Digital Life Simplified
Archive for May, 2010
Epicurious – Free digital cookbook
May 28th
My mother and I making gnocchi - Dec 2009
At my parents’ house, there is a chalkboard hanging in the pantry where my mother writes her shopping list so that she won’t forget. Then she writes everything down on a piece of paper when she goes into town to go shopping, a trip that takes at the very least an hour and a half. My mother cooks every day, so the list can be quite lengthy if she can only make it to the store once a week.
I’ve developed her habit of going to the grocery about once per week, even though I live in the city and could theoretically go every day without much inconvenience. I generally dislike standing in line, so I avoid the grocery store as much as possible. When I do go, I like to spend a lot of time wandering the aisles, examining products I haven’t seen before… a bit like a kid in a candy store.
It was through my love for cooking and lack of a paycheck as a full-time student that I first began using Epicurious. If you aren’t already familiar with the website, it’s from the folks at Condé Nast Publications. It’s a huge compilation of recipes from Bon Appétit, SELF, Gourmet and others. In short, it is an amazing free cookbook! There are even video cooking lessons, ideas for entertaining and special parties and cocktail recipes, among many other features.
About a year ago, I saw an ad on Epicurious.com for their iPhone app. It was free (my main requirement), so I checked it out. Not only does it allow you to search and browse recipes by ingredients, cuisine, course, etc., it makes your shopping list! Talk about a time saver! There are even options called “I Can Barely Cook” and “I Cook Like a Pro” to help you find recipes that are suited to your skills. As with Epicurious.com, you can also save your favorite recipes. My only complaint is that my favorites on Epicurious.com don’t link up with my favorites on the iPhone app.
And just in case you thought that both the Epicurious website and the iPhone app were unbeatable, the company came out with one of the first iPad apps, and it is phenomenal! It turns your iPad into a full-page sized digital cookbook. You can see a nice screenshot here.
But wait, there’s more! For those of you who don’t own the iPad, iPod Touch or iPhone, you’re in luck! Last Tuesday, the Epicurious app was released for Android!
So for this week, happy cooking!
Google Search Tips and Tricks
May 21st
This week’s blog is going to be short and straight to the point. From time to time, I’m frustrated when I search for information on the web because many results come up that just aren’t relevant. For simplicity’s sake and because they have a majority market share, I’m going to focus on Google search.
The best example I can think of is when google “meshtop.” I’m constantly bombarded with images of girls in tops with holes in them and tables with metal lattice surfaces.
I know that we all have this problem on occasion, so I decided to compile a list of the most useful tricks to use and share with you. However, when I was searching for tips, I found that Google has already put together a perfectly concise list. Realizing that this is probably exactly what you (and I) need, I’m just going to share the link with you.
Google Tips and Tricks PDF
Extended Tips and Tricks from Google’s website
Happy searching!
Facebook’s Open Graph API and Online Privacy
May 14th
A lot of information has been flying around the web for the last few weeks regarding Facebook’s privacy policy and Open Graph. My goal for this blog is to provide you with some sites that will help you bypass the volumes of information and get straight to the facts that concern the average Facebook user.
The main question is: Should you we worry about our own privacy? I mean, is our information safe in Facebook’s hands? I think it’s valid to question Facebook’s privacy changes, especially in relation to its new Open Graph API.
The New York Times posted an article criticizing Facebook for the complexity and length of their privacy policy. Accompanying the article is a map of all the Privacy Options in Facebook, which appear every bit as complex as The New York Times claims.
I’ll admit; it looks bad. But here’s the thing: there are so many privacy options because Facebook wants to allow the users to choose what they share. Facebook has offered a highly customizable user interface, so that we can select our own levels of privacy.
Facebook has implemented a really interesting program, the Open Graph API, which has the potential to enhance our online experiences. It can provide relevant information to marketers, who can in turn provide you with advertisements that are actually relevant to you, rather than random things you aren’t interested in. It can save you time by pulling information from your Facebook page to customize other web sites when you browse. Mashable provides an excellent summary of what Open Graph actually is.
One benefit I’ve seen is from the music-streaming website Pandora, as reported by Wired. With Open Graph enabled, Pandora can pull your music preferences from your Facebook page and create customized playlists based on your taste. You can then share music and recommendations with your Facebook friends.
The main thing I disagree with regarding Open Graph is the default setting that Facebook chose. Privacy settings are set to automatically share user information via Open Graph since Facebook put the new program into operation. Had Open Graph been implemented as an “opt in” system, I believe the media backlash would have been much less.
Inside Facebook posted a great review of the current issues surrounding Facebook, Open Graph and privacy. It’s pretty long, but if personal privacy on the internet is important to you, it’s well worth the read.
The bottom line is that as far as internet privacy is concerned, we all need to be aware of what information we’re sharing. It is each individual’s responsibility to know what he or she posts online. That being said, there is no need to close your social networking accounts immediately or to start using an alias. Just be responsible and cognizant of your online identity. Choose what content you want to share and customize your Facebook privacy settings. Use (or don’t use) Open Graph to create the web experience that you want.
May 7th
I recently asked several of my friends which news aggregators
they use. I was stunned to find out that most of them had no idea what I was talking about. They go to each individual website that they like and read what seems relevant. Who has time for that? We’re all busy, so having easy access to news is essential. However, we all need different news. For example, I’m an American MBA marketing and social media intern living in China. I need to know about what is happening in the USA, as well as in Asia. I need to keep up with general business and marketing trends, as well as more specific trends in social media and social networking. I also need a daily dose of laughter to keep me sane.
I’ve found some great websites to give me the updates that I want, but they’re scattered all over the web. That’s why I’m such a big fan of news aggregators. About.com provides a list of the top ten aggregators for Windows, but my favorite (and thus, the one I’m going to talk about) is Google Reader. Mostly it’s my favorite because I like having everything in one place: Google Talk, Gmail, Search, Buzz, Maps, etc., etc. Plus, I’m a fan of keeping info in the cloud so I can access from any computer with an Internet connection regardless of location or if I’m using a PC or an Apple product.
For those of you who don’t already know, an aggregator basically works by receiving messages (called RSS feeds) from your favorite websites when they are updated. It then puts the messages in one web page, so that you can access all news relevant to you in one place. Simple, right?
The greatest thing about aggregators is that they are personalized, so here are my personal favorite subscriptions on Google Reader:
Social Media and Tech News: Mashable, All Facebook, Gizmodo and TechCrunch
Celebrity Gossip: Pop Sugar (Found this one in the Staff Picks)
Humor: The Onion, College Humor (still funny, no matter how old you are)
World News: BBC News
Random interesting things: digg.com: Stories / Popular and Lifehacker
In Google Reader, you can view each article by just the headline or the headline with a brief intro. There are also several options to “like” or share the articles.
There are a few ways to sort your news as well; my favorite is “sort by magic.” Although not technically magic (but might as well be), this setting sorts your news based on what you “like” and share. This means that as time passes, your most interesting and/or relevant news appears at the top of the list.
There are many other features, but I’ll let you explore them on your own for now. If you have any questions or tips for fellow users, feel free to post them.
Happy surfing!
