Close
Enter your
text here

Technology

How to Plan for the Future
 How to Plan for the Future 1024 640 admin
By:

 

Nowadays, we are able to immediately satisfy our needs, whether it be same-day shipping or doing a quick online search to find the answer to whatever question we have. With this, we can forget the importance of planning for the future. In this Ted Talk, Ari Wallach gives us the proper tools to have the foresight to ensure that we can help make the world a better place in the next 10 to 15 years, and beyond.

Wallach suggests that we can better plan for the future by realizing our responsibility to help set up the future generations, rather than just focusing on ourselves. Next, there are many different “futures” that we can help become a reality if we put in the effort. Lastly, all of this is not possible if we think of the “future” as 5 years from now. Rather, we must think “30, 40, 50, 100 years ahead.”

This is an important shift in thinking, as many of us just try to find “sandbag solutions”: temporary fixes to our dilemmas. However, these do not fully fix our problems and leave the future no better than before.

With this in mind, we can take control of the future and not think about it as something that just washes over us. Rather, it is something we have full control of. We just need to widen the view of the world and our impact on others.

Watch Wallach’s Ted Talk below, and check out other talks at Ted.com.

link roundup, links, great articles, read, reading, articles to read
Link Roundup – Some Useful Links from Around the Web
 Link Roundup – Some Useful Links from Around the Web 1024 681 BRendine
By:

Need a Catchy Subject Line for Your Email? 10 Cool Ideas You Can Use

I was on Reddit the other day when this post caught my eye. How many times do you send an email to then call then person and say “Did you get my email?” Well here comes help! Take a look at this article to get the subject lines that will not only catch the recipient’s attention but also give them an incentive to open that email.

http://blog.bizzy.io/need-a-catchy-subject-line-for-email-10-cool-ideas-you-can-use/

 
The 5 Second Test

You have 5 seconds to capture a visitor to your website. Does your website stand up to the challenge?

https://www.reddit.com/r/Entrepreneur/comments/4y36hy/your_site_has_5_seconds_to_capture_a_visitors/

 

How to Grow Your Business Through Social Media

I was reading some articles the other day and came across this thread. It is a list of all the free tools out there to help you manage your social media outlets. Take a look, there are some really good comments in here..

https://www.reddit.com/r/Entrepreneur/comments/4ww3v4/how_to_grow_your_small_business_through_social/

 

6 Ways to Integrate Social Media and Influencer Marketing 

Ok, I’ll admit it, I went a little heavy with social media this week, but here is another great article about social media and different ways to leverage your marketing outlets.

http://www.socialmediatoday.com/marketing/6-ways-integrate-social-media-and-influencer-marketing

health, emotional well being, happify, stress, reduce stress
You Should Download the @Happify App Today…
 You Should Download the @Happify App Today… 1024 459 BRendine
By:

photo (1)

Challenge Accepted!

I then was asked a series of questions – presumably to gauge how Happy I am (or with some people – am not). Am I in a serious relationship – How many kids do I have – do I work – Is my life boring.

Now I am hooked but I have to sign up.

Once you are in, you choose a track. I’m not sure how to take this, but my suggested track is “Cope Better with Stress”. I’m now on my way to changing my mindset to make myself happier! The first game that comes up for me is a hot air balloon game where words appear on the hot air balloons and I have to click the positive words. This makes me take a step back and ask myself, do I normally focus on positive or negative words in life?

The next thing I do is check in on my weekly accomplishments. “You’re always obsessing about what you didn’t get done, but what about what you did pull off?”, Happify asks me. I then have a chance to list what I am grateful for from this past week.

Overall, with a variety of different tools, Happify challenges me to put the emphasis on the correct syllable` or syllable. It reminds me of a tool I took away from the book Mind Gym by Gary Mack. He tells his readers that the mind does not understand the word “NOT” and to prove this, he uses the following example: “Do NOT think of a pink elephant.”

I like the challenge that Happify has set for me and I think it is a great tool for the workplace to make sure that both you and your employees are putting the focus where the focus needs to be.

