Tag: technology

Technology Tuesdays: Air-popped Popcorn

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I’ve been eating popcorn on and off in the cinema lately.  I know I shouldn’t –  but I can’t help it.  Sometimes, I make it at home, my stove-popcorn style.  However,  the popcorn only pops with at least 3 tbsp of oil!  Ok, that’s to feed two very hungry people. LOL 🙂

So I went on amazon and decided to order a fat-free popcorn maker.  It was 20 pounds with free shipping.  Really a good deal! It just arrived – and I couldn’t resist but try some!

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Thought I’d add the pamphlet – incase anyone wants to order it too (all the info is on there!)

Pros:

  • Fat Free
  • Takes less space than my blender (it’s tiny)
  • Pops the corn in 3 minutes
  • Minimal clean up needed (just wiping with damp cloth and washing the measuring spoon)
  • Melt your butter in the same measuring spoon as the kernels (ONLY ONE SPOON TO WASH!)

Cons:

  • Only a small quantity can be made (about 4 cups of popped corn).  We eat a lot. LOL.  It’s good for portion control though!
  • Wait 12 minutes for it to completely cool down before a second batch can be made
  • Not as crunchy as popcorn made with oil

Having said all this, I would recommend it.  It makes a very easy snack when you are in a peckish mood. 🙂  Also, popcorn is rich in fibre and low in fat.  It’s oil-free with this device!

TO BUY OR NOT TO BUY?  TO BUY

xx

B

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Technology Thursdays: The New iPhone 5c and 5S

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The latest announcement by Apple has finally been made.  There had been a lot of anticipation for it at home (my husband of course)!

So what’s all the fuss about?  What’s the actual difference?

Basically I can sum it up in three points.

  1. They now come in colors!  (But is it worth buying it just for a color especially since there are colored cases available?)
  2. They are cheaper. (That’s good if you don’t already own an iPhone)
  3. Tighter security with the users thumbprint is now possible. (That’s really cool but it doesn’t warrant me buying a new phone since I already have the iPhone 5) – iPhone 5S

Hmmm…  I don’t actually get the fuss. The functionality is pretty much the same – but it looks pretty.

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Here’s a screenshot of it from the Apple website.  I wonder how the sales would be for this one!

xx

B

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Photo-editing app: Snapseed

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Snapseed – an app that I use for all my iphone photo editing.  I simply love it.  It gives richer texture and color to my food pictures too.  FYI – the food pictures that you see on my blog are all taken with an iPhone 5.  Some are edited with Snapseed, ok most are edited. hahaha!

Reasons I like Snapseed:

  • Easy to use
  • FREE (free is always good!)
  • Distinct difference after editing
  • Can be saved/emailed easily from the app

You can see the difference for yourself, here’s a picture of coconut scones with chocolate before editing:

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Here’s one after editing:

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The difference is pretty obvious.  The colors look more vibrant!!

 

Verdict:

TO DOWNLOAD OR NOT TO DOWNLOAD:  TO DOWNLOAD

Hope you enjoy editing your pictures!

xx

B

 

Technology Tuesdays: The relativity of time in the age of technology

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Everyone has exactly 24 hours in a day.  Some days feel longer, and some shorter.  I was recently involved in a discussion that made me tie in technology with the relativity of time.  The use of technology makes time go faster.  This statement was worrying and yet intriguing.  I find it worrying as it is provocative and it demands people to question why we want time to fly faster.  Don’t we want to live our life fully and enjoy our happy moments?  But what if happiness is having wifi or 3G and in holidays we want that.  We want to be connected all the time.  In addition, procrastination is happening all around us.  We delay tasks we have to do and don’t realise where our time has flown by.  In university I remember checking Friendster (the ghost of Facebook), replying emails when my lectures just felt so long.  Time passed by fast and the lecture seemed to end earlier than it would.

When I’m out and about, I notice people glued to their phones.  People are constantly on Facebook and Instagram.  There is this persistent need to be connected at all times.  Time flies.

On the contrary, when you’re on a holiday without 3G of wifi, the day seems longer.  I experienced this in Vienna.  My 3 days there without wifi seemed longer.  I felt we could cover more in a day.  We were more engaged in conversations and less caught up with the internet.  I realised how dependant we were to be entertained by our smart phones even in restaurants while waiting for our meal to come.  This thought made me almost feel sad for what the world has become.  I was observing on other tables how everyone checked their phones at least 3-5 times during a meal.  I honestly don’t think it could be of any importance, yet I usually do it too.  I check my whatsapp messages, Facebook comments, Instagram likes etc.

Do we still have time to smell the roses?  Do we still have time to appreciate the world?  Time seems to be passing us by and we all seem to be paralysed by the paradigm shift in technology.

