Flash Indexing with External Resource Loading

flashFrom Google’s Webmaster Central:
We just added external resource loading to our Flash indexing capabilities. This means that when a SWF file loads content from some other file—whether it’s text, HTML, XML, another SWF, etc.—we can index this external content too, and associate it with the parent SWF file and any documents that embed it.

This new capability improves search quality by allowing relevant content contained in external resources to appear in response to users’ queries. For example, this result currently comes up in response to the query [2002 VW Transporter 888]:

t4-tranformations-search-result
Read the entire story, here»

Flash File Uploader – Allow All Filetypes

flashfileuploader

A [d]online reader recently requested that the Flash File Uploader allow provision to upload all filetypes. And while I’d previously decided against such an option—due to security/malicious action issues, this was not the first time I received such a request. In fact, since the uploader was created a few years back, I’ve gotten dozens of requests for this feature. As such, I’ve decided that my disclaimer for downloading the uploader should adequately cover me from any litigation and wrote the feature into the latest version of the uploader.

For people wishing to just use the uploader without understanding the changes, simply add “all” as an item under the extensions flash variable in the swfobject embed code:

fo.addVariable("types", "video|text|pdf|audio|archive|office|image|all");

For those that wish to know the changes, the Flash loop that adds the array extensions to the “allowed” list also looks for the “all” option and changes a variable to true, if all filetypes are allowed. This is then passed to “upload.php” and skips the extensions test. Lastly, it’s passed to index.php to properly display the success message.

For your convenience, the link is the same as the last one.

Comments and feedback always welcome. Thanks again, Mike, for the assistance and to all the [d]online readers and commenters for your interest in the FFU and readership.

Stream.publish(“frustration”);

screenshot12May I just take a moment to vent my extreme frustration with the Facebook Developers API? Cardinal rule of development that you should change the public interface unless it’s a last resort. Facebook, who has made a practice of changing their API almost regularly, has got its application developers jumping through hoops just to keep old projects functioning properly. Read more

Flash File Uploader – Ïñtèrñàtíðñàl Çhàråçtêrs

flashfileuploader

A [d]online reader pointed out my ethnocentricity recently, in that the Flash File Uploader, which I’ve offered for free for years, did not include any functionality for retaining accents for international characters.  This has been fixed and re-uploaded in a new .rar file of this project. For your convenience, the link is the same as the last one.

Comments and feedback always welcome. Thanks again, Mike, for the assistance and to [d]online commenter, Gerald, for pointing this to my attention.

Stamen Design

screenshot05

I came across this site when Sean McDonald forwarded me a link to SF MOMA’s brilliant new site “SF MOMA ArtScope”. (Which, while, functionally, it takes a little while to figure out, the feature-packed design makes it an absolute pleasure to navigate and learn about the collection of modern art on the left coast).

Read more

Cooliris 3DWall

Somehow I happened upon this weird, but fun gadget that “transforms your browser into a ligntning fast, cinematic way to discover the web”.

It’s a plug-in for Firefox and other browsers that turns web pages with media into a PaperVision3D-style gallery with functions for zoom, play (if movies), share and more. It’s also a thinly-veiled method for getting you to install a product-oriented shopping plug-in, but that’s besides the point. Frankly, I wouldn’t have any use for browsing the web in 3D and want my shopping experience to be unbiased, personally-driven and bells-and-whistles-free, but hell, it’s still fun to watch the video. Sorta reminds me of the Airtight TiltViewer.

3D Wall