 

photo

podcasts, listen, drive to work, new, the nerdist, limetown, stuff you should know, myths and legends, how stuff works, chris hardwick
What to Listen to on Your Way to Work: Top Podcasts Reviewed
 What to Listen to on Your Way to Work: Top Podcasts Reviewed 960 640 Emilie
By:

I have to admit that I’ve never been interested in the idea of podcasts. It always seemed like an odd form of entertainment to me. If I was home, I would watch TV. If I was on a run, I would listen to music. And if I was driving, I would turn on the radio. But recently I had been struggling to motivate myself to go for my regular runs, so my one friend convinced me to try podcasts.

Shockingly enough, I fell in love with them. I now listen to podcasts every time I run: most likely looking like a lunatic to onlookers as I laugh along to each episode. I have learned to love podcasts because they provide a great and fun way to learn something new. Why not learn a little something extra as you go for a run or a ride in the car? Here are some top podcasts that you may want to listen along to during your next drive to work.

Limetown. Limetown is a fictional sci-fi series about the sudden disappearance of 300 people in Limetown, Tennessee, 10 years ago. The series bears resemblance to War of the Worlds, in that the show appears as a radio broadcast, produced by an American Public Radio (APR) reporter named Lia Haddock. The broadcast aims to sound as real as possible, and includes supposed tape recorded interviews, leaked 911 calls, and donation requests from the radio station. The show has great attention to detail in this regard, with lots of background sound effects and recording techniques, causing the listener to become very engaged in the story. The best part about Limetown is that it’s far more addicting than many other podcasts, and the fast paced nature of the story keeps you looking towards the next episode. Early in the series you learn that Limetown was built for vague and suspicious business purposes. Under threats on her life, Haddock seeks to learn more and more about Limetown to uncover survivors and the truth about the disappearance of an entire town. The downside of Limetown is it becomes less intriguing as the series progresses, losing some of the momentum of earlier episodes. However it is definitely a highlight of the various fictional podcasts. Check out the Limetown podcast here.

The Nerdist. The Nerdist is a podcast hosted by Chris Hardwick who has a blog by the same name. Soon after the podcast aired, The Nerdist TV show was also started, which was hosted by Hardwick and his two other frequent podcast co-hosts, Matt Mira and Jonah Ray. The show airs each week, and interviews incredibly interesting people like Tatiana Maslany of BBC’s Orphan Black, Mayim Bialik of The Big Bang Theory, Sir Patrick Stewart and Gary Oldman. Take a look at The Nerdist’s recent podcasts and interviews here. The show talks about essentially everything nerdy: from the most recent superhero movies (like Suicide Squad), to Pokemon Go, to fantasy TV shows like Game of Thrones. Hardwick, Mira, and Ray are all exceptionally funny, and can talk forever about pretty much nothing. The show is great whether you’re looking for your nerdist news, interviews of your famous comedians and actors, or simply some funny back and forth between these amazing hosts. Definitely the funniest podcast on this list, The Nerdist is also great for long car trips with its many lengthy episodes.

Stuff You Should Know. Stuff You Should Know is a podcast that was created by HowStuffWorks.com, that talks about every random piece of information that you may want to learn more about. Podcasts include explanations of Chaos Theory, Underground Mining, Gene Editing, and more. The podcast takes these complicated ideas and simplifies them to make them easily understood for all listeners. However, the podcast deals with less scientific ideas as well: such as mermaid lore and even unsolved murders. The best part about this podcast is it provides information about so many things: so that you truly feel like you’re gaining more information about the world around you. Additionally, you do not need to watch episodes in order for them to make sense, so you can pick and choose which topics appear more interesting to you. The podcasts’ hosts- Josh Clark and Charles Bryant- are actually learning about each of these topics before episodes (they are not bringing in experts) which means that they are forced to learn and reteach the information in a way that even non-experts can understand. The only downside is that the episodes can become a little long and rambling, and Clark and Bryant tend to get off topic. However, the podcast is  amusing, and the hosts do their best to understand the various topics. If you are naturally curious and love to learn random and interesting facts and theories, this is definitely the podcast for you. Learn more about Stuff You Should Know here.

