 Forget the Coffee Table...Keep this One by the Computer |
| Review Date: June 19, 2002 |
| Reviewer: Mike Carter, Ojai, CA |
| This is honestly one of the best books that I've picked up in a long time. There are so many books lately, that appear to be nothing more than a ploy at being the first book on the latest release of such and such software application. Flash Math Creativity avoids using interface clips from the Flash authoring environment, in order to concentrate on the content and not on something that has a much more limited shelf life. This book has so much to offer beyond getting acquainted with Flash 5 or MX or whatever. Becuase of the choice of displaying only raw code, it's probably not the best choice for a beginning Flash user. The examples, although excellent, aren't always well annotated, and often leaves you scratching your head -- but that's part of the fun. I really appreciate the fluid examples, and the challenge of using the provided content for further investigation. These experiments should keep me busy for some time. The graphics are quite beautiful and it would be hard to look at them and ignore the value of these creations on the basis that it doesn't have a practical application in the area of web design, as one reviewer stated. Plus, when did I start reading books and enjoying Flash only to do corporate stuff. |
The most essential non-beginner flash book
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| Review Date: April 17, 2002 |
| Reviewer: C. Bijalba, chicago, il United States |
| This book doesn't explicitly teach mathematics. It shows how various maths are applied to movie clips, and how the various proximities of layers and code work. It also falls a bit flat in the "instructional" department with certain phrases like "at the end of the FOR loop"... is that inside it? is that outside it? Also, all of the code is presented piecemeal. "Here is the code" is often said, with only one or two lines talking about exactly where to do it or what to do with it. Someone who is straining to learn the point of the code and how it works and to *visualize* the maths will easily skip over this & create code with error. Why isn't that a problem? Why does this book deserve 5 stars? Because that error is the spirit of experimentation. This /could/ have been a step by step walktrough with big type and captions like "this is what SINE does" and diagrams, but that would have allowed less code. After fiddling with a few of the experiments and not being able to duplicate the code I gave up on trying to duplicate the code and began playing with "what ifs" and came up with my own solutions. There are 2 separate tree examples that work similarly, but allow you to see nuances and possibilities, for instance. Essentially, you will want to do every example this book has to offer. As far as the "this book offers nothing new" argument that is peppered throughout the reviews... since when was math new? |
Still Great with Flash 8
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| Review Date: April 8, 2002 |
| Reviewer: , |
The mark of a great Flash book is its capacity to be used far after the current version of Flash is not longer extant. With Flash 8, I still use this book as a reference as ivaluable as it was the first time I read it. It's a sad comment that a number of these reviewers lack the spirit of imagination where these materials can be used. Fractal geometry has been used in everything from game creation to modeling in medicine. It's not a Math for Morons book, and if that's what you're looking for, you'll be sadly disappointed. Rather it's a Math for the Imagination book, and if that's what you want to use with Flash, you'll love it.
This book is one of the few that assumes some background in or appreciation of math as a tool for developing algorithms. It's not a book for everyone, and one reader rightly pointed out that it's not a primer in math. So if you don't have math savvy, this book may not be your cup of tea. However, from what I saw, one need not be a math whiz to work through the different kinds of interesting algorithms contained in this book, and you will learning something about both Flash and math.
One of the best lessons this book can offer (besides the sheer joy of experimentation even though you're not sure what you'll create) is how to use different elements of geometry and a little algebra with Flash to do some very interesting things. After beginning by following instructions to make a snail spiral, I quickly found myself doing my own experiments by changing different vectors, values, colors and whatnot just to see what would happen. I was surprised by my own results, and then I took elements from different chapters, mixed them together for even more new discoveries.
This book is not a paint-by-the-numbers book, and unless you like to explore for the sheer joy of the exploration and learn something for no particular reason other than it's sort of cool, the book is not for you. It is not a "practical" book in the sense that if you learn how to create a Flash site for some suit, but it is very practical if you'd like an invitation to discover concepts in their own right.
