Best Android Apps of 2017

Hi All,

So the year is almost ended and all the 'best of' articles are starting to come out in print and on the web.  One of the better ones - written in March 2017 no less - is this article titled '100 Best Android Apps of 2017', written by PC Mag.

The article subtitle states that these are 'The essential Android apps you need, whether you're outfitting the latest Pixel phone or plugging along with a much older device.'

The article has lots of subheadings....including the following Browsers, Health/Fitness, Personal Productivity, Reading/News, Shopping, Travel, Video, Food, Music/Podcasts, Photos, Security, Social Media/Communication, Utilities and Workplace Productivity.

Apps are that 'make the PCMag 'cut' are generally less thank $5 - with the majority of the apps on the list being free to download via Google Play. 

About 5 or so of the 'best' apps are listed in each category with a paragraph length description of the apps features and why it is included in the list of the 100 Best Android Apps of 2017.

Links to each app are on the site as is a rating - 5 solid red dots indicates the 'best' app. 

In the article PCMag suggests using the link for '10 Must Have Android Apps For 2017' if the 100 apps in the prior article are too many to go through.

So...what criteria did PCMag look for when reviewing apps for the article?  They looked for uniqueness, elegance, timeliness, design, price, security and popularity in an app for the list!

Enjoy the apps and the links and your phones' new found capabilities!

Regards,
Stu

Unsplash! (Free photos)

Hi All,

Supershort blog entry today!

It's simple....if yu need beautiful, free photos for your computer or for your document(s), visit Unsplash. It is a website that users can find, beautiful, free photos.

Topics are arranged at the top of the page and include Business, Computer, Nature, Love, House, Landscape, Cat and Happy. 

So....what is Unsplash?  Great question - basically it is a website where over 300,000 free high-resolution photos are available to you for free.  Photos come from a  community of photographers.

Click on this link for more collections of photos from Unsplash! Warning - there are lots and lots of photos here to use in documents AND to just look at for their sheer beauty!!!!

Click on this link for Unsplash's FAQ page to learn more about the site. 

Enjoy the site!

Regards,
Stu

More Than Just Parks

Hi All,

I came across a wonderful website yesterday. Its called 'More Than Just Parks' and is dedicated to 'a visually stunning trip through America's National Parks'.

The goal of the project is to 'share the wonders of the national parks with as many people as we can'. Quite an admirable goal that's for sure.

Using short films, 'engaging online interactions and imagery the authors plan on creating films covering each park.' 

Click on this link for the National Parks that the authors have already covered.

Click on this link to go to the formal National Park Service website hosted by the US Government. 

And since the whole idea of this project is for folks to visit the various national parks, click this link to learn more about making reservations and/or visiting the various national parks.

Enjoy the links and the sites and the visits to these national treasures!

Regards,
Stu

Pixlr - Free Online Photo Editor

Hi All, 

So you have a phone - that takes pictures.  And you have a camera - that takes pictures.  Awesome.  Sometimes you need a free online photo editor to manipulate the image or images. 

And for whatever reason you don't want to use Google's Picasa.  That's okay - even if the Google guys don't like that...however there are alternatives. 

Welcome to Pixlr - the free online photo editor. 

Basically Pixlr is a free online photo editor.  Users can edit, adjust and filter images.  There is no registration required so users can dive right into using the software. 

Enjoy the site and editing your photos. 

Stu

Best of 2016

Hi All,

As the year 2016 comes to a close many, many, many websites generate 'best of' lists...forthwith a whole bunch of them on a wide variety of topics!  Enjoy 'em...

Time Magazine - Top 10 of Everything of 2016 

AllMusic.com - Best of 2016 

National Geographic - Best Photos of 2016

Android Central - Best Tech of 2016

NPR Music - Best Music of 2016 

Rolling Stone - 20 Best Lists of 2016

Life Hacker - 25 Best Movies of 2016 and Where to Watch Them 

Gamespot - Best TV Shows of 2016 

School Library Journal - Best Books of 2016 

Washington Post - 10 Best Books of 2016

Publisher's Weekly - 20 Best Books of 2016

New York Times Critics - Top Books of 2016

Techradar -  Best Phone 2016 - The Top 10 Smartphones We've Tested

Car and Driver -  Best Cars, Trucks, SUVs, and More For 2016 - Editors' Choice Awards

Beer and Brewing Magazine -  Best in Beer 2016: Readers' Choice & Editors' Picks

Winemag.com - Top 100 Best Buys 2016 

...and the list could go on and on and on....

So, you might ask how I found all these lists?  Great question.  Just type in the phrase 'best of 2016' in Google.  Make sure to put a topic after the 2016 - for example, 'best of 2016 movie' or 'best of 2016 newspaper writing' or 'best of 2016 scientific discovery'...you'll get dozens of results of which you'll have hours and hours of reading/viewing ahead of you.

Enjoy the sites and the links.  And, of course, Happy New Year!  Here's to a great 2017.

Regards,
Stu 

Gizmo's Freeware

Hi All,

If users want to review and rate the best free software a good site to visit would be Gizmo's Freeware. 