Myths and Legends. The title of this podcast summarizes exactly what the show is about. Myths and Legends is a weekly podcast which teaches you the truth behind common myths and legends that you thought you knew. Episodes include information about the Knights of the Round Table, Aladdin, Thor, Hercules, Greek mythology, West African folklore, and much more. Episodes tend to be around 20-40 minutes long, although many of the stories are split between multiple podcasts. This makes it easy to listen to episodes when you have the time, without trying to listen to an hour long podcast in each sitting. The host, Jason Weiser, is clearly genuinely interested in these stories, which makes the listening experience far more rewarding. It also means that he provides small pieces of information about each myth that you wouldn’t have thought about otherwise. Weiser reports each episode in a very laidback, narrative tone, making it all the more entertaining when he makes small jokes throughout the episodes. Myths and Legends is perfect for those looking to learn a little more about the common stories that are still prevalent in the world today. Check out more information about Myths and Legends here.

netflix, tv, comedy, best, better of ted, dreamland, psych, don't trust the b in apartment 23, krysten ritter
The Best Netflix TV Comedies You Haven’t Watched
 The Best Netflix TV Comedies You Haven’t Watched 700 465 Emilie
By:

We all tend to get stuck re-watching the same TV shows over and over. It seems better to re-watch episodes of Parks and Recreation for the 8th time instead of trying some new show that you probably won’t even like. So we’re here to tell you about some of Netflix’s secret gems: the diamonds in the rough that few people have ever seen, but are sure to have you in stitches. Next time you’re relaxing with Netflix and wine, try one of these shows in between your clips of Aziz Ansari.

Dreamland

Dreamland is an Australian based version of your U.S. office comedies like Parks and Rec and The Office. It goes by the name Utopia in Australia, and it has won tons of awards including The Logie Awards Most Outstanding Comedy Program and Best Television Comedy Series from The Australian Film Institute. Celia Pacquola, who plays one of the main characters, also won The Australian Film Institute‘s award for Best Performance in a TV Comedy. The show looks at the workings of a new governmental agency called the “National Building Authority,” highlighting the ridiculous balance between out-of-touch high level executives, constant bureaucratic changes and incompetencies, and employees struggling to maintain sanity while actually completing their job. Dreamland does a better job at realistically and accurately highlighting bureaucratic frustrations than any U.S. office comedy that I have seen (despite my love for Parks and Rec and The Office). The show boasts a huge number of incredibly talented actors, and you will find yourself empathizing with their characters as they struggle with the pains, frustrations, and resigned exhaustion of office work. In fact, the only downside of Dreamland is that it is perhaps too accurate, and you may find yourself getting caught up in the frustrations felt by the show’s characters. Enough positives can’t be said about the talent within this show. It lasts 2 seasons (16 total episodes) all of which are located on Netflix.

Don’t Trust the B*** in Apartment 23

Don’t Trust the B*** in Apartment 23 features the incredibly talented Krysten Ritter, as well as Dreama Walker, and James Van Der Beek (who plays himself, as an actor struggling to regain fame since Dawson’s Creek). Ritter, who now stars in the Netflix original Jessica Jones is actually an impressively skilled comedy actress as well. The show focuses on Ritter’s character, Chloe, who makes money by taking the first and last month’s rent of potential housemates, and then acting as such a poor housemate that roommates leave despite the massive amount of funds they have left with party-girl Chloe. Walker plays an innocent country sweetheart named June, who moves to the city to find success in banking. June is startled upon learning Chloe’s true nature, but soon manages to enjoy living with such a fun and adventurous roommate. The show revolves around Chloe and June’s adventures: the jokes are quick, frequent, and often unexpected due to Chloe’s unpredictable nature and lack of a moral compass. If you’re looking for a comedy that doesn’t take itself too seriously, with fast paced jokes, frequent laughs, and blunt, odd humor, this is definitely the show for you. The show lasts 2 seasons, with 26 total episodes, all of which can be found on Netflix.

Better Off Ted

Better Off Ted is an offbeat comedy which was aired for 2 seasons (with a total of 26 episodes). It is honestly shocking that the show lasted as long as it did due to the incredibly odd nature of the show. However, if you enjoy such offbeat comedy, this show really hits the nail on the head. It follows the workings of an innovative science company which produces everything from explosive pumpkins to beef without cows to freezing their employees. The easy-going main character, Ted (played by Jay Harrington), is loved by all of his employees, including his secretary Linda (played be Andrea Anders). In fact, Ted and Linda act as love interests throughout the show, but Ted decides not to pursue Linda because he has used up his “one office affair” on his shrewd and callous boss, Veronica (Portia de Rossi). de Rossi plays a phenomenal boss: who pairs an uncaring demeanor with an extreme love and joy for bureaucratic manipulation. The show is absolutely ridiculous and not at all afraid to embrace the weird.

