The MossyBlog Times Archives 2007 - 2009 : ReMIX07

Lightmaker Interview.

scbarnes — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 14:05:00 GMT

At ReMIX I had the pleasure of interviewing Lucas Sherwood from Lightmaker (which reminds me, must get down to Melbourne again soon). It was an on the spur of the moment interview but in it, we talk about a lot around some of the challenges they faced coming from the Adobe toolset's over to our new product(s).

Lucas is one of the RIA Producers in this industry that I respect, as he's approach is pretty straight forward and rarely cares about which team is better then the other. Lucas has a quite an interesting background dating back to Allaire days (Coldfusion) through to present day.

At any rate, I hope you enjoy the interview and can use it in some way.

http://visitmix.com/blogs/joshua/interview-with-lightmaker-at-remix-australia/

ReMIX Australia was fun.

scbarnes — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 19:48:29 GMT

I've been thinking of what to say around our first ReMIX, and the one thing I can settle on was that it was fun.

I got to speak with a lot of folks whom are very keen to takeup the Expression Studio world and see what it can do, and aren't afraid to dive in head first. This for me was a great assurance that Microsoft are on the right track and at the same time, understands that there is still a larger journey ahead of it.

The theme this year was for one and all to gain an understanding of what's laid out in front of them, as I must admit there is a bit of a brand overload from not only Microsoft but other software vendors at the moment. We are at some new cross roads these days and it's good for a conference of this kind to simply present what Microsoft's bet is all about, and then sit back for a year and see what you all get up to with it.

I would of liked to see more examples of the stuff being cooked out there, but I must admit it was kind of hard to get some of the examples out into the public eye. As most I approached weren't ready to display for Public just yet (fair call, its been what 3-4 months since RTM for Expression) and so we are thankful for the early adopters whom got up on stage and showcased their work at present.

I was impressed with all of the presenters, as it's not easy standing in front of an audience and doing a presentation, and they all appeared to have done well (SATs were all positive).

I did like Lee Brimelows approach though (Lee rocks, he's got it figured out), as he simply showcased his timeline in terms of the journey he took in building with WPF. It was a unique approach as it was simple, relax, enjoy the technology, build some prototypes (spend some time making circles bounce around a screen, or 3D slideshows with glass effects etc as the more you do this, the more you learn) and mostly just have fun with the technology.

I have to also agree with Lee.. you don't have a RIA these days unless there is some for of glass effect in the room... (Lee should put glass ambose on his poopr app).

WebJam was fun, I ended up doing a Yoda impersonation in front of a room full of people, it took 3 beers to muster the courage to do that and I apologize to any star wars fans out there.

I had fun meeting a lot of the fellow Twitters and look forward to another year ahead in finding out what you're all cooking inside Expression Suite.

I'd also like to say thank you to the Microsoft staff whom made this happen this year, you did really well!

An action packed 2 weeks.

scbarnes — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 05:30:29 GMT

I'm racing against the clock, getting stuff ready for the next 2-3 weeks of events etc, and there's a reason why my twitters are low.

First up, this Wednesday night, I'm walking into the Brisbane Flash Platform User Group den to give a rant on Silverlight so if you can attend, please do so!

Meeting Details: 6:30 pm - ?, Wednesday, 20th June 2007
If doors are locked, call 0414 328 902 for entry
QANTM Auditorium
QANTM House
Level 9, 138 Albert St
Brisbane City
(Opposite the "Coffee Club")
Find it on WHEREIS:
http://www.whereis.com/whereis/retrieveEmailMap.do?linkId=-;7243212240990709884

I'm also getting ready to upload some of the goodness I've been working on for some time now, with regards to Silverlight. My ambition is to have it all installed online, viewable and ready for all to view by REMIX07 in Melbourne (which is sold out!!!). I'll show a more interactive version at the WebJam next week as well (REMIX sponsored event).

Then, REMIX07 is finally approaching. We'll be in Melbourne mixing it up with the Aussie web community whom are looking to attend and seeing what Microsoft can do better, but also showcasing what Microsoft has to offer today.

