5 Awesome iPhone Apps for Chefs

It doesn’t matter if you’re a professional chef or a self-proclaimed foodie. The truth is that you love food and you deserve to have access to a wide variety of food ideas, recipes, and tools at all times. If you’re an iPhone carrier, these apps will make it easier than ever before to keep up with current food trends.

Chefs Feed

Found at www.chefsfeed.com, this is an incredible website for foodies, by chefs. The website features tons of great dishes and ideas, showcasing trends at restaurants from around the world. You can search the site by dish or by chef – and there are some great pros showcased. They’ve also got a network on YouTube and a “chef-powered” restaurant guide. This is one app you need for ideas and inspiration.

Evernote Food

We all know how useful Evernote can be for organizing ideas, notes, and to-do lists. Evernote has a separate food app which you can use to take notes about your food ideas, thoughts, visions, and inspirations. Saw a great dish while out? Take a picture of it. You can add tags, write descriptions, and be as detailed as you’d like so you can find the food again later or attempt to recreate it on your own. This is a fun app, but now one of the most functional – though it has promise in growth. It’s also free.

The Professional Chef by the Culinary Institute of America

This one comes with a hefty $50 pricetag, but it’s well worth the investment for professional chefs and students. The book itself is known as “the bible for all chefs,” and has a stunning reputation. The app features videos, notes that other chefs using the book have added to the app, interactive enhancements, and more. You can write in the book, search for notes, scan chapter info, take quizzes if you’re in school, and access social media networks as well. This is a must have for professionals and serious students.

Food Network: Cupcakes!

Cupcakes are incredibly popular. Have you ever seen Cupcake Wars? The ideas these bakers come up with for tastes, textures, and fillings are outrageous. This app includes a number of guides for decorating, choosing ingredients, creating frosting, and ultimately blowing any New Years diet you thought you might go on. This app is $2.99 and works with the iPad.

Mario Batali Cooks

This app comes with a $9.99 price tag but features some of the most popular Mario Batali recipes available. Mario claims to have created all of the content for this app himself, including not only 60+ recipes but a wide variety of kitchen technique videos and still images as well. You’ll love learning to cook Italian style cuisine with Chef Batali.

There are literally hundreds of other options for you to browse online as you’re learning to cook. Check out food apps, kitchen apparel, cookware, and savory ingredients while you’re at it. Maybe 2014 will be the year you transform your kitchen!

 

5 Awesome iPhone Apps for Chefs

Best Gadget, Game, and Geek Conventions

 

Imagine being with a group of people who share the same interest in a certain hobby, who are unafraid to show their love for it, who don’t mind waiting in line to see exciting, new products related to it, and who might dress up in honor of it. You’re either at a sports game or a convention. Conventions (and we’re talking geeky and fun, here, not “my boss made me go to this conference on HR management!”) are massive gatherings of people celebrating the hobbies they love, be it games, gadgets, or comic books. Conventions are also a great way to meet people with similar interests, network with industry professionals, pick up merchandise, and get news about upcoming products and developments.

San Diego Comic-Con International

The mother of all comic conventions, the SDCC (often referred to as simply Comic-Con) is a massive, multi-genre convention that features workshops with comic book professionals, interview panels with popular celebrities, academic seminars, film screenings, costume contests, parties, even portfolio reviews for attendees seeking employment with comic or video game companies, and more. It’s four days of pure, unadulterated fun (if you don’t mind waiting in lines) in the middle of summer, and has grown beyond comics to encompass geeky pop culture in general. If you go, expect to see lots of fans in costume (and consider dressing up yourself)!

Emerald City Comic-Con and New York Comic-Con

Similar to the SDCC, the ECCC (in Seattle) and NYCC (in New York City), are major conventions dedicated to comic books and pop culture. Though smaller than the SDCC, both have been growing over the past few years, especially in terms of attendance, to rival their Californian cousin.

