Archive for the ‘Tips’ Category
Friday, September 15th, 2023
Who hasn’t dreamt of visiting New York City at least once in their lifetime? Catherine Zhang was in NYC for three days this summer. She shares with us her sojourn in the Big Apple.
Sunset view of New York City from the Empire State Building.
The city might seem overwhelming at first, with the raging crowds, endless skyscrapers and the plethora of attractions you can visit.
Having only three days between my summer programme in Ithaca and volunteering at an animal sanctuary in the Amazon jungle in Peru, I was spoilt for choice on which sights to see on my first visit to NYC.
The Empire State Building
My favourite sight was the Empire State Building. An iconic feature of the NYC skyline, it towers over most of the other skyscrapers in Manhattan.
Despite its popularity, I was able to easily book a timeslot online to visit the building just the day before.
Night view of the Big Apple after nightfall, from the Empire State Building.
The first few floors feature a museum commemorating the cultural importance of the building, including a gallery of the various movies – from King Kong to Superman to Independence Day – which have featured the Empire State in one way or another.
However, the highlight of the building is easily the 86th floor observatory, where I was able to catch a beautiful view of NYC at sunset.
The thing is, you might forget how beautiful NYC is when you’re down on the ground jostling with hundreds of tourists and seeing the skyscrapers stretch out endlessly above. It is so easy to feel lost in a city so big and bustling with the stories of hundreds of other people.
But when you’re up high, looking down at the lights of the city that never sleeps, then it’s easy to see why so many singers, movie makers and artists have been captivated by its fast-paced charm and charisma.
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Tags:CityPASS, New York City, revue, The Travel Memoir, travel, USA
Posted in Holiday, New York 2023, Opinion, Review, Tips, Travel, travel | 5 Comments »
Tuesday, September 20th, 2022
I asked an Apple fan what his favourite Apple accessory was, and he gave me this 3-min rundown of why he loves his BoostCharge 3-in-1 Wireless Charger from Belkin.
Belkin’s aesthetic BoostCharge Pro 3-in-1 15W Wireless Charger offers convenience and fast power with MagSafe technology.
Dylan currently uses the BoostCharge 3-in-1 7.5W Wireless Charger for his iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods Pro.
He is planning to buy the BoostCharge Pro 3-in-1 Wireless Charger with MagSafe 15W for his new Apple 14 Pro Max, Watch Series 8 and AirPods Pro.
Belkin BoostCharge Pro 3-in-1 Wireless Charger with MagSafe 15W
The latest version of Belkin’s 3-in-1 wireless charging stand is the BoostCharge Pro 3-in-1 Wireless Charger with MagSafe 15W.
It is compatible with the latest iPhone 14, Apple Watch Series 8 and new AirPods Pro.
The phone charger allows the iPhone to be placed in both landscape and portrait modes, and features a magnetic charging module for the Apple Watch that delivers 33% faster charging for Apple Watch Series 7 – charging from 0-80% in about 45 minutes.
Currently available for S$219 from Belkin’s online stores on Challenger.sg, LazMall and Shopee Mall.
The first and foremost benefit of the 3-in-1 Wireless Charger is that Dylan is able to charge three devices simultaneously with only one power outlet.
This is convenient both at home and in his office — especially at home since his other family members are also Apple fans with iPhones, Watches and AirPods to charge as well.
When he doesn’t have THREE available power outlets (or multiplugs), he’d usually have to charge only one device at a time and only move on to the next device when the previous one had completed charging.
Dylan loves how compact and tidy the wireless charger is – instead of three separate charging cables to three separate devices, there is only one cable from the power outlet to the 3-in-1 wireless charger.
And the upright charger for the iPhone doubles up as a phone stand so he can talk handsfree, FaceTime or record a voice memo while the phone is on the wireless charging stand.
