Internet Glossary (part 1 of 4)

From time to time we stop and listen to ourselves talk about creating websites in the office and just laugh! CSS, broswers, platforms, png, jpg, gif, flash, swf, sitemaps etc. Our language can sound pretty crazy to a non-web person. So we thought it would be nice to share what some of these things are and help you understand our language more. This in turn will help you manage your online presence with more confidence and be able to tell the difference between buzzwords and web design terms! (a GIANT thank you to Wikipedia for help making the definitions even easier)

BROWSER: This is your window to the internet. These applications let you see the images, text and layout of web pages. Popular browsers include: Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari and Opera. We test your website on the popular versions of browsers to make sure your site looks good from the users end.

CSS (Casecading Style Sheets): Used to define colors, fonts, layout, and other aspects of website pages. CSS improves content accessibility, provides more flexibility and control in the presentation characteristics, and reduce complexity and repetition. We highly recommend if your site is not using CSS to convert over. Many new browsers rely on this code to show your website in the best possible way to your visitors.

FLASH: Flash technology (sometimes called Adobe Flash) is a popular method for adding animation and interactivity to web pages; Flash is commonly used to create animation, advertisements, various web page components, to integrate video into web pages, and more recently, to develop rich Internet applications. Flash can be very entertaining, but keep in mind Search Engines are as thrilled with all Flash websites. Ask us how to keep things moving AND keep you listed.

More terms coming next week! Stay tuned!

Talk Like a Pirate Day 2008

TLAPD
Ahoy! Be ye a pirate? Then welcome aboard...
If ye be not - then walk the plank!


View more photos!

Avast mateys! Let your inner pirate loose and celebrate with TLAPD!
Answer one phone call like a pirate!
Give one command in pirate speak
or just use "walk the plank" instead of "whatever".
Arrrghh!

Q: What do you call a happy pirate?
A: a jolly roger!

Comic Con San Diego 2008

We are pleased to announce that we will be roaming the convention floor with press passes to document the adventure that is Comic Con! You can view our photos online through Flickr. (A complete post-event wrap up will also go live once we have set foot back in Chicago.)

What is Comic Con?
Originally showcasing comic books, science fiction/fantasy and film/television, and related popular arts, the convention has expanded over the years to include a larger range of pop culture elements, such as horror, anime, manga, animation, toys, collectible card games, video games and webcomics. The convention is the largest of its kind in the world, filling to capacity the San Diego Convention Center with over 125,000 attendees in 2007. And it is completely sold out this year!

For more details visit: http://comic-con.org

Three online videos for Chicago History Museum exhibit

Catholic Chicago
March 8, 2008 through January 4, 2009

The first in a series of exhibitions to explore the contributions of the city's religious communities, this exhibition illustrates how the experience of being Catholic in Chicago has transformed over time. Examined through a historical context, several themes-the parish, education, worship, social action, and community celebrations-will introduce and reveal the lives of Catholics, past and present.

Your Plan B Company enjoys a long working relationship with the creative folks at the museum since 1997. This exhibit project was not only fun (if only we could share all of the edits with you) but also a learning experience too! Great job everyone! We highly recommend visiting the museum to see this exhibit in person.

Happy Birthday Cat!

And many more!

May there be lots and lots of cupcakes today :)

It is a pleasure working with you
and a real treat having you as a friend!

Enjoy your day!

Summer Hours (Memorial Day - Labor Day)

Just a reminder that during the summer our hours change to
Monday - Thursday 10am-6:30pm CT

We use the Fridays off as a way to pursue our quest for learning and our need to create :)

JameyB is working on a childrens book about a spider with red socks.
DavidB is working on taking his photography to the next level (be prepared to see more and more photos on our Flickr site)
Cat is working on new art pieces for upcoming shows (more details soon!) and
Atalee is rehearsing for an upcoming performance with her dance company Breakbone DanceCo.

(special note: If you find yourself in a website emergency please email jameyb@yourplanb.com with the subject line URGENT so we can assist you -- as you know we are addicted to our blackberries and will see the email faster than hear a voicemail - thanks!)

Enjoy your summer!

P.S. Happy Anniversary to Cat + John!!

New York Times and Spatulatta.com

On Wednesday, May 14, the New York Times' Food Section featured an article about kids in the kitchen. Kids cooking for their families is a phenomenon that is quickly catching on. Belle and Liv from Spatulatta.com are very proud to be featured in this article!

Check out the article online.