NikFletcher
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Happening leverages Yahoo events search for your iPhone
It's a little bit odd that there's no official iPhone app for Yahoo's Upcoming service. With community-contributed event listings sorted and searchable by location, there's a natural fit between Upcoming and the iPhone -- yet there's nothing from the big Y! in the App Store for this service. (Not to say they're asleep at the wheel -- the Yahoo! Entertainment app for iPad is a delight.) Good thing, then, that there's Nik Fletcher. The UK-based developer (and former TUAW blogger) has released the US$1.99 Happening app, which delivers all of the Upcoming events for your locale in an easy and manageable app. You can search for events by name or by venue, and if you sign in to your Upcoming account, you can RSVP for events or keep track of which friends are attending the same shindig. Venues are displayed with in-app map support, and you can jump out to the full Maps app for directions. Obviously, if Upcoming doesn't have much goin' on in your vicinity, the app won't do you much good; you can add your own events at upcoming.yahoo.com, though, and populate the party. Earlier this week, Happening was cited as one of 10 "beautiful and usable" iPhone/iPad apps by Mashable, and it's true; the app has a lovely look to it. Nik promises improvements in upcoming builds, including event sharing via Twitter. If you're looking for something fun to do near you, check it out.
Well hello there!
Greetings, TUAW readers. England calling! It's great to be here, writing alongside a great team of Apple-loving bloggers. Eagle-eyed readers may notice that I'm joining from Download Squad just like fellow newcomer Lisa Hoover, and boy am I excited. Us Europeans, whilst lacking the iPhone, iTunes Video Store and the (relative) inexpense of Apple products, love our Apple kit just as much as the rest of the world, so you can imagine my reaction at being offered the chance of writing for the motley crew fine folks here at TUAW.I look forward to seeing where the next year takes us - and playing a part in bringing you all the greatest things to do with your Apple gear!Disclosure: I am a free-lance contractor with a company whose product has been covered on TUAW in the past. Readers should also be aware that there are impartiality clauses we agree to adhere to as part of our contracts on ANY Weblogs Inc property.
An AppleScript for automatically opening WWDC '07 news sites
While we unfortunately won't have anyone liveblogging Steve Jobs' WWDC '07 keynote tomorrow morning, that doesn't mean we won't help you track down who will. Nik Fletcher has created an AppleScript that will automatically open nine - count 'em, nine - news sites and blogs that will be covering tomorrow's keynote and the rest of the WWDC 07 events in separate tabs of your default browser. He even includes a quick tip for those using Safari who haven't enabled tabbed browsing since - even still on 10.4 Tiger - Apple hasn't switched on this revolutionary feature by default.The nine sites Nik included in the AppleScript are as follows: Engadget MacRumors Live MacDailyNews (sigh, I know, but hey) AppleGazette Ars Technica Gizmodo Slashgear LoopRumors Apple Matters Of course, I link Nik's script with a bit of advice: be kind to these sites. The more we all furiously pound that refresh button on any site covering such a major event, the more likely the site is to buckle under insane traffic and stop being able to serve up the very news you're looking for. Be sure to read up on how each site is running the show and abide by their rules so we all can join in on the party, even if we have to watch from far away.
