23rd February 2012 (23/02/2012)

January 5th, 2012

The Future of Flash (19:00 – 20:00) – Mike Chambers
In this session, Mike will lead a discussion around recent changes and announcements around the Flash Platform. He will then spend some time laying out the roadmap for the Flash Player, and discuss the direction in which the player will evolve, including the general focus of the player and the ActionScript language and AVM (ActionScript Virtual Machine).

Adobe Gaming Technology (20:15 – 21:15) – Lee Brimlow
In this session Gaming Evangelist Lee Brimelow will reveal the latest technologies being worked on by Adobe for game developers. They will show how these technologies allow developers to create casual 2D games in addition to AAA 3D games. Current best practices will also be discussed.

Prizes for the free raffle
Adobe Creative Suite 5.5 Master Collection donated by Adobe.
Steve Jobs: The Exclusive Biography donated by WCRS.

Hosted by WCRS and sponsored by Adobe.

When/Where
Date: 23rd February 2012 (23/02/2012)
Time: 19:00 – 22:00 (doors open at 18:30)
Venue: WCRS, 60 Great Portland Street, London, W1W 7RT
Tube: Oxford Circus

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26th January 2012 (26/01/2012)

December 15th, 2011

Agile from the Trenches (19:00 – 20:00) – Stuart Mitchell
This is a “warts and all” presentation on how one of the first Agile project was delivered into one of the UK’s major Banks. There will be an overview of the project’s innovative techniques used in recruiting, planning, running the Scrums, analysis, development and testing. The team won the ‘Most Valuable Agile Project in the UK’ at the Agile 2010 awards. All attendees will also receive 2 Agile ebooks that Stuart believes are invaluable to any Agile project.

Profiling (20:15 – 21:15) – Steve Buckley
Take a trip down memory lane… and end up in Memoryland. Do the magic mushrooms, er.. magic buttons, on the Flash Builder UI confuse you?

This talk will walk you through the Profiler and what it does along with some simple techniques for finding memory issues.

Prizes for the free raffle
2 Festival Tickets to FITC Amsterdam 2012 donated by FITC.

Hosted by iris and sponsored by FITC.

When/Where
Date: 26th January 2012 (26/01/2012)
Time: 19:00 – 22:00 (doors open at 18:30)
Venue: iris London, 185 Park Street, London, SE1 9DY
Tube: Blackfriars/London Bridge/Southwark

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15th December 2011 (15/12/2011)

November 9th, 2011

Piss-up
Come and join us for some xmas drinks and smokes in the ditch.

Prizes for the free raffle
Learn C on the Mac donated by Apress.
AdvancED Flash on Devices Mobile Development with Flash Lite and Flash 10 donated by Apress.

Sponsored by Apress.

When/Where
Date: 15th December 2011 (15/12/2011)
Time: 19:00 – ??:??
Venue: Strongroom Bar & Restaurant, 120-124 Curtain Road, Shoreditch, London, EC2A 3SQ
Tube: Old Street/Shoreditch High Street

Sign-ups will be used for the raffle. You can sign-up in the sidebar on the right of the front page or at the bottom of the post here.

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24th November 2011 (24/11/2011)

October 6th, 2011

Cloud Computing – An Introduction to Amazon Web Services (19:00 – 20:00) – Shaun Pearce
Individuals and companies of all sizes are starting to realise the power and flexibility of public clouds to quickly and easily stand up back-end infrastructure to support their products and services. Public cloud products such as Amazon Web Services have completely changed the way we look at backend infrastructure, AWS treats computing power as a “utility”, in other words paying for and using their servers should be no different from the way we consume other utilities such as gas or electricity.

So what does this all mean? Most importantly, it enables individual developers and small startups to have access to the scalable, robust and cost effective computing power previously only available to large multinational organisations, and with that brings a lot of opportunities.

