Get your cool unofficial Centaur t-shirt for $20 from centaurshirt.com.

FOX News Live Stream is an AIR application that provides 12 simultaneous news streams, and desktop alerts to notify you every time a new stream starts.

Flash Player Product Manager Emmy Huang has weighed in on Flash Player download numbers and more. This one is a very interesting read.

ColdFusion Product Marketing Manager Kristen Schofield has announced that government agencies can get 20% off the price of ColdFusion 8 through the end of October 2008.

Acrobat 9 supports the embedding of Flash/Flex based SWF files within PDF documents. In addition to supporting SWF playback, this capability exposes functionality found only in Acrobat, as explained in this post by Acrobat Technical Evangelist Joel Geraci.

A TechNote posted last week explains how to stream images in ColdFusion, and provides simple sample code.

In my prior post I introduced the basics of home automation via X10. X10 is not a new standard and specification, it has actually been around since the 1970s. And over that time is has not evolved much, if at all. X10 is incredibly popular, because of its simplicity and extensibility and low cost.

But X10 also has some very real problems:

• X10 signals are not 100% reliable and can be affected by other plugged-in devices. Erroneous and seemingly random signals are not uncommon, and are hard to truly eliminate.
• X10 signals lose their strength over distances, so the bigger your house the less reliable the signals. You can buy repeaters and signal boosters, but these are not perfect.
• X10 has a very limited address range, and if your next door neighbor gets into home automation you can end up bumping into each other. And the likelihood of this happening may be higher than you think. As such, you may need to install signal filtering on the AC feed to your house to block signals from passing in and out.
• Getting X10 signals to pass between the two electrical phases in a typical U.S. AC installation can be rather painful. There are bridges that can help with this, but their installation is not for the feint of heart, and they don't seem to work perfectly.
• But the biggest drawback to X10 is the poor error correction. X10 signals are kind of tossed over the wall, a broadcast, perhaps telling device F2 to turn on. But X10 does not provide a failsafe way to check that that the signal actually reached device F2, and that device F2 truly is on. So, while things usually work and work well, when they don't there is little you can do automatically or programatically.

Still, as already said X10 remains very popular because, well, for the most part it does indeed work. And it's cheap (at least to get started).

Over the years we've seen a variety of home automation technologies appear on the scene, and I've tinkered with most. But the one I've grown most impressed with, and have started to migrate to, is Insteon (created by SmartLabs). Insteon is relatively new (the first Insteon devices started appearing in mid-2005) and works much like X10 but with some very important differences:

• Insteon never suffers from signal loss because all devices are repeaters, so the more complex and sophisticated your home automation network, the stronger the signal.
• Insteon uses 3 byte device addresses, and devices have manufacturer defined addresses (a bit like NIC MAC addresses). So device addressing conflicts are a thing of the past.
• Insteon is a dual-mesh specification, featuring AC signaling like X10, but also supporting RF.
• Bridging the two AC phases with Insteon is easy, just plug one Access Point (a little white box) into any outlet on one phase and a second on any outlet on the other, and you're done. The Access Points have LEDs that will show you if they are wired correctly (on two different phases as opposed to the same phase), and you can just keep moving the second around until the LED indicates success. And as an added benefit, the Access Points act as signal repeaters and RF receivers. too.
• Most importantly, error detection and correction is built in. Devices can be easily queried, and simply publish their current state, and signals are automatically retransmitted if they were not correctly received.
• And best of all, Insteon is fully backwards compatible with X10. In fact, just about every Insteon device can also have an X10 address allowing them to respond to both signals, and most Insteon controllers can also send X10 commands, too. While not actually required by the Insteon specification, most Insteon device vendors seem to be providing X10 compatibility.
• Insteon is also much faster than X10, and thus the "inst" in Insteon.

Insteon is installed and configured in much the same way as X10 is. To install an Insteon switch you'd simply remove the original switch and replace it with the Insteon equivalent. Same for outlets, and any other devices. Addresses do not need to be defined, as every device has a preconfigured address (that is usually on a label on the device itself). Controllers can query the entire home network and find new devices automatically. And devices also identify themselves so controllers can respond intelligently (so that, for example, a switch used for fluorescent lighting that does not support dimming can identify itself so that controllers know not to try to send it dimming commands).

The biggest limitation with Insteon right now is that there are far fewer devices available for it than there are for X10. But, with X10 backward compatibility, that is less of an issue. For new installations you can buy X10 devices (realizing that you'll not get the same level of functionality obviously). And for those of us with significant investments in X10 already, Insteon provides a vastly superior home automation network while not requiring tossing out any existing devices. (Of course, if you are anything like me, you'll find it hard to resist replacing those existing X10 devices once you get used to the richer functionality of their Insteon counterparts).

In other words, to me, Insteon feels like what X10 should have been in the first place, and is thus the heir apparent to X10.