Grace and Frankie

Grace and Frankie is a Netflix original series that stars Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin as their characters struggle with single life, after discovering that their husbands are in love with one another. They find out that their husbands have been hiding their homosexuality, along with their relationship with one another, for 20 years. I cannot say enough about the performances of Fonda and Tomlin in this Netflix series. Fonda plays an uptight socialite, and Tomlin plays a peace-loving, drug-using, vegetarian hippie. The two actresses have a beautiful back and forth- communicating facial expressions and exchanging lines with perfection and ease. Additionally, Sam Waterston and Martin Sheen give spectacular performances as Grace and Frankie’s husbands- Sol and Robert. The most impressive thing about this show is that it would be easy for the writers to maintain it solely as a comedy. However, while the show operates primarily as a comedy, it addresses the difficulties that these couples go through as they leave their life partners of 40 years, learn a new relationship late in life, and struggle to bring the children of two families together. The show is filled with intimate, sincere, and heart wrenching moments. Its astounding how one episode can bring you close to tears, but also have you laughing out loud over and over.

Psych

It still shocks me how few people have watched Psych. It bears a lot of similarities to common popular sitcoms, and is 8 seasons long, all of which can be found on Netflix. With quick wit, out of the box jokes, and clever main characters, Psych is the most underrated binge-able comedy on Netflix. The show focuses on main character Shawn Spencer (James Roday), who’s only talent is his hyper-observancy and ability to manipulate nearly anyone. Unable to ever hold down a job of interest, he partners up with his long-time buddy from childhood, Gus Guster (Dule Hill) and convinces the Santa Barbara Police Department that he is a psychic. He proceeds to act as a psychic detective consultant for the SBPD, solving the weirdest cases that one could imagine. Don’t be confused, this is certainly not your usual police detective show. It is first and foremost a comedy, and is incredibly offbeat. The psychic pair proceed to solve cases with fake werewolves, a serial killer who steals ideas from Hitchcock movies, shark attacks that are actually murders, rollerblading robberies, sorority ghost stories, and much more. Give the show a few episodes to hit its groove, and you won’t be sorry. Psych is filled with tons of actors and actresses that can deliver comedy with the perfect mannerisms, and there’s no way you can sit through an episode without laughing.

Main article photo courtesy of Series Mania at http://series-mania.fr/dev/en/series/dreamland-2/

Psych photo taken courtesy of usanetwork.com at http://www.usanetwork.com/psych
Better of Ted photo taken courtesy of crazyhdsource.com at http://crazyhdsource.com/better-off-ted-s01-720p-hdtv-dd51-h264.html
Don't Trust the B*** in Apartment 23 photo courtesy of buzzfeed.com at https://www.buzzfeed.com/louispeitzman/reasons-to-save-dont-trust-the-b-in-apartment-23?utm_term=.kqNgpvwQ5#.hogWPKlaM
Dreamland photo courtesy of decidertv.com at http://decidertv.com/page/2016/5/4/and-the-winners-of-the-decidertv-awards-are

Grace and Frankie photo courtesy of youtube.com at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDv6PRi1SgQ
sleep, app, white noise, iphone, healthy living, health, meditation, sleep, alarm clock
Go to Sleep Easier and Wake Up More Energized with This App
 Go to Sleep Easier and Wake Up More Energized with This App 960 640 Emilie
By:

If you’re anything like me, it’s not always easy to have a deep, restful sleep. So this past week I decided to try out the Alarm Clock Sleep Sounds App. The app claims to use brainwaves and aural entrainment to improve your sleep experience. For nighttime sleep, the app drifts you more easily to a resting state, allowing you to fall asleep more quickly and deeply. For the morning, the app aims to rise you gently, while keeping you energized. I have to admit, although I was originally skeptical, I ended up being quite impressed by the large number of features and personalization settings that the app allows for.

