Need a new reality? Try Augmented Reality

One of the best entertainment you can get with your tablet or smart phone is the wonder that is augmented reality. This provides fun, education, and wonder to our otherwise boring reality life.

What is augmented reality? Augmented reality is supplemental reality, or things added to reality via smart phone or computer, to add enhance perception. Unlike virtual reality, which changes the entire perception, augmented adds to the reality to that we already perceive. Things are added, not replaced.

Technology needed: You will need technology to ‘see’ the augmented reality, and this includes Virtual Reality headsets, or smart phones, or tablets. You will also need the apps/programs.

iPhone/iPad

Android

Programs/apps

You may have heard the hype with Pokémon Go! which lets you physically go into the real world and hunt Pokémon via a smart phone.  At Tom’s Guide, you can see 17 of the best augmented reality apps.

What you’ll find is not only games, but helpful information in the real world, similar to Google Glasses. The apps imposes a HUD (Heads-up Display) via your camera, adding information, links, and interactivity to the world. You can read/view/interact with your environment from ads in magazines to park monuments, to reading in foreign languages.

I’ve used SkyView app (IOS) before, which is a virtual sky you can explore day or night. This explores the night sky even if its not night, and shows you in real time where the sun, moon, satellites, planets, and stars are located using the phone’s GPS. It’s great for stargazing, and I remember once being able to watch a solar eclipse that happened on the other side of the world via this app.

Try them out and add in comments your thoughts and experiences. Ask questions if you like, and let me know if you liked this post.

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Five Tech Helpers For Your Resolutions

Keeping resolutions can be heard enough on your own, but why not let technology help you along the way? Here are some tech to help you with your goals;

Google Keep– keep track of your task lists and ideas on a page you can easily gain access too. This also includes an Android and iPhone app that syncs with your account.

Printable Planner– This Pinterest board includes many planner related links, including stickers, and organizers you can print for free. You can get a paper planner, or use smart phones apps as well.

Diet/fitness trackers– This service is free and includes both web-based and smart phone apps to keep track of diet and exercise. I prefer MyFitnesspal.com since it works great with so many tracking tech and smart phone apps that can track your exercise. Choose a fitness tracker you wear, or use your smart phone’s GPS.

Quitting smoking? Great. Use Since iQuit iPhone app to show how much time and money you save each day. You can use these trackers via a web site that does the same.

Cultivating productivity this year? Use the Pomodoro Technique. Use any number of smart phone apps as your timer, online timers, or get a real kitchen timer, and see if this technique helps improve your productivity.

What technology do you use to help with your goals? Post in comments.

WordPress Tags: resolutions, productivity, learnthepc, computer, technology, fitbit, goals, smart phone, quitting smoking, pomodoro

F.lux for sleeping

Studies indicate that the electronics in our life (tablets, computer, and smart phones) can lead to sleeping issues due to the light spectrum they emit. I’ve been searching for a solution to this problem, and this past week, I found a program called  F.lux. It is a program that switches from Blue Light to warmer hues to induce the Melatonin in your brain so you can sleep at night.

It runs in the background, switching to the warmer hues at set times so you’re feeling tired at night. So far, I’m finding I feel tired around 10 pm or so. I want to go to bed earlier. This lets me get up earlier.

Just install on your computer (Windows or Mac) or get it for the iPhone/iPad, and I hardly notice the change in color over time. What I do notice is that I’m feeling tired at night. Generally I get alert and ready to take on the world past 9 pm, now I want to curl up on bed.

I high recommend this program.

WordPress Tags: insomnia, sleep, f.lux, night, melatonin, brain, natural methods, learnthepc, sleep studies, computer, pc, programs, health

Introduction to the iPhone 4S Smart Phone

An introduction to the iPhone 4S (IO8) and some hidden features to help you.

 

WordPress Tags: iphone 4s, learnthepc, smart phones, siri, tutorial

Tech Link: Birdwatching just got easier

Birdwatching just got easier- well, easy if take photos of the birds you see. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Visipedia are collaborating to develop computer vision technology to identify birds in photos.

Here, I use a photo of a Robin (I knew what it was by easy identification) and tested it out. The site takes you through uploading an image, selecting the area where the bird is, and you then select the tip of the beak, the eye, and the tail end. Once done, it will search through the records and find the answer.

This was just through the site, but you can also download the app for iPhone, iPad, and Android. But fear not, the web based service also uses photos, so you don’t need a smart phone to use- just a photo.

If you like this post, don’t forget to like, comment, and share.

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