Author: Mars Salazar Page 27 of 29

Marianne is Nixplay's Web Content Editor. Her hobbies include exploring new places, playing table tennis, and cuddling puppies. Send her a message at marianne.salazar@nixplay.com.

6 Reasons To Digitize Your Photos As Soon As Possible

By Mars Salazar

On August 3, 2018

In Photography

If your family is like most, you probably have a stash of printed photos and film rolls at home. Some may be meticulously laid out in photo albums and frames, while others are stocked in boxes or kept in the envelopes from the photo store. These images serve as tender reminders of a simpler time, triggering nostalgia within seconds.

However, these photos are in danger of being left behind during the mass migration to the digital sphere. Digitizing printed photos can be tedious work, with dozens—maybe even hundreds—of images needed to be labeled, sorted and scanned. Add in the process of organizing the prints for safekeeping and the time you’ll inevitably spend reminiscing over your memories, and you’ll surely take a long time.

The good thing about this process is that there’s no deadline. There’s no real need to rush—you can take all the time in the world. But of course, the sooner you accomplish it, the more secure your photos (and their accompanying memories) will be.

This is where the Association of Personal Photo Organizers (APPO) come in. APPO trains and supports professional Photo Organizers who can make sense of your photo collection. They can curate and safeguard your precious images so you and your loved ones can keep enjoying them in the years to come. This way, your photos, as well as the memories you’ve made through the years, won’t be an “out of sight, out of mind” situation.

If you’re still on the fence about hiring a professional Photo Organizer, here are a few reasons why you should give them a call soon.

1. Prevent your photos from deteriorating.

At the end of the day, your printed photos are flimsy and extremely susceptible to damage. The paper will turn brittle and yellow, the vibrant colors will fade, and the details will be gone. A Photo Organizer can use state-of-the-art organization and preservation methods to ensure that your precious images will stand the test of time.

2. Remember moments you might have forgotten.

Your memory won’t remain sharp forever. In fact, we bet you can’t even remember what you had for lunch two weeks ago—that’s how fleeting memories can be. What more when it comes to events that happened several years ago? Organizing and scanning your images will force you to take a deep dive into the past in order to provide the necessary documentation for your printed photographs.

3. Avoid damage from natural causes.

You never know when a major disaster like a flood, earthquake, or fire might strike. Will you have the time to fix your photo collection when more pressing matters are at stake? With an archived photo library stored in the cloud, you can still have a reminder of some of the most enjoyable times of your life even when the printed images you took back then are gone.

4. Proper organization.

Ever gone digging through your printed photo albums in search of a particular photo from a specific time? It can be such a hassle if you’ve got a lot of images to go through, especially if your albums and boxes are not labeled properly. A Photo Organizer can help you sort through all your photos so you’ll never have a problem looking for a certain picture again.

5. Easy sharing and reminiscing.

When all your printed images are archived and stored on the cloud, you can share your photos with loved ones with just a couple of clicks. Sharing your memories is even easier when you and your loved ones have Nixplay Frames—just a few taps, and you’re done!

6. Preserve your memories.

The best thing about hiring a professional Photo Organizer to fix your files? All your precious images will be safely stored online and can be easily accessed by future generations without much fuss. This way, your photos—and the memories they hold—can be kept safe forever.

Click here to find an APPO-certified Photo Organizer.

Mars Salazar

Marianne is Nixplay’s Web Content Editor. Her hobbies include exploring new places, playing table tennis, and cuddling puppies. Send her a message at marianne.salazar@nixplay.com.

Through Thick and Thin: 15 Reasons To Be Thankful for Your Family

By Mars Salazar

On July 31, 2018

In Special Moments

You can’t choose your relatives, but you can choose the people you consider your family.

Your next-door neighbors, whom you grew up with and who would always help you whenever you needed anything. They’re family.

Your friends from school, whom you forged a bond with while facing bullies and finishing projects. You rarely see them, but know you can count on them. They’re family.

The fellow backpackers you met on the road during your vacation in Europe whom you instantly bonded with, who took care of you when you got sick, and who made your trip infinitely memorable. They’re family.

They’re your rock, your source of support. They’ve seen you go through all of life’s ups and downs, and they’ll stay by your side and help you face everything life throws your way.

And you wouldn’t be where you are right now without them.

Now, here’s why you should be thankful for your family.

