Re-discovering the library

I am an admitted book addict. I can plow through a book ridiculously fast and the fact that I only have one bookshelf in my apartment is something that’s going to need to change in the near future (given that it’s double stacked already).

Last year, I got myself a library card from the Toronto Public Library. I will admit, I didn’t use it often and when I packed to move, I misplaced it until recently (it was in a bag, for the record). After successfully renewing it, I can safely say I’m back in the library game!

While I will continue to buy books that I want to hold a place of honour on my shelf (though nothing will displace my signed Brian Mulroney memoirs), there are a number of shorter reads that I’ll start to grab from the library. In the past, I would buy these books. But as I start to clamp down on my spending, the library is a logical next step (as long as I remember to return books…).

More than the books though, I love being able to use the Overdrive app on my iPad to download e-books. I’ve already finished one (Terry Fallis’ The High Road) and started another (Susan Cain’s Quiet). This week, the library also launched Hoopla, which allows for access to movies, TV shows and music. While I won’t be rushing out to cancel my Netflix membership any time soon, it’s a nice extra feature to have!

The point of this  blog? Check out the library. It’s pretty awesome.

Take a moment, download these apps and… relax.

Because who doesn’t want to be this relaxed?

With colder weather arriving, stress piling up and the general chaos that is the world today, who doesn’t just want to run away from it all to relax?

It’s something we often forget to do – take some “me” time and just reconnect with ourselves; to remember that we have a life outside work and that it’s important to take that time. In an effort to be more calm, I’ve been using two iPhone apps which have brought pretty interesting results.

The first app is called Lift, and is available for iPhone users or you can use their web version. The app offers different “habits” that one can select, broken in to categories like health and fitness, mindfulness, productivity and more. Within those categories are specific targets (ie: “21 days to your best sleep ever”), broken down in to steps that you practice each day. The app tracks your progress, shows you the progress of other users and offers the chance to provide “kudos” to others practicing the same goal. Essentially, it crowd-sources success! Lift pulls from different information sources (IE: Health.com, Calm.com) to provide you with the baby steps to reach the ultimate goal. I’m currently working on three goals: 10 days to mindful living, 21 days to your best sleep and intro to meditation. Feel free to join me and track my progress!

What I like about Lift as well, is the ability to set reminders that appear on your home screen (in the case of the iPhone) to take the step to reach the goal. It can remind you each day to hit the gym, to listen to the next lesson or whatever step is needed for the plans you’ve selected.

The second app I’m using stemmed from downloading Lift, and is Calm – Meditation and Relaxation. I’m using it to supplement what I’m learning in the Into to Meditation segment on Lift (which is sourced from Calm.com, the makers of this app) and it helps me remember to take two minutes out of my day to refocus, balance and then proceed. It offers a number of background sounds and images that add to the peacefulness, and the guided meditations are great for someone (like me) who is just starting out. It seems that the Calm app is only available for iPhone, but their website is a good resource for those of you using other devices.

So, take the time and reconnect with yourself. Even just a few days in, I’ve noticed a difference in my own way of thinking and my ability to be more relaxed; of course, stress is still going to happen. But at least this offers a way to pull back from that stress and refocus.

Update

Okay – so I forgot to plug the Twitter handle for the Lift app: @liftapp

Also, be sure to follow the creators: Tony Stubbletine, @tonystubbletine (Lift) and Alex Tew, @tewy (Calm). After posting this, I was tweeted by both of them!

Spam: It’s not just a canned ham

Twitter: poultry, not canned ham

With the advent of the Internet came the one thing many of us dislike the most: spam. Yes, we were getting e-mails about Nigerian princesses, about various pharmaceuticals, and other products and/or services. With the advent of social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, spam has found another platform. I want to focus in on one (Twitter) in particular because I sense that they aren’t doing enough to combat it.

With e-mail and Facebook, it’s relatively easy to stop spam. You’re never going to eliminate it entirely, but you can report an e-mail address for spam and it directs future messages to your junk mail folder. With Facebook, you always have the option to block an application that posts on your wall or sends you e-mails.

On the other hand, Twitter is like an open book (assuming you don’t lock your profile – but why do that). Anybody with a Twitter account can follow you and send you “@” Tweets. When I set up my Twitter account, there was no system in place to verify that I was a real person. There was no “captcha” system and no e-mail verification. In my mind, this is Twitter’s big mistake (and if they have changed their policy, kudos to them). I’ve noticed, as have those I follow, a huge increase in “bots” over the past few weeks. The vast majority of these bots have consisted of adult material in its bio and in the links it tries to get people to click on (I would assume, anyways – I don’t click them).

I’ve also noticed that once one starts to follow you, five (or more) tend to follow you at the same time. They often use the same profile picture and the same disgusting description of themselves in their bio statement. One or two, not a problem – not at all! But when one finds themselves reporting numerous new followers for spam on a regular basis, it gets a bit irritating. It’s even more irritating that Twitter doesn’t seem to be addressing the problem.