To learn more, visit the Insteon links above. And for the largest selection of Insteon (and X10) devices, visit Smarthome (use the Insteon and X10 categories on the top left).

In future posts I'll highlight some of my favorite devices, including my new all time favorite home automation controller.

As many of you know, I am a bit of a home automation nut, and for close to a decade I've been wiring and rewiring parts of my home, while tinkering with all sorts of gadgets (some very useful, some admittedly less so). Part of the appeal is the fun factor. But there is a very practical aspect to this as well.

For example, I have a large saltwater marine reef fish tank in my house (it sits in the wall between my office and the family room). A healthy reef tank needs reliable lighting, with different lights (and different intensities) at different times of the day - brightest simulated sunlight at midday, moonlights at night, and more. Water temperature needs to be monitored carefully, a sudden drastic rise in temperature is a surefire way to kill off soft corals (I know, I've had it happen). And more. And flipping all of those switches manually is a pain (especially with my travel schedule). And so the entire setup is automated. Daytime lights start to turn on at sunrise and are off by sunset, and moonlights are obviously the reverse. Temperature changes outside of a set range are immediately reported to me via SMS, and I can check the temperature from anywhere in the world at any time. Even water leaks or overflows (a real concern when you have close to three hundred gallons of water being pumped around your house) trigger immediate alarms and notification (and will soon automatically activate cutoff valves). You get the idea.

So, how does this all work? Over the years I have played with a variety of home automation technologies, but have ended up sticking with X10. If you've not run into X10 before, here's what you need to know. The technology has been around for over three decades, and it is popular because it is easy to use, very flexible, and pretty cheap, too.

X10 works by allowing you to send signals over your house electrical wiring. To turn a switch on or an outlet off, you simply send a message over the AC wiring specifying the switch or outlet address, and the instruction. The appeal of X10 is that it needs no special wiring or data lines or anything like that. X10 commands are sent over the same electrical lines that the devices are already connected to.

Obviously, to make this work, you need switches and outlets and devices that are X10 compatible, and there are lots of these. Using standard wall light switches as an example, you'd buy an X10 replacement light switch, remove the existing one, and replace it with the X10 equivalent. The light switch would still function locally as it did before, but now it could also accept instructions sent over the same AC wiring that the switch is using to power the lights.

Every X10 device on your network must have an address, and X10 addresses are 1 byte long (or technically 2 sets of 4 bits), so a maximum of 255 devices can be connected at any given time. X10 devices do not come with preset addresses, and at setup time you pick the address you want for each device (and multiple devices can actually be given the same address, which can be a blessing and a curse). A command sent over the wire is then sent as address + 4 bit instruction code (3 for on, 11 for off, 15 for dim, and so on). Commands are usually sent by other devices. For example, if you want a light switch in one part of your house to control a light elsewhere, instead of having to run new wiring (and setting up 3-way switching) you could have the new light switch set up to send commands to another light switch, essentially creating a remote control of sorts.

Many home automation setups use large collections of switches and outlets and more all connected to each other. But where things become more interesting is when a controller is added to the mix. A controller lets you execute scheduled events, run through scripts in response to an action, activate entire scenes all at once (press a button on the wall marked "movie night" and the curtains close, lights dim, projector drops from ceiling, fireplace turns on, outside lights turn off to dissuade visitors ... you get the idea).

Which is exactly how my fish tank setup (among other things) is automated. I have a wall mounted controller that is powered by an AC feed and also sends back signals over that same feed. It allows one touch control, execution of timed events, and more.

The key is that home automation technologies like X10 allow you to break out of the simple "click this and that happens" mould. Instead, you get to mix and match triggers and their actions, using an ever growing array of triggers, and actions only limited by your imagination. And the array of X10 devices is truly remarkable. There are the obvious things, like switches and outlets and plug-in pass-through modules and keypads, to less obvious things like thermostats and motion sensors and security system integrators and irrigation system controls, to slightly more obscure devices like gas and water valves and curtain/shade openers/closers, to all sorts of connectivity modules allowing connections to IP networks and RF and phone systems. And there's a whole lot more, too.

It's fun, it's easy, it's inexpensive, and it works. Usually.

Wow, this is my 3000th blog post! Many of the early posts were actually "Tip Of The Day" entries which I migrated to the blog when I brought it online. The earliest tip/post is dated September 15th, 2000 was was 2898 days ago, so almost a post a day for close to 8 years!

So, to the thousands of you who read and comment, thanks for the support! To HostMySite, thanks for keeping me up and running. And a special thank you to Ray Camden for BlogCFC.

Here's to thousands more!

Two positions this week:

• First Data (Memphis, TN) is looking for a ColdFusion developer. Requirements include 3+ years of ColdFusion and Microsoft SQL Server, including stored procedure use. Familiarity with ColdSpring, Flex, .NET, or JSP experience preferred. Details posted online (refer to requisition 4045).
• National Institutes of Health (Bethesda, MD) is looking for a senior ColdFusion developer with Oracle skills. Details posted online via Digicon.

