Google Wants You to be an HTML5 Ninja

HTML5 resources are not in short supply, but it can be hard to find them and organize them.  The knowledge base on HTML5 and other new open web standards is very broad and can be very dispersed.  That's why Google recently unveiled a new web portal called "HTML5 Rocks," which aggregates information on HTML5 and the latest web technologies and standards.  

Tutorials
The site has launched with nine tutorials on HTML5 features.  Not only do they tell you how to use new web technologies, but the site also includes information on particular features and when you should use them in your apps.  These tutorials show, for example, how to make web standard applications that work offline, access a user's location, or read local files from within JavaScript.  The site also includes APIs that are outside of the W3C HTML5 spec.  

HTML5 Rocks Tutorials:

• Introduction to Chrome Developer Tools, Part One
• Best Practices for a Faster Web App with HTML5
• A Beginner's Guide to Using the Application Cache
• Practical Guide to Take Your TODO List Offline
• Reading local files in JavaScript
• A Simple Trip Meter using the Geolocation API
• Using the Notifications API [Chrome only]
• A Simple TODO list using HTML5 WebDatabases
• Quick Guide to Implementing the HTML5 Audio Tag

Code Playground
This section of the site lets you use working examples and edit them live to hone your HTML5 ninja-skills.  This hacking sandbox lets you see how the browser reacts to each API.  The Notifications API is one example that lets you explore handpicked resources such as development tools, reference guides, and other community sites.  

Interactive Presentation
Finally, there's an interactive HTML5 presentation… that's written in HTML5!  Like the playground, you can play with the examples and learn about how the HTML5 and other APIs work.  It might also work well as a presentation to a team of web developers.  You don't have to worry about sharing any of the material on HTML5 Rocks because it's all licensed under the Creative Commons.

The site also links to several excellent HTML5 resources that you may have already seen.  These are just a few:

• HTML5 Readiness - visual timeline of HTML5 feature support.
• Dive into HTML5 - learn HTML5 and have fun reading a book at the same time.
• Modernizr - JavaScript library for feature detection and control fallback cases of HTML5.