SilverX - Flash to Silverlight converter

Converting Flash to Silverlight is something that Microsoft would really like, so here is a tool for doing the same. Learn more at this link.
SliverX support Flash 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 file formats and transfroms Flash content to Silverlight 3 solutions for Visual Studio 2008 / Expression Blend 3.

SilverX supports all basic Flash features: vector primitives, images, texts and animations, so almost all Flash movie resources get accurately converted to Silverlight.

Vector graphics
Line styles
Solid fills
Bitmap fills
Linear gradient fills
Radial gradient fills
Bitmaps (JPEG/PNG): all bitmaps are converted to PNG format
Sounds
Static texts
Dynamic texts
HTML texts
Embedded fonts
Shape tweening/morphing
Clipping layers
Animations: show/hide object, matrix transformations, color transformations

SourceMate - tool for Flash builders

SourceMate is the new must-have companion tool for serious Flash Builder developers.

Features:
Refactoring
- Convert Local Variable to Field
- Extract Constant
- Extract Method
- Extract Interface
- Change Method Signature
- Disable All trace() Statements
Code Generation
- Override/Implement Methods
- Generate Getters/Setters
- Generate Constructor using Fields
- Generate toString()
- Generate ASDoc Comments
Metadata Integration
- Content Assist for Metadata Tags (can include custom/framework tags)
- Metadata Tag Validation
General Productivity
- Task markers for TODO,FIXME, and XXX comments
- MXML and Actionscript Code Snippets View
- Generate Ant Build.xml from Flex project settings
- ASDoc Generation Wizard

Available at this link for Beta.

MiniBuilder - Flash-based IDE for ActionScript development

A web based tool for Action Script development, available on code.google.com

Available at this site (link)

From this site:

Flash MiniBuilder is a lightweight IDE created for developing programs written in ActionScript 3.
Flash MiniBuilder is itself written in ActionScript
Two of the main raison d'etre of MiniBuilder are
1. provide a completely free and cross platform alternative for developing ActionScript projects.
2. provide an editor with a small footprint that would eventually run on smaller computers like netbooks or even pocket-size devices.
Extending, changing (and even integrating MiniBuilder with other software) is easy: MiniBuilder is itself written in your favourite language, AS3

5 photo tips for taking photos at noon

Tip 1 (Look for the shade): Even on a bright sunny day, you will always find places that are in the shade. Being in the shade allows you to be much more comfortable while taking the photo, and there is normally ample light available in the shade.

Tip 2 (Get closer): If you can get closer to the object that you are taking a photo of (obviously, this does not apply if you taking landscape photos), you reduce the probability of getting those unwanted shadows into the photo. As the object of your photo grows larger in your photo, you start to eliminate the sky from the photo.

Tip 3 (Use passing clouds): If you are trying to take a photo at high noon or in broad daylight, keep an eye out for the passage of clouds overhead. For objects such as flowers, nature, and even for elements such as buildings, the passing of clouds reduces the effect of sharp light.

Tip 4 (Use fill flash for portraits): Sounds very strange, with so much bright light, to use the flash of the camera (Fill flash - Fill flash is a photographic technique used to brighten deep shadow areas, typically outdoors on sunny days. To use fill flash, the aperture and shutter speed are adjusted to correctly expose the background, and the flash is fired to lighten the foreground). However, harsh daylight can cause faces and other details to become less clear, and a fill flash enhances those details.

Tip 5 (Avoid pointing the camera to the sun): This is a very important rule. If the sun comes into the photo, then the bright light overshadows everything else, so you will need to plan the light levels properly if you want to have the sun in the photo. The sun in the photo also means that there is a chance of getting a sun flare that can look ugly.

Ad: Guide To Digital Photography

Shooting my photograph in a mirror inside the Jaipur City Palace

The Jaipur City Palace showcases the history of the kingdom, the kings (in the case of Jaipur, there was a lot of interaction with the British during the British rule of India), and there are photos and paintings from that time. Next to such a painting, I tried taking a self-portrait in a mirror hung on the wall, and all I got was a general outline, with a flash framing most of the upper body and face.

Panasonic HDC-SD20 HD Flash Camcorder (Black)

With the Panasonic HDC-SD20 HD Flash camcorder, a new high-performance Leica lens makes it possible to pack a powerful 16x zoom into a compact body. Because the zoom is optical, there's limited image degradation. With Panasonic's Advanced O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer), you can catch dynamic shots with no blurring in both still and motion images. You can also enjoy a 5.1-channel surround sound system featuring Zoom Mic functions.
The SD20 features a touch-screen that lets you operate a variety of functions intuitively without taking your eyes off of the subject on the LCD screen. And the AF Tracking has been added to the iA function which automatically judges the scene and makes the best possible settings, so the SD20 keeps the subject in focus even if the subject's face turns away from the camcorder.

