Mapendar is an attempt to radically redefine the calendar interface. It throws out the idea that the grid of little boxes is king, and replaces it with views into the location, flow, or content of your events. The map and photo views are novel enough, but my favorite aspect is the lifeline, a "piano roll" that shows events as they really are: stretching from past to future, zoomable from the minute-by-minute level to years at a time, related to other events on parallel lifelines. It all exists in mockups at the moment, but the concept is pretty compelling.

Lovendar serves to answer a different calendar question entirely: why should we care? People busy enough to require a calendar are probably too busy to keep it up-to-date, and people who have enough free time to take care of a calendar probably aren't doing enough to warrant it, right? Lovendar makes both those groups happy by suggesting ways to make time for the ones we love most... even ourselves.

Both projects have great promise, and I look forward to working on them at future Mash Pits. Maybe we can put one together in San Diego so I don't have to travel so far.