15 Reasons to be Thankful for Your Family

1. You can count on them to cheer you up when you’re feeling down.

2. They’re always willing to listen.

3. They love you for who you are and actually appreciate your quirks.

4. You can trust them with your deepest secrets, and they can trust you with theirs.

5. They’re your biggest cheerleaders.

6. They forgave you for all the regrettable things you’ve done to them.

7. They’ll wholeheartedly support everything you do.

8. They can still surprise you, even when you think you’re unflappable.

9. You can count on them to always be on your team.

10. They always have your best interests at heart.

11. Need someone to shop or dine with? They’ve got you.

12. They took care of you when you were sick.

13. You never want to leave when you’re in their company.

14. They always see and bring out the best in you.

15. They always feel like home.

Here at Nixplay, we believe that your bond with your family is always worth celebrating. For Nixplay Family Week, we’re giving you the chance to show your loved ones how much they mean to you by giving them their own Nixplay Wi-Fi Frame.

For a limited time, you can get your own Nixplay Iris at up to 35 percent off. The more frames you buy, the greater the discount you get–all the more reason to get Nixplay Frames for you and your family. After all, what better way to celebrate family ties than by sharing your best memories with each other?

Mars Salazar

Marianne is Nixplay’s Web Content Editor. Her hobbies include exploring new places, playing table tennis, and cuddling puppies. Send her a message at marianne.salazar@nixplay.com.

5 Fun Ways To Spend International Friendship Day

By Mars Salazar

On July 20, 2018

In Holidays

We’re all so busy with work, school, our families, and our relationships, that sometimes we completely forget to slow down and enjoy the company of the people who have always been there for you. If this is the case for you, International Friendship Day is the perfect opportunity to rekindle your ties with your closest pals – your second family. You may not be related to them by blood, but they’re your brothers and sisters by choice, and that conscious decision to hold them near and dear makes all the difference.

Your friends have been there for you through good times and bad times, and will be by your side forevermore. Making sure they know how much they mean to you – that’s what International Friendship Day is for. Here are five fun ways to show them how thankful you are to have them in your life.

1. Visit your alma mater.

We’ve met a lot of our most loyal friends during our school days. If your school’s walls could talk, it would probably have so much to say about the crazy shenanigans you and your pals were up to. What better way to celebrate your friendship than to pay a visit to your alma mater, with the whole gang in tow? You can reminisce about your fondest moments and your favorite (and least favorite) teachers, and marvel at the improvements to the campus that were implemented after your graduation.

2. Throw a party.

Gather everyone and celebrate International Friendship Day with an intimate get-together at your place! It could be a fancy dressed-up affair, or a casual pizza night (with some wine to keep the conversation rolling). Better yet, you can enlist their help cooking the food and setting up the party – that’s another bonding experience you can reminisce about!

3. Surprise your friends with a token of your friendship.

Sure, it’s the thought that counts, but a tangible reminder of your bond with your BFFs never hurt. Matchy-matchy shirts are cute, while friendship bracelets are classic. Having a Nixplay Frame, loaded with playlists of all your fun times together, is also a great way to keep the friendship alive.

Get one for yourself and one for your best friend (or one for every member of your circle), and share photos with each other so you’ll always remember the good old days.

4. Travel together.

Going on a trip together is one of the greatest tests of friendship. If you can endure each other’s quirks, habits, and neuroses 24/7 for a few (or several) days in a row, you’ve definitely found a true friend in one another. It doesn’t have to be a grand faraway getaway – even just a weekend at a nearby city can do wonders to rejuvenate your bond with your pal.

5. Tell your friends how much they mean to you.

We don’t see our friends every day, but it surely shouldn’t be an “out of sight, out of mind” situation. If you’re living far from them, mail them handwritten postcards to tell them how much you miss their company. Got a friend you haven’t talked to in a long time? Send her a message on Facebook, ask her how she’s doing, and plan a catch-up. And don’t just limit it to International Friendship Day–keep this sweet habit throughout the year.

Mars Salazar

Marianne is Nixplay’s Web Content Editor. Her hobbies include exploring new places, playing table tennis, and cuddling puppies. Send her a message at marianne.salazar@nixplay.com.

How To Live A More Sustainable Lifestyle

By Mars Salazar

On July 13, 2018

In From The Nixplay Team

Making the switch to a more eco-friendly lifestyle isn’t easy. It requires an intense passion for the environment, as it’s incredibly easy to forego sustainability for convenience.

It’s not just individual consumers who should be doing their part to save Mother Earth. Corporations should, more importantly, make sustainability a top priority. Nixplay recognizes the need to shift to more responsible practices, and is now taking the necessary measures to reach Zero Plastic Packaging status in the near future. The company is also exploring ways to incorporate post-consumer recycled resin into its product range, reducing the plastic waste that may end up in the ocean or in a landfill.

