September Tech Savvy
(Synopses of interesting articles from major publications to
bring you up to speed in business and the latest technology.)
Are you addicted to your work?
To find out, rate yourself 1 to 5 on the following statements. Give yourself a 5 for “often” and 1 for “rarely”: a) You think of how to free up more time to work. b) You spend more time working than initially intended. c) Your work helps you reduce feelings of guilt, anxiety, helplessness and depression. d) You get stressed when you can’t work. e) You set aside hobbies, leisure pursuits and exercise in favor of work. If you averaged 4 to 5, then you may be at least mildly addicted to your work. Is that a bad thing? Not necessarily. While your well-being requires a certain amount of balance, having the drive, enthusiasm and energy to achieve impossible goals marks many of the most successful entrepreneurs.
-Forbes
We bet you’ve never even heard of these new technologies.
1) Perovskite solar cells promise to be cheap, easy to install and efficient enough to power entire buildings, large or small. Made with a compound called perovskite, they reach new areas of the light spectrum, thus producing far more energy than current solar technology. 2) Organs-on-chips allow scientists to test how drugs impact the body – without putting humans or animals at risk. These micro-sized chips emulate how human organs work. By injecting the chips with drugs, scientists can observe responses such as heart palpitations to predict human responses to drugs and diseases. 3) Super-smart nanosensors, tiny enough to fit inside the body could, for example, alert a doctor if a patient starts to show signs of heart failure.
-Inc.com
Did you know your iPhone could do this?
Respond to texts without unlocking the phone. When you get a notification, swipe left on the message and a blue “Reply” button appears. Just tap it and text away! Take a photo with the volume button. For that ultimate, one-handed selfie, open the camera app and press the “+” button for volume on the side of your phone. Have Siri read your texts out loud. This is a great tool for when your hands aren’t free or you’re on the road. Press the volume button and hold it. When the beep sounds, tell Siri, “Read my texts.” When done reading, she’ll ask you what to do with the messages. You can have her reply or read them again.
-Entrepreneur
You are just minutes away from creating a dazzling design - free.
With these 3 online tools you don't need to pay a pro or buy fancy software. 1) Canva templates make easy to create a business card, ebook or info-graphic. Just drag and drop objects until you like how it looks. Add images, tweak colors, swap fonts and voila - You've got a design you can be proud of. 2) Your brand's color palette helps get your message across and can even drive conversions. But getting just the right shade can be tough. Upload your photo to Pictaculous and get instant color recommendations and hex codes. 3) PicMonkey lets you easily edit, re-color, add borders and text - even insert graphics into your images.
-HubSpot