Update: With the release of 10.7.2, this issue is resolved. The Apple engineers have reverted the code back to its pre-Lion state complete with the ability to copy hex values.

Original post: Digital With the launch of Lion came the replacement of a little utility I use(d) every day, Apple’s DigitalColor Meter. This tool allowed (note tense) you to hover over any color visible on your screen and copy its corresponding hex value to your clipboard for use in your web development work.

With Lion, DigitalColor Meter’s ability to select hex values and copy them to the clipboard are both gone. This isn’t a bug; this was a deliberate choice by someone at Apple.  Why this person thought it was necessary to turn this decade old, one-trick-pony of a utility into, well, a hobbled old nag destined for the glue factory is beyond me.

Anyway, I’m never one to be deterred so I found a work-around.  It’s not perfect, but it’s working for now:

1. Download and install this free extension to Apple’s built-in Color Picker from Waffle Software. You may need to reboot.
2. Open AppleScript Editor
3. Add simply, “choose color”
4. Run it just to test.  The color picker should launch in stand-alone mode.
5. Save your script as an application.

Google have announced the launch of their Cloud SQL product. This is a MySQL variant that stores the database in the cloud and works in conjunction with Google’s App Engine service. Until now, App Engine developers have had to rely on rough, schemaless file systems to store data objects. Now, they can take advantage of a MySQL-like database stored in the cloud.

There are still a ton of restrictions and limitations. For instance, there’s a glaring lack of relational joins, compound query filters, and sub queries. However, it’s a start.

Read more here, here, and here:

• Google Developer Blog:
  Google Cloud SQL: Your database in the cloud
• Google Code page:
  Google Cloud SQL
• ars technica:
  Google puts MySQL in App Engine Cloud with Google Cloud SQL