The official CFUnited 09 conference t shirts are here and we want to give a few away!

We want to know what your favorite ColdFusion 9 features are. Tweet your favorite CF 9 feature and why within 140 characters, and include hash tag #CFUnited-CF9. One winner will be picked at random each day. Contest begins today and will end the day before CFUnited begins on Tuesday Aug 11th. Start tweeting!

** If you don't use twitter and want to participate you can comment your favorite CF9 feature on the blog and we will pick one winner out of the comments next week.

This entry was posted on August 4, 2009 at 2:24 PM and has received 3437 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

What do alumni conference goers recommend? We've done research and interviews to find out how to make the most out of your experience and be the most prepared. Do you have any tips of your own?

1. Bring a lot of business cards and make sure to take home anyone's but your own.

2. Bring the right clothes. It is going to be a hot summer week. The Air conditioner will be running, but if you get cold easily, bring a light sweatshirt.

3. Have a list of numbers, addresses, and confirmation numbers in one place. try keeping it all in one envelope.

4. Leave time while at the conference to invite someone you meet to dinner or drinks.

5. Take notes about what you learn about in the sessions and feel free to share a link to your notes in the comments under each topic listed on the website.

6. Follow CFUnited and others to get the most out of the conference.

7. Sleep when you get homeýCFUnited is a huge and fantastic event, so make the most of it!

8. If you bring your laptop, find an area in the session rooms near the power strips. And feel free to use the workstation quiet rooms to work or answer emails privately.

9. Ask questions.

10. Drink lots of water. Keeping hydrated will keep you going day in and day out.

BONUS: Thank the conference/hotel staff. It helps to know how things are going.

This entry was posted on August 3, 2009 at 10:48 PM and has received 2880 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

Get together with other Tweeple at the CFUnited Tweetup! Everyone is invited, even non-CFUnited attendees! Taking place at the Stonewalls Tavern Bar in Lansdowne Resort at Thursday 10:30pm right after the Adobe Pool Party. Check out CFUnited attendees on twitter. More info coming soon so stay tuned.

This entry was posted on July 31, 2009 at 6:07 PM and has received 3438 views. There are currently 2 comments. Print this entry.

We recently reread the article on Fusion Authority that Ben Nadel wrote in 2007 about why he didn't attend CFUnited for many years.

Read how Ben overcame his fears and what his first time was like, plus tips for first time attendees at http://www.fusionauthority.com/reviews/4704-the-road-to-cfunited.htm

And thanks Ben for sharing your experience!

BTW, that was Ben's first year and we think Ben is doing really good for himself now. He's been nominated for several categories in the Community Achievement Awards and now he's even speaking this year! What could CFUnited do for your career?

This entry was posted on July 21, 2009 at 11:01 AM and has received 4233 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

Thank you Adobe and Adam Wayne Lehman for sending the list of topics today. We look forward to meeting the CF team!!

ColdFusion 9 and ColdFusion Builder Track and Topic Descriptions

Schedule of Topics:

Wednesday, August 12, 2009 - 1:30:00 PM
"ColdFusion 9: What's New" Adam Wayne Lehman

Wednesday, August 12, 2009 - 4:15:00 PM
"ColdFusion 9 & Flex 4: Application Development" Ryan Stewart

Thursday, August 13, 2009 - 8:30:00 AM
"ColdFusion Builder: Getting Started (Bring Your Laptop)" Bhakti Pingale & Dipanwita Sarkar

Thursday, August 13, 2009 - 9:45:00 AM
"ColdFusion 9 & AIR: Developing Offline Applications" Praveen Gupta

Thursday, August 13, 2009 - 2:00:00 PM
"ColdFusion 9: An Introduction to ORM" Terry Ryan

Thursday, August 13, 2009 - 3:15:00 PM
ColdFusion 9: Advanced ORM" Manju Kiran Pacchhipulusu

Thursday, August 13, 2009 - 4:45:00 PM
"ColdFusion 9 & LiveCycle ES: SOA Development" Greg Wilson

Friday, August 14, 2009 - 9:00:00 AM
"ColdFusion 9: JavaScript & AJAX Driven User Interfaces" Bhakti Pingale

Friday, August 14, 2009 - 10:15:00 AM
"ColdFusion 9: Working w/ MS Office, Sharepoint and Exchange" Hareni Venkatramanan & Terry Ryan

Friday, August 14, 2009 11:30:00 AM
"ColdFusion Builder: Building Extensions with CFML" Adam Wayne Lehman

Friday, August 14, 2009 - 1:30:00 PM
"ColdFusion 9: An Insider's Guide" Hemant Khandelwal

Friday, August 14, 2009 - 4:15:00 PM
"ColdFusion 9: Server Administration" Mike Collins


The plan is to definitely have these topics recorded via Connect for attendees to view at a later time so that you don't miss out on all the great topics.