This session will introduce the Amazon Web Services product suite and discuss how each of the components can be combined to create a robust, scalable and cost effective backend solution. I will also talk about how designing cloud based solutions requires a significant paradigm shift when compared to a traditional physical hosting setup. Finally, I’ll also draw on some of my experiences delivering a new AWS based solution on my current project pointing out both architecture best practice as well as some of the obvious pitfalls that have tripped us up alone the way!

Animating HTML5 (20:15 – 21:15) – Liam Flynn
Much discussion has occurred about capabilities of the <canvas> element within HTML5. However, it is not the only way that animation can be achieved using this standard. This session aims to investigate HTML5 in one of the main areas it encroaches upon the functionality of the Flash platform. It will introduce a range of graphical options, compare them and give some examples of their use. The entire session will be given from the perspective of a Flash developer new to web standards scripting.

Prizes for the free raffle
The Essential Guide to HTML5 –
Using Games to learn HTML5 and JavaScript donated by Apress.

Hosted by Tag and sponsored by Apress.

When/Where
Date: 24th November 2011 (24/11/2011)
Time: 19:00 – 22:00 (doors open at 18:30)
Venue: Tag, 29 Clerkenwell Road, London EC1M 5TA
Tube: Farringdon/Barbican

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27th October 2011 (27/10/2011)

September 5th, 2011

Wired Up (19:00 – 20:00) – Tom Underhill
It’s happened again! You’re piecing together yet another User Interface from an eps or psd with questions building over what does what, how, when and where? Does a button have multiple states, what action does it invoke? As the frustration rises, projects stall, budgets hike and the pressure of deadlines gets ever tighter.

Invariably most or all of these points will have been weighed and resolved in the mind of the designer down to the last pixel. But workflows and budgets don’t always allow this vision to be appropriately articulated to development teams. Are these ideally designers’ decisions anyway?

So how do we fix it? Do designers learn to code or do developers learn to design? There’s room for both – but this can clearly only move the discussion so far. Specialisms are specialisms for good reason. What we need is a positive and progressive structure enabling two way collaboration and iteration between all facets of the project’s delivery team from outset to completion.

This session will explore collaborative wireframing, tools, techniques and workflows tried and tested on projects small to large.

By opening up communication channels we really can move closer to the efficient and cost effective utopia where optimum delivery of brand, function, usability and a decent night’s sleep coexist!

Git – Fast Version Control (20:15 – 21:15) – Shaun Smith
Git is a free & open source, distributed version control system.

Every Git clone is a full-fledged repository with complete history and full revision tracking capabilities, not dependent on network access or a central server. Branching and merging are fast and easy to do.

This session is a basic introduction to Git. We’ll look at what it is, why you’d use it and how to get started.

Prizes for the free raffle
Foundation Flash Catalyst donated by Apress.

Hosted by M&C Saatchi and sponsored by Apress.

When/Where
Date: 27th October 2011 (27/10/2011)
Time: 19:00 – 22:00 (doors open at 18:30)
Venue: M&C Saatchi, 36 Golden Square, Soho, London, W1F 9EE
Tube: Oxford Circus/Piccadilly Circus

Sign-up is now closed for this event (user ‘kelly okane’ being the last valid signup). Although you may still be able to add you name to the list below, the venue will not have your details and you will not be able to gain entry to the venue. Those signed up will need to confirm their username and email address when you enter the venue. If you are signed-up but cannot attend, please remove yourself to give others a chance to attend.

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29th September 2011 (29/09/2011)

August 1st, 2011

Flex Mobile (19:00 – 20:00) – Rob McMichael
The rapid growth and development of smart phones and tablets has pushed application development to the forefront of many developers agendas.

As the devices become more powerful, applications more complex and new platforms enter the fray, developers face a tough choice of how to realize their ideas.

Last year Adobe release AIR for Android, and then later added support for iOS and Blackberry. With the Flash platform hitting mobile it was only a matter of time before Flex got a mobile makeover.

