Cool Person of the Day

There are many apps that look to replace the use of loyalty and rewards cards in retail stores in restaurants.  A growing number tech companies are also looking to make smartphones into a way to make everyday payments in the physical world as well.  Other apps exist to help customers gain rewards for spending their money as part of a new marketing model powered by mobile technology.  However, cool person in technology Ned Moore didn’t found his startup Clutch to do just one of these things but all of them.  Clutch is an app for both Android and Apple mobile devices that aims to replace users’ physical wallets altogether.  On Clutch, people can add all the physical cards they would normally keep in their wallets, such as store loyalty cards or gift cards, so they can shop directly from the app.  Moore also lets users add credit cards to the app along with store cards and gift cards.  Moore even lets people add coupons for one-time deals when shopping with the app.  Users who have trouble downloading the app or adding any type of card to it need to find a smartphone tech support service to help them. Read more »

Mixed drink enthusiasts have one advantage over wine and craft beer connoisseurs—they have the option to be more creative with their drinks.  One of the most appealing aspects of mixing drinks is the ability to create new recipes and share them with friends and acquaintances.  Cool person in technology Ben Requena created GarnishBar to be an online resource for people who like to create and sample unique mixed drinks.  On Requena’s website, users create personal profiles and post different recipes on them.  Each recipe must have a picture of the finished drink, an ingredient list, and clear directions on how to create it.  Users can like specific recipes on someone’s profile and eventually, Requena’s company will feature that unique drink on the main page of the website.  People can also leave detailed reviews of different drinks to let creators know their opinions regarding each custom concoction.  While one can find some common mixed drinks on the site, the vast majority of drinks are special variations of older concepts or completely new and unique ideas.  Anyone who has problem navigating through recipes on the site should contact an IT support provider for help. Read more »

Even when people don’t have the money to donate to nonprofits and other causes, they are often willing to do anything they can to help.  Cool person in technology Mike Tang founded Raise5 in order to give people an outlet where they can use their skills to raise money for specific nonprofits and charity organizations.  On Tang’s website, people offer services for a price, but with a twist.  Rather than pay the person who provides a service directly, all money goes instead to a charitable organization of the worker’s choosing.  Users can offer services that cost anywhere between $5 and $50 on Raise5.  “Freelance fundraisers”, as Tang’s website calls them, post whatever service they want to perform on Raise5’s online marketplace.  These service providers advertise what charity they are supporting on each posting so buyers know what cause they are donating money to with each purchase.  Anyone who wants to offer services on the site, but has technical issues while creating a profile or posting, can get help from a professional cloud computer support service. Read more »

There are thousands of different races that amateur athletes train for all over the world.  While famous marathons get a fair amount of press, there are also many 10K races, Ironman races, triathlons, and even half-marathons for runners and other athletes to experience.  Many of these races are unique as well, given the varied terrain they take place on as well as the different organizations and companies who run the events and determine the overall experience for athletes.  However, some of these races are better run than others and cool person in technology Greg Lou wants to help runners find the best races for them.  Read more »

Making plans spontaneously is difficult.  Even with the advent of social media like Twitter and Facebook, trying to get hold of friends on short notice isn’t easy.  People aren’t always online and often don’t check social networks until it’s too late to take advantage of a spontaneous plan.  Cool person in technology Raji Bedi created doingtonight, a mobile social network, so that people have a specific place to go to when they want to make last minute plans.  On doingtonight, users post their potential plans for the evening and can tag specific friends and locations in their posts.  Those friends receive notifications about each proposed plan and can either call the original poster or simply show up if they are free that night.  By creating a social network exclusively for these occasions, Bedi is making it easier and less awkward to use social media for spontaneous outings and get-togethers.  Currently, doingtonight is available on iPhone.  Users who have issues installing it from the App Store can contact Apple tech support for help. Read more »

