AR Guru

Q: Please tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Mikko Haapoja. I was born in Toronto in 1983. Soon after that we moved to Finland for a few years, and went back forth for awhile between Canada and Finland until my family settled in Toronto again. Which is where I live now with my wife Jenny. My first computer was an Amiga 500 in the 1990’s but I didn’t do any coding until high school when we were forced to learn Turing. I didn’t like coding too much at that point, but then not knowing what to do after High School I headed to college for Computer Programming and Analysis.

Q: How would you describe a day in your shoes?

Wake up, eat some breakfast, hurry into the shower after Jenny is out, drop Jenny off at work (she’s a teacher), and then head to Jam3 to start work.

At work I start the day out by reading my emails, tweets, and blogs. Then I sit there and just write cool stuff (at least in my oppinion) for the rest of the day.

After work I hang out with friends, go skating, go sauna, go work out or do some more coding just for fun.

Q: How long have you been using Flash/Flex?

Well I used to skate a lot and make video edits of my friends skating and stuff. To get that extra “BAM” factor for my edit’s I started doing some small animations in Flash 5. Just tweening stuff and then exporting those animations as AVI and popping them into my edits.

When I was in college learning some heavy duty programming languages I started goofing around with Actionscript since I was somewhat familiar with Flash already.

After college I felt a bit burnt out (finished my four year program in two and a half years) and really just wanted to do web development and mostly Flash development, cause I figured it was easier and gave you that instant gratification a lot of languages don’t give.

Q: What is it about Flash/Flex that you like the most? What would you change?

The thing I like about Flash is that it does give you that instant gratifaction. You code something and you see it on your screen. Even though Actionscript has gotten more complicated over the years, especially with v. 3.0, it’s still quite simple to do almost anything.

I really wouldn’t change anything when it comes to features that the Flash player has. I feel at the speed that the player is developing at it’s already getting tougher to keep up with all the awesome features. If there is one thing that I would change it would be the small inconcistencies that come with the different versions of the plugin. (but there aren’t too many of them anyways)

Q: What was the most challenging thing you ever did using actionscript or an actionscript based library/framework?

It’s really hard to say the most challenging project I’ve ever worked on. Every project is different in nature. A project could be quite simple but because of timelines it could actually turn into a complicated project.

I would have to say some of my personal projects have been most demanding and I guess the projects I’ve sort of given up on are the most complicated.

One example would be at some point I had the bright idea of taking 3d tracking data from Icarus (a free 3d video tracking app) and pushing that data into papervision to try to seamlessly composite Papervision 3d with live footage in real time. Needless to say I didn’t get super far and then I heard that Ralph Hauwert had done something like this already so I gave up since I got swamped with other things anyways.

I should maybe look into that project again at some point even though Ralph has already done it.

Q: What suggestions or sources of inspiration/motivation would you like to share with up and coming Developers?

I think as a suggestion for new developers I would say to stay humble. You possibly could be doing the coolest stuff ever but you’ll always learn more by being humble and not thinking that you’re better than you are. I’ve gone back to the most basic tutorials and learned something new.

I would say for inspiration read blogs and tweets. When you see a blog that is even remotely cool throw it into your rss reader. Look at other peoples work and be in awe, but then try to figure out how they did it. Never think that you can’t do something because eventually you will be able to do it. Also pay attention to motiongraphics and other art forms there’s a lot of inspiration there.

Architect Supreme

Q: Please tell us a bit about yourself.

Antti Kupila, -84 vintage, from Finland and currently living in Amsterdam. I love everything that has to do with design, technology, art, music, psychology and a weird mashup of all the above. My business card has has “Sid Lee” written on it.

Q: How would you describe a day in your shoes?

At work? Changes a lot every day. Currently I oversee the technical production at Sid Lee Amsterdam which means the day consists of sipping cappuccinos, brainstorming, building prototypes in various languages and working with vendors. I also still write code almost every day but recently my focus has shifted a bit more towards the conceptual, strategic and creative sides. In my free time I still like to experiment and learn new things the player we’ve all learned to love has to offer.

Q: How long have you been using Flash/Flex?

