ASK US WEDNESDAY: “What are your favourite apps?”

by Leo Wiles
27 January 2016

Hi Rach and Leo. I’m still in a start-of-the-year slow patch and am killing time with your suggestions on decluttering and getting ready for when editors / clients are back on deck. One thing I’m not very good with though are apps and I’m sure I’m missing out on plenty of great stuff. Do you have any favourite freelance resources I should check out, or even just stuff for fun or brain training? Thanks. TR

Once upon a time Tetris was my thing, eclipsing my love of 500 and even Canasta. To this day I still credit this Gameboy timewaster with fine-tuning my spatial awareness and honing my ability to compose great photos AND pack a mean suitcase – that fits within the departure lounge guidelines.

Two decades on games that make your brain do all the heavy lifting are more numerous than ever. Below are some of my favourite free apps to keep your synapses firing, impress your mates, improve your small talk or even perhaps impress clients:

Flipboard Be the publisher you always wanted to be with this app, which collates only the topics that you ask for. Complete with interactive multimedia options, you can dive in, tread water or snorkel in this incredible rich and colourful ‘periodical’.

Encyclopaedia Britannica The complete Encylopedia Britannica was one of my childhood go-to’s. Now available as a free app with over 80,000 expertly written articles, it makes for a powerful and reputable fact-finding source.

Owl This daily fact app is one of my favourites for those odd facts that stick in your mind. Did you know President Lincoln formed the Secret Service the very same day he was assassinated? Or that a full kindle weighs 10-18 grams more than an empty one? What’s not to love about this kind of trivia!

TED talks and Ted Books Just owning these apps will immediately make you smarter and better looking. But seriously, what I love most about TED is the inspiration I feel listening to people who are passionate about their field. Even if I never want to become a rocket scientist etc, there’s something totally motivating about being caught up in somebody else’s dream. And with the quick-read books released bi-weekly they won’t end up facedown in a pile by the bed with the others (or is that just me?).

Smithsonian Channel Developed and curated by the Smithsonian Network of the Smithsonian museums, this app is loaded with thousands of full-length and short videos and quizzes to make the world a better brighter smarter place.

Lumosity Mobile Finally an excuse to play games with an scientifically-designed app that claims it can improve your cognitive skills.

YouTube Sure, YouTube has largely become the vault of brain-rotting content. However, like a good op shop, if you go through with a fine tooth comb there’s still a lot of treasure amongst the trash and numerous generous people prepared to share their passion and knowledge for free in a digestible way. Better still, you can subscribe to the channels so you never miss an episode.

Sudoku Guilty as charged, this has taken over from my Tetris addiction as the best way to remove the dross of the day and calm my mind before bed. Best of all, each creator has their own signature ‘moves’ and there are SO many levels of difficulty and ways to achieve the same results that it continues to challenge even the masters.

What are the apps you can’t live without – either to help you with work or just for fun?