It’s that time again for our call for volunteers!
Why do we want volunteers?

• Obviously having free workers is a bonus, but one of our main reasons for having volunteers is to provide a way for those that absolutely cannot afford the conference to be able to have a way to join us!
• Give us your new graduates, those that were laid off, and those without 2 nickels to rub together!
• The point behind 360 conferences is to have an affordable event that the majority of people can come to! Being unemployed doesn’t need to be the barrier.

Please note, that if you just want to save a few bucks you don’t necessarily fit the bill. Think of those less fortunate than you! We’re always throwing out discount codes, visit your local user group, they’ll have one, etc. The volunteer program is really for those that won’t otherwise be able to make the conference.

What do I need to do if I’m a volunteer?

• We need you to be available Saturday thru Wednesday.  (Saturday can be waived, but the more hands the faster the work is completed)
• We need people the Saturday prior to the conference for lanyard/badge assembly, and swag bag assembly, and to get familiar with the location.
• We need people Sunday to run the Registration desk. This is your training for monday when the masses invade! There are 3 shifts, 7am-noon, noon-5, and 5-8.
• Monday thru Wednesday we need people to run the Registration desk as well as the cameras in each session. You will be assigned to either the desk or recording sessions.
• If you are assigned to record a session you need to remain in that session for the duration. You will need to confirm the camera continues to function and get the slides from the speaker at the end (via flash drive)
• Sunday and Monday you will need to arrive between 7 and 7:30.
• Tuesday and Wednesday you will need to arrive between 8 and 8:30.

What’s in it for you?

• When you are not assigned to a session or the reg desk – you are free to see the sessions.
• You get to enjoy lunch.
• You get to mingle at all the parties (unless you are working the desk on sunday)
• You get to meet a ton of people during registration!
• You get a cool badge that says “Volunteer” :)
• You get to say you know the folks that run 360|Conferences.

We really want you to get something out of the conference! We want you to have fun and learn a ton! You’re there to help us, but also get as much as you can out of sessions.

If you think you can hack it – apply!

• Name:
• Email:
• Local:  Y/N
• Phone Number:
• Current application of technology:
• Reason for wanting to be a volunteer:
• Availability Sat?
• Availability Sun?

Just email us at INFO at 360flex DOT com with the above details. We’ll let those selected know ASAP.

Keynotes

Obviously monday’s keynote will be something to not miss. Not only will Adobe be giving us a peak at what’s new/hot/coming soon, but we’re handing over the mic, and the room to Doug McCune.

Sure we all know Doug from “Cool Shit” at Indianapolis, and plenty of other awesome, if not always child friendly sessions, but he’s also ridiculously smart, and a great speaker (Check out his RIAdventure talk, and tell me it’s not motivating). 360|Flex since the beginning has opened with more staid keynotes. Adobe (Ebay when we’re there) giving more state of the union style talks, previews, etc. I’d like to change that.

While we don’t want to completely move away from that, we do want to start raising the bar in the community, for events. Deepa is awesome, and I hope she come to DC to wow us (Check out her keynote from 360|Flex San Jose, it’s free just put it in the cart), but I think it’d be cool to get the community jazzed about what we do. We’re not stodgy old programmers building dashboards, and Web service front ends. We’re doing cool things! Let’s talk about that! Let’s talk about what isn’t done but is possible. Let’s talk about what isn’t possible and how that’s not stopping us!

360|Flex is first and foremost a community event. Organized by members of the community, supported by the community, and aimed at increasing the size of the Flex developer community. Adobe wants 1mil. Flex Developers, we want to help. We also want 360|Flex (and this I think we’ve succeeded at) to be the place where developers come to get knowledge, experience and face time, with things and people they wouldn’t otherwise. Every tried to find someone you didn’t know personally at MAX, not easy. We want everyone leaving 360|Flex on Wednesday to be so energized, they go back to work Thursday or Friday ready to “Crush It!” Ready to go to their bosses, co-workers, etc and show them the things they learned, the new ways of debugging, the new way to compile large apps faster, etc.

