- XRAY web developer’s suite
- Fab, free bookmarklet for web designers and developers analyzes any element on a web page with a click. Must be used to be appreciated. Part of a forthcoming suite of free, cross-browser web development tools from Westciv. Suggested improvements and bug reports welcome. Currently works in Webkit (Safari) and Mozilla (Firefox, Camino, etc.) browsers; an IE version is coming. Don’t miss the “Acknowledgements, Thanks, and Inspiration” credits, which link to great JavaScript and visual resources.
- How to Rip DVD Movies To Your iPod Using Free Software
- Great, straightforward how-to by brilliant author/developer Mark Pilgrim walks you through the process of setting up HandBrake, a free, open source app, to rip DVDs to your iPod. Last updated in 2005, several versions of HandBrake (not to mention several generations of iPod) ago, so screen shots will not always match current versions. But the settings advice is still accurate, and even applies to the iPhone, with its giant wide screen.
- Ripping even a short movie you own takes a long, long time. I tested Pilgrim’s advice on a flick our toddler loves, so my iPhone could double as a parental aid during family trips. It took over five hours to burn an 86 minute film, but the results were beautiful.
- For more video conversion advice, see the 12 December 2005 Macworld Secrets column, Convert video for the iPod. Summary: Upgrade to QuickTime Pro and export for iPod. Works great and works fast. One’s iPhone now sports Charlie the Unicorn and will soon host short home movies shot on a point and shoot digital camera and formatted by that camera as AVIs.
[tags]web development, bookmarklets, developer tools, rip, DVDs, iPod, iPhone, Apple[/tags]
