21stcenturychem

I’ve had my iPad for about two months. Here are the apps that I love and use most frequently:

Productivity
Dropbox
Easily browse my DropBox, and save documents created on iPad to my DropBox account. Notability (note taking app) syncs directly to DropBox.

Notes Plus
The best text/tablet app that I have encountered. I’ve downloaded about a dozen free and paid apps, and this is the easiest to organize, and Integrate audio/text/pen. There is a moveable palm pad to make writing with pen or finger easier. Can export individual pages or whole notebooks to Google Docs as a PDF.

Notability
Great text note taking app. Seems minor, but it has a built-in bullet/number list and tab function in the toolbar to make outlining easy. Can embed images and tablet notes, and record audio.

Photos/Art
Photoshop Express
Takes less than 15 seconds to open a picture, rotate, crop, and save (which is all I use it for). Lots of other features, I’m sure.

Adobe Ideas
Doodle app of choice. Smoothing makes drawings look 100x better than on paper.

Social Networking
Twitterific
While I like many things about the official Twitter App, Twitterific is my preferred choice. Can save searches for keeping up with #scichat. Only downside is lack of Push notifications, so I keep Twitter around for that.

Friendly (Facebook)
The app Facebook should have made.

Blogging

BlogPress
Easy interface, publish to every type of blog imaginable. Would like an editable Rich Text option, but has shortcuts for HTML.

News
The Daily
“Newspaper” built specifically for the iPad. Current events, opinion, arts and entertainment, gossip, sports, iPad app reviews, crossword/sudoku. Very sleek interface. Infographics, videos, 360-degree photos are used to enhance stories. Users can add text and audio commentary. Content and stability have improved significantly over the past few months. I definitely recommend that you try it for free for 2 weeks.

FeeddlerPro
I did prefer Reeder for my RSS reader, but it crashes constantly. Feeddler is stable, and meets the same needs (though not as pretty)

Entertainment
Netflix
I don’t even use my computer for Netflix anymore. Perfect for streaming-only customers (as you can’t manage your DVD queue).

Pandora Radio
I’m only beginning to appreciate this app. Great way to find related music and discover new artists.

Stitcher Radio
Great for listening to NPR and other talk radio stations around the country. Nice to be able to tune in to my hometown’s public radio station.

Games
Words with Friends
Scrabble. Who doesn’t love scrabble?

Lanesplitter
Repetitive motorcycle game. I don’t know why this game is so addictive.

Books
iBooks
Read and organize ePubs and PDFs.

Inkling
Digital textbook app. Can purchase by chapter or as a whole text. Hoping they’ll expand their library to the physical sciences soon

Reference
Wolfram Alpha
What doesn’t it do? Really? Best ~~$49~~ ~~$19~~ $3 you’ll ever spend.

Bible (youversion)
Best selling book of all time :) This app has 113 versions in 41 languages (and growing) which you can download for offline reading. Can take and share notes with other users.

Do you have an iPad? What apps do you use most frequently?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

skepttv: The Science of Chocolate Explore the chemistry of...

Sun, 24 Apr 2011 17:57:28 -0400

skepttv:

The Science of Chocolate

Explore the chemistry of chocolate and how the chemistry relates to the flavor and effects of chocolate on the human body and why, even after 3,400 years of cocoa consumption, chocolate remains somewhat of a mystery.

Speaker: Dr. Andy McShea, COO and Head Scientist of Theo Chocolate, Seattle, WA
Date: April 19, 2011

"It’s all trivial — your grouse, my hermit, Bernard’s Byron. Comparing what we’re looking for misses..."

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 06:35:28 -0400

“It’s all trivial — your grouse, my hermit, Bernard’s Byron. Comparing what we’re looking for misses the point. It’s wanting to know that makes us matter. Otherwise, we’re going out the way we came in. That’s why you can’t believe in the afterlife, Valentine. Believe in the after, by all means, but not the life. Believe in God, the soul, the spirit, the infinite, believe in angels if you like, but not in the great celestial get-together for an exchange of views. If the answers are in the back of the book I can wait, but what a drag. Better to struggle on knowing that failure is final.”

- —from Arcadia by Tom Stoppard

(h/t @SLazarOTC)

The Mountain (h/t @dgende)

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 06:41:26 -0400

The Mountain (h/t @dgende)

NYT: To Tug the Heartstrings, Music Must First Tickle the Brain

Mon, 18 Apr 2011 19:24:50 -0400

NYT: To Tug the Heartstrings, Music Must First Tickle the Brain

Always label your axes

Sun, 17 Apr 2011 17:16:27 -0400

Always label your axes

TO: AdvancedChemCo New York, NY RE: Analysis of three brands of...

Sun, 17 Apr 2011 09:00:05 -0400

TO: AdvancedChemCo

New York, NY

RE: Analysis of three brands of baking powder

As you know, the main active ingredient in baking powder is baking soda (chemical name: sodium bicarbonate). It is a popular ingredient in cooking because with heat, it releases carbon dioxide. We can replicate this process by adding an acid in the laboratory.

Using your experience with stoichiometry, we would like your research teams to examine the enclosed brands of baking powder and determine their respective sodium bicarbonate content.

Specifically, we would like you to:

rank the brands with regard to their sodium bicarbonate content from highest to lowest, and
compare the sodium bicarbonate content with price to determine which brand is the best buy.

Our staff will require your report to include a working plan (with specific procedures you use), data including ALL measurements and calculations, an analysis of your report, and recommendation for the most economic brand. For our non-scientists on staff, it will also be useful to include a brief cover letter that summarizes your report and recommendation.

We are looking forward to the results of your study.

Sincerely Yours,

C. Rumford

Which seat can she take?

Sat, 16 Apr 2011 09:12:12 -0400

Which seat can she take?