The Open Screen Project has launched a YouTube channel, appropriately named openscreenproject's Channel . Initial videos are of projects funded by the OSP Fund.

MAX 2009 is just days away, and I hope to see you all in Los Angeles. But, if you can't join in person, you can still take part via MAX Online.

On October 5 and 6, MAX Online will feature MAX keynotes, streamed live, highlighting the newest and most exciting developments in the world of technology. Join us 10 minutes early and participate in the backstage behind the scenes action. And then check back each day by 8 P.M. PST, from October 5 to 7, to see the top session of the day from each track: Design, Develop, and Envision. You'll be able to view these sessions on demand on MAX Online and join the buzz by participating in the extended Twitter conversation.

On3 has announced the opening of an Adobe authorized training center in Denver, CO. Among the offerings are training on ColdFusion and Flex.

The new and greatly improved Adobe Cookbooks is now online. New features include:

• Many more products/technologies
• Improved navigation and search
• Recipe requests - for developers who can't find the code sample they are looking for
• Related recipes - that appear in a side bar of all recipe pages
• Cookbook Explorer - a visual display of top cookbook recipes and contributors
• New contributor recognition features - profile pics, links to blogs, links to community profiles

Mark Hamill, Luke Skywalker in the original Star Wars trilogy, will be helping co-host the MAX Awards at MAX this year. This one is going to be fun!

I've no idea how this reporter got the scoop on this one, but apparently he is claiming that an unnamed source has confirmed that we'll be showing a 3D version of select clips of James Cameron's Avatar at MAX, two months ahead of its official release in theaters. So, if you did not have a reason to attend MAX before, you do now!

Squiggly is a spell checker library for use with any text control in Flash and AIR applications. This is something lots of users have wanted for a long time, and Squiggly is now available to play with on Adobe Labs. This initial release is intended for use with English language dictionaries, but the plan is to support additional languages in the future.

As many of you know, this site was hacked last week, along with several other ColdFusion powered sites including Mike Dinowitz's House Of Fusion. The attackers found a vulnerability in Galleon which allowed for a file to be uploaded and executed. The actual uploaded file appears to be similar to (or the same as) the ones used in an FCK upload attack a while back, the attackers just found a new way to get it on to the server.

The hole was quickly plugged as soon as I was made aware of the attack. But, by then the damage was done. I started to do a manual repair (based on very detailed steps posted by Mike Dinowitz), but just did not have the time to commit to it. So, instead, I opted to do a full system restore to the day prior to the attack and then plug the holes before bringing the server online. The problem is that between being buried in MAX planning, flying back and forth between MI and CA, and then being offline for 2 days for Rosh Hashanah, I just ran out of time, and reluctantly opted to leave the server offline for a few days. Fortunately, that did not happen, and I was back online far quicker than that. I still need to get Google to unlist me as hosting malware, but that's a work in progress.

Now that I am back, I do need to make a few comments ...

First, lots of you e-mailed me to tell me that you were seeing malware warnings, and I really appreciate the heads-up from each and every one of you. The e-mails brought the issue to my attention quicker than I'd have discovered it myself.

Secondly, thanks to Mike Dinowitz for investing the time into figuring out the details of this attack, and then sharing so that others could benefit from his efforts.

Thirdly, thanks to Ray Camden for proactively reaching out with the hole details and for quickly and aggressively patching things up. I know Ray feels terrible about all of this, and I want to be very clear that I don't blame him at all. (I do, however, reserve the right to use this in the future as leverage when I need him to work on a project!).

