A study in scripting with randomization
December 13th, 2011This is the final project in my AS3 class. Looks simple, but it works with random content (strings and sounds). It was a lot of fun to create! I used a great external loader script from Sierakowski for the preloader, but the rest of the code is mine.
The fortune part has 5 arrays with 3-5 sounds on each. Arrays 1-5 will play in order, with a random sound playing for each. Similarly, the horoscope card pulls a random string (one of five) for a specific sign, twelve signs in total. Enjoy!
Coin Operated Fortune Teller
Scripting class, latest
November 3rd, 2011This was a really fun project, so I thought I would post it. The sound spectrum is actually from flashcomponents.net.
Latest flash exercise: sound
Summer’s nearly over
August 18th, 2011What a nice break! Summer is almost over and classes begin in September. Here was the final in my Flash class last semester. I’ll be incorporating it into my portfolio, but I need to do a site redesign anyway. That’s another story!
Crate Training
Spring 2011 Midterm
March 16th, 2011My Flash class this semester has been pretty fun (and challenging). This project was a mini portfolio done in Flash.
Mini Portfolio
Math is hard. Let’s go shopping!
January 3rd, 2011I love this! Thanks for the re-post, Geek Feminist Blog!
Busy few months
December 17th, 2010Wow! It’s been a busy few months. I just wanted to quickly post my final projects in my two MFA classes. It’s only my second semester, and I was a bit disappointed with this semester’s classes, but overall I’m excited for next semester – delving into Flash and taking an anthropology in design class.
For my Web Technology 2 class, we had to build a basic website in a CMS and since I’ve never done Drupal development, that is the CMS I chose: damian-design.com/drupal.
For my Advanced Digital Imaging class, we had to create a poster that encompassed everything the course had taught.
Michael Wesch at UX Week
October 21st, 2010Really awesome talk via Adaptive Path.
UX Week 2010 | Michael Wesch | Mediated Culture from Adaptive Path on Vimeo.
It took tens of thousands of years for writing to emerge after humans spoke their first words. It took thousands more before the printing press and a few hundred again before the telegraph. Today a new medium of communication emerges every time somebody creates a new web application. A Flickr here, a Twitter there, and a new way of relating to others emerges. New types of conversation, argumentation, and collaboration are realized. Using examples from anthropological fieldwork in Papua New Guinea, YouTube, university classrooms, and “the future,” this presentation will demonstrate the profound yet often unnoticed ways in which media “mediate” our culture.
Instant Searching
October 3rd, 2010While not the first to come up with the idea of instant searching, Google is certainly the most popular search engine to provide the feature. In early September, Google announced that, not only do they serve up over one billion searches a week, making them the most widely used search engine, but they would also begin displaying search results in real-time.
It may not sound like such a big deal, but Google has yet again changed the way people think about searching and how web content providers handle search engine optimization (SEO). Mashable, an online guide to social media, and one of the top 10 blogs worldwide, recently polled its readers, and over 50% of respondents said they liked Google Instant’s real-time functionality.
What is Google Instant?
Prior to Google Instant, a user would type in a search term on Google, and hit enter or click “I’m feeling lucky” which would take the user to the top search result. Now Google begins displaying results as the user is typing.
This new way of searching has eliminated the need for users to click through results. On the Google Instant website, Google claims it saves the average user 2 to 5 seconds per search, and “if everyone used Google Instant globally, [it would] save more than 3.5 billion seconds a day.“
Naughty words a no-no
Certain words on Google Instant have been blocked by default. SafeSearch, Google’s filter for screening explicit results, has been applied to Google Instant. For example, type “busty” in a Google Instant search and enjoy a blank screen. As with a standard Google search, SafeSearch can be turned off.
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery
Already copycat instant searching is appearing for other web applications. YouTube Instant was launched just several days after Google Instant – http://ytinstant.com. Although Google owns YouTube, it did not create YouTube Instant; the creator is Feross Aboukhadijeh, a Stanford University computer science student.
On his blog Feross states, “It started out as a bet with my roommate. I bet him I could build real-time YouTube search in less than an hour. Sadly, I lost the bet – It took me 3 hours to finish it.” Feross shared his creation on Facebook and Twitter. The next day he had requests from the Washington Post to do an interview, several stories already written about the application on prominent blogs such as Mashable, and a tweet from YouTube CEO Chad Hurley asking him if he wanted a job.
Facebook now, too, has an instant search – http://www.fbinstant.net. Created by Nour Syron, a student from Dubai, FB Instant displays results for posts, people and updates without any delay as the user types. On his blog, Nour describes the application: “Using Javascript and AJAX makes it so easy for [FB Instant] to make calls to the Facebook servers and bring information to display it in a nice and organized way.“ Nour plans on an updated version with additional features.
Perhaps Facebook should offer Nour a job?
