Next Event Coming in June and New ColdFusion User Group Manager

Quick update regarding our next meeting topic and tentative timeline. We are going to be holding a video related event, getting into the nitty gritty with CDN's, Flash Media Server and a number of other Flash/video related items. The event is tentatively scheduled for the month of June and will be a bit bigger in scope and size of our regular meetings if all goes according to plan. We would have the event sooner, but planing something of this size takes a bit more time, and my wife and I were recently blessed with our second child on April 27th, so I'm taking off pretty much all of May to spend with family. When I have more info on the date and venue and other details I'll be sure to get out an update here and via our maillist.

Second item, our good friend Steve Rittler who has been the long time manager of the local Philadelphia ColdFusion User Group is stepping down as manager on May 29th, more info here and Chris Scott will be taking over as manager. Our hat is off to Steve and all the great events, and things he has done for the community over the years in his role as the manager since 2001! Well done Steve and welcome Chris!

Also, you wont want to miss Steve's final meeting on May 29th when he hands the baton to Chris - the topic is building a live chat with Blaze DS - and the speaker is Adam Lehman, ColdFusion Platform Evangelist for Adobe, this should be a good one, so come on out!

Posted: 05.09.2008 - 12:42pm
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Reminder - Kickass Adobe Event Monday February 25 at Independents Hall in Philadelphia!

Flex 3.0 and AIR 1.0 have been officially launched (see a ton of related links down below), so please join the Philadelphia Flash Platform Adobe User Group, the Philadelphia Flex User Group, and the Philadelphia ColdFusion User Group for a joint "can't miss" meeting Monday, February 25th, 7PM at Independents Hall to celebrate the launch of Adobe Flex 3.0 and AIR 1.0!

Adobe's RIA technologies enable you to rapidly build and deploy the most engaging applications across browsers and on the desktop. The local Philadelphia Adobe User Groups are hosting a special joint, live event to share exciting new information on Adobe's platform tools and technologies for building RIAs. You'll see an exclusive user group video presentation by Adobe Chief Software Architect, Kevin Lynch, hear some important product news, plus get your hands on some exclusive schwag and other giveaways.

Be part of the fun and excitement and join the rest of the Adobe developer community by participating in this very special event.

Food, beverages and col prizes will be available for all attendees.

Super special thanks to Alex Hillman of Independents Hall for hooking us up with the meeting space at the last minute! Shout-outs to Alex's partners at Indy Hall: Bart Mroz and Geoff DiMasi for their support and general coolness all around. ;)

DATE: Monday, February 25
TIME: 7PM - whenever
LOCATION: Independents Hall




DIRECTIONS: 32 Strawberry Street, Philadelphia, PA

Park on the street if you're lucky, otherwise there are several garages in the immediate area that you can easily use.

Make sure to get there early for the Red Bull!

---

Here are some related links for the Flex 3.0 and AIR 1.0 releases:

Official Adobe Press Release: http://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/pressroom/pressreleases/200802/022508AdobeAIR.html

ADOBE AIR 1.0 LINKS



Get AIR 1.0: http://www.adobe.com/go/air

AIR 1.0 Runtime Install Page: http://get.adobe.com/air/

AIR Tools - Free SDK, EXtensions, etc. : http://www.adobe.com/products/air/tools/

AIR product page: http://www.adobe.com/products/air/

AIR - Getting Started: http://www.adobe.com/products/air/getstarted/

AIR for Flash Developers: http://www.adobe.com/products/air/develop/flash/

AIR for Flex Developers: http://www.adobe.com/products/air/develop/flex/

AIR for AJAX developers: http://www.adobe.com/products/air/develop/ajax/

AIR FAQ: http://www.adobe.com/products/air/faq/

AIR Marketplace: http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/exchange/index.cfm?event=productHome&exc=24&loc=en_us

AIR Developer Center: http://www.adobe.com/devnet/air/

30 On AIR - great videos about "Why AIR/Flex/Flash": http://www.30onair.com/

Aptana - Third Party IDE for AIR, JS, etc: http://www.aptana.com/air

ADOBE FLEX 3.0 LINKS

Get Flex 3.0: http://www.adobe.com/go/flex

FREE Flex 3.0 SDK: http://www.adobe.com/products/flex/downloads/?sdid=ZFCT

Flex Builder Free for Students! More info here: http://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/pressroom/pressreleases/200710/102407adobeflexedu.html

