BFusion/BFlex 2010

BFlex to return in 2012

I am writing to let you know that due to a number of factors internal to Indiana University we are not going to be able to pull off BFusion/BFlex this year. Our initial goal was to hold the event in late October/early November but my employer, IU's central IT organization is undergoing a tremendous amount of change this summer including moving into a new building, internal reorganization of our event support and communication staff and integrating our regional campuses. None of us have the bandwidth to drive the BFlex ship through those deep waves. 

On the bright side we've been asked to ensure it is on the calendar of the events for next year. We will still look to hold it deeper in the school year than we did in past years because of a desire to get greater student participation. While we don't have a set date, we will shoot for sometime in that late October/early November timeframe. We have some ideas of how to reformat it to include mobile development and more design. Stay tuned and, when the time comes, get involved.

I apologize for not getting word out about this sooner. My preference is to proactively inform rather than to play catch up with the inquiries sent in by friends of the event.

I strongly encourage those looking for a fix for low-cost Flex, ColdFusion, mobile, web, etc. fix with some hands-on sprinkled on the side, please check out NCDevCon run by Dan Wilson, respected BFusion/BFlex instructor and all-around good guy. I hear he puts on a great conference. 

Thank you to all who wrote in asking about the status of BFlex/BFusion this year. I'm glad to know that people liked it enough to miss it. We not only like it enough to keep it alive, but to see it grow. We hope to pull it off and hope you will all come and tell your friends.

Bob Flynn
Event Director, BFusion/BFlex
Monday, September 5, 2011

What is BFusion/BFlex?

BFusion/BFlex is no normal conference. It is a no-nonsense, learn-to-code* and learn-it-from-the-best event. Each day there are six full hours of hands-on training with the various technologies and techniques. You bring your computer and desire to learn and our excellent instructors challenge you to take your mind to new places.

On both days there are full-day tracks as well as individual sessions. Whether you are an experienced developer or don't know a variable from a loop there is something to meet each skill level*. The full-day tracks run the same schedule as the other sessions, but you stick with one instructor, dig deep, learn a lot and leave with a sense of accomplishment. There is also a full menu of individual 90-minute offerings at the intermediate and advanced levels to challenge even the most experienced attendee.

*This isn't all just right-brain code-monkey fare. At BFlex on Sunday there is a full-day track on Flash Catalyst. This amazing application lets the masters of the mysteries (to me, at least) of Illustrator, Photoshop and Fireworks take their creations right into the world of Rich Internet Applications.

Latest News

August 24, 2010
New BFusion/BFlex Website

You must think we're crazy for launching not only a new website but even a new URL just weeks before the conference. You're probably right, but it's not just because putting on an event like this drives one close to the edge of the cliff of sanity. We've got good reasons.

  1. This is a ColdFusion conference. It looks better having a CF-driven site.
  2. This is an Indiana University event. It looks better having an IU domain.
  3. This wonderful Mura CMS-driven site allows the speakers to update their own information, as well as that of their sessions, without having to drag me into it. Woo-hoo! (That's my favorite one.)
  4. We had a staffer willing to learn Mura, Shashi Penumarthy, and a speaker willing to teach Mura, the inimitable Steve Withington, and together they have put together a great site.

As magical as it is I still have to stay up half the night writing content. Can't someone invent a freeze-dried conference? Just add Red Bull... Perhaps not.

All of the hard work will be worth it when we gather on September 11 and visions of variables dance in our heads. We look forward to seeing everyone this year. Let us know what you think of the website. As late as it is (tonight) I'm sure you'll find plenty of typos. I know I can count on you to let me know.

Speaking of let me know, don't forget to grab your blog bling and spread the word about BFusion/BFlex. Tell you friends to register. If you haven't registered yet, what are you don't reading this?? It's the link in the top nav on the right end. Don't delay!

Bob Flynn
Event Director, BFusion/BFlex

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August 22, 2010
A Lot Going On in Bloomington Around BF/BF

If you’ve been to BFusion/BFlex in the past you know that we keep you pretty busy, so you’ll think I’m nuts for suggesting more, but you’d throw things at me if you found out later that I kept this from you. So here we go:

