Leader of the Band

Gone but never forgotten… as his fans would put it

“I felt there was no way we could save this planet unless we learned to love it.” - Dan Fogelberg

They say that there are no real winners in war and that both parties involved are actually losers in the end, no matter the outcome - You’ve probably heard this a thousand times before, but then again, I think it is simply the truth.

So who’s right and who’s wrong? - Who knows… How did it all start? - Who Cares… What I do know is that whenever there is conflict, there are no right and wrong… all I see are just two opposing sides who happen to have different beliefs and are fighting for what they think is right. It’s ironic really, both parties think they’re doing the right thing only to see in the end that everybody loses.

Oh well, I guess conflict is in our nature as human beings anyway… so what the heck.

As i’m waiting for my files to be copied so i can bring these stuff to work tomorrow…. errrr rather, later …. i’m deciding to add on to my blog……

This is pathetic really…… it’s 1:30 AM and i think i’ve been working for 16 hours straight already….. nothing in body wants to move anymore… it’s a miracle i can still type this sh*t……

Guess it’s just nicotine and caffeine that’s running my engines now eh…..

Anyway… tomorrow’s judgement day for me, as far as I’m concerned with this project…. hope all the work i put in this thing would at least not embarrass anyone or anything (involved in this) for that matter……. I’m a bit relieved and anxious at the same time not to mention disbelief that a full flash website (well microsite, but nonetheless full flash) can be developed (since design and concept didn’t really came from the same end - which is much, much appreciated — whew i can still smile) in like a week (a couple of days more plus its still not done ~ but still can’t believe it anyway).

Gots to go to bed now . . . . if i can make it there that is…..

What I specially loved about this is not the image itself but the message in the sentence that reads:

“Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact, it’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration, it’s a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.”

In layman’s terms a pure flash website is generally more expensive because it’s (1)fancy - its “animated” and its moving as opposed to just getting presented with content in html, and the second is that it’s (2)engaging and more “interactive” as it forces the user to interact with the page rather than to just scroll up and down browsing through the pages of the website, and of course because it’s (3)harder to build. Of course, these factors are true only if the concept and the design are to be executed properly.

As a designer, these factors apply to a certain extent, but that’s probably not how we would explain it though(it’s just easier to say, especially to people who have no experience whatsoever in the actual design process). Given the opportunity to be more in-depth about the it, I’d probably say because (1)A flash website requires careful planning, (2)Functionality is a must, and (3)Flash requires creativity and logic to run smoothly.

Requires Careful Planning. A carefully planned flash website means that it is and should be flexible. Because flash is naturally harder to maintain than plain text(html), the design should not resist change - because if it does, then the design will pretty much not last for a long time, leaving the developer more problems (and a ton of headache) in the future.

Functionality is a Must. Animations are a good way to get attention, but, it must always be done with a reason. Most designers will do it for the sake of having motion in the site (and of course because that’s what the client wants), but mind you, always animate with a purpose ~ only get attention where attention IS needed (not as much as possible ).

Logic and Creativity. This is the main reason why a full flash website usually takes longer to build, because in flash, your not just designing a “fancy” interface but also Thinking, HOW, WHY, and WHEN to get the viewers’ attention ~ which requires a lot of logic in the part of the designer.

Conclusion. Planning is the most important part in designing a flash website, a lot of thinking process that you don’t actually see but rather feel in the application. A flash website is only powerful when it is carefully planned and well executed. Part of the planning process is timing, animating, and of course design and development, and if it should lack even just one of these four prerequisites then it makes it a lot less effective than it should.

So the next time you can’t explain to a client why his flash site is taking so long to build…. the right answer is always: “Please be patient about your flash website as it requires more thought compared to a static html layout.” And if all else fail, then I think your just better off doing what he asks you to do… since the customer is always right ~ Right?!?? ~ Or Are They Really?!??

Sony PS3 sure got its hands full now that it has lost exclusivity to one of the more popular fighting games around as Tekken 6 will also be available in Xbox 360. Quick Fact: Sony has had exclusivity of the Tekken game for 14 years now (has it been really that long?!?) Microsoft sure knows how to get what it wants now don’t they?? ~ Now this p*sses a lot of hardcore Playstation Fanatics out there…. I wonder what Sony will do now?? Given that Xbox already has the upper-hand in online gaming.

All right, so based on the Adobe Flash CS4 preview, I’d say the Adobe team has given the power back to the designers on this one…… as actionscript 3 (object-oriented concepts) is too far-fetched for designers to understand, which is why even with the option of AS2 in Flash CS3, it seemed weak compared to what programmers can do with the software using AS3, not to mention, with so much less effort….

In CS4, animating in 3D has already been made possible… and if you’ve ever used a 3D software before (to animate) I bet you’d be familiar with IK handles, yep that’s right, inverse kinematics is now made available through flash animation…. as of now, just take my word for it or go through google looking for adobe flash previews for CS4 and you’ll see what I mean….. Anyway, the point here is that its good to see that we (designers) can now gain back the power that we used to have before the CS version of flash was set to stage, as easing, tweening and all the powerful stuff accessible to classes can now be simulated through design view in CS4… although it doesn’t mean that there are no limits to it, it’s just that the value of design and code has once again been balanced in this new and upcoming version….

Bottom-line is that I can’t wait to get my hands on testing this new version of flash…….. even just the trial version for starters…

Great Work FHM!!!

MILF! MILF! MILF!

I think my brain officially died today, October 4, 2008, 9:34pm.

Diagnosis:

1. Too Much Coding For a Day
2. Stay Clear of Action Script
3. XML is just a text file, but using it to load information can kill your brain
4. Lack of Coffee in my System (I can use the extra mileage)
5. If you are a Designer, Stick with Design

As much as this day is frustrating trying to figure out how to work this dynamic xml gallery, i just don’t seem to wanna give up….. i guess I’m just really, really stupid - well either that or I like the challenge, hope it’s the latter really…..

Well, i have good reason not to want to quit, two years ago i was using obsolete Action Script 1 syntax… onRollOver { //code } <- like this one, placed on buttons and did not even dream of editing complex functions let alone write it on my own, I never really saw why I should - as I never really intended to look at codes in the first place. But now, looking at classes, it doesn’t seem to be as impossible as it was way before (even if I’m still so very very very very far (light years far) from learning/understanding the Object Model). That’s why even if I know I can’t do it, even if I know I can just download some open source codes from the net, I still want to try and build it the way my brain comprehends it for the simple reason that my brain tends to learn that way (don’t know why but it really is a pain like this) and I really, really, really really want to learn this language……