International Stress
Web Watch
May 2010
from Alice Muir
What’s app doc?
In these days of truncated text speak, acronyms, and abbreviated words, a new abbreviation has now worked its way into daily speech, and even into advertising for laptops, mobile phones and the like. This new kid on the block is ‘app’ - short for ‘application’. Of course, we’re all familiar with the word application – we’ve all filled in applications for jobs, passports, or for the lucky few, a tax rebate. And in my school days, a common teacher’s comment was ‘Johnny would do better if he would apply himself’ (name has been changed for confidentiality purposes). But this ‘app’ has a different meaning from both of these. It’s more in the genre of applying sun cream, or taking a vitamin tablet – because it’s a computer programme you can load on to your computer, laptop or mobile phone or other device, to do a particular job for you. A job which makes your life easier, more enjoyable, more informed, or more entertaining. What could be better?
There’s an app to fit almost any need. Be it education, travel, business, music, games, healthcare, golf, the weather or the news, there’s an app for you. ‘Puresleep’ has music to help you sleep and relax, ‘Dragon’ takes dictation, and a currently newsworthy ‘Pennies’, helps you track your expenses. Then there’s ‘Stressmanager’, ‘Relaxation’,
‘D-Stress’, ‘SCRABBLE’, and ‘MONOPOLY’, whose names speak for themselves. Just key in these names and ‘app’ in a search engine to find these and a multitide of others.
Another burgeoning area is that of book apps, which now outnumber games. Many book titles, new and old, are now available as apps. An e- book becomes an app when additional pictures, video, alternative endings, or other features are included. What would Mark Twain and Charles Dickens have said about that?
Some time ago, this column covered Social Networking Sites (SNS) and the wonders of Twitter, and Carole Spiers has told us recently about her experiences of tweeting (www.twitter.com). Many apps are designed to help you keep tabs on your input to these SNSs. If you feature on a number of these sites, for personal or business use, this can be time-consuming! It’s much less stressful, and more fun to have the help of an app, which will deliver news and information straight from SNSs, to your laptop, mobile, or other device. Ping.fm (http://ping.fm) is also a huge boon, as it is a free web service which lets you post to multiple social networks simultaneously. Making an update on ping.fm pushes the update through to all of your social websites at once, so you don’t have to update them all individually.
Being up to speed on this ever widening range of ‘apps’ can only be advantageous for you, or for your clients, or both. If nothing else, you need to be alert to the kinds of technology your clients might be using every day. Here are some other apps you might like to explore :
Blip.fm
Blip.fm is a social music site that let's you be the DJ. Pick songs to play for your listeners and find other DJs with similar taste to listen to. It's a constantly streaming music station DJ'd by you and your friends.
MyThreds
MyThredz is a microblogging platform with two unique concepts. You organize posts into ‘thredz’ (e.g. work, leisure, family). You’ll then be sent a daily email that's easy to respond to, so that each day you give a quick update on the main ‘thredz’ of your life.
Notify.me
This app delivers notifications that interest you in real time. It eliminates the need for you to constantly check on classified listings, blogs or other sites of interest.
Ping.fm Jott link
Jott is a voice-to-text service that allows you to update different web services by making a phone-call. This app will allow Jott customers to call, speak a message, and have this message turned into text and posted to Ping.fm .
Raptr
Raptr is the social platform for people who like to play and discover games. Along with Ping.fm, users of the site can update their friends across multiple networks on their gaming activity, accomplishments, and character updates.
Trustedones
A free service dedicated to sharing advice with your trusted friends and family.
CoTweet
CoTweet is a platform that helps companies reach and engage customers, using Twitter.
Let me know about any website or on-line feature which might be of interest to other members.
Alice Muir.
Chartered Psychologist.
Alice Muir is a Chartered Psychologist, Associate Lecturer with the Open University, member of ISMA, author of 'Coping with a stressed nervous system', and 'Teach Yourself Relaxation', and owner of 'Alice Muir Training'.
Contact: alice_muir@btinternet.com, Tel 07904 492 217.