I think Flash 5 came out just when I first started. In the beginning it was a bit on/off and just for fun. Now Flash has been bringing the food to my table for 4 or so years.

Q: What is it about Flash/Flex that you like the most? What would you change?

Definitely the connection between visual and technical creativity — the same tools can be used for animation and RIAs or any combination of both. Also I love the fact that it’s by nature on the web, which brings us a lot of goodies that we can use to enhance the products. I also like the fact that Adobe has been moving the player more to a platform, coming from an animation tool. This is something i’d like to see more of in the future too, giving us more low level control such as the new sound apis. Similar control over rendering would be sweet. I’d also like to see a mobile version of the player that’s actually useful and doesn’t require the developers to work separately in Flash Lite. Ideally it would adapt automatically to the resources available on the device it’s on.

Q: What was the most challenging thing you ever did using actionscript or an actionscript based library/framework?

The technical aspect is just one side of the coin, I think technology is at its best when it’s transparent to the user. The more magic, the better. To me the non-technical side of a technical project is often far more challenging to get right than the code itself. One of the more challenging technical tasks was the application framework built at AKQA San Francisco.

Q: What suggestions or sources of inspiration/motivation would you like to share with up and coming Developers?

Coffee is a good place to start. Seriously though I think it’s about coming up with a goal/problem, breaking it down into smaller goals and reaching them. With google and the intertubes we have all the information at our fingertips, it’s just a question of attitude if we reach our goals or not. The more you know, the more you’ll want to know. Don’t forget to keep on experimenting outside of commercial projects either, fun is a crucial ingredient and client requirements often restrict creativity.

Also I think it’s very important to listen to your own judgment and not think of anything as set in stone. Remember that the world was once flat. Einstein said “the important thing in life is to never stop questioning”.

RSS and twitter are my weapons of choice when it comes to getting inspiration. I don’t really go to sites like FWA for inspiration as to me that’s stuff that’s already been done. I think biology, psychology and nature are a much better source of inspiration. On Intelligence (isbn 0805078533) is an interesting book by Jeff Hawkins that talks about how the brain works and where something like creativity comes from. Highly recommended.
Oh, and don’t do something (cough..3d..cough) just because you can and everybody else is doing it. Technology is fun but it changes every day. It’s much more important to start with an idea and then use whatever tools are required to bring it to life.

Developer Extreme

Q: Please tell us a bit about yourself.

I am 25… wait no, 24? I love the internet, snowboarding back in my home state of Colorado, and spending saturday mornings mountain biking. I graduated from Full Sail University in late 2005 and have been living in Miami ever since. Some previous projects include wearethirdeye.com, bacardi.com and most recently ownyourc.com.

Q: How would you describe a day in your shoes?

It all starts around 10:30am, Einstein’s, plain bagel, toasted, with shmear. Right now I am neck deep in a project along side my good friend and Art Director, Bryant Florez. As a developer, I really enjoy this part of the project. It’s that span of time when you’re in full stride. You know exactly what you have to do, and you can really focus on the details. Everyday I look for new and more creative ways to bridge the designer/developer workflow. Right now we have a solid blend of Flash/Flex and SVN. After lunch Skate2 session, then back to attack the second half of the day. I keep in touch with my friends over iChat and Twitter, but for the most part I am never more then an arms length from my laptop.

Q: How long have you been using Flash/Flex?

I have been an Actionscript developer for just around 5 or 6 years now. I hated Flash at first, I came from an HTML/CSS background and loved the control and logic behind that sort of work. I was very precise and had spent a good amount of time mastering table based layouts. It wasn’t until a year later that I had my breakthrough moment. I purchased “Flash to The Core” from the bookstore, and finally, it all started falling into place. I still get frustrated with the occasional uneven pixel, but those are few and far between.

Q: What is it about Flash/Flex that you like the most? What would you change?

I am a dev at heart, I love organization and logic. But I also have a huge appreciation for design and aesthetics. Flash is this awesome collision point of design and programming. Flash provides a place where all these different skill sets can merge and compliment each other. It’s part design, part development, and everything in-between.

Q: What was the most challenging thing you ever did using actionscript or an actionscript based library/framework?

