Play, Live, Work, Enjoy.

500 B.C. is a new website that focuses on the connections between ancestry, mythology, and ecology. JRVisuals was given the opportunity to contribute by creating a series of Flash applications to help visualize these connections.

The Tribal Roots Finder and U.S. State Trees applications pair up to allow users to explore the trees which represent a specific region and it's indigenous peoples. Clicking on any of the 75+ map hot-spots will open a panel with an image of that location's tree as well as informative anecdotal text.

A third application, not yet live, shows the relationships between Celtic people, their trees, and their calendar.

As with much of our work, these applications combine elements of traditional design and typography with Flash ActionScript 3 and XML. The result is a dynamic experience which can be easily expanded and update by the client's staff without the need for a Flash expert on staff or an expensive content management system.

From the site:

Among the ancient threads that connect us, few things unite mankind like the tree. Trees are the oldest, largest, longest living things on Earth, and virtually every culture worldwide has a deep rooted tree mythology that resonates today. Travel the world using this map, and learn more. Then plant a tree in your community.

Click here to view the maps… and make sure to visit the 500BC.com site to learn more about your own roots and how you can help the planet which is your home.

Since its 1883 launch, LIFE Magazine has been the source of many American photographic icons. LIFE has recently begun the monumental task of updating their image and finding new venues for their content. For example, they have recently made 97% of their content (over 10 million images) available via a special Google LIFE search page. They are also preparing to launch a brand new website; LIFE.COM : Your World in Pictures.

In order to get people excited about the new site they have posted a temporary landing page which features a moving collage that includes a wealth of LIFE Magazine's beautiful and historic photos. That collage was created right here at JRVisuals.

Visit Life.com to check it out!

Initially, Microsoft’s newest product Vista was projected to take-off and become a success, similar to that of its predecessors. So when Vista‘s sales and ratings came back as being unfavorable Microsoft was blindsided. Vista sent PC users into a tailspin. Containing a slew of undesirable features, Vista is thought to be so bad that many users are boycotting the program.

Rather than fix the program’s issues, Microsoft is spending an obscene amount of money on a new ad campaign in an effort to resurrect interest and increase sales. The new campaign is called the Mojave Experiment.

The Mojave Experiment depicts PC users who appear to be favorable towards Vista, without knowing that they are actually working with the operating system. The users are told that they are not working with the original Vista, but instead are using a new and improved version called Mojave. They are then shown some of the ‘features’ of Vista and their reactions are recorded on 22 hidden cameras. The main purpose of the campaign is to show that many of Vista’s criticism are unfounded.

I’d be curious to know what ‘features’ are being shown to these users and if they are simply being guided through a crème de le crème tour of the operating system, that the average computer user would not know how to use if Bill Gates himself sat down next to him and gave play by play instructions.

What are your views on Vista? In my opinion the operating system, and this ad campaign are a little too risky for my liking. I think I’ll stick to XP for the time being.

What can I say… FlashPitt was awesome! I had a great time with some great people and saw some interesting Flash and non-Flash presentations.

This was a one day show… and a long day it was. The key note by Lee Brimelow of Adobe was very cool. A lot of what we had already seen here and there with some new bits. The fact that the new drawing API allows for 3D triangles just seems to open the doors for all sorts of 3D enhancements. One of the samples Lee showed was a super slick first-person-shooter style interface. Julian Dolce's physical computing presentation inspired me to work on my "Soma Room" project. Stacey Mulcahy did not fail to impress… she speaks the truth and has some wicked funny slides to back it up. Golan Levin had some amazing non-Flash tech to show… very inspiring as well.

My presentation on Flash Games in AS3 went pretty well. I've posted the source code for the Space Invaders game I used as a case study here: http://www.jrvisuals.com/content/flashpitt08/ and plan to pretty up the page a bit as soon as I get some time. I'll also be posting my slides and updating the SI source code soon.
As always the conference wrapped with a dinner and drinks… many drinks. The next day, after a few cups of coffee, Val, Julian, Stacey, and PaperVision guru John Lindquist and I got to hit the local Apple Store and a cool art museum called the Mattress Factory.

I love the buzz of these industry conferences… meeting new people… hearing what's new and coming up directly from Adobe staff… comparing notes with other Flashers… not to mention partying with all these folks. Good times. These "smaller" one or two day conferences are nice too since they are much more affordable and don't require so much time away from home. Kudos to the FlashPitt organizers… I hope to be invited to speak at next years show!

As a follow-up to my previous entry, here are links sorted by category to various websites that follow the 'Collective Design' phenomenon.