Thank you Adobe!!

This entry was posted on July 20, 2009 at 5:55 PM and has received 11071 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

Hello Commuters!

See latest blog entry about the Shuttle schedule

Direction to Lansdowne Town Center:

The Lansdowne Town Center has various places to eat. If you have your own car, it is less than a mile away from the Resort. Start out: Lansdowne Resort, Turn RIGHT onto Woodridge Parkway, Turn LEFT at stop sign onto Lansdowne Boulevard, Turn RIGHT at the merge onto Riverside Parkway, Turn LEFT into shopping center.

Here are some of the Restaurants: Mariachi, Not Your Average Joes, Emelio's Pizza & Grill, Burapa Thai, Haagen Daas, The Dock, California Tortilla, Silk Road - Afghan Restaurant, Starbucks, and Panera Bread.

This entry was posted on July 18, 2009 at 12:04 PM and has received 3146 views. There are currently 12 comments. Print this entry.

Where is the best place to network after sessions? The Bar! Buy your new friend a drink and talk about the days lectures.

I have to admit that the Stonewalls Tavern was one of the features of this hotel that sold me. Its like the perfect bar. (Check out the virtual tour)

Worried about paying resort prices? CFUnited worked on getting Draft Beer prices that won't break the bank, mainly so you can buy your favorite speaker a nice cold beer and reward them for giving such an awesome presentation. ;-)

MENUS/DRINK PRICES

Stonewalls Tavern

Stonewalls casual setting is ideal for light fare and relaxation. Play some billiards and Nintendo Wii (1 control $5.00/hr), catch the game on our large-screen televisions, or just unwind by the fieldstone fireplace.

Hours

Monday - Sunday: 4:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.

Tuesday

Complimentary No Limit Texas Hold 'Em Tournament. Sign-up starts at 6:30 p.m. or dine prior to 6:30 and register early. We shuffle up and deal at 7:30.

Friday

Live Bands or DJ music beginning at 9:00 p.m.

No one under the age of 21 will be permitted inside Stonewalls Tavern without a parent or guardian. After 10:00 p.m. no one under the age of 21 will be permitted.

NOTE: Lansdowne Resort, including Stonewalls Tavern, is a smoke free Resort.

This entry was posted on July 16, 2009 at 5:11 PM and has received 3078 views. There are currently 1 comments. Print this entry.

Luis Majano - Computer Engineer currently employed at ESRI (Environmental Systems Research Institute) in Southern California. He was born in San Salvador, El Salvador and is the president of Ortus Solutions, a consulting firm specializing in Adobe ColdFusion & Java development. His background includes over 9 years of software development experience, architecture and system design. He is the creator of ColdBox (www.coldboxframework.com), an open source Object Oriented ColdFusion framework and is the Adobe ColdFusion user group manager for the Inland Empire. You can also read his blog at www.luismajano.com

CFUnited Class: CBOX-100 : Intro To ColdBox August 11, 2009 9:00am - 5:30pm

1. Have you spoken at CFUnited in the past? What would you tell someone who hasn't been to CFUnited before?

Yes, last year was my first CFUnited experience. I had never been to CFUnited before and I had a blast. It was an incredible conference and I know that this year will be no different. The conference is packed with lots of sessions and great time for networking and learning. If you have not been to a CFUnited before, I definitely encourage you to do so. In every little corner of the location you can find interesting topics and overall ColdFusion awesomeness.

2. Who should attend your session "CBOX-100: Intro to ColdBox"?

Intro to ColdBox is an intense 1-day training course that will get you started with ColdBox Application Development. This course focuses on the main aspects of ColdBox Development and it delivers a one-two punch in order to get you started in no time. The content materials are awesome and in book format, so you always have reference materials at hand. Not only that, the course comes with a set of exercise booklets and workshops that could keep you busy for at least 3 weeks. We also give you lots of schwag and an entire eclipse workstation already configured with lots of goodies. In other words, this course really gives you with a lot of materials in order to get your development in tip top shape.

The course curriculum can be found here: http://coldbox.org/index.cfm/courses/cbox100

3. Are there any pre requisites?

1. Lots of coffee!
2. Basic CFC knowledge
3. A laptop with a CFML Engine (Being political here)
4. The willingness to learn

4. What are some key points to take away from this class?

The main point to take away from this class is the general concept of what ColdBox can do for you or your business. You will get to see first-hand all the features and concepts that make ColdBox a next generation ColdFusion Development Platform. The second point is materials. I have spent more than 2 years preparing all the course materials, documentation, schwag, exercises and software. So you will be more than satisfied with the incredible amount of material you can take home, where the real learning really starts.

