Kick starting the Flex community in Bulgaria

I think I'm on to something. Something that I like very much about my work and that keeps me loving what I do at work everyday. Slowly and painfully our work, enthusiasm and example are changing the landscape and more and more people involved in creating software in Bulgaria are turning their faces to Rich Internet Applications and how they can change the world we live in . Every day little by little. After the success of the Flex CAmp event we have successfully started the first user group for Flex one of the primary technologies today to create RIA. Why is this so important, because I believe with a technology that enables you in so many ways you can truly focus on what is important in your work. Creating software that enables and inspires people to create. We have a long way to go but I think there is no turning back. A University course is under way for Flex and we will support their efforts as well. I see more and more people starting to appreciate what Flex can do for their business and to enable them to deliver more. Its strange that a technology can do that , but at the end the ideas behind that technology and the overall effort to create different kind of experience are the things that actually do the trick. And while technologists may find different reasons to use Flex I believe the end result would be something of greater significance, software that is better.

The first Flex Camp event in Bulgaria

I'm glad to share with you all that something of great significance has happend. The first Flex Camp event in Bulgaria went fantastic. I was able to organize with the particiaption of Adobe the first major event related to Flex in Bulgaria. Adobe was kind enough to include Sofia in there tight schedule and we had a guest Serge Jespers, a technical evangelist join us and tell us about Flex and AIR and all the new and exciting stuff happening arround them.
Why is this so important because this is the first time so many people interested in Flex and RIA in Bulgaria have been gathered in one place. I hope this will kick start a chain of events leading to putting Bulgaria and our Flex community in the map of the world because I firmly beleive that we have a lot of things to be proud of and share with the rest of the community.
Everyone reading this and interested in Flex feel free the newly formed Official Flex User Group here
http://groups.google.com/group/flexbulgaria

How to lead your life ....by Andy Pausch

You have to be patient with this one... its a very long video but its very well worth it. Don't skip, just take the time and take a look at it and absorb. You will feel enriched. It is a dead men comedy show, but if he has the strength to entertain you while he is dying then we have absolutely no excuse to be lame, arrogant or lazy with our lives.
I urge you to take a look at this video. I insist. Its totally eye opening for a lot of things. Not just why its worth living, worth dreaming or focus on technology to help you with that. Not just about how could such a person be leaving the world so young...

One day I really want to be able to take a look at my life back and be able to laugh like that and look at my life and my death and smile and talk about it like that.
Its probably the only instance so far that I have been touched by something so human and so down to earth.
Look at this guy , listen to him , get inspired, believe in your dreams and chaise them without any regret.

"...If you lead your life the right way the dreams will come to you"

http://wms.andrew.cmu.edu/001/pausch.wmv

Naked Conversations or how a book about blogging was written using a blog

This is probably one of the most interesting stories I have heard about how technology can be used to create something of real value and just one more proof how it changes our lives inadvetantly. Its the story about how Robert Scoble and Shel Israel wrote a book called "Naked Conversations: How Blogs are Changing the Way Businesses Talk with Customers". Scoble's blog was started in 2000 and now has more than 3.5 million readers every year. He has earned acclaim in Fortune magazine, Fast Company, and The Economist. Shel Israel played a key strategic role in introducing some of technology’s most successful products, including PowerPoint, FileMaker, and Sun Microsystems workstations.
The basic of the story is that Scoble proposed to Shell to write the book by bloging about it, not by sitting around and chatting and when the book was ready they were to publish it on e-bay for the publishers to bid for it to be published. Did it work ?
Yes and it is being sold even now. I will not take the time to take the juice out of the story you can look at it here just rewind to the 20th minute. Not that the 20 minutes before that are not interesting but they cover another topic :)

Mind Mapping Software online finally

For all of you who now what a great Mind Mapping Software can do there is a now or at least looks like a full featured version of one called Mindomo. Go ahead and check it out. I have been speculating for a long time in my head that it definitely needs to be such a piece of software and it needs to be written in Flex off course and there you go things are happening faster then a blink of the eye.

Social Networking Market and when did we miss that happend....?

Have you been in a situation where you are driving in the fast lane and you see some one blinking with his lights in your mirror. You move out and some passes you by like you are standing still. This is how I felt today after 7 years working for the Internet as a medium and having a business that is focused on delivering RIA's.
What did we miss while making applications that "work" and spend hundreds of hours improving your work flow or how stable and scalable your code is and how fantastic features you can create for your client....
Have you heard of RockYou. I haven't ...until today
But they are making 150 000 000( the number is correct 150 mil) page views a day with their social networking apps!
I came to think that we really missed something. We obviously do not understand the way people interact with the Internet ....We might as well want to rethink the way we percieve the Internet. Here is a little quiz for all you Bulgarian Web Companies.
Would you do a Facebook app?
Why not, because its stupid and because its easy or because you have to come up with something that is at least used in the NASA Space Program.
Maybe we need a second look at what people are actually doing in places like Facebook, MySpace Hi5 ...and actually think deep yet again....I mean at least for those of us that think they know a lot about the Internet and the way people are using it now a days.

Finally some new things building up in the User Interface Navigational Design field

Exactly when you think there isn't a lot of things that can wow you in terms of user interface and interaction design ...well here is one ..Its called ZUI ....Zoomable User Interface
Obviously its not completely revolutionary but its really interesting direction to explore and not just for mobile applications ...so here it is
P.S. I also recommend looking at the PS3 navigation system