I just posted a fun little post about using twitter as a Zen tool for increasing productivity over at the Joomla Bamboo blog. Let me know if you have any other Zen twitter accounts to follow.

I just posted a handy little tutorial over on the Joomla Bamboo blog about using the loadposition plugin as a way of placing often used content strings in your Joomla content. I used it a lot in the rebuild of Joomla Bamboo so I thought it might be helpful for people using needing a similar solution.

You can read the post here.

This is a preview of the login Ive been working on for our upcoming Joomla admin template called Crisp Admin. We are hoping to have it released in the next week or so and while the login screen is pretty minimal I think it pulls in nicely with the overall theme.

You can see more of the admin template over at the Joomla Bamboo Blog.

Ive really been attracted to web designs recently that have a fix background image. I think its probably just because you get that nice little surprise when you start to scroll where you say – “hey the background isnt moving” and it sort of acts as a trigger to help you to pay attention.

I think that fixed background images make sense in web designs that have all the action at the top because they help to keep the page well framed and the action well focussed. The Sketch Blog design here makes good use of this with some simple angular vector shapes that contrast well with a well laid out minimal body.

As a follow up to the Dustin Curtis post here is another amazingly creative blogazine. Each page mixes up the style and the content is decidedly unique with some really engaging stories, reflections and anecdotes. Well worth the read.

Midway through last month I posted about the change in our pricing structure and the date for the changeover is rapidly approaching. On the 15th January we will be introducing the new pricing structure which will see the introduction of a two tiered system with incentives for renewing members. So if you are a new member and are looking to join the club then joining now is a quick way to save a bit of cash before we hit the new fee structure.

Earlier today I posted an interview with the designer of our latest Joomla template called Avante. David is a pretty amazing talent and Im really excited about what 2010 holds for future collaborations. After reading the interview be sure to check his folio and website – its beautiful!

I love the simplicity in this design – it proves that there is a case for shiny webdesign in 2009/2010. The icon for pastebot has that mactastic feel to it and the rays shooting out from behind it add a nice depth to the header area avoiding the cliche of the sun ray design style that was sort of overdone in early 2009.