#Wikimedia is at #FOSDEM

We Wikimedians took the bus to FOSDEM. This proved to be a problem for some, the bus was full. As the buses are driving again, we are sad to have left some people out in the cold.

We are here for many reasons, some are on their way to Pune, some are here because Fosdem is awesome and a place to be. Several of us is here to meet open source developers looking for challenges and one of us is looking for the best of them.

I am here at Fosdem to talk about languages and language support. I would love to connect to other projects who are oriented to the whole of the web and all its languages.

So when you are into language and language support, find me and talk to me.
Thanks,
     GerardM

#betacowork ; a great place to work in #Brussels

In time for #FOSDEM; #Wikimedia people were looking for a place to work, have great connectivity and talk shop. At BetaGroup Coworking we found a warm welcome, and experienced how its customers are provided with what they need. For us it was a white board and guess what, someone brought chocolate cake..

We found a quiet spot where we discussed the usability and the user interface of the Translate functionality. Having Jon Harald with us proved to be a boon. He did the project management for the Fundraiser localisations and brought us a large amount of observations and suggestions.

Having a white board allowed us to easily visualise our ideas and as easily replace them with something else, something better. Once we achieved a common understanding, Jon Harald's input was translated in a "user story" by Siebrand and this will eventually end up as more work for Niklas.

PS According to Jon Harald it is not cold ... not cold enough to wear a coat.
Thanks,
      GerardM

#wikilovesmonuments and there are plenty of them

The 2011 is going places; last year half the monuments of the Netherlands had their pictures taken and this year cameras are to be aimed at the monuments of Europe. There is a beautiful new logo, the planning is already under way for some time.

September is the month when everything will be ready and the current planning can be found on Commons. Obviously you can take pictures already but for these pictures to be part of the photo competition, they have to be uploaded in September.

Monuments are not only to be found in the countries with chapters. The fact that lists with monuments in Belgium are compiled is quite exciting. Then again, many people visit Belgium for fun, history and Trappist so why not bring a camera?

In the Netherlands Wiki loves Monuments will end with a conference in November, there will be presentations, prizes and the opportunity to meet fellow Wikimedians. I hope and expect that similar fun will be had in most of Europe.
Thanks,
       GerardM

Plan your #holidays with Wiki loves #Monuments in mind

When you are playing the tourist, it is nice to be on a mission, when you are not only moving about "because that is what you do" but  when your movements have a purpose. Wiki loves Monuments can give you such a purpose.

The Wikimedia chapters of Europe are working together in one big photo competition to document the architectural heritage of Europe. Some countries like Belgium do not take part because there is no Belgium chapter and others like Italy do not take part because their laws assume copyright of Italian monuments.

This Belgium problem can be solved by its Wikimedians.

Italy deserves a quite different response. Just do not go. Ignoring Italy as a travel destination because your pictures are not yours to license is quite appropriate. A solution may be found in cooperation with the regional authorities in Italy; when this allows us to ignore such silly dictates from Rome, you will find it amazing what the Italian country side has to offer.
Thanks,
       GerardM

Narayam II may even support the Latin #script

Typing with 10 fingers is a skill that makes using a computer so much easier. It is utterly frustrating when you have to use an AZERTY keyboard at Fosdem in Brussels. The keys are not where they should be and your ability is downgraded to the hunt and peck entry method.

Typing AZERTY is relatively straightforward; a small number of keys are positioned differently but all the keys are there. It is different for languages like Lingala where a word like Mbɔ́tɛ has characters you will not find on the US International keyboard. Seriously more difficult.

The InScript keyboard

At this time the Narayam extension is focusing on the languages and scripts of the Indic languages. When you consider that there are over 500 languages in India, you will appreciate that there is a lot of ground to cover. The last news is that Oriya and Sinhala are supported as well.

At this stage, Narayam expects the US International keyboard so the AZERTY keyboards are still safe for now from foreigners overlaying it with a keyboard layout they are comfortable with,
Thanks,
      GerardM