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Tags:accessories, AirPods, Apple, Belkin, BoostCharge, charging, iPads, iPhones, MacBooks, reviews, wireless
Posted in Accessories, Belkin, chargers, Gadgets, gadgets, Home, Opinion, Prices, Review, Specifications, Tips | 2 Comments »
Saturday, July 2nd, 2022
#tech4travel: My top tip for people traveling with lots of electronic devices is to bring along a plug bank. Sounds simple or overkill? It’s my personal travel best practice!
Back in 2018, this room in a tiny rustic village in Taiwan had only two wall outlets, crammed under the side table. Imagine charging the phones, tablets, camera batteries overnight for a family of four. And you have laptops that plug while in use or being charged. The plug power bank is a life-saver!
Travel is resuming slowly and steadily despite the pandemic.
One of the most stressful chores during travel is charging the plethora of electronic devices that we tend to bring along for the trip.
The bulk of carrying loads of chargers and charging cables alone can contribute to the bulk and weight of the luggage, especially since I tend to carry them in the carry-on luggage.
For greater peace of mind, I use this APC power bank by Schneider Electric that has surge protection for your gadgets, with six three-pin sockets and two USB-A ports.
That’s because if a charger is lost or delayed in the checked-in luggage for the flight, the associated gadget becomes unavailable for the trip – until I go shopping for a replacement charger/cable – which is a great inconvenience in terms of time and effort.
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Tags:APC, chargers, power, Schneider Electric, tech4travel, tips, travel, TUCU
Posted in Accessories, Gadgets, gadgets, Opinion, Tips, travel, TUCU | 4 Comments »
Tuesday, June 1st, 2021
Want to improve the quality, speed and coverage of your home Wi-Fi for #WorkFromHome and #HomeBasedLearning? I’ve been using the E9450 WiFi6 EasyMesh Router from Linksys since its launch half a year ago and I’m very happy that it has delivered.
The Linksys E9450 Dual Band WiFi 6 Mesh router to expand Wi-Fi coverage and performance for #WorkFromHome and #HomeBasedLearning, as well as for gaming.
I’ve been using a telco-provided router for years – it has served me well although it could not reach the study, the bedrooms and the garden outside – so Internet access has always been confined to the kitchen, living and dining rooms.
Living in the Digital Age
In this digital age that we are living in, access to the Internet has become a basic necessity of any home – much like water and electricity is indispensable in any facility.
So one of the first things you’ll need to begin #WorkFromHome and #HomeBasedLearning – in this trying time of the COVID-19 pandemic – is a broadband subscription with enough bandwidth to support the data-access needs of the entire household.
Once you’ve subscribed to a broadband subscription from an Internet Service Provider (ISP), you’ll need to set up a robust Local Area Network (LAN) to channel the Internet access to devices around the household – just like you’ll need pipings and electrical wiring to distribute water and electricity to all parts of the home.
The fastest and most reliable LAN is one based on a wired Ethernet network – but most often than not, most apartments have not been wired up and you’ll need a good router to set up a wireless Wi-Fi network instead.
Beyond the reaches of the old router, we had to switch on the mobile data connections on our handphones and hotspot the data to devices (speakers and computers etc) without a mobile data connection.
You can imagine how frustrating and limiting (and expensive) that can be.
And as the number of Internet-lusting devices being used in the household began growing rapidly, connection quality began to deteriorate, with slow speeds and dropped connections occurring more frequently.
Which was why I decided to upgrade the old router with the Linksys E9450 WiFi6 EasyMesh Router.
To expand the coverage of my home Wi-Fi network, I deployed a 2-node (1 parent + 1 child node) mesh network.
This was because a single-node network provided roughly a similar spatial network as my old router, probably because it was a matter of physical topology due to the layout.
The optical network terminal (ONT) for Singtel’s fibre optic network is located at one end of my apartment near the main entrance – instead of the center of the entire apartment – hence the distance between the router (which is connected by wire to the ONT) and the bedrooms tend to render the Wi-Fi signals too weak for connection.
