Your most clever uses for iCal

[annk]

A thread on keeping organized in the community forum got me thinking about iCal.

I didn´t use iCal until recently, but when I got a phone with a good screen and calender that can synch with iCal, I discovered how much I can use it for - especially when combined with the possibility to publish via .mac.

Separate calenders, alarm function etc are probably things everyone more or less knows about, but I wonder what other clever things people use the app for.

So - how do you use iCal? I´ll get the ball rolling:

1) Giving my coworkers a link to my work calender (we don´t have a calender function available for everyone at work).
2) Giving my son and his father (father lives elsewhere) a link to son´s calender.

 

[G99]

I have a workflow, that sends a kind of test mail to myself, to make sure my pop3 is working properly. I have the workflow set up to execute everyday, using iCal. This way, if I don't receive the email one day, I know I have a problem.

 

[iGary]

I publish my editorial calendars for the editors I work with so they can check and make sure we're on the same page with my deadlines.

Aside from that, I'm a heavy iCal user, but only for my own devices.

Does anyone know of a sunrise/sunset iCal subcription? I couldn't find one on iCal Share. It would be really handy for my photography work.

Thanks.

 

[pulsewidth947]

I use it at work to keep myself organised. I have a calender that I put equipment bookings on, it then publishes to our Xserve, and using PHPiCalender I can check bookings anywhere in the building.

At home I use iCalx to sync up reminders about eBay auctions, payment reminders, birthdays etc.

In short, I'm incredibly forgetful and unorganized, but iCal means that nobody knows. So my most clever use for iCal is keeping me employed

 

[gekko513]

I only use iCal for the occasional alarm to remind me about something.

I hate having a schedule.

 

[GilGrissom]

I'm also a fairly heavy iCal user, though sometimes I forget to use or update it!

I use it to publish my friends and myself's uni timetables to my website so they can view it online or subscribe to it themselves, keeps 'em organised, bless 'em!

I used it this Christmas to share my Advent Calendar contents with the world after a friend said he was surprised I wasn't doing it already! That was fun!

 

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

Not that clever, but I use it for remembering my (few) favourite regular TV shows, and whatever other shows I find at VG's TV schedule (Norwegian), where you can click the little

icons to import the vcs file into iCal.

I also have made calendars with week numbers, since Apple refuses to add that for us Europeans...

When I took several University courses I also published my calendars with lectures, colloquies and various deadlines, but since I only take one course this semester I haven't bothered.

I also use iCal to keep track of the freelance jobs I do, so I don't forget how many hours to charge...

 

[annk]

Not that clever, but I use it for remembering my (few) favourite regular TV shows, and whatever other shows I find at VG's TV schedule (Norwegian), where you can click the little

icons to import the vcs file into iCal.

I also have made calendars with week numbers, since Apple refuses to add that for us Europeans...

OMG, those week numbers are fantastic, I´ve really missed having those. Thank you for making them!!

And the TV-thing is pretty cool, too - I missed my favorite show last week, should´ve had an alarm via iCal

 

[Caitlyn]

I don't use it for every single thing I do. Like a work schedule or something. Those things are easy for me to remember. But things that I have planned months in advance, I put on iCal so that when the time comes, I can be reminded about a week in advance and have time to fit it into my schedule.

 

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

OMG, those week numbers are fantastic, I´ve really missed having those. Thank you for making them!!

No problem...

And the TV-thing is pretty cool, too - I missed my favorite show last week, should´ve had an alarm via iCal

I have lot's of issues with the "TV Guide": You need to set the alarm (to 1 or 5 minutes before, or whatever) yourself, and I don't like that they use "Home" for location in stead of the TV station, and use "you" as an attendee, and for some insane reason all entries seems to have times in GMT and not our time zone...

But apart from all that it's quite handy ().

 

[annk]

No problem...

I have lot's of issues with the "TV Guide": You need to set the alarm (to 1 or 5 minutes before, or whatever) yourself, and I don't like that they use "Home" for location in stead of the TV station, and use "you" as an attendee, and for some insane reason all entries seems to have times in GMT and not our time zone...

But apart from all that it's quite handy ().