Cycling is becoming a very popular form of transportation for many people, especially those who live in urban areas like New York or Chicago.  Environmental concerns, intense amounts of traffic, and parking issues have led many people to avoid using cars in major cities.  Cycling also doubles as a way to stay in shape, making it appealing to many young urban professionals.  Cool person in technology Marcelo Loureiro has seen how popular biking has become and has founded SpinLister in response to this trend.  SpinLister allows people to rent bicycles online to one another for one-time or prolonged use.  Loureiro wants to make it easy for people to find bicycles while their own is in a repair shop or if they need a ride for a particular situation.  His online platform connects people with extra bicycles for rent with those who need them through the web.  Loureiro’s site can also potentially be useful for anyone considering switching to cycling as a main form of transport, but unsure about taking the final step and purchasing a bike. Users could try out a bike using SpinLister to make a final decision. Anyone who has problems accessing Loureiro’s website to either rent bikes or list their own rides should get help from network service.  Read more »

Making meals for a large number of people is never easy or even viable for people without strong cooking skills.  Still, using catering services or take-out orders to feed guests at one’s home often seems impersonal and uninteresting.  Cool person Chris Muscarella founded his startup Kitchensurfing to provide people with a third option: bring a professional chef into your home to cook for you and your guests.  Kitchensurfing users can book professional chefs for one-night occasions where they will cook a dinner for your gathering using your kitchen.  Essentially, Muscarella lets people turn their houses into ad hoc restaurants for an evening by letting people hire chefs for their home the same way they would for a larger event at a fancier venue.  Chefs purchase all the food ahead of time when a user books their services and the grocery costs become part of the overall price to the customer.  Users can search for different chefs on Kitchensurfing by filtering for availability, cuisine type, and price range.  Once a user selects the chef they want, Muscarella’s website puts them in direct contact with that chef to work out the details.  Anyone who experiences problems with the website while trying to find a chef should contact tech support for help. Read more »

As entertaining as large, flat-screen television sets are when people are using them to watch shows, movies and sports, they can also be an eyesore during a party or causal get-together when people aren’t using them.  Cool person in technology Sheldon Laube has found a way to give TVs a better purpose when not performing their primary function.  Laube has created Artkick, which provides a massive archive of photographs and digital artwork for users to push to their television displays wirelessly through an Android and iPhone app.  Artkick users can wirelessly control what images display on their large screen televisions using their phones.  Laube wants people to be able to repurpose their televisions easily when not using them.  With Artkick, people can instantly make their televisions into eye-catching art displays that make their home feel more welcoming to visitors.  Users simply connect their phones to their televisions through a Wi-Fi signal and select whatever image they want displayed.  Anyone who has trouble connecting their smartphones to their TVs through their wireless Internet will need to get home network support for help. Read more »

Live music has always been one of the biggest reasons for people to leave their homes and spend a night on the town.  Whether people are discovering new artists at small clubs or going to bigger venues to catch performances by their favorite bands, there is no question that live concerts are a major draw for them.  Now, a cool person in technology has formed a startup that looks to make it easier than ever for people to find local live music that they enjoy.  Mark Karsdorf has created Timbre with the aim of connecting people with local music whenever they want to go out and see a show.  Timbre detects users’ locations and shows them all the upcoming live shows in their area, whether performed by major artists or small local groups.  The app automatically tells people when and where there is live music to see around them.  Anyone who wants to use Karsdorf’s app but has problems with their phone’s GPS will need smartphone PC repair before utilizing Timbre.  Read more »

Checking different news sites and blogs is quickly becoming the daily morning routine for many professionals.  More often than not, one can catch many people going through popular entertainment blogs and news sites on their phone over breakfast or coffee in the morning.  However, despite the fact that someone can do it all on a device that fits in his or her pocket, there is still an aspect of inconvenience to this process.  One must always stop what they are doing in order to check new postings or read articles on their favorite blogs.  Outside of those people who use public transportation and have a specific time where their hands and eyes are free during their morning commute, stopping work or travel is necessary for people to check these websites on their phones.  Cool person in technology Espen Systad wants to make it easy for people to get the information they want from entertainment and news sites without taking more time away from them.  Systad’s company Capsule.fm accomplishes this feat by automatically converting the text from blogs and news sites into a personalized audio feed for smartphone users. Read more »