Top Tech Resource For Turf Professionals
I remember one Christmas very clearly from my childhood, this was the Christmas of Nintendo. I remember it like it was yesterday and I remember playing hours and hours of Super Mario Brothers until the stores opened and I could get more games. WOW, have things changed! What do you think your kids want this year for Christmas? Well, let me help you!
Pretty staggering……as Apple products round out 4 of the top 5.
I was born in 1984 and it wasn’t until the late 80s early 90s that I really became interested in cartoons. Inspector Gadget was a favorite of mine and my brother. That guy really did have everything he needed at his fingertips. His life, or detective life, was made so simple because of a handful of creative gadgets. Looking back, it almost seems like the creators had a crystal ball looking into 2011. Now, it seems like everyday, engineers and creators all over the world are coming out with the next best gadget. I would like to quickly share with you three gadgets that have made my turf life much simpler.
The iPad 2:
This device is one of the most essential tools for the Golf Course Superintendent. I know I don’t need to elaborate on reasons for most of you, but it has helped me tremendously since I got one for my birthday back in January. The app store allows for so much to be accomplished on one little tablet. Scheduling, weather forecasting, application recording, idea collaboration, and even irrigation running and programming are all done from the iPad. The best app for me has been LogMeIn Ignition. This allows me to connect to my Rainbird Irrigation Central and run any head in the field. It also allows me to program, add stations, delete stations, change stations and run times from anywhere I have WiFi or 3G capability. It has easily increased my personal efficiency by at least 50%. Other essential apps have been Evernote, Penultimate, Google Chrome, Intellicast HD, and Dropbox. If you are familiar with the iPad, download them and take a look. I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.
ZaggMate Case/keyboard:
There is really not a whole lot that needs to be said about this awesome accessory for the iPad 2 except, buy it! It is crafted with military grade aluminum, ensuring extra protection.
It has a hard bluetooth qwerty keyboard built-in, allowing for quick typing and comfort. There are now two new keyboard being offered. Both keyboards utilize a strong magnetic closure system similar to an Apple smart cover. The ProPLUS has an awesome new feature of a backlit keyboard. Check them both out here: ZAGG Pro and ProPLUS
Cinemin Swivel:
Have those troubling board meetings to attend each week or month? Still unsure about how to get your points across without holding an on-course field trip with your entire membership or ownership? This little gadget is perfect. This is actually a pocket projector from Wowwee. It is the size of an iPhone and comes with a little carrying case and adapters for a PC, laptop, or iPad/iPhone. Its ideal partner is the iPad, but that’s only for extra convenience. This gadget has been perfect for meetings, intern education sessions, college lectures, and even training movies in the shop. Check it out here: http://www.wowwee.com/en/products/tech/projection/cinemin/swivel
Thanks for checking out this post! Hopefully these gadgets will help you just as much as they have helped me. If you have a really great gadget that you just couldn’t do without in the field, please email me at jvbturf@gmail.com, I would love to hear about it. If you have any questions, you can ask me right on twitter @uriturf.
-Jason VanBuskirk, Superintendent
Share your turf videos with us…..iTurf Apps Live Community Youtube Channel. I’m sure many of you that are reading this are tech savvy individuals. If you’re not tech savvy, then you’re interested in becoming tech savvy. This website is certainly one way to do that, especially if you’re an Apple fan! As much of an Apple/tech website as this is, it is also a turf/tech community.
In the turf community, we tend to share thoughts and ideas primarily related to turfgrass practices. (I’m sure Twitter quickly comes to mind.) Well, here at iturfapps.com, we have created a page for you to start sharing your videos to the turf/tech community. If you have any videos of yourself or of a staff member using a tech gadget or device for a turfgrass purpose, share your video easily with the iTurfApps Community on our YouTube Channel. You will be given full credit for the video and just like that you can become a contributing member to this fun new page! Thanks for sharing!
Sharing your videos is easy! Simply email us and we will provide you with a unique email address that will directly upload your video to the iTurfApps Live YouTube Channel. We are excited to add this brand new feature to the iTurf Apps community giving all of us an opportunity to share our uses of technology!