I don't mind setting the alarm myself - it varies when I want to be reminded anyway, and home and attendee er ok too, but the time zone thing messes the whole thing up.

 

[wwooden]

I have about half a dozen programs that are always open on my iMac, iCal is one of them. You can probably guess the rest; iTunes, Safari, Adium, mail.

I have my class schedule in iCal, and I go through at the beginning of the semester and put in all my exams and other important dates ( such as presentations) and add a reminder for a several days before. My work schedule changes each week so I have update that. I also add when I want to do homework or study, doesn't always happen as planned, but it keeps me thinking about it. I have a misc. calendar for such things and "hair cut", "car oil change", "pay rent", etc. I have a gym calendar, sometimes I schedule to lift or play racquetball with a friend or if I am playing an intramural sports game.

I have several calendars I subscribe to, including US holidays, Red Sox schedule, XBox 360 games release dates, and now the weeknumbers from Mitthrawnuruodo.

I added a picture of what a typical iCal week can look like for me. There might be some spelling mistakes or abbreviations that don't make sense, but I understand it.

 

[GilGrissom]

...
I added a picture of what a typical iCal week can look like for me. There might be some spelling mistakes or abbreviations that don't make sense, but I understand it...

Wow, that is heavy usage.

Oh, and thanks for introducing me to Calendar Groups in iCal!! Never noticed them before!

 

[Applespider]

I synch my iCal to .mac and to my phone - makes it much easier to keep track of important events.

One thing that does bug me though is that if you synch your iCal to .mac, you have to have the subscribed address to find it again. The number of times that I've tried to check it from my .mac homepage only to find that the iCal link just tells me I can subscribe it but doesn't let me view it, argh!

 

[rumbletum]

Oh, and thanks for introducing me to Calendar Groups in iCal!! Never noticed them before!

Yeah, me too, that's going to be useful, thanks

 

[bense27]

I only use it because it tells me the date right on the dock icon. Easier than going to the dashboard.

 

[gekko513]

wwooden: How did you get that week number thing?

One other reason why I don't use iCal much is that it doesn't have week numbers and is therefore almost useless for discussing plans with others who use week numbers.

 

[annk]

wwooden: How did you get that week number thing?

One other reason why I don't use iCal much is that it doesn't have week numbers and is therefore almost useless for discussing plans with others who use week numbers.

A fellow Norwegian made them - just scroll up in this thread, or click here

 

[lanray]

quick question, and hopefully this isn't poor form...

my wife and I use iCal on different user "accounts" in Tiger. Is there anyway except .Mac that we can "sync" each other's schedules? Ideally, I could see her's and then hide it, and vice-versa.

That's very cool about having iCal send you an email. Very cool. I wish it could put my coffee on in the morning. I'm sure someone's done it.

 

[gekko513]

A fellow Norwegian made them - just scroll up in this thread, or click here

So much for paying attention to what other people post.

Thanks annk and thanks Mitthrawnoruodo!

But why does Apple refuse to include week numbers? It's so annoying. It makes me want to to quote a letter to theregister.co.uk:

INTOLERABLE!!!!!!!!!!!
ARRRRRGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrrRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
RAAAAWWWWRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dummy. (Or Dummies, in this case)

 

[annk]

quick question, and hopefully this isn't poor form...

my wife and I use iCal on different user "accounts" in Tiger. Is there anyway except .Mac that we can "sync" each other's schedules? Ideally, I could see her's and then hide it, and vice-versa.

Someone might know how to do this within the OS, but if you don´t mind relying on Internet to sych, and just don´t want to pay for .mac memberships, this (mentioned earlier today somewhere, in this thread or the staying organized thread) might be of use to you.

I haven´t tried it myself.

 

[lanray]

Someone might know how to do this within the OS, but if you don´t mind relying on Internet to sych, and just don´t want to pay for .mac memberships, this (mentioned earlier today somewhere, in this thread or the staying organized thread) might be of use to you.

I haven´t tried it myself.

That might be up our alley, but a native solution would be nice. I've been waiting to call Apple about this (first I need to set up my AppleCare - which I have to find under all the crap on my desk, which would probably benefit from the feature I'm hoping to find, etc.). Thanks, though, and will keep it in mind.