General Sessions

If you were in San jose, you got a taste of this, we had some awesome panels! This time around we’re not doing panels (Not for lack of interest, a lack of submissions, LOL) but rather are doing more themed general sessions. Ben Stucki, will be talking about “The Art of Computer Science”, Chuck Freedman is holding “The Great Framework Debate”, and Antonio Holguin is talking about User Experience and mobile. Mobile is growing! I expect the next 360|Flex to have a much higher AIR for mobile showing, and can’t wait!

We’re more than just coders and designers!

And no, i don’t mean some bastard love child of the two! Devigners, desoders, whatever. I mean, we’re interesting people! To highlight that we’re gonna have more than just Rock Band during the evening one night. Jun, Eric, and Scott AKA the compilers will be performing one night (Still TBD). They’ll also be doing a lunch session, talking about how their band incorporates technology into the sets. It’s rumored (Nothing solid yet) that 22nd Century, band of Adobe Evangelist Duane Nickull will be on site as well, and maybe even a little live DJ action from an old friend :)

I don’t want 360|Flex to turn into a “Festival” there’s enough of those out there, but I do think there’s room for more interesting stuff than what we’ve offered before.

Go register… right now! Do it, click this link, register, and secure your spot. Then go book your hotel, it’ll be THE place to be. Why cab/walk/whatever to another hotel, when you can be in the event hotel. I can’t stress enough how much better an experience it is to be in hotel of the conference.

Go on! Register! See you in DC!

We’re keeping that promise, finally, but it sure ain’t easy! The east coast is expensive, for an event like 360|Flex. We don’t charge a lot to get in, and most hotels costs more than the price of a ticket to 360|Flex. That’s hard to think about, staying at the hotel for the event is more than the event. At least bigger events, it’s even, which makes it less noticable :)

THAT SAID. We’re really close to locking in a hotel that should do nicely for 360|Flex, and still keep to our not breaking the bank mentality. I sure can’t wait to see how an east coast 360|Flex is responded to, it will certainly dictate whether there’s any more… no pressure :)

Stay tuned, the next day or two will see the announcement of time, location, and call for papers. Don’t miss out!

In the meantime, make sure to check out the session videos from 360|Flex San Jose and RIAdvanture. Some truly great stuff there!

Justin Mclean – Flex and hardware

Thanks for wanting to come along to my Flex and Hardware hands on course. On the day you learn about the Arduino hardware and software open source platform, create your own electronic circuits and control those circuits and the Arduino from Flex. Sounds exciting doesn’t it!

As a large number of people are expected to show up at the course I’ll be putting people in groups of two and the course will be limited to 40 people. Everyone will get a kit of electronic components and an Arduino to take home with them (if you promise it will only be used for good). Yes that right you get to keep a piece of hardware that’s faster than your old TRS-80 or Commodore 64.

You will to need to bring along:
- A laptop (preferably OSX or Windows)
- A standard USB A to B cable (rectangular one end and square the other end – commonly used for printers)

You don’t need to have any knowledge of electronics and there’s no soldering involved. You do need to have a programming background and it would be an advantage (but not essential) to know some Flex basics.

You will also need to set up the software that used in the course. Download the Arduino 0018 IDE from here:http://www.arduino.cc/playground/Learning/Linux

Install the Arduino IDE. To do so follow the guides here ignoring the steps about plugging in the Arduino:http://arduino.cc/en/Guide/Windows
http://arduino.cc/en/Guide/MacOSX
http://www.arduino.cc/playground/Learning/Linux

Have Flex builder* installed. If you don’t have FlexBuilder you can download a trial a trail version here:

I will have a few spare USB cables on the day but not enough for everyone so please don’t forget bring those cables along. If for any reason you can’t install the IDE or FlexBuilder  before the course I will have the software available on the day.

