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December 30, 2004
[OT] Fly Eating Robot Powers Itself!
Woa!
Via CNN: "The EcoBot II uses human sewage as bait to catch the insects. It then digests the flies, before their exoskeletons are turned into electricity, which enables the robot to function.
Bacteria in the sewage eats the flies' soft tissues, which releases enzymes that break down the hardened shell.
Sugar molecules released from the broken-down shell are then absorbed and used as energy by the bacteria."
http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/12/27/explorers.ecobot/index.html
-erik
Posted by erikbianchi at 08:54 PM | Comments (534)
[Flash Quirks] Alpha Layering Limit
I was working on a reusable particle effects engine a couple weeks ago and came across an Alpha layering limit that I was not aware of in Flash.
In an attempt to speed up rendering I converted the particles to 24-bit pngs with transparency. Unfortunately when too many particles overlapped there was a noticeable redraw issue. I brought this up on one of the list and Stan Vassilev pointed out that Flash has a 12 layer alpha limit (the actual limit varies based on the quality setting and platform). Basically after you have 12 overlapping images with an alpha channel Flash stops rendering the layers underneath.
I’ve never actually seen this documented so I’m filing it as a Flash Quirk!
-erik
Posted by erikbianchi at 12:22 PM | Comments (427)
December 21, 2004
[OT] Weird MovableType Caching Issue in Firefox
I've been using Firefox for the past 6 months or so with a few minor hiccups here and there (I'll take that over the issues I had with IE any day). Today however I noticed that there's a really weird caching issue that just started happening with Firefox and MovableType comments.
For some reason every time I get a new comment on my site I have to clear my cache to view it. Doesn't matter how many times I hit refresh, restart the browser or restart windows. I’ve even tried reinstalling Firefox to no avail.
It was fine a few days ago. The only thing I can think of is that I recently downloaded some Microsoft updates. Could be totally unrelated but still makes me wonder . . .
Has anyone else had the same problem?
-erik
Posted by erikbianchi at 08:47 AM | Comments (353)
[Job Op] San Fran Flash Contract Work
Macy's online is in immediate need of a Solid Flash ActionScript developer in the San Francisco area for a 6 week project. Out of state candidates will be considered.
Contract Details:
The San Francisco based Content Engineering team is developing an exciting, innovative, and high profile website fusing media, video, audio, and Flash. We are seeking an experienced, cutting edge Flash developer who can hit the ground running and demonstrate amazing skills in multiple areas of front-end web technology. Candidate must be able to show specific code examples of past work experience. Position is a 6+ week contract starting immediately.
Position requirements:
- 5 years professional Internet experience
- Expert skills in HTML, Flash, Photoshop, Illustrator
- In depth knowledge of ActionScript 2.0, ability to write classes
- Extensive experience with developing Flash components V2
- Good experience with event driven applications (events and listeners)
- Good experience with dynamic, data driven Flash applications
- Excellent communication, organizational, and problem solving skills
- Fast, accurate development under tight deadlines
Ideal candidate also possesses knowledge of the following technologies:
- Connecting to web services
- Macromedia Flex
- XML
- Video and Audio
If interest please send your resume to Tim Harrington
: tharrington@aquent.com
Good Luck!
-erik
Posted by erikbianchi at 12:55 AM | Comments (286)