Tease

I was elated last week when Adobe released a beta for the Mac version of Flex Builder 2 (FB2) on their "labs" site. As I mentioned in a previous post the team I work with has been "getting Flex-y" and this was one of the compelling reasons for our attendance at MAX last week. I have been using FB2 on my PC for a couple of months... but I really prefer my Mac for development.

So... as you can imagine as soon as I returned to work yesterday, the first thing I did was download and install the Eclipse plug-in on my Mac. It's not a small file either, and it took about an hour to pull down.

After I finished installing I noticed that the follow up "Do you want to install extensions for Coldfusion?" message that came up when I installed FB2 on my PC didn't appear. So I naively assumed that they were installed automatically.

I launched Eclipse and switched to the Flex workspace. Looks good so far. But then I noticed that the additional tabs and features for building Coldfusion apps was MISSING. Hmmm...

Next I guessed that this had something to do with being a plug-in instead of the full product, so I downloaded the full version. Again - not a small download. And installed it. And launched it. And... still no Coldfusion goodness.

So I turned to my good buddy, Google. I searched for information and found the following, which was buried on the Adobe website:

Will the ColdFusion Extensions for Flex Builder 2 also be available for Macintosh?
Yes, ColdFusion Extensions for Flex Builder 2 will be made available simultaneously with the Flex Builder 2 for Macintosh release. There is however one functional difference in the Macintosh product. The query-builder will not be available on Macintosh.

Which tells me one thing.

Adobe is a TEASE.

The official release of FB2 for Mac is scheduled for 2007. And in order to develop at a good pace... I really need the Coldfusion extensions. (I really don't need the query builder... it was just nice to have.) SO... I will be developing Flex applications on my PC for a few more months I guess.

Sad...

Rain

On Wednesday evening, Adobe hosted a party at the Palms for all the MAX attendees.

The pool area, Rain, and Little Buddha were all open to enjoy. On the pool deck, people clustered around small hibachis and roasted marshmallows for smores. We sat in bungalow-style cabanas (complete with flat-screen TV's) and chatted... wrapping in towels to ward off the chill.

Then things warmed up. :) When we first arrived, I was disappointed to discover that the Rain dancefloor was holding up buffet tables. So we wandered the three-story club and checked out the skyboxes, multiple bars, and other amenities. Finally they cleared away the food and the party kicked into gear. The suspended system over the dancefloor not only holds the standard speakers, strobes and assorted lights... it also released balls of flame over us! Yeup, it got very warm, very quickly!

It was a great shindig... I hadn't been clubbing in a long time, and this was a great nightspot!

High

What should you do if you are atop a 909 ft tower?

Sit down, strap in, and get rocketed up another 200+ ft in a manner of seconds!

On Thursday night (after all the MAX sessions wrapped up) we wandered over to the Stratosphere at the end of the Las Vegas Strip. We purchased elevator & ride tickets, went through security (yes, there were metal detectors and x-ray machines), and rode to the main observation platform, 854 ft above the Strip. The view was great, and the lights look amazing from up there. Next we proceeded to "Level 112"... high atop the tower at a staggering 909 ft! After a brief wait we boarded the Big Shot ride. It was thrilling, and bounced us up and down for an exhilarating ride!

Kool-Aid

"I have been drinking the Adobe Kool-aid and am starting to believe in PDF"

Ben Forta, MAX 2006 Keynote (approximate quote, gimme a break it was more than 12 hours ago)

Widgets

Why upgrade to Flex 6? It has more widgets! :)

(Geek quote, MAX 2006 memory book)

Blue

The Adobe MAX conference kicked off with a bang... with a performance at the first General session by the Blue Man Group!

Will post photos soon... Vegas is great!

Roadtrip

This week I am on the road again... I am in Las Vegas for the annual Adobe MAX conference. I am "getting my geek on" and trying to soak up as much knowledge about web development (and all the other goodies that come along with that including PDF's, graphics... and so on!) Most of the posts over the following days will be geekier than normal (if that's at all possible).

I am fortunate to be staying at the beautiful Venetian on the Vegas strip. The rooms are gorgeous. And huge. It feels very big and empty without Scott or any of the kids for company.

Last night I arrived too late to get checked in and attend the Welcome Reception. Instead I meandered over to the Mirage (right across the street) and had dinner at an great New York style diner. Yummm!!

Afterwards had an excellent martini of sorts at the Asian club "Tao" at the Venetian. A combination of Stoli Oranj, cointreau... and other! Sooo delish.

Coast

Just returned from a family weekend at the Oregon Coast. It was nice for us to get away... just the five of us with no extras! The weather was beautiful (mid-70's) and it was not a busy weekend so the trip was as close to "perfect" I think we could muster.

