Where are you from?
All over really.. these days I live and work in Melbourne Australia

Where did you grow up?
Sydney -> Gold Coast -> Gympie -> Brisbane -> Melbourne!

What are your pastimes and interests?
Making and performing music. Building systems that play themselves.
Working on interesting projects that make me do things I don't know how to do.

What's your favorite saying or cliché?
I prefer breathing to working. (duchamp)

What's your favorite movie?
Usually the last thing I've seen… but Magnolia was pretty good, then again.. I'm a sucker for anything that's a little bent and makes me feel something. Good sound design helps too.

What's your favorite cocktail?
maybe a Mojito (mooheeotoe) - I think that's how you spell it, but no one in Australia seems to do them as well as they do in Barcelona ;) not enough sugar and mint, could be something about your first taste though.

When did you first get involved with flash?
97 or so I think. v3 - I cringe just thinking about it now.

What is your view of the current use of flash?
It's gone way past the point of no return, I just have to look to my students - they all want to learn it. It is very interesting; this convergence of designers and programmers, and Flash is one reason for this… Although it's really raised the issue of what design is in a screen space, it's also created a bit of a culture of 'bells & whistles' which is unfortunate.
In terms of the way it's used; in business I think the backend integration thing has really made flash a serious contender for delivery, personally I would like to see it being used a little more outside the browser… like in galleries and at performances, and this is beginning to happen.

Who do you feel is advancing the use of flash the most?
I don't really keep track of who's doing what, but in terms of Education; the Friends of Ed books are pretty cool. I usually deal with people who have no prior experience of Flash, so my idea of who's advancing it the most is more in tune with 'who's talking to these people' - can't forget FlashKit as well! It's usually the first port of call… for all skill levels.

Who has been your greatest inspiration?
Marcel Duchamp (see above), my students and friends.

Where do you see the future of flash?
In my "crystal_ball.swf" ;)
Seriously, it's such a cool wrapper. I can see it becoming much more than a web delivery format. This is not really anything new though…

What advice would you give to budding flashers?
Try to do stuff you don't know how to do. Remember to breathe.

What can FK01 attendees expect from you?
Some funky insights into how flash works with other plugins, especially with respect to the freedrum (www.freedrum.com) project I worked on with Toy Satellite (www.toysatellite.org) and some insights into writing code that kicks!

Any closing words?
See you there; can't wait!

If you would like further information on speaking opportunities please contact: Mark Fennell(webmaster@flashkit.com). We have conferences planned in LA, Sydney, and Europe and Asia as well, so let us know your interest!