Websites www.stresstrain.co.uk, and www.stress-confidence.com.
NEW! You can also follow my positive and motivating tweets on www.twitter.com/stresstrain
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Web Watch
February 2010
from Alice Muir
Alice's Winter Warmers
Over the past few months, I’ve come across a variety of very different, but really usable and versatile sites. This has come about largely through excessive web-crawling whilst snowed in by the recent blizzards and big freeze! Some other rather nifty sites have become very popular lately too, and are worthy of drawing to your attention. These are not just information-based sites, there are high-quality, user friendly, FREE facilities up for grabs too - Open Office, Skype, and Moodle being particularly worthy of note. All sorts of direct help is available for you on these sites, from setting up a group forum, to up-loading your word documents, pictures, video or slide shows for others to see and use, to allowing you to have face-to-face chats with someone on another continent or just down the road!
All of these sites have something worthwhile to offer, but they are quite diverse. So I’ve pulled them all together in my ‘winter warmers’. I hope something catches your eye, and makes some aspect of your life or work easier, or just adds a bit of warmth and diversion to these cold and darker winter days for you. Happy web-crawling in 2010!
BBC CLICK www.bbc.co.uk/click
- Keeps you up to speed on the very latest technology.
- Follow their latest news and alerts on Twitter, or look at ‘best bits’ on Delicious.
- Reliable and detailed guidance and tips on everything from buying a lap-top to Wi-fi, Bluetooth and photo-editing.
- Reviews, information and news on the very latest gizmos and gadgets, as well as developments we can expect soon, or even sooner!
SKYPE www.Skype.com
- Excellent for making video calls anywhere in the world, completely FREE.
- Talk face to face to the grandchildren in New Zealand, or a client in the USA – high quality image and sound.
- Audio calls, messaging and conferencing.
- Download the software from the Skype website FREE in a few moments, and you’re ready to roll…
BLOGGER www.blogger.com
- Create your own blog space ( web-log, which you can write straight on to, any time, about anything).
- User friendly, and flexible; post your own text, photos, audio, slide shows, for your use, or for friends or clients.
- You can even have your own linked website and web address, FREE.
- Allows you to have your own ‘followers’, who can then receive your new input automatically, and comment on it too ( similar to a ‘social networking site’)
GOOGLE DOCS http://docs.google.com
- Create, save and share your work on-line; edit from anywhere, FREE.
- Provides compatible applications to create documents, spreadsheets or presentations.
- Collaborate or share with selected colleagues, friends, or clients in real time
OPENOFFICE www.openoffice.org
- FREE, and does everything Microsoft Office (MO) can do.
- Same look and feel as MO.
- Can install in all your computers, free
MOODLE www.moodle.org
- A wonderful user-friendly tool for you to create your own on-line learning site; a boon for trainers, tutors, teachers, coaches, lecturers, and so on.
- Developed by Martin Dougiamus, from Perth, Australia, as an open and FREE way to promote learning, and empower ‘teachers’.
- MOODLE is available FREE to anyone, anywhere in the world to use, and is a comprehensive and cutting edge ‘virtual learning environment’ or VLE.
- Use for your own on-line courses, or ‘blended’ learning ( mix of conventional and on-line), a group forum, for assessment, or as a community database, and much, much more. Check it out. Make it your New Year Resolution.
Let me know about any website or on-line feature which might be of interest to other members.
You can contact me at Alice Muir Training, on alice_muir@btinternet.com , www.stresstrain.co.uk , www.stress-confidence.com, or Tel 07904 492 217
You can also follow my motivational and reflective TWEETS on TWITTER at www.twitter.com/stresstrain
Alice Muir.
Chartered Psychologist.
Alice Muir is a Chartered Psychologist, Associate Lecturer with the Open University, member of ISMA, author of 'Teach Yourself Relaxation', and owner of 'Alice Muir Training'.
Contact: alice_muir@btinternet.com, Tel 07904 492 217.
Websites www.stresstrain.co.uk, and www.stress-confidence.com.
