50 New Tech Tools You Should Know About

Technology has alway been a big part of my life and I can not live without it. I am very addicted to my cell phone and laptop. Over the years, I've had many cell phones, ones that I can't believe I ever owned. My first laptop was a Dell, but now I have an Apple, MacBook Air. I would never go back to a Dell or try any other brand. I was always addicted to my blackberry and I had stated that I would never change it. Well, this statement was proven other wise when I was talked into getting an iPhone. The iPhone has become my new addiction. I was on Twitter and I saw that my professor, Mr. Yang, tweeted about the "50 new tech tools you should know about." My eyes were glued to this article, and therefore I will be talking about some of the interesting things I saw, used, and might even download to my smartphone. 


I am always looking for new intriguing applications and in reading this article, I came across an application that they call "can I park here?"  This app. is only $1.99 and I believe it would be well spent. The app deciphers the parking signs around New York City. All you do is take a photo of the street sign and the app will tell you when you can park there and for how long. It has a timer for you that will start once you park your car so you know how much longer you have until your allotted time runs out.  I personally thought this was the coolest thing in the article. An application that has the capability to save you tons of money from parking tickets. 


An app that I had read about, that I thought was "stalker-ish" is called, "find my friends." I actually know first hand that this app is one I regret ever having. The app allows friends to easily locate you at any given time. You must accept the invitation before the person can see your location. I had 5 friends on this app that saw where I was at all times, and that I was able to see where they were all the time. I loved creeping on them, but I did not like it in return. There is an option that you can turn off your location so your friends can't see where you are. When I turned off my setting, my fellow friends on the application would text me and ask me why they can't see my location. They always thought I was up to something sneaky or hiding my location from them for a certain cause, honestly at times I was. I realized that this app was not for me. I do not need people to know where I am 24/7. I would never suggest this application.


One application that was on the site that is by far my favorite app that I posses is called, "Instagram." This application is like an equally popular site known as "Twitter," but on "Instagram" you only post pictures. You can take a picture and edit it to your liking and post it so your friends and strangers can see it on your "timeline." The key to the application is to post hash tags so strangers can see your pictures if they are not following you. If I hash tagged, #Sky, anyone who searches the word sky would be able to access my picture. If they like it, sometimes they follow you. I have 505 followers right now and my goal is to have 1000 by March. Also what is pretty neat about this application is that there is a "popular page" that peoples pictures can get posted on. To achieve this honor, you need at least 60 likes on your photo in a minute. The people who get on this page are usually famous and/or have thousands of followers. 


I was extremely pleased my professor tweeted this website. I enjoyed reading this article and it made me realize how remarkable technology can be. If technology was taken away from me I would not know how to react. This summer will be very interesting for me since I am attending "Raquette Lake" and we are not allowed to have technology with us. We will be isolated from it. To endure 2 weeks without my cell phone, computer, and iPod, is not even imaginable to myself, but I will find out first hand if I will go psychotic these 2 long gruesome weeks.