Disability Awareness Experience with iSchoolAfrica

Hi Guys, 

In recognition of Disability Awareness Day (3rd December), iSchoolAfrica Education Trust would like to invite you for an interactive experiential showcasing how Apple technology (specifically iPad) facilitates effective inclusion for a wide range of disabilities in the classroom setting.

iSchoolAfrica facilitators will put you in the shoes of those struggling with disabilities in order to demonstrate how this high-end technology is currently being used to level the playing field for hundreds of students in several of their 300+ partner schools across the country such as MCK Special School for the Deaf. The attached infographic gives an overview of the iPads built-in accessibility features which are used daily by iSchoolAfrica-trained teachers and students.

About iSchool Africa

Since 2009, iSchoolAfrica has provided over 100 000 South African learners, from ECD to Grade 12, with state-of-the-art technology and education practices. Together with our partners, school leaders and educators, we have changed teaching and learning in the most under resourced and vulnerable communities across South Africa, giving youth the opportunity to learn, create and succeed. Please donate here to change the future of South Africa.

Impact and Awards

• Active in nine provinces
• 341 schools in the programme
• 300+ trained teachers
• 200+ rural youth facilitators
• 500+ trained media changemakers
• 22 Excellence in Education Awards
• 2023 Foundation Disability Empowerment Award
• 2023 Gauteng Women’s Excellence Award for Innovation
• 2018 New Generation Award
• 2017 Eduweek Award, Inclusion

Programmes

• Early Learning
• Numeracy and Literacy
• Disability and Inclusion
• Coding and Robotics
• Media Changemaker

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Your Lifestyle and Technology Blog for the Last 12 Years!

New Year Resolution #5 - 25 Books To Read & Listen To In 2022 #TheLifesWay

Hi Friends, 

I already wrote about the habit to inculcate reading books and magazines into your daily life as this is one of the ways to learn these days and has been a truth always. I can still recount that Warren Buffet read all the books on finance and stock markets from his local library if I can remember correctly at a very young age. 

In this digital age where you have a kindle, iPad, Audible and other various modes to read books and magazines which medium is great always remains a question to ask and consider? I can certainly put down my viewpoints as I thought over the years and have been using all these mediums from time to time on a daily basis. 

I have a Kindle Keyboard which one of my friends bought in the USA for me and I paid him in Rupees and I got it in 2012 and since then I have been using it on a weekly basis at least. I really love that this can convert any book into an audio translator using a built-in text to audio converter. I still feel that the eyes don't get hurt while reading on Kindle and I am using software named Calibre - eBook Management to manage all the books on the same. 

Secondly, coming to the iPad 3 I have which has a great retina display as compared to my earlier iPad mini used by my dad is not working anymore and is being replaced by iPad 8 by my brother on their trip to the USA last year. I love the kindle app on the same and because it has a backlit screen, you can read it during your bedtime too. Also reading news articles or magazines is really good due to the bigger screen size and touch panel makes it easy to move between the pages. Zooming in and out is also really easy and you can finish the magazines so fast using your iPad. 

Audible is an Amazon app for listening to a big list of audiobooks which comes at a premium membership where you need to pay some monthly subscription and receive 1-2 books per month for free and the rest then you can buy as per the rates. This is an app that saves your listening history and gives you badges for every minute of listening to keep you motivated. The audible app is really nice and I totally love it. 

Coming to my personal list of books that I plan to read for the first time will be shared here as well as some of the books I want to re-read again this year. 

1. Do Epic Shit - Ankur Warikoo (Reading - Wk-2)

2. One Minute Millionaire - Mark Victor Hansen & Robert Allen (Re-reading in Wk1-2)

3. Retire Rich: Invest Rs. 40 a Day - P V Subramanyam (Reading in Wk-2)

4. Keep Going/Show Your Work - Austin Kleon 

Some of the audiobooks I plan to listen to 

1. Yes My Accent is Real - Kunal Nayyar (Completed in Wk-1)

2. The Psychology of Money - Morgan Housel (Completed in Wk-2)

3. Shoe Dog - Phil Knight (Planned for Wk-3)

4. The Productivity Project - Chris Bailey (Listening in Wk-2-3)

I will keep on adding to the list as I find more and more books to commit to. It's like a continuous decision to find the right ones and find the time to read them too. So far I have observed I can listen to some of the books and complete them during my daily walks. I am sure my audiobooks list will be around 20+ and other books will be around 5. I am committed to reading much more than that but let's break them week by week. The first week I completed a book by Kunal Nayyar and the second week of the year I will be finishing The Psychology of Money which is a really nice book. 