This session will look at what new features were added with Flex and Flash Builder 4.5, the pros and cons of using the Flex and AIR for mobile and some insight into where it’s all headed.

Flex Navigators (20:15 – 21:15) – Tink
When Adobe released Flex 4 there were many known gaps in the Spark component set, and one of the big ones were navigators. No ViewStack, TabNavigator or Accordion left many relying on MX, others turned to states due to their large upgrade in mxml syntax.

This session will look at some open source navigators I released for Flex 4 using the spark ethos. I’ll cover the development process, a look at the code, what they’re capable of and how they can be used alongside other components. We’ll also cover when to use navigators over states and how you can create more dynamic applications that require less maintenance with some practical examples thrown in.

Prizes for the free raffle
Flex 4 Cookbook donated by O’Reilly.

Hosted by Mind Candy and sponsored by O’Reilly.

When/Where
Date: 29th September 2011 (29/09/2011)
Time: 19:00 – 22:00 (doors open at 18:30)
Venue: Mind Candy, Unit 4.01, Tea Building, 56 Shoreditch High Street, London, E1 6JJ
Tube: Shoreditch High Street

Sign-up is now closed for this event (user ‘ hjwatso1’ being the last valid signup). Although you may still be able to add you name to the list below, the venue will not have your details and you will not be able to gain entry to the venue. Those signed up will need to confirm their username and email address when you enter the venue. If you are signed-up but cannot attend, please remove yourself to give others a chance to attend.

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25th August 2011 (25/08/2011)

July 14th, 2011

Love at First Byte (19:00 – 20:00) – Conrad Winchester
If you are an Actionscript 3 developer then your compiled code runs on a thing called the Actionscript Virtual Machine 2 (AVM2). It is the CPU of the flash player and usually you are not even aware it is there. It is quite an amazing machine and this sessiom will introduce to its inner details, revealing what compiled Actionscript 3 looks like and explain how it runs on the AVM2.

The session will then go into how it is possible to alter this compiled code and and generate completely new code while the flash player is running and show you why you might want to do this and demonstrate a few real world examples, some fun and some serious. So hold your breath and take a deep dive with me into the heart of the AVM2.

Digital Archeology (20:15 – 21:15) – Steven Goodwin
In a few years time, it will be impossible to study the history of home computers since its software was either proprietary, closed-source, written in a now-obsolete language, or encumbered by software “protection” to prevent copying. Furthermore, the hardware upon which it ran is dying, and the cassette tapes holding the software are physically disintegrating.

This talk is a ten-point plan outlining the primary issues of digital archaeology, the methods necessary to preserve our computing legacy, and how emulation can help with this endeavour. We end with an overview describing how to build a ZX81/Spectrum emulator in Flash, with enough information and inspiration to convince you to go and preserve your own!

Prizes for the free raffle
2 tickets to Flash unplugged donated by Flash unplugged.

Hosted by Draftfcb and sponsored by Flash unplugged.

When/Where
Date: 25th August 2011 (25/08/2011)
Time: 19:00 – 22:00 (doors open at 18:30)
Venue: Draftfcb, 84 Eccleston Square, London, United Kingdom, SW1V 1PX
Tube: Victoria

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28th July 2011 (28/07/2011)

June 1st, 2011

BlackBerry PlayBook Development Roadmap (19:00 – 20:00) – Sanyu Kiruluta
This session will introduce the power and flexibility of the BlackBerry Tablet OS and show how easy it is for developers to create, package and debug applications for the BlackBerry PlayBook. This technical overview will cover the different development environments, tools and, commercialization services and offer insight into both the future roadmap for developing apps on the BlackBerry platform and how to best monetize your through BlackBerry App World.

Entity Systems – A Better Way to Develop Games (20:15 – 21:15) – Tom Davies
Ever wondered how they make modern console games or how Unity3D works? Well the answer is both elegant and counter-intuitive like most good ideas. This talk aims to point out the issues with traditional game development practices and how to address them. It will look at how various types of Entity systems are implemented and the pros and cons of each. Finally it will cover my open-source framework Ember and explain my reasoning behind it.