I have a Network Attached Storage (NAS) connected (by wire) to the E9450 so that devices can upload/download files/photos and stream music/videos wirelessly via the Wi-Fi network. Another reason why I need a good Wi-Fi network with reach and performance.
So with a second E9450 router placed at the far end of the living room, the coverage of the Wi-Fi network was successfully extended to every bedroom – because the second router was located at the center of the entire apartment.
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Tags:broadband, Linksys, Mesh, networking, new arrivals, reviews, routers, Singapore, tech4wfh, tech4WorkFromHome, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi 6
Posted in Accessories, Gadgets, gadgets, Gaming, Gaming, Home, Internet, Linksys, Network, Opinion, Review, reviews, Router, Specifications, Tips, Wi-Fi | 5 Comments »
Tuesday, May 25th, 2021
#tech4wfh is a new series to curate technology and gadgets that you can use to set up your home environment for #WorkFromHome and #HomeBasedLearning – based on what I use for my own home office.
What is your #WorkFromHome or #HomeBasedLearning setup at home? Stay tuned for #tech4WorkFromHome series of curated technology and gadgets to set up your work or study environment at home.
It’s been more than a year since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
#tech4WorkFromHome
The #tech4wfh series will include devices such as Wi-Fi routers, notebooks, monitors, keyboards, speakers, mice, headsets, UPS, plug banks, storage devices and even robot vacuums and air purifiers to keep the work/study/home environment clean and fresh!
By now, workers and students all over the world have become accustomed to lockdowns and social distancing in the fight against the respiratory disease.
#WorkFromHome and #HomeBasedLearning have become the norm for the time being.
As a result, I’ve been inundated with requests for recommendations on technology and gadgets for setting up the home environment for working and for studying.
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Tags:accessories, COVID-19, devices, gadgets, Office, pandemic, tech4wfh, tech4WorkFromHome, technology
Posted in Accessories, Announce, Appliances, Gadgets, gadgets, Opinion, Tips | No Comments »
Friday, March 19th, 2021
Today is World Sleep Day, so here are five tips on how to get a better night’s sleep from sleep expert Fitbit.
Sleep like a baby with 5 sleep tips from Fitbit. Photo by Tara Raye on Unsplash.
Getting our eight hours of quality sleep every night is important as adequate sleep and regular sleep patterns help rejuvenate our mood regulation, cognitive function, and overall health.
According to Fitbit’s data in 2020, Singaporeans were sleeping more last year.
However, Singaporeans still had one of the lowest sleep durations in the region, indicating there is still room for us to improve our quality of sleep.
So here are five tips for ways you can sleep longer and get a better quality shut eye.
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Tags:Fitbit, howto, sleep, tips
Posted in Fitbit, Healthcare, Howtos, Lifestyle, Lists, Medical, Tips | No Comments »
Wednesday, September 30th, 2020
With the COVID-19 pandemic, much of the school’s curriculum has been migrated to online learning from home. With the threats out there in the World Wide Web, how can concerned parents better safeguard their children from online predators? Here are some tips.
My kids have never used the computer and the Internet so much before the pandemic set in at the beginning of the year.
It started with a bang when school was closed to students during the nationwide lockdown, and students had to do ALL their lessons online, using online video conferencing tools such as Zoom and Google Meet.
Parents had to scramble to help their children be ready for #HomeBasedLearning – the new buzzword for families with school-going kids.
From buying laptops, to setting them up, to teaching the kids how to use the video conferencing software.
There was hardly any time and energy left to figure out how to secure the laptop and online learning sessions from Internet predators.
So parents – below are some areas to watch out for when preparing your child for #HomeBasedLearning.
- Dubious websites and content
- Dubious “Friends” in chat rooms and social media
- Cyberbullying
- Scams
Dubious websites and content
The World Wide Web is full of interesting stuff, much of it inappropriate for children e.g. pornography, racism, hate and violence.
So keep a close eye on what your kids are surfing – check their search/browser histories and designate an open location in the home for the kids to use the computer, so that everybody can help keep an eye out.
