We got “hacked” and all of the site pages were nixed. Well, not an issue any longer. I got into the database and found the pages were changed to type=post vs type=page. A lil’ query magic and all of our pages are back!! Woo hoo! 
So, we’re in full force again. Meeting announcements will be posted here as they were previously.
Flex 3 and AIR are getting close to launch and in preparation, Kevin Hoyt from the Adobe Flex/AIR product team is traveling to select cities 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!
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Kevin Hoyt
Kevin Hoyt is a Platform Evangelist with Adobe. Passionate about engaging user experiences, you’ll most often find him meeting with customers, speaking at conferences, presenting online seminars, or just enjoying the chance to share ideas and brainstorm with other developers. When not on the road, Kevin enjoys spending time with his family, photography and general aviation.
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(for more info see http://www.gotoandstop.org/index.php/2008/01/10/2008-kick-off-meeting-adobe-flex-and-air-pre-release-tour/)
So, you may or may not know how these things go so I’ll peg out some of the specifics.
The winner gets a free piece of software from Adobe up to roughly $2500. Just 1 but this covers any of the suites (except Master) and even ColdFusion Standard.
The rules are simple…build the best whatever (where “whatever” will be defined shortly) and submit it prior to the deadline.
What is “whatever”?
With AIR getting SOOOOOOOOO much love lately….”whatever” == an AIR app.
Free software to whoever can build the best AIR app they can possibly build. There are no limitations on the product or content (keep it respectful). I’m going to invite people in and outside of the group to vote and the winner will be announce at our first meeting in January.
Also, if you finish early enough you can submit your app to MTV (if it involves their content, that is) and possibly win twice: http://www.mtv.com/partners/adobe/mtv_air_challenge/?source=TLD_adobe.mtv.com/.
The AIR app can be built with HTML/JS, Flex, or Flash. You do what you want to do and how you want to do it.
ANY QUESTIONS? NOPE? LET’S ROCK!!!!!!!!
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CORRECTION
I looked up the proper amount and it is $2100. Sorry about the extra $400.
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From Adobe:
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The name of the group is changing. Right now we’re FMUG.az which is short for Flash and Multimedia Users Group of Arizona. I’ve been wanting to change the name for a while now but simply never did for multiple reasons. Our new name is (drum roll………………………………………………………….): Arizona Flash Platform User Group! (horns blare) 
What better way to kick off the new name than to start a new list? Due to a lot of issues with Yahoo!, I made the decision to move to Google Groups weeks ago. I finally got around to it tonight. Everyone will receive an email shortly inviting them to the new group.
I’m really excited about this as it helps us 1) get an accurate member count and 2) solidify us as an official Flash Platform group vs merely a Flash group (which is usually matched with Flash (the IDE created swfs) vs all the Flash Platform brings us). I’ll update the site soon. Our domain is still going to be gotoandstop.org so no change there.
BIG NOTE:
This is in no way to step on the toes of PhFUG (http://www.phxflex.org/). They *are* the official Flex UG. You can still talk about Flex, Apollo, etc/whatever here. PhFUG is the official Flex UG.
So, to clarify…anything Flash Platform is a go (AIR, Flex, Flash CS3, Flash Lite, Flash Media Server, Flash Player, Captivate, Adobe Bridge extensions, etc, etc, etc). If it creates a swf, runs a swf, loads a swf, etc it is a go, as usual. HTML, CSS, Javascript, etc are all discussion options as well. Again, our conversation doesn’t change.
Look for the email shortly. Let’s get to chatting on the new list! Yahoo will stay open for a few more weeks (just to transition everyone).
Thanks all,
John C. Bland II