What can your cell phone do for you?

I give a workshop on Technology and seniors that focuses on health care technologies, and I realized that the smart phone can also be used as a technology to help us monitor ourselves and to have fun. If anything on this list catches your eye, check them out by clicking on the link or by just typing the name of the function in Google search, preceded by the word smartphone. You will find plenty of apps for both Android and Iphones listed. 

Some of these features require you to turn on that function. Again, the Internet is your friend. Search for what you want to do by typing in the function   followed by your phone model, like direct call samsung galaxy S6.


Manage your thermostat and control your home's lights

Monitor your heart rate

Speak a text, have it translated into words and sent.

Have an e-mail or text read to you.

Identify images

Measure speed, height, or distance of something

Find out why your check engine light is on

Turn your Android into a games console

Identify song titles 

Visual voicemail

Mail a postcard 

Block spam phone calls

Use camera as a magnifying glass

Snap a picture with the volume button

Use as a universal remote

Create a Wi-Fi hotspot

Barcode and QR code reader

Correct for color blindness

Use Data saver setting  (Android) 

Use Data saver settings (Iphone)

Quick launch the camera

Download large files

Create a personal sound meter 

Take a screenshot.

Digitize documents. ­

Direct call (put the phone to your ear and it dials the contact on the screen)

Split screen (2 windows open at once...sometimes called multi-tasking)

Leveler & compass (Iphone)

Leveler and Compass (Android)

Metal Detector for finding dropped screws

Distance finder

Flashlight (these listed to not require access to personal information)

Send a mobile fax (this will cost as  there is a fee for sending faxes)

Connect to a computer and use phone as an external hard drive

Transfer files wirelessly from phone to computer

Looking back

I graduated from Simon Fraser University in Economics and Commerce in 1969. In 1972. I entered the Professional Development Program (PDP) in the Faculty of Education because I was looking for a career with more meaning than the work I had been doing for three years. That year changed my life. Teaching is both art and science, but in that year l learned more about the art of teaching, not the science.

Dr. Maurice Gibbons was in charge of the program, and he was starting to develop his ideas an the self-directed professional. We were given a choice of three streams when we arrived on campus, I, and about 50) others, chose the program that offered the opportunity to learn about ourselves and to use that information to help students. I spent the first two months honing my skills in teaching at what is now Terry Fox Secondary in Port Coquitlam.

We arrived back from our practicum and as part of the program went to Kamloops where We spent two weeks living in a rustic setting. learning about life and ourselves. with some touches of psychology and philosophy

Back on campus, we were given the opportunity to engage in more self-exploration and develop our own philosophy and approach to teaching. There was very little direction, but there was a great deal of guidance anal advice. I learned to develop my creative side, which allowed me to see opportunity where others saw obstacles.

I graduated from the program having learned about art, movie making, writing and myself. I took a job in Surrey teaching Art and Business. For three years, I moved between any Typing and Recordkeeping classes, which were very structured and ordered to my Art class, which was unstructured and full of creative energy.

In 1978, a new opportunity was presented to me, and I started the first Cooperative Education Work Experience program in Surrey and the second in BC. For me this perfectly blended creativity and business. My first class had 12 students, and by the end of the first year, I had over 100 students wanting to take the program.

Within three years, the program was in every high school in Surrey, and within five years the program was in almost every school district in BC. I used the ideas and themes I had learned working in Dr. Gibbon's program to develop and show likeminded professionals my vision of the program.

I oversaw the program in Surrey until 1989, when I moved on to the idea of developing the teaching of information technology in schools. In 1995, I was seconded to the Ministry of Education where I developed a team that created a vision and a curriculum to teach information technology in K-12 BC schools.

The creation of the Cooperative Education Work Experience program, the development of the curriculum for Information Technology and other educational programs I worked in, happened because in 1972-73 I had the opportunity to become a self-directed professional under the guidance of Gibbons and the PDP program. 

Pension Plan performance world wide is good

There are many who want to take away pensions and some cite poor performance as one of the reasons to allow the individuals to run their own plans. However when we look at the performance of Pension Funds Positive investment returns in 2014 and also over the last 5 and 10 years we can see that the growth of pension fund assets in 2014 was underpinned by positive investment returns. 

All the reporting OECD countries recorded positive real net 3 investment returns in 2014, ranging from 1.2% in the Czech Republic to 16.7% in Denmark, with an OECD weighted average of 5.0% (Figure 7).

The simple average is higher, at 6.8%. Twenty-one OECD countries experienced real returns higher than 5%. Outside the OECD area, the performance of pension funds in terms of real net investment returns was also positive, but returns were lower than in the OECD area on average: 1.2% for the weighted average and 4.6% for the simple average (Figure 8). 

India experienced the highest level of investment returns among non-OECD countries at 19.1%. Only four non-OECD jurisdictions had real negative investment returns in 2014: Armenia (-1.7%), Nigeria (-1.7%), Hong Kong (China) (-3.2%) and the Russian Federation (-7.4%). The existence of management costs reduces nominal returns which combined with high inflation may lead to negative real return

Figure 7. Pension funds' real net rate of return on investment in selected OECD countries, Dec 2013 - Dec 2014 In per cent Figure 8. Pension funds' real net rate of return on investment in selected non-OECD countries, Dec 2013 - Dec 2014 In per cent. Source: OECD Global Pension Statistics.

The results are positive and even more so when they are compared to real growth rates in these countries. (same source)

Know the Signs

If you think the main signs of a heart attack are clenched fists or chest pain and pressure, think again. In reality, this is only seen in about 50% of individuals, Other, more common symptoms include a sensation of heaviness in the chest without pain, a sudden onset of difficulty breathing and lightheadedness, fatigue and abdominal discomfort. If you think you’re having a heart attack, call 9-1-1. Better to be wrong and seek immediate medical attention than to risk missing a true heart attack,

What can cause a heart attack, here are some that may surprise you:

Do you have a hard time keeping your cool under stress? It could be hurting your heart. In a 2015 study, participants showed an 8.5 times higher risk of heart attack two hours after intense outbursts of anger – in situations such as family arguments, work conflicts or road rage -- compared to people who showed milder reactions.

In general, hot-headed people have a higher heart attack risk because repeated episodes of anger could affect blood pressure and blood vessel walls, 

Next time you feel your fists clench or your jaw tense up, Try counting to ten or taking deep breaths to calm down.

We all know exercise is good for the heart, but couch potatoes who suddenly jump into vigorous workouts are upping their risk for a heart attack. Doing too much too soon is dangerous, so talk to your doctor before starting any exercise routine. And remember, just because you look healthy on the outside doesn’t mean you’re healthy on the inside: Hypertension and other heart-related conditions often have no symptoms.

Marathoners aren’t off the hook, either. Extreme athletes may push their bodies too hard, bringing on heart problems that otherwise wouldn’t occur, 

This doesn’t mean you have to hang up your sneakers. Just talk to your doctor before signing up for your next race.

Die-hard sports fans, take note:  Getting upset over your team’s loss at the Super Bowl could spell trouble for your heart. In fact, a 2013 study found an increase in heart attacks and cardiovascular deaths days after the Super Bowl in football fans of the losing team. More specifically, there was a 20 to 24% increase in both circulatory and cardiovascular deaths in Boston after the Patriots lost to the Giants in 2008.

Try to remember it’s just a game. And if you’re a heart patient, go easy on the beer, pizza and hot dogs while you cheer on your team.