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Lewis Calendar Using PHP iCalendar

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PHP iCalendar

PHP iCalendar is a php-based iCal file parser. Its based on v2.0 of the IETF spec. It displays iCal files in a nice logical, clean manner with day, week, month, and year navigation, printer view, RSS-enabled, and searchable. It supports 12 languages, is fully theme-able, and has complete timezone support.

We are using this on the Lewis Elementary site to share our school calendar. Our school secretary is using the calendar tool in Mozilla to keep track of school events. The iCal file that is created is published to the calendar directory on the server and the pages are created by PHP iCalendar. It also creates RSS files in daily, weekly and monthly format. Using the weekly RSS feed, we are also able to automatically post events for the current week on the main web page.

Personal Broadcasting: Commuting Thoughts

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WATCH this video

Here's my thoughts recorded on the new Nokia 7610 loaned to me by Christian Lindholm (THANKS!). It's a 6MB video in 3GP format - you'll need the latest version of Quicktime to view it. [Russell Beattie Notebook]

Russell Beattie posts from a new Nokia 7610. A Quicktime video of Russell driving to work and discussing phone cameras and moblogging. This new cameraphone from Nokia looks pretty nice. The video quality is really pretty amazing.

SXSW Panel

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Had the opportunity to take part in a panel at SXSW with Tom Hoffman, Kaye Trammel and Mike Sloan. The panel went well, but the best part was meeting Mike, Kaye (and her husband Mark, oh and Triumph the Dog too.. long story...) and connecting again with Tom Hoffman. Was a nice weekend in Austin. Will post more about sessions later, but wanted to note how good these folks are to work with. The panel went well. We actually had a few compliments from folks. Austin is a great city... was a nice time. I look forward to working with Tom, Kaye, and Mike again in the future.

SXSW Photography and Power Issues...

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There is a "no photography or videotaping" policy for the sessions. If I had known, I wouldn't have lugged my Canon Digital Rebel with me...

There is also a $90 fine for using any of the power outlets in the halls or in the session rooms. What do they think we're going to do, plug Marshall amps into the power outlets and start playing in the halls?

Pretty blogger unfriendly...

[Joi Ito's Web]

Several folks are talking about the use of the power outlets. I must say I didn't hear anything about it until tonight and only after reading the SXSW Community Blog and Joi Ito's site. Not exactly sure what the problem can be... Am glad I didn't get fined... :-) Concurrently at the Austin Convention Center, The Texas Home and Garden Show is taking place. Wonder if they let them use any water?

I noticed the no photography sign that Ito posted about later in the day. I didn't see it in the morning session when Werbach spoke.

One thing I did see was about 15 folks using flash cameras during the session. Am thinking it may have more to do with speakers getting tired of folks having flash cameras going off in their faces than anything else. But am thinking a sign just telling folks not to use flash photography should be enough.

One sign I did see that made me laugh was the sign indicating that the Smoking Balcony (designated smoking area) was sponsored by National American Spirit Tobacco. Maybe next year the escalator will be sponsored by Otis...

Joe's Back...

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Almost two months without a post although I have been skimming my favorite weblogs via my aggreagator on a daily basis. The new small schools in NYC have just been announced so here's my explanation of where I've been during the past few months. My school proposal was finally approved and we'll be opening our doors in September 2004 with 100 ninth grade students. I'm thrilled, exhausted, and eager to move forward to September. An incredible amount of work has gone into this since last fall but we've really just crossed the starting line. Our first task is to sprint... [Brooklyn BloggEd]

Congratulations Joe...

SXSW Geekout...

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SXSW /geekoutThe folks at SXSW have a page that highlights all the "cool" things they have done this year to make the conference more accessable and frankly just fun.

Calendar Apps...
For example, if you use calendar applications such as iCal or Mozilla Calendar, you can create personalized calendars of chosen events right from the SXSW website. Each event page has a link to add selected events to your personalized calendar.

Live Audio Streams from SXSW 2004
SXSW will be streaming a live audio feed from interviews being conducted on the exhibit floor. These will also be archived too. During the evenings of the Music Festival, SXSW will be providing live audio streams from approximately 10 music venues.

iTunes Shared Playlists over FREE Wi-Fi
SXSW is sharing their playlist of over 600 songs by SXSW Music Festival Showcasing Artists to WiFi users running iTunes at selected Austin-area wireless hotspots.

Also of note is that the ID badges have RFID chips...

Post From an AlphaSmart Dana

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dana.jpg I'm making this post from an Alphasmart Dana. It is a small Palm OS powered device with a keyboard and grayscale screen. This particular model has wireless capabilities so I'm giving it a try as a blogging device.

The browser that comes with it leaves quite a bit to be desired. The form factor, rechargeable battery and relative durability make it an intriguing device for use in the school environment. Like I mentioned the browser that comes with is really not very good. Also the device is running an older processor, so it a bit slow. I am going to take a look around and download a few other Palm OS browsers and see how they work.