New Yahoo! maps action! available in AJAX and flash versions and with a developer API in place too. Let the fight begin.

One point in Yahoo’s favor over Google for me? They have their own Geocoding API as part of their stuff already. As opposed to Google where you need to geocode your own locations (hint: Geocoder.us).

More over at the Yahoo! search blog: Yahoo! Maps: drag ‘em, search ‘em, hack ‘em.

Hat tip to Chris.

Update: Plate of Shrimp: Pete just posted almost exactly the same thing. Which I didn’t notice until after I posted this.

OFLA : The First Open Source Flash Conference

When?

Right now the Conference is planned on October Friday 22nd 21st, starting 18:00 GMT. This should enable both Europeans and Americans to attend the conference.

Where?

The conference will be held online using Breeze. Breeze enables conference speakers to use both microphone and webcam and to share the display of their computer screen with everyone in order to run demonstrations. The attendees can use the chat to ask questions or discuss the topics.

Who?

The conference will feature Flash Open Source talks by the leaders of Flash Open Source Community. It will welcome all the people interested in OpenSource Flash, users of open source flash tools or newcomers that are interested in learning the opportunities offered by OSFlash tools.

Hat tip to John.

Hot off the e-press.

Two years ago Stewart moved to Paris where he is now focusing on European projects. So we have decided it’s best for Flashforward if Lynda take the reins. This summer Lynda.com takes over full ownership of Flashforward and is now planning West coast and East coast events in 2006. On the other side of the Atlantic, unrelated to Flashforward, Stewart and United Digital Artists will be producing European designer and developer events.

I’ve managed to decompress enough now and get some time to sit down so I can finally present: The Day Three of Flash Forward podcast!

I still feel like I came across sort of unduly negative on this one which wasn’t my intention, and like I may have come off a bit too “fanboy” on the Phillip Torrone presentation. Anyway, hope everyone (or at least someone) likes it.

This podcast features new shortened intro music (my girlfriend’s suggestion), as well.

• Phillip Torrone
• iPod Linux
• GeoBloggers.com
• TickTock Diner
• Creative Commons
• CCMixter
• Jose Rodriguez (JR Visuals)
• GameVerts.com
• Rules of Play
• R/GA
• Flickr photos tagged with “FlashForward”
• Kid Robot
• The counterfeit $20 bill

Also, since not everyone may be familiar with what a podcast is you can read about it on Wikipedia or on the iPodder website and then subscribe to the RSS feeds at either of the following URLs in order to subscribe to all my podcasts on whatever crosses my mind or just my FlashForward podcasts posts. Or if you don’t care to do all that you can just right-click on the player button to download the file.

Furthermore: another quick apology to Guy Watson for not having his name on hand when I first posted my Flash Forward pics on Flickr.

Update: In addition to the feeds above, if you’re an Odeo user you can now subscribe to My Odeo Channel.

I’m afraid that due to my having to get the heck out of my hotel and make my train home this morning I’m going to have to hold off on the third Flash Forward review podcast. I’ll record it once I’m back at home (it will save you from listening to the contruction across the street anyway, see I’m really just looking out for your best interests).

Many thanks to JD over at weblogs.macromedia.com for being kind enough to link me up so people can find the podcasts. Many apologies to my friends who I flaked out on last night and passed out in the hotel room instead of going out with.

Update: Hat-tip to Flash Insider for a link as well.

Update: All kinds of apologies for the file size of the FF podcasts, as Blue_Chi pointed out I had never updated my export settings in Audacity when I installed it on the laptop I was using so the files were coming out way bigger than they needed to be. I’ve exported the FF ones again and am uploading them now and it takes the file size down which should help some folks out (the day two review went down from 20+ megs to 14.5).

Update: the actual podcast audio for day three is in my Podcast: Flash Forward Day Three post.

Day two of Flash Forward: Macromedia Keynote and town hall meeting tend to sort of dominate this podcast, but I do want to point out that for “making technical information interesting” Aral Balkan did a WONDERFUL job of making techy nonsense seem actually interesting in his “ActionScript 2.0: A Visual Introduction for Right-Brainers.”

• Macromedia
• OSFlash.org
• Flash Lite
• Justin Everett-Church
• Geoff Stearns
• Matt Richmond
• Jared Tarbell
• Adobe/Macromedia Merge Announced
• Flash Film Festival Entries
• Oculart
• Flash Film Festival Winners
• TobyJoe Boudreaux and Michele Howley (who John and I met up for drinks with later. Incidentally, everyone should buy Toby’s Book it rules.)

I’m going to go become un-drunk now. Thanks for listening.

P.S.- Dear Kevin (Lynch), I podcasted from Flash Forward first.

Update: A warning for the faint of heart: I am known to swear like a sailor on occasion.

Another Update: Aral Balkan has put his presentation files up online on his blog.

I’m sure it will be plastered around the blogosphere by now (it has been almost 45 minutes, after all) but this morning at Flash Forward Macromedia gave their keynote speech with all the news you could possibly want to know about Flash 8 (player codename “Maelstrom”, authoring environment code named “8Ball”).

I ran into Geoff in the hallway (as well as Brandie and Matt) and said hello. Then had to run to grab a new charger for my cellphone.

Update: Geoff and Matt’s presentation was awesome and I had a good time going to lunch with them (as well as Brandie, John, and Dan from Chopping Block).

Update: Geoff has posted some notes from the presentation on his blog.

I had originally wanted to do a brief follow-up to each session after they were done, but it turns out that there’s noplace in the building that I felt like I could talk aimlessly to my dad’s laptop without feeling like I was insane. Therefore: you get end of day wrap-up action instead. Love it!

Here’s what I have for links and resources to go along with the podcast as well.

• Ze Frank’s Creativity Reading List
• WaxPraxis.org (Hopefully Branden will have notes for his presentation up here soon.)
• Ripple open-source HTML/JS/flash framework for more easily useable (and search engine spiderable) sites by Peter Hall
• Say Design (Online Flash Game Design)
• Glyn Thomas (OOP for Flash Games)
• Craig Swann (CrashMedia)
• John (who did not, in fact, kill me)

I’m not an expert in this [creativity], not like Tom Hanks is in psychiatry.

Ze Frank

Next week work is sending John and myself to Flash Forward. So everyone’s trying to pick what workshops and such to go to and I think for the sake of people who won’t be there (and just for my own personal edification) I’m going to try to post a podcast review of the sessions I go to.

So, keep an ear out for that, I guess. See how things go using a borrowed laptop for remote podcast action. Heck, if I’m lucky maybe I can convince some of my acquaintances who’re presenting to do little follow-up interviews or some such thing.