Pros

White Noise Soundscapes. If you’ve ever used a free white noise machine app, you know that you have pretty limited options and a lot of the soundscapes do not sound particularly real. The Alarm Clock Sleep Sounds App offers a huge variety of white noise sounds to choose from. Free sound choices include rain, birds, camp fire, thunderstorm, waves, and more. You design your sleep program to be different than your wake program, which means that you can choose to fall asleep to a completely different sound than the one you will wake up to. Additionally, you can actually combine as many of these soundscapes as you would like. So if you want to listen to the rain with birds, that’s a choice you can absolutely make. The sounds are also as natural sounding as one could hope for with a free app.

Customizable Programs. There are three different types of programs you can create: waking, sleeping, and meditation. Every program has a variety of components that you can customize. You can choose your soundscape(s), the type of wave (monoaural or isochronic without headphones), the balance between waves and soundscape, the duration of the program, and the type of program. For instance, for your morning program you may choose a progressive wake-up, or an “energized mind” wake-up program. You can then save each program (as many as you’d like!) for later use. Name each custom program, so that you can choose each night and morning how you want to sleep and rise, depending on your mood.

It actually works. It’s hard to explain what the “brain wave entrainment” sounds and feels like. It is almost like a soft light hum that radiates from your phone. Although many may not believe an iPhone app can meet these “aural entrainment” claims, it genuinely does feel like waves are being produced by your phone. Regardless of the reason why it works, this light hum combined with the quiet white noise soundscapes proved to wake me gently and smoothly. It’s a far nicer way to wake up than a shrieking alarm clock, and my body never sleeps through it.

Cons

Freemium Model. The app is not entirely free, and much of the app’s capabilities have to be unlocked for a price. Because of this, there are only two program types you can use for waking up, and only one for falling asleep. Additionally, there is only one free meditation option- which focuses on rest and relaxation. There are a large number of soundscapes available for free, but far more available if you are paying for an additional upgrade. However, the app does have a large number of options and customization for a free app.

Free Meditation Could be Improved. The meditation portion of the app is a really cool additional feature, and I do feel like the waves that the app emits during meditation. That being said, the free meditation options leave something to be desired. The guided meditation is short and the voice used is not optimal. However, you can choose for it to be guided or unguided, which is definitely a positive. And, if you choose unguided, you can set the meditation to last as long as you like, so you don’t have to worry about time getting away from you. The other major downside to the meditation portion is that the soundscapes are better suited for falling asleep or waking up than they are for meditation sessions. However, you can easily choose to only turn on the aural wave function and not the soundscapes.

android, explore, app, himalayas, mt. everest, verne, map, google maps
Explore the Himalayas with this New Android App
 Explore the Himalayas with this New Android App 1024 576 Emilie
By:

You may have heard about a new Android app by Google called Verne: The Himalayas. The app is using Google’s 3D technology in a new and inspiring way. They used their 3D imagery of the Himalayas to create an interactive 3D map which allows people to explore the Himalayas from their own home.

In order to make this interactive map more fun, they turned it into an app. Within the app, you get to control a 500 foot tall Yeti named Verne. Verne is friends with a yak, and you can use him to run, fly jetpacks, and hang-glide. Although you can do these fun activities with Verne, the app isn’t designed to be a game: instead, it’s created to be an interactive, educational, and exploratory experience. The app will even teach you some new facts about the Himalayas!

Google also has 3D imaging of other impressive and well known locales- like the Grand Canyon. So this may be the beginning of a new kind of exploration: one that allows people to see places they cannot actually travel to. However, the Himalayas is the perfect choice for launching this new idea, since few people will be able to travel to the mountain range in their lifetime. Furthermore, 3D imaging allows us to explore the range in ways that even visitors cannot easily do (like bounding up Mt. Everest in seconds).

Check out Google’s video about Verne: The Himalayas below-

Although not the same as actually traveling somewhere, this app may be the next best thing! Each bump and ridge that Verne explores is actually an accurate representation of the Himalayas. Go check out this new app and learn more about this vast and beautiful world!

