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That which cannot be rendered in binary is by definition a delusion
 

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Getting Flashy

So I have finally made the jump into Flash games. I used flash a long time ago and its really matured since, so I thought I would drop a few notes as I go about things that just aren't really obvious.

The standard interview questions and answers.

What is the difference between Public, Pirate and Ecstatic variables?

  • Pirate variables steal their values from other objects, usually while saying, "ARRRR, this value shall join my chest of booty!"
  • Pubic variables are those in the middle of the object. 
  • When you use a pubic variable frequently and vigorously it becomes ecstatic. 

Can you describe a typical request/response cycle; what heppens when a browser requires a URL?

Graphing sound volume x time in Flash and other Sound considerations

There is a lot of data in the Sound class' ActionScript documentation about getting sound data. However - while they dive into the "How" they do not cover the "What" very well. What exactly is this sound data? What do these numbers mean? 

Jenkins for Git Triggers

As much as I try to be "Bleeding Edge" sometimes I pick up techniques that other people have used often and much earlier. Such is the case with Jenkins, a tool to "Orchestrate" actions in response to events - and I'm sorry if that sounds like "it does things to stuff" but Jenkins' broad applications prevent a more definitive description. 

MVC file systems reexamined

A conventional file structure has emerged, bolstered by Ruby, Zend and other systems, that I find cumbersome: 

Getting used to Rails

Every new language is rough; you always view it through a filter of your past experience and that perspective is fundamentally unfair. My experience with other scripting languages are defined by Node/JavaScript and PHP. Those languages are imperfect in their own right but there are a few things about Ruby that strike me as unfortunate at best. 

Recuiting tips

I have been getting a lot of unsolicited traffic by recruiters and frankly they can get a little off-putting. Here are some tips for how to recruit talent. And some general phone tips for how to come across professionally.

PHP vs. JavaScript

I have written, used and sold a lot of PHP and Javascript. They are both interesting languages and have firm grasps on their respective markets. But they are also wholly different languages with different treatements of objects and classes. And there is a lot to love about each one in their own scope. 

MongoDB Mythbusting

There is a lot of noise about MongoDB and a lot of it is dead on wrong - or dated - and Mongo is moving pretty fast so dated information is misinformation in the Mongo community. I'd like to address a few myths about MongoDB:

Yet another example of why I still use Tables for layout

Gamepot is one of the most solid and oldest websites out there and deals with a HUGE amount of content. But things go wrong - and when they do they remind me why I use Tables to layout large elements, and why the "Tableless layout" crowd strikes me as narcissistic and at the same time unwilling to dispassionately acknowledge that clever use of fouled tools does not in any way obviate the fact that CSS is a lousy toolset for layout. 

 

 

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