WonderCon and DragonCon

For a smaller convention that focuses mainly on comics (as SDCC, ECCC, and NYCC have grown to encompass way more than that), head down to Anaheim’s WonderCon. For a general science-fiction and fantasy convention, try DragonCon in Atlanta, GA.

GamingPAX: Penny Arcade Expos

Started by the creators of the popular webcomic, Penny Arcade, who wanted a convention that catered to tabletop, console, and computer gamers (there exist numerous, smaller conventions that focus on only on specific games and types of games), the expo quickly gained momentum. The one convention in Seattle became PAX Prime as two more conventions were started: PAX East in Boston, and PAX Aus in Melbourne, Australia.

Electronic Entertainment Expo

E3 is where video game and console manufactures go to show off upcoming games, consoles, and accessories. Held every year in Los Angeles, it is unfortunately closed to the general public; you must prove that you’re professionally associated with the industry to get in.

Technology World’s Fairs

From the first Fair, the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, of 1851 in London, the World’s Fairs have been dedicated to cultural exchange between nations as well as displaying advances in industry and technology. The Fairs are like the royalty of the convention world: massive, sometimes lasting up to six months, and often a source of national pride. The next fair will be held in 2015 in Milan, Italy from May 1st to October 31st.

Consumer Electronics Show

Arguably the best gadget-oriented convention, the CES is held in Las Vegas every January. It showcases the coolest new technology and products– some in pre-production or planned to be released within the year, and some completely conceptual– from various companies. These products range from new phones and televisions, to gaming devices and kitchen appliances (and, yes, things like 2013′s cordless blender can be very cool). Unfortunately, the CES isn’t open to the public: passes are only available to people in the consumer electronics industry and the press (proof of affiliation for either is required, though there are stories about people who have managed to fake it and get in).

GSMA Mobile World Congress

Since 1987, there’s been a whole convention dedicated to mobile communications. In today’s modern world, that means smartphones and tablets. Held every February in Barcelona, Spain, the Mobile World Congress is an exhibition for new devices and software that features vendors and company executives from all over the world. In 2013, over 72,000 people attended.

This article was provided by Carrie Crowley, self-described geeky gamer girl. If you’re a gaming or comic company –or any company for that matter– Carrie suggests looking for the most popular exhibit types for trade shows.

Best Gadget, Game, and Geek Conventions

Chicago Electronics Recycling: Need Of Today

Unused and unwanted electronic parts and items scattered around the landfills are a serious threat to the environment. A majority of these electronic items contain contaminants such as phosphors, cadmium, lead and mercury. Some waste products such as old TV sets and computer monitors are labeled as ‘hazardous’ by the US Environmental Protection Agency. According to the standards laid by EPA, it is essential for all small and big size companies to contribute towards minimizing their share of electronic wastes. The best way to do this is to find a Chicago electronic recycling company who can dispose off and recycle your unwanted electronics properly. In this way, hazardous elements can be prevented from causing harm to the ecology.

Why hire a professional Chicago electronic recycling company?

Chicago electronics recycling companies make use of the latest equipments and techniques to recycle and dispose off waste electronic products. Due to advancements in the technology industry over the last few years, Chicago electronics recycling has become a reliable and effective service which does it job abiding by the international industrial standards. When you hire a Chicago recycling company, you can be sure that your electronic waste is being disposed off safely and properly. You do not need to worry about receiving unprofessional service, as their services are cost-effective, responsible as well as reliable. A reputed Chicago electronics recycling company will specialize in environmentally safe disposal of electronic products. They will take the responsibility of recycling different kinds of electronic waste, including lead, mercury, plastic, scrap metal etc.

Types of services offered

A Chicago electronics recycling company will offer different kinds of waste disposal services, including:

• Computer recycling and disposal service for personal or office computers, laptops, etc.


• Recycling service for electronic devices, like pagers, smart phones, fax machines etc.


• Proper recycling and disposal of different types of discarded electronic devices, like servers, scrap PCs, test equipments, telecommunication parts etc.

