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You Need This! (Techno Talk)

geeme

geeme

Got a new app or techno gadget that you're not sure how you lived without it previously but are sure others would benefit from it, too? Let us know about it here!
 
I've posted this first one in my status update and like it so much that I'll post it again here.
f.lux - available at https://justgetflux.com
 
Here's their intro from their website:
Ever notice how people texting at night have that eerie blue glow?
Or wake up ready to write down the Next Great Idea, and get blinded by your computer screen?
During the day, computer screens look good—they're designed to look like the sun. But, at 9PM, 10PM, or 3AM, you probably shouldn't be looking at the sun.

f.lux fixes this: it makes the color of your computer's display adapt to the time of day, warm at night and like sunlight during the day. It's even possible that you're staying up too late because of your computer. You could use f.lux because it makes you sleep better, or you could just use it just because it makes your computer look better.
 
There was an adjustment period of a few days when I installed it, but now that I'm used to it there's no way I'd give it up. You tell it your timezone and your wake/sleep habits, and it gradually changes the hue of your screen as you get closer to a point of change. Menu options include things like overriding for watching movies, temporarily disabling, slow vs. fast transitions, and more. It's available for Macs, Windows and Linux and even iPhone/iPad.
 
 
 
 
 
 
My phone already has adaptive brightness and it's a few years old. ;)

I'll check it out for the color temperature changes.
 
Yep, I don't intend this to be a brand-pushing thread - if you know of a similar thing that works well for you but under a different brand, post it!
 
My most recent techno adventure is along a similar thread. As with f.lux, there are other options that may be more or less desirable to some, but this is where I started - Philips Hue. This is LED lighting for your house with some features I think are pretty cool. You can read the basics at http://www2.meethue.com/en-us/. Not only is it available on the website, but also at typical hardware stores, Amazon, and even Walmart. These are not cheap, as there is an initial investment, but they should pay off over time since they last much longer than incandescent bulbs. A single white bulb is about $15.
 
What I like about this: These lights are WiFi-enabled. Right now we have two and we will be getting more. We purchased a starter set, which includes the WiFi hub that the lights link to and two bulbs. The bulbs fit into normal light fixtures. You keep the fixtures turned on and control them via an app on your phone, computer, and/or one of their remotes. You can set timers for various "scenes" to come on. Standard scenes that come with the Hue app set varying levels of brightness, from "twilight" to "full on." We have the lights in the living room and kitchen come on at a low level shortly after I wake up, then they also auto-shutoff after I leave the house. We also turn them to a low level when it starts getting close to bedtime.
 
You're not limited to apps developed by Philips with these - not only can you find apps that others have built, but if you are so inclined you can build your own. My son has an app on his phone that turns on the kitchen light when his phone gets close to the house at night - so the light comes on as he enters the driveway while he's still in his car. I have an app on my computer so I don't have to keep my phone with me. That app allows me to set various delays for the lights to go off when I'm ready to go to bed. For example, I may set a 5-minute delay for the light in the living room but a 30-minute delay for the light in the kitchen. I'll be adding lights in my bedroom and office this weekend.
 
Why not just use a dimmer switch on the wall? I like not having to go around the house to shut off the lights one by one. I am most often working on my computer in the evenings and it is convenient to have the ability to control the lights from one location. Plus, each of us can control the lights we need from multiple devices. The Hue app on my phone displays information when another app or device has a feature enabled for a particular light. So I set a shut-off delay on the living room light? My son can look at the app on his phone and see that I've set the shut-off delay and change what happens if he is going to go into the living room after I leave, so he's not unexpectedly finding himself in the dark.
 
My favorite thing about the Hue lights is no longer having to deal with too-bright lights in the early morning and evening. Having both the lights in the house and f.lux on the computer seems to be making an appreciable difference for me - I am finding it easier to get to sleep at night. As someone with fibromyalgia, this is a really good thing.
 
Like I said, Hue is simply the particular brand that we went with for this purchase - there may be competing brands out there that are just as good or better, but I haven't looked further at this time.
 
I've had the app for a couple of years now but TurboScan is great.  You can take a picture with your phone and make it a pdf and email/text it.  Its great for me in construction because I'm not by my computer or scanner that I can copy a document.  Whenever I rent a unit out, I can just take a picture of the signed lease, take a picture, and then email it to the tenant.  
 
The Hot Pepper said:
My phone already has adaptive brightness and it's a few years old. ;)

I'll check it out for the color temperature changes.
Click to expand...
And yes, it's the color temperature change that makes the big difference, not just the brightness. Dim is just dim. Dim and warm vs. dim and cool is surprising. When my son told me about the f.lux app I thought I'd try it then likely not bother with it - I was dead wrong on that one. Similarly, when he told me about the Hue lights, I shrugged my shoulders and thought "whatever", because I was primarily thinking of a standard dimmer switch and, hey, what's wrong with turning off lights at the wall? But I'm hooked now!
 
I do need to clarify one thing - f.lux doesn't necessarily dim the screen, at least not initially, but simply changes it from cool to warm over the designated hours. As it gets deeper into the night, it becomes warmer and warmer. You may perceive it as dim or you might perceive it as red/orange. Switch to movie mode (cool) and the screen seems to glare at you.
 
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