Tag Archives: Tech Rec

Recommendations for the latest technology software, platforms, services, and products.

It’s a Party with Teleparty

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Stream with your friends and family with Teleparty

It’s a rainy night, and you want to watch a movie with your friends. However, no one wants to travel. Luckily, no one will have to move off their couch or bed to watch a movie or show together with the FREE Chrome extension Teleparty (formally known as Netflix Party). 

 

Once you download the Teleparty extension on Chrome or Edge, you can watch content simultaneously with friends while using the chat feature to discuss the movie. The extension is compatible with Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and HBO Max so long as everyone has a subscription. Amazon Prime has their own version of Teleparty built into their services, and it is compatible with Fire TV and your web browser. 

 

The steps are simple: 

  • Load the movie or show you want to watch 
  • Click on the extension logo on your toolbar and start the party 
  • Copy the Share-URL and share them with your friends however (email, text, etc) 
  • Wait until your friends join through the link  
  • Customize your name and icon for the chat box 
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Leo Herrera

Leo Hererra is a graduate student of EMDD. He currently works as a graduate assistant for the program. His research interests include film and media theory.

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Student Journey: Gabe Eastridge

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Willo: Tooth Cleaning Technology for Kids

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Brush Away Brushing with Willo Teeth Cleaning For Kids

Willo is a new product that completely innovates how you approach and clean your teeth. It discards the toothbrush handle design and implements a mold that fits your mouth and cleans your teeth for you, hands-free! It specializes by making your teeth cleaning more consistent and effective without involving human error.

 

You may have developed routines, and once you have established that routine, you lose focus on the details and take your behavior for granted. Twice a day you brush your teeth, but have you ever considered that we have been using the same method for a hundred years without a revolutionary innovation?

 

In fact, dentists still identify flaws in the current teeth brushing options available. Traditional toothbrushes are a point of concern for many healthcare professionals. are liable to under brush or over brush with traditional toothbrushes. Even battery-operated toothbrushes are dependent on you evenly distributing your cleanliness and will not clean up all the plaque.

 

 


“For my entire career, I’ve been looking in patient’s mouths, adults [and] children, and seeing that for most people, they just can’t get that clean mouth that we like to see when they come in for their check-ups. We need something that’s better, that’s different, that gives them the ability to get their teeth clean every single day.”

Joel Berg, DDS, MS, Chief Dental Officer

Willo’s mouth mold technology locates the bristles based on your shape, preferences, and user history. It pulsates the bristles to brush your teeth, and while doing so, learns the shape of your mouth to increase effectiveness and consistency. All you need to do is keep the mouthpiece in your mouth for the duration of the session, press a button, and the entire brushing is taken care of by Willo. 

 

With Willow, it does not just come with a brushing mouth piece; it also comes with a water tank and rinse pod so when the session is over, you can go on your way.  Willo also features Bluetooth capabilities to choose what session you want to do that day. Sessions include basic brush, sensitive gum mode and other options. You can also track your brushing data with the Willo app to get a deeper understanding about your habits!

 

The technology is very family friendly, too. The mouth pieces can identify unique mouths, will configure to your dentistry needs, and every 3 months Willo will ship you a new mouthpiece to ensure consistency long-term. Before Willo, you were stuck with an electric or regular toothbrush and both required you to be consistent with the timing, placement, and even pressure of your strokes to ensure you were properly clean and did not damage your enamels or gums. Teeth brushing has not had an industry disruptor in decades until today. Now you can begin your journey towards cleaner teeth.

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Leo Herrera

Leo Hererra is a graduate student of EMDD. He currently works as a graduate assistant for the program.

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Student Journey: Gabe Eastridge

“There isn’t just knowledge but a visual and physical atmosphere of excitement to learn challenging technology and concepts.” About Gabe Gabe Eastridge graduated from the

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January 25, 2024

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  • Art and Journalism Building (AJ),
    Room 300, Muncie, IN 47303
  • 765-285-8229
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Stop Searching. Just Watch.

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Stop Searching. Just Watch.

It’s the end of the work week and you’re ready to watch a movie. You’ve been waiting all day to watch Pulp Fiction, but where can you stream it? This is question that leads film buffs into a frustrating and timely scavenger hunt. 

 

It’s not uncommon to check dozens of service subscriptions before finding your flick. In more unfortunate instances, the movie is not on any streaming service– wasting time and energy (as if you had much left wasted). Throughout the hunt, some users become distracted and compromise for another title to save time and discard original plans. It’s a struggle to find what you want to watch across several streaming services because often you don’t know what’s available unless it’s directly recommended to you.

With JustWatch, movie searches begin and end in one seamless experience. Find where to stream, rent, or buy any movie or TV show. The website shares elements with IMDB.com, but regarding finding streaming options, it is much more comprehensive than IMDB. IMDB is owned by Amazon. The “Watch Options” often pushes Amazon Prime subscription or rent/buy options ignoring other viable options, or they only suggest one of several streaming options. JustWatch may not replace IMDB for movie information, but it does include the IMDB rating, trailer, and film synopsis to explore other movie options within the website.