And finally, I need to thank HostMySite. I've been hosting my sites with these guys since August 2004, and have always been satisfied with the service I receive. I've had no emergencies, and no major issues, everything just worked. But this time I needed their help, and they came through. When I called from an airport asking them to take all of my HTTP servers offline they did so within minutes. And when I asked them to do a full system restore for me, they initiated the process immediately. Unfortunately, they ran into a technical problem and had to restart the restore, and by the time it was done I was already offline for 2 days. But, HostMySite stepped up, brought the sites online, implemented all of my needed changes, reset a list of security settings that I had requested, tested things thoroughly ... and all without my involvement. This was more than they were required to do, and beyond what I had asked. Bottom line, the first time I really needed their support, they stepped up and took care of things. Thanks Michael, Randy, Duncan, and Lawrence, your assistance is greatly appreciated!

And now, it's back to our regularly scheduled programming.

Liz Frederick, everyone's favorite CFUnited host and coordinator, has announced that she is joining the Adobe community team. Welcome aboard Liz, we're glad to have you!

Google Webmaster Tools has created a page on how they work with Flash and other rich media files.

Regarding Flash, they say: "Google can now discover and index text content in SWF files of all kinds, including self-contained Flash websites and Flash gadgets such as buttons or menus. This includes all textual content visible to the user. Google supports common JavaScript techniques. In addition, we can now find and follow URLs embedded in Flash files. We'll crawl and index this content in the same way that we crawl and index other content on your site--you don't need to take any special action."

And what about Silverlight? Well: "Google can crawl and index the text content of Flash files, but we still have problems accessing the content of other rich media formats such as Silverlight ... In other words, even if we can crawl your content and it is in our index, it might be missing some text, content, or links."

Enough said!

Last year, for MAX 2008 we created four cool figurines, two were given out at MAX U.S. in San Francisco, and two at MAX Europe in Milan. There was Photoshop Cave-Painter, MAX the Explorer, Flash Builder-Chimp, and Flex Air-Bot. These are collectors items, and we'll not be giving them out at MAX this year (and likely never again).

But, one of my colleagues just told me that she found a whole case of these goodies, all in mint condition, and all in their Adobe MAX branded boxes. So, I'm going to give them away! Interested? Read on ...

Use the MAX Widget to record a MAX testimonial video. Tell the world why you attend MAX (or why you want to), and when your video is published we'll send you the complete set of 4 MAX figurines.

But, supplies are limited, and when they run out ...

A revamp of Adobe TV went live today. The UI is much cleaner, searching is imporoved, deep linking is better ...

But, best of all, the new Adobe TV (launched on 9/9/9) is one of the first public sites powered by the soon-to-be-released ColdFusion 9!

Phil has done it again, this time a great Monk inspired parody of Lee Brimelow's Dead Drops.

Steve Drucker is presenting a MAX 2009 pre-conference BYOL session on building AIR applications using HTML/CSS/JavaScript. Steve has just announced that he'll be presenting a dry-run of the content on September 15th in D.C.

Developer Shed has posted an article by Brian Rinaldi on ColdFusion 9 productivity enhancements entitled Adobe ColdFusion Just Got More RAD .

Three postings this week, one of which is for multiple developers:

• AGI Solutions (London, U.K.) is looking for a ColdFusion developer for a short term contract position. Fusebox experience preferred. E-Mail webmaster@uk.agimedia.com with "ColdFusion Contract" as the message subject.
• Unnamed client (Stratford, CT) is looking for a ColdFusion developer. Requirements include 2+ year of experience with ColdFusion MX or later, strong HTML skills, working knowledge of SQL Server and Oracle, and XML skills. Experience with .NET preferred. Please contact Nora Reid at recruiter Aquinas Consulting & Staffing Solutions.
• Weblinc (Philadelphia, PA) is looking for multiple ColdFusion developers. Requirements include Fusebox experience, as well as experience with SQL Server T-SQL. Details posted online.

We've never had special MAX 2009 pricing for students before, but the venue this year is so freaking huge, and there are so many students in the Greater Los Angeles area, that ...

Students can attend MAX 2009 for the discounted price of $199 for a full conference pass and $99 for a day pass! That's 80% off the full registration price.

To register, go to the MAX registration page, and use discount code STU691. And you will be required to provide valid student identification.