Download Flex Builder 3 Professional 60 Day Trial: http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/entitlement/index.cfm?e=flex3email

Mike Potters post about the launch: http://weblogs.macromedia.com/flexteam/archives/2008/02/its_on_-_flex_3.cfm

A brand new site from Adobe focused on Open Source: http://opensource.adobe.com/

Flex.org Community Site - All things Flex: http://flex.org/

RIA - Rich Internet Applications: ttp://www.adobe.com/resources/business/rich_internet_apps/?promoid=BTMAX#

Posted: 02.23.2008 - 5:14pm
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Reminder - Event Tonight 7pm - Adobe Flex 3 and AIR Pre-Release Tour

Just a reminder that tonight at 7pm in Center City Philadelphia is the Adobe Flex 3/AIR 1.0 Pre-Release Event. This is the first official meeting of the new Philadelphia Flex User Group with new Manager Derek Wischusen running the show. Adobe employees Dave Gruber, Group Product Manager for Flex and Tim Buntel Senior Product Manager for Flex, will be dropping science on the upcoming releases. The official blurb:

"Flex 3 and AIR are getting close to launch and in preparation, Dave Gruber from the Adobe Flex/AIR product team is coming to Philly in January to show off the great new features and help prepare us for this exciting launch.Flex 3 is a feature-packed release, adding new UI components like the advanced datagrid and improved CSS capabilities; powerful tooling additions like refactoring; and extensive testing tools including memory and performance profiling, plus the addition of the automated testing framework to Flex Builder.

Adobe AIR is game-changing in so many ways, extending rich applications to the desktop, enabling access to the local file system, system tray, notifications and much more. Now you can write desktop applications using the same skills that you’ve been already using to create great web apps including both Flex and AJAX.

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to see and hear about this highly anticipated release of Flex 3 and AIR during this special pre-release tour. Plus, in addition to giving away some one of a kind Flex/AIR branded schwag, we will also be raffling off a copy of Flex Builder 3 Professional (pending availability) and a full commercial copy of CS3 Web Premium at this event as well as an iPod shuffle and other goodies!"

Event Specifics:

Date: Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Time: 7:00 - 10:00 PM

Location:
University of the Arts
211 South Broad Street
8th Floor - Connelly Auditorium

Posted: 01.22.2008 - 12:40pm
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Special Joint Local Adobe User Group February Meeting

UPDATED: 02/23/08

Please join the the Philadelphia Flash Platform Adobe User Group, the Philadelphia Flex User Group, and the Philadelphia ColdFusion User Group for a joint "can't miss" meeting!

Adobe's RIA technologies enable you to rapidly build and deploy the most engaging applications across browsers and on the desktop. The local Philadelphia Adobe User Groups are hosting a special joint, live event to share exciting new information on Adobe's platform tools and technologies for building RIAs. You'll see an exclusive user group video presentation by Adobe Chief Software Architect, Kevin Lynch, hear some important product news, plus get your hands on some exclusive schwag and other giveaways.

Be part of the fun and excitement and join the rest of the Adobe developer community by participating in this very special event.

Food, beverages and prizes will be available for all attendees.

Super special thanks to Alex Hillman of Independents Hall for hooking us up with the meeting space at the last minute! Shout-outs to Alex's partners at Indy Hall: Bart Mroz and Geoff DiMasi for their support and general coolness all around. ;)

DATE: Monday, February 25
TIME: 7PM - whenever
LOCATION: Independents Hall
DIRECTIONS: 32 Strawberry Street, Philadelphia, PA

Park on the street if you're lucky, otherwise there are several garages in the immediate area that you can easily use.

PS. Check back Monday the 25th to get extra information on the exact topic of this meeting. ;)

Posted: 01.18.2008 - 1:29pm
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AIGA Philly Flash CS3 Workshop

Another great event coming to Philly soon via our friends at the Philadelphia Chapter of AIGA:





Event:
The Philadelphia AIGA is hosting Abbas Rizvi for a full day session on Flash CS3.

