My Session Picks for Adobe MAX 2010
Let's face it: you won't see me in a lot of sessions at MAX. Where you'll find me is on the show floor in the Community Lounge recording episodes of the RIA Radio podcast (please drop by and say hello). But if I were able to attend sessions like a normal MAX attendee, this is what I would think I would chose. I should reveal here that I am writing this up for selfish reasons. I really want to have this list so that I can watch the videos of these sessions from the comfort of my home. Seeing how I can't attend many and even if I did I would need to choose only one of many sessions in a time slot, making this list now will help me remember to watch Adobe TV in the future.
Every year I try to remind everyone that if you attend MAX and only go to sessions, you're probably only getting one tenth of the value of the conference. I think adding to the professional connections in your life can really have a big impact on your career. Try this: make a point of meeting at least two people every day. Lunch time is a great time to do that. Sit at a table where you don't know a single person and introduce yourself around. Make it casual. Ask people what they think of the conference so far and what sessions they were looking forward to.
Speakers: if this list doesn't mention your session or doesn't mention you by name, sorry. Don't take it personally. Choosing sessions made difficult by the many talented speakers every time slot. Consider this an opportunity to pitch your session to the masses.
And remember that these picks are my personal picks based on what I want to see. Feel free to pick your own set of sessions using the MAX Session Scheduler.
Take a look at the MAX Session Scheduler and read along with me:
Monday
9:30AM: The general sessions at MAX tend to be really good (unless they allow the CEO of a recently purchased company drone on and on) so don't miss any of them. The MAX Scheduler says that the title of "Welcome to the Revolution." I hope to see a lot of really cool and exciting things in this session, the least of which will be new devices like the Samsung Tab device.
2:00PM: After lunch, the choices that spark my interests are: "Deep Dive into Flash Player Rendering," "HP Innovation: Reinventing How Adobe Professionals Work" and "HTML5: Half-baked, Baked, or Ready for the Table?" Stephanie Sullivan's HTML5 session edges the others out because she's always a good presenter (No pressure, Steph!), but I am interested in what Lee Thomason has to say about the Flash Player.
3:30PM: I am excited for the "Flash Platform for TV: A New Ecosystem" session which I am sure will be hot if discussed in the morning's General Session. Google TV sounds like an exciting area of growth in which people are already creating companies to take advantage of the opportunities this platform will provide. If that session is full (and, trust me, it probably will be) the next session on the list (and the one I would probably attend anyway) is Terry Ryan's "Multiple Screens, One Server." I've been using Flex with ColdFusion a lot these days, so gaining more insight on how I can leverage what I know to be used with other devices will be extremely helpful.
5:00PM: I think the winning session of this time slot has to be Chris Griffith's "Creating Compelling Mobile User Experiences: What You Need to Know." Chris is a smart guy who is ready to hit you with the knowledge. Also interesting is "How to Develop AIR for TV Applications." (Are you seeing a theme here?)
Meet the Teams: I always find the Meet the Teams sessions a bit maddening. All I can do is ask you: Don't be that guy who complains to the team for 30 minutes about a bug and doesn't give anyone else a chance to ask any other questions. It might be better to talk with them afterwards. Making a personal connection might assist in creating change better than making awkward moments. At least that has been my experience.
Tuesday
8:30AM: Tuesday starts with regular sessions, and what a tough slot that is. I expect to hear snoring in some of these sessions (but at least they're attending. Wednesday morning, many will be snoring in their hotel rooms instead of in sessions). Renaun Erickson's "How to Build Great Mobile Games using AIR for Android" is my top pick but only because I've seen James Polanco and Aaron Pedersen's "Flex Component Development" session before. If you are a Flex developer and want to get the low-down on components, these guys will fill your head with goodness.
10:00AM: Tuesday's General Session is titled "User Experience: the Next Generation," which I think may be Star Trek-themed like the Sneak Peeks session later in the day, should be good.
1:30PM: "Streamlining Development Processes with Powerful Tools from the Flex Ecosystem" has caught my eye, especially with all the presenters: Jerry Dietrich, Heidi Williams, Mark Piller, David Boswell, & Adam Christian.
3:00PM: While "Building Language Learning Tools with Flash Catalyst, Flash Builder, and Flash Media Server" looks very interesting, the "Magazine Design in the Brave New World of Digital Devices" session wins my attention. I have several clients interested in this technology and need to get a firsthand look at it while learning from the experiences that folks at Adobe, Wired Magazine, the New York Time, Martha Stewart and Gartner have had using this technology.
