Recent news regarding the possible future addition of the .xxx domain has spurred much controversy. Considering the abundance of porn and adult industry-related websites out on the net, it’s going to be interesting to see how existing websites and future ones will intertwine.

The online pornographic industry website owners have been a little concerned with the threat a new domain name, like .xxx, might present to the ones that currently own .com’s for their websites. Some have said that there might be efforts try to boot them over from the former to the latter, as a means of consolidating this niche of the web. Several religious groups are also protesting against this domain name saying that it entices online porn even more. Others argue that this segment will allow improved indexing of content, making searches safer for those not interested in consuming pornographic content.

ICM Registry, who is in charge of this .xxx process, “will provide management, supporting infrastructure and back-end functionality.” (http://www.icmregistry.com/)
Sponsorship for the .xxx domain has fallen into the hands of The International Foundation for Online Responsibility (IFFOR), and will donate $10 dollars of each .xxx registration towards online child safety organizations and. Responsible adult industry businesses may pre-reserve domains at ICM’s website.

The question of whether and how this will affect current pornographic websites, website design, and the evolution of the virtual adult industry is yet to be answered.

It’s said that in order to know where you’re going you should know where you’ve been, right? Well, considering that the Internet and web design has become something common to ordinary daily life, let’s take a look to see how it all started and how far we’ve come.

The Birth of Computing
The origins of the computing can be traced as far back as 2400 BC with the invention of the abacus (the first calculator) by the Babylonians, and throughout its course we also crucial discoveries like the binary number system (in India, c 300 BC) on which all computing systems are based. Around 850 BC we saw the rise of cryptography (basically hiding information), thanks to Arab mathematician Al-Kindi, which is the basis for normal day things like ATM’s, email and computer passwords, and e-commerce.

Later on in the 1490’s AD, Leonardo da Vinci creates what seems to be the first mechanical calculator and the robot. In 1848, George Boole developed binary algebra, which is used extensively in computer design and operation.

Fast forward to 1946, which is considered to be the official day modern computing was born. The EDSAC computer was able to execute its first stored program, thanks to Maurice Wilkes and a team at Cambridge University.

In the 1950’s we start to see the usage of computing amongst businesses, and used magnetic tape for input. In 1951, the Whirlwind computer gave the US Air Defense System a chance to interact by means of a keyboard and screen, and eventually morphed into a computer that allowed them to get warnings of air attacks. In 1957, IMB brought out the first dot matrix printer.

During the 1960’s we see the birth of programming languages and video games, such as ALGOL and Spacewar!, respectively. The mouse was invented in 1963 by Douglas Engelbart, although it didn’t reach its peak of popularity until 1983 when Apple began to implement it. The floppy disk came out in 1967 and was created by David Noble at IBM.

In the 1970’s we see the first steps of the UNIX operating system, the C programming language, as well as Texas Instruments’ first portable calculator. In 1972 ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network), created by the Department of Defense, establishes its first international connections, giving the foundations to what we know today as the Internet. Ethernet was born in 1973, and gave us the chance to connect computers to communicate between amongst each other.

The 1980’s brought the dawn of the personal computer, with IBM taking in 100,000 orders by Christmas of 1981.
In the 1990’s we see the introduction of Window’s operating systems, like 3.1, 95, and 98. Apple introduced the iMac, an integral computer that brought back the company to profitability.

The decade of 2000 brought us fierce competition between computer companies, and the rise of browser battles, bringing us to the vast amount of choices and ideals that lie within the computer world.These choices and ideals have now blended into a social and psychological aspect of our humans lives, dictating at times the trends and evolutions of our own nature.

Stay tuned for Part 2, were we will see a more about the birth and evolution of the Internet and web design.

The internet is the place for business and social mingling, but to a select few it’s also an oasis of humor and lightheartedness. Some of them are crude, others are just cute. Laughing is proven to improve your health, and it might even boost your creativity if you’re in need of a break at the office. Just to let you guys know that all of us at Turbonacho have a soft spot for the funny, we’ve rounded up a wonderful set of unusual and hysterical sites out there that are definitely gems of website design.

Busted Tees

http://www.bustedtees.com/
Created by the dudes at www.collegehumor.com (we’re getting there next), they bring a good sense of humor to your clothes. They’ve got a unique selection of t-shirts that fall into the following categories: TV, movies, wordplay, politics, games, geometry, religion, sports, pop culture, and internet. Take for instance witty print screened shirts that say “Don’t Drink and Blog”, or “#ThisShirt”. You get the point

Fail Blog

www.failblog.org
Part of the www.cheezburger.com network, FailBlog is a constant source for absurd and ridiculous things that happen to everyday people. Videos and images with user ratings are uploaded, as the site’s slogan says, to help “you feel better about yourself everyday”.

