Flash Books

The Definitive Guide to Actionscript by Colin Moock is a must have for anyone serious about Actionscript. Moock explains object oriented programming with ease. There are many samples and examples making this book easily accessible to a wide range of programmatic abilities. This book is a great learning resource and also serves as a reference for developers.

i dont need to say more, I even pre orderd the second edition allready

It's all good... lot's of info, examples, details, etc etc...
I do have to comment though that everything you find in this book is EASILY found and sometimes in a way more deep and detailed manner in the Macromedia Flash Help section and in www.macromedia.com Flash support section... I would not consider this an essential book even though one feels secure to have it close...

Nice book, found it pretty pleasant at first, but it was too easy to digest (six, seven hours and you can toss it over your shoulder). The real answers I need (mostly dealing with movie clip behaviours) are only vaguely explained or absent and I found the book more of a frustration than otherwise from about 1 week onwards.

Having said this, there doesn't appear to be any other title for Flash that caters to those whose programming knowledge exceeds their experience as a graphical design user.

Finally, an actionscript guide that is superb in its production! My hat is off to Colin and Gary for this detail-oriented volume that has cleared the smoke out of my head and has made a programmer out of an artist.

Bravo!!!

Very cool book. This book has some really funny artwork in it. Definitely a good one to have in your tattoo shop's collection!

Fantastically original style! It is very rare that you come across an artist with a vision who is not afraid to put it out there. Had to get the book to view the entire collection and it definitely hit the mark. You have to check out the dude's website for additional killer works and goodies too ([...] ). Cheers!

A new real, great jewel in publishing skyline!
This pocket is perfectly made for people as me, more and more desirous, longing for beauty and exitement!
This book isn't only for tattoos-fans, the best target for those crazy and genial drawings, this is Art for all.
Get it! A lot of ideas, an unforgettable moment is waiting for you!

Un nuovo vero, grandioso gioiello nel panorama dell' editoria!
Questo tascabile è proprio fatto per gente come me, sempre desiderosa e bramosa di bellezza ed eccitazione!
Questo libro non é fatto solo per i patiti del tatuaggio, il miglior pubblico per quei folli e geniali disegni, questa é Arte per tutti. Procuratevelo! Un sacco di idee, un momento indimenticabile vi aspetta!

Guido Corazziari ( Academy of Fine Arts Teacher - Italy )

I was hoping to get some good origonal ideas out of this for my next tattoo. I was disappointed to see what was inside this book. It's just packed full of a bunch of tacky white trash stuff that you see when flipping through one of the millions of floating around all tattoo shops.

This book doesn't have any pictures of actual work. Each image looks like a professional cartoon but there are many variations of the same work. For instance he might have 4 pictures of the same woman, with the same face, but wearing different clothes. Almost every image has some cute caption to go along with the picture but I didn't think there was more than a handful someone would want on their body.

I was looking for something for my daughter's first birthday. These cards are great - durable, colorful and fun. Each one has something textured for them to touch and feel. I'll definitely be purchasing another volume.

We've used these cards with my 18 month old grandchildren since they were about a year old and they love them. We have "flash card time" and it amazes me every time how much they have learned with these cards. Very sturdy cards, great pictures, and they love the touch and feel aspect of it.

We got these for our son when he was about 9mths. He is now 20mths old and he still plays with them. We have two other sets. The cards are very sturdy and hold up to a lot.

I gave this to my nieces who turned one and they love these cards. The parents love them even more. They are educational and the kids love the touch and feel part. Great gift!

Once again, I have purchased a product without holding it in my hands first. I need to learn to shop in person, and give up the convenience of online stores. These cards are too flimsy for the age group they are targeted for, and I can see they will not last long in this home. They are an excellent idea, but not thought out thoroughly as they should be before being put into production. The colors are vibrant, but there aren't enough included in the set. They fold in half very easily. The "touch and feel" portion of many of the cards are lousy, like they came up with a few good ones and used "filler" on the rest of the cards. They aren't textured, but just colored differently in the "texture" slot. Close, but not good enough.

I am sure if you glance at the rest of the reviews you will be more than tempted to buy this book. Well, you should! Kerman's way of introducing the LOGIC behind actionScript is phenomenal. This books should help pave the way for you to grasp the logic behind actionScript. Why not 5 stars then? Well, I thought there would be more practical examples than the book included. Definitely worth the money!

