Some Rest, Intel, FOTB, Lisbon, MAX and Latin America!

Things are going to be pretty unresponsive around here (more than usual) for the next week as I’m taking some time off to recharge the batteries. After I return things will be picking up rapidly as we enter the new conference season. Here are some upcoming things that are going on over the next few months. There is lots of exciting new stuff that I can’t wait to start talking about.

Intel Developer Forum · San Francisco · Sep 13 – 15
My first conference back will be the Intel Developer Forum taking place at Moscone Center in San Francisco. Adobe and Intel have partnered for the Melrose project that presents an excellent way for developers to monetize their AIR applications targeted at netbooks. I will be presenting on Adobe’s multi-screen vision.

Flash on the Beach · Brighton · Sep 26 – 29
I am really starting to get amped up for this year’s Flash on the Beach conference, which is arguably the world’s best. There is an interesting mix of speakers this year including several industry heavyweights. The Inspire sessions are probably my favorite part of this conference. Now don’t be a wanker. Go and register.

Flash Camp Portugal · Lisbon · Oct 2
This will be my first time in Portugal and I’m looking forward to hearing the difference between Brazilian Portuguese and the native version. Will essa porra even translate? The plans for this are still in the works but it will take place in Lisbon on October 2nd.

Adobe MAX · Los Angeles · Oct 23 – 27
MAX will be huge this year and I will be pretty busy. I’m doing a 90-minute BYOL session on building your first AIR for Android application. I will also be doing a slightly modified version of the My Head Hurts presentation that I did at FITC. I think it is a really informative session. Go and register for my sessions if they sound useful to you.

Latin Flash Tour · Latin America · Oct 30 – Nov 12
Yes were coming back for a second year bringing mayhem, cervezas, and some Flash stuff too. Check out the details on the official site. Details are still be worked out so be sure to check back. Mateo un ladron!

Demand for Flash Developers is Increasing

The Wall Street Journal recently put out an article describing how the demand for Flash developers has been increasing as of late. While this is no surprise to most of us in the community, it is a refreshing reminder that those who have marked Flash as a dying technology are quite wrong indeed. The article states that the increase in online Flash gaming is a large reason for the spike. I’m guessing that it also has something to do with all of the anticipation surrounding Flash on mobile devices.

The article also includes a quote about the salaries that top Flash developers are getting these days:

Top full-time Flash engineers can now command more than $150,000 a year in salary, says Stuart Liroff, a headhunter at GreeneSearch recruiting firm. That compares with $50,000 to $80,000 a year three years ago.

I’m sure a lot of you are now running to your bosses office to talk about getting a raise .

Flash This – Not That!

Flash This – Not That!

Below is the first of a series of images depicting situations where you might want to use Flash along with those where you probably shouldn’t. They are based on the great Eat This – Not That! articles put out by Mens Health magazine. Now these are not hard and fast rules but instead just a general guide.

Look for more images in the series over the next couple of months. I won’t be using specific examples of sites that use Flash in questionable ways. If I did I would have to include several of my own previous sites .

Appropriate Uses for Flash

I am currently preparing for my session at FITC San Francisco where I will talk about all of the change that is currently happening in our industry. When I say industry I am not talking solely about Flash, but rather web development as a whole. The mobile explosion is providing us with lots of exciting new opportunities, but at the same time it is making things a whole lot more complicated. Moving forward, the mark of a true web professional will be knowing when it is appropriate to employ the power of Flash and when a different technology might be more appropriate. This means you will need to start educating yourself on these alternative technologies if you are not already doing so.

In reality, the situations where using Flash is appropriate have not changed all that much. What has changed is that we can no longer get away with misusing Flash anymore. I’m sure lots of us, myself included, have been guilty of that over the years. When people do this it actually hurts Flash as a technology and makes it much harder for us to convince people about its real benefits.

Flash has always been there to allow you to go beyond the functionality that the browser enables and this will continue to be the case. Video is a great example of this. Once all browsers can support HTML5 video it makes perfect sense for simple video playback to done outside of Flash. But if you want more advanced video features then you will choose Flash. On that note, we are working on some video stuff right now that will blow your mind. More details on that soon.

So why am I saying all this? Well I am planning on providing some tutorials and blog posts that focus on situations where using Flash might be a mistake. For instance, I am planning a tutorial showing how to do a basic photo slideshow using jQuery. Two photos fading into one another is a good example of where using Flash would be overkill. You will be much more successful in your career if you are someone who simply uses the best tool for the job. It’s really that simple. Sometimes that tool will be Flash and sometimes not.

If you want to hear more come to FITC San Francisco as it has the best lineup of speakers I have ever seen at one event. FITC is generously providing readers of this blog with a special $200 discount. Just use the discount code theflashblog when registering.