January 5, 2009, 11:17 am
A widget, according to Wikipedia, “is a portable chunk of code that can be installed and executed within any separate HTML-based web page by an end user without requiring additional compilation.” For those of us non-techies who question the language in which that description was written, we offer a simpler explanation: “A widget is a convenient tool that allows you to add continuously updated online content to your personal Web site, blog, social-network or search engine home page.”
That’s how we describe a widget on our new Times Widgets product, where you can easily create your own widgets from NYTimes.com content. It really is as easy as 1, 2, 3.
December 30, 2008, 4:38 pm
To the New Yorkers who are supposed to know everything, quick, who represents your household in the New York City Council? How about the U.S. House of Representatives?
For the classically know-it-all New Yorkers who sometimes don’t know it all, we bring you Represent, in beta. Enter your street address and zip code, then hit Go. The following page displays a chart of your districts, the person who represents you and in what political body they represent you; Google maps of each district; and a list of articles in which your representatives have recently appeared. We know, you knew this all already.
To hear the thoughts, ideas and work behind Represent, read what our developers have to say on Open.
September 9, 2008, 10:13 am
With Fashion Week come the crowds, the parties and the celebrities, but at its core will always be the shows.
Our new interactive fashion-show tool allows front-row viewing even when you’re sidelined. Browse by featured collections, designers, seasons and locations; watch short- or long-version videos of select shows, like DKNY; and view slide-shows from the collections of designers like Peter Som. To get even closer, click on a slide-show photo to receive a scrollable magnified version of each look.
August 6, 2008, 1:44 pm
With 35 Summer Olympics sports, each with a plethora of events, comes the question: how to keep track of them? Allow us to introduce NYTimes.com’s Olympics Tracker, where you can keep an eye on your favorite sports’ upcoming events and results.
On the left-hand side of the grid is a sortable sports listing. Because you may be more of a gymnastics fan than, say, one of modern pentathlon, you can drag gymnastics to the top of the list, followed by other sports that pique your interest. Up top is the option to view the events schedule according to local or Beijing time, and by hours or days. For a quick fix of what’s going on at the moment, simply hit the Now button.
As you browse events, you’ll likely come across a few you’d like to check on later, which is why we included the My Favorite Events tab. You can choose any event from the grid to save in your favorites, where you can then view results or see where the event fits into the schedule.
And if you have a question about functionality, click the How This Works link for an Olympics Tracker overview.
July 21, 2008, 1:04 pm
By THE NEW YORK TIMES
NYTimes.com’s interactive series allow us to report the news as well as discover how the news affects people, through video, graphics and traditional articles. In the first installment of The Debt Trap, we observe how unprecedented debt levels and financial instability have affected average Americans. We hear from Diane McLeod, more than $280,000 in debt, along with a young couple and older single mother about to lose their homes. We show how, since the 1920s, the use of mortgages and installment loans, and, later on, home-equity loans and credit cards, have influenced debt levels.
And we created an interactive graph allowing you to discover how your debt stacks against those of other Americans.
If you start wondering how we came to this point, pose a question or post a comment in response to Gretchen Morgenson’s article “Given a Shovel, Americans Dig Deeper into Debt.”
June 27, 2008, 4:04 pm
By THE NEW YORK TIMES
As the power struggle over New York’s most famous patch of nature carries on, we observe how runners have made Central Park their own. “Trails Less Traveled” is a guide through the 843-acre park with photos, text blurbs and audio descriptions of paths and trails. For those who resist the pull of morning runs, downloading and printing the map proves equally useful when seeking a spot of grass for afternoon decompression.
