Best Of April 2008

Smashing Magazine:
Every month we take a look around and select some of the most interesting web-development-related web-sites. We read articles, check out tools, analyze the advantages of new resources. Below you’ll find useful references, tutorials, services, tools, techniques and articles we’ve found over the last 30 days - an overview of web-sites you shouldn’t have missed in April 2008.
All images can be clicked and lead to the sites from which the screenshots have been taken.
References, Tutorials, Tips

Wallpaper of the Week
James White’s “La Femme” wallpaper is available in resolutions 1900×1200px, 1680×1050px, 1440×900px and 1280×1024px.

Create a Sleek, High-End Web Design from Scratch
“In this tutorial we’ll put together a high-end web design using a crisp, thin font, gorgeous background images and clever use of space and layout. You can easily use the technique to create your own unique designs.”

Create a Powerful Mental Wave Explosion Effect
“In this tutorial I will show you how to create a crazy explosion, like a mix of Magneto’s ability with Peter Petrelli’s power. We will use images and filters to produce this wave explosion effect. Even though it may look like a difficult tutorial, it’s really not that hard.”

Dropclock Screensaver
DropClock is a screensaver in which every minute is numerically expressed with heavy Helvetica dropping into water in super slow-motion. Win, Mac. Free Alternative for Mac. [via]

Should Redesign? Cast Your Vote Now!
This project aims to help webmaster determine if their websites need a refresh. Users who visit ShouldRedesign.com are presented with a…

10 Essential Legal Points for Bloggers

Daily Blog Tips: Every day, millions of bloggers post content online. Millions more people read and comment on blogs. With all that communication, some interesting legal issues are bound to arise. This article looks at 10 major legal points that bloggers must know and offers some suggestions about how to work with them.
1. Develop a “legal consciousness” about blogging. Like any publications, blogs frequently create legal questions. However, there is no need to fear those issues. Instead, being aware of the possibility of such concerns will help you identify them and manage them effectively. This article presents some of the most common legal issues that arise.
As you read it, consider how those issues apply to your blog. Also, it is good to develop the habit of looking for legal questions as you post new content on your blog. Using the major points in this article as a guide, you can ask yourself, “Are there any potential legal problems here?” whenever you update your blog. This simple practice will help you identify important legal questions and resolve them before they have a chance to cause problems.
2. Read carefully and understand the agreements related to your blog. Depending on how you host, manage, promote, and monetize your blog, the exact agreements you enter will vary somewhat, but here are some common agreements that will affect most bloggers:

Web and blog hosting agreements, including terms of service and acceptable use policies;
content-sharing agreements and licenses;
syndication agreements; and
affiliate, revenue-sharing,…