I'm sorry I bought this book!
Because it's so good!
And now the MX version is out,
but I already have the Flash 5 one!
Anybody wants to buy it off me,
so I can get the new issue?
;-)

This is the first book I've read by Phillip Kerman. I will now go hunt for his next one - or all of them, to be honest! This book doesn't learn You any Flash or design, but it gives You everything You need to know about actionscripting. Tastefully presented and easy to read. If You are the perfect object oriented programmer - You could skip some chapters, but if You're just an "almost" perfect programer in object oriented languages - this book will give You the last skills that makes You perfect! Yes it really does not only cover actionscripting - it gives You a visual and very educational lesson in object oriented programing.

Wow!

This is a GREAT book for the graphic/web designer wanting to learn actionscript. I own or have read many others that don't cover the basics or the thought processes behind writing in a scripting language. Most books on this topic started out over my head with little explaination and were accompanied by buggy and/or old code. With clear and consice writing, Philip uses the first half of the book to fully explain programming concepts as they pertain to scripting in Flash, and then follows up with examples of how to implement these ideas.

I can't say enough about how far this book has taken me into the scripting world. Kudos to Kerman.

If you're looking for a book with lots of pictures and fluff this is not the book for you.
But if you're actually interested in learning to program ActionScript this is the first and only book you should buy.

Phillip Kerman explains everything in a clear understandable way and approaches the ideas of good programming as opposed to bad as well as the actual language itself. This alone will save you hours of re-doing what you've already done. Phillip gets you thinking like a programmer (a fairly new concept to a lot of designers trying to make their Flash more interactive.) Learn to design completely independent re-usable interfaces so that not only are you developing advanced interactive web-applications, you're also building a library of sample re-usable building blocks that you can re-use over and over.

Even if you're new to the language, take some tutorials online to get the basics and then buy this book. Read it and do the tutorials in it and soon you will be programming like a professional in no time. This is the best book on ActionScripting period! and I own 16 books on Flash Development!

I have actually used this reference for years as needed for ActionScript. I still had a good use for this text in ensuring compatibility with Flash MX until the lack of features became too overwhelming. This is in the face of newer versions of Flash such as CS3 (9.0) that use ActionScript 2.0/3.0. All in all, this book was wonderful until the release of Flash 8.

Because of the new Filters that have come out with Flash 8.0 and the features of ActionScript 2.0 to support these and other enhancements, I would instead recommend Flash 8 ActionScript Bible if one is concerned with cross-compatibility in their ActionScript code and wishes to still be able to use AS with newer features such as Filters (but not as new as Transitions or other CS3 exclusive features - for that, I'd recommend ActionScript 3.0 Bible or something similar).

As far as who I could possibly recommend this book for: It's good for somebody who is still working with Flash MX 2004 and below to Flash 5 (much of the text is compatible with Flash 5), however, I don't know that there are many of those sorts of individuals.

This book is a great resource for when you're looking for that specific line of code. Its terrible to read from front to back, but its an excellent way to find exactly what you're looking for. Its so much code, it'll make your eyes bleed.

One of the few comprehensive actionsctipt titles on the market. The first half of the book boasts a large variety of tutorials and examples that skillfully lead the reader through both the syntax and use of actionscript. Personally I found the text clear and practical. The chapters on OOP were of particular value as they went beyond actionscript basics into application, bordering on philosophical.

The second half is an invaluable reference of the entire actionscript dictionary with a comprehensive CD full of .fla example files and bonus chapters on the XML Object. As a qualified teacher I found it hard to fault the methodology employed by the various authors.

Well worth the purchase.

I am a former programming teacher and I have a style to teach my students the most UNDERSTANDABLE way to do something not just how to do it. This text/reference achieves that purpose. If you have an understanding of Flash (which you should have before getting into scripting see Weinman books) then this book will serve you well. There are other books on scripting - great books - such as Moock's books but they are more so for the programmer. This book is for the novelist programmer that desires to learn about action scripting.

5 stars if you know Flash well.
1 star if you haven't had any experience with it at all.

I was a beginner once, who couldn't figure out Flash at all. I'd like to help you build a bridge between where you may be now, as a beginner, to where you may find yourself aspiring to go.