Prizes for the free raffle
AdvancED Game Design with Flash donated by Apress.
An Away3D Ornament donated by Away3D.

Hosted by glueisobar & sponsored by Apress.

When/Where
Date: 28th July 2011 (28/07/2011)
Time: 19:00 – 22:00 (doors open at 18:30)
Venue: glueisobar, Floor 7, 10 Triton Street, London NW1 3BF
Tube: Great Portland Street/Regent’s Park/Warren Street

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30th June 2011 (30/06/2011)

May 19th, 2011

Introduction to AlivePDF (19:00 – 20:00) – David Kinross
This talk is geared at kick starting your project by giving you all the tips and source code you’ll need to start developing straight away. Will walk you through the methods and limitations of the library with examples of how the Telegraph is using the technology followed up with a fun PHP and AS3 twitter mash up which produces pdf word clouds on the fly using live data.

Developing for Kids and Families (20:15 – 21:15) – Andrew Skinner & Tadhg McCarthy
In this session we will share our experiences, insights and research gathered developing content for kids and families. We will explore technology’s ability to evoke wonder, surprise and emotion in our very demanding audience. We’ll also give some insight into how we test our content and how we feed this back into the fun.

Prizes for the free raffle
The Essential Guide to HTML5: Using Games to learn HTML5 and JavaScript donated by friends of ED.

Hosted by Digital Outlook & sponsored by friends of ED.

When/Where
Date: 30th June 2011 (30/06/2011)
Time: 19:00 – 22:00 (doors open at 18:30)
Venue: Digital Outlook, 7-11 Lexington Street, London, W1F 9AF
Tube: Piccadilly/Oxford Street

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26th May 2011 (26/05/2011)

April 1st, 2011

An Emotional Experience: How to Grab Your Audience by the Heart with Clever Game Design (19:00 – 20:00) – Luke Whittaker
IDespite it feeling like we’re the ones playing the games, they’re the ones playing with us. Everything in a well designed game is geared towards encouraging a response, sometimes this is physical, and increasingly it’s emotional. If we’re designing these experiences, we need to understand how to design like an author chooses their words – with the aim of shaping the audience’s response. This isn’t just about making ‘art’ games, this is about making great games which people will love and return to, whether that’s an indie adventure game or a twitch-reflex FPS. It’s about how to turn a bunch of random squares on your screen into something with form, function and heart.

Simulating the Real (20:15 – 21:15) – Rob Bateman
The natural world is responsible for many human preconceptions when viewing or interacting with our environment. When constructing a digital experience (be it game, website, app or toy), re-creating familiar features of nature can provoke a powerful response. But what provides the best approach to creating such an experience, and what kind of cues provide the best emulation results?

The addition of hardware accelerated graphics in the Flash Player Incubator is set to open a new world of possibility for creating and using real world simulations. In this presentation, Rob Bateman explores how new releases of OS software libraries such as Away3D, Jiglib and others offer access to the power and speed of GPU processing from within Flash, leading to a wide range of visual and interactive effects that take full advantage of these impressive new features.

Prizes for the free raffle
The Essential Guide to 3D in Flash donated by friends of ED.

Hosted by Dare & sponsored by friends of ED.

When/Where
Date: 26th May 2011 (26/05/2011)
Time: 19:00 – 22:00 (doors open at 18:30)
Venue: Dare, 101 New Cavendish Street, London, W1W 6XH
Tube: Goodge Street

Sign-up is now closed for this event (as of 24th May, user ‘eva0882’ being the last valid signup). Although you may still be able to add you name to the list below, the venue will not have your details and you will not be able to gain entry to the venue. Those signed up will need to confirm their username and email address when you enter the venue. If you are signed-up but cannot attend, please remove yourself to give others a chance to attend.

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