5:00PM: It's Renaun Erickson to the rescue again this time with David Knight and "Developing Well-Behaved Android Applications using Adobe AIR." But if mobile isn't your thing, take a look at the RJ Owen and Juan Sanchez session "Screens of Possibility: Pushing Multiscreen Experiences with Spark and Flex."
6:00PM: If you miss Sneak Peeks, you're an idiot. Period. What were you thinking? Ugh.
Wednesday
8:00AM: Don't tell me you're burned out or hung over! First sessions on the final day of a conference are just as good as all the others! I'd pick "Deep Dive into Mobile Development with the Flex SDK" with Glenn Ruehle and Chiedo Acholonu. The "Deconstructing the HTML5 Mobile Development Workflow" session is also attractive.
9:30AM: While I am interested in "FlexPMD: Your Canary in a Coal Mine" I'll have to say this "Designer-Developer Workflow Panel" session is compelling. HEY! I'm in that session! DOH!
11:00AM: Once the fire department gets all the tear gas out of the convention center after our panel, "Creating Testable Flex Applications" with Digital Primates Michael Labriola and Jeff Tapper would be my second choice only because I've seen them do this presentation. "Rapidly Building Flex RIAs with Spring BlazeDS Integration and Spring Roo" with Jeremy Grelle gets the nod here.
1:30PM: If you missed Lee Brimelow's "Flash, Flex, HTML5: Ouch, My Head Hurts!" session earlier in the week, here's your last chance to see it. Be warned: This session may be clothing optional. Second choice: "Performance Tips and Tricks for Flex and Flash Development"
3:30PM: "RIA Design and Development Workflow Examined" is the best choice here because the lovely and talented Michelle Yaiser will be presenting with that troll, Leif Wells. Sadly, it looks like more people have signed up for "Flex/ActionScript 3.0 Architecture and Dependency Injection Frameworks Overview." Drat.
5:00PM: The "Creating Assets for Mobile Component Skins with Flash Catalyst "Panini" session looks interesting because I seldom get to see Serge Jespers present. Everyone is excited about the "New 3D Features for Flash" session that it is already full. Also interesting: "Designing PDF Portfolio Layouts with Flash Builder 4"
I hope this list compels you to visit the MAX scheduler and fill out your schedule. And please, no wagering.
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A Few Words about Jim DiVitale
Last night's Adobe User Group of Atlanta hosted photographer Jim DiVitale presenting on using Photoshop Creative Suite 5. We've been lucky to have Jim present at past meetings. He lives in Atlanta but travels a great deal. I could imagine that some folks who travel the world presenting might want to be left alone when they get home. Jim has been accessible to us and we're always glad he presents!
I wanted to say a few words about Jim here because I don't think his experience, know-how and presentation skills are recognized nearly enough. That's not to say he hurting for business; Jim is doing well. I, personally, feel that his name doesn't come up nearly enough in my social circles, so I wanted to put together an "elevator pitch" to those of you listening who may not know Jim DiVitale:
Jim Divitale is an Experienced Photographer. I'll be the first to admit that I know jack-diddly about real photography. I've held many expensive cameras in my hand and never really thought about the science and artistry that goes into creating a good shot. Jim has been handling a camera for more than 30 years. That means he knew what he was doing well before all this digital madness came along. His client list is extensive as are the types of work that he's done in the past. But here's the bigger deal. Jim has taken what he's learned about photography into the digital age. During his presentation last night he walked the attendees through all the things they need to consider when shooting photos for a customer --- color considerations, delivery to a computer screen, light metering, delivery to a printer. These are all things that I never think about and I have to wonder if most photographers think about it like Jim does.
Jim DiVitale has Know-How. Jim DiVitale goes beyond the camera, using Photoshop CS5 to perfect shots, improve shots, and even create images that may not be possible without his own knowledge. The shots he takes are pretty great, but when he's put into situations where he's not allowed to bring in lighting equipment or where he has no control of the environment, Jim knows what to do at the location so that his end product will be successful. It doesn't seem like lemonaide from lemons, more like impossibly great shots from chaos. Certainly, being able to experiment with camera and lighting on location along with his solid Photoshop skill, Jim has become a master.