JustWatch is best utilized as a comprehensive searching browser across your various streaming subscriptions. There are four main tabs where you can surf and explore TV and movie titles across all your subscriptions.

JustWatch is available to download using the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

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Leo Herrera

Leo Hererra is a graduate student of EMDD. He currently works as a graduate assistant for the program. His research interests include film and media theory.

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Student Journey: Gabe Eastridge

“There isn’t just knowledge but a visual and physical atmosphere of excitement to learn challenging technology and concepts.” About Gabe Gabe Eastridge graduated from the

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January 25, 2024

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Holiday Shopping Made Easier with Chrome Extensions

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Holiday Shopping Made Easier with Chrome Extensions

It’s easy for holiday stress to consume you throughout the winter season– finding the perfect gifts at the right price all for that gratifying Christmas morning. However, as the old saying goes, “work smart, not hard.” With a second wave of coronavirus infections crashing over the country like a Hawaii wave, you may be weary of in-person shopping and opt for online websites. Fortunately for you, ecommerce innovation has caught up, and there are many ways to save money on gifts this holiday season by adding a Chrome extension. You will be able to find incredible sales and deals long after Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

With so many websites competing for your eyes, companies have turned toward deal offerings featured on popular tablet and mobile applications. Using such applications provide you deals at familiar stores and small-scale. So, what’s the catch? As you use these applications, the companies gain access to your shopping data. By adding an additional chrome extension, you are profiting, too. Each extension has their own unique value proposition to help you save money while shopping for your holiday gifts!

 

RetailMeNot

RetailMeNot is a Chrome extension offering cash back on certain stores. It differs from Rakuten because instead of providing you cash-back, it searches for last-minute coupons when you reach the checkout page. On its website, it also highlights sales on ecommerce stores from essentially every category, while also providing a blog which highlights current and upcoming deals, the best ways to shop, and affordable gift ideas. Their instant search for coupons at the checkout menu has saved me dozens of dollars. With one click, the application does all the work.

Acorns

Acorns’ core value proposition is completely different from the previously mentioned sites because it is an investment app where you can start an IRA (Individual Retirement Account). There are three methods of investment: manual deposits, purchase roundups (if you pay $12.85 with your linked card, $0.15 will be invested), and cash back promotions.   Acorns has an extensive list of participating companies that will help directly invest into your portfolio with two methods. They either invest a percentage of your purchase (2% of your $50 purchase is $1 invested into your portfolio) or invest a specific amount between $1 to $10. In the long run, that $5 or 2% of your purchase can become a few hundred dollars when you or your child turns 59.5 years old.

Rakuten

The Google Chrome extension for Rakuten offers up to 20% cash back when you shop at certain stores. In addition, it highlights exclusive deals such as ‘Buy One, Get One Free (BOGO)’, ‘free shipping’, and travel and vacation deals. Rakuten also offers a credit card for  an additional 3% cash back on any store that already offers cash back, plus 1% cash back on all other purchases. Throughout your purchasing history, your cash back bank cumulates all your deals until you determine it is enough to order your check, which is sent to you through the mail. I can personally attest the validity of the application as I have already earned $13 in cash back.

Honey

The Honey Chrome extension does not offer cash back, rather their focus is highlighting sales and notifying you when prices drop for products that you bookmark. Just like RetailMeNot, they also run through a list of coupons at your checkout page in case your purchase qualifies for a discount. Their unique value derives from Honey Gold Balance. As you make more purchases through Honey, you earn a balance of Honey currency, and when you reach 1,000 Honey points, you can redeem a $10 gift card of your choice from select stores.

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Leo Herrera

Leo Hererra is a graduate student of EMDD. He currently works as a graduate assistant for the program.

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Student Journey: Gabe Eastridge

“There isn’t just knowledge but a visual and physical atmosphere of excitement to learn challenging technology and concepts.” About Gabe Gabe Eastridge graduated from the

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January 25, 2024

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How to Block Distractions While Working From Home

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How to Block Distractions While Working From Home

Since March, working from home has been the new normal around the world. Many people loved the idea in the beginning and still do. There is nothing better than having half an hour more to sleep in the morning, wearing your favorite comfy clothes, sitting by your desk, and eating homemade food. It sounds like a dream., right? Unfortunately, the reality is a little more complicated than that. Our homes are full of distractions: loud family members, clingy pets, binge-worthy t.v. series, and those pesky chores. With such interruptions, are we really surprised at our inability to maintain focus while working from home? Thankfully, there are two easy solutions that can help people that work from home during the pandemic or holidays.

Step 1: Set Up A Work Station

First of all, it is important to find a place in your house that is strictly your work station. That way, once you get there, your mind knows that your main goal is to do work.

Step 2: Download App

The second step is to download an application that helps you focus. There are many applications on the internet, but my favorite one is Dewo.

Dewo tracks your activity on your computer and smartphone and recognizes when you are working and when you are not. Then, based on that, it blocks notifications from distracting apps automatically, so that your work does not get distracted. Also, it notifies anyone that messages you that you are busy at the moment. Once you are done working, it gives you some data on your efficiency and how you can improve your productivity. It highlights when you worked without getting distracted, compares your performance to previous days and weeks, and advises you to change any future events that are not scheduled in an efficient way. 

