OK, so I only showed up for the afternoon sessions but it was fantastic none the less, despite the somewhat disappointing “OOP For The OOPless” from Hugh Elliot. On one hand it was a good overview of the OOP capabilities in Flash 9 but it was a snoozer of a presentation. I fully acknowledge that it’s a dry subject matter and what’s more I was seated too far from the front to read most of the text on the projector (but to be fair, I have very, very poor vision…).

After the break, Adobe’s Mike Downey (and friends) showed off the yummy Neapolitan treat that is AIR+Flash+Flex and some of the new tricks Flash 10 has picked up. One is the new timeline tween that is much more flexible and powerful than ever. You can now just make a new object, which doesn’t even need to be a movie clip initially, set a new motion tween from the menu, perform a transformation on the object, and watch Flash do the rest. The fancy part is how you can now open a new inspector tab and tweak all aspects of the animation, including the speed, easing, duration, rotation, and so on. You can also move and scale the animation like any old movie clip on the stage, and you can even modify the animation’s path using bezier curves. Very slick stuff.

Another nifty new animation trick was the addition of a “bones” tool which very quickly and easily allows movie clips to be anchored together with a skeletal structure which can then be immediately manipulated as separate, but joined, parts. Like an arm or a leg. Animators are going to love this and how much time they’re going to save.

Flex and AIR are also looking very strong — desktop application development is going to see some amazing innovations over the next couple of years because it’s going to bring the barrier of entry way down. In theory I can now build desktop applications, which is frankly something I’ve wanted to try for a long time. In one nifty demonstration, Mike built a very simple web browser with quite literally 3 lines of code and about one minute in the layout design window.

My personal highlight of the day, however, was Erik Natzke’s presentation entitled ‘Beyond the Knowledge: The Art of Playing’ which was, apparently, his first full presentation focusing on his art and leaving the technical details out almost entirely. The short of it is that his work is procedurally generated based on criteria he can tweak to alter the output. For example, he utilizes assets such as particle generators, ribbons, concentric circles or any combination thereof to create some unique and stunning works of art. The bulk of the presentation was his journey exploring and exploiting the tools at his disposal to where he is today and my go in the future. Really good stuff.

The last event of the day was the Cut&Paste design showdown between two pairs of really skilled digital artists (the names of which I can’t track down at the moment…). It was basically a tag team Photoshop battle featuring teams from New York and Toronto, each given 15 minutes to hammer on a theme using any tools available to them. After time expires, the teams trade files and work on a second theme for another 15 minutes. This was officially just an exhibition, but the hometown favourites seemed to have the edge when it came to audience voting, natch.

Another full day of presentations tomorrow, but I’ve got a splitting headache and don’t even want to think about it right now. I’ve got a Coke to drink and wrestling to watch (and I suppose a couple chores to do) and then I’m looking forward to a good night’s sleep. See you tomorrow!

Shocking, I know, but some of the jobs one finds on Craigslist aren’t necessarily from employers one would consider, what’s the word, good. I came across this gem seeking a Graphic Designer/Administrative Assistant for Venture Capital Firm. A perfectly reasonable expectation if you ask me! Check the job description:

Provide administrative support and graphic design services. Administrative duties include general clerical, receptionist and project based work.

In addition to providing administrative support, you will help design marketing and communications materials for innovative companies within various industries including business services, financial services, healthcare services, internet, and media markets.

Yesterday, the prolific French designer told the German magazine Die Zeit that design is dead and that he plans to leave the game within 2 years.

“‘In future there will be no more designers. The designers of the future will be the personal coach, the gym trainer, the diet consultant,’ he said.
Starck said the only objects that he still felt attached to were ‘a pillow perhaps and a good mattress.’ But the thing one needs most, he added, was the ‘ability to love’.”

I’m not sure if this quote is taken out of context, but I’m not following his meaning — unless, of course, he’s talking about eugenics. Ya, he’s probably talking about eugenics. And he’s some sort of sleep-bot. Anyway, this makes sense considering people are probably the only thing this guy hasn’t designed (and sold at your local Target - haHA! - See how I made that joke twice?). Still, whether one turns their nose up at his history of producing mass market-friendly consumer goods or not, I think that he’s done good for the industry, certainly for himself, and after so long I can understand wanting to move in a new direction. Via AFP c/o Kottke