You can see some testimonials here: http://coldbox.org/index.cfm/training Or video testimonials here: http://coldbox.org/index.cfm/media

This entry was posted on July 16, 2009 at 2:30 PM and has received 4540 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

Ever wonder what you will be eating at a conference? The hotel has come up with a delicious menu and we want to share it with you.

Vegetarian and Kosher options will be delicious as well.

8/11- Pre-Conference Classes - Deli Style

Insalata Caprese with Ripe Summer Tomatoes and Fresh Mozzarella Cheese

Summer Vegetable Cobb Salad

Corn, Cucumbers, Mixed Greens, House-made Ranch Dressing

Premade Sandwiches:

Roasted Turkey Breast with Pesto Mayonnaise on Whole Wheat Potato Rolls

Slow Roasted Beef with Brie Cheese and Horseradish Spread on 3 foot long Ciabatta

Grilled Vegetable and Goat Cheese on Sun Dried Tomato Baguette

Strawberry Shortcake Display

Macerated Strawberries, Short Bread Biscuits, and Whipped Cream

Fresh Baked Rich Fudge Brownies

8/12 - Wednesday, First day of Main event - Mediterranean Style

Gemelli Pasta Salad with Grilled Vegetables, Roasted Pepper and Pesto Vinaigrette

Lansdowne Caesar Salad with Focaccia Croutons and our House made Dressing

Rosemary and Lemon Grilled Chicken Breast,

Grilled Mushrooms and Peppers, Balsamic and Herb Jus

Red Wine Braised Beef Short Ribs, Creamy Ricotta and Herb Polenta,

Citrus and Herb Gremolata

Orecchiette Pasta Baked with Vegetarian Sauce Putanesca and Feta Cheese

Chocolate Espresso Cake with Mocha Buttercream

Classic Tiramisu On the Rocks:

Ladyfingers, Whipped Mascarpone and a Reduction of Coffee and Kahlua

8/13 - Thursday, Second day of Main Event - BBQ Style

Bean and Vegetable Chili,

Fresh Baked Cornbread with Roasted Jalapenos and Cheddar Cheese

Red Bliss Potato Salad

Macaroni Salad

Slow Roasted Chicken Al Diablo, Roasted Tomato and Corn Salsa

Grilled Atlantic Salmon, Tequila Macerated Pineapple and Black Bean Salsa

Smoked Pork Loin, Grilled Peach Chutney, Riesling and Basil Vinaigrette

Baked Mac N Cheese with Grafton Cheddar Cheese

Sliced Watermelon and Fresh Fruit Salad in Honey and Mint

Warm Mixed Berry Cobbler with Streusel Topping

Pound cake Display with Assorted Toppings and Garnishes

8/14 - Friday, Third day of Main Event - Pan Asian Style

Lo Mein Noodle Salad with Napa Cabbage, Crunchy Vegetables,

Crushed Peanut Vinaigrette

Salad of Edamame, Marinated Tofu and Roasted Mushrooms,

on Baby Spinach with a Soy and Sesame Vinaigrette

Lemongrass Marinated Chicken, Toasted Peanuts and Fresh Herbs

Short Smoked Mahi Mahi, Miso Honey Glaze, Crispy Mushrooms and Leeks

Bulgogi Marinated Flank Style, Spicy Marinated Vegetable Pickles

Vegetable Fried Rice with Baby Bok Choy and Sugar Snap Peas

Coconut Rice Pudding

Ginger Infused Creme Brulee

Cinnamon and Orange Flavored Panna Cotta

Fortune Cookies

8/15 - This menu will be added soon. Possibly a Deli style lunch like the pre-conference classes

This entry was posted on July 15, 2009 at 4:34 PM and has received 3146 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

Its Demo Mania!!! (formerly known as "Demo Derby", but the name was misunderstood)

At CFUnited, on Friday August 14th, we will have a series of Demos from anyone in the community willing to show off their their cool app in 7 minutes or less.

Fill out this survey to enter. http://tinyurl.com/demomania-cfunited

Not everyone will be accepted but everyone will be mentioned

How your app makes it on stage: Must be new. Must be cool. Must be able to demo in a short amount of time.

Types of Projects include: Website Apps, Air Apps, iPhone Apps

Oh yeah, You must be attending the conference to enter and watch ;-)

http://tinyurl.com/demomania-cfunited

This entry was posted on July 14, 2009 at 8:19 PM and has received 3960 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.