A couple days after returning from FITC in 2005, I decided to build a photo gallery. I didn’t know much Actionscript and was just introduced to the whole “OOP” thing during the conference. I was excited to showcase the awesome time my friends and I had, and apply everything I picked up in Toronto. I was completely lost! Here I was trying to decipher my lecture notes, and work out classes, and strict typing. All the while thinking “What the hell am I doing?!”. I ended up succeeding with what I can only describe as a Frankenstein of dynamically static object oriented code! Looking back, that was definitely one of those great moments in my life where I realized exactly what I wanted to do. I haven’t put Actionscript down ever since.

Q: What suggestions or sources of inspiration/motivation would you like to share with up and coming Developers?

Consume as much information as possible. Stay as organized as possible. And have fun! Programming is only as fun as you make it. If your passionate about what you do and take pride in your work, it can be one of the most rewarding experiences in your life. Lastly the most important advice I can give to any Flash dev… Keep your libraries organized and your classes commented, you never know who might be poking around in there someday!

Community Scholar

Q: Please tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Matt Przybylski and I was originally born in Kielce, Poland in 1983 but moved to the US when I was 7 to “live the American dream”. My formal education is a Bachelor’s degree from the Illinois Institute of Art in Schaumburg in Multimedia & Web Design. Upon graduation I was a jack of all trades, master of nothing so I decided to learn Flash. I’m self taught so I’m not as technical as other programmers because I don’t have a long background in old school languages like C or Python. This is a hinderance of sorts because it takes me a lot longer to understand core concepts since I am a visual learner (was originally a designer then did some 3D), but I guess I manage to get by. I work as a freelance Flash developer for some large agencies in downtown Chicago, most notably DraftFCB and Razorfish as well as doing my own personal freelance work. Outside of Flash dev I like to lead a normal life with my girlfriend, dog, and two guinea pigs. I am in love with everything basketball related and if I could drop Flash development to be involved in basketball coaching at some rank I would do it in a heartbeat (well, let me take that back, I CAN do that but I have bills to pay).

Q: How would you describe a day in your shoes?

A day in my shoes usually starts off with me waking up relatively later than most normal people. I work from home so my commute is about 10 seconds down two flights of stairs into my office. I then go about frolicking on the internet and getting caught up with my RSS feeds/Twitter or whatever news the day brings. I usually watch SportsCenter while I begin the day off although I have not been doing that recently as much as I used to because it gets rather distracting. I do some programming throughout the day and then almost religiously watch Around the Horn/Pardon the Interruption on ESPN at 4 PM CST. I then program some more, eat, either go play basketball or watch TV with the lady, and then finish off the day relaxing. I think its very important to get away from the computer, especially when you work from home, to keep your sanity.

Q: How long have you been using Flash/Flex?

I’ve been using Flash for a little over four years now since Flash MX 2004. My approach to projects has greatly changed since that time as I’m sure everyone else’s has. For a long time I was a procedural coder until I got thrown into the fire at Razorfish on an OOP project. I came out with a starting point for knowledge about OOP but hungered for more (I’m huge on organization and OOP seemed like it was way more organized than procedural coding, which it is) so I picked up some books, read some tutorials, and now I absolutely can’t stand coding in a procedural manner (its to the point where I sometimes forget how to do things if they aren’t part of a class). After a while I started using external IDEs for code development like SE|PY and FlashDevelop. I then moved over to a Macbook Pro as my primary machine so I was unable to use that. Luckily I was introduced to FDT while at Razorfish by Samuel Agesilas (during his brief stint there) and it quickly became the standard at the office for every Flash dev. Having worked with it for so long at work and loving it I adopted it as my main IDE for coding in Flash and have been using it ever since. Please note, however, that I only code in FDT and I still use the Flash IDE extensively to set up my assets as well as to compile my projects. I’m not into ANT and all that other madness, I literally just use FDT to code quicker. Lastly, if Sam is or ever does read this, what happened to you lil buddy? Hit me up when you get a chance!

Q: What is it about Flash/Flex that you like the most? What would you change?