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Technology Tuesdays: iOS7

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The new iOS is out  to developers for now, but its out nonetheless. My husband was glued to the announcement yesterday. So much so, that he sat in a different room from me, in full concentration!  I must admit, Apple really knows how to simplify solutions whilst making an interface sophisticated. It’s pretty brilliant if you ask me 🙂

What I like about it:

  • It looks pretty! (Aesthetics are just important)
  • Simple to use new functions.  Such as:  You can adjust the brightness of the phone from anywhere. Similarly, wireless can be switched on and off at ease.  This would be a really convenient feature for me when I’m traveling and leeching of free wifi from McDonalds!
  • Multitasking in Apps made easier. I’m not good at multitasking haha!

I don’t have it yet on my phone though.  My husband does and he keeps showing it off.  I guess there are perks being a member of the Apple Developer Program.  He gets all the geeky stuff first 😉 He takes a lot of pride in it too!!

On a sidetrack,  I’m getting better at DOTS! Yaey!

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I was playing it on the tube today.  Fortunately, I managed to get a seat (just one way though!)  On the way back, I was squashed with the crowd which made it hard to play, let alone breathe. DOT DOT DOT.

xx

B

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Technology Tuesdays : DOTS … … …

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DOTS: In the end – everything connects.

A new game app that just came out in May this year has created a wave of fresh new downloads.  This has caused a rise in inefficiency and a decrease in productivity in America by 20-25%.  In 16 Days this app was played 100 million times. I had to try it after hearing this bizzarre statistic.  When I first played it – I didn’t think much of it.  Although saying that, it did remind me of connect the dots.  A basic game – simple yet addictive.

But after playing it a few times – I too got addicted.  SO DO TRY IT OUT if you plan to procrastinate.

The objective of the game:

  • Connect all the dots.  This can be done vertically and horizontally.  Diagonals can’t be done.
  • SQUARES are the key.  A square gives you the most points.  Swipe squares off!

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It’s only a minute long.  I find this terribly intelligent to engage players to play just another game, as it’s just a minute.  The snapshot above illustrates the dots connecting in a horizontal and vertical fashion.  If the green or purple dot next to the connecting dots were yellow an obvious square would be there.  That would result in far more points.

There’s apparently a strategy to get more points.  I came across this link.  One of the strategies I do use is to pre-empt my move.  To try to see if swiping two dots would give me a square of dots for the next move.  That helps me!

Also – an article illustrating that its the most beautiful game ever!  Hope this entices you to download it and give it a go.  It’s a free app which means there’s really nothing to lose.  Except a lot of minutes of your life 😉

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Technology Tuesdays: Articles in my “pocket”

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When you’re on the go, having what you need in your pocket is always convenient.  The Pocket App stores articles and videos. Once the article is downloaded it can be read offline anywhere. This proves to be extremely useful when I am on the tube (assuming I get a seat that is, which is unlikely – but anyways!)

My husband and I have been doing various research on the current app market. When he comes across interesting articles that would shed some light on the launching on our first app, he puts it in my pocket.  Although, I’d prefer a cheque book in my pocket, but articles for now would do 🙂

How the app works: 

I have a desktop client on my iMac which allows me to save links and send them to my app. In addition, another user (in my case, my husband) can add to your individual pocket list.

It’s a good sharing platform.  Also, it’s compatible with Flipboard (you can check out my review on that app) that makes it easy for users to read articles offline later.  Once the articles/links are saved they appear in a list format.

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The picture depicts the list format.  Furthermore, it shows the articles that have been sent to my list by my husband – Amit Bajaj.

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The app also simplifies searching for your saved material with the categories above.  This functionality makes it easy if you have numerous articles/videos saved and want to search for a specific one.

This app is pretty handy – download it and give it a shot and put it in your “pocket”. (Couldn’t resist being cheesy – sorry! haha)

xx

B

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Technology Tuesdays on a Thursday? Over dependancy on Technology!

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I wanted to write my Technology Tuesdays this week but my iMac froze on me.  That made me think how dependant we are on gadgets.  We expect them to work all the time – and when they don’t – a wave of frustration comes over us.  I could have written a post to upload later from my iPad or iPhone – but I was simply too annoyed.

I got over the annoyance in a day.  The next day another technology mishap was waiting to happen.  Yesterday I was out at Westfield with a friend and realised I forgot my phone at home.  I realised when I reached the tube station – before meeting her. I stood there paralysed for a minute.  How do I contact her?  How do I ask my husband to pick me up from the station in the evening?  How will he gauge the time?  I was stressed.

I regained my composure and used a public pay-phone.  To my surprise, they are hard to find and the price reflects the fact that they take advantage of people’s desperation.  60p as a starting rate is a joke in my opinion.  Funnily enough, the credit expired after a second of me getting through.

Fortunately,  I brought my iPad mini along in my handbag and upon reaching Westfield made full use of the free wi-fi. THANK YOU WESTFIELD!  🙂  I iMessaged my way into successfully meeting up with my friend and contacting my husband too.

Sadly, Wifi saved my day.  We depend on technology more than we know.  I’m questioning the effects of technology on my everyday life.  Certainly, it makes life easier.  Yet, the absence of it paralyses us in a way it would not if we weren’t so dependant on it.