Thanksgiving is really unique this year, and whether you are staying home, or traveling for this holiday, making sure you have a restful and safe Thanksgiving is a top priority. While we focus on family, friends, and food, let’s rely on technology in the most helpful way possible with these tech tips:
Video call with Zoom
Zoom has been our best method of communication this year, so it makes sense to use it on Thanksgiving. As a Texas State Bobcat, you have free access to a Zoom Pro account, which means meetings you host aren’t restricted to the 40-minute time limit of basic accounts.
You might share with your friends and family though that Zoom will lift the 40-minute time limit on Thanksgiving Day so all families everywhere can stay united while being apart this holiday season.
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Use Apps to help your cooking
If you’re on cooking duty this year, it gets hard to juggle the turkey, stuffing, gravy, pumpkin pie, and green bean casserole. Utilizing the Timer+ app allows you to create different alarms, and you can easily add minutes to a running timer if something isn’t quite done. The app is free for iOS devices: Timer+. If you’re on Android, you should check out Kitchen Timer, a similar free app.
If you’re on cooking duty this year, but have no idea what you’re doing, the SideChef Recipes app might help. It has big pictures to go along with each step, videos, tips, and various cooking techniques. It can walk you through a challenging recipe pretty thoroughly by reading the directions aloud, then you can tell it to advance to the next step without smearing any food all over your phone. The app is free for iOS and Android devices.
Stream movies
Take a moment to wind down and rest your brain with a good movie or two. Texas State University Libraries has a streaming library available to Bobcats just by logging in with your Net ID. They have several classics like Casablanca and Oscar-winning movies like Good Will Hunting, The Blind Side, and Selma.
Use an electric carving knife on Thanksgiving night
Slicing up a turkey the old-fashioned way is no easy feat. An electric carving knife outperforms even the sharpest knife come dinner time on Thursday. This piece of handheld technology can save time, eliminate frustrations, and make the serving of the main course so much easier.
Shop Black Friday online
As mentioned earlier, Thanksgiving is about family, friends, and food and while that should be your main priority, it doesn’t hurt to snag a good deal on Black Friday. Many retailers are taking their deals online this holiday. Stay safe by doing your shopping online this year, Forbes has a great list of retailers to look into for some good deals.
If you’re looking to snag a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X console, some retailers such as Walmart will have more available to order online this week as part of their sales, so be sure to keep an eye out for those.
Have a great Thanksgiving Break, Bobcats.
Chantal Lesley is a marketing and communications specialist student employee in the IT Marketing and Communications office.
