TechnologyIQ with Douglas E. Welch

Sunday, April 06, 2014

66 of My Favorite Technology Things for March 2014 -- Shared Links from Douglas E. Welch

My Favorite Things

As always, let me know what types of interesting items you would like to see and I will keep an eye out for them especially. -- Douglas

Get new shared links as I find them via my social media feeds:

Wednesday, April 02, 2014

Link Focus: 9 Practical Tips For Your iOS7 Device

9 Practical Tips For Your iOS7 Device

There is nothing so useful as that tiny tech tip that makes your life and work just a little bit easier. We always seemed to be surprised by these tidbits that others turn up, but I know i always find them so, so useful. This article from LifeHack.org gives you 9 great tips on how to make your iPhone or iPad work just a little bit harder and a little bit better. From burst mode photography settings to managing and using you location, there should be at least one tip that hits home for you. For me it was using the burst photography settings to catch the best photos of people and led me to investigate iTunes Radio more, which has now become my go-to music streaming source here in the home office.

From Lifehack.org...

Since iOS7 became public for use, the latest Apple software has gotten mixed reviews. While overall users have found the software to come with multiple benefits, there are many individuals that feel that the user interface could have been developed a bit better. Other complaints of iOS7 are how a lot of the features aren’t easily found or known to new users. Which is why today, we will offer you 9 practical tips for your iOS7 device.

Previously on Link Focus:

Link Focus is a series that comments on some of the links I share on my social media accounts and here on the web site. To get these links as I find them, subscribe to me on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and elsewhere. Also look for the "My Favorite Things" posts that appear regularly in the blog. These include collections of links for each calendar month.

Get new shared links as I find them via my social media feeds:

Tuesday, April 01, 2014

Good to see the Galactic Internet is working well today!

Analytics april fools

Props to my European Moon peeps!

The folks over at Google Analytics having a little fun today, I see!

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

On My iPhone…Waterlogue - pseudo-watercolor paintings from your photos

Waterlogue

I have dabbled in traditional watercolor painting over the years so when I saw this app I knew I had to try it out. Surprisingly, the pictures it creates are some of the best photo-to-painting creations I have seen. I have consistently been amazed with the output and I am still fiddling with all the presets and options available in the program.

Here is one of my favorites so far...

London watercolor 2

As an added benefit, when the app creates the watercolor, it shows the process and it very much like the process of painting real watercolor images. This has made me want to take out my paints again and use the app as a bit of a learning tool.

From the iTunes App Store...

See the world like an artist! You don’t need to paint to create beautiful watercolor images—Waterlogue captures the essence of your photos in brilliant, liquid color.

Waterlogue screen1

Previously in "On my iPhone/Android…":

"On my iPhone…" is a new series from TechnologyIQ, sharing real world examples of how I use my iPhone, interesting apps and more

Photo: "Mousing Around" via #instagram

Mousing around

Previously in my Instagram Photos...

See all my photos on Flickr

Saturday, March 22, 2014

Link Focus: Trulia - average home prices, crime and school stats, commute time info and more!

Trulia - average home prices, crime and school stats, commute time info and more!

Google Maps Mania linked to Trulia in this article from October of last year, but it looks like Trulia has added a significant amount of information since then. Covering a dozen or more major metropolitan areas, Trulia provides great map visualizations of crime stats, average home and rental prices, school rating , commute times and more. It is a great way to explore your neighborhood and city or any city you might be considering as a home. I wish I had such extensive data when we moved to Los Angeles 28 years ago. Instead, we rented our first apartment, sight unseen, in a city neither one of us had ever visited. It could have been disastrous, but thankfully it all worked out for the best. We ended up buying a home about 4 blocks from where we rented that, now long gone, first apartment. Check out Trulia for some great, desktop investigations. You might even learn something you never knew about your own neighborhood.

Visit Trulia to try it for yourself

From Google Maps Mania blog...

Trulia Local has been leading the way in real estate mapping for a few years now. The Trulia Local maps allow property hunters to view local crime data, commuting times, and even where natural hazards are most likely to strike.