This is an incredible opportunity, so spread the word. Let's see hundreds, or thousands, of students at MAX this year!

Oh, and teachers are invited too, and should use discount code EDU966 to get the full conference pass for $995.

InformationWeek is running a story about how The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA, which provides IT services to the Department of Defense) is making its internally developed suite of administrative and workflow applications available to other government agencies as open source software. The Open Source Content Management Information System (OSCMIS) comprises more than 50 Web applications, including workforce management, automated workflow, learning management, balanced scorecard, and telework management. The applications are all built in ColdFusion, and going forward, DISA wants to encourage use of and training in ColdFusion, even starting with kids in high school to get them interested in software development as a career.

[Via Sean Corfield's Tweet]

Every year MAX hosts a party, and we usually keep the details secret until the day of the event. But not this year. Read on!

[What follows is a copy and paste, not my words]

Imagine having the hottest, newest entertainment complex in LA as your exclusive playground. This year's MAX Bash will be taking place at L.A. LIVE--the ultimate entertainment campus located in the center of the entertainment capital of the world. It is the premiere destination for dining, music, sports, and events offering an experience like no other. True entertainment is all about being center stage and this year's event will start at the center of it all--Nokia Plaza. Serving as the hub for the evening, the plaza will offer entertainment throughout the night under the stars and gigantic LED screen displays. From Nokia Plaza, you will be able to explore four unique venues offering something for everyone.

The GRAMMY Museum pays tribute to music's rich cultural history by exploring and celebrating the enduring legacies of all forms of music--the creative process, the art and technology of the recording process and the history of the premier recognition of excellence in recorded music. You won't want to miss Michael Jackson's outfits on display , or experience first-hand the challenge and satisfaction of making great music in touch-screen, interactive studios that take you inside a real recording process. This one-of-a-kind experience is engaging, educational, celebratory and inspirational.

Lucky Strike Lanes & Lounge blends bowling with a sleek atmosphere featuring music, lights and electronic art shows. There are 18 state-of-the-art lanes, a modern bar and lounge and pool tables to boot. Socks and shoes included!

Dubbed "The House of Blues for Latin music", the Conga Room is the quintessential club experience. Designed by the award-winning Belzberg Architects, The Conga room is a contemporary space that reflects the vibrant energies of Barcelona and Mexico City. It is designed to pay homage to Latino culture with a digital mural and a sculpture created by artist and Film Director, Sergio Arau. Take your turn at learning a few dances-- from salsa and tango to regional steps from around the world--or relax in the various lounges and enjoy the music and incredible surroundings.

Looking for the ultimate sports viewing environment or wanting to test your skills in interactive games and attractions? Then ESPN Zone is the place for you! Over 100 TV screens, arcade sports simulators and video games await you. Unlimited play cards will be distributed to all guests. Cards valid for Tuesday night only.

Yesterday I mentioned a post by Sarah Kelly on her thoughts on ColdFusion vs. PHP. Here's another post on the subject, John Whish on Why use ColdFusion?. Both posts are worth the read, but it's the comments that I find most interesting.

ColdFusion user Sarah Kelly has posted her thoughts on ColdFusion vs. PHP. And I think she nailed it, it's less an issue of which is better or worse, and more picking the right tool for the job. Nice post, Sarah!

FlexPMD is a new open source project that can help improve the quality of Flex applications by auditing source code to detect common bad practices. FlexPMD is a port of Java PMD, and is now on Adobe Labs.

You've go to be impressed with Liz and her crew, a mere few weeks after CFUnited 2009 she's opened registration for CFUnited 2010, even before dates have been nailed down!

MAX 2009 is just a few weeks away, and we're now accepting Birds-of-a-Feather (BOF) submissions. This year we're holding the BOFs at lunch time on all 3 days, so if you have an idea for a BOF, let us know.

Cumulative Hot Fix 3 for ColdFusion 8.0.1 has been released. Please read the details before applying.