Dewo works best when connected to both your computer and smartphone so that it can control notifications and track your activity on both devices. Once connected, it creates a shield around you that blocks all distractions with no extra cost and helps you stay efficient and enjoy the benefits of working from home.

Check Out Dewo

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Angelos Mandilaris

Angelos is a first-year graduate student of the Center for Information and Communication Sciences program at Ball State University. He is an EMDD graduate assistant and plays for the BSU Men's Volleyball team.

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Student Journey: Gabe Eastridge

“There isn’t just knowledge but a visual and physical atmosphere of excitement to learn challenging technology and concepts.” About Gabe Gabe Eastridge graduated from the

Read More »
January 25, 2024

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  • Art and Journalism Building (AJ),
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Why Photographers and UX Designers Love Camrote

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Why Photographers and UX Designers Love Camrote

Have you ever taken a photo using a timer? If so, I’m sure you can relate when I tell you how much of a pain this is. Every year, I am the designated photographer for our annual family Christmas photos. 

As part of my creative process, I’d first pray that the camera didn’t fall from the stack of books used as a flimsy tripod. Then, I’d scramble to pose alongside my family members with minimal time to prepare a smile before the camera goes off. Between poor composition or capturing someone mid-blink, there are always adjustments to be made. Although these photography struggles allow for a quick workout and a few laughs, I am so happy I finally found a solution to this user problem: Camrote.

Camrote is a free app that allows users to take photos from a distance. No timer needed! Whether you are using a phone, tablet, or camera, you can take your photo without the stressful sprint. It’s as simple as pressing a button from your device in whatever pose you’d like.

Camrote allows you to easily connect your camera to your phone using your wifi settings. Once connected, the app displays the image your camera is about to take, allowing you to see what your photo will look like before taking the photo. This feature is particularly nice because it allows you to perfect your photo composition without leaving your position.

Learn More About Camrote

Once you use the app to take your photos, the app allows you to view the photos on your phone so you can make sure they turned out the way you wanted them to.  Using the app does not impact the quality of the photos, either, as you can still shoot in RAW while using Camrote.

The app solves so many user problems for amateur photographers like me who previously always took group photos using a timer. On top of this, the app also has a clean platform, with minimal features, that makes it easy to understand. The best part? The app is free! Try it out today and forget about taking photos with a timer.

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Michaela Tangeman

Michaela Tangeman is first-year EMDD graduate student. She is a graduate assistant for the Department of Journalism at Ball State University. She loves problem solving, photography, and traveling.

My Go-To Recommended Tool for Academic Writing

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My Go-To Recommended Tool for Academic Writing

While taking multiple classes during my Undergraduate Degree that require great writing skills, I noticed that most students had trouble with proofreading and fixing their grammar, vocabulary, and punctuation. Even if some of those students tried to, reviewing and editing a document that is thousands of words long can be difficult and there is always something that may be missed. The same thing would happen to me. Most of the time I would proofread, but I would always miss a few errors that would end up lowering my grade significantly. 

All that changed when I discovered Grammarly.

Grammarly is an application/browser extension that finds those mistakes for you and suggests the best fixes. That includes any text that you write while you are on a browser and even text that you write in applications like Microsoft Word, Slack, and many more. Because of Grammarly, I do not have to worry about spending my time reading every single sentence over and over again to find the small mistakes that I made. Not all suggestions are necessary. When that happens you can just click ignore or add to Grammarly’s dictionary so that the application will not bother you again about it in the future.

Grammarly is pretty flexible since it lets you choose which websites you want and how you want it to act on each website. Some of the choices are checking for writing suggestions, showing definitions and synonyms via double click, correcting spelling automatically, and many more. 

Furthermore, if you have Grammarly enabled, it only takes up a small space on your screen. There is one small circular green button in the bottom right of the browser or application which you can click for a panel to open up. That panel shows you the more detailed explanations of your potential errors. If you do not like clicking that button there is no problem. Additionally, every mistake is marked with a red line which you can click on and select if you want to change the word or avoid the suggestion.

Grammarly is also supported on mobile phones and works as an extension of your keyboard.

There are a few applications that are not supported by Grammarly yet, but there is a solution for that as well. You can open a new document at Grammarly and copy/paste your text there which will give you all the feedback that you would get in a supported application or browser.

The best part is that it is completely free. There are more advanced versions for writers or businesses but as a college student, the free version of Grammarly covered all of my needs.

If you are writing regularly and you find yourself making errors, you need to start using Grammarly.

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Angelos Mandilaris

Angelos is a first-year graduate student of the Center for Information and Communication Sciences program at Ball State University. He is an EMDD graduate assistant and plays for the BSU Men's Volleyball team.

Share this post
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Student Journey: Gabe Eastridge

“There isn’t just knowledge but a visual and physical atmosphere of excitement to learn challenging technology and concepts.” About Gabe Gabe Eastridge graduated from the

Read More »
January 25, 2024

Contact Us

  • Art and Journalism Building (AJ),
    Room 300, Muncie, IN 47303
  • 765-285-8229
  • bsujourn@bsu.edu
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