Apps: From Useful to Fun to Plain Creepy

I must admit, when I was assigned this topic my relatively advanced age clouded my thinking especially given that this blog appears on a food delivery site.  I immediately began thinking of and searching for the most delicious appetizers out there.  I actually began to write about cranberry brie puff pastry puffs, French onion cups and goat cheese stuffed mushrooms (all three looked delicious, btw)…then it dawned on me…perhaps this post should be about smartphone APPLICATIONS rather than edible appetizers.  I’m fairly certain “appetizers” would never have entered the mind of a millennial.

So, without further adieu here are six “applications” that range from useful to fun to just plain creepy.  I’ll let you categorize them.

• Instapaper – Instapaper is a bookmarking app that allows you to save any article, video, recipes, or whatever to be read or viewed later. However, what makes this app truly awesome is the fact that with an upgrade to premium services, you can save unlimited content, conduct text searches, create text-to-speech playlists and, best of all, create your own daily newspaper free from ads and pop ups of any kind.
• Dark sky – is a hyperlocal (that’s their word, not mine) weather app. You simply type in your location and it gives you as much or as little weather information as you like or need.  Its graphs and charts are super easy to understand and it gives you the hourly forecast, to include precipitation percentages and temperatures.  And if you’re a meteorologist, there’s plenty of in-depth weather stuff for you to explore.
• IFTTT –The acronym stands for: if this then that. The complicated way to explain IFTTT is to say that it uses applets (think of them as nanobots that cause things to happen once a precondition is met) within your devices.  These applets then trigger (the “this” in the acronym) actions (the “that” in the acronym) to occur.  The simple way to explain it is to give you a few examples: IFTTT will alert you if a Craigslist or eBay post matches your search request or automatically turn on, off or make louder the ringer on your phone after a preset condition is met, like after you leave the office or miss a call.  Given that there are over 54 million applets, the possibilities are almost unlimited.

• Wakie – Ok, this one definitely falls into the creepy category. Wakie anonymously connects you, via calls or online discussion, to people all over the globe.  Need some advice regarding that loser boyfriend of yours?  Use Wakie to connect with someone, anyone for that advice.  Curious about the weather in Chile?  Ask someone wandering around Santiago.  Want a wake-up call from a total stranger?  Wakie will hook you up.

• Runpee – If you’re anything like me, you make elaborate plans to ensure you don’t have to pee during a movie. If I’m going to an evening movie I ensure I don’t drink coffee and exercise (sweat out liquids) during the day and, above all, take no form of liquid into the theater with me.  Well, this app is a true paradigm shift for the urinary challenged.  Simply inform Runpee of the movie you’re viewing, and it will tell you the best time to take a pee break, usually when the movie lags.  Not only that, it gives you a quick synopsis of what you missed while you were emptying your bladder.

• Fooducate – Since this blog does appear on a food delivery site, you just knew I had to list a nutrition tracker. However, Fooducate is so much more than a nutrition tracker.  It actually educates you about the food you’re eating.  It allows you to personalize your health goals and it tracks far more than calories consumed.  It also tracks macros, proteins, fats, carbs, sleep, mood, and hunger levels.  It also provides health and diet tips from nutritional professionals and provides nutritional info when you scan a barcode from a  food product.