If your only experience with Flash is to have seen the many wonderful and breathtaking Flash movies on the Internet and just had a look at the authoring tool, I strongly recommend that you leave this book until much later. It has its place in the learning curve but it isn't, in my opinion, the first book to see.

There are understandings to possess that this book doesn't cover sufficiently well enough for those whose minds work in particular ways. This is a programming book, for using the phenomenon of programming to create great design and animations. Whilst the focus is on design, you aren't using the design tools on the interface. With this book, you are using the Actionscript language and you have to have a logical mind for this activity (as well as keeping your strong creative one).

I began my steep learning curve with Flash by watching others and watching video tutorials, especially those by George Pierson. In this way, I can ask questions that are tailored for me and I get tailored responses. Books aren't always able to do so well here.

What is great about this book is the MX Actionscript reference in it and the seemingly well designed theory tutorials. I can't find a fault with the reference. The theory is quite good. In the reference, all Flash MX commands are covered. There are examples of how to use them, but the coverage may not be enough for some. Brill. Just BRILL. I can be excited but because I can follow Actionscript.

Approach this book when you are successfully making Flash movies on your own. Yes, on your own. For me, this book is an aid for when I am going to where I haven't gone to before. It helps me make judgements on ideas I get.

If you have a mother, you should buy her this book. If she doesn't need it today, she'll need it one day.

This book was very uplifting and fun, not to mention assuring me I'm not alone during these strange years!

I loved reading the short stories. Some hit the nail on the head so to say and others I just laughed out loud.

A book that validates the numerous mental and physical signs and symptoms of menopause in a gentle and humorous way. A must not only for the soul im menopause but for her sons, daughters, and husbands! It's my Christmas gift to all my forever "50" friends this year! Karen Alexander

I am still in my child-bearing years and I thought I'd get the book to learn more about Menopause and boy did I!! It is informative. It made me dread menopause and not want to look forward to the future of aging.

It may be funny to menopausal & post-menopausal women but it isn't for those who haven't gotten there yet. It seems sad and scary that we have to go through these changes. It's like reading about people who have gone through the horrors of their Wisdom teeth removal and you're dreading your turn!

My mother who already went through menopause did not have any of the symptoms listed in the book so I'm hoping I'll be lucky and escape the horrors of the symptoms.

In all, the book was informative with alot of details of what happens during menopause. Those who already went through it or are going through it will enjoy it better because they can relate to these stories and that they aren't alone during the 'change'.

This is the definite cluetrain (doc searls et al)for broadcasTV news. Much the same way cluetrain sparked a marketing revolution, this does the same for broadcast journalism.
I first meet the author when she was interning for Florida Today in Cocca Beach.
Every point she makes in this book is vaild. The take on "fox fair and balanced" tells me she won't be on the O'Reilly factor anytime soon.
I found only one sort of error. FYI> Matt Lauer does have a broadcast journalism background on the local level. He came out of the same environment that former NBC correspondent and current talk show host (WBUR Boston) Robin Young did, PM Magazine at WJAR TV 10 in Providence Rhode Island. That's the only small flaw I could find in the book.
The suits at CNN don't want you to read the book. They are not happy campers and with good reason. The hollywood suits trashed the network big time, and with than came the opening for Fox news to fill. Rick Kaplan is currently doing the same thing for MSNBC that he did for CNN take it down the pike.
It's a fast read but once you start you wont' want to stop.

Finally---an insider with enough intestinal fortitude to call a sham a sham!!! One can just imagine the 6 o'clock news being primmed, powdered and perfumed with just enough tear (or smile) to make it palatibly entertaining. Ms. Anderson, with her years of experience and credibility, still believes that the American citizenry is due the news, the whole news, and nothing but the news. Reserve the spin and "holy cows" for the baseball commentators! If the media execs remain stoically entrenched in the annals of the entertainment world, then let them be reminded of the old radio classic, Dragnet, where the byline was...."the facts, Ma'am, just the facts".

Bonnie Anderson's book has brought to the light of day what I have felt has been a problem with the media for some time. Many of the newscasts are more concerned with form, not substance; how they look and not what they say. Her book is a very good read and pulls no punches in pointing out the way many in the media are more concerned with entertainment than hard news coverage. Her description of this type of coverage as "Infotainment" is right on point.