  • You already know about the great sessions at BFusion/BFlex, but stay tuned for information on Saturday night BOFs as well. If you have an idea for a BOF you’d be willing to lead, drop me a line bob@bflex.info.
  • We are partnering this year with The Combine a tech conference in the days preceding BFusion/BFlex. It has a wonderful lineup of speakers and an eclectic schedule of events. If you would like to attend The Combine contact me (bob@bflex.info) and I’ll see if I can hook you up with a discount code.
  • You don’t have to be a participant in The Combine to take part in Ignite Bloomington 3. If you’ve never been to an Ignite event you should plan on going. They are 5 minute presentations of 20 slides. Slides advance automatically every 15 seconds. The topics are all over the place. The first one I attended had presentations on learning to read gang tag graffiti, the history of scotch whiskey and a proposal for a city-wide developers challenge. I missed the second one, but there was a presentation by young boy (aged 8?) about the items he keeps in his utility belt (think superhero utility belt). Ignite 3 takes place at 8pm on Friday, September 10th, the night before BFusion. It will be in Alumni Hall in the Indiana Memorial Union on the IU campus. If it is like previous Ignites, tickets are free. BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE. If you act NOW there is still time to submit your own proposal to give an Ignite presentation. According to this post you can submit proposals to present through 11:59pm tonight (Sunday, August 22). Sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. Just saw it on FB this morning.
  • Maybe a five minute presentation is just a bit too little, too passive for you. Maybe you want to get in the trenches and flex your Flex muscles, fuse your ColdFusion skills or flash your … well, you get the idea. This year BFusion/BFlex, in partnership with The Combine, is hosting Dev Derby! Dev Derby is a day-long programming challenge where teams of developers representing different programming languages—PHP, C#, Ruby, ColdFusion, and Java—work to create an application serving a real-world need. It is a full day commitment but prizes, glory and bragging rights await the worthy winners. ColdFusion guru Adam Haskell will be leading the CF team. If you’d like to be a part of his squad or, heaven forbid, one of the other teams please submit your name soon. It doesn’t say on the site, but I think they plan on closing applications at the end of the week. NOTE: We are working on a deal to let all Dev Derby participants into BFlex for free on Sunday so this is a great way to be a part of the BFusion/BFlex/Combine/Ignite/BOF/Free Love scene without any cost.
  • Lest you forget, this is a college town. There is a lot happening all the time, but of particular note is the opening festival for IU’s Themester. Live music, free food, crazed college students a week or two into the semester…what’s not to love about that? Themester is a cool concept. Check it out. This year’s theme is “sustain.ability”, something that is always important to the BF/BF staff.

Those of you who come to BFusion/BFlex know that I love to show off my town. Bloomington is a great town with a lot going for it. If none of the above tickles your fancy there is so much more. Check out the campus events calendar, the calendar of the world-renowned Jacob’s School of Music, the city events calendar (looks like you could catch David Bowie at the Movie in the Park) or the student news events calendar (Hmm, awesome local artist Krista Detor at the Buskirk Chumley Theater on Saturday). Yeah, we have too many calendars, but I want you to have too many options.

Obviously we’d love for you to come to BFusion/BFlex, but if you get here and there is just too much other stuff going on and you can’t make it by, we’ll understand. Just don’t forget to stop by the Chocolate Moose before you leave town. I’d be a terrible host if I didn’t insist on that!

Bob Flynn
Event Director, BFusion/BFlex

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August 16, 2010
BFusion/BFlex Registration Now Open

I am happy to report that we have opened registration for BFusion/BFlex 2010. Please go to https://www.confmanager.com/main.cfm?cid=2239 and register now. The first three registrations that come in after this post will receive an Adobe desk clock from me at the conference. I’ll announce the winners once I figure out the data from the IU Conferences Bureau. They are handling our registration this year. It’s a little funky, so go through it carefully, but it will get you there.

Please do not forget that the special rate for hotels ends this Wednesday, August 18. Do not delay on hotels any longer. See http://bflex.info/travel-information for details.

I will have more news in the coming days, including our BFlex Keynote speaker. He’s a newcomer to BFlex, but a very welcome addition. Stay tuned for that!

Bob Flynn
Event Director, BFusion/BFlex

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August 12, 2010
Hotel Extended, Call Ended, Website Appended

The red tape tango continues, but we think we are finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Here’s the latest news:

  • The schedules have been posted. See BFusion ‘10 and BFlex ‘10 in the navigation above. They are subject to change, but we are close to solid there.
  • The registration form was waiting on the schedules. Now that we have those done we’ll get that out the door tomorrow (8/13), or Monday (8/16) at the latest.
  • The hotel has been kind enough to extend our hotel discount block until Wednesday (8/18). See the Hotel & Travel page for details.
  • Our Call for Proposals deadline has passed. I’m leaving the details up for a few more days because we are looking for just the right piece to finish our BFlex schedule. If you’ve got something to teach. Let’s talk…
  • We’ve actually got a new website coming. Two of our instructors, Shashikant Penumarthy and Steve Withington are working hard to get us off of WordPress and onto ColdFusion-based Mura. When it’s ready we’ll redirect you. Don’t be too shocked with the new look.

That’s it for now. Stay tuned. We have much more to share once we are past all of this administrivia!

Bob Flynn
BFusion/BFlex Event Director

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