First things first here: I'm a Mac guy. But I must say: Windows 7 has made quite a lot improvements compared to it's predecessor (Vista). The first time I booted the OS and saw flying orbs create the Windows logo, I was impressed.

I was even more impressed by the amazing user interface improvements made by Microsoft. For those that aren't familiar with these, here's a complete list with sweet UI improvements on Windows 7. Below is the startup screen created by the flying orbs.

A small little diclaimer here: I've fully skipped the "Windows Vista Era", since I moved to Mac OSX right after Windows XP. There might be some things in this list that were already implemented in Vista, but I wasn't aware of those. Also, this list only shows the graphical improvements - not the technical.

That being said, let's check out the slick UI improvements Microsoft brought to their new OS. It could be pretty inspirational for you too!

Formatting and submitting invoices may seem like a headache at times, but this essential component of the billing process is a critical part of doing business. Record-keeping would be nearly impossible without a paper trail that includes invoices submitted to clients, customers or employers. This is where one should consider the help offered by web based invoicing software, a surprisingly simple and easy way to automate your invoicing paperwork.

There are a plethora of online invoicing and billing applications to choose from but not all of them are capable of meeting the expectations. Many of them are at a loss on features or there is a high cost involved. There is hardly any software which comes to the rescue of freelancers, entrepreneurs or SMB owners and helps them to sync their all crucial tasks. But things are changing now and Invoicera is one of the latest exciting entrants in the race bringing about this change.

Three lucky readers will be able to win a license for Invoicera. Read the rules below to find out how you can join this contest: it's pretty simple! If you're one of the three winners, you'll receive one licence for Invoicera. Make sure you join this contest quick, since it ends on October 9th and you'll automatically receive information if you have won a prize. Good luck to everyone!

Also, make sure you subscribe to the RSS feed or follow me on Twitter to get updates on more future giveaways.

Last week, I had the privilege to have a chat with Chris Coyier (nice alliteration). If you've never heard from this guy living in Chicago (Illinois), I'm pretty sure you've seen his website one ore more times: CSS-Tricks. On his site, he shares great information about CSS, jQuery and more webdevelopment techniques.

During this conversation, Chris shared some great information that could be interested for everybody that's working in the webdesign field. You can read the whole chat here.

Now, lets sit down, take a drink and chat with this creative man behind the scenes of CSS-Tricks.

Today is the day for another great contest on Marcofolio.net. This one especially goes out to all people that want to win some business cards. Three lucky readers will be able to win some from Bizcard - Business Cards.

I'm able to give away a 1000 business cards to 1 lucky reader, and 500 cards to 2 others! That's surely worth a shot! Winners can print their own design or select any design from their catalog.

Read the rules below to find out how you can join this contest: it's pretty simple! Make sure you join this contest quick, since it ends on September 9th and you'll automatically receive information if you have won a prize. Good luck to everyone!

Also, make sure you subscribe to the RSS feed or follow me on Twitter to get updates on more future giveaways.

Here's a quick personal note (nothing wrong with giving your blog some personality, right?). I just came back from a great vacation in the Philippines and I'm sorry for the lack of updates. To cheer up your, I wanted to share some wonderful pictures that I took while I was on the other side of the world (I live in the Netherlands).

All pictures (except from the last one) were taken with a Sony DSLR-A200. So, sit back and enjoy viewing a couple of beautiful photos.