FYI, there is now a way to do this in flash 10 that eliminates the server side completely, but we couldn’t use that because of the fp10 requirement.

http://www.adylevy.com/index.php/2009/06/07/client-side-image-resize-flash-cs4-filereferencedata/

~Lisa-Jo

As for your question…what have I lost focus on? Um, the whole of my life. Lol

However if you do have the ability to specify document classes in your swf’s then this works pretty well I think.

package
{
import flash.display.Loader;
import flash.display.MovieClip;
import flash.events.Event;
import flash.net.URLRequest;

/**
* …
* @author York Gibson
*/
public class LoadIt extends MovieClip
{
public function LoadIt() {
var l:Loader = new Loader();
var r:URLRequest = new URLRequest(“loadme.swf”)
l.contentLoaderInfo.addEventListener(Event.COMPLETE, loadComplete)
l.load(r)
};

private function loadComplete(e:Event):void
{
// instanciate one
var aLoadMe:* = new e.target.content.constructor()
addChild(aLoadMe)
// instanciate another
var anotherLoadMe:* = new e.target.content.constructor()
anotherLoadMe.x = 100;
addChild(anotherLoadMe)
}
}

}

Apologies for commenting in the wrong post but I wanted to share something regarding the security issue you had with the MultipartURLLoader class. I had a similar issue, and fixed it by replacing

urlRequest.contentType = ‘multipart/form-data; boundary=’ + getBoundary();

with

urlRequest.requestHeaders.push(new URLRequestHeader(‘Content-type’, ‘multipart/form-data; boundary=’ + getBoundary()));

in the .as file. After that, I could issue multipart requests without user input. I did add my solution to the googlecode issues list but it seems to have been removed. Anyhow, maybe that will help.

It’s funny, but if I’m watching a television show or commercial and an alarm clock goes off in it, I very instinctively change the channel. So I guess there is something to be said for having a soothing tone.

Thank you –joe, Calif

“To avoid specifying the domain name in the send() method, but to indicate that the receiving and sending LocalConnection objects are not in the same domain, precede the connection name with an underscore (_), in both the connect() and send() calls.”

http://livedocs.adobe.com/flash/9.0/ActionScriptLangRefV3/flash/net/LocalConnection.html

Thanks for commenting, and good luck finding a new alarm clock.

Would love for you to post a swf / fla showing a basic implementation!

Great article.

There are loopholes and peculiarities on the wilder side of physics which *do* allow for time travel into the past under incredibly unlikely scenarios.

For one, if it were possible to harness an infinite amount of energy outside the universe (and therefore hypothetically draw on an infinite amount of it) and propel yourself fast enough, the relativity of simultaneity would allow a stationary observer to experience you as moving backwards in time (i.e. relative to the rest of the universe, you’d stop moving before you began.) Of course, to do this you’d have to be moving through space faster than light.

Then there is Kurt Gödel’s closed timelike curve, which shows up in several solutions to the Einstein field equation and allows for reversed causality along a loop in spacetime. One implementation of this notion is a time-dilated wormhole, where one end of a wormhole is moved into the gravitational field of another object that has higher gravity than the other and, and then moved back again. (Though you’d have to arrange the wormhole-ends in such a way as to keep them from collapsing.)

There are many other physics thought-experiments which allow for the theoretical possibility of time-travel into the past. However, most of them do not allow you to travel back in time to a point before the creation of the time-machine. What this means is that you can’t go back to a time before time-travel was/is/will be invented, thereby rendering the pre-time-travel universe eternally safe for historians.

However, for most of these to be definitively ruled out or proven, we need a theory of quantum gravity, something which has so far proven elusive.

I agree with you that God has ultimate knowing of the line of our lives and that we have a pre-ordained path or destiny, I do diverge from you in belief in that I think in this chaotically ordered universe there is still a fair amount of free will floating around and the choices we make, the wrong choices we make, can cause us to miss the mark and fall short of the plan or destiny God has for us, especially if we aren’t in fellowship with the Father, asking for his direction and living in the will of God

Interesting post, I find myself on the other side. I find the concept of predetermination wonder-less and unsettling. I see a train on tracks reaching a fork and the conductor choosing to pull the switch lever to go left. Unfortunately, this is a false choice, the switch in the track was already set to the left and nothing in the world could have changed that. Even had the conductor thought to go right, he would still go left as it was predetermined. Predetermination forces the individual into the role of an observer just a long for the ride…like those trapped in the head of John Malkovich. I can see that such a world can be comforting when the uncertain future, despite fearing worse, likely means either being a well fed janitor or a well fed doctor. I find the predestined concept unsettling when thinking of the extremely poor, those afflicted with addiction, or even less grave, the simple adulterer. Are they not also on a straight, arrow like path? Is it not their predestined thread to kill in ignorance, die of addiction, and destroy their family? Why then is society so obsessed with praising the doctor and punishing the addict? It seems sadistic. I guess in such a world, society doesn’t have a choice either.