Click on this 'About' link to learn more about Gizmo's Freeware....note that the site is composed of a non-commercial community of users and the site is staffed by volunteers.

The site has links for freeware on a multitude of topics including Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS, Online Apps, eBooks and Resources.

For example, when a user chooses the Windows option listed above another page of options appears.  All Windows desktop freeware is listed by category.  Some of the more relevant categories include Audio & Video, Cleanup & Tuning, Disk & File, Games, Photos & Graphics and Security & Privacy.

Another click on the topic that is needed brings the user to another page.  This page has a narrative about the specific freeware in question.  Note that a time stamp is included in the article.  In addition, the author of the article is listed. The site gives users the ability to track particular author's articles - and view them.

The site is much different than PCWorld or Cnet since its focuses completely on freeware.  The other sites deal with news, video, How-To and have software downloads...

Enjoy the links!

Regards,
Stu

Rent.com

Hi All,

Have you heard?  Of.  Rent.com?  Its a website where you can rent your next apartment. Users can find an apartment using zip code and/or the name of the town or city and the state.  Its really easy to use. Rent.com uses Legit-A-Master to help make the site more authoritative and useful.

What's Legit-a-Master? It collects 3D floor plans, photos, virtual tours and finds certified resident reviews for the apartments on the site.

Site listings have floor plans, a list of amenities that come with the apartment, property details and neighborhood information. Contact information is included as well.

Other useful parts of the site include a Moving Center, Rent.com's Blog and a way to personalize your apartment searches using My Rent.

Enjoy the site.  Good luck finding your new place to live!

Regards,
Stu

Best of 2015

Hi All,

With the year 2015 drawing to a close, now is the time to check all the various 'best of 'lists that are coming out from various news sources, magazines, website, blogs and more.

Enjoy the links and the lists! Happy New Year.

Best 9 Instagram Pictures of 2015 

Best TV shows of 2015 

Best Movies of 2015

Best of the Best of 2015 List From Around the Web

Year in Search 2015

Top 10 Business Stories of 2015 - CBS News

Top 10 Business Stories of 2015 - MSN

Best 11 minutes in sports from 2015

Best weather bloopers of 2015

Best Books of 2015 - Amazon 

Best Books of 2015 - Publisher's Weekly 

Best Photos of 2015 - New York Times 

25 Best Albums of 2015 - Billboard 


Regards,
Stu

Vocative - The Deep Web Revealed

Hi All,

Vocative. Yes - its a website. Yes - its a real word.  Yes - here's the link.

What is Vocative you ask? Indeed - a good question to be sure.  Its a news website with a difference. 

"As the site itself puts it, " Vocativ is a media and technology venture that explores the deep web to discover original stories, hidden perspectives, emerging trends, and unheard voices from around the world. Our audience is the young, diverse, social generation that wants to share what’s interesting and what’s valuable. We reach them with a visual language, wherever they are naturally gathering....

At the heart of Vocativ is our exclusive technology, a place where science meets storytelling. More than 80% of the Internet sits beyond the grasp of Google, in an area called the deep web. Vocativ explores this vast, uncharted space, which includes everything from public forums and databases to social platforms and commerce sites."

Okay. with all that out of the way, exploring Vocative is fun, easy and well, educational.  The top of the homepage has a ribbon with links to Video, News, USA, World, Underworld, Tech, Money, Culture and Photos. 

As users can see, the site does not shy away from the controversial topics of the day.  Click here to see the Vocativ FAQ - the section on FAQ's to answer your questions about the site...

Enjoy the deep web news reports!

Regards,
Stu

What is Your Car Worth?

Hi All,

In the library world, one of the more popular and useful Reference Desk resources is the ever-popular (and well-used) Kelley Blue Book! Users have access to a whole multitude of resources on the KBB.com website - click here for the link. And, too boot, the site is free!  Read on for more information about the resources and tools available on the site.

On the sites' homepage, users can Price New/Used Cars, Check Your Own Cars' Value and See Reviews and Ratings of cars.

There are also links for Cars For Sale, Links to Car Awards and Top 10 Lists and a link with Research Tools For Prospective Car Buyers.

One of the best features of the site is the Car Review section. Users need to enter the zip code so that KBB can personalize the information they present - but once that is done users face a very helpful part of the KBB site. At the top of the page is an article titled (at least for now), 'Class of 2016: New Cars Ready to Roll'. Toward the bottom of the article, users see pictures of various cars - which are linked to an article and (sometimes) video of the car chosen.

Beyond that feature though, users can find cars that meet their specifications by using a set of drop-down menus.  Options on these menus include the 'Make', 'Model', and 'Year' (limited to either 2014 or 2015 at this time) of the car they are interested in.

Once the user finds a car of interest, various car topics are displayed. In the narrative are sections titled, 'You Might Like This Car If...' and 'You Might Not Like This Car If...' and 'What's New In 2015?'.  Interesting and clever way to present the information.

