iPsum

Good Karma General web TMI [github] is a JavaScript library built to help you work out whether your site is too weighty, by comparing your page to the HTTPArchive. Karma Runner [github] is a JavaScript task runner built by the Angular team. Here’s a look at the most popular Rails gems based on those used in the annual Rails Rumble [dwellable]. This is a great guide to best practices for refactoring your PHP code [phpbuilder]. And here's a quick little guide/collection of tools to help with changing your OS X Yosemite system font to Source Sans [github], because that’s something people apparently want to do.

iPsum Design This is the most well-designed and revolutionary dummy text available, incorporating features most other dummy text generators have had for years, but with slicker marketing and execution: IntroducingApple Ipsum [appleipsum]. Here’s a great history of SVG [radar.oreilly]. Apparently Ember.js is great for designers [robots.thoughtbot]. A look at how one site created a procedurally rendered 3D header with three.js [phyramid]. Want some good design advice that doesn’t mince words? Visit good f***ing design advice [goodf***ingdesignadvice]. (Inherently sweary link.) (Sidenote: do you care about swears in your email?) Wired takes a look at Google’s Material Design and its attempt to create the rules for interaction design [wired]. Responsive design is just the start, web sites, particularly publishers, now need to have a whole “responsive philosophy” [codeandtheory].

Cloud Nine SitePoint First up, here’s the latest browser stats for this month. The figures show Internet Explorer use has dropped below 20 per cent, a far cry from the glory days of old. Here’s a really great guide (seriously, it’s excellent) to setting up a continuous deployment environment with Ninefold. And here’s how you run multiple versions of PHP on the one server. Ruby newbies (“Nubys”?), here’s a complete guide to understanding the Ruby ecosystem.

Tubular Yells News/business The New York Times has a disturbing article on the shady online market for personal data [nytimes]. Add us to the list of people who are very much against being added to secret lists of people. There’s a fun new family of Mac OS X and iOS malware out in the wild, meaning Apple devices aren’t as safe as they once touted [arstechnica]. Amazon has a new tubular device it wants you to welcome into your home [arstechnica]. It is constantly connected to the cloud, will always listen to you, and will answer spoken questions or perform actions in response to commands. It is not a terrifying, sinister, menacing black tube. Not at all. Don’t miss the introductory video with a manic, tech-obsessed dad and his precocious child who just wants to listen to “rock music”.

Cheap Skate Off-topic Here’s a pretty great list of Christmas gifts to inspire you [toolsandtoys], if Christmas is a thing you do. If it is not, it still works as a list of products that exist that you might like. Not on that list, but very desirable, is this electric skateboard [techcrunch]. Hint, hint. Finally, this is a really interesting and immersive article presenting a Microsoft-led project to give people with sight loss their independence back [news.microsoft]. Headphones are recommended for that one, as it gives you some vague idea of what they're building.