Features of a reliable Chicago electronics recycling company

A reliable Chicago electronics recycling company will make sure that their services meet the international industrial standards of safety. They also ensure that their service complies with the protocols of the company. They ensure that the services offered by them are reliable and trustworthy, and cost-effective too. They should offer prompt service and professionalism, with an aim to expedite the process of recycling. They should also offer services like scheduled pickups and quick disposal and recycling. When they offer pickup service, they come to your place upon your request, and pickup the electronic waste to recycle it safely.

A reliable Chicago electronics recycling company understands the latest environmental concerns, and do their best to minimize your carbon footprint while recycling or disposing off the e-waste.

Chicago Electronics Recycling: Need Of Today

Ways to say goodbye to your electronics: how to be responsible and earn money

When it comes to getting rid of your old electronics, it can turn to be a true headache. If the device you are no longer using is in fact broken, all you need to do is to make sure its disposal is environmentally safe: use special bins or bring it to special stations dedicated to electronic waste. Yet if your device is still functioning, you have several options to choose from, and some of you may even benefit you financially.

Retro camera – Shutterstock

Ask your friends

Before simply throwing your electronics away, no matter what shape they are in, put some effort into asking your family and friends if, by chance, they need them. Not only would your devices serve a longer time in this case (or, who knows, start a new life as a part of another device) , but also could simply benefit your beloved ones. If the item you want to dispose of is in a rather good state and you think you would like to receive some money for it, you can first of all try to sell it for a reasonable price to your friends. It is definitely a win-win situation: you save time trying to find the buyer and your friend gets the gadget for a fair price.

Check out  second-hand markets

Depending on the place you live, there might be second-hand markets dedicated entirely to electronics or markets that have a section for used electronic appliances. If you have the time, you should by all means head to one of them and see what happens. If anything, you will at least get a better idea of how much you should ask for your item judging from what similar second-hand electronics cost. In this case, you will reduce the risk of selling it for an inadequate price.

See what your pawnshop offers

Despite the fact that this option may not be the first one that comes to your mind when talking about getting rid of your electronics in Columbus, Ohio or wherever you are it is worth checking out your local pawnshop. It may offer a variety of deals that might seem just the thing you were looking for. For example, instead of selling your old camera, you might be able to trade it for a new one with just a little of extra money added. Or, if you do not see what you like in that shop, you can simply sell your item there and stop your worries right away.

Do not just abandon your electronics

Whatever you decide to do, the crucial thing to remember here is to make the best use of your old – functioning or broken – electronics. Out of all the options – to make your friends happy, to make your wallet happy, or, as minimum, not to harm the environment – all are viable ones, so all you need to do is to decide for yourself and finally dispose of that device once and for all.

Ways to say goodbye to your electronics: how to be responsible and earn money

Are Robots the Future of Cleaning?

Cleaning can be a mundane task, or seem like a waste of valuable manpower. Whether it be for your home or business – cleaning is essential for success and a better environment to work and live. In your workplace, productivity is hurt in big ways by clutter in the workspace. A clean work environment is better for your employees and your customers and in a world where first impressions are everything, having a cluttered mess in your business should be avoided at all costs. The same can be said at home, where clutter can increase stress levels and even be dangerous for children.

Options for cleaning have typically been setting aside staff time to accomplish cleaning tasks, or hiring a professional outside service to come clean every nook and cranny of your building but the future of cleaning may be changing. What if robots could enter the equation? Robotic machines are increasingly being used for cleaning tasks, especially those in which humans can be put at risk.

Cleaning robot – Shutterstock

Are robots more than floor cleaners?

We all know about robotic vacuum cleaners that scurry around on the floor, seemingly knowing where to go to keep the floor dust free – but what else is out there? There are other robotic options already on the market, with even more in development. Obviously, robots cannot completely replace humans (yet, anyways) but they can make cleaning your home or business much less daunting and dangerous. Let’s take a look at a few other friendly robots that can help keep your workplace or home clean and organized.