I Has a Hot Dog

http://ihasahotdog.com/
I Has a Hot Dog is the place for dog lovers to laugh and squeal about the cute and crazy things our furry canine friends fill our life with. What would we do without them? Using a clever web design application called the LOL Builder, any registered user can upload a funny picture of a dog and comment on it, or simply comment on one of the many user uploaded pictures on the site. This gives you a shot of maximizing the funny for each photo, with your own witty comment. Users are able to vote and rate each image, adding some extra zing to the “competition”.

 
Up Next In Sports
http://upnextinsports.com/
Sports enthusiasts have it all here! Funny sports pictures and videos – including plentiful of Tiger Woods fails. The website is structured just like the rest belonging to the CheezBurger network, so they LOL Builder and rating system is included too.

 
JIB JAB Sendables
http://sendables.jibjab.com/
Stuck in a rut with the same boring e-card sites? Jib Jab is here to change that! Home of the “Starring You Dances”, it’s neat web application will let you upload photos and place the cropped faces on top of the characters’. With the click of a button you will watch a hysterical rendition of you and your buddies dancing and struttin’ your stuff.

The Onion
http://www.theonion.com/
Self-proclaimed “America’s Finest News Source” it might as well be considering the quality of many major news networks today. Not suitable for kids under 18, its good reads will keep you informed and chuckling throughout the day.

There’s buzz around the web about a new technology that’s sprung up in the recent years called Augmented Reality.
Here we will briefly explain what this is, what it does, how it can be applied, and a short list of companies
that are currently working this new and creative field.

Augmented reality (according to Wikipedia) is “a term for a live direct or indirect view of a physical real-world
environment whose elements are augmented by virtual computer-generated imagery.” It’s basically a really cool way
to show a real life 3D animation on your screen triggered by a marker that you hold in your hands show it thru
your computer’s webcam. The movement allows you to see the projected 3D image in any angle you wish,
depending which way you move it.

This new technology is being used in many types of mediums, and it’s fast becoming an essential staple of
future advertising for many companies. Web design companies have started to offer these services as an additional tool for clients to promote and interact with clients and users.

 
Here is a video showing how augmented reality works with markers on clothing.



Enhance the online retail shopping experience. Virtually “try on” clothing and add them to your shopping cart without using a mouse.



Here’s a video of augmented reality used for the auto company MINI. You can see a 360 view of the car using the marker and webcam.



Lego is also using this awesome technology on their boxes. Check it out:

A cheap and effective alternative to advertising your brand/services/website is to create and send out
an email campaign with one of today’s easy-to-use providers. Email marketing is an efficient and powerful
tool that won’t hurt you wallet (printing post cards) and won’t hurt the environment
(printing postcards and/or flyers).

Turnaround times are a fraction compared to printing advertising
and it’s so much easier to make a constant practice in your company’s advertising routine and web design strategy.

So what does email marketing do exactly? Well, to start off it helps you build and hold on to customer
relationships. You can send email newsletters to specific target groups, so you can be sure that the people
you want to be reached are getting the correct and precise information. Since you are including your customers
directly into your lists, it’s easier for them to receive their newsletter inside their inbox rather than
their spam folder.

It also helps build a referral list. Current customers who like and work with your services
can easily forward an email newsletter to a friend or acquaintance at the click of a button.
Email marketing websites will also allow you to keep track of your advertising campaigns with stats for each
one you send out. You will be able to see who opened them, who forwarded them, as well as seeing which links
were clicked. These basic stats will help your business grow because you will be seeing exactly where the action
is taking place. Your newsletters can even be scheduled to be sent at specific times too.
Here are is list of some good companies that offer similar services. Happy email marketing!

www.constantcontact.com

www.verticalresponse.com

www.benchmarkemail.com

www.streamsend.com

www.mailchimp.com

Thinking of getting your very first website designed and built?

Before you take any step further think about how you want your website design to be made. Do you want your website made from an existing template design or do you want your website to be fully customized and be made from scratch?

Tough decision, right? Don’t let your web design company or anyone else decide for you. The more information you get before getting started with your project, the more tools you will have to make a decision such as this one. Believe me; it will save you time and money. The first thing you need to do is think about your brand, your business and what you want your new website to do for it. What are you getting a website design for? This may be a question that will help you move in the right direction.

So what is the difference between a template based website design and a customized website design and what do these differences have to do with the purpose of your website?