On the side of the page are tabs for the user to learn more about the car.  Tabs include 'Pricing', Compare Car with Other Cars, Photos/Videos, 5 Year Cost to Own, Specifications, KBB Expert Review, Consumer Reviews, Ratings and Rebates/Incentives.

Whew...that's a lot of information to digest!

So there you have it...an unbiased website dedicated to new and used cars...and the information is free, timely and the site is easy to get around!  Awesome!!

Finally, we have the hard copy of the Kelley Blue Book at the Reference Desk.  We keep the last few months or so of the books so users can see the price change (if any) of a particular car over the several months or so.

Good luck finding your new or previously owned car!

Regards,
Stu

Hubble Site - Science For You!

(Hubble Space Telescope pictured at left)


Hi All,

Just a quickie post on this grey, rainy/snowy, cold winter Saturday afternoon...

Hubble Site is the website for the Space Telescope Science Institute (STSCI).  What does that mean for you?  Well, simply put there are videos, galleries, education links, links to the Webb Telescope and Astronomy Exploration for folks who visit the website. 

What I wanted to share today were the photos from the Gallery section of the site.  To say the photos are awesome is an understatement!!!  Click on this link for a bunch of Hubble Space Telescopes' Top Shots.  Click on this link for Hubble Telescope Wallpaper for your computer!

Learn a bit about how the pictures were generated by clicking on this link!  And for the latest news releases click on this link - the HubbleSite Newscenter link.  (It is a complete collection of every Hubble Space Telescope new release and supporting materials.  Additional tools and resources to learn more about astronomy are included!)

And if you are completely obsessed - or just a bit interested in the Hubble Space Telescope - users might want to click on this page - the Stay Connected page which lets users access Hubble images, news, updates and video anytime, anywhere from your smartphone!  How cool is that.  And, users can be put on an email list by visiting the Stay Connected page as well.

Enjoy the photos and the videos from the Hubble Space Telescope - they are awe-inspiring.

Regards,
Stu

Taking Great Pictures of Your Kids

Hi All,

So if you have kids, one of the things you'll want to do is take memorable pictures of them.  By doing this, you'll be able to look back at all the great times that you've spent with your little ones when they are, well, 'big ones'. 

This blog entry will discuss 3 websites that will help you learn to take better pictures of your kids.   I'll also link to the Farmingdale Public Library card catalog so you can find some excellent photography books to help you take even better pictures of your kids - from reading.

Brought to you by Lexar.com comes this site - entitled '10 Ways to Take Better Photos of Your Child'.  Neat stuff - I actually knew about numbers 1, 3 and 4 in the list...(Get Low, Let Them Be Themselves, Show them he Pictures on the Camera).  Had no idea about 7 and 9 (Get Close and Watching the Background).  Go figure...I bet I'll take better pictures already this weekend.

From a website called Digital Photography School comes this entry, entitled, 'How to Get the Best Shots of Your Kids'.  Some of DPS's ideas include 'Immerse yourself in their world and let your camera see what they see',  and 'Use reflections to captures yourself with kids and catch their expressions when they don't realize the camera is trained on them'.   Good stuff - and it is a doable skill for parents who want to take pictures of their kids.

Finally, the third site in today's coverage is an article from Pop Photo.com entitled, 'Tips From a Pro: How to Take Better Photos of Your Kids'.  This article covers concepts like framing the child and using the light to your advantage when you take pictures of the little ones.  The entry also discusses the use of vantage points when the children are playing sports like soccer, baseball and football. 

There are many, many other photography and photography related websites on the web.  Some are good - some are not so good.  Caveat emptor and readers of this blog should know by now that I'm a proponent of being skeptical when viewing and evaluating websites...doing a Google search for 'How to take great photograph's of children' resulted in many, many results.  Click on this link to see the massive results of the search. 

Now, that all said, sometimes it is useful to use a book so you can read and look at pictures that explain a certain technique....click here for a link to the Farmingdale Public Library card catalog for a search query of 'children's photography'. 

Enjoy the results and the great pictures you are about to take of your children.  

Regards,
Stu

Today's Pictures

Hi All,


I'm in a photographic type mood today. And have I found a great bunch of sites for you! Regular readers might remember a site that I've mentioned before: refdesk.com...


Well, I can't very well talk about the whole site in shot because the site is so large. It would takes days and days to discuss each and every link and nook and cranny on the site.


But what I can do is talk about some specific sections on the site. In particular, since I'm in such a picturey mood today, I'd like to talk about the 'Today's Pictures' link on RefDesk.com.


So dear reader, click on this link to get to RefDesk.com - then scroll down about halfway down the screen and you'll see - in the middle - a section called 'Today's Pictures'. Bingo. Score!


So what is Today's Pictures? It is a set of links from sites as varied as astronomy, weather, National Geographic, TIME, Washington Post, Reuters and more. The topic? Anything the sites linked on RefDesk.com feel are 'picture worthy'. Users will find a whole bunch of science, nature, news, and weather pictures on RefDesk.com Neat stuff. Take a gander!


Enjoy the photos and remember, you can always bookmark RefDesk.com so you can come back to it at a later date.


Regards,

Stu



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