Happy Friday! This week’s enlightenment brought you by the lovely JavaScript framework JQuery. If you like unobtrusive and functional javascript utilities, you really have to check it out. A while ago, I converted from prototype and haven’t looked back. I even built a plugin to help with our development process called under_construction. Use it to overlay or hide elements of page that haven’t been implemented yet.

• Achieving Rounded Corners in Internet Explorer for jQuery UI with DD_roundies – this was an effective technique for getting rounded corners to be respected in Internet Explorer. I used the DD_roundies library in conjunction with the rounded corners plugin
• Tips for Writing Better JQuery Code – loaded with great tips on optimizing your javascript
• Write Desktop and Mobile Apps with Bowline – I played around with this a few days ago and I really like it. If you consider yourself well versed in Rails, HTML, and JQuery, I highly recommend you check this framework out. I’m hashing out a few OS X applications without a single reference to NSWindow – crazy!
• Have google load JQuery for you – this has made it into my upcoming Rails Template – save on bandwidth costs and get snappy delivery of your javascript libraries via Google’s Content Delivery Network

On an off topic note, I’ve been using RescueTime and Concentrate.app to help maintain productivity. A blog post on Concentrate.app is forthcoming