Cybersecurity is increasingly important as we spend more time online and juggle countless digital accounts. I spoke with Karolis Arbaciauskas, Head of Product and Business Development for NordPass at Nord Security to get practical advice. This Q&A is full of helpful tips on what tools are worth downloading.
I really loved his perspective on how Hollywood can influence smarter habits. Hopefully we’ll see more characters make better choices online!
Virtual speed dating is so convenient. As soon as someone pops up, you know if you like their look or not. Within a few minutes, it’s easy to see how the conversation goes. I’ve never done speed dating in person, but this way you don’t even need to leave your apartment! You just need to look decent like you would for a Zoom call.
It’s amazing how much value you can get from a free app like Clubhouse. In the last month, I’ve listened to Diane von Furstenberg, Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian’s best friend Allison Statter while sitting in my bedroom. If those were in-person events, none of them would be in Toronto and they would cost at least $50 to attend, plus airfare and accommodations for me. That’s huge savings! I would totally consider a paid subscription someday.
It’s one thing to stream curated playlists on Songza.
It’s quite another to hear insights about the music app from an insider.
Name: Eric Davich (@EricSongza)
Position: Co-Founder & Chief Content Officer
Education: Music, Bowdoin College
Favourite app, other than your own: Waze
Favourite band: Phish
Favourite Songza playlist: That varies based on my context – where I am, what I’m doing, what I’m feeling. A playlist that I discovered recently and played on my way to work is called Sensitive Men of the ’90s.
Professional role model(s): We have a lot of mentors and advisors that are really close to the Songza family. My dad has been a very hard worker and has a very entrepreneurial creative spirit. He’s responsible for my love of music. He’s been incredibly supportive as a father and as a mentor my whole life.
We’re a very small tight-knit team here. Everyone’s got their own quirky personality and is very excited to be working on this product. It’s a real pleasure and honour to work with the Songza team, who are in many cases smarter than me [laughs]. I’m privileged to learn a lot from [them].
We’re a quirky and weird bunch. Our office space is bare bones. We’re not one of those start-up companies that buy lots of expensive furniture or goes into the cool, hip area of town where all the other start-ups are. We’re in our own little place, away from the action, so we can keep our heads down and stay focused.
Songza—more than any other service by a mile—is effortless to use. Without you having to give us any information, we’re able to accurately predict what you are doing and feeling and recommend expertly curated content that’s going to make that moment better. No other service is able to deliver that experience for free nor do they have the personality.
Songza feels like your much cooler friend who always knows the right thing for every moment.
My life has changed immensely since launching the Songza business because everyone that I know now uses something I’ve created in their daily lives. In addition, I’ve been able to garner the attention and respect of a lot more people in the music and technology industry, as well as celebrities who now use Songza on a regular basis.
In terms of how Songza as an application has enhanced my life, I listen to a lot more music than I ever could have imagined. New moments in my life have been identified as moments that could use a soundtrack.
We would be most excited about working with Nike and Lululemon. Both are really great brands that started as athletic wear brands and have established themselves as lifestyle brands. People think of Lululemon and Nike as brands that are great at curating for their life, not just yoga and running. Their clothing and apparel is for athletics and fashion. I think both companies do a really great job at listening to their consumers and serving them with things that will make their life better. That’s very much in line with what we’re trying to do at Songza. Working with brands like that would add value to the user experience on our service.
After my last exam of the semester, I took the earliest train to Toronto the next morning, eager to finally pick up a new phone. Though my excitement was interrupted by a transportation-related delay, the shopping experience that followed was unlike any other. I finally got to browse though Yorkdale’s new extension, including Canada’s first Microsoft store, which was great because I’m a PC.
Photo Source: Mashable
Buying a black 16 GB iPhone 5, which’ll be protected by a black OtterBox Defender, was a fantastic way to start my winter break. The case is so mightily thick that my friends have been teasing me about how the phone looks, but having peace of mind makes it worthwhile. During the initial activation of my phone, it was immediately apparent that using it is as intuitive as people say. Once my contacts were transferred from my BlackBerry Tour 9630 (3 years old, with a trackwheel!), I could proudly call myself an iPhone owner.
I’ve had a lot of fun downloading and testing out apps. Here’s a list of 20 apps I recommend, sorted categorically:
Social Networking & Photo: Twitter, Facebook Messenger, Foursquare, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram, Skype
Entertainment & Music: Flixster (w/ Rotten Tomatoes), GetGlue, Cineplex, Shazam, IMDB