News Flash brings to the reader another big problem influencing news coverage which is how mega mergers are affecting the coverage that is being presented to the viewing public. Unfortunately the impact is not good and these large conglomerates are proving the old adage "bigger is not always better" to be very true.

From her experience at CNN as a reporter, managing director of a news division and Vice President of Recruitment and Training, Anderson offers the reader a unique perspective as to what goes on inside a large news organization. She provides an in depth look at what takes place behind closed doors when it comes to hiring, firing and staffing in today's media corporations and much of what she reveals should be quite disturbing to the viewing public. This book provides some very interesting statistics about the media and its management which I am sure most of us were never aware of.

While Anderson points out numerous things that are wrong with today's TV media and its management, she also brings out the good that the true journalist can and should do. At the end of the book she offers her thoughts on what the media can do to provide the viewing public with quality news coverage. She should be commended for taking a stand and bringing to our attention the problems and proposing solutions to get TV journalism back to the quality we need and deserve.

In light of Anderson's criticism of the TV networks and cable news channels, it will be interesting to see if any of the media will afford her the same opportunity to present her views as they did when Bernard Goldberg published his book on bias in the media. If they do not, shame on the media, again.

News Flash appears as a rising meteor against a field of weakening stars. Ms. Anderson's book takes the reader through the shenanigans of the TV news broadcasters in their unadulterated striving for place and profits while leaving behind journalistic investigation and integrity. Her words turn out to be an exciting journey of personal experience and incisive exposure.
As a long time news journalist Ms. Anderson sets a fair bar for news organization to reach. Her experiences and reporting often show just how good news organization can function. The same intimacy exposes the petty, inexcusable machinations of networks in journalistic decline.
Ms. Anderson's news flashes exposes the perfidy of CNN's executive wing in its Tailwind scandal, the staging of news as presented by NBC's Dateline story on General Motors in 1992 and the apparent homophobia of Roger Mudd given his attitude toward AIDS victims. But indeed, Ms Anderson is not a muckraker. On the contrary, hers is to excite the industry to better, to reset the standard of TV journalism. She gives as examples her own series on drought and famine in Africa bringing a change in American policy on humanitarian aid, or of CNN's initiative in covering the return of twenty-four U.S. Navy spy plane crewmen held in China. While these could be considered scoops, her admiration for her industry is best held by her words on the, "spectacular breaking news coverage of the 9/11 attacks."
Ms. Anderson words border on the requirement for broadcast journalism to return to its traditional values and to assure the public a clear and unbiased presentation of the news. Ms. Anderson carries the fight to those in the industry already sullying news broadcasts as entertainment and who have diluted their own professionalism for money, position, or simply hubris.

From her insiders view of the whole industry, Bonnie
Anderson delivers a searing indictment of our corrupt,
sensationalistic television news. She lays out fact
by fact, and name by name, just how, why, and most
importantly who is to blame for this once esteemed
institution's downward slide into the very muck it
used to deplore. For years, Noam Chomsky's theories
about the corruption of the news media have grown less
alarmist and eerily more prescient as the
infotainment age reaches its belligerent maturity.
But while Chomsky was lecturing about it, Ms. Anderson
was out in the field living it. She recounts, with a
journalist's eye for detail, all that went astray
within our large media conglomerates. The cast of
characters are all to familiar, Browkaw, Jennings,
Schwarzenegger, Striesand, O.J., Clinton, Leo,
Lewinsky, and Lettermen, as Ms. Anderson makes a
compelling case for the media's distortion from a
revered source of accurate information to an
increasingly grotesque and obvious fountain of
entertainment. "If it bleeds it leads" is the mantra
of newsrooms of our day, and may truth and rational
perspective be damned. Everything of value is
jettisoned in light of shocking and sensational video
footage about any subject, no matter how irrelevant
and trivial. No one will hear about the latest civil war in
Africa when every second of news time is dedicated to
footage of a shark attack in Florida, human interest
stories, a surfing cat, or another excessive
Hollywood wedding.