Trulia has now launched three more maps that allow users to view neighborhood median sale prices, median listing prices, and price per square foot. The three Google Maps use choropleth layers to visualize the average price of properties, green showing where it is cheaper to live and red indicating neighborhoods that are more expensive. If you zoom out on the map you can even view median sale prices at county level.

Previously on Link Focus:

Get new shared links as I find them via my social media feeds:

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Google Drive boosts utility with Add-On applications

I am a big user of Google Drive for most of my document needs. I don't really need the size, complexity or cost of Microsoft Office and the cloud-based sharing and group editing features of Google Drive make it nearly perfect for my entire family including my college professor wife and high school student son.

Today, I noticed the Google Drive had a new menu choice within Documents and Spreadsheets. Add-ons provides access to a selection of third party utility apps that add functionality to your Google Drive documents. This includes diagramming software. thesaurus, label and mail merge capabilities, expanded templates, mind mapping and more. Most add-ons are free to use, although some have paid "Pro" versions for expanded capabilities.

You can find more information on these new Google Drive Add-ons in this post from the Google Drive group.

Bring a little something extra to Docs and Sheets with add-ons

You use Google Docs and Sheets to get all sorts of stuff done—whether you're staying up late to finish that final paper or just getting started on a new project at the office. But to help take some of that work off your shoulders, today we're launching add-ons—new tools created by developer partners that give you even more features in your documents and spreadsheets.

To browse through add-ons for Docs and Sheets, select Get add-ons in the Add-ons menu of any open document or spreadsheet. (Add-ons for spreadsheets are only available in the new Google Sheets).

Read the entire post

More information on Google Drive Add-ons:

Saturday, March 08, 2014

On My iPhone…Notegraphy

Notegraphy

I am not a big one for sharing quotes and similar materials on my social media sites, but the new app, Notegraphy, looked so nice that I figured I would try it out for some quotes from my own collection of books and tips on various topics. The app works pretty much as designed, although there are a few features I would like to see added. It basically has a series of themes that can be applied to the your text, each of which creates a decorative initial cap and adds some form of artistic display. You can then save these images and share them with your social media accounts.

Here are 2 of my own recent Notegraphy posts:

From the iTunes App Store...

Notegraphy is a web and mobile application that rethinks the way you write and share text online through design.

With Notegraphy, you can create beautifully formatted layouts in real-time.

Be it a single word, or an entire novel, in only three steps – write, style and share – your text will be ‘Always Beautiful’.

More on Notegraphy:

Notegraphy screen 1

Previously in "On my iPhone/Android…":

"On my iPhone…" is a new series from TechnologyIQ, sharing real world examples of how I use my iPhone, interesting apps and more

Friday, March 07, 2014

Link Focus: Grab Over 500 Free Programming Books from GitHub from Lifehacker.com

Grab Over 500 Free Programming Books from GitHub from Lifehacker.com

This story from Lifehacker.com points up just how easy it can be to get an education in today's world. The article links to over 500 free programming ebooks available for download from GitHub -- the home to version control service Git and a social network focused around programming.

Github Web Site

Programming languages are covered, but also books on algorithms and data structures, databases, data mining, machine learning and much more. Hit the link for a complete index and download links.

Whether you are a technology beginner or someone seeking to build their career (or change to a new one) online resources like this a free and easy source of learning materials to help you on your way. Combine these with a mentor or two and you can be learning a lot investing mainly your time.

More info on GitHub:

Get new shared links as I find them via my social media feeds:

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

On my iPhone…Artkick

Artkick

Since our friend gifted us a Google Chromecast, I have been finding a number of ways to put it to work. By default, when the Chromecast isn't streaming something, it shows a slide show of some lovely pictures. I have been wanting to put my own pictures on their instead, but it was only with the recent release of the SDK for Chromecast that apps have been appearing to do that. Of several I checked out, Artkick seems to give me the most of what I want. I can select an album of photos from my iPhone, Flickr Account, Facebook and others, import those photos into the app and then present a revolving slide show on the big TV, even with my iPhone off. The app is a bit rough on the edges in this first Chromecast compatible version, but it does work and has allowed me a great window into my photos during the day.

From the iTunes App Store...