So, this leads me to my Open Message to Twitter: take measures to control spam on your site. Implement an e-mail verification system or a “captcha” system. It takes two seconds for people to click a link in their e-mail or to type in a series of random letters and numbers to verify that a human is sitting on the other end of the computer. When I compare you to other platforms, you lag far behind; my e-mail knows how to capture spam. Facebook is pretty good at it too. Heck, even WordPress captures spam comments and diverts them away! Spam is very prevalent on your system, Twitter, and it drives me (and I’m sure others) crazy.

N.B.: To be fair to Twitter, they do have the “Report Spam” option. That said, more should be done on the sign-up phase to prevent people from having to use the button as often as I have had to lately.

February Photo a Day Challenge

One of my favourite iPhone apps is the photography app Instagram. If you don’t have it and you have an Apple device that has a built-in camera (iPhone, newer iPod Touch or iPad 2), definitely download it from the App Store. It’s free and a lot of fun.

Anyways, I saw a number of people I follow participated in a “Photo a Day” challenge in January and was excited to see that there was a challenge in February. For each of the 29 days in the month, you are required to take a photo of something. Here is the list of shots for the month:

Although I’m posting my shots regularly on my Twitter page and also on my Tumblr, I thought I’d share the first six days of my pictures here with you just so you have something different to look at. Before I do, though, let me warn you that I’m not a professional photographer (or professional iPhoneographer) and nor do I pretend to be. I just like these shots and that’s all that matters.

Day One: My View

This is the view from our balcony. Clearly, I was too lazy to go outside and took this from the glass door (made even more clear by the reflection of one of our lamps).

Day Two: Words

Of the shots I’ve taken this month so far, this is my favourite one. I opened the dictionary to a random page and just took the picture. I was a little embarrassed later on to realize that copulation is the word at the top of the page. Oopsie.

Day Three: Hands

This is one of the more ridiculous photos. Thankfully I got together with my friend Javier or I would have had to expose my hands – which look awful due to nail biting. But that’s for another post…

Day Four: A Stranger

No, the stranger isn’t holding the beer and winking – that’s Javier again. Check the background; that’s not one but two strangers and they are making out like the end of the world is nigh.

Day Five: 10 a.m.

This one was hard – because it was Sunday and who wants to be awake at 10 a.m. to take a photo? Regardless, I like how it turned out; one of my favourites.

Day Six: Dinner

Roast beef was part of tonight’s dinner (obviously the main dish), so here it is in all its beefy goodness.

So, there you have it – my first six days of February summed up with a few fun photos. If anybody else out there is participating in the challenge, give me a shout on Twitter or follow me on Instagram (where my username is JTerr8829) so I can be jealous of your awesome photos!

Some of my Favourite Apps

Every single iPhone/iPad/iPod user has apps (and if you don’t – why the heck do you even have one?!) on their device and all of us have our favourites. I thought I’d take some time to write about three apps that I use regularly and why I like/dislike it.

Facebook Messenger

Perhaps one of the most handy (but also frustrating) apps I use. I just ranted about this app recently to a friend, who is far more knowledgeable than I in the realm of apps and technology (which was the inspiration for this post).

Pros: An easy way to keep in touch with friends while you’re on the go, who you may not have the ability to text. For example, had my friend Lauren, who goes to school in the UK, not downloaded “What’s App,” this would have been a handy way to keep in touch – my messages would have popped up on her Facebook inbox and when she responded, the messages would have arrived directly to my phone. Another positive, surrounds events; if the host of an event sends a message to the people attending their event, I’m able to look at it while I’m on the go and see what’s going on.

Cons: Certain people seem to think I’m on Facebook chat all the time. As such, they feel it necessary to not only message me, but to constantly message if I don’t answer (for example, when I’m in bed) to ask the inane question: “why aren’t you answering? Are you there? Hellooooo….” It’s just like a text: if I don’t answer right away, just assume I’m busy, ok?

Sleep Machine

I love this app. I don’t use it on a regular basis, but it is handy to have when there is a need for some white noise. In particular, I’ve always found that the sounds of a thunderstorm and rain help me relax. This app (there is a free version with sample sounds and the full version has more) allows you to set up to three different sounds, each with its own volume level. You can set your music as one of the three sounds if you like as well. You can set a timer in the app so if you only want white noise for 15 minutes, it will automatically fade out once the allotted time is up. Sleep Machine also features alarm functionality with any of its sounds for an easier transition to waking up than the annoying beeps of a traditional alarm clock.

Vlingo

For those of us still using iPhone 3G/4, Vlingo is comparable to Siri on the 4S. It’s not as functional and nor does it interact with a user, but it does allow for hands-free calling, texting, e-mailing, etc…

Similar to Siri, Vlingo adjusts to your voice and regular commands over time to become better at understanding what you want it to do. I’ve had very few problems with voice recognition with Vlingo. It almost always chooses the right contact and texts exactly what I tell it to. It doesn’t understand short pauses to accommodate for grammar and punctuation, so you usually have to instruct the app when to insert them by saying, for example, “Can you pick up bread ” or something similar.

It’s great for keeping in touch while on the road, especially now with all the hands-free driving laws.

So, those are three apps that I use regularly that are practical, functional and all in all handy to have around. What are some apps that you can’t live without?