Maggie is feeling old. Her kids are out of the house, she's getting hot flashes, and her husband seems to be looking at younger women. Her best friend also seems to be more concern with dating than hanging around Maggie. Maggie is all ready to accept the fate of a mid life crisis when she meets a young woman at a coffee house who seems to need a "motherly" type figure in her life. With true to life descriptions and humor that will make the reader giggle and groan, this grown up chick lit novel is perfect for those who can't wait to get older and those who wish they could stop.

So I'm not a baby boomer. In fact I'm pretty much the same age as the kids of the main characters in this book. You'd think I wouldn't enjoy it because of the generation gap. WRONG. I totally enjoyed this fun and humorous book that women of all ages will enjoy. What I found most interesting about the book was how insecure most women, even Christian women, really are. It seems that everyone is afraid about losing their husband to someone who is younger or who they think looks better than them. Women are always comparing themselves and therefore creating low self esteem. Of course men don't help out with this, as Gordon doesn't really reassure Maggie that he doesn't go for the blond type. The writing is top notch, I felt like I was a part of the story. I also really enjoyed seeing Maggie's relationship grow with Lily. And it was cool to read a mom drinking frappachinos and ending up working behind the counter in a coffee shop. I also love the Chihuahua who pees when nervous! I think it'd be cool to have her as a mom. There are some times where I would get frustrated with her actions, like her getting ticked at her daughter for being friends with her mother in law or when she stalks her best friend while she's dating. But then I realize that Maggie is having empty nest syndrome and is therefore frustrated with her life. It makes me want to learn to make sure to take time to enjoy my own life, and not just focus it on others so that way I know that I am meaningful. Excellent mom/lady lit book that everyone will enjoy.

Author Diann Hunt pens the words of Hot Flashes and Cold Cream with both humor and honesty, as she describes a fifty-something woman in the grip of menopause. Maggie Haydn's world turns upside down into a despairing heap of cellulite, as her search continues to find something that will spare her the pain of life change. Her pursuit accelerates into a full blown rat race.

Sipping her favorite beverage at the new coffee house makes a dent in her meaningless days of waiting for her overworked husband to return home. While the superficial makeovers never touch the deepest longing of her heart, she hardly expects her out-of-style elderly, widowed neighbor to strike a cord within her. Tired of running, Maggie pauses long enough to notice that Elvira, after all, is fashionably dressed in expressing God's love to others. Maggie is ready for a real change!

Maggie's husband Gordon and her best friend Lily nearly go out of their minds trying to help Maggie keep her balance in her topsy-turvy world. Her college age son and newly married daughter love their mom, too, but hope she doesn't go completely over the edge.

I nearly ran out of breath trying to keep up with Maggie's agonizing pace of going everywhere, never really getting anywhere. Finally, she comes to terms with her age, her appearance, and her attitude toward life. At times, I wanted to say, "We've heard this before!" It seems that was the author's creative technique -- to wear out the reader as much as it exhausted her main character, so that, in the end, we could all breathe a huge sigh of relief.

I commend this book to the Maggie Haydens who are struggling with an empty stage of life. Hunt's character Elvira will point the reader to Jesus Christ, at center stage in her own life. - Cheryl Cecil, Christian Book Previews.com

This book was funny and relaxing and I enjoyed reading it. The author kept me laughing while at the same time wondering what was coming next for Maggie. I can't wait to read another book by D. Hunt.

Great book, if you are close to menopause it's a must read.

Diann Hunt uses humor and zany situations to make us laugh at aging. Maggie Hayden gets herself into one scrape after another with her misguided caring. Hunt drew me into this story so well, Maggie became real. I cared about her. So much that there were times I wanted to slap her. She drove me nuts with her inability to get a grip, yet I laughed all the way.

Besides having a wonderfully intriguing title, Hot Flashes and Cold Cream is a page-turner of a book. You can't wait to see what Maggie gets herself into next. Thanks you, Diann, for this hilarious romp through aging.

The best thing about a book like this, 100 short stories in 145 pages (not counting the lengthy interview with the author at the end), is that everybody will have their own favorites. Mine were the "Nightmare Jobs" series and "A Donation," a macabre first person account of a man who plans to will his body to science. These stories are horror stories, complete with blood and viscera and body parts. But the most important thing a potential reader needs to know is that these stories are FUNNY.

