Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Post XXV. Course Conclusion.

My dear classmates,

Thank you for spending your precious time on reading my blog during this semester. You did me a great honor stopping by from time to time. I am very grateful for the comments and suggestions I have been receiving the last two months.
Sharing my Internet findings through this blog was an enjoyable experience, and I plan to continue doing it after the EME 6414 course ends.

Wish you the best of luck with all your future endeavors!

Warm regards,
Varby

Post XXIV. Scanner Pro.

Scanner Pro is an iOS app that turns your iPhone or iPad into a portable scanner. This app is extremely helpful when, for example, there are two simultaneously studying students in one family (I am in that kind of situation now). Imagine, you and another family member need to read the same textbook on the same day. There are two options: You can wait your turn or scan the required chapter and read it on any device. I personally like the second option more because it allows both of you to be on the same page and discuss the material you read.
Scanner Pro digitize papers into PDFs, and the result of scanning is quite more clear and beautiful comparing to traditional scanners. You can customize the scanned documents any way you like, form files and folders, and change the place of the scanned pages. Scanner Pro is integrated with cloud storage services like GoogleDrive and Dropbox. Moreover, the app enables you to constantly back up all the files you scan.
The developer of Scanner Pro, Readdle, celebrates its 8th birthday now, so you have a unique opportunity to download the app for $2.99 (its usual price is $6.99).

Watch the video below to see Scanner Pro in action.


Post XXIII. Spark

Spark is an iOS email application that aims to make emailing as convenient and quick as possible. The idea behind this app is to transform your overwhelmed inbox into a smart tool by including a set of powerful features into it.
Spark is incredibly customizable. You can choose the order of menu items, the swipe gestures’ functions, the work of the Archive section and many more.
My favorite feature Spark offers is Quick Reply. There are three options: “like”, “thanks”, and “smile”. They are very useful when you get a lot of email. If you are involved in an informal email conversation, it is so convenient to have an opportunity to reply with a simple tap rather than having to type “thank you so much” on every email. From this perspective, Spark gets closer to instant messengers, letting the user options to act informally.
Among the features Spark has are a language search and a calendar widget. In addition, the app can be integrated with cloud storage services (e.g., Dropbox), Evernote, and Pocket.
Eventually, Spark can be downloaded for free. With all this in mind, I believe it is worth trying this new way of managing your email.

Watch a short Spark promo below.




Post XXII. Makerbase

Have you ever wondered who made a particular web application (for example, Google Reader or the What IS Code? - the manual I referred to in my previous blog post)? 
If yes, check out the Makerbase website. The website was launched recently, so there is little information there yet. However, the Makerbase team declared they are going to create a database that will be similar to IMDb; that is to say, the database will be as informative and searchable as that 100-million-data movie portal.
Makerbase contains information about the creators of applications, websites, podcasts, etc. The website allows you to get to know people who made the tools you are using and appreciate their work. It could also be used to find out the projects your favorite developers are working on or have been worked on in the past.


Post XXI. What Is Code?

The computer is an integral part of everyone’s life nowadays. Still, not so many people understand how this powerful machine actually works. Since getting my first computer in the middle 1990s and starting browsing the Internet, I was wondering what kind of mechanisms make this magic happen.
During my undergraduate studies, I took several basic programming courses, but never received the answer to the question above. Those courses discussed lots of technical terms related to the computer sciences, and I even remembered some of them; however, nobody cared to explain the working process of the computer so I would be able to get it.
Last weeks, I was searching for coding-related learning materials for my soon-to-start IDT career in Kazakhstan. And I was lucky to find an amazing interactive manual that is written for people who are not very familiar with coding, but willing to understand it. That is to say, I found the coding book of my dream, and it is called What Is Code? While interacting with the book, I experienced lots of “aha moments” that never came to my head before.
What Is Code? is a real treasure for anyone interested in the topic of coding. If you are not one of them, you still may find it to be interesting to go to see how this interactive web-based learning tool works. I promise, you will be impressed.

Here is a short video from the introduction to What Is Code?