While the macro world conforms to predictable equations like F = MA, I find it comforting that the subatomic particles on which the world is built are ruled by chance. These are the particles that power our bodies and course through our brains. In their randomness rests the seeds of free will. Every act of choice is the act of observation, of determining the location of the electron. Before each of the decisions, all options [locations] are available, with some inherently more likely than other, but all possible. In this world life’s threads are not frayed (not even by time travel), they are angled, curved, and twisted into stars, rollercoasters, and flowers.

I also have issue with the statement that no time travelers means that the world must predetermined. First, you are by your own nature, already a time traveler. Second time is relative, each frame of reference has its own thread. We just have not yet seen another frame of reference passing in the other direction, and we may not even have the ability to recognize it even if we did. 3000 years ago no one could even imagine the technology that would land us on the moon. Through my ignorance, I can not conceive of what technology would “allow” time travel, but I find it a stretch to be certain that just because we haven’t developed it now, that we never will.

Thanks for a good distraction from work

I agree with you about needing to find a community of believers, while I love Jesus with every fiber of my being, I don’t like church and thus never go, so usually the only time I get to talk about my faith is when I am defending it to my non-believing friend. I miss the fire I had when I first came to Christ 12 years ago when I would talk about Him to anyone who would listen and even a few who didn’t. Lol. Truly when you aren’t joined with others who are like-minded its hard not to stagnate and become complacent in one’s beliefs and growth and faith walk, as I have.

God has promised us the desires of our heart and I am very glad to see the coming to fruition of your desire to go deeper and become more connected and one with the Father.

In the counsel of a good friend, they can quickly validate you and return you to reason. And in the case of brining it to the person who wronged you–it’s the biblical injunction on how to handle these things, and, it seems to be good common sense. Either they will see their error and apologize or you will at least have the healthy experience of communicating the hurt and offering a chance for reconciliation. In both cases, in my experience, the action seems to defuse the anger.

So sometimes, I wonder, when I get that build up you describe–which may or may not be sinful in itself, but may bring you to the near occasion of sin in it’s intensity–if it is because I’ve been withholding myself in relationship, either not reflecting wrongs when they occur, or not relying on and making myself humble to my community. So basically it begins with the haughty self-reliance of pride and ends in a wrath that builds from the isolation pride always leads to.

Ech, I’ve rambled in your combox enough. Nice to “meet” you and thanks again for the link and the post.

I must say Tomasino, your blog posts are always so thoughtful and insightful and so beautifully written. The manner in which you reveal yourself and your life, your words really travel inside one so that the reader is better and enriched after reading them. A rare gift.

Cheers,

Lynn

-Lisa-Jo

I love to just escape out into the “wilds” and commune with nature whenever possible, I just feel a greater connectedness with the Father and the beauty of his creation. You are so right we do need to see the wonder that is all around us in our every day lives. Though it has got to be easier if one is kayaking in Alaska, that picture is amazing, its so beautiful it doesn’t seem real. Ohio is nothing but flat cornfields, but oh such beautiful cornfields. :)

For Open-Type fonts, you have to do the embedding by file name, not system font name. Just a weird little quirk, I guess. Here’s an example:

[Embed(source="C:/windows/fonts/MinionPro-Regular.otf", fontName="Minion", mimeType="application/x-font",
unicodeRange='U+0020-U+00FF, U+2013, U+0009, U+000A, U+000D, U+2018, U+2019, U+201C, U+201D, U+2122')]
var minion:Class;
Font.registerFont(minion);

“Somewhere between fear and sex, passion is.”

Thanks for commenting!

As to your other question, I’m not sure if it makes me feel more refreshed in the morning, but it certainly does cut down on me waking up angry. Traditional alarm clocks start me off in a bad mood right away, and with Zeo that problem just isn’t there.

