Technology

I’m a data nerd. I love analyzing information, finding patterns, and seeing connections. But data for the sake of data isn’t valuable–it’s only meaningful if you apply that information to create change. In 2015, I’m purusing a more quantified life. If I know what I’m doing–tracking fitness, food, habits, thought patterns, sleep, spending, accomplishments–I can evaluate how I’m doing in pursuing goals and how effectively systems I’ve put into place to achieve things is working. In general, I prefer specific apps that perform a single function. Technically, I could keep track of all this information in Evernote, but after deleting hundreds of worthless notes in the past few days, I’ve opted for a different, better option. Each app does one (ok, maybe two) things exceptionally well, and I know exactly what I’m doing when I open it. [footnote]That means I don’t have the walk-up-to-the-refrigerator-and-forget-why-I’m-there feeling.[/footnote] Here are a few things I’m tracking this year and how I’m doing it. ...

Command + F is a helpful shortcut to remember; it allows you to search and find a word or phrase in a document. It works just about anywhere you can find text on a Mac. [footnote]For my Windows friends, that’s Control + F.[/footnote] Normally, when I’m trying to refer back to a website, especially one that is poorly organized, I use Command + F to find text quickly. For a long time, I didn’t think this was possible on an iPhone or iPad because, well, there isn’t a Command button. Alas, I was sorely mistaken, and to my delight I discovered that you can search and find words on a webpage via Safari with iOS. The feature name is “On This Page” but it’s hidden better than a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. Here’s where to find it and how to use it. ...

I’m learning a second language for the second time. Normally you’d consider that a third language, but when you don’t properly learn a second language the first time (read: via high school Spanish), your second second language is really your first second language. After that clarification here are a couple tools I’ve been using to make language learning a bit more automatic on my Mac. 1. Using PopClip to make translation easier. I’ve mentioned my love of PopClip before. It’s an extension that appears when you highlight text with your mouse on your Mac. There are two handy extensions you can find on the PopClip website. Translating via the Google Translate website and having a pop-up translation appear. ...

It’s been two months since the release of iOS 8, and I’ve quickly taken to using widgets in the Today View. If you’ve updated to iOS 8 but haven’t explored widgets, you’re missing out. With your phone unlocked, simply pull down from the top of your screen to see your Today View, and at the bottom click the Edit button to add widgets.[footnote]You can reach your widgets via Today View at any time, but you can only edit your widgets with your phone unlocked[/footnote] Here are the widgets I’m currently rocking. ...

For some reason, some media files don’t play nicely with your computer. You may have an old song in an outdated or uncommon audio format that just won’t jive with iTunes. Or maybe have a strange video format that you can’t get to play and you’re bummed about not seeing that old home video someone converted into a funky digital format. Enter VLC–the media-play-all solution for your Mac, PC, or smartphone. ...

I’m unashamedly an app lover. My wife and I joke about who spends more money on their favorite things–me on apps or her on clothes. We’ve ruled it a toss up for now. To stretch my app budget as far as possible, I keep an eye on apps and snag them when they are on sale. The best way I’ve found to track apps and be alerted at discounts is through the app and website App Shopper. ...

If it was still 2007, I’d say, “Podcasts are the next big thing.” But, well, I kind of missed the prediction boat, so I’m going to hop on the podcasts-are-amazing bandwagon instead. One of my favorite things about our current world is that we have unlimited choices. I choose not to listen to terrestrial radio[footnote]I’ve noted on our podcast that I use the term “terrestrial radio” in a derogatory manner. That’s not the term’s original intent–it was used to differentiate between AM / FM and Satellite radio, but I prefer to use it as a diss.[/footnote]. I have no control over the song selection or content. The ads are rarely relevant. There are far more interesting things by lesser-known people who have more to say. ...

My favorite budgeting app is YNAB, which has an amazing desktop and iPhone version. The main idea behind YNAB is moving beyond paycheck-to-paycheck living, so they suggest spending last month’s salary this month so you can escape the rat race. This is enabled by subtracting any amount you went over by in any budgeted categories from your total salary for the next month. So, if you spend $50 more than you budgeted last month, this month you have $50 less dollars overall to budget. Pretty simple. ...

The iPhone is my most frequently used computer. I use it dozens of times each day, and I’m a fan of the iOS 7 operating system. But, one huge step backwards was trying to discern whether the shift key is on (i.e. making the first letter a capital) or off. It was so bad, someone made a Twitter account mocking it. https://twitter.com/iOSShiftKey/status/444155263990657024 But, today I offer a solution for us all to know if shift is enabled or disabled. ...

It’s easy to be overwhelmed the constant information churn on social networks. “Friends” and people we follow are continuously posting. Unfortunately, sometimes that content is worthless, but you don’t want to unfriend or unfollow someone for whatever reason. Here are 3 quick ways to clean up the clutter in your Twitter and Facebook timelines. 1. Turn off an individual user’s retweets on Twitter. Go to the users profile on Twitter.com, like <twitter.com/nshirkman> Click on the cog on the right side of their profile Click “Turn off Retweets” ...