Online Tutorials
PSDTuts
Tutorials at Abduzeedo
VectorTuts
VectorKid

Color Schemers
KULER - Adobe's Flash-powered color palette creator
Colr.org - Create palettes using an image online
Color Schemer - Standalone Color scheme software

Frameworks & Scripting
Script.aculo.us
Shadowbox Media Viewer
Mootools
jQuery

Downloadable Resources
Iconbuffet
Squidfingers Patterns
Iconfactory
TexturePacks

Articles & Discussion
A List Apart
Veerle's Blog

On Thursday, September 18th, Jose and I attended Beers Biz @ Pearl Street Sponsored by Infotech Niagara. For a nominal fee, we were able to mingle with the IT Community of Buffalo, NY as well as enjoy the fine foods and variety of great beers.

As the Executive Director of Infotech, Jeff Ross has helped the IT community of Buffalo come together, network and share ideas. This is just one example of his efforts that was well planned and attended.

Mr. Ross had also invited a musical guest, Greg Klyma. Greg's music is a combination of Rock n' Roll and Country influenced folk music. His new CD, Rust Belt Vagabond, features an anthem called Two Degrees in Buffalo. This song is a historical and touching story of Buffalo's trials and tribulations. Two Degrees in Buffalo is emotional and moving as instills a sense of pride and nostalgia for all that is Buffalo.

Greg performed the song acoustically for those that attened Beers & Biz @ Pearl Street.

Give a listen to Two Degrees in Buffalo

“It’s two degrees in Buffalo, Snow is coming down…"

Lately I have been looking for more and more illustration on the web, just craving nicely crafted images, great drawings, and scenes. A while back I obtained the link to CGSociety.org, and have been soaking it all in ever since. If you are a Sci-Fi / Fantasy type of person or even Fine Art appreciator then you will appreciate this site! There is a wealth of great stuff to look at and enjoy. If you are an artist or designer there are some tutorials for both 2D & 3D illustration, articles, features and forums. If you need a break take a few minutes and enjoy some art, take in the techniques, or pick out a new desktop background!

Now that I am inspired I have been making my own monster. Maybe we’ll see it in a later post.

Ah 1984…what a glorious year it was. Not only was that the year I came to be, but it was the year Apple Inc., introduced Mac to the market. They introduced the very first publically offered efficient personal computer, the Macintosh 128K. The computer featured a luxurious mouse, and came with a whopping two applications. Hard to imagine, isn’t it? Technology has come so far in the last 25 years. A company that started out offering a simple personal computer with a green screen has evolved into one of the most successful and highly regarded companies in the world. I don’t even know how I survived before I got the iPhone…joking…but really, my cell phone enjoyment was stifled pre-iPhone. Oh Apple…keeper of my tech-enjoyment…I salute you!

One of the greatest commercials of all time!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYecfV3ubP8

I know I'm a bit late out of the gate with this one (about a year and three months)… but wow… Geometry Wars - Retro Evolved just plain rocks. I was able to pick it up for $3.00 on Valve's Steam, which in case you have been living under a rock for the last couple of years is an online store where you can purchase and download games instantly. Thumbs up to Valve for making great indy (and mainstream) content available at the click of a button. Here's the link to the product page for Geometry Wars.

The game features some of the most fast and furious arcade-style game play I have experienced in a while. The controls are a bit daunting… you use two sets of four-way keys… the standard W,A,S,D for moving along with the arrow keys for shooting. Similar to the arcade classic Robotron (and later Smash TV) you can navigate your "ship" (an abstract shape reminiscent of your character in Tempest) in one direction while shooting in any other direction.

The visuals are astounding… and honestly… pretty psychedelic. The game play is addictive once you get the hang of it and becomes way hectic after the first ten or so waves of enemies.
I would love for us to develop a Flash game like this, but I think it may be some time before the Flash Platform can support this kind of speed.

Anyhow… check it out for yourself. Support independent game developers and have fun while you're doing it.

In this day and age of trying to save a buck or two, coffeefair.com has created a downloadable .pdf of recipes that resemble Starbucks’ fantastic products.  There are 32 pages of free recipes for beverages, pastries and desserts, and sauces.  Being in the digital media industry and subsequently addicted to anything coffee or caffeinated, to me this is a great way to experiment and enjoy your favorite flavors without leaving the house or office (unless you need to get the ingredients).  Give the recipes a try and let us know if they come close to the real thing.  I know I’ll be trying them…they sound delicious!

Free Starbucks Coffee Recipe E-Book