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Flash For Life

by Serge Jespers on 23. Dec, 2009 in Cool stuff, gallery

Music For Life is a project by Dutch radio station “3FM”. This is now the fourth year in which Belgian radio station “Studio Brussel” joins this project in which they collect money for the Red Cross. Three of their DJs live in a glass house in the city center of Gent and ask their listeners for donations. This year they are collecting money in an effort to stop malaria. Every year malaria directly kills 1 million people. Another million die because of complications from the disease. The Red Cross will buy mosquito nets to prevent mosquito bites. Each net costs 5 euro but can save a human life!

This year the team (led by Wim Vanhenden) at (recently founded) Little Miss Robot created an online project to help collect money for Music For Life. The site is built with Flash and it has a couple of really cool interactive features. The site shows a live feed from a webcam pointed at a plasma screen, a Christmas tree and a whiteboard. Every visitor gets their chance to switch on the lights, draw something on the whiteboard and leave a message on the plasma screen. The lights (100 LED lights) are connected to an Arduino board which is communicating with a Flash application. Every time someone switches on the lights Adecco donates 1 euro to Music For Life.

The site is completely in Dutch but very easy to figure out. So even if you don’t speak Dutch, you should be able to switch on the lights and support the project. What are you waiting for? http://www.odenneboom.be/

Great job, Little Miss Robot!

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The power of the Flash Platform part 4: Online gaming

by Serge Jespers on 11. Dec, 2009 in Cool stuff, Flash Platform

farmville

There’s a good chance you immediately recognized the game in this screenshot. Over 28 million people played Farmville yesterday. Another 10 million played Cafe World. 6 million for FishVille Mafia Wars (Mafia Wars is not a Flash Game. Thanks Robert for pointing that out!). In fact, Zynga alone (maker of these games) serves 60 million players every single day… And all these games are built with the Flash Platform. I might as well stop this blog post right here because that’s a very impressive number.

There are also a ton of Flash games available on the web that are used to launch or promote a new product. Check out these games by Red Bull, Coca-Cola, and Cheetos.

Red Bull Soapbox RacerCoca-Cola Happiness FactoryOffice Pinata

There are many many many games like these out there. Know a cool one? Feel free to share the link in the comment section!

Other posts in this series:
The power of the Flash Platform Part 1
The power of the Flash Platform Part 2 – Augmented reality
The power of the Flash Platform Part 3 – Video

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The future of magazines?

by Serge Jespers on 07. Dec, 2009 in Cool stuff

I came across this video on Ubergizmo and I wish this was real today…! The video demonstrates a multi-touch tablet to read magazines in full color with video, audio and online capabilities. The video is created by The Wonder Factory and other than that, there really isn’t any more information out there. While it’s only a concept today, I really do hope we’ll see some of this in the future. Maybe we’ll even see it on an Apple tablet in the not too distant future?

UPDATE: Wow… I’ve just read that this is actually a real product. They’ve even showed a working prototype to the press last week. What’s even cooler is that it’s built with AIR & Flex!

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Video: Schematic shows multi-touch wall. Runs on Flash. Built with Flex.

by Serge Jespers on 25. Jun, 2009 in Cool stuff, Flash Platform, Video

Microsoft has (rightfully) gotten a lot of attention with their Surface multi-touch table. Schematic has now raised the bar. In Cannes at the Cannes Lions festival, they were showing a 3.5m (12ft) x 1.5m (5ft) multi-touch/multi-user intelligent wall which puts the Surface to shame.

The massive display gives attendees instant access to the complete festival program, 3D maps of the event and surrounding area, and information on local restaurants and bars. The Touchwall also helps delegates schedule meetings with each other and trade contact information via email. The presentation layer is built with the Flex 4 framework and runs on Flash Player 10.

I interviewed John Barton, Senior Solutions Architect at Schematic and asked him about the wall’s features, how it was built and where they are taking this next.

Wouldn’t it be cool if we could get something like this at MAX?

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Starship Enterprise runs on the Flash Platform

by Serge Jespers on 19. May, 2009 in AIR, Cool stuff, Flash Platform

“Space… The final frontier.”

Have you ever wondered how all those cool graphics and animations on TV-shows and in movies are built? Well… I was pleasantly surprised to hear that they actually use Flash to create those.

