Revolution Web Design Blog - Flex

From the Navtrak Blog - Ven·dor ac·count·abil·i·ty

Tue, 25 May 2010 08:26:00 -0600

Accountability: an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility.
Sounds simple enough, doesn't it? But how does the concept of accountability transfer into the corporate world? Specifically, in high-tech companies like ours that offer GPS tracking services, -where promising "immediate" ROI's and "free trials" is the norm?
We've been around since 1990 (and our sister B2B communication companies for 30+ years), which makes us, , "industry veterans," and as such we've seen countless vehicle tracking companies come and go. The ones that make it, like us, do business the right way by treating each customer as a partner, and realizing that if the customer doesn't succeed, we don't succeed.
Read more: http://navtrak.wordpress.com/2010/05/24/gps-tracking-video/

Programming is like a dream

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 10:28:00 -0600

I don't know how many times I've tried to explain this phenomena to people in my company, or others who work with/for programmers, but the truths espoused here are so very self-evident to us programmers, but maybe not so much with everyone else. Anyhow, great article and here is a link to it: "Programming is like a dream" Here's my favorite excerpt:


My brother contends that it is this same phenomena that makes programmers so bad at estimates. The problem is, as he says, that the programmer already knows everything that needs to be written. When you have it all in your mind, it seems like it should be easy to write it all down. But it's not. The physical act of writing the code takes a long time. But more importantly, your mind never thinks about all the "meaningless" details. It knows how to code them so well it doesn't even need consider their existence anymore. Unfortunately, the computer still needs them. It can't infer. All those loose ends, niggling details and corner cases end up eating a great deal of time... sometimes more than the rest of the program.

Navtrak releases it's newest website navtrakgps.com

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 06:46:00 -0600

So, yesterday my company launched it's 6th or 7th incarnation of our website. Here's a link to the first one :) Starting back in 1999 we had this crazy idea to start tracking vehicles on the internet, and now here we are 10 years later and still kickin! Things have come a long way, the product has matured into a VERY stable platform complete with a tracking API, a newly released AIR Application (interface designed by me), Flex application and a Coldfusion driven reporting system (done by your's truly.) So go check it out, and if you or someone you know could use vehicle tracking for their company, give 'em my name, and our website http://www.navtrakgps.com

Smells like Football (NFL is finally almost here!!)

Sun, 09 Aug 2009 19:36:00 -0600

how cool... it's my favorite tv to program and code and design website's to... NFL Football... and tonight's pre-season "Hall of Fame Game" and that mean's it's almost time for Nerdfootball.com And that means also, that it's almost time for the Oakland Raiders (my team) to play the San Diego Supercharger's at the Coliseum in Oakland on the very first Monday Night Football game of the year. nerdfootball.com is a really fun football pool that i built many moons ago, and in our now 8th year of running we have one of the largest pools yet! it's a pick and confidence type pool, where you assign a "Confidence Factor" to each game, and for each game you get right, you get those points. points range from 1-16 (if there are 16 games that week) and you better pick wisely, because every point matters! Oh and of course there is a "Smack Down" area where you can let your opponents know just how you feel! there is also a suicide pool on the site, where you can run each type of Nerdfootball pool on your own, and it's all self manageable! if you'd like to setup a pool for this season, we are open for business and would love to host your pool. each pool can be purchased with a credit card, through paypal, and we are real honest nerds, who just love football and website geek stuff :) the cost is very reasonable, and negotiable. in addition to the football pool website, we also have Nerdbasketball.com that enables you to run and be a part of the coolest NCAA MARCH MADNESS BASKETBALL POOL! It's built using Adobe Flex and is possibly, the coolest RIA Basketball pool on the planet! We are "The House of the Nerd" and we welcome you to a time tested tradition of football pool and basketball pool fun! Below is an image and if you click on it, you will see the larger version of it, which gives you an idea of the interface for picking games.

a change i'd like to see in the flashplatform

Wed, 05 Aug 2009 10:50:00 -0600

id love to see coldfusion and flex/flashplatform converge into a tool that us coldfusion diehards can more easily migrate to. there doesnt seem to be any reason we couldnt use cf-like tags inside mxml to replace what happens in actionscript... actionscript is hard to migrate to after all these years in coldfusion tag-based-land. make it happen :) please, thanks.

Avoid the GPS service Black Hole

Tue, 12 May 2009 09:11:00 -0600

Avoid the GPS service "black hole"
Most fleet owners and managers recognize that knowing the precise location of your vehicles and their daily activities can quickly lead to substantial savings on fuel, overtime, insurance premiums, and other critical operational costs. However, this is only one small part of the picture the part anyone can see, even before they decide to use a GPS tracking system. The rest of the picture emerges only after a system has been installed. Once you experience the financial boost that comes from your initial trimming away of wasteful driving patterns, side trips and fuel usage what comes next? All too often, the vendor that installed the system hasn't bothered to train you and your staff on how to make the most of the information you're getting in the long term - to incorporate it into your everyday processes and routine. They get you up and running, but you never see them again. This is the GPS service "black hole" that exists for most vendors of fleet management "solutions." But the truth about GPS services is that the more you use them, the more valuable and indispensable they become for your daily operation. [Check out this customer success story for just one example of what we mean.] And the responsibility for making sure this is the case shouldn't be all yours. Click here to read more about Avoid the GPS service "black hole" by Navtrak GPS Tracking Navtrak Proudly uses ColdFusion 8, Flex, LCDS and many other products from the Adobe Stack of web technologies.