Add art to your world by turning your internet connected HDTV into an interactive picture frame. Artkick allows your iPhone or iPad to operate like a remote control that casts images onto your TV, while also displaying information and sometimes videos. With Artkick you'll explore and learn more about your favorite art and images every day.

Artkick screen 1 Artkick screen 2

Previously in "On my iPhone/Android…":

"On my iPhone…" is a new series from TechnologyIQ, sharing real world examples of how I use my iPhone, interesting apps and more

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Recent Pinterest Pins from Douglas E. Welch

Visit Douglas's profile on Pinterest.

Wednesday, February 05, 2014

On my iPhone…Human: Move 30 minutes or more

Human: Move 30 minutes or more

I am always looking for new ideas to help me with my weight loss plan, so when this encouraging app arrived it was an easy decision to pop it on the iPhone and try it out. While I have more detailed fitness apps on my iPhone, such as Runkeeper, the basic nature of this app might encourage me to get out a bit more.

From the iTunes App Store...

Human helps you move 30 minutes or more, every day.

It automatically picks up your walks, runs, bike rides and other exercise of one minute and longer. Just put your phone in your bag or pocket and go about your day!

Join over 150,000 Humans and enjoy the Daily 30, every day.

As featured on Yahoo, TechCrunch, The Verge, Fast Company, and The Next Web.

FEATURES:
• Automatically records indoor and outdoor activity of 1 minute and longer.
• Get notified when you reach your Daily 30, 60 or even 90.
• Build up a streak for every Daily 30 of the week.
• See all your individual activities including maps and details.

Human screen 1 Human screen 2

Previously in "On my iPhone/Android…":

"On my iPhone…" is a new series from TechnologyIQ, sharing real world examples of how I use my iPhone, interesting apps and more

Saturday, February 01, 2014

88 of My Favorite Technology Things for January 2014 - Douglas E. Welch

My Favorite Things

As always, let me know what types of interesting items you would like to see and I will keep an eye out for them especially. -- Douglas

Get new shared links as I find them via my social media feeds:

Technology / 13 Essential Productivity Apps Entrepreneurs Can’t Live Without
1. I have most of these apps on my various mobile and Macintosh devices. Found a few new ones to try, though
Technology / Shoots & Leaves Instantly Turns iPhone Photos Into Links

Yet another photography app for the iPhone. Each one tries to find its niche and this one want to be a notepad replacement, in some ways. I still use the basic iPhone camera app as I haven't found one that offers me additional value.

Technology / 45 Stunning Calendar Icon Sets For Free Download

For folks like me who design and maintain their own web sites, having a nice set of icons on hands, let alone 45 of them, can be very helpful. Free makes them even better and easier to try out.

Technology / Getting Started With Google Chromecast: The Unofficial Manual

My gifted Chromecast has become my go-to media player of choice, so it only makes sense to read up on how to get the most from it.

Technology / SaveDeo Downloads Videos from Instagram, Flickr and Other Video Sites

There are times when you just need to save that online content locally, especially since content disappears from the Internet every day. My college professor wife has been saved by a quick download on a number of occasions, as she has recommended content to her students, that has subsequently disappeared.

Technology / Five Best Programming Languages for First-Time Learners

Want to dive in and learn a little about programming? Here are 5 great suggestions for places to start.

Technology / Stream videos to your iPhone, iPad from a PC/Mac with Plex and VLC for free

Although I love the Chromecast, as I mentioned above, I have the need to stream other media files to my TV, too. I use XMBC right now, but I am always looking for alternatives with new/better features.

Technology / Liquid Image brings LTE to the action cam game with its new Ego LS
1. Like a GoPro but with cellular data service? This brings a whole new meaning to LIVE for your outdoor adventures.
Technology / Wheresmytime Shows Where You Spend Most of Your Time
1. I love life-tracking and life blogging and this app keeps track of where your spend your time throughout your days and weeks. Interesting stats to look through, I think.
Technology / Hackaday: The Gathering

Hackaday Meetup info for Los Angeles for the Makers in the city. Event might be past, but use the link to connect to more information.

Technology / Getting Started with Arduino–The Maker Faire Edition

Arduino continues to fascinate me and I find myself collecting link after link of information on it. I am also passing on most of these to my son's technology focus teacher at his high school.

