studio.johnlee-gmail, Author at TechRepublic

studio.johnlee-gmail

Bio

John Lee is a consultant specializing in design and illustration and a freelance technical writer. You can visit his Web site at johnleestudio.com.

Latest from studio.johnlee-gmail

Mobility

Cracking Open 3com’s Original Palm Pilot

Before the iPhone and before BlackBerry, there was the Palm Pilot. Known as the Atari 2600 of PDAs, the Palm Pilot was considered revolutionary in its heyday. We’ve rescued this model just so we can crack him open and see what this time capsule of circuitry looks like on the inside.

Developer

How do I… Create a scrolling content box in CSS?

In my last TechRepublic Programming and Development blog entry, I showed you how to use Flash to create an animation that mimicked the behavior of the retired (and sometimes reviled) <marquee> tag. I had mentioned that it was possible to use CSS to duplicate the <marquee> tag as well, but only if it were coupled ...

Mobility

Cracking Open the Samsung BlackJack II

In addition to being a cell phone and mobile email machine, Samsung’s new BlackJack II features 3G network connectivity, Bluetooth wireless functionality, a 2.0 megapixel camera and integrated GPS – all in a package about the size of ½ deck of playing cards. After cracking open the BlackBerry Curve a couple of weeks ago, I ...

Mobility

Cracking Open Samsung’s BlackJack II

In this TechRepublic teardown gallery, John Lee cracks open the Samsung BlackJack II smartphone, available from AT&T.

Mobility

Cracking Open the BlackBerry Curve

In this TechRepublic teardown gallery, John Lee cracks open the BlackBerry Curve for a look at the hardware inside this smartphone.

Developer

How do I… Center a Web page layout using CSS?

The most common LCD monitors on the market today follow the wide-screen format. But that wide ratio can play havoc with Web site designers and their layout of Web pages. However, with a little bit of Cascading Style Sheet (CSS) code, you can control you Web page design by centering it on any screen despite its height to width ratio. John Lee shows you how to code it.

Screenshot of Hangouts Meet Service status that displays a "ON for everyone" — Image: Kaspersky

Developer

How do I… Create a customized JavaScript jump menu in Dreamweaver CS3?

If you are in charge of maintaining a Web site, one of your recurring tasks is likely accommodating a committee of supervisors or clients that want to add links to the site on a continuing basis. This can often lead to a cluttered navigation interface, if it doesn't destroy your layout altogether. One of the more practical solutions to an ever-expanding list of navigation links is a JavaScript "jump" menu, which is a pull-down form menu that automatically directs the user's browser to another Web page as soon as they select an option from the menu.

Innovation

Cracking Open Hasbro’s R2-D2 Interactive Astromech Droid

We're going to crack open this surprisingly functional toy robot and make darn sure that Kenny Baker isn't trapped in there.

After Hours

Cracking Open Master Replicas’ Darth Vader Force FX Lightsaber

Let's see how Master Replicas' craftsmen were able to reverse-engineer Darth Vader's Lightsaber.

After Hours

How do I… Convert an MPEG video file into Flash video?

In a previous How do I... blog entry I showed how easy it was to create your own custom Flash Video player using Adobe Flash's new video components and a few lines of ActionScript. The example I wrote featured a sample Flash video file (FLV) from a royalty-free stock video site. This time, I will show you how to convert your own MPEG, AVI or QuickTime files into the FLV format.

Converting an MPEG, AVI or QuickTime video is a simple process that involves using Adobe's Flash Video Encoder, a separate program which installs on your hard drive in conjunction with the installation of Flash CS3 itself. If you already have Flash CS3 on your computer, you can open the Flash Video Encoder from the Start Menu.

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