Jim DiVitale is a Great Presenter. Jim DiVitale is popular with members of the Adobe User Group of Atlanta for many reasons, but the main reason is that people learn from him. When Jim presents, people always take notes. Whether it's how to set up lighting at a location, how to set up a computer for viewing or printing images or what the correct key combos are inside Photoshop, Jim gives his audience a lot of valuable information. This is information that can save you minutes or hours of work. It could save your whole shoot.
I look forward to seeing Jim at future user group meetings.
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The Summer of Flash Page on My Site
I just wanted to point folks to the Summer of Flash Podcast page on my blog. I thought it might be good to have a place on my site where the podcast that features Garth Braithwaite, Stacy Mulcahy, Zach Stepek, and myself droning on and on about the Flash Platform. The "info" links are to the InsideRIA site pages that Garth put together for us, but I wanted to put all the information in one place so that I can refer people to it.
I totally enjoy recording this podcast. It is so much fun and honestly it's almost therapeutic for me. I don't work in a work site environment where there are a lot of Flash and Flex developers. In fact, I am the only one in the office who does that type of work, so getting to "hang out" online with the Summer of Flash crew is pretty healthy.
I want to thank the people at O'Reilly who have been so supportive. This was their idea and I feel lucky to have been asked to come along.
Oh, boy. Did I just say that hanging out with Stacy was healthy? What was I thinking?
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Summer of Flash Podcast Episdode 1
I am pleased to announce that the first episode of O'Reilly's InsideRIA Summer of Flash podcast has been released.
In this episode, Garth, Stacy, Zach and I discuss the recently released Flash Catalyst Public Beta and what we like and dislike about the product.
We're continuing to record episodes and have lined up a few people from the Flash Platform to waterboard... er, grill for infor... er, interview about all things Flash.
If you have any thoughts, ideas, questions or requests, feel free to leave them in the comments for my entry here or at the entry on the InsideRIA site.
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Introducing Leif Wells, Editor-in-Chief of Flex Authority Magazine
I'd like to officially announce my new role in the Flex community; I am now the Editor-in-Chief of Flex Authority magazine. Flex Authority was started last year by House of Fusion and currently is in production for Issue 3.
Back in February 2008, I was helping my friends Tom and John with 360|Flex Atlanta by allowing them to send packages to the Roundbox Global office so that they wouldn't have to pay the insane storage fees at the conference site, which happened to be a couple of miles from our office. Needless to say, the pile of boxes got fairly impressive fairly quickly. Adobe sent posters and t-shirts, there were boxes of "The Cluetrain Manifesto" , and a ton of other stuff.
Then a call came in from Judith Dinowitz requesting assistance transporting some printed materials, fliers for the attendee bag they were having printed in Atlanta to avoid some difficult shipping costs. I believe that is the first time I had heard about Flex Authority. Judith confirmed that it was in the works and that they were going to launch the magazine in the middle of 2008. My reaction was, as with a lot of things that promote the community I work in every day, "What can I do to help?"
And help I did. I was Technical Editor for several articles in the first issue, authored a "10 Questions with..." column with Adam and Dave from the Merapi project , and even took the time to write a couple of filler pieces at the eleventh hour. I was excited about Flex Authority and hopeful for its future.
Flash forward to January 2009. Judith calls me to discuss a change in the magazine management; the position of Editor-in-Chief was open. She said that my name had risen to the top of the list of candidates. She presented me with an opportunity, one that I was sure I'd regret letting pass.
The Editor-in-Chief position at a magazine the size of Flex Authority isn't a high paying gig. In fact, I am not getting paid at all. The position requires a lot of reading and re-reading of articles, balancing grammatical and technical corrections while considering the author's voice, herding cat-like authors, technical editors and copy editors who are balancing full-time jobs (and lives) with a magazine schedule; it's not an easy job. Sure, I'll avoid the stereotypical publishing industry traps like hard drinking, chain smoking and womanizing, but those activities actually sound like rewards compared to these responsibilities.
So, why did I agree to become Editor-in-Chief of Flex Authority?
