By GRACE C. DIEZ

Life after work lately: voicing out your thoughts on social media, shopping online especially with all these discounts and free shipping deals, binge-watching (our personal favorite!) or probably taking care of plants.

What if we tell you there’s a world of apps out there beyond these usual activities that could change your life? Nah, maybe apps that would inspire curiosity and you would love to check out if you have time on your hands. 

NewsFeed 360 is listing down some of the apps that would either amaze you or make you guiltlessly waste your time on – productively (*wink wink*). Hey, some of these apps are proudly Filipino-made too!

How Safe Is My House? Planning to purchase a house? Or simply preparing for emergencies? ‘How Safe Is My House?’ is an app launched and developed by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs-DOST) that can assess the vulnerability of houses to strong earthquakes. Users of the app will be asked survey questions that will determine the result of the scoresheet and assessment of the house’s structural safety when earthquake strikes. The app can be downloaded for free on Google Play Store or via https://howsafeismyhouse.phivolcs.dost.gov.ph/.

Hazard Hunter PH. With the Philippines being prone to natural calamities, it is best to be prepared and assess the risk one could face. The Hazard Hunter PH app, also spearheaded by Phivolcs, is described as “the country’s one-stop shop for hazard assessment.” Through the app, one can find out if a location is prone to seismic, volcanic or hydrometeorologic hazards. Simply put, it’s an app that can generate hazard assessment reports. This is especially helpful to local government units, engineers and developers. The app is even more useful to an ordinary folk who’s planning to buy a house and lot or even just curious about the safety of his current home or location. Try it out! It can even track down the health facility nearest you. Download the HazardHunterPH mobile app on Google Play or visit https://hazardhunter.georisk.gov.ph/.

Skyview Lite.  Do you love gazing at the night sky? It’s a romantic thought but it can even be made educational.  Skyview is an augmented reality app that “lets you see just what delights the sky has to offer.” If you aren’t very familiar where to find stars or constellations, this app will serve as a guide. Simply point your phone at the sky and the app will identify stars, constellations, satellites up above your location. It’s a telescope in an app! Skyview Lite is available to download on both iOS and Android devices.

Foodie. The quarantine brought out the foodie entrepreneurs and bakers in the majority of society and if you’re one of those, this is the app for you. The Foodie app is known for taking amazing photos of food which is perfect for your social sharing and more importantly, the stunning food photos will benefit MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises) that are into the food business. The filters available on the app will help bring out the best of the food prepared and make the photos incredibly appetizing.

Picture This—Flower & Plant Identification. Plantitos and Plantitas, here is an app you will surely love! For the curious and those who are serious about plants and plant care, the Picture This app will help you identify a plant you happen to find on your backyard or when you’re out on a walk. All you have to do is take a picture of the plant and the app will identify it, share a description, its characteristics (which includes plant type, lifespan, bloom time, flower size and color) and even scientific classification. It also allows you to share the plant discovery on social media. Picture This app is available on a free 7-day trial at iOS and Android devices.

Bonus: Stroke Society of the Philippines

This isn’t an app but it’s a website that can help save lives: https://www.strokesocietyphilippines.org/.

Stroke or “brain attack” is an emergency health condition that has no first aid. When it comes to stroke, time is of the essence. Immediate medical attention can help save a person from death or certain disability. 

When a person exhibits symptoms of stroke, bear in mind the acronym: BE FAST: B-Balance difficulty; E-eye changes; F-Face drooping, crooked smile; A-Arm weakness or numbness; S-Slurred speech; and T-Time to call an ambulance or go to the hospital. 

Rush the patient to the nearest thrombolysis capable hospital for stroke which the Stroke Society of the Philippines website can locate for you. These are stroke-ready hospitals that have the additional capacity to care for stroke patients with access to 24/7 CT scan, the capacity to administer thrombolysis and a trained stroke team.

Save a life, visit the website: https://www.strokesocietyphilippines.org/.

---

---