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Tags:cybersecurity, HBL, howtos, Internet, Norton, safety, security, tips, WWW
Posted in Featured, Home, Howtos, Internet, Norton, Opinion, Security, Tips | 2 Comments »
Saturday, March 21st, 2020
Hand washing is one of the most effective preventive measures against COVID-19 – the disease ravaging the world now. Google Doodles is recognising Ignaz Semmelweis – the Hungarian physician who discovered the medical benefits of handwashing.
* This story first appeared on Haleness Me.
Google Doodles celebrates Ignaz Semmelweis and handwashing. Click to watch the video.
Dr Ignaz Semmelweis was appointed Chief Resident in the maternity clinic of the Vienna General Hospital 173 years ago in 1847, where he deduced and demonstrated that requiring doctors to disinfect their hands vastly reduced the transmission of disease.
Print out this poster on proper handwashing techniques.
Semmelweis had noticed that a mysterious and poorly understood infection known as “childbed fever” was leading to high mortality rates in new mothers in maternity wards across Europe in the mid-19th century.
Semmelweis deduced that the doctors were transmitting infectious material from prior operations and autopsies to susceptible mothers through their hands.
He required doctors to wash their hands with chlorinated lime water before examining pregnant women.
As a result, the documented mortality rate plunged from 18% to 2.2% over a period of a year.
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Tags:COVID, Doodles, Google, handwashing, health, hygiene
Posted in Google, Holiday, Infographic, infographics, Medical, Tips, Wiki, YouTube | No Comments »
Friday, March 20th, 2020
Here are some tips from Google on digital wellbeing and how our devices can contribute to our daily happiness.
The first step toward digital wellbeing is often understanding more about how you interact with technology in the first place. Tools like the Digital Wellbeing Dashboard in Android 9 Pie and YouTube’s Time Watched offer ways to keep you more informed about your habits.
Despite being one of the wealthiest nations globally, research has shown that Singaporeans are amongst the unhappiest people in the world.
Disconnect when you need to. Take advantage of tools that help make it easier to take a break from your devices, and switch off at the end of each day.
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Tags:Android, Google, happiness, health, Pixel, tips
Posted in App, Apps, gadgets, Google, Holiday, Infographic, infographics, Internet, Opinion, smartphones, Tech Focus, Tips | No Comments »
Thursday, March 5th, 2020
You can now ask Google Assistant to read aloud the text on a webpage – basically turning any webpage into a podcast! The new functionality is now available on all Android phones.
Check out the video about the new Read It feature for Google Assistant in Android phones.
Nowadays we consume so much content on our tiny smartphone screen – news, articles, stories etc.
For older folks with failing eyesight, or anybody with visual or reading difficulties, Google Assistant can now read web articles on your smartphone browsers out loud.
How to have a page read aloud
When a web article is displayed on the browser in your Android phone, you can say, “Hey Google, read it” or “Hey Google, read this page” – Google Assistant will immediately read aloud the content of the web page, using a voice of your choice.
To help you follow along, your browser will automatically scroll the page and highlight words as they’re read aloud.
You can also alter the reading speed, jump forward or backwards by 30sec and 10sec respectively or skip to any part of the web page.
I’ve always wished that I could consume web content while I’m driving.
At the moment, you can only do that if it’s a podcast, or unless you just listen to the audio of a video, because you got to keep your eyes on the road while driving.
So I listen to the news or radio, or my own music while I drive.
With the ability of Google Assistant to read aloud web pages, I don’t have to postpone perusing a web article until when I can read it myself.
I can listen to it when I’m driving, or taking a bus or train (using earphones) so that I don’t have to strain my eyes reading on a moving vehicle.
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Tags:Android, assistant, Google, Internet, new arrivals, OS, software, voice
Posted in AI, Android, Announce, App, Browser, Chrome, Google, Internet, newArrivals, News, Operating Systems, Software, Tech news, Tips, Website | No Comments »
