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There’s an App for That!

I kid you not — we Googled the above statement and came up with these various gems. They are a veritable tribute to one of the mostly commonly voiced, new age, self-gratification era sentiments of doing/finding/getting anything in an instant… at your fingertips!

Avoid cooking disasters
Yes… ahem, if you’re a dunce in the kitchen, there’s an app for that too! SideChef, created by former video executive Kevin Yu (and inspired by his own experiences) not only offers recipes, but also detailed step-by-step videos (from start to finish, basically holding your hand through the entire process), measurement conversion, and other intricacies, to simplify your life in the kitchen.

 Screen for baby jaundice
A friend, who’s a new mom, was shocked when her baby suddenly got jaundice, in spite of knowing that it’s a common infant ailment. She just didn’t see it coming. An app is here to help all such moms, and it’s called BiliCam. It works by detecting yellow discolouration in the baby’s skin, and works in all lighting conditions and with all skin tones if you use a standardised calibration card on the infant’s belly.

And… discover new asteroids!
Yeah, you can actually help NASA help find asteroids skimming the sky! The Asteroid Data Hunter software designed by the US space agency uses an algorithm to process images from a telescope to “determine which bodies are moving in a manner consistent with an asteroid”. So if you’re an aspiring astronomer, get it now and keep an eye on the sky — it’s also part of a contest that NASA’s running. It doesn’t get cooler than this!

Be a better public speaker
If addressing a group of more than five people is a prospect worse than death to you, yes, there’s an app for that. Rhema is a “smart glass” app developed by University of Rochester researchers to aid those who aren’t exactly confident in front of a crowd. You can try making a “dummy” speech using the app, and it provides real-time feedback on voice/volume modulation, and even points out any awkward pausing or stuttering by the speaker.
Compiled by Mary Paulose