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Big Oven
Platforms: iPhone, iPad, Windows Phone and Android
 Creativity in the kitchen is so much simpler these days: with a couple mouse clicks or finger taps, you can get easy info on just about every cuisine, ingredient and technique there is. You don’t need a giant collection of cookbooks, much less purchasing a cookbook that’s a dud or too complicated for your skills. There are thousands of sites of sites on the web and multiple iphone apps. If you are tired of the effete & complicated recipes on Epicurious, give Big Oven a try. This lifestyle app has solicited over 170,000 dishes from it user base – so these should be easy for most home cooks to tackle. Big Oven can be accessed on the web or on multiple smart phone devices. You can create a profile and use it to save dishes so you can cook them later. Big Oven’s mobile offering also has a feature where you can list three items in your pantry you want included in your dish. This function is not as robust as Supercook but is fine for a mobile application. While you can download this app for free, additional features can be accessed for $15.99 (Mobile Food Glossary with ingredient substitutions, track dishes previously made, nutrition info and much more).
Download From The App Store
 Back in 2003, the National Do Not Call Registry was passed, which limited telemarketing calls received by all people. As soon as the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) opened the program, I signed up not only myself, but also my mom because telemarketers had become pretty ruthless calling at all times of the day and night, while basically playing on one’s emotions, especially the elderly. For me personally, I wanted to benefit from another aspect of the program: cellphone numbers were prohibited to be called by telemarketers. Unfortunately, over time, this was not completely true: telemarketers can call your cellphone, but they had to manually dial the number and not use an automatic dialer. This would explain why my wife has been experiencing a high volume of calls from a particular long distance company that acquaintances referred her to, which basically gave these types of telemarketers the green light for their persistence. In any case, we found a stop-gap solution using Area Codes by VersaEdge Software, which allows us to find the origin of each unknown call that comes to her cellphone. For instance, when a call is coming from Manhattan, we know its our financial agent. When it comes from Florida, we know its our insurance company. From Los Angeles, it’s our archnemesis, the long distance phone company. Until our complaints are processed, this simple, straightforward app will continue to be useful for such occasions. Price: 99¢.
 It’s amazing how I have a History minor, but don’t know a damn thing about U.S. history outside of an African American Experience course, which was awesome by the way. Ask me about the Magna Carta? Nothing. The Federalist Papers? Nada. The Declaration of Independence? I know I have a right to kick ass, which I fulfill by my wife forcing me to watch American Idol, blogging, and eating Popeye’s Chicken. Ugh. To improve my understanding, I downloaded U.S. Historical Documents, which has over 150 docs that have formed the basis of our country’s past, present and future. A good read for all. Price: 99¢.
 Has it been a long time between visits to your local fishing hole? Besides the increased costs for a fishing license, a permit, and launching/renting a boat, you may also realize (like I recently had) that you need a refresher on how to tie a knot and not just any knot, but the various kinds necessary for fishing, such as the Figure 8, Surgeon’s Loop, and Trilene Knot. All these and more are found in this app, Knot Time, with concise detail and supported by video. Other covered categories include Boating, Mountaineering, and Lashings. Useful and cheap. Price: 99¢.
 I’m a newbie dad always thinking about my toddler son’s future. Remembering how hard it was to fulfill the secondary language requirement for college, I recently learned that sign language is a viable substitute for a majority of schools. As my son is now beginning to communicate with both words and gestures, Signing Time ASL – Sign Language fits perfectly for the present and the future. The interface is easy to understand and the production value is high, especially the videos. Plus, the fun, catchy songs are a nice respite between lessons and makes learning infectious. Worth it. Price: $4.99.
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