At the beginning of 2012, I blogged about my goals and aspirations, both personal and professional. My very last point was to "be perceptive of great opportunities," and that, I feel, sums up the reason why 2012 went the way it did...

First and foremost, in March, I accepted a position as a Developer at a digital agency in NYC. A great opportunity presented itself, and I decided to act on it after discussions with friends and family. I knew that accepting this position would mean bad news for a bunch of other things I had planned, like branding and developing my company, writing more and redesigning this blog, and launching 2 or more personal projects.

Accepting this role has improved my skills very fast, which is something I felt I needed to do. Responsive Web Design, complex JavaScript interactivity, and working on large/enterprise-level projects are now well up my alley. More thoughts and reflections after the jump...

Chrome 21 (and below) has some strange behavior towards elements with the “contenteditable” attribute, if you dynamically clear its text/content on click using $('.className').text("") or $('.className').html(""). After one click, the text/content clears, but there’s no cursor. If you click again, then the cursor appears.

Note 1: Clicking an empty area of the "contenteditable" element makes the cursor appear. Clicking the text itself, however, makes you click a 2nd time to show the cursor.
Note 2: Tabbing/focusing into the element DOES NOT have the same problem.

This is very annoying, and surprising that only Chrome behaves this way. Basically, when you're hooking onto the "focus" event to clear your element's content, clicking the text of the element doesn't trigger the "focus" event you need. That's why the second click is required – to trigger the actual focus event. And again, clicking into your element's empty area fires off the focus event with one click.

Code example after the jump...

A few days ago I was working on a project where I needed to set the "active" state of <li> elements across multiple containers. These containers were divided into separate tabs, so one could be viewed at a time, but when one container updated, all the others needed to be updated as well.

Check out the instructions and code after the jump!

It's been a long time since I've come across an idea as unique as this one. 18th.me is, to put it simply, a custom painting service. Select a painting out of the "collection," send in a photo, and receive a hand-painted picture with your face instead of... Napoleon Bonapart's.

No more searching for original ideas for gifts – this is pretty much it. As the 18th.me website states, whether you're looking for a conversation piece or a house warming gift, a custom painting of 'Mona Lisa' or 'American Gothic' with your buddies' faces will certainly surprise.

More recently, an option to buy prints instead of an oil painting was introduced for an even more affordable price tag. Of course, they're not as impressive as an actual painting, but definitely a solid alternative.

So, head over to http://18th.me/, check out the collection, and start planning birthday presents!

This past week I've gathered some links to useful tools. If you use Photoshop regularly, browse coding docs, use forms, and/or manage projects, the following will make your life easier and improve productivity:

Dochub.io - Quick language documentation browser for HTML, CSS, JavaScript, DOM, jQuery, PHP.

GuideGuide - Photoshop plugin that allows you to quickly generates accurate grids for your designs/projects.

Inquire.ly - Collects data from your website's forms, with easy management and notifications. Will also be available as WordPress and ExpressionEngine plugins.

Asana and Do - Both Asana and Do are highly robust task and project management tools with great interfaces, multiplatform synching, team communication, and more. Hard choice, this one is.

Bonus link after the jump!

The last 12 months have been truly life altering. So much has happened that changed the course of my ambitions. Life after college (since June 2010) is pretty much how I expected it to be; Steady but motivated. Progress is now my top priority – to take more steps in the journey to success, and top the year before. Here are a few highlights from 2011:

• Taught my first college class, which was an absolute delight.
• Quit working full-time to pursue and grow my freelance work.
• Formed my own company, a web design/development boutique.
• Got my first car, a Volkswagen Passat.
• Went on a week-long food extravaganza with a good friend from Australia, one-of-a-kind hole-in-the-wall joints!
• Played Airsoft for the first time, got shot in the privates, received a cup as a Christmas present.

Nine days into the New Year, and things are looking alright so far. I am trying to take my company to the next level, setting priorities both professionally and personally. Continue reading for a list of goals for 2012:

Is it really JUST the marketing that they're kings of? Today, most of Apple's marketing consists of showing the product being used, doing what it does best, combined with a few words in the end for the finishing spice. This is where I believe Apple's secret lies.

All ads are (or should be) based on truth, and then exaggerated to deliver a message and/or to prove a point. Fact is, people aren't stupid. We know when something is taken "too far" in an ad or commercial, and usually don't take it literally. Of course, there are cultural aspects to consider when using metaphors as some may be offended, and in return end up biting you in the rear. Read more...

Mobile phones are still on a growth spurt throughout world. With our phones by our sides at all times, virtual assistants can gain traction and become a critical part of how we function and utilize technology. The point of technology is to make things easier and more efficient for us, right?

With the introduction of Siri, Apple's new virtual assistant platform for iPhones, the bet for the future is on! If you're thinking "Why does this matter? Speech recognition and task dictation is nothing new," you're absolutely right. However, there is one great differentiating factor in that Siri is the first to actually understand what you mean. Rather than passing blunt commands, you talk to it and hold a conversation. More after the jump...

Note: This entry originally started out as a reply to a Facebook wall post about succeeding in the Web Design & Development world, but I decided to take it to the next level. I hope you enjoy.

I am 23 years old and my life revolves around freelance. As a matter of fact, I recently formed a business around it, and things are getting better, and better. What's the secret? DON'T GIVE UP AND KEEP TRYING.

You said you're developing your skills? Excellent, keep doing so and never stop. Network with people. Attend local meetups about design, development, and fields relative to yours. Have an identity on the web – a portfolio and blog of sorts. If you don't already have business cards that you carry with you EVERYWHERE you go, do it asap!

Regularly check design/development specific job boards. Authentic Jobs and Krop are some of them. Keep up with trends, what's hot and emerging on the web, and the ever-changing job requirements of employers. The web industry is one of the most rapidly changing, evolving, and growing. Continue reading...

Let's face it, thermostats suck, and the guys at Nest saw a brilliant opportunity to create the perfect solution. "The Learning Thermostat" is functional, useful, time saving, green, economical, super cool, and last but not least, beautiful! There isn't a single sane person who would refuse to install this in their home.

Nest is led by two former members of the iPod division at Apple; Tony Fadell, who served as SVP, and Matt Rogers who served as lead engineer . The influence of the rich "click wheel" history of the iPod is comfortably evident. The elegance and minimalism of both the hardware and the interface makes it desirable to use, while saving money!

Yes, it looks gorgeous and easy to use, but what makes Nest THAT much cooler? Read more after the jump...