Then, I'll be getting ready to jet over to Perth for Barcamp which is going to be exciting for me as I've never been to Perth firstly, and I've been wanting to meet some of the local Web folks there for quite some time, so I'm looking forward to seeing what the WA folks can do in the web world.

WebJam ReMIX Downunder.

scbarnes — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 12:40:20 GMT

It's getting closer to ReMIX Downunder, and I for one can't wait to see the local and international Microsoft magic being showcased to my fellow aussies (NZ etc folks welcome aswell).

WebJam.com.au folks are also going to be running another of their event(s) at the conference and for those of you whom have no idea what WebJam is about, allow me to inform.

Essentially you have 3 min's to present something around the Web, anything and it has to be entertaining and at least vaguely interesting. Usually however it's the craziest stuff that wins and local YouTube legend, Lachlan Hunt (keen Web Standards fan) picked up the WebJam Sydney 1st prize with his pitch on why <Video> element is important (See below his Demo Video, anyone whom can go to great lengths to produce this, will always get my support).

This is an example, one other example was when the previous winner (Earle Castledine) for WebJam made an AJAX enabled "Negative Energy" extraction Web 2.0 application. It essentially comprised of a paypal enabled button, which when clicked is guaranteed to extract all negative energy around you via your computer.

If you are keen to present your WebJam goodness but can't make it to ReMIX during the day, then don't be afraid to still attend this portion of the conference as it's FREE (as in beer).

It will be held on the Monday night of ReMIX.

If you like this, then digg it! http://digg.com/videos/comedy/Spread_This_T_Shirt_HD_DVD_and_Spice_Girls

I Love my Silverlight: MossyVideo Player

scbarnes — Wed, 23 May 2007 10:26:25 GMT

Since I have a lot of time on my hands at the moment, due to a foot injury (I had my big toe's toenail ripped off), I decided to go nuts with a project I'm working on, called MossyVideo Player System Thingy which is built in Silverlight.

Fig 1.0 (The Design in its early stages, it starts with the orb of power and grows outward)

This project is got a lot of goodness associated about it and here's what I expect to deliver to the big world wide interweb post it's release.

Video Diaries. Every step of the way, I decided what better way to describe to the world my process and approach to this project, then to simply create some video diaries of my journey. Starting from Day 0 you're going to see a segment on my pain that which is installing Adobe CS3 Web Premier (that was a lot of fun with Windows Vista). I'm also going to edit the video and use it as the first demo reel for the player (what better way to dog food it).
ASP.NET AJAX ToolKit. We hear all this way to often with Silverlight, in that it's been stated that it's a natural progression from HTML/AJAX world to the next evolution step. I plan on proving this by showing how Silverlight + Video + AJAX can play a role with one another.
Something New, Something Borrowed & Something Blue. I've got a nice idea of how to involve some existing Web 2.0 API's with this project, can't tell you now as it's a secret surprise. Suffice to say, it may involve PopFly.ms - it may not - who's to tell.
The Adobe Killer. I'm so tired of these rants as of late, so through-out you're going to see me refer to the "Zealots", these are folks whom believe in the theory that Silverlight vs Adobe is going to be a Zero Sum Game. I plan to illustrate to one and all it's about choice, it's about blending the pieces together to create, innovate and design as best I can (e.g. I am using Adobe CS3 for part of the artwork! as well as Expression Design - I can hear a few people hit the floor in shock)
It's new to me. Yes, I have spent many nights tinkering with Silverlight, and I'll be pushing everything I know about it to the max. I'm in constant chatter between folks internally and externally whom are helping in a number of ways with some of my questions, recently around Effects such as Blur inside Silverlight. More on that another time (heheh).
Code examples. Once this is done, I hope to put this onto Codeplex.com for one and all to pick over, steal, laugh at you name it you get it.
It's about the Journey. Lastly, it's about understanding the overall experience it took from having an idea in a shower one day (which is my best source of inspiration) through to building. It's also most important of all, showing that playing with Silverlight (even in Alpha) doesn't have to be this serious religious battle that appears to flow online, lighten up folks, it's a new toy! so play!