Topic/Speaker:
Abbas Rizvi is an evangelist and instructor of Adobe's solutions, sharing his expertise and passion for technology with knowledge workers and educators across Canada. Abbas is an expert in Adobe's web development and e-learning solutions such as Flash, Dreamweaver, Contribute, Captivate, and Adobe's real-time conferencing technologies. He is a frequent presenter at Adobe customer events and leading industry conferences in North America, offering demonstrations and tutorials to web developers, IT managers, and professional trainers and coaches. Abbas holds a B.Sc. (Hons.) in Science from the University of Waterloo.

The morning will consist of basic Flash use and its integration with other Adobe products, while the afternoon will entail Actionscript 3 and video.

Many designers would like to use Flash CS3 but think it's too difficult to get started and don't have the time to learn it. With the new integration features between Photoshop CS3, Illustrator CS3 and Flash CS3, this workshop will show you just how easy it is venture into the world of animation with Flash. We'll show you the most efficient method for quickly importing your Photoshop and Illustrator files to Flash and then introduce you to some basic Flash techniques to produce dynamic online graphics. Discover how much fun it can be to add the element of movement to your designs. Workshop attendees will learn how to:

• Easily and efficiently import Photoshop and Illustrator content while preserving layers and structure.
• Understand and use each control in the Import dialogue box.
• Edit and modify existing assets in Flash.
• Create dynamic online graphics.
• Leverage the tightly integrated Creative Suite CS3 environment.
• And more...

Goodies:
Adobe will be raffling off a full retail boxed copy of Flash CS3, and there may be other goodies and giveaways courtesy of the Philadelphia Flash Platform Adobe User Group

Date/Time:
February 15, 2008 - Full day session - 9am to approx. 4pm (with a 1 hour lunch break)

Location:
CBS Auditorium
Hamilton Hall
The University of the Arts
320 South Broad Street
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Google Maps Link

Admission Fees:
$50 General Admission
$20 AIGA Members
$20 Uarts Students and Faculty
$10 Student AIGA Members

RSVP/Register/Payment:
The Philadelphia AIGA will soon be taking RSVP's/payments along with additional info at: http://philadelphia.aiga.org/events.html Depending on RSVP's and capacity there may be room for walkup registration and payment - check with the AIGA events page for further info.

Posted: 12.20.2007 - 01:24am
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Local Philadelphia Flex User Group - Back in Action

As many of you know, the manager of the Philadelphia Area Flex User Group, Mark Belsterling, passed away unexpectedly in September, leaving a void in our community. We have been working behind the scenes to get things going again as soon as possible to sustain the great momentum that Mark had been able to generate in only a few short months.

So I am pleased to announce that Derek Wischusen has stepped up to take over the management of the group. Many of you may already know Derek from previous meetings, or from his work supporting and contributing to both the Flex and Flash Platform Groups here in Philly, as well as his own personal endeavours, including: Flex on Rails: http://flexonrails.net/ and articles on Adobe's Developer Network about Ruby and Flex: http://www.adobe.com/devnet/flex/articles/flex2_rails.html

Derek has re-named the group and started a new site: The Philadelphia Flex User Group - http://phflex.org/ as well as a google groups discussion list. So check out and bookmark the new site, and make sure you subscribe as a member to the new group if you are interested.

Derek already has a great event planned for late January revolving around Flex 3 and AIR - more details will be posted shortly here and on Dereks new site for the group. We are going to try and squeeze in a social/holiday party before the end of the year if at all possible - still working on the details on that - more to come shortly, stay tuned!

Posted: 12.03.2007 - 3:24pm
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Second Annual Philly Creative Guide Mega Social - Benefits Toys for Tots

A reminder that December 6th, this coming Thursday evening at 6pm at the North Bowl Lounge N' Lanes The Philly Creative Guides Second Annual Mega Social will be taking place.

