Blog

Google's Quick Search Box is a QuickSilver-like launcher that lets you search your computer for applications and data, as well as search the web, and your Google Apps accounts. I presume this will also eventually replace the search interface provided by Google Desktop. The project is in beta and is provided via the Labs.

From their blog:

One of our goals at Google is to make your search experience as fluid as possible. While much of our work is focused on Google.com, we're trying to make it just as easy to search outside your browser.

For the last year, we have been working on a new, open-source quick search box. Today, we are releasing our first developer preview for the Mac.

Via @factoryjoe

http://code.google.com/p/qsb-mac/

A preloader museum curated by Big Spaceship.

Via Swissmiss

http://prettyloaded.com/

Victor Lombardi has started Service Design Design Patterns, a wiki for capturing design patterns about service design. There are other places to learn about design process and methods; these patterns try to describe aspects of the service itself.

http://servicedesignpatterns.pbwiki.com/FrontPage

Wireframes Magazine featured an entry on using sticky notes for UI design. I know a lot of us have done something like this before, whether it's using sticky notes or something else. I have occasionally sketched large and used transparent vellum with tape in the past.

http://wireframes.linowski.ca/?p=96

Cool infographic from Pixel Labs depicting the Browser wars, based on W3 Schools Browser Stats. Reminds me of the "Napoleon's March" graphic in Tufte's book.

http://www.pixellabs.com/images/browserwars.webp

Wikipedia has an excellent table of JavaScript frameworks that compares the features of Dojo, Echo3, Ext, Google Web Toolkit, jQuery, midori, MochiKit, MooTools, Prototype & script.aculo.us, Pyjamas, qooxdoo, Rialto, Rico, YUI, and SweetDEV RIA.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_JavaScript_frameworks

How cool is this? A CSS Design gallery showing sites as viewed through the iPhone.

http://cssiphone.com/

patternBrowser is an amazing design pattern library produced by the Interface Design Team of the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam. I've spent a little time looking through the interaction design category, and there's a lot of great examples there, and most importantly they've done the work of organizing and describing each problem/solution thoroughly. Check it out.

http://www.patternbrowser.org/

CSS Tea collects screenshots of 120 global navigation bars.

http://www.csstea.com/css-gallery-news-and-resources/264-120-excellent-examples-of-css-horizantal-menu.html

IxDA's second annual conference, Interaction '09|vancouver is coming up from Feb 5-8.

Interaction 09|vancouver will be held from February 5-8, 2009 in stunning Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, in conjunction with Simon Fraser University's School of Interactive Arts and Technology and the Faculty of Business Administration. Join several hundred Interaction Designers from around the world as we address the design of interactive systems of all types: applications (web and desktop), mobile, consumer electronics, digitally enhanced environments, and more. Start your year off with stimulating talk, fun parties, and smart discussions about our growing field.

Interaction 09 will feature three days of inspirational and tactical sessions geared at anyone who practices Interaction Design, as well as a day of pre-conference workshops.

http://interaction09.ixda.org/