Mike Kavis, Chief Architect at Information Technology Toolbox, has written a comprehensive and balanced analysis of Flex/Flash versus Silverlight entitled The Battle for the RIA Throne: Flex vs. Silverlight.

Students, here's your chance to help promote Adobe RIA products and technologies on campus, while earning recognition, access to events, funding for activities, and more. How? By becoming an Adobe Student Rep. Details on the Flex Team Blog.

Luis Majano has announced a contest in which one person can win free ColdBox training at the October ColdBox seminar in Dallas, TX.

GlobeSmart is a web-based tool providing business personnel with quick and easy access to extensive and frequently updated knowledge on how to conduct business effectively with people from countries around the world. From business meeting etiquette and expectations to local tipping to common greetings to understanding local attitudes and sensitivities to conversational dos and don'ts to local currency and electricity requirements to internal travel options and much more, GlobeSmart is used by business travelers to prepare for and successfully conduct business trips to countries the world over. And GlobeSmart is powered entirely by ColdFusion.

Just a reminder, MAX U.S. Early Bird Pricing knocks $200 of the regular price of an event pass, and you have less than two weeks left to sign up at this discounted price. MAX U.S. Early Bird Pricing ends August 31st. Sign up now!

ColdFusion On Wheels is the ColdFusion community's response to Ruby On Rails. And version 0.8 (featuring Oracle support, composite key support, and bug fixes) has now been released. Thanks to Chris Peters for bringing this to my attention, and to Per Djurner who is the primary developer on this update.

Fellow Adobe Platform Evangelist Lee Brimelow has written an article for Adobe Developer Connection entitled Six reasons to use ActionScript 3.0. This one is a quick and useful read (the links at the bottom are very useful, too).

BFusion & BFlex offers two days of hands-on ColdFusion and Flex training for free! The events will be in held in Bloomington, IN, with BFusion covering ColdFusion on Saturday, September 6th, 2008, and BFlex covering Flex on Sunday, September 7th, 2008. Fellow Adobe Platform Evangelist Adam Lehman will be attending.

BOFs (Birds-of-a-Feather Sessions) are informal MAX get togethers, a chance to meet, chat, share, and learn in a less structured and highly interactive environment. We host dozens of BOFs each year, from the ever popular "Meet The Team" sessions, to technical in depth chats on highly specific subjects, to brainstorming sessions around all sorts of technologies, and much more. And once again, we are inviting you to suggest BOF topics. Here's the form.

Dave McAllister is Adobe's resident open initiatives and standards guru, and last night he posted some thoughts on the announcement by the Ecma International Technical Committee 39 (TC39) regarding future work on the ECMAScript standard, and the implications for ActionScript.

I previously mentioned that I'd be presenting a MegaLab session at MAX this year. The session is titled Getting Started with Real-Time Flex and AIR via LiveCycle Data Services, and it'll be a massive bring-your-own-laptop hands-on event where we'll build Flex and AIR apps powered by LiveCycle Data Services, BlazeDS, and ColdFusion. The idea is to give you first-hand experience building apps that leverage messaging, push, data synchronization, online/offline processing, and more. We'll make sure your laptop is configured and ready to go (you'll get setup instructions a few weeks before MAX, and we'll have techies present on the day to help you, too), and you'll walk away with knowledge, and a fully working environment of your own. Fun stuff!

But, as we've started to plan the content, we've determined that 90 minutes is just not enough time, and so the MegaLab sessions (all three, including mine) are now 3 hours long! (Well, 3 1/2 hours actually, but we'll give you a 30 minute break in the middle).

The MegaLab room will accommodate at least 200 attendees, so there will be plenty space for you and your laptop. But, these sessions are already being signed up for, so don't miss out on this MAX first, and register now!

San Diego Department of Child Support Services (SDDCSS) has been using ColdFusion for years, and they have built and deployed innovative systems that truly do make a difference in the lives of children and their families. They've now built a new version of their solution, this time using ColdFusion and LiveCycle Data Services on the backend, and Flex and AIR on the client.

SearchSOA.com is running a story on this project entitled Adobe Integrated Runtime (AIR) melds with ColdFusion - builds calendaring system for child services agency, and explains in detail why ColdFusion was chosen, why it is still the platform of choice, and how ColdFusion is being used in conjunction with AIR and Flex.

Mike Chambers has posted an entry on getting started with AIR on Linux.

The Adobe MAX Japan 2009 site is live (in Japanese, of course). Registration and session info will be posted shortly.

Adobe and EffectiveUI are sponsoring a contest on ScaleNine.com named Skin to Win Challenge. You need to create a skin for Flex, and could win a MacBook Air (with SSD), a copy of Adobe CS3 Master Suite, a copy of Adobe Flex Builder 3 Pro, and a ticket to Adobe MAX. The deadline is October 10th, 2008, and details are posted online (as is a gallery of skin examples).