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Atlanta Adobe Community Events for March 2009
Adobe Community Events
for March 2009
Monday, March 2, 2009, 7PM
Atlanta InDesign User Group
InDesign and Flash: The Digital Transition
Paul Omeda, Chris Stalcup
Wednesday, March 4, 2009, 6PM
Atlanta ColdFusion User Group
Thursday, March 12, 7PM
Atlanta Adobe XD User Group
Wednesday, March 18, 6PM
Atlanta Flash and Flex User Group
Tuesday, March 24, 7PM
Adobe Flash Platform User Group
Simplified Logic's Andrew Westberg
Digital Rights Management and the Flash Platform
Thursday, March 26, 7PM
Adobe User Group of Atlanta
Illustrator CS4 with Adobe's Robert McDaniels
Related Events:
Monday, March 9, 7PM
Atlanta Flex & Actionscript Coders
Monday, March 16, 7PM
Atlanta JavaScript Developers Meetup
Wednesday, March 18, 7PM
AIGA - Atlanta
Wednesday, March 25, 6:30PM
AiMA
Thursday, March 26, 7PM
Atlanta Web Design Group
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This Thursday: Adobe is in the house! And they're showing Acrobat Professional
UPDATE: Find out how things went by reading the Meeting Recap.
This Thursday: Adobe is in the house! And they're showing Acrobat Professional
Adobe's Acrobat has been in the news a lot lately and for some bizarre reasons. Last week it was the whole Facebook and their redaction problem. On the same day, Rush Limbaugh ranted on-air that Democrats were hiding information in the stimulus bill by preventing search inside the published PDF.
Sigh. Good times, good times.
So, how wonderfully timely is this week's meeting of the Adobe User Group of Atlanta? I mean, seriously. We are featuring the Adobe Acrobat Professional product for the first time in our history! And some of our friends from Adobe will be doing the presentation. And these guys are good. No doubt that the Facebook lawyers and Mr. Limbaugh wished we had scheduled this meeting earlier this year. In fact, one of the topics at Thursday night's meeting is "Securing Your Intellectual Property", so you can learn what some in the legal profession don't know (and perhaps Rush would be interested in the "I didn't know Acrobat could do that!" topic, but it might actually be too advanced for him).
Please come and show Adobe some love.
WHAT: Adobe User Group of Atlanta February 2009 Meeting
WHEN: Thursday, February 19, 2009 starting at 7PM
WHO: Adobe's Ann Fracas and Phil Lee
WHERE: Roundbox Global (directions [PDF], Google Maps)
RSVP: link
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Thursday Night: Photoshop with Jim DiVitale
Most of our local Photoshop artists, designers and photographers enjoy it when Jim DiVitale presents at the Adobe User Group of Atlanta (Tomorrow night, Thursday, January 22, 2009).
But why is that?
Could it be that he has a great deal of experience? He's been a commercial advertising photographer for 28 years and has a long list of certifications and degrees.
Could it be that he is a great Photoshop presenter? He's been touring around the country presenting Photoshop and other related Adobe products like Lightroom for years.
Could it be that he continues to give back to the community? On his blog and in a ton of publications.
No. I think that it is because he always presents ways to to reduce time and effort using Photoshop. And he almost always announces every keyboard shortcut while he presents. That is cool.
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Wiley AIR Bible Ships!
I received a copy of the AIR Bible on my porch this week. This book marks my first foray into the madness that is technical editing for industry books. Having had a little taste of writing part of a book in my past, I can tell you that technical editing a book can be almost as difficult as writing a book.
Ryan Taylor, a great local resource here in Atlanta, is one of the authors of this book. Ryan has presented at a couple of our user group events locally. He has really gotten into Flash CS4's Pixel Bender functionality. You should take a look at his site for more on that. Ryan will be presenting "Pixel Bender Unleashed" at MAX 2008.
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AIR Window Explorer: I Owe Daniel Rinehart A Beer
Daniel R., if you are listening, I know that you don't know me, but I owe you a beer.
This afternoon as I was working on my 360Flex presentation and example code I became very, very frustrated with NativeWindow and Window and all the various similarities and differences in the options for creating and manipulating this much-used feature in AIR. So I thought, "Let's Google this bugger and see if there is a chart out there that can help."
No charts, but I was intrigued by a link to Daniel's site: AIR Window Explorer. You've seen the Flex Component Explorer and the Flex Style Explorer, well, Daniel's app is in the same vein. Decide on your Window options, create and open the window. Click on the "Show Code" button, and you will see the code used to create the Window. Nice! This application isn't perfect, mind you, but it does give you a a good idea of what you can do with the Window and NativeWindow classes in AIR.
So, for saving me an hour (and a lot of frustration) today, I owe Daniel R. a beer. Not a crappy beer. A really great beer.
Hopefully Daniel will be attending 360Flex in August so I can repay him properly.
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