Technology / One procedural universe, coming right up

Sometimes technology can produce quite beautiful things. This software allows you to create and fly through a universe of your own making. The article calls out its usefulness for game design and I would add that writers might be able to use it too.

Technology / iSelfie: a remote control for your iOS camera

Selfie made it into the Oxford English Dictionary this year, so why shouldn't there be an app to make it even easier. I could see this also being useful in creating an iPad-based photo booth for parties and events.

Technology / Airtame wireless dongle mirrors your computer onto any HDMI display
1. Again, anything that gets media onto my big screen is of interest to me -- and the simpler, the better.
Technology / Kindle for iOS updated with flashcards, notebook filters and better search

We have 2 Kindles here, and make extensive use of the Kindle apps on our computers. Joe even uses his for some high school textbooks. As a writer who has produced several Kindle books, it behooves me to keep up on the state of the art for Kindle, too.

Technology / EnLighten tells you when your traffic light is going to change

An odd app for iPhone, but one I want to try out. Not yet available to work here in Los Angeles, but I like trying out a wide variety of apps, so this one has made it to my phone in preparation for its availability here.

Technology / Getting Started with BeagleBone Black
1. Like the Arduino posts linked above, I love keeping up on what is happening in the Maker work of Arduino and other small computer likes the BeagleBone.
Technology / Native Union's Jump charging cable can juice up your devices on the go

Technology / oTranscribe is a Free, Keyboard-Friendly Transcription Tool
Technology / Permutation Racer Is A Free Game By My Boss’s Friend
Technology / SquareWear 2.0 a Wearable Opensource Arduino
Technology / This Seeker Bot Will Head Towards the Brightest SunBEAM
Technology / 21 Must-Have Free iPhone Apps You Can’t Miss
Technology / Most Popular Programming Language for First-Time Learners: Python
Technology / Broken UK Porn Filters Also Censor Slashdot, EFF, Ars Technica -
Technology / The Holiday Delivery Debacle: How Do You Recover Customers’ Trust When Your Entire Ecosystem Has Just Failed Them?
Technology / 5 Essential Desktop (and Laptop) Apps You Didn’t Know You Needed
Technology / Google Drive just got an activity stream that details everything you and the people you're working w
New Media / YouTube Introduces Comments Page After Users Complain
New Media / Horizon is a new video recording app that'll eliminate portrait recording forever
Technology / Umoove launches flying game, brings face-tracking controls to mobile devices
Technology / EU-funded RoboEarth project is a cloud-based system for robots to learn from each other (BBC)
Technology / Starbucks caught storing mobile passwords in clear text (Evan Schuman/Computerworld)
Technology / This App Tracks Your Face to Control a Game
New Media / Google Publisher Plugin beta: Bringing our publisher products to WordPress
Technology / Daily App: Winebot is your personal assistant for wine
Technology / Feedly Updates iOS App with Quick Navigation, iPad Design, Night Theme
Technology / Storehouse: An Apple Vet Tries To Move The Needle On Long-Form Visual Communication | TechCrunch
Science / Rememebering John Dobson
Technology / How to Sync Your Saved PC Games Between Computers with Dropbox
Technology / Nomad ChargeKey review: An iPhone charger you won’t leave home without
New Media / Review: Motrr's Galileo motorized iPhone dock for panoramic photo taking
Technology / NewsToEbook Converts RSS and Feedly Subscriptions Into Epub
Technology / NoteHub Creates Throwaway HTML-Enabled Note Pages
Technology / Tame Under-The-Desk Cables with a Broken Three-Ring Binder
Technology / The Glif: A Stand and Tripod Mount For All Phones
Technology / Raspberry Pi: Everything You Need To Know
Technology Remote Desktop Tool LogMeIn Is No Longer Free
Technology / Streaming Data with Plotly
Technology / Nudge Tracks All Your Health Information in One App
Technology / All library audiobooks going to DRM-free MP3s
Technology / Mother: adorable connected sensor network
Technology / Feedly Updates iOS App with Quick Navigation, iPad Design, Night Theme
Technology / Storehouse: An Apple Vet Tries To Move The Needle On Long-Form Visual Communication | TechCrunch
Technology / How to Sync Your Saved PC Games Between Computers with Dropbox
Technology / Nomad ChargeKey review: An iPhone charger you won’t leave home without
Technology / Review: Motrr's Galileo motorized iPhone dock for panoramic photo taking
Technology / NewsToEbook Converts RSS and Feedly Subscriptions Into Epub
Technology / NoteHub Creates Throwaway HTML-Enabled Note Pages
Technology / Tame Under-The-Desk Cables with a Broken Three-Ring Binder
Technology / The Glif: A Stand and Tripod Mount For All Phones
Technology / Raspberry Pi: Everything You Need To Know
Technology / Remote Desktop Tool LogMeIn Is No Longer Free
Technology / Streaming Data with Plotly
Technology / Nudge Tracks All Your Health Information in One App
Technology / Free books from the Getty
Technology / All library audiobooks going to DRM-free MP3s
Technology / Mother: adorable connected sensor network
New Media / iRig Mic HD brings a hand-held option to iOS and Mac recording for $99
New Media / Zoom iQ5: A tiny professional stereo microphone for Lightning connector devices
Technology / Countdown for iOS keeps track of everything important to you
Technology / Google Tips and Tricks Every Student Should Know
Technology / Daily App: Simbol is your cheat sheet for universal symbols and their HTML codes
Technology / Mohiomap Creates a Mind Map to Browse Your Evernote
Technology / Use Your Computer From Anywhere: A Guide to Remote Controlling Your PC
Technology / Vidd.me Uploads Streaming Videos Without Sign-ups
Technology / Five Best Remote Desktop Tools
Technology / Interviewy Simplifies Voice Recording and Transcribing
Technology / Build anything you want with Legos, in Chrome
Technology / How to Roll Your Own Steam Machine with Windows and Big Picture
Technology / Audio Memos for iOS: Like Apple's Voice Memo, only much better
Technology / LEGO®, Chrome Launch Virtual LEGO Game (Prepare for Procrastination)
Technology / Gmail's New Smart Labels Auto Categorize Purchases, Travel, and More
Technology / BBC News - UK government tackles wrongly-blocked websites
Technology / Free curriculum for maker-kids: toy hacking, 3D printing, Arduino rovers and more!
New Media / Zoom's H5 brings high-quality audio recording to budget-minded pros

