Brilliant app makes you something of a scientist yourself
For Christmas, my nephew got me a year’s subscription to an app called Brilliant. Maybe I’ll end up being as brilliant as he is.
Brilliant.org has more than 60 STEM courses (science, technology, engineering and math.) They include everything from pre-algebra to the paradoxes of infinity. There’s a free version, but it gives you only the first few chapters of each topic. The paid version is $150 a year or $25 a month.
It’s an amazing way to learn, taking you up a gentle slope until you’re “thinking like a scientist,” or doing advanced statistics, or in my case, learning “science essentials,” which includes the history of important discoveries. I’m tempted by the cryptocurrency course, which has comic art, but it may be more than I need to know. There are tons of math courses. Parents say they’ve seen their teens’ scores go up dramatically.
It would take years to complete every subject they offer, but each lesson is a manageable chunk, about 15 minutes long. I feel smarter already.
CRYPTO ADVOCATE
Many people say cryptocurrency is for criminals because it’s easy to hide your identity. Nigel Green, chief executive officer of DeVere, a global financial giant, begs to differ.
Green points out that criminals are easier to catch when they use crypto than when they use cash, and so far, nobody has suggested we stop using cash. So-called “crypto deniers” also complain about Bitcoin’s volatility, but if you hang tight, Green says, you’ll be okay. “For the third consecutive year,” he notes, “Bitcoin has outperformed both stocks and gold.”
Cryptocurrency, he says, “is increasingly being universally accepted by institutional investors, Wall Street giants, household name investing legends, leading academic institutions, governments, and major multinational corporations. Borderless, global, decentralized currencies are the future.”
SCHEDULE YOUR EMAIL
If you don’t want an email to go off immediately, try Gmail’s Scheduled Send.
To use it on a computer, click
the drop-down arrow next to the word “send” and choose the time and date you want it to go off. On a phone, tap the three dots in the upper left. That way, your email needn’t arrive in the middle of the night, or before someone’s birthday. Microsoft Outlook also has this feature.
If you use Yahoo mail, consider “Spark,” which not only has scheduled send and other features, it brings in your Yahoo mail, Gmail and Outlook mail, so you don’t have to change addresses.
TO DO OR NOT TO DO
I usually ignore to-do-list apps, but Todoist is amazing. It’s motivating me to set interesting goals, while also taking care of my everyday stuff.
There’s a free and a paid version. You can use it in Google Chrome, Edge, or some other browser at todoist.com, or install the app on your phone.
In the default view, categories are off to the left with the calendar in the center. Under the “Projects” category, you get “Personal,” “Work,” “Errands,” “Shopping,” and “Movies to watch.” You also get an “Inbox,” which neatly lists all upcoming events, plans and any other stuff you’ve made a note about. In the free version, you can collaborate with four other people– a nice way to assign household chores.
The paid version is $36 a year or $4 a month. It adds reminders, labels, filters, color themes, and the ability to comment on tasks, upload files, sync with some other calendar, get productivity reports, collaborate in groups of 25, and manage up to 300 projects. You also get free tech support.
AIR TAGS FOR PETS
If you often misplace your dog or cat in the dark, try Apple Air Tags. They work with both Android and iPhones, though Android users will need the free app Tracker Detect.
Search for “pet holder for Air
Tag” to get something that goes on your dog or cat’s collar to hold the tag. When you launch the Find My app on your phone and select your pet’s tag, tap “Find nearby” to zero in on the location. If you still can’t find Fido or Chloe, tap “play sound” and the device will chirp.
WINDOWS 11 ANNOYANCES
“As an early user of Windows 11,” a reader wrote, “I have had to find ways to get around their idiotic changes.” He describes four things worth complaining about.
First, he says, “copy and paste between just about anything can’t be done.” Instead, he uses a more cumbersome method: opening two windows for the programs he’s using, and dragging and dropping stuff between them.
Second, he deplores the new start button. “There is no way to make sense of what it now shows,” he said. “I won’t even begin to explain. My solution was to buy Start11 for $6 (from Stardock.com).”
A third annoyance: You no longer get an icon in the task bar for each instance of a program you have open.
Fourth, the notification area in the lower right of your screen has lost many of its clickable functions.
Ironically, the reader is not going to roll back his machine to Windows 10. Ah, the lure of the new! I’m the same way. It’s not just Windows 11 security features I’m interested in, it’s the fun of trying something different. By the way, you have 10 days to go back to Windows 10 if you don’t like 11.
INTERNUT
UnsungScience.com has podcasts by author and Nova host David Pogue. Find out “What Happened to the Mosquitoes in Fresno?” Get the skinny on why “Tornado Alley is Shifting Eastward — and We’re Not Ready,” or explore the other fascinating topics.