In a previous post I pointed out that setting WMode in the HTML params for a Flash file would bind the player to the browser which in turn would cause fullscreen not to work. Well folks, I’m happy to say that in the latest player 9,0,115,0 (aka MovieStar) this is no longer an issue. Bug 202290 is fixed!

I’m hate to publicly gripe about anything, but after my experience with the Adobe store I’m so upset that I have to say something. So to preface this, I already own licenses to Adobe software, create very high profile projects with it, but I wanted to buy another full license for CS3 web premium (on Mac). Yesterday, I went online to purchase it, made my order and then get a response that the order is pending. No where before this last state do I recall being informed my purchase was going to take time to process. So problem here is that I’m onsite with someone and I want to run the software now on a specific OS installed on my box. I figured it wasn’t so bad, since I can do builds of the code with Ant etc. and don’t need the Flash IDE immediately or can run a different OS. Time passes, then I get an email saying that my purchase has been declined. Since I’m using a business credit card with a very high limit, this made no sense. Therefore I tried to make the purchase again. Same thing, pending. At this point, I’m wondering what is going on. Adobe has online live chat, so I opened a conversation only to find that the person is a sales person, not a customer rep. Great. At the same time I had made a call to customer service, which finally got answered 2o minutes later by someone in India. I gave him all my info and had him check the order. He mentions that orders above a 1000 dollars have to be completely approved before processing them. Ok, I can understand that, but a little forewarning goes a long way to my reaction. Then he goes on to say that I should get a response in the form of an email about my purchase. Super, this is what the other email had told me. I mentioned the previous purchase I had attempted and the outcome. I asked him to check that order#. He said I had no other orders, but I insisted and gave him the # which I had saved. So he checked it and after 5 minutes responds that my bank turned it down. To that I told him it’s a credit card company not a bank and asked him if we could just process the order over the phone, since a card can be simply called in. His response was you will get an email. Finally, I was getting frustrated and asked for a supervisor. So I waited on the phone for 15 minutes, and then they hung up on me.

So yes, I hate to say it, but Adobe’s Store sucks. I say it in hopes that maybe the comment will improve it. I love Adobe, but you can’t put your customers through that kind of ringer. My outcome, I’m don’t have the software running on the OS I want it to be on, so I’m not going to be as efficient. I’m also still waiting on the “email approval”, but I’ll probably end up going to a physical store like Apple and buying it.

[UPDATE] – My order magically went through finally as it says I can go download it, but it I go into my account and it still says pending. It’s leaving a bad taste in my mouth :(.

[UPDATE AGAIN] – So I never followed up on what happened, but I finally got my software. A representative from Adobe personally followed up with me and promised to  address some of the issues I pointed out. I totally appreciated that, and hope that my gripe will save some others pain in the future.

As the title reads, I recently spent 51 days in Kazakhstan. I was not there on business, but by choice. Having traveled to a lot of places, but traveled no where, I’ll make a statement. At the root of all things, everything is the same. I would say this for all places and people in various walks of life. What I mean by this, is that at the core we all share the same dreams, fears, passions, anxieties, and experience the same things as we pass through our lives. Fear and misunderstanding can make people perceive differences, but they really don’t exist.

I’ve always felt this way, but experiences like the one in Kazakhstan are great reinforcers. While I was there, I met wonderful people who will forever be in my heart. The funny thing is that even though I saw some of these people everyday for 4 weeks, our communication was limited mostly to gestures, single words, or referring to books. Yes, the entire time I was there I had no interpreter. You might think that’s somewhat crazy, but it was also very enlightening. Everything can be seen in demeanors, expressions, and emotions. Don’t believe me, just sit outside in a large city, and watch everyone around you as they move through their life.

That said, it was a beneficial experience, but a hard one. Being unable to really fully communicate and share feelings with those around you can be very isolating. It can also take a toll when you are trying to accomplish simple things, like looking for things to eat (especially when grocery stores don’t exist). Needless to say, I have been back for almost 2 months, eating like crazy, and am still 18 pounds less than my weight when I left. Anyone who knows me will tell you I didn’t have the weight to lose. I’ve also been sick for about 4 weeks straight. Sound bad. I won’t lie, it’s been rough, but I’m finally feeling like I’m on the road to recovery. I also wouldn’t trade it for the world.

So, what does my road look like now? Well considering the past 4 months have been a wild ride and the prior year was one of uncertainty (I had no idea when I’d have to go, since you have to have an invitation to Kaz), it looks pretty good. With the dream of Kaz in the bag, it’s time to start making the others happen. Here’s to looking and moving ahead.