You can also follow my positive and motivating tweets on www.twitter.com/stresstrain
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Web Watch
November 2009
By Alice Muir
Alice's Autumn Assortment
( for Stress Awareness Day, November 2009)
As it's a special day, I've pulled together some relevant and usable sites to help put the 'E' into StrEss AwarEnEss day. From stress management, to relaxing music and images, from sources of support, to how to feel happier, from information and updates about stress, to jumping off points for further research into the subject. I do hope you find something you like, even the sticky toffees!
www.workstress.net
National Work-stress Network's website; a not for profit organization.
- Authoritative and comprehensive, updated frequently with information, 'Hot Tips', press releases, legal case findings, and comments.
- High quality resource and interactive site; extensive links page; useful and busy discussion area; e-zene to sign up to.
- Frequent up-dating on new resources, health and safety issues, bullying, corporate accountability, legislation , and so on. On-line magazine.
www.worlddatabaseofhappiness.eur.nl
- The World Database of Happiness is an ongoing register of scientific research on the subjective enjoyment of life, funded by donations, and organised via Erasmus University, Rotterdam.
- Almost complete coverage of the literature up to 2008. Includes not only journal articles, but also books, dissertations, conference papers and unpublished research reports
- Data and information on over 200 countries worldwide - 'States of Nations' and 'Trends in Nations' available.
http://www.hse.gov.uk
Site of the UK's Health and Safety Executive
- Up-to-date books, press releases, leaflets, links, and lots, lots more
- Check out http://www.hse.gov.uk/stress/research.htm regularly for new research findings.
- You can access the Health and Safety Executive's 'Stress Solutions Discussion Group', open to anyone with an interest.You can join this very useful on-line forum, to keep at the cutting edge of stress. E-mailed ‘digest' of content available, to save time.
- Subscribe FREE for stress e-bulletin every 2 or 3 months.
- Good explanation on use of biofeedback for stress.
- Explains using biofeedback for other conditions such as stammering and blushing.
- Links to much more information on biofeedback in USA, Europe and Israel.
- Can sign up for free US based Webzine.
- Information about workshops and activities you can attend.
- Hundreds of beautifully relaxing pix.
- Plants, animals, bugs galore (if that's your thing), landscapes, particular countries in the world, or parts of the UK, night scenes, day scenes et. etc.
- Site of The National Association for Mental Health (MIND) with good links to a wealth of local, Scottish, and Welsh sister organisations.
- Free downloadable detailed information leaflets.
- Regular news and press releases, and excellent links. Legal advice line.
- Well stocked on-line shop with booklets from on a range of relevant topics.
- Dedicated to building the best wallpaper site on-line.
- Thousands to choose from, including mind-teasers, fantasy, relaxing imagery, and hundreds of games.
- 31 different waterfall scenes for PC screensavers. Lovely.
Also has a crackling log fire - includes video footage and sounds from a real fire. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the sights and sounds of your own roaring fire.
- 100s of free audio and video downloads on almost every subject e.g. health and fitness, time management, relaxation, meditation, mental health, spirituality.
- Free downloads from motivational writers and speakers too.
- Also 1000s of links to more free audio and video downloads relating to numerous famous authors as diverse as H.G. Well, Mark Twain, Douglas Adams, Deepak Chopra and the Dalai Lama.
EARTH TV www.earthtv.com
- Thousands of live webcams showing people, places, weather, scenery, and special events from all over the world, with relaxing music throughout.
- Timelapse techniques used to good effect.
- Includes a count-down to the football World Cup in South Africa which kicks off in June 2010, using cameras focussed on four World Cup stadiums in Durban, Johannesburg, Cape Town and Pretoria.
- You can watch 2010 arrive all round the globe!
Alice Muir is a Chartered Psychologist, Associate Lecturer with the Open University, member of ISMA, author of 'Teach Yourself Relaxation', and owner of 'Alice Muir Training'.
Contact: alice_muir@btinternet.com, Tel 07904 492 217.
Websites www.stresstrain.co.uk, and www.stress-confidence.com.
You can also follow my positive and motivating tweets on www.twitter.com/stresstrain