Time to commit

I know that committing to something can be tough, especially for something in the short term future. It's tough when you don't even know what you are doing tomorrow!

Well, for something as fun as the upcoming WEBMU 2011, this is a no-brainer. We are a bunch of expat bloggers getting together for a bit of chat and a laugh! This year the event is being held in Cologne around October.

There is poll up on the expat bloggers in Germany forum asking fellow bloggers to commit, this is mostly to get an idea of the numbers so that certain events can be booked.

If that has piqued your interest, head over the forum and show your commitment.

By the way, the details for WEBMU 2011 are

Location: Cologne

Date: 22 Oct - 23 Oct, however a kick off dinner is the Friday evening 21 Oct.

The forum also has a list of possible hotel options as well.

The Cologne host team Resident on Earth, MusikKöln Media, Futile Diatribes, TQE and Cheap as Chips will be posting a full agenda for the weekend, and I hear that there are some fantastic events planned :-)

Compact Calender Google Docs style, part 2

Since starting my attempts to port David Seah's Compact Calendar, and via David's blog note, the calender has gather some momentum and has moved onto version 5. Since that first version, it has obtained two main functionalities.

• It displays Month name automatically, thanks to Mike Kennedy excellent work.
• It calculates the ISO week number automatically. The week number is calculated using a script that I got from Markus Olsson.

By the way, the latest version of the Compact Calender spreadsheet is named "compactspreadsheet", a bit of a typo on my part.

If you want to some hints on how to use the compact calendar, head over the David Seah's site for some timely tips.

The one thing that I want to do is set it up so that when it is printed out, it fits correctly onto an A4 sheet of paper. Any hints? Anyone?

No more adsense

I have removed all the widgets that has to do with my blogs. It is quite frustrating to spend the time to set it up, and then to see it being unapproved. Anyway, there are better ways to to spend my time instead of mucking around with this. Goodbye adsense!

Compact Calender Google Docs style

I have always like the way David Seah designs his forms and documents. They are highly functional and I really feel organised when using them.

The first form that I used from David's suite of documents is his Compact Calendar. Being compact, you could print it out on an A4 sheet of paper and mark it up for some quick planning.

However, it is relies heavily on the way Excel works. My home computer does not have Excel installed and I rather not install it. It just cost a bomb to use it. The main spreadsheet that I am using it Google Spreadsheet.

I have open sourced my attempt to implement the Compact Calender on Google. There are still some more automation required. I have only ported about 20% of the Compact Calendar functionality. If you want to improve it, pleas feel free to download copy. Remember to share your improvements.

WEBMU 2011 accommodation options are up

If you are planning to visit Cologne around October 2011, and you are an expat blogger, why not consider meeting up with other expat bloggers at the annual WEBMU, 2011 edition. 

The Cologne host team Germany Doesn't Suck, Resident on Earth, MusikKöln Media, Futile Diatribes and Cheap as Chips, came up with a list of accommodation recommendations. The list consist of wide range optons, ranging from hostels to high end hotels, and also in a variety of locations around Cologne. It also has recommendations for different size travelling groups (singles, couples to family groups).

If you are interested, join in at the Expat Bloggers in Germany, be part of the fun.

WEBMU is scheduled to started on the weekend of 22 October 2011, but some items are being planned for the Friday 21 October 2011. Possible options are a shopping trip around the Belgian Quarter, a side trip to Aachen or a visit to Augustusburg and Falkenlust palaces of Brühl.

By the way, WEBMU is Whinny Expat Bloggers Meet Up, well we really get together for a fun time and experience a new city.

Bike ride to work

I have recently taken to riding my bike to work. Well, it is all together my decision. I recently lost my driver's license in a traffic offense (more about that in another post). Anyway, I live in Leichlingen and I work in Fuhlingen (a town just across the Rhine from Leverkusen).

In Leichlingen, I have noticed that there are many bike path signs. I thought great! but how do I plot a route from home to work or from work to home.

I initially tried to use Google Maps, but that only shows roads suitable for cars. Even so, the map is not that accurate. I mean, the street that I live on doesn't even have the correct name.

After some investigation on the net, I came across the rad route planner. 

There is an English version, but I found that the German version has much better features, and also not too bad to work out. Best of all, after you have decided on a route, you can download the path in a variety for format for usages in other applications such as Google Map or your GPS.

Update on WEBUM 2011

The planning for the 2011 edition of WEBUM is well on the way.  Let's do a quick recap on what is already planned.

Place: Cologne

Date:  22nd & 23rd of October 2011

Although the "official" dates are 22nd and 23rd, there will be some events planned for the Friday on the 21st as well.

 

The current poll is to decide what activity to do on the Friday. On offer we have either 

• the Augustusburg and Falkenlust palaces of Brühl
• the Old Town of Aachen

So if you are a non-local living in Germany and have a blog about anything, consider joining us at WEBUM 2011. More information the expat blogger.