More info here:
http://www.phillycreativeguide.com/news/2007/11_november/event/index.htm

And if you use upcoming.org - the event detail is there as well:
http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/335308/

Join your compatriots in the Philly creative industry for an evening of socializing, networking and fun at Northern Liberties' hot spot - North Bowl Lounge n' Lanes. The cost? Once again, absolutely free with a donation to the Philadelphia Marine Corps Toys for Tots Campaign. In return you'll enjoy complimentary food, drink specials, camaraderie and prizes. Last year was a blast, so don't miss out on the Second Annual Creative Mega Social!

I wanted to point out that I am going to be there representing The Philadelphia Flash Platform Adobe User Group and Adobe, and will have over $5000 worth of goodies to be raffled away, including full boxed copies of the CS3 Web Suite, and Flex Build 2 with Charting Components, along with all the other raffle items the 7 other local Philadelphia based groups in attendance will be giving away.

So grab a toy or two to donate, come on out and put a smile on a childs face, all while having a great time and having a great chance at winning some cool prizes.

If you do plan on attending, please RSVP here:
http://www.phillycreativeguide.com/rsvp/

Posted: 12.03.2007 - 2:03pm
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Passing of Mark Belsterling, Philadelphia Area Adobe Flex User Group Manager

UPDATE 09/21/07: Some of you may now be arriving at this entry automatically if you visited http://www.paflex.org/ - I have redirected requests from the paflex.org site to this entry on the Philadelphia Flash Platform group site to let people know about Mark's passing as his site will not be updated until we can solidify future plans for the group. If you would like to see Mark's site and his last update, you may visit it directly here: http://www.paflex.org/old-index.html Please read on for more information.

I am sad to report that this past Saturday, September 8th, Mark Belsterling passed away. He was the manager of our sister group, the Philadelphia Area Adobe Flex User Group.

His wife Julee wrote me Sunday morning to let me know. She said that Mark had been having health problems all this past summer, and Friday afternoon she had to admit him to the hospital. Saturday afternoon he went into cardiac arrest and passed away shortly afterwards.

An obituary entry for Mark can be found here: http://www.legacy.com/ReadingEagle/Obituaries.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonID=94229197

As many of you know, the group was fairly new having only started back in June, but Mark was dedicated and doing a great job so far lining up venues, speakers and meetings.

We are going to try to continue the group in on form or another, but will obviously need some time to re-group. We are going to postpone the meeting that was originally scheduled for this coming Thursday until we have a new plan in place. The website for PAFLEX - http://www.paflex.org/ - probably won't get updated for a bit either. In fact its being redirected to this entry for the time being to let members know. (more)

Posted: 09.10.2007 - 3:51pm
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Adobe AIR update for Flash CS3 Professional Beta 1

Adobe has just posted beta 1 of the Adobe AIR update for Flash CS3 - it allows you to create, test and package AIR applications all from within the Flash CS3 Professional IDE. I put up a post with more details on my personal site here: http://www.impossibilities.com/blog/pivot/entry.php?id=244

To jump right to the wiki on labs.adobe.com with the download and documentation, go here: http://labs.adobe.com/wiki/index.php/AIR:Flash_CS3_Professional_Update

For those of you attending the On AIR Bus Tour stop in Philly on Wednesday, this gives you an extra way to publish out your AIR app for the Hot AIR contest! I hope to see some more entries before midnight tomorrow night!

Posted: 08.20.2007 - 8:49pm
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We Need Your AIR apps for Hot AIR Contest in Philadelphia!

The Adobe On AIR Bus Tour rolls into Philadelphia next week on August 22nd (see previous posts for more info) and we need more entries for the Hot AIR Contest! So far we have nearly 200 individuals registered for the event, but there have been very few entries for the Hot AIR contest. There is still plenty of time to submit an entry, I'm extending the deadline to 12noon on the 21st. Please consider putting something together and entering the contest, you have a really great chance at winning some very cool prizes.

I was watching the first event of the east coat leg of the tour, in Atlanta, this morning and the lineup for the event, speakers and presentations look really great. If you haven't already registered to attend, please do so as soon as possible. Look forward to seeing everyone at the event!

UPDATE: I'm giving everyone till midnight on the 21st to get an entry in!

Posted: 08.14.2007 - 11:23am
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