Marcela channeling Margeeka

"Setting up a server to communicate with the XMLSocket object can be challenging. If your application..."

Thu, 12 May 2011 13:52:03 -0400

“Setting up a server to communicate with the XMLSocket object can be challenging. If your application does not require real-time interactivity, use the URLLoader class instead of the XMLSocket class.”

- flash.net.XMLSocket - ActionScript® 3.0 Reference for the Adobe® Flash® Platform

Challenge accepted!

Seriously, though: what kind of racket is Adobe running that they’re trying to sway developers away from using such a powerful feature?

Take your URLLoader class and shove it.

Warning: Reference to undeclared variable, 'eggButt'

Fri, 10 Sep 2010 09:26:46 -0400

Things like this are just better when taken out of context.

That's alright, I really didn't need that hour for anything else

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 13:34:13 -0400

If you’re using Carlo Alducente’s gophr (AS3 Web Service) class and you’re creating your own web service in ColdFusion (CFC), make sure you set the CFC’s style attribute to “document.” Otherwise, it won’t report the methods correctly and both you and your coworker will spend an hour each beating your heads against your respective desks.

I’m just sayin’, is all.

p.s. While we’re on the subject, why the hell didn’t the native WebService class make it over in the move from AS2 to AS3? I imagine it sitting in a dusty box in some Macromedia warehouse along with the Alert class.

Phrases that have broken my heart

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 16:11:08 -0400

Your mother failed you. - ex-boyfriend during a long-overdue breakup
Yeah, I’ll be there. You sing, right? - dad’s response to an invitation to one of my Winterguard (dance) competitions
I see you more as a sister - ex-boyfriend during an unexpected breakup
Unfortunately, the Function.apply() method cannot be used with constructors. - AS3 Livedocs, confirming my suspicions

"Flash was created during the PC era – for PCs and mice. … But the mobile era is about low power..."

Thu, 29 Apr 2010 10:40:30 -0400

“Flash was created during the PC era – for PCs and mice. … But the mobile era is about low power devices, touch interfaces and open web standards – all areas where Flash falls short.”

- Steve Jobs: Thoughts on Flash (via marco) (via pete3)

Obviously, this article was tough for me—a Flash developer—to read, but I highly encourage all Flash developers out there to read it and take it to heart.

I don’t want to be one of those people that gets left behind because I was too stubborn to open my eyes and see what was going on around me. The problem is this: I work for a company where Flash is kind of our bread and butter. We do a lot of interactive e-learning stuff for some pretty big-name clients and Flash just seems to be the best way to do that kind of thing.

Of course we’ve been dying to dip our toes into the mobile devices pool, and yeah, we were hoping that CS5 was going to help us in that endeavor, but maybe the latest developments (I’ve been calling it ‘Operation Flash Developer Heartbreak 2010’) will help push us into the mobile era.

I was about to post another nerdy (programming-related) post,...

Wed, 28 Apr 2010 08:46:42 -0400

I was about to post another nerdy (programming-related) post, but I had a feeling that my last two posts had been about programming so I decided to check just to be sure and I get Tumblr’s “We couldn’t find the page you were looking for” message.

My first instinct was that I forgot to pay GoDaddy, but a quick look at the root domain showed that I was fine on that front. Next stop: customize page, where I find that my custom domain is no longer listed as blog.margeeka.com and the custom domain option is unchecked. The fuck, Tumblr?

“This domain is correctly configured to point to Tumblr[…]” Yeah, no fucking shit.

Anyway, if you’re wondering what the fastest way to create a copy of an Array in AS3 is, you can read this article.

merlin: You can’t make this stuff up, folks. It’s...

Tue, 20 Apr 2010 08:55:18 -0400

merlin:

You can’t make this stuff up, folks.

It’s like…what?

Its like I was reading a book about the reliability of bookshelves when a giant fucking book fell on my head.

On the other hand, at least books are published from durable media—and with readable type and pages that can be bookmarked.

Zing.

You know, it is so fashionable to take a shot at Flash. Look, the fact is the platform is out there every bloody day with fresh material and it’s charming.

Also, there are some small hoops to jump through, but bookmarkable pages are possible in Flash.

"Best programming advice I could ever give: be lazy and don’t reinvent the wheel."

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 15:41:14 -0500

“Best programming advice I could ever give: be lazy and don’t reinvent the wheel.”

- FlashDevelopForum!Marcela Wed Jan 16, 2008 2:36 pm

I signed up for the FlashDevelop forums 2 years ago and haven’t had the need to post anything until today.

When I submitted my post, it prompted me on whether or not I would like to include my signature. By default, this option was checked and I left it checked because I don’t usually fill in the signature portion of my forum profiles.

I guess that day in January I wasn’t my normal self and that’s what I filled in.

No regrets, I think the advice still holds up.

But he says he loves me

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 11:29:57 -0500

About two years ago, I thought XPath for AS2 was the bees knees. That was back before I’d switched to AS3 and encountered the power and ease-of-use of E4X.

Making the switch has turned out to be something like leaving an abusive spouse and then marrying someone who brings you breakfast in bed every day.

Unfortunately, one of my pre-switch projects needed a touch up this week and I was forced to deal with my ex. I had to wrestle with it a bit, but I eventually got it to do what I needed, and I consoled myself with the notion that by this time next week, I would be back with my sweetheart E4X, and XPath would once again be a distant memory.

I try to wrap up my techy posts in metaphors so my non-techy followers aren’t too put off by them. I’m sure it’s as effective as trying to hide a pill in some cat food.

First Orlando Code Dojo

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 09:05:00 -0500

First Orlando Code Dojo:

Two days ago, I signed myself and a co-worker up for team AS3. With only ten hours to go, I’m currently the only chick on the list.

It doesn’t matter that I’ve been programming since the ninth grade, or the fact that I’ve been a gainfully-employed programmer for about eight years. I still have major insecurities about being a female coder. It doesn’t help that the two languages I mostly deal with (ColdFusion and ActionScript) are laughed at by the rest of the programming world.

When I told my co-worker that we’d be going up against people using Ruby and C#, he laughed dismissively and said “Don’t worry, we’ll show them AS3 is a real language.” I admire his cockiness, but I wonder how much of it is based in naiveté.

Wish us luck!