Main article photo courtesy of Google Play at https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.withgoogle.verne
Moves, iphone, fitness, app, exercise, healthy, lifestyle
Fitness App “Moves”: App Review
 Fitness App “Moves”: App Review 484 1024 Emilie
By:

Most of us are always looking for ways to be more active. New fitness gadgets and watches, like Fitbit, give us quantifiable fitness measures that motivate us to get moving. But not all of us want to spend lots of money on a Fitbit! So what about free fitness app options? This past week I checked out the fitness app Moves, which is designed to track your daily activity. Take a look at Moves in the AppStore here.

Overview

Moves is basically a glorified pedometer. It tracks a steps, mileage, length of time exercising, and even calories burned. It aims to track 3 types of exercise: walking, running, and cycling. The cool thing about Moves is that it shows your exercise in an easy-to-read, timeline format. The timeline shows your general location, and the time periods during which you were exercising.

Pros

Moves is aesthetically pleasing and incredible easy to read. The app shows three main circles: the green one showing your “Walking” information, the blue one showing your “Cycling” information, and the purple one showing your “Running” information. The default of each circle shows the number of steps you have taken (except for the “Cycling” circle, where the default is mileage). However, by simply tapping on each circle, you can see mileage or length of time you performed the activity. You can also see calories burned if you turn on the calorie setting.

The app appears to be fairly accurate with distance and step count. I compared it with my iPhone Health app, and sometimes the Moves step count was slightly greater, and other times it was slightly lower. Each day, the two apps always had a similar step count. Additionally, if you keep your Moves app open it will show your step count increasing in front of your eyes. I did this for awhile while I was walking, and the step count seemed very accurate. The first 20 steps or so may not be incredibly accurate (which is common with pedometer-style apps), but once you have taken about 20 consecutive steps you will see high accuracy.

Unlike some step counting apps, Moves does a good job of not counting transportation as exercise. Instead, your timeline will show your starting location, then “Transport,” followed by your destination location. It also does a great job of tracking your location and routes. This is cool because you can go back and see the path that you took while exercising. This gives you a much better sense of where you exercised, when you exercised, and how long you exercised: making you much more aware of when you are being active and when you are being stagnant.

The app is so simple. It doesn’t have any crazy functions, and instead sticks to the basics. It doesn’t try to do too much, and thus it does its simple functions well. It is easy to find information, and even your exercise routes are simply color coded and easy to read.

Cons

Because one of the app’s main functions is tracking your step count, it’s perplexing that there is no step count total. The app shows number of steps taken while walking, as well as the number of steps taken while running, but does not add them together (at least anywhere I could find). This seems like an obvious flaw since many people most likely use the app to set step count goals for themselves. Thus, if you are using Moves to track your step count, you will have to manually add your running and walking steps.

It does not differ greatly from the iPhone health app, already built into your phone. The primary difference is that your Health app will show a total step count, whereas Moves shows the breakdown of your exercise activity. Both show your activity over previous days (although the Moves app shows a more detailed analysis and is easier to read). However, even on the Health app you can see a timeline of your exercise. For instance: 93 steps at 4:03 PM, 136 steps at 4:21 PM. Overall it is simply less comprehensive, and more difficult to read and make sense of.

Sometimes the app inaccurately represents your activity. Although the step count appears quite accurate, the app does not always understand what activity you are engaging in. For instance, at one point I was walking and Moves thought I was actually cycling. At another time I was kayaking (which Moves is not supposed to track). Most of the kayaking it denoted as “Transport” (aka driving-type activities), but the last five minutes of my kayaking Moves believed that I was walking (despite the fact Moves showed my exercise route to be in the water)!

There are a few other drawbacks of the app that make it less appealing to use. First of all, it rapidly kills battery life. You can turn on a battery saving mode on the app, but it will decrease the step count accuracy. Overall, the app was designed with the idea that users will charge their phone every night. Although the designers are aware of the battery-draining problem, they believe your phone should still make it through the day without dying. The other main problem is that you must have your phone on you at all times. That means that if you are getting breakfast ready, or generally moving around your house or office, you will only see the step count increase when your phone is with you. For me, this can be annoying because I rarely carry my phone with me except for when I absolutely have to.

Would I Recommend it?

Despite some obvious drawbacks, I think Moves succeeds at accomplishing its two primary purposes: 1) making you more aware of your typical activity habits, and 2) giving you easy to read information to set goals for yourself. For those without a FitBit, its a great way to be aware of your exercise and get more active!