I love that Flash is a marriage of design as well as code. While I do mainly focus on the coding aspect of Flash these days, I still love to look at great designs and follow great design blogs on a regular basis. I love making great designs “pop” and having things come to life. There is no better feeling than when coding is going well and your project is taking shape. The end result is always fun to look at.

There is not one thing in particular that I’d change about Flash, just small things here and there. I think that Adobe should incorporate some of the great APIs that come out from the community into their product a little better so that they can be available to everyone in the mass market, not just the people who are following all these blogs that are all over the place. There are a lot of times when I want to use something or create something only to find out a better version already exists but it takes a long time to find that better version. A centralized location for a listing of the best APIs to do each task would be great (now that I think of it, maybe I’ll do that as a side project of mine…).

Q: What was the most challenging thing you ever did using actionscript or an actionscript based library/framework?

Probably the most challenging thing I’ve ever made with AS was a photo editor I did for a client recently. I’ve never had to dig so deep into the Flash API to do some of the stuff I was doing and luckily I had some help from some really good developers to allow me to finish off the project in a timely fashion (although I grossly underestimated my hours on it and it was a flat rate project). I’m actually going to be diving back into the project next month for a second version of it so maybe I will be able to clean some of it up (which, I’m not gonna lie about, I don’t enjoy doing like a lot of developers do. I enjoy finishing stuff up and then moving on; refactoring code is definitely not a hobby of mine).

Q: What suggestions or sources of inspiration/motivation would you like to share with up and coming Developers?

The biggest thing you have to remember is that we are in the field of technology and technology is ever changing. You have to enjoy doing things like reading blogs (ahem, http://evolve.reintroducing.com) and tutorials because it will help you survive and keep up with the ever changing landscape. For students just graduating college, do NOT rely on your education in school to get you work. You have to put in the time outside of school to get where you want to be. I’ve often seen too many people who are in school just go to school, learn whatever there, and when they go home its like Flash doesn’t exist. You will not get by like that in this field.

You should also look at what the best people/studios in the industry are doing on a regular basis and thrive to be as good as them. You have to stay grounded and realize that you will not be that good overnight, but if you set your goals high you will have something to shoot for and it will help you in your journey. Ask questions on blogs and forums and there actually are good people out there who will help you. Just remember to be respectful and keep in mind that these people are probably working while you are asking them questions so don’t rush them. There are tons of people willing to help those that are just starting out (that’s actually how I learned a lot, asking questions on Kirupa) but you have to be patient and understand that they are not there to serve only you but others (and themselves) as well.

Lastly, get out and enjoy life. Sitting at the computer for 14 hours of the day will only wear you out in the long run. Have hobbies outside of this but manage your time wisely and you will be good to go.

Tween Master

Q: Please tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Zeh, I’m was born in São Paulo in 1977. I like writing code that moves stuff on the screen, and nowadays I work with Actionscript.

Q: How would you describe a day in your shoes?

Wake up, work, eat, work, walk around a bit, go to sleep. I work remotely for Firstborn Multimedia, so I work from home and I have a pretty uneventful day. I also wear flip-flops the entire day instead of shoes.

Q: How long have you been using Flash/Flex?

I’ve started using Flash technology since a few months before Flash 3 was released, so… around 11 years it seems. I wasn’t an exclusive Flash developer at first, though, that came with time. I hated the IDE at first, it looked like a lame vector editor. It took some time until its uses sunk in.

Q: What is it about Flash/Flex that you like the most? What would you change?

What I like the most is how the time coding to execution is so fast. This is sort of difficult to explain, but I like how I’m developing something and then a minute later I’m seeing it animating on the screen. It’s something about the platform and the kind of stuff we usually build, I guess, and it gives me great pleasure, I’m sort of addicted to seeing something moving on the screen and interacting with it.

But after using some platform for such a long time I think you kind of get used to it. You lose the ability to get surprised – you’re not angry with it anymore when something goes wrong, and you’re not overly surprised when something works how it’s supposed to or when something new arrives. In that sense, I don’t think there’s anything I’d change, as I don’t see any blatant mistake or anything. It’s evolving the way it’s supposed to. Sure there are certain things I’d like to change, but I don’t assume they’re universal problems. I’m often mistaken too, so what do I know, I usually keep my conceptions to myself and wait to see whether they turn out to be true or not.

