Colorzilla is a very useful add-on for Firefox and a must for web designers. Earlier I was using Instant Eyedropper for figuring out the color code on any page but this tool goes above and beyond that.

What does Colorzilla do?

Besides giving me the color code for any point in the browser window, it lets me zoom the page I am viewing and measure distances between any two points on the page. The built-in palette browser allows choosing colors from pre-defined color sets and saving the most used colors in custom palettes. DOM spying features allow getting various information about DOM elements quickly and easily.

How does it work?

To activate it, click on the dropper icon in the statusbar and then move around the cursor on the page. As you move along you get the color code of that point, its x and y coordinate and tons of useful information (DOM path etc.). It also highlights the container as you move along on the web

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Popularity: 8% [?]

YouTube has become a store house of knowledge. Besides having fun, one can spend his/her time acquiring multiple skills through numerous  instructional videos.

Photoshop is one tool which is always in demand and the prevalence of web 2.0 graphics has made it all the more useful skill to have.

You can use YouTube to develop/strengthen your Photoshop skills. A post titled  Use YouTube to learn Photoshop has a rich collection of Photoshop tutorials categorized in Photo Effects, Photoshop Basics and Web Design categories.

Digital Inspiration post Keeping Fit with Workout Videos on YouTube has handpicked exercise videos for you from YouTube.

Happy learning.

Popularity: 3% [?]

DNA Direct is a company providing access to genetic test ordering through the web and phone. They have developed a notion of virtual genetics clinic to facilitate this process.

Genetic tests can tell you if you carry a genetic risk, screen you for disease, or screen you for carrier status. This information will empower an individual enabling him to make better health decisions.

Mosts of the tests can be ordered online  and the test kit arrives in mail. Tests are easy to carry out and you need to send the sample back for analysis. Detailed reports on your tests come up on the web site.

Some of the tests they offer:

• Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency
• Blood Clotting Disorders
• Breast & Ovarian Cancer
• Cystic Fibrosis
• Drug Metabolism (CYP2D6 Gene)
• Hemochromatosis
• Infertility
• PreGen-Plus Colon Cancer Screening
• Recurrent Pregnancy Loss
• Tamoxifen

(PBS affiliate aired a segment on Genetics Testing Through The Web)

The process has indeed been made very friendly and should encourage individuals to undergo these tests.

How Genetics and Genetic Testing works?

Source: Here

Popularity: 4% [?]

I was interested in which tech store out of the famous three (BestBuy, CompUSA and CircuitCity) attracted more online customers and used Alexa to figure that out:

(Click on the image to enlarge)

From the graph it is quite certain that BestBuy.com leads the race, followed by CompUSA.com and then CircuitCity.com. Microcenter.com and Radioshack.com were thrown in to the mix but they were no competition to the big three.

The big spike you see around November, 2006 is the Thanksgiving traffic!

Popularity: 4% [?]

Any one who is a frequent flyer would appreciate the importance of real-time flight information. FlightStats platform owned by Conducive Technology Corp. delivers real-time and historical flight information that lowers travel related costs and improves the travel experience.

They have come up with an “All In One Widget” which you can embed directly on your Google homepage or Live.com. You can request a custom version for your own web site. The best part is this is free.

The widget allows you to track Flight Status, get Flight Rating, obtain Flight Notification, and see Current US Airport Delays.

If you are interested in more detailed integration in your web site or application, they have XML Web Services library which provide the following features:

• Current and Historical Flight Status
• Flight Notification and Event Messaging
• Flight Performance Rating
• Itinerary Monitoring
• Weather Conditions and Forecasts
• Current and Historical Airport Delays
• Airline and Airport Performance Information
• General Airline and Airport Information
• Flight Schedules and Dynamic Flight Routing

What would be nice is to have it integrated with MySpace to display information about your home town airport on your homepage.

Popularity: 2% [?]