistent across multiple platforms.
* The logo must be easy to describe.
* Do not use taglines in the logo.
* Sketch out ideas using paper and pencil before working on a computer. \
* Keep the design simple.
* Do not use any “swoosh” or “globe”symbols.
* The logo should not be distracting.
* It should be honest in its representation.
* The logo should be balanced visually.
* Avoid bright, neon colors and dark, dull colors.
* The logo must not break any of the above rules.

Thanks Regards,
Karthick

Here are a few tips on how to get that perfect candle light portrait!

1. Turn off Your Flash

Lets start with the obvious ones and work our way back. We’ve all taken shots using a flash in low light situations and have been disappointed by the way it totally destroys any ambient light in a shot. If you want to get the warm glow of candles it’s essential that you switch your flash completely off. There is of course an exception - see point 15 below.

2. Use a Tripod

Stating the obvious again - but shooting by candlelight means you’re shooting with very little light which in turn means you’ll almost certainly be shooting with slower shutter speeds that increase the impact of camera shake on your shots. Make sure your camera is as secure and as still as possible during shots by using a tripod and by considering the use of a remote shutter release to take out any vibrations from hitting the shutter.

3. Extra Candles

The biggest challenge with candlelight photography is the lack of light you have to work with. Using more candles will obviously produce more light which gives you a little more flexibility when it comes to shutter speed, ISO and aperture settings.




4. Spread Your Candles

Using a single candle or positioning multiple candles all closely together in one position will cause there to be harsher shadows cast upon your subject’s face. This might be the look you’re going for, however in most cases you’ll want a more even spread of light on their face. This can be achieved simply by spreading the candles out a little. I would still recommend more candles on one side than the other as this will create a nice side lighting impact - however don’t get the sides too uneven unless you’re after a pretty dramatic impact.


5. Natural ‘Reflectors’

The few times that I I shot by candlelight I made an accidental discovery that has been helpful since. I noticed that those times I shot my subject sitting at a table with a white table cloth that the shots were better exposed than those without a white table cloth. Obviously the table cloth reflected light back up into the face of my subject. Similarly white walls and ceilings can have this type of effect also (it’s slight - but everything helps when you’re shooting in such low light situations).

6. Fast Lenses

If you’re shooting with a DSLR and have multiple lenses choose the ‘fastest’ one you’ve got as this will allow you to use a larger aperture and let more light into your camera. My personal preference for this type of shot would be one of my 50mm lenses (f/1.8 or f/1.4). I would then generally shoot with the fastest aperture setting possible (or close to it) which enables a faster shutter speed and lower ISO. Keep in mind however that the larger your aperture the smaller your depth of field will be and the more spot on you focussing will need to be.

7. Zooms and Aperture

Keep in mind that when you’re shooting with many zoom lenses that the maximum aperture changes throughout the focal length range. ie shooting at the widest setting on many zooms will give you a larger aperture than when you zoom in. As a result it might be better to move in closer to your subject with a wider angle focal range than using the zoom.

8. Context and Backgrounds

Compositionally I like to keep these types of shots as uncluttered and simple as possible. I will generally shoot in front of a white background (keep an eye on harsh shadows cast by your subject and consider one or two behind them) and with minimal props. It might be appropriate to include a glass of wine and some basic table settings if you’re going for a shot at a table - but the less distractions that you have in the shot the better.

9. Shutter Speed

An obvious way to let more light into your camera is to choose a slower shutter speed. Keep in mind that as you decrease shutter speed you increase the chances of capturing any movement (both of your subject, the flames of candles and movement of your camera). If the environment is completely still (so flames are not flickering) and with a subject keeping as still as possible you might set your shutter speed as slow as 1/15th of a second - but any slower and you might be asking too much of your subject.

10. ISO Settings

Another way to compensate for low light environments is to increase the ISO settings on your camera. Of course the trade off of doing this is shots with more grain (noise) in them. Attempt to keep your ISO under 400 if you can and you should get reasonably clean shots. Any higher and you’ll start noticing the noise - especially if you’re blowing shots up to larger sizes.


OK - so now it’s over to you to experiment with Candlelight Photography! Post your results over in our forum’s Share Your Shots section.

Happy BirthDay To Charles Robert Darwin

Charles Robert Darwin FRS (12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist[I] who realised and demonstrated that all species of life have evolved over time from common ancestors through the process he called natural selection. The fact that evolution occurs became accepted by the scientific community and much of the general public in his lifetime, while his theory of natural selection came to be widely seen as the primary explanation of the process of evolution in the 1930s,[1] and now forms the basis of modern evolutionary theory. In modified form, Darwin’s scientific discovery is the unifying theory of the life sciences, providing logical explanation for the diversity of life.[2]

At Edinburgh University Darwin neglected medical studies to investigate marine invertebrates, then the University of Cambridge encouraged a passion for natural science.[3] His five-year voyage on HMS Beagle established him as an eminent geologist whose observations and theories supported Charles Lyell’s uniformitarian ideas, and publication of his journal of the voyage made him famous as a popular author. Puzzled by the geographical distribution of wildlife and fossils he collected on the voyage, Darwin investigated the transmutation of species and conceived his theory of natural selection in 1838.[4] Although he discussed his ideas with several naturalists, he needed time for extensive research and his geological work had priority.[5] He was writing up his theory in 1858 when Alfred Russel Wallace sent him an essay which described the same idea, prompting immediate joint publication of both of their theories.[6]

His 1859 book On the Origin of Species established evolutionary descent with modification as the dominant scientific explanation of diversification in nature.[1] He examined human evolution and sexual selection in The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex, followed by The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals. His research on plants was published in a series of books, and in his final book, he examined earthworms and their effect on soil.[7]

In recognition of Darwin’s pre-eminence, he was one of only five 19th-century UK non-royal personages to be honoured by a state funeral,[8] and was buried in Westminster Abbey, close to John Herschel and Isaac Newton.[9]

Thanks To WikiPedia