Pool cleaners

iRobot, who makes some of the famous robotic vacuum cleaners, already has an entire line of products on the market including a really interesting pool cleaner. The Mirra, as they call it, can keep a pool clean without using filtration systems, pumps or hoses. The robot will remove junk from the surface of the pool, keep the walls clean with its own scrubbing brush and make sure the water stays clean. It can be used in virtually any in ground pool.

Gutter cleaners

If the Mirra is not enough, check out the Looj 330. This cool robot can be inserted into your rain gutters where it travels under its own propulsion and senses any debris in the way. Gutter cleaning can be a dangerous and time consuming job, but the Looj removes any risks or stress from the job. You can even carry it up to the roof hands free by simply attaching it to your belt. A Looj 330 will only set you back about $300.

A robotic maid

One of the newest products on the market are floor mopping robots. That’s right, now you can spend less time in the kitchen and trust a robot to mop your floors. Certain models can be programmed to mop over 2000 square feet in one cleaning cycle, which means they can navigate through your home or business and find the floors which need a good mop job.

What does the future hold?

Other products are in development, or being tested in various markets around the world. Machines like the Gecko can be used to scour and clean interior walls, while others are being experimented with in Europe for cleaning outdoor surfaces of varying types. Theoretically, these new robots could be used to climb skyscrapers and clean windows – a dangerous and expensive job for humans.

Regardless of your opinion on them, robotic machines are set to revolutionize the home and business cleaning processes. There are already quite a few highly efficient cleaning robots, and in a few years time there are bound to be many more. Today, however, some human touch will still be needed. If you have a difficult job like pressure washing, call your local professional service like American Clean & Seal Pressure Washing who can do jobs that even robots won’t do.

Are Robots the Future of Cleaning?

How to Get The Most of Your Netbook’s Battery

If you are looking for portable computers that come with excellent battery life, then you can always turn to netbooks. Such move is exceptional, especially if you are always on the go and cannot afford to run out of battery. While this is most true among a majority of units out on the market, bear in mind that there are still several things that you can do to get the most of your computer’s battery life. Read on and find out some of them.

 

First and foremost, you need to limit the number of programs that you open. By doing this, you not only use less power, you also get better response time and less lag. Remember not to leave programs open if you do not really need them.

Shut down features such as WIFI and Bluetooth if they are not in use. They significantly affect a computer’s battery consumption; as such, it would be best to turn them on only when the situation calls.

Upgrade your RAM. This is essential because it can make programs and corresponding applications run better and smoother. With this straightforward move, you get to use less CPU power and therefore achieve more battery life.

Maintain appropriate space on your computer’s hard drive. In general, netbooks come with smaller hard drives, than conventional PCs and it would be best to free at least 10 to 20 percent of it so that you can manage your files with ease. With this, you can save temporary files and at the same time enable your portable PC to run smoother.

Defragment your hard drive. This process put the files in sequence so when you open a file or application this will take less effort. It makes your computer and applications run smoothly and save battery’s life as well.

Dim your screen and set it on a much lower resolution, but make sure that you can still read comfortably. The best you can do is to create a power plan, so that screen light will go dim itself when the charger is not plugged in. This can make your battery more efficient since you get to save every bit of energy that you can.

Unplug external devices which are not being used, and use antivirus program. Viruses and malwares harm your computers like anything. So chose a trusted antivirus to improve the performance of your computer, but don’t install more than one.

These are only some of the few things that can help get the most battery life of your portable computer. They’re definitely perfect for you if longer battery life is one of your top concerns.

 

How to Get The Most of Your Netbook’s Battery

The Connection Between HD TV And HDMI Extenders

With the advances in technology every person seems to want more in terms of quality and entertainment. This can only be achieved if you decide to buy the high end products which will offer you an improved visual experience. This is why you may be in the situation of purchasing an HD TV which complies with the new possibilities. The problem is that you may find the experience really overwhelming and you really do not know the basics. You have heard that you may need a HDMI extender but you do not know what it is and what it does.