We rented a little beach cottage in Kiwanda Shores - a gated community in Pacific City. If you are traveling with kids... I would highly recommend renting a house over staying in a hotel. In fact even if you aren't traveling with kids I recommend it! There is very little price difference between a house and a hotel, and the amenities and privacy make it worth it!

The house was literally steps from the beach. From the back porch we followed a little trail over a dune (no ocean view from the house) and there we were! The house had a hot tub, plenty of space, and ping-pong and air hockey tables in the garage. We were hooked up! We found it through a vacation rental management company online (click here for their site).

It's nice to be home... but I am off and hitting the road again tomorrow!

Wildlife

Supposedly this site is a webcam near a watering hole in Africa. Not sure if it is authentic or not, as there is sound and when there is animal activity it tracks and zooms. So... as far as I know it could be a zoo. At any rate, it's pretty cool!

Today I saw a warthog... or maybe it was a hyena? (The image is pretty grainy)

Via Lefty

Hack

For all you moms... and dads... and other parental types!

Check out Parent hacks. This is a great site with lots of practical advice and ideas for activities.

My favorite? The bellybutton hack. Any families out there with a daughter about to go diaper-free (Jen Pondo)? Here's how to make sure your princess stays comfy and wedgie-free!

There are lots of activities for the school-age bunch - it's a bit slim on advice for that age group. But the site is growing daily and it's user driven.

Link via Lucky.

Stinky

Stinky is now online! Check out his cool new robotics blog: Robotic Ramblings (moderated by Mom, of course!)

Thanks!

Thank you to Ben Forta and Ray Camden - and especially Stephanie @ MAX - for helping a friend and I with some MAX woes!

Everyone that knows me, knows that I have high expectations of everyone and everything. I have *zero* tolerance for poor customer service. I am highly irritated by poorly organized events (especially if admission is charged). This means I can be a real pain in the tush, and I am usually not shy about providing feedback (as nicely as possible... at least at first).

Later this month I am planning to attend the Adobe MAX conference in Las Vegas. Woot! But I was having trouble getting signed up for the sessions I wanted to attend... they would mysteriously disappear from my schedule! I expressed this (very politely) to the event coordinating company, and they recommended that I speak with Adobe tech support. Their response was, that the scheduling was maintained by the event coordinators! So, I continued to do my best to document my fluctuating schedule to ensure that I didn't miss out on one of the sessions that was really important to me.

Today Ben Forta, an Adobe "evangelist", mentioned on his blog that registration is wrapping up. In the comments, I noted the trouble I was having with my schedule. This caught his attention, and he forwarded my concerns to Adobe. It also caught the attention of Ray Camden, a Coldfusion "Jedi", who also helped a MAX rep get in touch with me personally.

Which she did! And she was able to confirm my schedule and made a note of the sessions that are "critical" for me.

Ben & Ray are a shining example of how good leaders take care of others within a user/developer "community". I really appreciate their efforts on my behalf!

COWPU

Thanks to everyone that attended the first ever COWPU (Central Oregon Web Professionals Usergroup)!

We had a good cross-section of people - coders, designers, marketers... it was also nice to put some "virtual" names with faces. Hopefully this will be a monthly event. We are currently seeking presenters, so if you are interested please let me know!

Kenny

Looking for a laugh? Check out Men Who Look Like Kenny Rogers.

My favorite Kenny is "Gold Medallion Kenny". Which one is your favorite?

NXT

Stinky has been saving for a new Lego Mindstorms NXT set since... well since they announced that it was coming out last spring! He was involved in his school's Lego Robotics team last year, and they won an award for Robot Performance. Ever since then he has been hooked. He loves reading about robotics, and drawing pictures of robots that he would like to build.

At the beginning of the school year he had about $100 in his savings account. He received several contributions towards the cause for his birthday, which finally put him over the top. We ordered it from Barnes & Noble last week, and it arrived on Friday.

It is SO cool. He built and programmed several robots over the weekend. (He is the type of kid that builds stuff, but then doesn't mind taking it apart and starting over.) The latest is a robot that finds a ball, picks it up, and then places it on a stand. Very very good stuff.

Bug

There's a bug in Google Maps... literally. Click here to see it!

Rollerderby

Shannon will be skating in another bout coming up on Oct 21st! One of these days I will make it to an event... but we already have something going on that day. Looking forward to hearing about it, though!

Click here to see the flyer for this event.

Usergroup

Just a reminder that the first meeting of the Central Oregon Web Professionals Usergroup is coming up next Wednesday, October 11th at 6pm.

If you haven't already RSVP'd please email me or visit our announcement on upcoming.org and click "I'm Attending"! Also if you are interested in presenting at this or future meetings please shoot me an email with information about your topic.

Looks like we are going to have a good turnout for this first event. See ya there!

Notice!

"There are meetings for people like you"

And you know who you are... and you're on notice. ;)

Grass

We have grass. And a meandering dry creekbed of river rock. And a campfire pit.

We have a yard! Life is good...