Lee Brimelow just published an interview with OOOii, a visual effects company based in Hollywood who actually created all the visuals used on the new Star Trek movie. By the way, if you haven’t seen the new Star Trek movie, I can really recommend it. The effects are great and the movie is action packed. Aaaaaand… to top it off: The Starship Enterprise runs on the Flash Platform! ;-)

Flash on!

The Flash Blog.jpg

Update May 28th: Updated with the link to the full interview

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The power of the Flash Platform part 2: Augmented reality

by Serge Jespers on 29. Apr, 2009 in Cool stuff, Flash Platform, Flash Player

Augmented reality has been around for quite some time but now that it is available for the Flash Platform (and thus available to just about everyone) it is really booming. I was recently looking for some AR examples and came across some really cool applications. I hope these will give you a bit of an idea of the immense possibilities this technology has. It’s not even that difficult to build. Check out Lee Brimelow’s tutorial video and you’ll be building applications like this in no time.

LIVING SASQUATCH

This one really blows people away. You can completely animate the sasquatch while still being able to control it in 3D space. You really need to play with it yourself to believe it. Check it out on http://www.livingsasquatch.com/

RONALD CHEVALIER

This one is very funny to demo. You stick the black and white pattern on your forehead and when you launch the application, your face is replaced with the one from Ronald Chevalier. Good fun! ;-) Check it out on http://ronaldchevalier.com/mindportal/

GE SMARTGRID

This was the first augmented reality Flash application that I saw and you’ve probably seen it as well. But if you haven’t, go check it out on http://ge.ecomagination.com/smartgrid/#/augmented_reality

MICROSOFT SQL SERVER
I think this is the first augmented reality campaign in Belgium. Obviously the agency and the client chose the best platform to do this. The Flash Platform is also the only cross OS and cross browser platform that allows you to bring AR to the widest possible audience. Check it out on http://sqlug.be/augmentedreality/activate/activate/

I’m sure you’ll agree that augmented reality is pretty cool but what do you do with it? In Brazil, Doritos actually put the black and white pattern on the Doritos bag. When you go to their site and show the bag, you get access to exclusive content. (via http://kiss-the-future.blogspot.com/2009/04/augmented-reality-in-doritos-sweet.html)


Lego even created an in-store display with augmented reality. Just hold up the box to the camera and the display shows you what the finished project looks like. See http://www.notcot.com/archives/2009/01/legos_digital_b.php for more.

I’m sure there are more AR cases out there. If you know of any or are building one yourself, please leave a comment.

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The power of the Flash Platform

by Serge Jespers on 24. Apr, 2009 in Cool stuff, Flash Platform, Flash Player

Flash Player 10 is now on 75% of all Internet connected PCs. It’s amazing to see it reached that number just 6 5 months after it was released. And it’s even more amazing to see what developers are building on top of the Flash Platform these days.

Sumo Paint

sumo.jpg

When I first saw Sumo Paint, I was completely blown away. It was just a couple of weeks ago, on April 1st. I remember mailing out a link to their main page and getting replies from colleagues asking if this was an April Fools joke. ;-) Sumo Paint is actually very easy to describe. Think Photoshop in a browser window. I thought these guys were also using Pixel Bender to do some of the effects but when I met them earlier this week in Helsinki (where they are based), they told me it’s all ActionScript 3.0. Even though Sumo Paint’s feature set is extremely close to Photoshop, it’s all built using ActionScript 3 and the Flex framework.

Hobnox Audiotool

Hobnox.jpg

You’ve probably seen this one before but this German based company just keeps adding new features and new instruments and it just keeps amazing me every time I see or demo it. The Hobnox Audiotool is basically a complete studio to create electronic music. The Hobnox team made Flash versions of a bunch of popular electronic drum computers and synthesizers that you can easily add to your composition. Additionally, you can also add effect modules and even record your performance to share with your friends. And all this is done using ActionScript.

Aviary

aviary.jpg

Aviary is a suite of online creative tools. Where Sumo Paint is “just” an image editor, Aviary has a vector editor, image editor, visual laboratory and a colour palettes application. All built on the top of the Flash Platform. I can’t even begin to imagine the amount of code behind this application suite and it all runs smoothly in a browser window using the Flash Player.

