Like any skilled freelancer, you should always be aware of what you can have in your toolbox to use on your current and future projects.

How many times has a client or colleague asked ‘Do you know how to do this?’. You can confidently reply with a firm ‘Yes!’ more often the case. As a front end developer creating smooth interactions and event handling are possible to achieve quite rapidly with Jquery.

“jQuery is a fast and concise JavaScript Library that simplifies HTML document traversing, event handling, animating, and Ajax interactions for rapid web development”

If you haven’t already used it, or even if you have – below are three of the most comprehensive lists of Jquery Tutorials and Examples that I’ve seen, in a kind of Smashing Magazine ‘ultimate’ list way:

1. 50 amazing jquery examples
   
2. 51 best of jquery tutorials and examples
3. Ajaxrain.com

There are other links that are just as useful for other web code and services on our delicious account.

Should we add any other resources for jquery here, tell us below?

Possibly what every person that works full-time realises after they return back from work after a long break is ‘I must take more breaks, and give myself time to relax’

Relaxing is a time to reflect. When you are away from your professional environment you will find that burdens are not so troublesome.

So, get out into the daylight, go cycling, go to visit the sea, go and walk up a mountain, go to a concert, a non-techy event. Doing one of these or all of them results in broadening your horizons and enriching your life..

‘In this age of mobile phones, cybercafes, wifi and satellite links its harder than ever to escape, and live life off-line’

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When I was leaving SxSw earlier this month, I picked up an American magazine called .Inc.

It caught my attention as it had Ev, the Co-Founder of Twitter being interviewed.

I definitely recommend you check out the Magazine, or the website which are both fantastic. On the website you will find a whole multitude of feeds you can subscribe to, depending on what type of business information you are looking for.

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A great resource of web 2.0 trends, emerging technologies, web code, web services and what you should be checking out are on podcasts.

Great if your job involves travelling, have a short break, on have a long flight on the way back from a conference!
It’s a great way to keep in touch with whats happening on and around the web. And a different way of learning compared to getting the lowdown from friends and followers on Twitter.

For those on a limited budget for training or self learning this is an excellent way of listening to leading industry experts share their knowledge and information for free!
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Without a doubt, the best CSS / XHTML training you can give yourself is pick up any of these books to learn about front end web development.

Most of the books involve learning and adapting web pages using CSS based layouts. Some are new, some are classics. I have learnt valuable tips on working practices for CSS management, color palette selection, and also layouts using CSS3.

Books like ‘Don’t make me think, and ‘Bulletproof..’ make you question ‘Why should I do it this way..?’. Then they cover alternatives you may not have considered. Some of these books are in their Second edition, a testament to how well they are written and deservedly gaining a place on any discerning geeks bookshelf.

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One of my aims this year was to write more articles for external sites and magazines.

So here are the comments and insights into freelancing that I have provided FreelanceUK, from the interview questions they asked.

Two articles based on my feedback have been published.

Freelancing Blues? You’re not alone
http://www.freelanceuk.com/news/2505.shtml

Freelancers: we’d never work full-time again
http://www.freelanceuk.com/news/2510.shtml

Let me know your thoughts, I hope I can share my tips and knowledge I have learnt from new working practices and business techniques I have tried over the last few years.

The annual event held at Earls Court in London, saw many more people attending the event than last years.. Over 3000 people filled the venue each day.

Also probably the least geekiest web event to attend in the web industry calendar.

I attended on the wednesday, when I saw the following presentations:

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