Web Directions South

scbarnes — Tue, 22 May 2007 05:41:26 GMT

John Allsopp just dropped me an email announcing the fourth Web Directions South in September 07. Here's the abstract:

After tremendous recent success with Web Directions North in Vancouver, Canada, Australian web industry pioneers Maxine Sherrin and John Allsopp announce their fourth Australian Web conference, Web Directions South, to take place in Darling Harbour, Sydney September 25-29 2007
Featuring 30 leading experts, including a dozen international stars of the web industry, across three tracks, Web Directions focusses on the key technology and business issues of Web 2.0, including
Designing and Developing for the Mobile Web Mobile Business Trends and development in web technologies and standards Designing and nurturing online communities Web Design 2.0 Rich internet Applications, with Flash and Ajax Building and managing great teams Developing Mashups and Webapps Enterprise 2.0 - Wikis, RSS and Web 2.0 in the enterprise Intellectual property and the web Web Startups Accessibility and usability in a Web Apps world Real World Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Web Directions speakers include
Web Technology pioneer and co-inventor of CSS, Bert Boss from the W3C Flickr designer and developer George Oates Head of Google Engineering Australia, Alan Noble Web Design Gurus Andy Clarke, and Justin French Ajax and Flash expert Jon Boutelle, and Ajax wunderkind Aaron Gustafson Wikipedia and Wikia's Angela Beesley
and many more from companies such as Google, Yahoo!, Microsoft, Atlassian, Optus and News Interactive.
If you design or develop for the web, manage web teams, or if your business relies on the web, Web Directions is the key event in the Australian Web Calendar.

This is a must attend conference for the year (other then ReMIX07 - which by the way is nearly sold out, so hurry!). I'm thinking that I need to probably also post a calendar of Web conferences coming up for the rest of the year, as we also have WebJam in June 7 as well as another one at ReMIX07. Overall, fun, learning and socializing with others whom enjoy the world wide interweb.

Nick, Silverlight, Frank, Monique and ReMIX07

scbarnes — Tue, 15 May 2007 02:24:45 GMT

Nick Hodge our resident "Professional Geek" has been playing around in the Silverlight Video space and came up with the brilliant idea of interviewing Monique & Frank on what More on Remix07 is all about.

Nick also posts his experience in using the Silverlight Video approach to life and I think he's done a great job, I think he's done a great job, I think he's done a great job (sorry I'm doing a Nick remix but with text).

ReMIX07, Tangler and how cool is this Web 2.0 app.

scbarnes — Fri, 11 May 2007 10:35:10 GMT

Michael has setup a Tangler ReMIX07 discussion group and today was the first day I actually sat down and used this web application I've been hearing allot about.

My first initial reaction to Tangler was "Oh gee, yet another Message Forum, just what the world needs" - but - as you delve deeper into it, you start to realize this puppies got some hooks that are damn smart.

I could sit here and expand on these, give you a minute by minute replay on what I think is cool and save you the time and energy of not actually playing with it - or - I could simply point you to Tangler.com and you can get off your butt and check it out for yourself.

Tangler + Twitter now that's just pure evil and fun.

Down: MIX07 , Up: REMIX07 Downunder!

scbarnes — Mon, 07 May 2007 09:43:59 GMT

I've just recovered from both jet lag, lost luggage (it's currently somewhere in Kula Lumpur at the moment - how it goes from Vegas to KL is beyond me!) and now we are getting ready for REMIX07 downunder.

It will be held in Sunny Melbourne this year, and will be a great line-up of both local and international speakers, some of whom were at MIX07 this year (Shane and I managed to get them drunk enough to agree to come down under - to Australia that is... damn so many jokes around "down under").

I've asked some folks internally on the Silverlight Teams if they can make it down under to show off some new stuff they've been hatching etc, but no official wording on yes/no as yet (feel free to harass them to do so though - just don't source me).

At any rate, we won't have the Pussycat Dolls this year but if anyone knows someone who can convince Silverchair to play (Silverlight = Silverchair? get it) that'd be awesome as well.

Now to convince Frank that Guitar Hero II is worth expensing for an XBOX 360 chill zone.

[ More on Remix07 ]