Today, I got notice that this blog was added to MXNA (also known as Adobe Feeds). So, I'd like to extend a welcome to all my new readers. If you've followed MXNA, you may be more familiar with my blog at galaxygoo.org.
Why did I move blogs? Well, it seemed to me that the galaxygoo blog, which really is supposed to focus on science, was getting a little off-topic for galaxygoo (as an organization dedicated to science literacy). The non-flash audience just wasn't into all the posts about Flash. So, I started underground-flash as a place where I could focus on code and life as a geek.
I'm still finding my voice on this blog, and I'm having fun with it. I'm trying to build a relaxed space, where I can share some of my ideas and code. In case you noticed the link on the side, underground-lab is about having fun with code. I try to post source when time permits.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Post-Flashforward Fun
It's quite possible that my favorite part of the conference happened after it officially ended. I'd missed lunch that day, so by the time the conference closed I was starving! I met up with Stacey, Keith, Ben, and others and made a bee-line for dinner. We shared a yummy meal at a little Italian spot near the Fairmont.
Once well-fed, we headed back to the bar in the Fairmont lobby for a few drinks and more conversation. Getting a bunch of Flash folk together almost always leads to great conversation. We may have been a little more boisterous than the rest of the guests at the Fairmont, but we generally behaved ourselves pretty well.
Eventually, some of our crowd had to depart. After all the farewells, a few of us grabbed a cab to Golden Gate Park. Our plan was to catch Radiohead's set at the outside lands festival. Well, it seemed like a good idea when we headed out. As we approached, however, we could see crowds of people streaming out of the park.
We quickly realized that if we got out of the cab, we'd be stranded...possibly for hours. So, we headed over to the Fillmore district, in search of live blues or jazz. We ended up in the Boom Boom Room, with Vinyl on the stage. The music was fantastic and a great finish to a great night!
I wish that conference organizers would do more to facilitate this kind of night out, instead of the big noisy parties or awkwardly-forced team building activities. Sometimes, it seems like there's a lot of pressure to "party", but very few opportunities to actually socialize and converse. When there is a relaxed-festive setting, it's a lot easier for conversations to flow and for people to mix.
Since I know a lot of people in the industry, it's way too easy for me to go to a conference and just hang out with my buddies. Which is pretty much what I did at this conference. As much as I love hanging out with my buddies, meeting new people and exploring new ideas is what a great conference is all about.
It's obviously a difficult feat to accomplish, and if I knew how to organize the perfect conference I'd be making a fortune doing just that.
Once well-fed, we headed back to the bar in the Fairmont lobby for a few drinks and more conversation. Getting a bunch of Flash folk together almost always leads to great conversation. We may have been a little more boisterous than the rest of the guests at the Fairmont, but we generally behaved ourselves pretty well.
Eventually, some of our crowd had to depart. After all the farewells, a few of us grabbed a cab to Golden Gate Park. Our plan was to catch Radiohead's set at the outside lands festival. Well, it seemed like a good idea when we headed out. As we approached, however, we could see crowds of people streaming out of the park.
We quickly realized that if we got out of the cab, we'd be stranded...possibly for hours. So, we headed over to the Fillmore district, in search of live blues or jazz. We ended up in the Boom Boom Room, with Vinyl on the stage. The music was fantastic and a great finish to a great night!
I wish that conference organizers would do more to facilitate this kind of night out, instead of the big noisy parties or awkwardly-forced team building activities. Sometimes, it seems like there's a lot of pressure to "party", but very few opportunities to actually socialize and converse. When there is a relaxed-festive setting, it's a lot easier for conversations to flow and for people to mix.
Since I know a lot of people in the industry, it's way too easy for me to go to a conference and just hang out with my buddies. Which is pretty much what I did at this conference. As much as I love hanging out with my buddies, meeting new people and exploring new ideas is what a great conference is all about.
It's obviously a difficult feat to accomplish, and if I knew how to organize the perfect conference I'd be making a fortune doing just that.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Atom Swing
Imagine a sign, tacked to a fence at four corners. What if all but one tack came loose. The sign would then swing down from that pivot corner. In real life, the sign would swing back and forth until it ran out of momentum. In these pieces, however, I'm keeping the model really simple and just rotating the square (on a pivot point) until it hangs straight down. Once the corner diagonal to the pivot corner is pointing down, the square is ready to drop.
In Atom Swing 1, the animations are triggered by mouse events.
In Atom Swing 2, the events are triggered by timer events.
Note: Be sure to check out Oscar Trelles work on AS3 and registration. The only reason I didn't use it here, was because I wanted to play and see what I'd figure out on my own....yes, I do enjoy reinventing the wheel from time to time.
In Atom Swing 1, the animations are triggered by mouse events.
In Atom Swing 2, the events are triggered by timer events.
Note: Be sure to check out Oscar Trelles work on AS3 and registration. The only reason I didn't use it here, was because I wanted to play and see what I'd figure out on my own....yes, I do enjoy reinventing the wheel from time to time.
Monday, August 4, 2008
My Slides on NASA website
Just discovered that some slides are online, from a talk I gave at NASA GSFC. The slides were put together quickly (but not the talk) and there are some typos in them, but the concepts are there.
In any case, feel free to check them out. The talk was titled "Communicating Scientific Information Through Interactive Visualizations", and was aimed for an audience of mostly scientists and experts in science outreach.
In any case, feel free to check them out. The talk was titled "Communicating Scientific Information Through Interactive Visualizations", and was aimed for an audience of mostly scientists and experts in science outreach.
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