Computer Shopper Epson WorkForce 520 Review
Communications Technology Watch is happy to announce that William Harrel has begun reviewing printers for the popular online magazine and buyers’ guide Computer Shopper. Harrel has a long history of writing about information technology, going back to the industry’s glory days, when monthly paper magazines–Computer Magazine, PC World, Windows Magazine, MacWorld, MacUser, and, yes, Computer Shopper–were popular and powerful. A favorable review in one of these publications could make an unknown product famous, and turn small, upstart companies into powerhouse corporations. Those days are over, and once two-inch-thick magazines are now a quarter or less of there size, those that survived, that is. The ones that did make it adapted to the medium of our era, the Internet. Computer Shopper made the transition successfully and is now a trusted Internet destination and source for well-researched and unbiased new product information and reviews–as it has always been.
William Harrel – www.williamharrel.com
Yes, creating Websites is fun and rewarding work. And nothing is more fun and rewarding than creating Flash Websites, or other Flash applications, such as online movies or training courses. Nowadays, learning to use Flash is a must for student Website and Web application designers.
The Flash CS4 course at Ed2Go was so well-received that I am feverishly working to crank out a CS5 course. The name of the course is “Introduction to Adobe Flash CS5“. It is a beginner’s course on creating basic Flash movies and Websites with the latest version of Flash, Creative Suite 5.
ed2go is the largest online course provider, offering hundreds of courses through most major universities, colleges and other learning facilities.
Course Details
This twelve-week course will introduce students to the basics of using Flash, and will cover the following:
- Getting to know the Flash interface
- Workspaces
- Animation and Tweens
- Flash’s drawing tools
- Flash’s text tools
- The Flash Timeline and frames
- Intro to ActionScript 3.0
- Intro to 3D and Motion Editor
- Using images, sound and video clips in Flash
- And much more
The course is well underway and should be available is a few months.
Bill Harrel – www.williamharrel.com
California Spine Institute
The folks at WilliamHarrel.com have been diligently upgrading the California Spine Institute’s (CSI) Website over the past few weeks, bringing it into the Twenty-First Century. As the original designers of World renowned Neurosurgeon, Dr. John C. Chiu’s first Website (SpineCenter.com) nearly 15 years ago, Bill and his staff have been asked to come back and give the old site a makeover. The new site is a completely scripted AS3 and XML modular Flash design, complementing CSI’s ultra-modern Minimally Invasive Spinal Surgery (MISS) and physical rehabilitation center, located in Thousand Oaks, California. Dr. Chiu is the primary developer of the Micro-Discectomy and Laser Thermodiskoplasty MISS procedures for eliminating pain from herniated spinal discs.
The new site is resplendent with content on spine surgery, MISS and Medical Laser technology–complete with videos, presentations, research and other information designed for medical professionals and the general public. It branches at the home page to accommodate professionals looking for technology solutions and providers and non-professionals looking for alternatives to conventional “open back” surgery.
“We have been tacking on new information almost weekly for many years,” says Dr. Chiu. “It has become a huge maze of mismatched designs [reflecting the styles of the several different designers employed to update it] and outdated material mixed in with the new, pertinent data.” It’s time to bring it all together in a format where users can find what they need without hunting and pecking.” Dr. Chiu added that he is excited about the work so far and eager to get it up and running.
While in development, the site is located at csi.williamharrel.com. It has been opened to the public during the final stages, with the warning that not everything works yet. But anybody is welcome to come and watch the project as it nears completion. “Use the menus,” Bill Harrel says. “The page links don’t all work yet, and not all of the material they link to has been deployed.”
Communications Technology Watch is pleased to announce that William Harrel has contracted with Ed2Go to create and instruct two intermediate-level Flash courses, Intermediate Flash CS5 and Intermediate Flash CS4. The upcoming courses are extensions of Harrel’s popular Introduction to Flash CS4 and Introduction to CS5, which are currently distributed through Ed2Go.com to nearly 2,500 colleges and universities. Hundreds of students have taken the CS4 course to date, and it continually receives high ratings from students. The CS5 course in nearing completion and will be released soon.
The new course will help students improve their Flash animation, design, 3D graphics, and ActionScript skills.
“We’ll look closely at Flash’s high-end design and graphics tools,” Harrel told us. “Especially, the Bone Tool, Motion Editor, and 3D tools. Oh yeah, and ActionScript 3.0–lots of ActionScript 3.0.”
As the courses develop and get closer to a launch date, we’ll keep you posted.
Best Viewed in HD Format
Learn how to create inner popups using the UILoader component in Flash CS4. (This procedure is nearly identical in CS5.) Load any external SWF as a popup. Create as many popups as you need. Part 1 and Part 2 walk you through the entire process, from configuring the component to creating a close button movie clip, to scripting the popup.
Part 2 covers writing the ActionScripts and creating a Close button.
Learn this and other techniques in William Harrel’s Introduction to Adobe Flash CS4 (and soon to be released Introduction to Adobe Flash CS5) Course at Ed2Go.
Click here to download popups.fla.
William Harrel - williamharrel.com
Learn how to create inner popups using the UILoader component in Flash CS4. (This procedure is nearly identical in CS5.) Load any external SWF as a popup. Create as many popups as you need. Part 1 and Part 2 walk you through the entire process, from configuring the component to creating a close button movie clip, to scripting the popup. Part 1 covers preparing and setting up the UILoader component.
Best Viewed in HD Format.
Learn this and other techniques in William Harrel’s Introduction to Adobe Flash CS4, (and soon to be released Introduction to Adobe Flash CS5) Course at Ed2Go.
Click here to download popups.fla.
William Harrel – williamharrel.com
Best in HD format.
In Part 3 we look scripting the portfolio and saving it to a movie clip symbol.
Learn this and other techniques in William Harrel’s Introduction to Flash CS4 Course at Ed2Go.
Click here to download portfolio.fla.
Best in HD format.
In Part 2 we look at extending the basic portfolio structure, animation, tweens and instance names.
Learn this and other techniques in William Harrel’s Introduction to Flash CS4 Course at Ed2Go.
Click here to download portfolio.fla.
Best in HD format.
In Part one we look at laying out the basic portfolio structure.
Learn this and other techniques in William Harrel’s Introduction to Flash CS4 Course at Ed2Go.
