Category: Flash

Caught this while trolling MXNA from injun #576871. Basically, they utilize Flash for what it does best and show additional graphics, mainly runtime, vector drawn plots/lines/graphics over top of Google Maps. The example includes a New York City Subway example. When compared to it’s boring forebear, you can see why someone would want to utilize this technology.

I downloaded the beta code (assuming beta b/c of the b) they have available, and was very impressed. Nicely commented JavaDoc style, and even includes a build of the JavaScript Kit, which is used to allow JavaScript and Flash to speak to eachother easily. A little light on a glorified API wrapper, though.

I will say this. This is a glaring example of what paying attention to women and beer vs. Trig in high school will do in the long run… either that, or I am just not a map geek. There is some SERIOUS math stuff going in there, mainly in the Flash side, which is really nice. I’ve used a lot of that abstracted stuff in the past, and man does it help. You know the result you want, and the code helps you get there without having to worry about how it really works.

All I’d ask for is further abstraction in terms of methods via a wrapper class. While x, y, latitude, and longitude getter/setters are great, so to are “moveMapToHere”, and events for “map latitude and longitude changed”. Overall, great effort, and nice to see how Flash can compliment an existing technology by what it does best.

Nat’s got some additional coverage over at O’Reilly Radar, although his title is backwards.

Caught this link from JD about Pandora, and read up about it at the Australian. Man, awesome RIA. It’s a song recommendation system. You type in an artist you like, and it recommends songs by other artists you’ll like, NOT based on sales patterns, but by actual song characteristics. A lot like Tivo, except for songs. Done in Flash, baby! I dig the interface too; compact, simple to learn, and good usability when asking you questions about an artist. Wizards are easy in Flex, hard in Flash, so they did a great job!

So far, out of 8 songs, only 2 blew. I typed in Paul Oakenfold, Bad Boy Bill, and Deisel Boy; so far I’ve heard or own most of these songs already which is a good sign, but those that don’t, I’d love to buy. I can see why iTunes and Amazon are striking deals with them. Speaking of which, you can click and buy from iTunes or Amazon right from the interface; too bad iTunes doesn’t have as much dance music as I like.

Try it out, it’s pretty cool! I’m tempted to subscribe.