Though the count of books seems to be really small as compared to the productivity gurus on Youtube saying 100s of books in a year or so what we need to realize is that my only task is not to read books. We have jobs, kids, family, our own entertainment, rest and sleep which gives us some time to keep up with books. Hence, I will only target to read books I really wanted to pick up consciously and go through and can drop them too if I am not deriving any value out of them. It's all about your return of investment of your personal time to books. I recently wrote another post on inculcating reading habits from the start which my father did in us. My brother is much more of a voracious reader and reads all kinds of topics as compared to me to a limited set of books. He even has a policy in his company to gift every employee a Kindle of his own choice as well as Kindle Books fund to buy books from his company's expenditures. I hope you will have your own book's goals if not, you should definitely have some at least 10 in a year or 12 in total - 1 per month. Happy Reading! 

Cheers!!!

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Product Review - @Solo_NewYork Ludlow Tablet Sling @Gammatek #EverydaySolo

Hi Friends,

Solo New York makes some quality products, and another product which I got to review and keep is this fantastic Ludlow Tablet Sling shoulder bag for my day to day use. This bag also offers unique features and indeed have made my life easy as I can carry my camera and mobile phones during any event or regular travel. Many thanks to Gammatek for bringing them to South Africa.

The product is of top quality right from the style to the colour of the material. This one comes in Black and Grey colour and has a little leather touch at the bottom front of the bag. The front side contains 2 pockets - first small one on the top side of the bag which has a soft interior side to keep your sunglasses etc. and second bigger one to keep your visiting cards, loyalty cards, pens, smartphone and charging cables etc. The zips on both these pockets are good quality and will last you long. This bag really increases your style and fashion quotient up a notch.

The central part of the bag is to keep your tablet or iPad secure with two portions separated by padded compartment and the front portion to keep your notebook or water bottle or sunglasses or headphones or whatever you want to put it. I used the same to keep my small sized Canon 100D DSLR camera which is easily fitted into this limited space bag. The only thing I observed in this bag is that it's not a backpack to accommodate everything you throw at it, so the purpose for this bag has to be separate. Keep that in mind, and it will help you organise your essentials.

Solo Ludlow Tablet Sling bag can efficiently serve you for a quick meeting with some client where you need to show him something on your iPad or MacBook or 10-11" notebooks. It can only be used to keep something small as the width of the bag is limited, and zips won't get closed easily then. I have taken this bag on a weekend trip to keep my mobile phones, passports and other documents along with a water bottle and it served me perfectly. On another occasion, I kept my Canon 100D DSLR and a prime lens, and it fitted perfectly in this bag. Now today I tried using it with Acer Swift 3 laptop but its boundaries passed the zippers, and it could not be closed. I am sure it will work well with 10" tablets with keyboard attachments.

The Solo bag is locally available at Gammatek and also at takealot.com and other online retailers. There are some pictures on my Instagram page for you to check out regarding the bag. Go check out some of the fantastic backpacks and covers from Gammatek and Solo New York. I really loved this bag for my day to day usage, and I am sure because of its build quality it will last me for at least 2-3 years. 

Cheers!!!

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@Logitech K780 Multi-Device #Wireless #Keyboard For Any Device

Hi Guys, 

Logitech announced the Logitech® K780 Multi-Device Wireless Keyboard, the first fully-equipped computer keyboard with a 10-key pad that also works with smartphones and tablets. With the touch of an Easy-SwitchTM button, you can easily switch between– and type on – any three connected devices.

“When it comes to typing we can create a document quickly and comfortably on the computer, but when answering a text message on the phone we’re limited to what our two thumbs can do,” said Art O Gnimh, global director of keyboards at Logitech. "Now with the K780 Multi-Device, you can type comfortably at desktop speed on all the devices that you use at your desk, seamlessly switching between them with the touch of a button.”

The K780 Multi-Device offers quiet and responsive typing. The keys are large and carefully scooped for typing comfort and precision, while a convenient 10-key pad makes it easy to enter numbers. An integrated rubber slot with a soft finish securely cradles a variety of mobile devices at a perfect reading angle, from smartphones to the 12” iPad ProTM. The keyboard is slim and solidly built, designed to look good in a modern home or office environment. 

The K780 Multi-Device adapts to your devices, so whether you are using a Windows® PC or iPhone®, the key layout is familiar and you can even access your favorite shortcuts. With both a Logitech Unifying™ USB and Bluetooth® Smart technology, you can choose the best way to connect to your computer, phone or tablet.

With a power-saving idle mode and an on/off switch, the K780 Multi-Device offers up to 24-months of battery life – plenty of time to get used to a new way of multi-tasking, by typing on all your devices with a single keyboard.

Availability

The K780 Multi-Device Wireless Keyboard will be available in South Africa in Q3 2016 for a suggested retail price of R 1399,00. For more information, please visit Logitech.com or connect with the brand on Facebook.