Announcing the release of MyNavtrak

Mon, 02 Feb 2009 18:40:00 -0600

shhhh... big release at Navtrak tomorrow...

Introducing MyNavtrak
With MyNavtrak, we've brought together the latest web technology, usability principles and GPS-based tracking tools to create a single web portal from which you can track your fleet, run reports on vehicle activities, create and review routes, and much more.
Developed on the innovative new Adobe® Flex® platform, MyNavtrak is a rich internet application (RIA) with a fluid, intuitive interface that makes tracking and managing fleet activity easier than ever.
Users familiar with Street Suite®, our desktop-based vehicle tracking application, will find all of the same features they've come to depend upon available in MyNavtrak. But in addition to the sleek new design, we've added enhancements and new features to make managing your fleet even easier, including:

Improved map zoom and pan controls
Smarter vehicle location/identification
Updated vehicle and place clustering
Turn-by-turn directions and route analysis tools
Self-paced online training videos
Multiple map/vehicle status display options (very helpful for dispatchers)
To get a better idea of what MyNavtrak looks like and what it can do for you, browse through our gallery of screenshots of the application.

Navtrak in the News - this time Wall Street Journal

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 08:05:00 -0600

So, my company Navtrak, partnered with Cynergy Systems to introduce a new RIA version of our software and we are about to full scale release it to our entire client base. Well, leading up to the release, we sent a few of our C# developers to Flex training, as well as myself, and this wooing of developers from Microsoft technologies to Adobe technologies is making news, and guess what... Navtrak's Product Manager, Todd Hodges, was interviewed by a reporter with the Wall Street Journal, and you can read the entire story here.

it's called BOLT

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 13:11:00 -0600

and im stoked. finally cf getting some love from the mothership, in a VERY public way. yes, we get plenty of love when they give us great features, but now we will have an IDE made for us Coldfusion Developers. cool stuff. im stoked on thermo, i mean Flash Catalyst, and im stoked on a lot of other things here that i am seeing in adobe's stack as well as their plans for the future. man, it sure looks bright for us! one major note that i took away from the keynote was this... C# code making flex applications! yes... that means, all of your old C# developers can contribute on a team that will include flex developers, thermo designers/developers and wow, everyone can work towards one common goal, a flex or air project, driven by coldfusion, designed in photoshop, whipped up in Flash Catalyst and deployed FAST! wow. lots more to mention, but i gotta go to my Adobe Air Bootcamp 3.5 hour hands on lab!!! nice.

Navtrak Press Release: What great quarterbacks and fleet managers (should) have in common

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 12:56:00 -0600

What great quarterbacks and fleet managers (should) have in common

According to Scouts Inc., a panel of professional football scouts and recruiting experts assembled by ESPN, one of the most important attributes that NFL teams look for in a quarterback is field vision. An exceptional quarterback is one who is able to see the entire field before him, and make quick decisions about the best options if his first target isnt open.

Owners and managers of mobile workforces are in a remarkably similar (pardon the pun) position. Youve got to be able to see the entire field and know where all of your drivers are at a glance, and what they're doing. If you dont have this information instantly accessible, how can you make smart decisions about your business?

Click here to read the entire story

Fair Tax

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 11:20:00 -0600

sounds interesting. i think i love the concept. anyone have any clue why i wouldnt? ive done the calculator they have on their site and from what i can tell, i would end up with 182% more spending money YEARLY, than i do now, giving up nearly 38% of my checks now. go check out the site, and the idea. it DEFINITELY sounds interesting. thanks to mike huckabee for the support of it, and bringing it to my attention last night during the debate. oh, and one more cool thing, its calculator is done in flex!! w00t.

My new Flex Blog

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 08:21:00 -0600

So, last week, I began what appears to be a great journey. I'm learning Flex and ActionScript. That's right, this old boy is gonna learn some new tricks. The road is not going to be easy, I'll be taking some classes at Figleaf and I'll be reading a lot (something i do not do well), and taking lots of online video lessons. Anyway, I have setup a new blog, at www.f13x.com, that will chronicle my journey to flex enlightenment. Wish me luck, it's going to be a fun ride! F13X.com - Learning Flex from a ColdFusion Developer's Perspective

BayHookers.com

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 19:07:00 -0600

Yes. You are reading that title correctly. BayHookers.Com is the newest site to come out of the design studio. It is a Chesapeake Bay Charter fishing company owned by two friends of mine from Salisbury, Maryland. Captain Denny Scott, Jr. and Captain Brian Wagner. Two good ole boys from the area who know the bay even better! Get ready for some good fishing, good fun, and who knows, you may get lucky with a good mate! So go check out the site. It's still be developed at the moment, but if you are interested in booking a fishing trip, contact the Captains! The site will of course be driven by a ColdFusion backed scheduling system, POSSIBLY some of my first FLEX work :) and some cool image handling techniques! I'm CERTAINLY looking forward to this one.

flex and tony

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 19:36:00 -0600

so, im about to start learning flex. its going to be a 12 week process, i plan to start with training videos. then take some classes at figleaf, and in between re-tooling some internal projects in flex. anyway i was reading simon horwith's blog today, and he had a cool entry, about two of my favorite things: 1. google
2. flex
Anyway, basically, Google, is testing a search interface using Flex for the front end.
Here is the link to Simon's blog entry on Google using Flex!

flex and tony

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 19:36:00 -0600