See for yourself.

Good things about templates

• The investment in design is minimum. You just have to buy the template you like, usually at an affordable cost.
• Templates can be downloaded so the time it takes to set it up is rather short.
• You can choose and see from the beginning how your website will look.
• Templates can be downloaded so the time it takes to set it up is rather short.
• The development time is short if you are happy with what the template offers you.
• There are thousands of options to choose from.
• You can pay for the license and also for the exclusive license and use of the template, so nobody else uses a specific template after you buy it.

• You may not be able to find a web template that meets your exact needs.
• You may have customizing restrictions if there is something you want to change on the template. If there are changes you definitely want to make and the template doesn’t let you, you will probably need to redo your site and that can be expensive.
• There might be incompatibility with some browsers, depending on the date the template was built.
• The maintenance and updating of your website may not be as easy as you expect, due to the restrictions the templates may have.
• Some templates may not be SEO friendly.
• Exclusivity look and feel of your website can never be guaranteed. Even if you pay the for the exclusive license of use, there may be other websites that are using that same template you just bought, especially if it's a very attractive and cool template.
• After you purchase the template, if you don’t have coding skills, you still need to know or hire someone who does

• The look and feel of your website will be made according to your needs and to what your brand wants to express.
• You will get uniqueness, creativity and nobody else will have your same website design.
• You will get what you want, the way you want it and you don’t have to stick to predetermined ideas that may not satisfy you completely.
• If the contract with your website design company states it this way, your designer will make the necessary changes until you are happy with the design. Make sure you ask what the terms and conditions are.
• The design can be edited or adapted in the future if you wish to make any changes. No restrictions that you would have with a template.
• Your website will be SEO friendly
• You will be able to use the latest technologies.

• Building a customized website will probably take longer than building one with a template.
• Price may be higher due to the details and time it takes to fit your needs.
• You won’t be certain of how your website will look until you get the first draft and samples from your web design company. It’s always good to provide example with your ideas.

The great thing about websites is the fact that anybody worldwide can access it via a computer, a smart phone, or pretty much any other device that
permits an internet connection. It is evident that there is currently a saturation of mass marketed information out there, so setting apart your
brand/identity from the rest can become a tricky task.

You probably have an ideal target that you need to reach out to, which is a crucial step in understanding how and where your information is going.
It’s imperative to understand that not every person in that specific group has the same devices and abilities to get to your information.
This is where Fool Proof Web Design should come in. A no-brainer yet clever method of arranging your information, drafting out your steps,
and maintaining the flow of your website and the people visiting it.

We’ve all heard the saying “Less is More”. It makes complete sense, considering the exaggerated amount of media messages we have to eat up every day.
Our web design ideals are quite simple and not over the top, but are really the stepping stones to creating long lasting, useful and meaningful websites.
 
1.    Keep your domain name simple: We’ve blogged about it, you’ve probably read this over and over in other places as well. It makes your site’s SEO much more efficient and accurate. It also helps people’s memories retain your URL name quicker and it’s easier to type out on your browser bar as well as in an email.
2.    Navigation: Both your menu bar and navigation scheme should be simple, keeping the amount of clicks to a minimum. Also, don’t go too crazy with the hovers and roll-overs. That’s so 2005.
3.    Text and fonts: Might seem like an obvious one, but do try to use easy to read fonts (such as Arial, Verdana or Times New Roman). This really isn’t the place to get all cute. All text should be html, not embedded as an image. This helps SEO and it gives users the chance to enlarge or make their font size smaller on their browser.
4.    Loading times: Optimize any images to the smallest size possible that is able to give you good visual quality. You know how annoying it is to go on somebody’s MySpace profile and have to wait one hour for all the images, flash galleries, videos, and animated GIFs to load? Exactly. If it takes more than a couple of seconds for your site to start loading, the chance is most visitors are going to leave. Not really the results you’re looking for!
5.    Content: Even though you might not be working with subject matter that requires or uses frequent textual updates, it is good to throw in fresh bits into your site occasionally. If you’re making a web portfolio, try to update with photos or screenshots of your work. If you’re running a doggie day care business, keep owners in the loop with news and pictures of current events. If you’re a doctor, put in an article or two pertaining to your practice. Fresh content makes people happy and turns them into recurrent site visitors.
6.    Have fun: The most important and often over looked aspect. This is your web site! Have fun with it. Treat it as your creative brain child and you will see many wonderful things coming out of it.

It’s not often to come across a book that could benefit people in any type of profession and lifestyle. But Daniel Pink’s A Whole New Mind might as well be the next required reading list for youngsters and adults alike.