One stormy night...well, it wasn't stormy, but six of us did stay up all night, taking turns reading these flashes of horror. Everyone had their own favorite. I fluctuated between 'Stretch' (which few people can read all in one breath) and 'Brain Candy' (which is so good it's used as a back cover blurb).

It's also great to read with a flashlight around a campfire.

Of course, now that some of these were made into the movie EXQUISITE CORPSE, you can see some of the images inspired by the book. (With the lights out, of course.)

horror n
1: intense and profound fear 2: something that inspires horror; something horrible; "the painting that others found so beautiful was a horror to him" 3: intense aversion
See: repugnance,
repulsion,
revulsion,

short story
n. A short piece of prose fiction, having few characters and aiming at unity of effect.


Michael Arnzen is master craftsman of the horror short story. Mixing elements of gore, humor, and horror, sometimes within the same sentence, he shocks and entertains with every bite. If you need proof just read a few stories in. Most of the stories here can be read in one paranoid insomnia driven night. He uses words like a scalpel, cutting open your head and dumping a bucket of psycho-babble right into your raw exposed brain. The stories will leave your head throbbing, you'll find yourself thinking of the stories relating to them in new ways weeks even months later.

But what really impressed me about 100 jolts is the balance. The blatant to the subtle, the humorous with the terrifying, the short with the long, flowing mercilessly one to another. It all balances out, and it's balance lends it to become an addictive read. You keep saying, just one more, oh just one more, and then it's dawn and you've read the book, and your head is throbbing. And you're not sure if it's with joy or if your brain is trying to escape from your skull. One way or another this book will get you.

Howl with the raw dog screaming.

In his introduction, author Michael Arnzen states that "Horror is the genre of the jolt, the shock, the spark." To prove his point, he then offers up one hundred short stories to his audience, the longest, "Five Mean Machines," only nine pages in length (many are only one paragraph long), each designed with the idea of creating an immediate, visceral reaction in readers. It's a measure of Arnzen's talent that he more often than not achieves this goal, all without losing sight of a couple basic tenets of storytelling, those being to grab and hold your reader, and maybe make him think in the bargain. Despite the limits he's imposed on himself, Arnzen still proves capable of doing just that in little gems like "Nightmare Job #1" through "Nightmare Job #5" (think of it as a mini miniseries), "The Curse of Fat Face," and "Her Daily Bread." One warning before you begin 100 Jolts, though--like the candy in a Whitman sampler, you'll find yourself gobbling up one tale after another. Not a big problem, until you abruptly come to the end, still craving more. You might consider exerting some willpower, and force yourself to sample these varied delights over several days, thus maximizing their impact.

Ever stick your tongue on a fresh 9-volt battery? This clever collection is appropriately titled. Each little story sends a shock straight into your literary central nervous system. Some pieces are disturbing. Some are funny. Some are heart-wrenching. But they're all short, and they're all frightening. If you want to be entertained, moved, jolted, this is a collection for you.

This book is amazing. I have some experience with Flash video and video production techniques, but I felt like I had a lot of gaps in my knowledge. This book covers everything I need to know, and the included code is priceless. If you want a robust Flash player, with auto-detect, auto-update, etc., but don't care to learn the ins and outs of Actionscript, just use what's provided. You'll have Player up and running in minutes.

I ended up sharing the book with our Video Production team, too. They used a lot of the instruction about good compression, proper aspect ratios, and creating alpha channels for FLVs.

Rob Reinhardt is the master of Video deployed in Flash. I was so happy to see he finally has written a book that captures his knowledge, experience, and excellent teaching skills. Rob is clear, concise and you can be guaranteed that he has tested, used and deployed all the techniques he demonstrates.
Bravo!!!!!

There's nobody more prolific and comprehensive in the world of Flash video delivery than Reinhardt. Considering the enormity of topics and goals addressed in this book, he's really outdone himself this time. Essential for anyone interested in serious deployment of Flash video.

this book is a decent hands-on approach to creating video players using AS3 & AS2. Two of the missing things that I think are necessary are creating custom volume controls and handling full-screen mode.

My company bought other Flash Video books, but this book had the ActionScript 3.0 code I was looking for. The DVD included with the book rocks--I've always wanted to test HD footage in Flash, but didn't want to spend too much time looking for huge files on the Internet. The DVD has lots of HD content to use as sample content.