And Flashmagazine has the scoop - Flash MX 2004 announced

Among the news: Flv streaming directly from Flash, and Flash MX 2004 forks into two programs. One "regular" version, and one professional. The professional comes with some extra features.

More info over at Flashmagazine.com, they also have the 411 on the Studio MX 2004 news.

ActionScript.com launched their ActionScript Reference library this week. Complete with user contributed notes. Its a joint venture between several Flash resource sites, and many of the top ActionScripers in the community.

Building a reference for ActionScript has been something that the community has talked about for many years, and Macromedia has failed to deliver the reference resource so many developers and designers have been wanting for.

True, Macromedia have their ActionScript Dictionary, but that reference is both unsearchable and un-noted. Not allowing for user feedback to the dictionary is a strange move from a company that in all other aspects seems connected to the Flash developer community.

My best guess: If ActionScript.com manages to pull together the community to make a good resource, expect to see it picked up by MM at some point. OR, MM might just realize how lacking their own dictionary is today, and make a better resource for the developers.

Couldn't resist linking to this article: Wired News: Aggregators Attack Info Overload

[Via JD on MX]

Good article at Trendwatching.com:

Companies 'googling' their customers to offer them personalized services.

I'll come right out and say it: I am using Google in that way already, and have been for a while. Mostly because I am a curious fscker. Now I have a good reason to quote if anyone wonders why I am reading up on them ;-)

Seriously though, I can see the benefit in this. So to my next hotel: I like seaside views, English breakfasts and comfy beds. *g*

[Via A Whole Lotta Nothing]

This slashdot posting was really interesting. its brief look at the history of copyright, and the misuse of it. Slashdot: Copyright

The scary stuff for me, living outside the US, is how the process of weakening the established fair use is also affecting Europe and european countries.

[Via Waxpraxis]

Google Weblog: Big News! New Google Operator

So what is the big deal? The ~ operator adds the ability to search for synonyms of the keyword marked with the "~".

Example: weblog help and weblog ~help

According to the Google Blog the ~ character was chosen because it's shorthand for approximate and a good way for users to express their wish to expand searches to include synonyms.

More information at Google's search help

[Via Google Blog]

If you follow the flash blogs, you would have had a hard time missing the launch of the public beta of the next Flash player.

It seems we are in for a lot of sites coming and going with unofficial information about the player, as well as drips of information from the Macromedian bloggers.

One of the key new features is that the new player is self updating, a feature I know Macromedia has been more or less aware of was needed since Flash 5. Other news is improvement in general speed, as well as better video performance. Another neat feature in Flash 7 is that the mouse wheel will finally work in text fields without any extra scripting.

You can be sure other news will trickle out of Macromedia as the launch gets closer.

Here is some of the buzz collected for your convenience:

Macrofun:
IMG tag in Flash 7

Macromedian blogger John Dowdell:
Flash Player 7 Public Beta

Flashmagazine:
Flash Player 7 Public Beta!
FP7 show massive speed increase

Actionscript.com:
Flash Player 7 Available, Now

Flashcoders list:
Thread about Flash 7

Oscar Trelles:
Flash 7 beta: Early findings

Feel free to let me know about other Flash 7 information sources I should link to. Especially if they contain information I haven't posted here.

BTW: I know about some unofficial lists of functions in Flash 7, but I am guessing that is not something MM want floating around, so I'll keep my mouth shut for now. :-) Best hint for finding out new cool stuff in Flash 7 is to keep your ear on the various Flash mailing lists.

[Update 22.41 CET]
- Added a new link on top of the buzz links, to Macrofun with information about the inclusion of a image tag (<img>) in Flash 7.
- Sebastian Deutsch gives us a tip about a Flash movie he has made that lists all the new functions in Flash 7. Check it out in the comments section.

[Update 2003-08-07]
C|net has picked up on the public beta of the Flash 7 player. About time ;-)