About Logitech

Logitech designs products that have an everyday place in people's lives, connecting them to the digital experiences they care about. Over 30 years ago, Logitech started connecting people through computers, and now it’s designing products that bring people together through music, gaming, video and computing. Founded in 1981, Logitech International is a Swiss public company listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (LOGN) and on the Nasdaq Global Select Market (LOGI). Find Logitech at www.logitech.com, the company blog or @Logitech.

Cheers!!!

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Product Review - Lowepro CompuDay Photo 150 - Messenger Bag

Hi Guys,

TAKEALOT is an online portal that runs weekdays deals from Monday to Friday everyday and sometimes you pick up stuff that you really wanted to have at a bargain price. Follow them on twitter.

Photography is a hobby or passion for almost whole world now with the power of smartphones and other smart range of cameras. With never ending quest to take great photographs, the size of cameras are increasing and so is the technology that we carry around everyday.

Lowepro is a camera accessories making company which started 40 years ago in Colorado, USA. They have helped people carry cameras on the backs and shoulders all around the world.

I too was in search of something which I can take to office along with my cameras everywhere. Finally I found Lowepro CompuDay Photo 150 messenger bag. The front flap of the bag has a zipped section to keep keys and space to keep other stuff inside the same. The bag comes with an extra accessory pouch to keep cables and small gear like pendrives etc.

The bag has an adjustable strap along with the nice handle to carry it in one hand. The bag has mesh covered trolley sleeve which can help you put this bag on your luggage for easy transport.

The beauty of this messenger bag is the padded side pocket which holds your DSLR and can be taken out in an instance without opening the main section of the bag. Here is Nikon #D7000 fitting quiet easily into its castle. Also, this castle can be folded in case you are not carrying the camera to work as a normal messenger bag with all the space.

The bag has a space to keep 15.6" widescreen laptop along with a pocket to keep files or iPad etc easily. The bag also has small pockets for your mobile and other device along with space to insert two pens/pencils. It has a mesh chained pocket to keep keys or cash etc.

The quality of material used in the bag is great and I hope that it will last me some years till I upgrade myself to something new.

Here is Samsung Smart Camera #NX300 in the side pocket but as it's a small smart camera it leaves space for separate lens or accessories to carry in the same space. 

Here is the LowePro CompuDay Photo 150 bag with a laptop and iPad and DSLR right in there and now the test it the quality of straps if they can hold the load during day to day usage of the same. There is space available to keep extra lens or both the camera also. Samsung NX300 can easily fit inside after putting Nikon D7000 in the side pocket.

The center handle has only one line of stitching running across the same making it vulnerable if the bag is heavy to carry. The main strap is bonded with the body line of the bag and will have more capacity to carry the load as it runs through by two lines of stitching. This is the general problem I have faced with bags from various manufacturers e.g. laptop bags by Targus that they lose their straps and then chains and other things try to take off. 

This will be my first experience of Lowepro and I have my fingers crossed that it will sustain for a while based on the brands reputation and motto of THE TRUSTED ORIGINAL since 1967! 

Cheers!!!

Contact me for your product's review on twitter @araijain or @thelifesway or email - thelifesway@gmail.com

Movie Review - Sex Tape (2014)

Hi Guys,

Sex Tape (2014) is a situational Hollywood comedy movie starring Jason Segel and Cameron Diaz.

Jay (Jason Segel) and Annie (Cameron Diaz) are a married couple still very much in love, but ten years and two kids have cooled the passion. To get it back, they decide- why not?- to make a video of themselves trying out every position in THE JOY OF SEX in one marathon three-hour session. It seems like a great idea, until they discover that their most private video has gone public. In a panic, they begin a wild night of adventure- tracking down leads, roping in friends, duping Annie's boss-all to reclaim their video, their reputation, their sanity, and most importantly, their marriage.

The movie is a one night journey as they try to find out their missing Sex Tape from all of their iPADs. Technology makes life easier but if you don't know how to use it to your benefit, it can also ruin your life. The movie has some great comedy scenes and really brings the magic of Hangover movie series fresh in your mind. It's definitely a watch for a fun filled sat afternoon in the theaters.

These days a lot of movies does include social media /technology as their movie context which really makes younger people who uses them really glued to the movie. We have seen the same in "Chef" with Twitter and this one with iPad sync and wipe options. Apple products has been an integral part of our lives and how they change the life of these people is the context of the movie.

I really liked the lead pair as they bring the fun, laughter and a night of events in this new movie - Sex Tape.

Go for it! Movie is releasing in Ster Kinekor on 22th Aug 2014. Book your tickets now. More info on twitter and facebook. Check facebook page of Sony Movies also.

Cheers!!!

Contact me for your product's review on twitter @araijain or @thelifesway or email - thelifesway@gmail.com