Q: What was the most challenging thing you ever did using actionscript or an actionscript based library/framework?

I think it’s a bit stupid by now, but some work I created for a website a couple of years ago where we needed a page flip-like effect to simulate some user-controlled stickers. I guess it was a lot of pressure developing the entire website and my brain just started melting at a certain point. It worked pretty well, and I’m glad I created it all from scratch and such, but it took me more time than I expected to create it.

Q: What suggestions or sources of inspiration/motivation would you like to share with up and coming Developers?

I guess, do what you love and love what you do. That has served me well over the years… the rest just follows.

Mod Master Flex

Q: Please tell us a bit about yourself.

I am 32 (actually 33, but it’s not official yet..) I come from Poland, currently live in Stockholm in Sweden. I travel a lot, because somehow my family is spread all over Europe.I used to work as Flash Developer for different interactive agencies, most recently for FI (www.f-i.com). Since last year I am a freelancer and I work with clients from different places all over the world.

Q: How would you describe a day in your shoes?

I can’t really say that there is a typical day for me. Sometimes I wake up at 7AM, sometimes at 10. I usually kick off with a coffee and Google Reader. If I have a project going on I focus on it, and if not I try to find something interesting to experiment with. Lately I became addicted to Twitter, so everyday I spend some time reading and writing tweets. I try to close the computer before midnight.

Q: How long have you been using Flash/Flex?

My first contact with Flash dates back to Flash 3. It must have been 1999. I started to use it for work probably a year later. Somewhere between Flash 6 and 7 I took a detour and started developing Java
applications. I got back to Flash in 2005, to find out that ActionScript has evolved a lot and was getting close to Java itself. Since then I focused 100% on Flash development, first with AS2, then AS3. My weapon of choice used to be the Flash IDE and nowadays I use FDT.

Q: What is it about Flash/Flex that you like the most? What would you change?

I like Actionscript 3. It is a language that evolved from something not too serious into a robust programming environment. I wrote something in AS3 almost everyday for the last 18 months and there isn’t one major feature that I don’t like, or something important that I miss in the language itself.

What would I change? I want more speed! Performance increase is probably what every Flash developer would like to see, especially if you had anything to do with 3D. Any software has its limits, and those limits stimulate creativity, but I’d love to see those limits raised a little bit in Flash

Q: What was the most challenging thing you ever did using actionscript or an actionscript based library/framework?

I discovered Papervision3D one year ago. Since then, everything I did with actionscript was a challenge – whether it was a demo for the blog, a open-source development or a commercial project. I always look for things with the “impossible” factor – something that I feel is beyond my possibilities at the moment.

Certainly an important milestone was my first commercial project that involved 3D – the Skateit demo for EA (http://www.everydayflash.com/blog/index.php/2008/12/16/paperskate3d-ea-skateit/). When I first eveloped it, originally as an entry for a Pepervision3D contest, I was not familiar with any 3D modelling tool, so I decided to create the whole thing in AS – the skateboard model is composed entirely of plane and cube primitives.

Q: What suggestions or sources of inspiration/motivation would you like to share with up and coming Developers?

Read blogs, learn and experiment. The most dangerous thing I our profession is when you start doing the same thing every day. Routine kills creativity. So whenever you get this feeling, look around and try to learn something new. No matter whether it’s math, physics, design patterns or something else – whatever turns you on. Also, try other technologies. The fact that I learned Java in the past was very very helpful to me when AS3 came in. Today, there are multiple technologies which can be a good source of inspiration for Flash like Processing or iPhone development. Never let boredom get you!

True Lab Scientist

Q: Please tell us a bit about yourself.

I keep saying that I’m a award loser, non creative 53 years old living under a bridge, but I’m not. I’m like the rest… you know, award winner, super creative 26 year old living in trendy London

Q: How would you describe a day in your shoes?

