Tech on Tuesday: Amazon’s Interactive Love Story Map

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Amazon is at it again with a new interactive map. This time targeting those who have a special place in their heart for love stories. You might recall the last time they used an interactive map of “blue” and “red” states as an attempt to follow the top political reads in America for the 2012 U.S. presidential election. Using the same idea in a slightly different approach, they have created a map with a heart inside each of the 50 states.

When you click on the heart, you’re taken to a romance novel set in that state along with additional reading suggestions. Though some picks might not scream romance, each book promises some element of love–whether it be among family, friends, high school sweethearts or simply the lessons one can learn exploring the outer boundaries of love. We think it’d be fun to choose one of the books and use it as a theme for your Valentine’s Day party!

Will you use the map to choose a Valentine’s Day read? Or perhaps as inspiration for a special way to decorate for your sweetheart? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook & Twitter!

Startup Monday: ScreenHero

Startup Monday is ABCey’s weekly post that features some of the best and brightest companies in the Bay Area. They are often companies that we have our eye on or have worked with in the past that we would like to share with the friends and followers of ABCey Events.

In a time when we’re constantly needing to send files and documents back and forth for editing and approval, improvements in sharing capabilities are always welcomed. Apps and software like Google Docs, Microsoft Office Live and Zoho have done the job so far, but it has become increasingly apparent that these programs are geared toward presentation and have limited the platforms in which you can share.

ScreenHero has tried to rethink the entire real-time sharing experience by removing the emphasis on presentation and focusing on the collaboration process. It provides an easy way to gain complete access to someone else’s desktop by giving both users an independent cursor and mouse. It also gives your partner the capability to engage in editing within programs that they might not even have on their own computer. Additionally, you are provided with a chat box that you can use to discuss ideas before having to make any changes to your work.

Here at ABCey we are constantly sharing proposals, contracts, and other time-sensitive information between team members. We think ScreenHero would be an extremely useful tool to help us share in real-time! Do you think ScreenHero would make your life easier? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook & Twitter!

5 New Apps & Gadgets That Keep The Flu Away

It’s February and flu season is in full swing. If you haven’t been hit yet, you know at least a handful of people who weren’t as lucky. Whether you’ve got the 24 hour bug or you’re in bed for a week, being sick can cause some serious conflicts in your schedule! There’s nothing worse than falling behind in your weekly to-do list, so we’ve gathered a few apps and gadgets that can help you defend your immune system and ensure attendance to all of your important events.

1. Help, I Have the Flu is a new Facebook app that allows you to figure out who might have given you the flu or who to stay away from if you haven’t yet caught it. The app scans your friends’ Facebook profiles for keywords such as “coughing”, “sneezing”, “medicine” and “nurse.” It monitors suspicious check-ins which include checking in with other users they suspect to be sick, as well as late-night check-ins (sleep deprivation) that can cause you to be more susceptible to catching a cold.

2. f.lux allows a user to sleep better after computer and cell phone use by making the color of your screen’s display adapt to the time of day. We all know that sleep is an extremely important factor in staying healthy, but we also tend to take our laptops and cell phones to bed with us before getting some shut eye. Designed to reduce eye strain during the night time. This way, your body is being exposed to the right kind of light and will not inhibit the secretion of melatonin during night time. Pretty cool, right?

3. VitaDock is an app that can be used to track your health and wellness goals. It connects with a suite of modules designed to measure and track vital functions. You can mix and match a few of the modules in order to create the best tracking method for your own health goals, such as the ThermoDock to record your temperature and the CardioDock to track your blood pressure.

4. Proteus BioMed has invented a pill that will change the way you keep track of daily vitamin and medication taking! Taken at the same time as your daily medication, these harmless sugar pills have an implanted microchip inside them that sends a low-power electrical signal to an adhesive sensor patch placed outside your body. The patch records the date and time that you’ve taken the pill, and texts you if you forget to take it.

5. Sharecare has been called “Facebook with health info,” and is the newest way to do your own online medical research. It’s become increasingly common for adults in the U.S. to use a search engine to get answers about their ailments, and now they can share what they’ve found with others. Sharecare allows users to find health experts, connect and share stories, and get information on topics ranging from the flu to autism. It’s bringing together the convenience of Google, the facts from WebMD, and professional opinions of real doctors. Learning how to prevent your illness from worsening has never been easier.

Looks like missing your upcoming event is out of the question with these tools! Can you see yourself using any of these apps, gadgets, or sites? Let us know what you think in the comments below or on Facebook & Twitter!