These are just 3 great examples that nicely demonstrate the power of the Flash Platform and there are many more out there. If you know of a cool example, make sure you leave a comment with the link(s).

Now… If you’re a web developer, just ask your self this question: “Can the platform I’m building applications on do this?”. If the answer is yes, chances are you are already a Flash Platform developer. If the answer is no, it’s not too late for you. ;-)

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1 student + a camera + After Effects + 3DS Max = Hollywood interest

by Serge Jespers on 09. Apr, 2009 in Cool stuff, Video

This morning, I was watching the latest YouTube hit “What’s In The Box” and was absolutely amazed by the quality of this “test movie”.

Tim Smit is a Dutch student who did most of this work on his own… He recorded the footage in his hometown and edited it in his bedroom… He used After Effects and 3DS MAX for the special effects. Total budget spent: €150.

He puts the video on YouTube. When the video hit 500k views (already over 1 million views now), he starts getting calls from all the big Hollywood studios. They are baffled when he tells them how it’s made and how “big” the budget was… So far none of the Hollywood studios have made him an offer but he is now talking to a couple of them about actually producing his movie.

Make sure you watch it in high quality! Amazing work!

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Palm showing off 3rd party Pre apps in Las Vegas

by Serge Jespers on 03. Apr, 2009 in Cool stuff, Flash, mobile, open screen project

pre.jpgPalm is showing off 3rd party applications running on the Pre. I have to say, the more I see this phone, the more I want it. The iPhone has changed the mobile game but I’m sure Palm can shake things up again with the Pre!

Developers can build applications for the Pre using nothing but web technologies like HTML and Javascript. You also get complete access to all the APIs. So all Pre developers will have access to the same functionality as Palm does. Oh and… You may have missed this announcement but Palm is also a partner in the Open Screen Project. And since all OSP partners only have one goal, that can only mean one thing……..

“Flash Player 10 will be the perfect extension to Palm webOS,” said Pam Deziel, vice president, software product management, Palm, Inc. “With this next-generation platform, people expect the same engaging experiences on their phone that they’re used to on their desktops. Together Palm and Adobe are dramatically changing the mobile web, providing the richest experience on the most web-connected platform available.”

CrunchGear.com recorded a bunch of 3rd party app demos.

Man… I really can’t wait to get my hands on one of those.

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Adobe opening “Flash City” stores around the world

by Serge Jespers on 01. Apr, 2009 in Cool stuff, Flash, open screen project

UPDATE: This article was posted on April Fools day. But while I was writing this, I realized that this may not be that far off. Check out the follow up article for more.

flashcity.jpgToday, Adobe announced a partnership with Media Markt for Europe, Dixons for the UK and Best Buy for the US to launch the Adobe Flash City stores. All three chains are opening up stores in 68 cities all over the world today. Adobe has started production of a “Flash City” branded consumer electronics line that ranges from mobile phones to set-top boxes and from refrigerators to toasters.

“We are doing this with our Open Screen partners. It made sense to not only work together on getting Flash on to these devices but also combine our marketing power to build a new world wide brand,” Adobe’s recently hired Itsa Notru (VP of Consumer Enablement) said. She continued: “This is just the beginning. While we are releasing consumer electronics today, we are also looking at creating more advanced applications of our technology. You will soon see Flash enabled X-ray machines and even Flash enabled airport security scanners.“.

flashcitytoaster.jpgThe BBC has already announced the availability of the iPlayer to run on the Flash City toasters. The BBC’s Anthony Rose said: “Our marketing team identified breakfast television as an emerging market segment for on-demand viewing and asked the iPlayer team to see if we could come up with something new in this space. Developing the iPlayer Toaster Edition has been hot and demanding work and our test team is glad it’s done – frankly they’ve had it eating burnt toast, even though they did manage to catch up on the entire MasterChef series.“.

I’m still in the process of getting the complete list of stores that are opening today and will update this post when I get that. Meanwhile, don’t hesitate to go to your local Media Markt, Dixons or Best Buy and ask them about the Flash City stores and products.

I’ll be visiting the Flash City store in Antwerp later today. Hope to see you there.

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