Thanksgiving “App-Style”

Holiday season is upon us.  Time to stress out about gifts, family, food and fun. But wait, we are in the era of mobility. An estimated 26 million people use tablets in the United States and 43% of Americans with mobile phones have smart phones.  So isn’t about time, we do the holidays “app style?”

Here are the best apps to help get you through Thanksgiving.

First things first, we need a menu. I recommend the Thanksgiving Menu Maker from Fine Cooking. Tap your way to a customized holiday menu from more than 75 all-time favorite Thanksgiving recipes, plus get a customized shopping list and schedule.

Chow Thanksgiving Day Coach is a scaled down version for those of us who don’t like the kitchen. This app has only 9 selections and easy to follow recipes and a step-by-step timeline that lets you make dishes ahead of time.

For those of us on a budget, try the AllRecipes.com Dinner Spinner. It has hundreds of recipes for Thanksgiving, including Green Bean Casserole, Candied Sweet Potatoes and plenty of recipes for that perfect Turkey. You can also see ratings of each recipe.

Next, you need a good drink to go with the meal. Wine.com is a beautiful wine app designed specifically for the iPad. But, you need to know your wines before diving in.

Drync Wine Pro will find your wine no matter what. Just type a few words into the search engine and you are sure to find reviews and information on the wine of your choice.

For those of us not so familiar with wine, I recommend using IntoWine Food & Wine Pairing App. The name says it all.

Now onto the shopping. Check your local grocery stores for mobile coupon apps before heading out. When you are at the store, use your phone to scan bar codes and compare pricing and get coupons for specific brands and foods.

For some fun, download some Thanksgiving themed game apps. Turkey Hunt Thanksgiving Dinner is an arcade style game that has you trying to beat the clock to make a Thanksgiving Dinner.

Thanksgiving Jokes has kid-friendly jokes and Word Spree Thanksgiving Lite creates funny random stories that you can share with family and friends.

Thanksgiving gives you fun facts about the holiday that you can turn into a trivia game.

Finally, don’t forget to keep up with the football scores with ESPN Score Center.

Now if there was only an app that would clean up all the dishes.

Nation’s First Municipal Community Data Center Breaking Ground in Westerville

 

Groundbreaking Scheduled for Tuesday, June 21

 

June 16, 2011(Westerville, OH) – The City of Westerville, in conjunction with Youngstown, OH-based technology firm DRS, LLC announces the groundbreaking event of the nation’s first municipal community data center on Tuesday, June 21, 10 a.m. at 35 Collegeview Ave in Westerville. The center is the launching platform for WēConnect, a program of the City of Westerville.

 

As the first-ever city-owned data center, Westerville will be able to offer community partners and the business community access to data center space (co-location), affordable broadband and managed services and cloud-based services (delivery of hosted solutions via the internet).

 

”This is what we heard when we asked businesses what they needed in Westerville in order to be a world-class destination for business,” said Todd Jackson, Chief Information Officer for the City. “A community data center centralizes the technology, security and infrastructure within a technology commons enabling businesses of all sizes in and around our community to reduce costs of doing business and compete on a global level.”

 

The 16,000 square feet data center will provide expanded capacity for future data storage and network needs, and also provide technology solutions for businesses that enable them to deliver products and services electronically as well as access new workforce and social media technologies including virtualization, cloud computing (including a community cloud for Westerville business) and web 2.0 social computing.

 

“The DRS staff is excited and honored to be a partner in this new “Public Private Partnership” This is a great opportunity for the business community in North East and Central Ohio.  We already have many business from the Valley and Central Ohio interested in utilizing the Data Centers and fiber connectivity in the adjoining areas for backup and disaster recovery services,” said DRS CEO Mike Meloy.

 

What:	WēConnect Community Data Center Groundbreaking
Where:	35 Collegeview Ave, Westerville, OH (behind the Otterbein University Department of Communication building; access from Cleveland Ave off Main Street.)
When:	Tuesday June 21, 2011 10 a.m.

 

About WēConnect

WēConnect embodies all the bold technology commitments currently underway for the next generation of Westerville, featuring this community data center and also including commercial advanced metering, fiber infrastructure and technology-related energy efficiency programs. WēConnect brings the latest cutting edge technologies to the business community by providing both an advanced fiber optic network and unprecedented IT managed services to local companies. The services provided by WēConnect are the first of their kind and aim to deliver and secure economic strength and development in the area.

 About DRS, LLC

DRS LLC is an information technology consulting firm and service provider specializing in Cloud services, Managed Services, data center operations, and network infrastructure deployment including local area networks, wide area networks, VoIP, and connectivity. For more information visit www.drsllc.net

About City of Westerville

Located in the northeast corner of Ohio’s fastest growing region, Westerville is a vital city of 37,000 residents, a leader in job creation, and located just 10 miles from the airport and the state capital of Columbus. Westerville has been nationally recognized as one of “America’s Best Places To Live” by Money Magazine. For more information visit www.westerville.org

 

 

New Website Brings Hunting Indoors

PRESS RELEASE

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Contact:  Lauren Polinsky, PALO Creative | 330-599-4147 | Email: lpolinsky@palocreative.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

     April 18, 2011 (YOUNGSTOWN, OH) – Avid bowhunters can now buy the latest, forward thinking hunting gear online. GamePlan Gear, a hunting pack and accessories manufacturer, recently launched its new website. The site, developed and designed by PALO Creative, has an easy to use shopping cart, video demos, product ratings and detailed product photos with descriptions.

“We wanted to create an interactive experience for GPG that creates an outdoor environment rich with content and substance,” said Rob Palowitz, President of PALO Creative. “As an avid hunter myself, I understand how important it is to visualize hunting gear in order for outdoorsmen to ‘feel it out’ before purchasing.”

The website also allows users to find the nearest GamePlan Gear dealer with a zip code locator and also features the research and development team, TV Show partners and social media pages to create the ultimate word of mouth support. See more at www.gameplangear.com.

About GamePlan Gear

Game Plan Gear produces the most advanced hunting packs and accessories that have ever been designed for the avid bowhunter. For 6 years, GPG has been developing some very innovative and reliable systems possible for transporting your outdoor gear. GPG uses research and field testing to bring the most functional, forward-thinking gear to the hunting arena. GamePlan Gear products are available at major retail stores and online at www.gameplangear.com.

About PALO Creative

PALO Creative is a full-service advertising, interactive and public relations agency that has been based in the Youngstown, OH area for more than 11 years. Its fully integrated approach to marketing allows clients to achieve proven results that are both timely and competitive. The in-house team of marketing, design, interactive designers and programmers provide clients with powerful, scalable interactive and advertising solutions that are as elegant as they are functional. For more information, visit the company’s web site at www.palocreative.com

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