Here’s a quick browsing tip for you. If you’re curious about how long it has been since a webmaster changed the page you’re looking at, put this fragment of javascript in your browser’s address bar and click on ‘go’:

javascript:alert(document.lastModified)

You should get an alert window telling you the date of the last modification to that page.

I have this set up like a link in my bookmarks so I can easily click it to check the age of any page I’m looking at.

Ideas for eliminating pop up windows:

Spy-Ware Removers

If you’re getting pop up windows where there shouldn’t be any, try these spy-ware removers. I use both of them on my computer:

Ad-Aware
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/

SpyBot Search and Destroy
http://security.kolla.de/

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Get a Good Browser: Firefox

If you’re still using Microsoft Internet Explorer or Netscape, you should be aware that a lot of people are switching to Mozilla’s Firefox because it is considered more secure. It’s free, but worth much more than what they’re charging.
http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/

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Google Tool Bar Pop Up Blocker

If you want a good pop up blocker for Internet Explorer or Firefox, try the Google Tool Bar:
http://toolbar.google.com

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Virus Scanning

If you don’t have a virus scanner set up on your PC you might like to try AVG - that’s what I use. It is found at http://www.grisoft.com.

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If you have any other good ideas for eliminating pop-up windows, you can leave a comment to tell us about it.

A few days ago two friends told me the font on my webdesign site’s top menu was too small. I checked it out tonight and changed it. Apparently my friends both use the highest resolution they can so small fonts become tiny.

This reminded me that using font px values in css files is a mistake. It’s best to use em values. When we use the em values they can be controlled by the browser, and the mouse wheel.

To change font size with the mouse wheel hold down the control-key and turn the wheel one way and then the other. If the page is designed with em values, the font will get larger and smaller depending on which way you turn the wheel. A well-designed site should give this visitor-controlled feature to web surfers.

If you don’t have a mouse wheel, don’t despair. You can do the same thing in Internet Explorer by clicking on “View” at the top of your screen, then “Text Size”. I like to design for the medium text size. Site visitors can go larger or smaller from there.