If you have any questions before the course please email me at justin@classsoftware.com

Garth Braithwaite – Flex 101

Flash Builder Beta 2 Installed(Available from Adobe Labs.)

Also the Latest Flex SDK

Joel Hooks – Hands-on Development with the Robotlegs AS3 Framework

Flash Builder Beta 2 Installed (Available from Adobe Labs.)

Also the Latest Flex SDK

Sid Maestre – Beginner Workshop with the Mate Framework

FlexBuilder 3 and a debugger version of the player installed.

1) Flex is fun: First and foremost, Flex is fun. If you ever tried to build a RIA in the Flash Authoring IDE, you know it was an exercise in futility. Sure, sure, it could be done, much like surgery can be done with a machete, but it was far too painful for the masses. Flex, especially with Flex/Flash Builder, makes the experience so much better.

2) Flex saves time: The framework does so much for you, right out of the proverbial box. One of my favorite things when teaching Flex to new people is to start a new project and add this single line of code:

<mx:Button label=”Main Button”/>

Then I run the application and show them how it’s a fully functional program.  I show them how there is already built in a hover state, down state and normal state.  All of this built-in to Flex, with no extra effort on your part.

3) Flex is easy: By this, I don’t mean you’ll be a Flex Superstar within a week.  Instead, what I mean is that Flex is a language that’s easy to come to from other scripting or programming languages.  For instance, that line above looks like HTML, because MXML is a markup language too.  ActionScript, the scripting language of Flex, is based on ECMAScript, which makes it instantly familiar to JavaScripters.  Flex is also Object-Oriented base, lending to itself design patterns that are familiar to others from the Java and other programming languages.

4) Flex doesn’t limit you: Most programming languages don’t limit you per se, but some make it tough to go beyond what the language and/or framework was meant to do. This is not the case with Flex.  I’ve seen some pretty amazing edge cases that push the envelope of what the Flex framework was meant to do.    That’s the great thing about Flex.  It was made to be used right out of the box, which is good for some apps.  However, the framework is also one big lesson on how to do anything your heart (or realistically, your Product Manager’s heart) can desire.

These are just a few reasons we became Flex developers back in the day.  It was also one of the reasons we created this conference.  We realized the potential that Flex had, and imagined the great things that would come of bringing everyone in the Flex community together.  The outcome of the shows have been greater than anything we could’ve imagined.  Frameworks, books, companies, businesses, friendships, etc. have all been born at 360|Flex. It’s a testament to the power of a unique community around an amazing product.

While 360|Flex does have some of the most advanced sessions on Flex, we haven’t forgotten about the newcomers. We always have a (free to paid attendees) Flex 101 session on Sunday before the show.  This is a full day of beginning training for those new to Flex or those needing a refresher before the conference.  You bring your own laptop and we have amazing instructors like Garth Braithwaite that teach you the basics of Flex.

If this all sounds great, then definitely come out and join us.  Register here for what’s sure to be a great time in San Jose.  Because if the framework is fun, you can imagine how much more fun the community is!

That’s just a few. Some 1200 pics are on flickr right now for 360|Flex. We’ll get that number higher :)

Hopefully that shows you a little bit of what we’re talking about when we talk about the people, the parties, and everything else that makes people say “Here’s what I love about the 360Flex conferences: even if you didn’t attend a single session it’s worth the time and money to attend. The conversations with other developers in the hallways, at lunch/dinner, at the bars in the evenings is just as educational and of course more fun” Dan Florio

Imagine if you attended some sessions ;)

Register now!

You know, the one pictured in the image. It’s a time where the gym population magically balloons.  The times when streets fill with walkers and joggers (at least out west).  It’s a new year and, thus, resolution time.

Aside from the health one, there are two resolutions that are pretty popular.

1. Learn something new
2. Get a better job/position

Now, let’s see how it is that 360|Flex can help you fulfill those resolutions.

Learn something new

This one should be fairly obvious, but just in case let us reiterate some points.

