Many of you have seen this cool feature in Microsoft Word documents or Acrobat PDF forms. It allows for users to fill out PDF forms right on their computer. For business this saves time, money, and duplication of information and effort.
HTML Online Forms
Many web sites have some type of form to capture and process information using a variety of mail form processing scripts.
A good example of an online form is the employment application. However, web owners should be aware of lengthy or complex forms that load slowly even over a high-speed connection.
PDF Online Forms
You should consider using a dynamic PDF form which can be constructed to allow users to type their information directly into the PDF. Once users access the form, you can provide two options:
1) Allow users to save the PDF document to their computer so they may complete it at a later time. Once the form is completed they may email it back to you as an attachment or print it out for faxing or mailing.
2) Require users to immediately complete the form. Once the required data is filled in, users can click submit and automatically attach the PDF as an out-going email without any additional interaction by the sender.
Saving Time, Money and Resources
In some cases it is advantageous for a business to receive important data in a formatted PDF form versus capturing data via a web-based form. Good examples of when to use PDF forms include: mortgage applications, employment forms, credit applications, membership forms, and medical questionnaires.
Think of the time and resources that can be saved when a perspective job applicant completes your multi-page online form in its original form. It also removes the guess work from having to decipher handwriting because ‘all penmanship talents are not created equal’.
You can convert most PDF files into a PDF Form. However, to do so, you’ll need to purchase and install a full version of Adobe Acrobat. All you need is a little HTML know how and a hosted web service account to get you started and you’ll be on your way to becoming an Adobe Acrobat Form Maker Pro!
Ricardo Vidallon is company owner and creative designer for
http://www.visionefx.net
Tags: acrobt, Adobe, fillable forms, forms, html, PDF, writable formsacrobt, Adobe, fillable forms, forms, html, PDF, writable formsShare This
Adobe announced Acrobat 3D, finally. This is their first foray into 3D. I wrote earlier that they are missing the boat on 3D.
The premise of Acrobat 3D is to enable smooth collaboration amongst various non CAD users within the organization’s workflow i.e. sales, marketing, visual merchandising, channel management, etc. who traditionally could not view designs in 3D. With 2D pictures of 3D products, much data is lost, making the process inefficient and unproductive.
For a while now, CRM and PLM vendors have been looking for a good bridge. The only one that existed so far was Autodesk’s DWF, which works with AutoCAD / Inventor design files.
However, in the Mechanical Design marketplace, the major houses are:
1. Dassault, which owns CATIA (high-end 3D CAD), Solidworks (mid-market 3D CAD), a PDM called SmarTeam, and a PLM product called Enovia, which IBM Global Services sells and integrated.
2. Parametric, which owns ProE (high-end 3D CAD) and Windchill (PLM)
3. Autodesk
4. UGS (recently LBO’d by SIlverlake and Bain)
5. think3 with ThinkDesign, ThinkID, ThinkTeam - all mid-range products.
Given that any 3D Viewer product such as Acrobat 3D will need to pass through a CAD-engineer’s hands, to be written into an Acrobar readable format, it is safe to assume that having deep-pocket CAD relationships would be immensely valuable.
So, let us see who has what in terms of viwers:
Autodesk has DWF. No one else has anything else. However, there are some independent viewers out there, Right Hemisphere and TornadoVIZ. In fact, it is Right Hemisphere’s technology that enables Acrobat 3D, Adobe Ventures has an investment in the company along with Sequoia Capital, and it would be safe to assume that Adobe will buy this company eventually.
I have heard, however, that Acrobat 3D is a very heavy product. In comparison, TornadoVIZ has a very light-weight technology, which would, by and large, need to be an essential characteristic of any 3D viewer such as the ones under discussion.
While Adobe will try to be Switzerland, and not take a preferred CAD system position, it is likely, they will get locked out of the Autodesk eco-system. If I were Dassault, then, would I want a proprietary viewer (perhaps via a Tornado acquisition), or would I be okay with Adobe’s neutral position?
Silicon Valley Entrepreneur and Strategy Consultant Sramana Mitra writes about Entrepreneurship, Business Strategy, Emerging Technology, Market Moves, and sundry other topics in her Blog “Sramana Mitra on Strategy”. Read more of her writings at http://www.sramanamitra.com
Tags: 3D, acrobat, Adobe, PDF3D, acrobat, Adobe, PDFShare This
In the last decade or so, the popularity of sugar gliders as pets has grown considerably. The small size of these furry acrobats, their personalities, their plush fur, their large eyes, their agility and their ability to bond closely with humans have attracted legions of new sugar glider devotees.
What is a sugar glider and where did they originally come from? Sugar gliders are small marsupials and members of the possum family. They are found in Australia, Tasmania, Indonesia, and New Guinea. Their scientific name is Petaurus breviceps. Most sugar gliders these days are captive-bred and not wild-caught.