“Early” Adopters
A similar instant search application was purchased by Yahoo! and launched back in 2005 called AlltheWeb. Like Google Instant, it predicted text as the user typed. The same year, Yahoo! launched Yahoo! Instant Search which previewed speech bubbles of results under the search box as users typed. According to Shashi Seth, former search product leader at Google and now senior vice president of search at Yahoo!, Yahoo! owns several patents for Google Instant. There is no word from Yahoo! yet if they will take legal action.
Similarly, last year Long Zheng, technology guru and designer, introduced the concept of instant searching using the Microsoft Bing API – http://www.istartedsomething.com/livesearch. Long humorously describes the instant search as “your browser and Bing’s AJAX APIs make sweet love.“ Considering how popular Google Instant is, it is a wonder that Bing Live Search went unnoticed. Interestingly enough, Microsoft did notice – they decided to ignore it.
The future of search
Google says that, even with the introduction of Google Instant, their ranking algorithm has not changed. However, what could effect SEO are choices the user makes based on instant feedback. Google says, “seeing results as you type helps you formulate a better search term by providing instant feedback. You can now adapt your search on the fly until the results match exactly what you want.“ Google even mentions that Google AdWords advertisers could see a change in traffic results on organic keywords. Because of this, some in the SEO community have described Google Instant as “killing SEO”.
Google says they are “pushing the limits of technology and infrastructure to help [the user] get better search results, faster.” User expectation regarding online searching could shift as users become more accustom to instant results and real-time feedback. Google admits “In time, we may wonder how search ever worked in any other way.”
References
ConceivablyTech: Facebook Instant Search Published. October 2010. http://www.conceivablytech.com/3211/products/facebook-instant-search-published/
Google: About Google Instant. October 2010. http://www.google.com/instant/
Google Analytics: Google Instant and Google Analytics. October 2010. http://analytics.blogspot.com/2010/09/google-instant-and-google-analytics.html
istartedsomething. October 2010. http://www.istartedsomething.com/
Mashable: POLL – Google Instant Wins Popular Vote from Mashable Readers. October 2010. http://mashable.com/2010/09/11/google-instant-poll-results/
Noor the Syron. October 2010. http://syron.alanoor.com/
The Register: Yahoo! ‘owns several patents’ on Google Instant. October 2010.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/09/20/yahoo_owns_several_patents_on_google_instant/
Search Engine Watch: Google Instant, SEO, and the Future of Search. October 2010. http://searchenginewatch.com/3641347
Tom’s Guide: Google Instant Tutorial: Search, Evolved. October 2010. http://www.tomsguide.com/us/Google-Instant-YouTube,review-1581.html
Voxy: Google Instant Says No to Busty and Bollocks. http://www.voxy.co.nz/technology/google-instant-says-no-busty-and-bollocks/893/65919
Love this ad
September 25th, 2010Why is the design community still arguing about spec?
May 26th, 2010I haven’t really taken one side or the other in the debate about spec work, because, honestly, neither side sounds convincing over the other.
On the one side, a majority of designers argue that spec work devalues the service of design – that crowdsourcing websites encourage clients to view design as something that is easy and cheap. Absolutely.
On the other side, crowdsourcing websites and users argue that the crowdsourcing development is democratizing design – that it’s allowing small, startup companies to gain a service on a low budget and amateur or entry-level designers to gain needed experience. Absolutely.
The question a lot of designers ask, and that was asked on DCTH last week, spurred from Chris Brogan’s 99designs experiment, was “What can we do to educate about no spec?” To elaborate: how do designers, as professionals, communicate and educate to the community and clients that spec work is bad.
Harlan Ellison’s commentary on spec was mentioned during this discussion topic, and it really illustrates how designers and creative professionals feel about spec.
But here’s the thing: whether spec is good or bad is moot.
These negative feelings we all have about where the design community is going, how we’re going to pay our bills, how our work is being devalued – it doesn’t matter. The creative business landscape, and even the traditional business model, is changing and will continue to change. It’s why the freemium model is working so well.
I did a quick search for spec on YouTube after watching Mr. Ellison’s impassioned speech, and found this gem. It’s a great panel, but skip to 2:15 when Jeremiah Owyang gives his answer. The impact of his statement really hits me as I think about spec: “Spec work is here to stay. You cannot stop it.”
Instead of fighting an uphill battle, the question we need to ask is “what now?”
Since spec is here to stay, how do we, as creative professionals, leverage our skills? How do we innovate what it is that we do instead of using a 20-year-old business model that is quickly losing its efficacy? How do we look at the innovative successes of other fields and businesses and apply those models to how we do business?
Adding a no!spec badge on your website solves nothing. Preaching to the choir solves nothing. We know spec is here to stay.
How are we going to innovatively work in this new landscape and continue to do what we love while paying the bills?