The HDMI Concept

First of all you have to understand the concept behind HDMI. This is a digital connector that can transmit audio and video signals at high definition on just one cable. The extender is used so that the signal gets extended to the place of the HD TV in case there is a long distance between it and the computer. It is true that you can use an analog cable to connect the digital components. However, you may encounter the problem of needing a cable with three components and an additional six analog cable for audio. So this means a lot of cables hanging from the TV. This is why the HDMI is the right choice.

CAT5 Essentials

It is known that HDMI over CAT5 can be used in connection HD devices to HD TVs. In order to make the whole connection viable an end is placed in the HDMI slot of the cable and the other in the HDMI output of the DVR. In case you own an AV receiver, the television can be placed in the middle of this signal choice. The AV output receiver head to the TV and the DVR is connected to the AV input receiver. With this cable you are able to enjoy your favorite movies in high style as the high definition of the image is guaranteed.

Audio Transmissions

It is crucial to use HDMI for audio transmissions. The sound will be more accurate with this type of connection. The HDMI extender is likely to support 8 channels each at 192 kHz and of 24 bits. This means that you will experience perfect sound with Surround Sound, Dolby TrueHD and HD soundtracks systems.

If you decide to place the HD TV on your wall, it is likely that the AV receiver will be really far away from the monitor. This is why an extender is needed because the HDMI cable cannot be too long as it tends to lose its quality. The extender’s role is to extend the signal on really long distances. For this it uses the CAT6 UTP or the CAT5e cables. The top distance supported is of 100 meters. What is above this may cause signal degradation. With an extender the signal is full and it is the only way to get those HD images that you long for. The HDMI extender is a must if you plan to have a full quality video experience.

Michael Alvarez, has been working in the electronics and technology field for over 20 years. He enjoys sharing his knowledge and expertise with others; while continuing to grow his knowledge.

The Connection Between HD TV And HDMI Extenders

5 Technologies that are Making a Splash in the Home

Technology continues to evolve at an incredible rate, making life easier for people at work, on the go and now even at home. Imagine one’s home from a Smartphone, saving on energy bills without thought or ensuring the family is safe with higher security measures. Below are five technologies making a splash in the home and life just a little easier.

 

Smart Phone Control

 

Cell phones are one of the most revolutionary inventions to hit society, these innovative devices are no longer used just to call home. Emerging technology allows people to manage their home from their mobile device. Today, all one needs to do to control one’s television, thermostat and smart appliances is pick up one’s phone. Before people know it, mixing margaritas will be as simple as turning the blender via their iPhone while socializing with their guests.

 

Smart Thermostats

 

Smart thermostats are not new to the world, although they are quickly headed toward becoming the standard. With good reason considering this little device learn one’s schedule, manage the house’s temperature and save an impressive amount on energy bills. There is no doubt why smart thermostats are making a big splash in homes today when plugging in this little device conserves energy and saves money.

 

Small Appliances

 

Not to be left behind, small kitchen appliances have joined the eco-friendly, energy-saving revolution. Even battery-operated blenders are becoming a common purchase, these energy-saving devices providing homeowners with the same power without draining the wallet. For the eco-friendly, more small appliances are being made from recycled material or are recyclable as well, blenders, coffeemakers and microwaves finding new ways to make life a little easier.

 

Water Savers

 

Water waste hurts on two fronts – high energy and water bills. Tankless water heaters, however, provide a solution. This device tracks one’s time in the shower and decreasing each consecutive shower by seven seconds. While one simply reset the tankless water heater when the allotted time is too short, this device conserves valuable resources and spare homeowners high energy bills.

 

Home Security

 

Not long ago, facial recognition and finger print security systems were something people only saw in movies and at work. The technology has found its way into the home, more individuals investing in a higher standard of home safety. And why not? With a security system that requires facial recognition to open the door people can finally get a good night’s sleep.

 

Author Bio

 

Kathrine Kreger, is a freelance writer from Eugene, OR. She loves museums, art and football. For those who are looking for a reputable blender, look to (http://www.blendtec.com/commercial/)

5 Technologies that are Making a Splash in the Home