Technical Details :
* Capture Full HD video; 1920 x 1080 resolution.
* Record directly so SD memory cards.
* 16x Leica Dicomar lens with Optical Image Stabilization.
* 9 lux low-light performance with built in video light.
* 2.7-inch touch-panel LCD.



Pansonic SD20 Highlights :
1. High-Quality Picture and Sound.
2. 16x optical zoom : You can zoom close to catch dynamic shots of distant objects. And because the zoom is optical, there's limited image degradation. A new high-performance Leica lens makes it possible to pack a powerful 16x zoom into a compact body.
3. New Leica Dicomar Lens : The SD20 also introduces a new high-performance Leica lens in which both resolution and contrast have been improved by refinements to our low-dispersion lens and aspherical lens. A multi-coating process applied to all lens surfaces helps suppress ghosts and flaring, so you get sharp, crisp images even in strong outdoor lighting. The superb rendering ability of this advanced camcorder lens makes it ideal for capturing expressive full-HD images.
4. Advanced O.I.S. : Panasonic's Advanced O.I.S. helps suppress the effects of hand-shake as you shoot, for both motion and still images.
5. HD Crystal Engine : A high-speed processing unit that handles huge volumes of data and virtually doubles the dynamic range. This advanced imaging engine helps prevent blown highlights and blocked shadows, so the images you capture on video look just the way they do in real life.
6. Digital Cinema Color with VIERA : This mode automatically switches the camcorder to the optimum setting for the Digital Cinema Color of the VIERA plasma TV series.
7. 5.1-channel Surround Sound System and Zoom Mic : The SD20 is equipped with three electret condenser microphones. The center mic helps capture the sound source and distance accurately, so you get a more 3-dimensional effect than you get with conventional systems, which capture all sounds from the front.
8. Soft Skin Mode : When this function detects skin tones, it softens the focus in that area.
9. Tele Macro : Using the zoom at full magnification, you can shoot macro close-ups while maintaining a distance of 50 cm from your subject. This makes it much easier to capture extreme close-ups without your body or camera casting a shadow on the subject and while keeping the background in soft focus.

PROS :
- Good quality.
- Ease of use.
CONS :
The mini-HDMI port has a short, requiring me to ship back for a replacement, which will not be a quick turnaround.

Canon VIXIA HF11 AVCHD 32 GB Flash Memory Camcorder w/12x Optical Zoom

Canon introduces the HF11 which captures stunning High Definition video with even greater detail and tonal reproduction, with its innovative 24Mbps capability, and a higher internal Flash drive capacity of 32GB plus an SDHC card slot that allows extended recording time. And, like all Canon VIXIA camcorders, the HF11 features: a Canon HD video lens, FULL HD CMOS Sensor, and Canon’s exclusive DIGIC DV II image processor.The HF11 offers the unparalleled combination of Canon’s exclusive SuperRange Optical Image Stabilizer to stabilize a wide range of movements, Instant AF for accurate focusing that’s critical for HD, a built-in video light to easily shoot in dark settings, and a 2.7-inch Multi-Angle Vivid Widescreen LCD that allows you to view from various angles with true color representation and contrast.

Technical Details
* 24Mbps offers the highest bit rate in AVCHD for High Definition video - enabling improved color reproduction and tonality.
* Record Up to 12 hours 15 minutes of High Definition Video on an internal 32 GB Flash drive.
* Includes a genuine Canon 12x High Definition video lens.
* Comes with a 3.3 megapixel full HD CMOS sensor (1920 x 1080) and a DIGIC DV II image processor.
* Features Canon's SuperRange pptical image stabilizer.




Canon HF11 Highlights
1. Dual Flash Memory -- Taking Video to the Next Level.
2. Record Up to 12 hours 15 minutes of High Definition Video on an internal 32 GB Flash drive.
3. Genuine Canon 12x High Definition Video Lens.
4. RGB Primary Color Filter.
5. Canon 3.3 Megapixel Full HD CMOS Sensor (1920 x 1080).
6. DIGIC DV II Image Processor.
7. 1920 x 1080 Full HD Recording.
8. Instant AF (Auto Focus).
9. SuperRange Optical Image Stabilizer.
10.24Mbps Recording.
11.24p Cinema Mode.
12.30p Progressive Mode.
13.Mini Advanced Accessory Terminal.
14.Intelligent Lithium-Ion Battery.
15.3.1 Megapixel Photos.
16.HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface Terminal).
17.2.7-Inch Multi-Angle Vivid Widescreen LCD.
18.Microphone Terminal with Audio Level Control.
19.One Touch Power Button.
20.Built-in Auto Lens Cover.
21.Quick Start.
22.Program AE Mode.
23.Simultaneous Photo Shooting.
24.Built-in Video Light.
25.Headphone Terminal.
26.Focus Assist function.
27.Smooth Zoom Control.
28.3.1 Megapixel Photos.
29.Photo Grab.
30.9 Point Ai-AF Mode.
31.Built-in Flash.
32.Histogram Display.
33.Print/Share Button.
34.One Year Parts and Labor Limited Warranty.