Pink talks to us about the way right-thinkers will soon be dominating the world - and it’s happening much sooner than you’d expect. Right thinking has been associated an attributed with traits like intuition, randomness, holistic synthesizing, subjectivity, and viewing things from the “whole” point of view rather than the partial side of it.

There are six basic senses, essential to success, which are design, story, symphony, empathy, play, and meaning. Each sense is fully detailed and pleasingly explained in its pertaining chapter. Pink emphasizes that having all the discipline and passion in the world, but lacking these fundamental six concepts, is the reason why things don’t get done in our society, and why we’re more than often focusing our energies toward failure. This applies to ourselves, our jobs, our families, our day-to-day lives and activities.

This doesn’t mean that left-brain thinkers have it all wrong; it’s just a matter of realizing that we’re in the midst of a drastic shift which is taking us out of our comfort zones.

Not sure if you’re a left or right brain thinker? Try this test out and find out.

http://www.web-us.com/brain/braindominance.htm

Despite the industry you might work in (web design, fashion, accounting, law, sales, technology, construction, etc.) there are a myriad of ideas that will refresh your perspective and outlook on the way we do, see, feel, and think things.

Fresh out of the virtual oven: www.RabbitsMonthly.com

Sometimes we get so busy here at Turbonacho that we forget to brag about the new websites we have completed. RabbitsMonthly is a fun and cool new project, dedicated to bunny lover everywhere, young and old. If you’re interested in purchasing a rabbit and don’t know where to start, you can follow the RabbitsMonthly’s easy 6 step system.

They will help you select food, bedding, hay, chews, treats and toys. Plus, everything will get shipped right to your door, so you won’t have to spend time shopping around.
As an added bonus, if you purchase a Start Up Kit and then purchase a rabbit at a pet store, you can send in the receipt and RabbitMonthly will reimburse you for 50% off the original price!

This cute and playful website design was crafted with HTML, CSS, and a PHP shopping cart.

Beautiful women, gorgeous beaches and dreamed of vacations aside – Brazil has become a strong element inside the web design company realm. Both freelancers and collectives alike are pumping out colorful and eye-catching web design work. Here is a list, in no particular order, of some freelance web designers and web design companies we like.

Enio Souza
http://www.eniosouza.com.br/internet.htm
Enios Souza’s design studio works in a broad spectrum of areas, from branding to illustration and interactive design.

Modena
http://www.modenadesign.com.br/portfolio/web_design
Modena’s skill set includes corporate, editorial, promotion and web design. Its simple yet effective projects seem to be crowd pleasers.

Arthur Henrique
http://www.arthurhenrique.com/portfolio/
Arthur Henrique has been working for the past 10 years in web design and his portfolio showcases proof of those years of great and hard creative labor.

Diego Mello
http://www.diegomello.com/
Diego Mello’s mouth-watering designs definitely should inspire us to use more color and textures.

Rafael Paiva
http://www.rafaelpaiva.com.br/
Twenty-three old Rafael Paiva struts his web design stuff in his neatly organized portfolio. His work is clean, precise and well balanced.

Vinicius Mattos
http://www.viniciusmattos.com.br/
Vinicius Mattos brings out a fun and simple side to web design…the way it should be!

Daniel Groove
http://www.grooverama.com/
Daniel Groove pays justice to his name, and grooves alongside his clever and unique design world. He’s an art director and graphic designer working in print and interactive media.

Colletivo
http://www.colletivo.com
As the name implies, this collective is as diverse as the clients and media it works with. A wild concoction of drawing, photography, animation, web design with companies like Pepsi, MTV, Nickelodeon, Adidas…the list goes on!

Nitrocorpz
http://www.nitrocorpz.com
This cutting edge design studio has been running since 2003. It’s wide range of eye-popping and colorful creations have graced the likes of MTV Brasil, Computer Arts Magazine, and the Austin Museum of Digital Arts, among countless others.

Alfaiataria Digital
http://www.digitaltailoring.com/
The concept of Alfaiataria Digital is to treat each client as a “tailor-made” project. They work it old school and really have a keen and sharp design eye for detail.

Klaus Silveira
http://www.klaussilveira.com/
Klaus Silveira does some pretty serious stuff with XHTML, CSS, and Javascript. He’s been freelancing since he was a teenager and is his passion for his art shows through his work.

Marcio Toledo
http://www.marciotoledo.com/
Marcio Toledo is an art director, web designer, interface and graphic designer all rolled up into one. His portfolio showcases works and projects that he has been doing since 2003.