Friday, January 31, 2014

On my iPhone… Free today only - ActMonitor By Aeonika - Monitor lots of info about your iPhone and apps

Free today only: ActMonitor By Aeonika - Monitor lots of info about your iPhone and apps

ActMonitor By Aeonika

Monitor tons of information about your iPhone, the apps it runs and the data it uses.

From the iTunes App Store...

The app shows you system info about your device. It takes almost no space and really easy to use.

+ Information about the network.
+ Wi-Fi, Edge/3G/LTE and Bluetooth traffic.
+ Battery level, status and remainng life (estimated).
+ Memory status.
+ Disk free space information.
+ Processes list (To show system processes just pull list down).
+ Device identity (device name, os version, UDID (if available)) wich can be sent by email
+ Other detail info about Apple devices.

Previously in "On my iPhone/Android…":

"On my iPhone…" is a new series from TechnologyIQ, sharing real world examples of how I use my iPhone, interesting apps and more

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

On my iPhone…Sunrise Calendar for iCloud and Google Calendar

Sunrise Calendar for iCloud and Google Calendar

Sunrise Calendar for iOS

An alternative calendar for your iOS device that adds features, improves layout and more.

From the iTunes App Store...

Sunrise is a free calendar app made for Google Calendar users. Designed with love, Sunrise is a new experience that will make your life easier.

Features:

100% free calendar app with a gorgeous design.

Compatible with Google Calendar and iCloud.

A completely redesigned calendar experience for your iPhone.

Synchronization that just works, in real-time and with background updates.

Quick Add Event just by typing "Lunch tomorrow at 9pm" (long-press on the +).

Reminders.

Timezone Support. No more headache when traveling!

Facebook Events and Birthdays included.

See faces and profiles of people you are meeting with using LinkedIn.

Weather forecast based on your location.

Smart icons.

Tag location to events.

Use Google Maps for Directions.

Connect multiple Google Calendars.