A boring nightmare for most of the people. I’m all the time behind a screen, doing and learning stuff. At Hi-ReS! from 10am to 7pm, and once getting home if I’m inspired I check my to-do list and start getting things done. Recently it’s getting very low tho, 60% of the times I’m not inspired and I just go and see what’s new on the internet.

Q: How long have you been using Flash/Flex?

I started toying with Flash 10 years ago or so, just for simple animations. The code lines written have been incrementing at a normal pace since then. But, 3 years ago, when I went freelancing under the name of Mr.doob the increment went exponential.

Q: What is it about Flash/Flex that you like the most? What would you change?

If you’re talking about the IDE, you’re asking to the wrong person as I don’t use them. Specially because I decided to move to Linux a year ago. I use FDT and Flex SDK at the moment which is multiplatform. And on this case I wouldn’t change much is working quite well. Recently, if I need some extra tool I prefer to code it myself, AIR is good for that.

Q: What was the most challenging thing you ever did using actionscript or an actionscript based library/framework?

Right now, the new Jägermeister website. It started as a 2′5D website so I did a simple engine and editor for that. But the designers kept pushing it and ended up being a full 3D site, it helped me to finally get done with my own 3D engine tailored for my style. The site is still not done tho, it will get bigger and bigger and hopefully will also get nicer and use the tools better.

Q: What suggestions or sources of inspiration/motivation would you like to share with up and coming Developers?

Suggesting sources of inspiration wouldn’t be a good idea. Inspiration comes from anywhere, the last funny inspiration spark I had was just putting me on socks. They were striped socks, looked cool, so I wondered if I could code that into a piece I was working on. I’ll go for the one that never fails instead… Patience and perseverance is the key.

Ringo

Q: Please tell us a bit about yourself.

I can be chaotic and organized

I woke up…

My name is Ringo, born in 1971 in a small town of the Netherlands. Now married with a beautiful wife and we have two dogs.

At my early days I was fascinated by games and computers. My first computer was a Atari 800XL in 1983 or so, with the awesome and deadly slow tape recorder. Shortly after that I tried to make my first game, a ski game, wonder if I ever did finish it though:) Sadly we didn’t have much resources back then but we had cool demo/copy party’s. What the people over there could do over there was so amazing.

Later I had a Amiga 500 / 1000 (still have oneJ) played a lot of games, and making music. Ok, let’s fast forward from here, did finish a study called ‘informatica’. Worked as a system manager with Unix and Novell.
Oeps, short rewind, after the Bulletin Board systems and very high phone bills, I discovered the internet in it’s quiet early days and yes even more higher phones bills. I started to make websites and about five years later I started my own company. Now ten years later I am still making websites / games and demos. The last three years mostly flash and I love 3D ! Thanks to Carlos and the rest of the team we can enjoy 3D in flash with Papervision 3D.
 
Q: How long have you been using Flash/Flex?

Oh flash, I can’t remember guess from the start, but since the last three years quiet active.
 
Q: What is it about Flash/Flex that you like the most? What would you change?

What not, a lot! The fact that you can see result fast, the fact that like everyone can run it in the browser, the fact I am earning my money with it and having fun. The most, the people around it.

Change ? Nothing but if we could have full GPU support one day, however that would be less of a challenge.

Q: What was the most challenging thing you ever did using actionscript or an actionscript based library/framework?

That still needs to come I hope, well I guess my first 3D game in flash called Space Hockey (see http://www.webgamesarefun.com/spacehockey/) It was a ‘make a game in one day’ project, I need to say it wasn’t finished in one day

Q: What suggestions or sources of inspiration/motivation would you like to share with up and coming Developers?

Check Flashbookmarks, http://www.flashbookmarks.com ( you can contact me: ringo at flashbookmarks.com) with daily fresh articles and bookmarks. Bookmarks of blog websites and what not, oh and don’t miss Andy Zupko’s (mr. effect) and Mr. Doob blog websites. (maybe you can interview them ? J.) They helped me a lot and are a great inspiration.

Also check http://www.demoscene.tv/ for inspiration and the lab at Adobe http://labs.adobe.com/ . If you like 3D checkout Papervision 3D at http://www.papervision3d.org and the 3D physic engine jiglibflash at http://www.jiglibflash.com/