Corsair Flash Voyager 16 GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive CMFUSB2.0-16GB

The Corsair Flash Voyager family of USB drives is rugged, stylish, compact and reliable making them ideal for transporting MP3's, digital images, presenations and more. Flash Voyager drives are fully Plug and Play with most operating systems and backward compatible with USB 1.1.

Technical Details:
Ideal for transporting MP3's, Digital Photos, Power Point Presentations, Video Footage of the kids, and so much more!
Flash Voyager drives have been tested by dropping, boiling, baking, and even running them over with SUV's!!!
Store up to 4,000 MP3 Files! Or How about 4,960 Digital Photos! Or Store 6 hours of video footage!
Enclosed in Corsair Proprietary All-Rubber Housing ensures Water Resistance and Ultra Durability!
10 Year Warranty means you can write information for 24/7 for 10 years non-stop!



Customer feedback:

1. Over the course of the last 6 years I've had a number of USB drives. Iomega, Corsair, Apacer, PNY and SanDisk. I've upgraded each time I felt the storage increase justified the cost. I work in information technology so they are tools more than toys, anyway on to the review. This 16GB drive is fantastic. I have it split into two partitions, one of which is encrypted. I've used it in all sorts of systems and also have a .bat file that allows me to sync my data, my point? Whether you are transferring data, saving data, or syncing data it works quite well. I also use some apps like Firefox portable which allows you to run the browser from your USB device and keep personal info off the local computer. Once again no issues.
I do agree that the protective rubber coating around the drive can make it somewhat difficult to plug in multiple USB devices, but Corsair does provide you a USB cable extension which solves the problem. And also this is one of the few USB devices that the cap stays on very tight.

2. I purchased this drive from Amazon recently and tested it under both Mac OS X Tiger and Windows ME. In both cases, I saw excellent read speed but slow, slow write speed (1 MB/s to 1.4 MB/s, an order of magnitude lower than advertized). I was very disappointed at the poor performance to say the least.
Before returning the drive, I decided to test it under Windows XP. Wow, what a difference. The same drive, under Windows XP, is a speed demon. I am now satisfied that the drive behaves much more closely to it's advertized specs. For read speed, I am seeing something in the area of 30 MB/s, which is excellent. For write speed I am seeing roughly 7 MB/s. This is a little slower than advertized, but nonetheless, an excellent speed.

Make3D - Convert your image into 3d model

Make3D converts your single picture into a 3-D model, completely automatically.

It takes a two-dimensional image and creates a three-dimensional "fly around" model, giving the viewers access to the scene's depth and a range of points of view. After uploading your image, you can "fly" in the 3-D scene (requires VRML viewer or Adobe Shockwave), or watch a rendered 3-d movie (flash required).
It uses powerful machine learning techniques, to learn the relation between small image patches and their depth and orientation. This allows it to model 3-d structures such as slopes of mountains or branches of trees.

View examples at this site.

CubicVR 360° with Flashplayer9

Show your panoramas with the most ubiquitous plugin on the internet.

From the website:
KeyFeatures:
- Application properties
- change cube from javascript
- customizable splashscreen
- customizable keymap (turn, zoom)
- constrain horizontal (if no sky, floor is defined)
- low render-resolution while moving (for slower computer)
- switchable motion blur
- field of view (camera eyeangle)
Cube properties
- define more than one cube in the config.xml
- texture settings: size, blur
- url for each cube side (supports gif, png, jpg, swf)
HotSpot properties
- simply defined by a x, y coordinates on a texture
- allowing 2 different actions
- - open URL
- - navigate to another cube definition

Read more at this website.

8BitBoy - A Flash based Amiga Modplayer

MODs have special attributes. All samples are stored in 8bits and the number of voices is limited to four. To have something similarly to chords, the three notes of it are repeated very fast. This makes MODs sound so freaky.
8Bitboy behaves like a normal Media player. Press Play. Get the context menu (right click) for enabling StereoEnhancer and BassBoost. You can (un-)mute channels by CTRL + [1-4].
Download and read more at this link.