Since you are of a religious bent, I have to ask: the Zeo folks recommend a “power down hour” prior to going to bed with the idea it will help induce sleep. Do you do that? If so, does your power down routine include a religious element (e.g., prayer, meditation, scripture reading, etc.)?

Just curious to know and to hear whether it is something you recommend.

Cheers!

It’s great to see what you are discovering about your sleep. Establishing a consistent sleep schedule is so important (see http://bit.ly/H3FNt), but can definitely be difficult amidst a busy lifestyle.

Keep at it though, and keep up the great progress!

We were excited by this early post about Zeo – you were one of the people who managed to find it before the WSJ article hit today (http://bit.ly/Z1zBa).

How has it been going? What have you learned?

We’re always curious so that we can continue to improve.

Which means the psalmist was previously anointed and then went through a dry time and needed to be anointed again. We need many refillings of the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 5:18 “Be filled with the Spirit”, the literal greek translates “Be being filled with the Spirit”. Our experience with the Holy Spirit is a constant renewing and refreshing, or rather can be, as we die out to our pride and wants and desires and let God reign. So easy to say, so hard to do. During my “dark nights of the soul” I simply fall to my knees and speak God’s words back to Him. He said in His word that as we draw nigh to Him he will draw nigh unto us, and since He said it He has to do it. He said he would never leave nor forsake me and since He said it He has to do it. He said He loves me…I allow God’s promises to to be my comfort and peace through those dry, dark, lonely times. When faith falters and all hope is gone, Love endures. It is love that gives Power to faith.

I feel you on how some authors use sentence structure to convey emotion rather than “words.” Such a novel concept. Words. Hmm. I fear that I may come to the same conclusion on the ending since we tend to agree on so much.

You’re writing has always impressed me. It has a very casual tone and the sentence structure varies pleasantly making for a very easy and interesting read. And it all sounds like it’s off the cuff; even in your emails… and it makes me sick. Keep up the good work!

Thanks for the comments. It’s good to know people exist. ;)

Your writing and your blog sucks.

Love always,

kenn.

Okay, really… James, I am one of your biggest fans. Your writing is so crisp and honest and descriptive in a natural and unforced way. I think what stands out to me the most is your honesty. You seem to have no issue with being candid where I have to use metaphors and poetic plays to mask my intentions from the casual observer.

Your writing and procrastination has yielded for me a prayer blog experiment and a novel (that is almost complete). I also dig your new layout and how all of your links are favorites of mine too. Keep on being ridiculously personal, Brother.

That being said, you should post more often. ;)

I have often used this scripture when seeking something of God as his promise to me to give me what ever it was I was desiring. But on thinking about control I see through new eyes, where as I am in communion with God and delighting in his word, He will place his desires in my heart. As far as relinquishing control…so needful, life doesn’t seem to go very well outside of God’s will, at least it never does for me, and yet such a hard thing to actually do.

I love my time alone too. And I invite people as well…

If they can get past the moat of piranhas and gummy bears.

If I’ve made even half the impact on you that you’ve made on me:

I’m both honored and lucky.

I do love the smell and sound of snow, though…

Horses

From the window I saw the horses.

I was in Berlin, in winter. The light
was without light, the sky without sky.

The air white like wet bread.

And from my window a vacant arena,
bitten by the teeth of winter.

Suddenly, led by a man,
ten horses stepped out into the mist.

Hardly had they surged forth, like flame,
than to my eyes they filled the whole world,
empty till then. Perfect, ablaze,
they were like ten gods with pure hoofs,
with manes like a dream of salt.

Their rumps were worlds and oranges.

Their color was honey, amber, fire.

Their necks were towers
cut from the stone of pride,
and behind their transparent eyes
energy raged, like a prisoner.

And there, in the silence, in the middle
of the day, of the dark, slovenly winter,
the intense horses were blood
and rhythm, the animating treasure of life.

I looked, I looked and was reborn: without knowing it,
there, was the fountain, the dance of gold, the sky.
the fire that riveted in beauty.

I have forgotten that dark Berlin winter.

I will not forget the light of the horses.

just kidding. i have no idea but i love the lyric and the wit.

(somewhat) grownup moment:
perseverance is the key. there are many paintings that i have initiated but then lost interest in. i have learned to let the natural occurrence take me back to those paintings as inspiration hits. additionally, i can’t watch most movies in one sitting. i “persevere” by eventually following the pause button with play button. in other words, sometimes you have to stop to smell the pause button.

(zing!) (ouch)