Videos
2010
Gene Backlin: NeXT to X: A Trip Down Memory Lane
Enjoy the trip back to the days of NeXTSTEP and see the similarities to today’s Xcode. Since the beginning there was Interface Builder, adding Project Builder and then the ability to build quad fat binaries. Followed Gene as he took us from NeXT to X.
Colin Barrett: How to (Not) Be an Indie Freelancer
Since striking out on his own in 2008, Colin has made a lot of mistakes. In fact, he made a number of mistakes before he even started. It turns out there are a lot of misconceptions out there that cause lots of freelancers —- including Colin —- to make the same types of mistakes over and over. In this talk Colin shared not just stories of some of his own mistakes (and how he recovered), but some of the deeper issues faced by today’s indie freelancer.
Brian Boyer: Principles of News App Development
Brian shared his principles for news applications development, with a walkthrough of his team’s recent work. He discussed the ethics of news applications and the tools and techniques he uses to tell stories with data.
Ben Collins-Sussman & Brian Fitzpatrick: The Joys of Engineering Leadership
Are you considered the ‘point’ person for your team? Do you have sweaty palms, headaches, and a calendar full of meetings? You may have an affliction called ‘manager’. 3 out of 4 engineers aren’t aware of this condition, but it is treatable through careful analysis and therapy. Ben and Brian examined how you may have arrived at this state and how you can once again regain your self-respect and the respect of your peers. They retold real-life stories of both good and bad leadership. Learn to lead by following!
Allan Evans: Scroll, Scroll, Scroll Your View
Table views are nice, but what happens when they don’t quite give you the behavior you need? The iPad presents many opportunities for interface designs that don’t neatly fit in to the boxes that Apple has provided. The solution: roll your own custom scroller! This session discussed how to build a custom scroll object, with emphasis on supporting vertical scrolling in portrait orientation, and horizontal scrolling in landscape orientation.
Ben Gottlieb: How to Avoid Nuking the Fridge
In 15 years as a mobile independent developer, Ben has learned how to survive and how to thrive. Here are some things he has picked up along the way, and how best to apply them to today’s market and the overall indiescape.
Anne Halsall: Flexible Content, Deliberate Design
With the iPad, we’ve seen an emergence of apps designed for the purpose of consuming content of various types. How can we address the tension behind the need for automation, scalability, and flexibility of content while still ensuring a good, deliberate design that feels handcrafted? Anne gave examples of interesting solutions to the problem, and explored how common patterns in programming can be used on the design side to build something that is both effective and beautiful.
Brad Larson: Realtime Camera Processing Using the GPU
The Mac has had the ability to capture from attached cameras for a while now, but only with iOS 4.0 have we had access to this same information on the iPhone. If these devices can analyze camera input in realtime, whole new applications can be unlocked. Brad showed how to harness the power of the GPU using OpenGL shaders in order to process and interpret the world as seen through your Mac’s cameras.
Chris Rojas: Physical Computing
Chris’ presentation had attendees talking long after the conference was over. Maybe it was the part about a flamethrower hooked up to a trampoline.
Rana June Sobhany: The Importance of Creativity in Business
Rana retold her transition from the iPhone app analytics business to iPad DJ, and highlighted the life and business lessons she learned along the way.
Jose Vazquez: Going Indie
In 2009, Jose quit his day job to do independent iOS development, but his first app nearly put him out of business! He regrouped, retrenched, and started on a new project. His next application, RetroSketch, was released and featured in the App Store. In this talk, Jose shared some of the lessons he has learned about business, planning, investors, financing, being featured, and contract work.