• There are over 40 sessions at the next 360|Flex, lead by industry leaders and devs in the trenches just like you
• 2 Keynotes – Adobe always delivers a great keynote, often with big news for the Flex community.  The community portion of the other keynote is always an amazing glimpse into projects that blow your mind and inspire
• Free Hands-On Sunday Workshops – That’s right, a lot of shows make you pay for your conference pass then extra for hands-on workshops.  At 360|Flex, you’re regular admission ticket lets you into the Flex 101, Mate and Flex/Hardware workshops.  Just bring your laptop
• Panels – New to 360|Flex this year are panels.  This will be your chance to hear from many experts at once and pick their brains
• Meet the Flex Team – We usually have a Birds of a Feather where you can pick the brains of various members of the Flex team

Get a better job/position

Whether you’re tired of your current job or just want to move from Junior Flex Dev to Senior Flex Dev at the same company, we can help:

• Highly technical sessions got finally get you over that hump from Junior to Senior
• The parties offer an opportunity to meet and interact with many Senior Developers as well as those from contracting or full-time realm.  Meet your peers, ask for advice and learn from them.
• Hallway chatter is always amazing at conferences and 360|Flex is no different.  Many people come simply for the hallway chatter, where very heavy discussions happen on the fly.
• People who are looking for Flex developers know that they can find developers at 360|Flex.  Learn about opportunities and the market to better help you decide to stay with your current job or to possibly seek out another

As you can see, 360|Flex can help avoid the “Nothing’s changed” feeling that usually accompanies resolutions.  Registers now and make that first step in achieving your goals.  ”Help us, help you.”  :)

360|Flex San Jose might actually raise the bar :)

For those new to the community, or looking to brush up on their skill we’ve got Adobe Certified Instructor Garth Braithwaite doing a full day Flex 101 – Intro to Flex workshop. If you’re new to Flex, or just want to bone up before the main event, Garth’s session is the one for you. Garth is awesome!

We’ve also got Justin Mclean Doing a full day of hands-on connecting Flex to Arduino. Yeah that’s right, take Flex and AIR, out of the computer, off the web, and play with some Hardware! This session is for those looking to do things like Kevin Hoyt will be talking about on Monday (Flex + Fidgets = BEER!). This is new type of training for us, we’ve never done a full day of training around hardware! It’s gonna be awesome.

What else?

Sid Maestre will be doing a half-day workshop on the MATE framework, if you’re curious about MATE, this is the workshop for you. MATE is a great framework, for your Flex apps, you should check it out if none of the other workshops are for you!

We’ve got more to announce, but I don’t want to blow your mind :)

You’ll come away at the end with so much incredible knowledge, it’ll take days to process it all. Ok maybe not days, but hours for sure!

Tom Ortega, and Thomas Burleson are both great instructors, and crazy smart developers. Oh yeah and Keith Sutton of SilVaFUG will be doing some hands-on intro to PureMVC at the end of the day saturday.

We’re also working on lining someone up to do some Mate Hands-On.

If you’re looking to level up your skills, don’t miss 360|Flexpress in San Jose. Hands-On training, by pros.

Oh yeah, and Apress is sponsoring the training, we’ll have some great Apress/Friends of Ed Flex books to give away each day! Don’t miss it!

Register now! You won’t find a better price on 2 days of Hands-On training anywhere!

Tom and I are gonna do a one day, all day training event in San Jose at Ebay in November. Tom’s really excited to get a full day of training going on. He’s missed it, since moving to AZ and leaving behind SilVaFUG, and now deciding that training is his calling, it’s gonna rock!

We’ll be opening the registration ASAP, but if you’re in the Valley, keep the 7th open for an all day, Flex Hands-On training day, for only $149

See you at MAX! Remember you can pick up a ticket to 360|Flex San Jose 2010 if you find Tom and I at the 360|MAX Unconference.

Not going to MAX? Don’t miss out on the first 100 ticket sale. The first 100 tickets to 360|Flex are $499, and already they’re moving fast. Register now!