MouseHide, thanks Mason

var ob = new Object();
Mouse.hide();
//
ob.onMouseMove = function() {
myClip_mc._x = _xmouse;
myClip_mc._y = _ymouse;
updateAfterEvent();
};
//
Mouse.addListener(ob);

FLASH VIDEO PLAYER 3.1

"The Flash Video (FLV) Player can be used standalone, without the need for the Flash authoring tool. The player allows you to show your videos more controlled and to a broader audience than with Quicktime, Windows Media or Real Media. It supports playback of a single FLV file, RTMP streams or RSS/XSPF playlists, a wide range of flashvars (settings) for tweaking both behavior and appearance and an extensive, documented javascript/actionscript API. The example above shows a feed with clips recently added to Google Video."

Flash Video Player, check it out.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. :)

Meetings considered harmful

"Researchers in organisational psychology have confirmed that meetings are, well, evil. A study conducted by the University of Minnesota found that the amount and length of meetings correlate with “negative effects” (burnout, anxiety, and depression) on its participants.

No surprises here. A few reasons why frequent and long meetings are t3h suck:

* They break your working day into small, incoherent pieces on a schedule incompatible with the natural breaks in your flow
* They are normally all about words and abstract concepts, not real things (like a piece of code or a screen of design)
* They usually contain an abysmal low amount of information conveyed per minute
* They often contain at least one moron that inevitably get his turn to waste everyone’s time with nonsense
* They drift off subject easier than a rear-wheel driven Chicago cab in heavy snow
* They frequently have agendas so vague nobody is really sure what its about
* They require thorough preparation that people rarely do anyway

So don’t do meetings. There’s usually a more appropriate way to convey information or query for participation. One that doesn’t lead to burnout, anxiety, and depression! But if you must have a meeting, keep it short. Like, really short. Half an hour is already stretching it.

Oh, and for the love of god, bring something real to the table for people to fiddle with and spur associations from. They won’t be doing their homework anyway, so provide the easiest way for everyone to come up with something meaningful on the spot.

If its not your call to make, be sure to summarize the result of the meeting and inform the participants of the cost of reaching that result. Was it really worth to spend 2 hours x $100/hour x 5 people = $1,000 whether or not to buy a new printer?"

Check out the article

You know who you are

"One would generally think that maybe no one ever read Inspiration vs. Theft or that no one ever cared about where the fine line is drawn or if they crossed it... much less understand simple copyright laws or the words "All Rights Reserved" and what they actually entail. And never mind that there is a whole site dedicated to showcasing design theft. Here are a few rules of thumb:

1. Always ask first, never take.
2. Don't ever think you will go unnoticed, even on the Web.
3. Read the site's copyright statement and/or policy first.
4. See rule one above.
5. Re-read rule one above.

If you feel none of these rules apply to you and you are going to take someone's web design, hire a good lawyer."

Interactive Jobs

I first read this back in 2001-2002 when I was in college. Ben Friedman over at Iconologic has some pretty interesting things to say about interviewing for Interactive jobs. My fav quote would have to be,

"First, let me tell you that appearances matter very little in this business. I’ve seen absolutely zero correlation between how an individual looks or dresses and how they perform on the job. As a result, I couldn’t care less about how a person looks when they come for an interview. My suggestion: Be yourself. If, however, you feel as an individual that your chances will be better if you remove an earring or dress a bit more conservatively, then go for it. It’s definitely important to feel physically comfortable at your interview. But I would caution you that your true colors will show through over time, so please be careful about how far you’re willing to go to pull-the-wool over someone’s eyes."

Ben Friedman Offers Advice on Interviewing for Interactive Jobs

Neue Objectivity

My friend John Fergusson works over at ArmChair, dropping it like it's hot. :) Oh, he is also a Father now. Congrats to you and the Wife.

John Fergusson, click me now.

Flickr

I wish I had more time to take Photos.

I love Flickr

Site updates, my life, etc.

For anyone that has been following this blog, (If there is actually anyone out there that cares), I am well aware that it's time for a new look around here. I first re-designed this site in March of 2004 (which was an interesting, challenging time to say the least. Interviewing in NYC, trying to figure out my life, if I should move, meeting my now Wife who has been such a blessing. So much has happened since then).

My design style has matured a lot, as well as I have learned a ton of fun new things. Working with actionScript and learning all that it can do has been an exciting challenge. (And I learn more each day. Trace, debug, learn) At the same time, it's opened up many doors and possibilities for concepting ideas and being more creative. I have always been simply fascinated with motion and how things work. The more I learn, the more I feel addicted to this medium called the web because the possibilities seem endless.

I am fortunate to work with a great bunch of people over at Avenue A RazorFish, from whom I learn a lot. (Hello friends)

So, in short.. A new ericshoemaker.com is in the works. I am taking my time on this one because, well... I can. :) Life is good.

Object Fetish

"Find and buy hard to find goods from cool stores, trendy shopswith Nike Air Force Ones, Highway bags, Dope and Drakker jeans Porsche sunglasses, Fiorentini and Baker boots, Adidas Adicolor, Sori Yanagi kettles, Julia Turner jewelry, Super7 art. Explore!"

Object Fetish, check it out now (Read on apt11.com)