Like their larger marsupial cousins, kangaroos, sugar gliders have a pouch where their infants grow and develop. Their young are called “joeys,” as are the young of kangaroos. You may come across the term OOP while researching sugar gliders on the internet. OOP means “out-of-pouch” and it indicates how long the joey has been completely out of his mother’s pouch. Joeys are ready to go to a new home at approximately 8 weeks OOP.
Sugar gliders are approximately chipmunk-sized, measuring about 9 to 12 inches long (including their long tail), and they weigh about 3 to 6 ounces as adults. Their normal color is steel gray to brownish with a black stripe down the back, but selective breeding in captivity has brought out other color variations, including albinos. In captivity, they can live as long as 15 years, although 8 to 12 years is more usual.
One of the most distinguishing features of sugar gliders is a thin membrane, called a patagium, that stretches between their front and rear legs, much like the more familiar flying squirrels of North America. This is what allows them to glide from tree to tree. When they glide, the skin spreads out, making sugar gliders look like furry kites! When the sugar glider is sitting, the patagium looks like ruffled furry skin, shaped somewhat like the edge of lasagna noodles.
Their tail is not prehensile, unlike their more familiar American opossum cousins. That means that sugar gliders cannot grasp, grip and hang from their tails. Instead, the tail is used as a balancing and stabilizing tool, especially while gliding.
Sugar gliders are nocturnal, which means they are active at night. They have very large (relative to their size) eyes, which help them see at night. They also have large ears, an obvious benefit to an animal who is both preyed-upon and a predator. Those big ears allow them to hear even the smallest sound.
Sugar gliders have fixed teeth, incisors, molars, and premolars. You should not trim your sugar glider’s teeth. Unlike some species, such as guinea pigs, their teeth do not continue to grow once mature. If a tooth falls out, it is not replaced. Wild gliders chew on branches and in the process, clean their teeth. Gliders in cages will also chew on branches.
Sugar gliders have 5 toes on their front feet. Each toe ends with a very sharp claw that helps them land when they glide. Those claws also make gliders very agile climbers. Their hind feet also have 5 toes, but one of them is an enlarged, clawless opposable toe. An opposable toe means that they can use that toe to grip things, much as humans’ opposable thumbs allow us to do the same.
Why are they called “sugar gliders”? In the wild, sugar gliders eat, as part of their diet, manna (a crusty sugar left where sap flowed from a tree trunk or branch) and honeydew (an excess sugar produced by sap-sucking insects). In captivity, sugar gliders have a fondness for sweet foods. They will eat too many sweets if allowed, so sweet foods must be rationed.
In the wild, sugar gliders nest in holes of trees in colonies of 7 to 15 members and have been observed gliding as far as 300 feet! The ability to glide is one of the most amazing features of sugar gliders, and one of the things that makes them such special pets. Teaching your sugar glider to glide to you is very rewarding!
Sugar gliders are social animals, which means they live in groups. They get along with and love the company other sugar gliders, and many sugar glider owners choose to have more than one glider. It is their social nature that allows them to develop strong bonds with their human owners. But it is also that social nature that creates their need for attention from their owners. Sugar gliders are not the kind of pet that can be left for long periods of time without any attention from their owners. The more time you spend with your sugar glider, the more he will become bonded with you.
Many sugar glider owners bond with their new gliders by carrying them around in a bonding pouch for several hours a day while the glider sleeps. Sugar gliders are sometimes called “pocket pets” because they will often curl up in your pocket and go to sleep!
Diet and housing are perhaps the two most important factors in deciding whether a sugar glider is the right pet for you. Sugar gliders require a varied diet consisting of a protein source (meat, insects, etc.), a fruit and/or vegetable source, and a supplement of calcium. There are commercial sugar glider dry and soft-pellet foods available, but it is not recommended that you feed your sugar glider a diet consisting solely of these commercial foods. Sugar gliders require fresh food sources in addition to any commercial food. Calcium is also crucial to their diet, and there are a number of products on the market that will allow you to easily add calcium to your sugar glider’s diet.
Sugar gliders require as tall a cage as possible. They feel safer up high because they are normally tree-dwellers. 30 inches tall is usually the bare minimum for a sugar glider cage, but most breeders and sugar glider experts recommend cages 4 feet tall or higher. Many sugar glider owners buy flight cages designed for finches and other small birds. The flight cages are tall enough and roomy enough for a sugar glider. It is also recommended that sugar glider owners permit their gliders supervised play time in a glider-safe room for at least several hours a day.
Although sugar gliders are loving, affectionate and adorable, it is recommended that an adult closely supervise any young children around sugar gliders.
The cost of a sugar glider is approximately $150 to $250. If the glider must be shipped to you via airplane, there will be an additional cost. Certain desirable color variations can raise the price of a sugar glider considerably.
Miles Fowler is the author of Sugar Gliders: The Ultimate Guide, a comprehensive book for both novice and experienced sugar glider owners. Learn more at:
http://www.sugargliderauthority.com
Tags: exotic pet, exotic pets, sugar glider, sugar gliders, sugarglider, sugarglidersexotic pet, exotic pets, sugar glider, sugar gliders, sugarglider, sugarglidersShare This