Finally, I found it ironic that such a book using Flash 5 would be published almost exactly at the time Flash MX was unveiled. Well, the algorithms are even more appropriate for Flash MX because you can do so much with movie clip drawing methods with MX that were not available in Flash 5. It's probably not even going to have to be revised for Flash MX because the kinds of people who would buy this book would have little problem in taking its wisdom and doing even more with it in the new Flash. |
Some Assembly Required
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| Review Date: October 6, 2005 |
| Reviewer: L. Wick, |
| The book is great. I find the negative reviews puzzling because this book is like a $30 kit for a working spaceship, but you have to weld the wings on yourself. Big deal. What's wanting in so many Flash books are examples of the astonishing things you can do with Flash. This book shows what can be done, then hands you the code on a platter. I guess if you're more the designer type and you want to do great stuff using the math functions in Flash, you, um, er -- need to learn some math. But don't complain that every author hasn't lined up to correct your particular brand of ignorance. Read a book. |
Math and Flash combine to provide interesting animations
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| Review Date: October 30, 2006 |
| Reviewer: calvinnme, |
This book is stunning visually and is just overflowing with inspiration. This is a book intended to show us what the Flash community has been able to come up in terms of creation and allows us to tinker around with the code. If you like to take a basic principle and see it evolve given enough time and interest, then this is the book for you. If you enjoy seeing "how" things function rather than "why" they work, you have the opportunity to tinker and toy with the variables to see exactly "how" it changes the overall look of the final piece. To get the most from this book the reader is expected to understand the basics of ActionScript as well as the techniques common in most projects. This is not intended to deter the beginner, as you will surely learn much.
The book is laid out pretty straightforward. There are 15 chapters with each one dedicated to a certain individual who goes through each of his creations and iterations.Suggested reading by the people at "Friends of Ed" is to grab the source files, run them, and then read the chapters. Some of the source files are adequately commented so in some, the book isn't even needed. That is not to say, however, that this book is not necessary to understand what's going on. The book gives you quick insight to the authors' mindset and thinking, and each chapter begins with an overview of where they are from, what they do, how they have come to do this, and interests.
There are actually two parts to the book. The second part consists of the last three chapters and has what you'd consider an "application" or an "engine" for viewing the creations and being able to manipulate them directly. The first part of the book is dedicated to finding a variable, which for the most part is explained in the book, changing it to your liking, viewing the results, and reviewing the code. At the end of the book there is a Tangents page which provides 54 links to explore.
In case you are wondering where the math fits in, it's scattered throughout the book. However, sometimes, we are not presented with the reasons for using "128" for variable "p" to multiply by var "b" which has the value of "14". You may often be left scratching your head and asking why, but that isn't the point. Sine and Cosine are presented quite clearly in the first chapter and there is a terrific example from Gabriel Mulzer, but if you are looking to the find the mysteries behind using atan2 to get an angle, then this book will not answer that question. It is up to you to play the part of explorer to find those answers. You are presented with a wealth of methods that people use, inspiration for them, and experiments that the reader is encouraged to break. You are given a chance to use these methods to have fun and use them as springboards to access that creativity that lurks in each and every one of us.
In conclusion, if you enjoy going through code with a fine toothed comb and if you want to pick up valuable techniques for doing certain things with Flash, as well as be dazzled by some of the innovators of our time, get the book. It is the perfect culmination of what Flash ActionScripting can do. I would show the table of contents at this point, but all of the chapters are named after the innovators themselves, and would provide little insight to the contents. |
Very cool book
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| Review Date: October 25, 2002 |
| Reviewer: Tony Montana, Canada |
| I was lame at math in school....but not anymore. If you want to apply trignometry, and coding to make cool animations (without messing around in photoshop) check this book out. It is also a candidate for the coolest layout of any Flash title. Chicks dig it, (jk). ;) |
Math is cool
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| Review Date: March 21, 2002 |
| Reviewer: Keith Peters, Somerville, MA United States |
| I don't know if I had more fun writing my chapter, or going through the other author's chapters. The only problem I have with this book is that once I start messing around with one of the experiments, I know the next two hours are going to vanish without a trace. |
good
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| Review Date: April 8, 2002 |
| Reviewer: , |
| This book is excellent. Do not think that this book really teaches you Maths. It just gives you inspirations on how to use Maths with Flash. It is a must buy for Flash developers. |
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