App Addict

I recently saw a short video online about a guy who stopped using modern communication for a period of 90 days after he realized that living in the internet age meant a room full of people on their laptops and cell phones, heads down “interacting socially.” He took a three-month break, meaning no cell phone, no Facebook, no email, no internets.

While I was impressed and even felt inspired by this experiment, I began to think of what my beloved iPhone does for me. In addition to my love affair with my mistress-assistant (Siri, I just love it when she says my name or gets cheeky!), this little computer box and its apps (O beloved apps!) enhance my life in many ways, good… and better. Modern Communication, I can’t quit you, gurl!

Instagram

Who knew that a 13 year-old girl photographer who shot a whole roll of film of what was supposed to be gorgeous night sky-scapes—only to find black blank photos in the developed package, still lives deep inside me? Instagram, that’s who. Pretty much everyone is on Instagram these days, and it’s easy to see why. With a dozen or so filters, nearly any photo can look amazing. That career as a photojournalist for Nat Geo is within my grasp.

Try their monthly photo challenge. Search #febphotoaday to get this month’s list of photo challenges, and begin snap-snapping!

Flipboard

I love this app for a couple reasons. Firstly, I can get all sorts of news (legit news and shameless celeb news) in one place pulled from many sources. Secondly, it is visually pleasing to me, and its interface is super simple to use.

Link up your favorite social networks and get your updates through Flipboard as well.

Path

I won’t pretend that I don’t love Facebook. But I will tell you, sometimes I want something a bit more intimate. Enter Path. Path is basically a scrolling timeline of your life measured in moments you define. Check in to a restaurant, tag the people you are with, make an observation, snap a photo, even select what you are listening to at the moment. What makes it different from Facebook? If I tag you, it will show up in the feed, but not on your Path. There are no photo albums, no events, no junked-up walls in which your brother posted that ridiculous photo of you when you were an oh-so-awkward 14 year-old (That’s a For-Instance, only!). Path: The smart journal that helps you share life with the ones you love.

Ski Tracks

This app is for the skier/snowboarder. Track all your runs, your speeds, your vertical ft.You can even see a map of the mountain your currently shredding. This app helps you back all of the things skiers and boarders brag about to their friends. Thanks to our resident outdoor guru, Josh McDannel, for introducing me to this one.

And how can I forget Words With Friends

Popular the world over, this app is highly addictive. Keep your mind sharp, learn new words, lay the smack down on your friends.

To date, there are over 500,000 apps in the Apple store. Arguably many of them are super ridiculous, but there are so many quality apps for enhancing your life. Our modern technology and modern communication allows us to live out our wildest dreams, so to speak. I am a photographer. I am a wordsmith. I am an Olympic snowboarder.

So I ask, Is simplicity best or simply the easiest?