I want to extend a big thanks to beta tester Don Koch who helped with code and such (and made me realize that everything I had for widgets was wrong and needed rewriting). Go see the site he’s building using ComicPress.

Note: if you find issues with the plugin, file a bug over at GitHub. Comments here get lost too easily.

• https://github.com/johnbintz/comicpress-theme-core/tree
• https://github.com/johnbintz/comicpress-manager-1.4/tree
• https://github.com/johnbintz/comicpress-manager-1.5/tree

[Embed(source="my_swf_file.swf")]
[Bindable]
public static var my_swf_file:Class;

and then try to work with it as a MovieClip:

var my_clip:MovieClip = new my_swf_file() as MovieClip;

all of the Timeline bits (including totalFrames and currentFrame) of the source SWF get stripped out in the embedding. To fix it, I took the idea from this blog entry and made it a bit more generic:

[Embed(source="my_swf_file.swf", mimeType="application/octet-stream")]
[Bindable]
public static var my_swf_file:Class;

var source:Object = new my_swf_file();
var my_clip:MovieClip;

if (source is ByteArray) {
  var loader:Loader = new Loader();
  loader.contentLoaderInfo.addEventListener(Event.COMPLETE, function (e:Event):void) {
    my_clip = MovieClip(loader.content);
  });
}

Et voila! Embedded, controllable SWF files in Flex.

And now, a word from your sponsors:

PW(in-the-story)

Now, back to the article.

Plus, there was a small bugfix for when you have no ads available. Download it, and if you like it, go check out Dawn’s Dictionary Drama. The current run is almost over, so there’s plenty of comic to look at and enjoy.

I tried WebcamStudio, but it was way too much of a CPU hog on my system. It worked…kind of…but it too slow to be usable (sorry). So I moved on to trusty old ffmpeg and the x11grab video input driver.

This post on Ubuntu Forums got it all working for me. The vloopback driver from WebcamStudio is the one you want to use. and make sure you’re a member of the video group. For my own reference, here’s how I ended up recording the footage off my second monitor at 160×120 5 fps for Ustream:

ffmpeg -f x11grab -s 1280x1024 -r 5 -i :0.0+1280,0 -pix_fmt yuv420p -sws_flags lanczos -s 160x120 -r 5 -f yuv4mpegpipe -an - | mjpegtools_yuv_to_v4l /dev/video1

Unfortunately, audio capture is not working yet in Flash 10 for Linux, so I can’t talk while I draw.

Synopsis: The Nazis really did think that it was a great idea to put all the best escape artists together in WWII in the same camp.

Pros: The escape and subsequent splitting of the action to the multiple escapees was very interesting and compelling.

Cons: Long. A bit longer than I was expecting.

Verdict: Finally, both Chicken Run and some of this bit from Dress To Kill make sense.

Synopsis: Audrey Tautou does everything in her power to get this guy. Oh, and she does a lot of other really great things for the world.

Pros: The story’s very charming and uplifting, and the cinematography is gorgeous.

Cons: The special effects were just a little much at times. But not too much.

Verdict: I like, I like. I wish my French were better so that I could enjoy the movie even more.