I remember how much my ex-girlfriend hated me for the amount of money I spent on books and not being able to afford a nice date.

  Please give us a brief bio of yourself.

I am 25 years old, a graduate of Cal State University, Long Beach with a Bachelors in Computer Science.

Prior to this I attained an Associate's Degree in Mathematics with emphasis in Physics from Ecole Preparatoire aux Academies Militaires in Tunisia.

I am fluent in English, French, Arabic and currently learning Spanish.

  What do you do for inspiration?

Listen to Music and read books.

  Please list 3 of your favorite sites.

1- I am a Google fanatic so I will start with google.com.

2- Comcastic.com is a two thumbs up site!

3- Perfectdarkzero.com is a marketing trend that is re-shaping the industry! [ Article: Page R6, Wall Street Journal, November 21, 2005]

  What do you regard as being your biggest achievement?

I was hired by PixelPushers to develop the PEAK's software with which students can "map their homes," simulate various energy use strategies and best practices, and develop customized household energy plans with their families in an effort to achieve shared savings.

Currently, the PEAK's software is being used in Santa Monica Malibu, Desert Sands, Irvine, Moreno Valley , San Bernardino City , and Corona Norco Unified School Districts, as well as in Northern Illinois , Chicago Catholic Schools , San Diego County, and Nacka and Gothenburg, Sweden.

I would like to mention the great support of the Art Director Matthew Newman and the Project Manager Mark Kelly.

  What software couldn't you live without?

Can you imagine life without search engines?

  What projects do you have in the pipeline?

Little things here and there, nothing big to mention.

  Who is your target audience?

All internet users as long as they have Flash player installed. :)

I make sure the design is beautiful and well thought of, so ordinary web users will find my website's to be an enjoyable experience.

I integrate Flash and other technologies for those geeks out there looking for new ideas to help them get inspired.

  What area of web design lacks the most?

Great question Rob! The list is actually long but I am going to mention the two most important things:

1- Accessibility: I wish one day, all web designers will become more responsible and the first question they ask themselves will be: How can I make a cool _globally accessible_ website?

My bros at AKQA are aware if this problem and are working toward having most if not all our projects globally accessible.

2- Content: My biggest pet peeve is beautiful WebPages that have no content.

  What did your very first site look like? Is it still online?

Hehe, you don't want to see my first site. :)

  Have you written any books, if not do you plan to?

Not yet, but I would like to in the future.

  Do you think Flash is here to stay?

Not sure, most of us have heard about Microsoft's new Sparkle, according to Microsoft fans it will replace Macromedia Flash.

On the other hand, Macromedia's Flash development team is working on the new version of the industry standard multimedia development tool scheduled for release in 2007.

People might have different opinions about whether or not Flash is here to stay, but we all agree that it did change the web at one point.

  What are your views on design/graphic school. Do you think someone can get into the field without educational experience in a school environment?

I am a big fan of education and school and I think schools are very important because they teach a lot more than just how to use the design tools.

However, books can be an alternative for those designers who can't attend school for whatever reason.

  How have you learned so many Flash/design skills and techniques and can you offer any advice for newbies?

I've learned all my Flash skills from reading books.

I remember how much my ex-girlfriend hated me for the amount of money I spent on books and not being able to afford a nice date.

For the newbies out there, the best advice I can give you besides reading books is when you use a new code, go through it, read it carefully and understand each line of code, that way you can reproduce the same code later by yourself.

  What is the most expensive thing you've bought in the last week?

A round trip plane ticket to New York, leaving from San Francisco.

  What type of overcoat do you wear when Flashing, basically are you a labels man?

I am getting there!

  Any parting shots or pearls of wisdom?

What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans, and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty and democracy? (Gandhi)

  It's been a privilege, thanks very much.

It has been a pleasure. Thank you!