Where do you get the
ideas for your experiments from ?
The ideas for the experiments can literally come from
anywhere . Sometimes by looking at someone else's work , sometimes by looking
at something in the environment or by
reading about mathematical formulas or
physics concept . There's an old joke that says , " You know , you're addicted to flash when you say , "
My favourite was.... " when you start looking at everything around you and
say , 'I bet , I could do that on
Flash."'
What and Who are your
sources of inspiration ?
When I was started doing things on Flash , my two greatest influences , were Joshua Davis
( www.praystation.com
) and Jared Tarbell ( www.levitated.net )
. These days, I often have to go beyond the usual Flashes to see stuff , that really impresses me. There's some
incredible Java stuff happening out
there too . Some great links are at www.proce55ing.net.
What would you say , to those who want to learn : Advanced
Action Script? Credentials ? Programming experience?
The most important thing I always tell people is , to get
the basics right . A lot of People , get into these advanced open source flashes and try to figure out what’s going on. I would
say , get a copy of The Action Script, The
Definitive Guide and read it cover to
cover . Then , you don't have to worry
and think about commands , syntax, as they are just secondary . Then , you can
start playing with it and get creative. Also, learn as much math and physics ,
as you can. I scan every bookstore I go past , looking for interesting titles,
but most often , you can get more than enough information , right on the web itself .
Which books would you
recommend , if any?
As mentioned earlier , ASDG by Colin Mock , is the bible. Others depend on , which
particular area you want to get into . I think Robert Penner's Programming Flash is pretty good as
well.
Which features / tools
do you mostly use in Flash? What's your favourite Action Script function / tool?
I think my favourite , is the new features in Flash MX and
the ones , I probably use most often , are create Empty Movi e Clip and the drawing
API tools. Many of my movies , consist of nothing but codes as all graphic
elements are being created on the fly. It is about as pure as you can get from
a programming point of view.
What would you like
to see in the next Flash release?
Hmmm...there is so much in Flash MX , that I feel I've
just scratched the surface last year. I'd like to see a command line
compiler , that would create Swfs from pure Action Script files. Maybe better
bitmap handling too .
How do you feel about
Friends of ED shutting down?
It is sad. Of course , I had contributed 5 books to them and
another one was just about to be printed, so it hit me personally . There are a
lot of other people I know , who were in similar positions, not to mention the
people who worked there. But of course , the bigger issue is that , the titles may not
be available to the public now . I do think they may have oversaturated the
market a little bit , but stil l, there were some excellent books there . It's
sad to think that there won't be Foundation and Studio books for the future
versions of Flash.
What music do
you secretly listen to when no one is around...?
That 80's new wave stuff! Lately I've even been digging up
some old 70's stuff , that I'd totally
forgotten about . It brings you back.
What other programs
are you avidly interested in , besides
Flash?
Mainly , I've been
getting into Java. I think it's the next greatest step for someone , who is
well versed in Action Script. The structures are close enough to make you feel
comfortable but it's much more disciplined . And once you experience the speed
and power , you can get out of Java as Flash starts to feel a little
"clunky".
Where do you see the
future of Flash 5 years from now ?
That's something , I
think a lot. Nothing lasts foreve r. Flash is the biggest thing now, and I
don't see its death coming any time soon , but I think, it's important for anyone in the field to keep
abreast of any and all new technologies coming out , and not keep all their
eggs in one basket. As far as where Flash will go, it seems to be heading more
and more in the rich web application directions , component and communication. A far cry from anyone , anywhere , would have though it back
, in the more "flashy" days of Flash 4 and 5. Also remember , that
the Director is alive and continues to develop. Unless they somehow merge ,
this will always put a limit on the areas that Flash will expand into , in
order to keep these two applications separately .
