i'm doing a workshop the day after flash in the can, on april 6th, in toronto, canada. attendees get a free copy of Unity 2 MDK Express! here are the details...
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Join Colin Moock for a full, 8 hour day of in-depth training in multiuser application development. Write your own code at a computer, guided by one of the world's leading experts in the latest ActionScript 2.0 and OOP programming techniques. Create four versions of a chat with increasing complexity. Work with an established multiuser development library, Unity 2 MDK (www.moock.org/unity/). Workshop notes are now available here:
http://moock.org/webdesign/lectures/uSimpleChatWorkshop
What you should come with:
- an intermediate to advanced understanding of OOP
- an intermediate to advanced understanding of ActionScript 2.0
- tons of energy
What you'll leave with:
- the skills to create your own multiuser applications in Flash
- a full multiuser server licence and client side development library, ready for commercial deployment
Pricing
Early bird (ends March 5th, 2004) - CDN$450.00 (approx. $307 US)
Regular (After March 6st) - CDN$500 (approx. $379 US)
Tickets on sale here:
https://www.flashinthecan.com/2004/buyTickets/store.cfm
Get a 10% moock.org discount by entering the following discount code: MOOCK77788
(Note: you don't have to actually attend the conference at all to attend the workshop.)
** Please also note that in the unlikely event we do not recieve enough interest in this workshop, we will be refunding the workshop fee and canceling it. We cannot be responsible for any flight or hotel arrangements you may have made to attend this workshop.
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if you have any questions about the workshop, email me.
steve webster has started an open-source project to create a javadoc utility for flash. he's looking for help, so if you have the time to participate, you should drop by the project site:
according to the site, the first beta is expected in march.
good luck with it steve...i'm sure lots of people hope it works out (mysefl included)!
i recently needed to fix a broken link in one of my oldest flash files (episode 1 of GWEN!). unfortunately, i no longer have the font i used in the file, so i needed to just fix the link without re-exporting the movie from flash. luckily, the Manitu Group's URL Action Editor let me do just that! in a few seconds, i fixed the link, saved the .swf, and posted it...good as new. you can now escape from GWEN's room out the window again...thanks for a great tool burak!
francis bourre's atomic boarder just keeps getting better and better! if you haven't seen this unity application yet, you should definitely take a look:
it's a multi-area 3-d chat world (i.e., isometric avatar chat), with a snowboarding theme. interact with each other and with the world around you. wonderful artwork and great features, including:
-physically walk from place to place
-sit on chairs
-add buddies and see who's online
-send email-style messages to your buddies
-hear a sound when others are talking about you
produced by Artepict, programmed by francis bourre.
in a recent interview conducted by francis bourre, i discussed the pros and cons of composition versus inheritance. after the interview, some folks asked where they could find an introduction to the concept of composition. i figured it was worth posting a short excerpt from chapter 6 of my upcoming book, actionscript 2.0 essentials:
read composition vs inheritance here
need a primer on data, datatypes, and datatype conversion in actionscript? read chapter 3, Data and Datatypes, the latest sample chapter from actionscript for flash mx: the definitive guide, second edition...
just heard that one of the flash industry's leading dev shops, juxt interactive , is seeking a full time lead actionscript programmer. here's the description:
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Must have 3 years of AS experience as well as experience in .net, php, sql, jsp, and possibly cold fusion. Please send a list of urls of your work, with a brief description of the projects and your role in it and a resume.
send emails to jobs@juxtinteractive.com with ACTIONSCRIPTER as the
subject.
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i had a change in my schedule, and have now confirmed that i will be speaking at flash in the can (saturday april 3 to monday april 5).
here's the lecture blurb from the flash in the can site:
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Studies in Shared Experiences
Join Colin Moock as he presents his latest explorations in the field of multiuser content. From the practical to the artistic, Moock discusses the challenges of creating a shared environment and the beauty of sharing an online experience. Expect demonstrations, theory, and some glimpses under the hood of Moock's new work.
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if you're planning on attending, you can buy tickets here. get a 10% moock.org discount by entering the following discount code: MOOCK77788
last november, at shockwards in germany and macromedia's max conference, i announced my next book, "Essential ActionScript 2.0" (eas2). at that point, i put up a sample chapter and a table of contents here:
>> essential actionscript 2.0 minisite
despite the fact that the manuscript has been complete since december, eas2 has been delayed due to factors out of my control (and out of o'reilly's control).
fortunately, work on the book has now resumed in full force, and we're doing everything we can to get it out as soon as possible. i still can't give a firm date, but rest assured that it won't be too long.
here's what eas2 will offer:
-complete coverage of actionscript 2.0
-for newer programmers, a gentle description of object-oriented programming
-for experts, an extensive guide to best-practice oop development with actionscript 2.0
-discussion of gui application architecture and development
-an introduction to design pattern-based development
-4 extended chapters showing design patterns in real-world sample applications
here's what's not in the book:
-a dictionary-style listing of new flash player 7 classes and objects. the new book is not "asdg3," so you won't find a language reference in it.
-coverage of remoting, flash communication server, and other peripheral flash topics. this book's focus rests squarely on as2 and oop.
if you have any questions, post a comment. (i'll leave comments open for a few days.)
to be notified when as2e ships (hopefully Q1 2004), please join the moock-updates mailing list
We just launched Unity Avatar Chat -- a fun, friendly way to chat with
visual characters in addition to traditional text-based chat.
Come pick a character and say hi! (The full feature list is on the same page.)
http://moock.org/unity/uchatavatar/
*** Ordering ***
uAvatarChat retails for US$49.99 and requires Unity 2 Multiuser Server
(starting at US$99, or much less for monthly rental).
Orders can be placed at: http://moock.org/unity/buy/
For server rental see: http://moock.org/unity/hosting/
*** Customization ***
Want to put your own characters in the chat, or customize it to match your
site? You can do it yourself (source files are included) or email
unity@moock.org for a quote.