“Ultimately, our sustainability objective should be around how to make our products durable beyond the assumed product cycles as the plastics we make will most certainly outlive you and me,” says Lawrence Chu, Nixplay’s Principal Designer. “The best way to prevent plastic waste is not recyclability, but to ensure that we don’t produce products that aren’t useful and end up being discarded.”

In line with this goal, Nixplay invited on July 10 Fanny Moritz, the founder and CEO of eco-friendly lifestyle concept store NO!W No Waste, to share some easy things we can do in order to live a more sustainable life. Here are some things we learned from her:

1. Refuse things that can result in waste.

“You need to refuse the plastic bags that they give you in the grocery stores,” says Fanny. “Just bring in your own reusable bags, because I’m sure you already have some reusable bags at home.”

Same goes for plastic bottles. “Even if you really want to drink, just drink out of your own water bottle. Even if it’s a plastic bottle, it’s okay! Just refill it and don’t throw it away.”

You can also decrease clutter by unsubscribing from junk mail and by turning down freebies you really won’t use, like pens and fans.

Fanny Moritz discusses sustainability initiatives with the Nixplay family.

2. Reduce the things you buy.

Fanny swears by Marie Kondo’s bestselling book, The Life-Changing Magic Of Tidying Up. Kondo believes that everything you have at home needs to be loved by you, and this simple creed can drastically change your life.

“I’ve stopped buying new clothes. If I have to buy, I try to look for a secondhand option,” she shares.

Another way to reduce your carbon footprint is by assembling your own dining kit, consisting of metal cutlery, a cloth napkin, and reusable straws made of either metal or bamboo. This way, you don’t have to use disposable plastic utensils when you dine out.

3. Reuse the things you already have.

Fanny reuses glass jars and uses them as storage containers for her food, which she buys in bulk. “What is good about buying your food in bulk is that you don’t buy the packaging and the branding,” she shares.

Cotton balls and disposable feminine hygiene products might also be necessities for a lot of people, but they create a lot of waste and end up polluting the environment. In lieu of these, you can use reusable cleansing wipes and menstrual cups instead. Sure, you have to exert a little effort in order to sanitize them properly, but it’s a small price to pay in order to keep Mother Nature safe, right?

Some items you can use to live a more sustainable lifestyle: reusable straws, bamboo toothbrushes, and cleansing bars.

4. Recycle as much of your trash as you can.

Segregate your garbage and bring items like aluminum cans, glass bottles, and plastic containers to your neighborhood recycling center, where you can get some money out of them. You can also look for stores that invite customers to bring in their old items to use their sustainability initiatives.

“Nike does a very good job on this,” Fanny shares. “You can bring your own used shoes, and they’re going to use them to create a surface for a competition, for example.”

5. Rot (or compost) what you have in your kitchen.

A yard is usually a requirement for a compost pit—something a lot of people don’t have in the age of apartment living. If you don’t have the space needed for a compost pit, you can get an electronic composter, which can transform your food scraps into fertilizer. Living a zero-waste lifestyle has never been easier.

Want to start your own zero-waste journey? Visit NO!W No Waste to discover more plastic-free initiatives you can start on your way to living a truly sustainable life.

Mars Salazar

Marianne is Nixplay’s Web Content Editor. Her hobbies include exploring new places, playing table tennis, and cuddling puppies. Send her a message at marianne.salazar@nixplay.com.

Young girls at the beach, celebrating the fourth of July - by holding an American flag and fire torches up high

5 Festive Ways To Celebrate the Fourth of July

By Mars Salazar

On July 3, 2018

In Holidays

Light up some fireworks, bring out the flags, and decorate everything in red, white, and blue: The Fourth of July is almost upon us, and it’s definitely one of the most wonderful times of the year! We’re sure you have some ideas on how to celebrate this holiday, but on the off chance that you’re still stumped, well, we’re here to the rescue! Read on to learn how you can make this Independence Day one you’ll remember for a long time.

1. Throw an outdoor party.

Take advantage of the fine weather and have some fun outside this Fourth of July! Have a pool party (don’t forget the giant floats!), or throw a backyard barbecue complete with on-theme food and cocktails. Invite the whole street, or just your closest friends and family. The possibilities of having fun are endless!

2. Get crafty.

Spend the afternoon making some fun red, white, and blue-themed projects the whole family can do. Create a Fourth of July banner to get the party started, and make an American flag backdrop for your Independence Day photo booth. Don’t forget your dining table: Create a patriotic centerpiece using recycled bottles, and put a vase filled with red and blue lollipops somewhere the little ones can easily reach.

3. Go shopping!

The week of July 4th is awash with fantastic deals from all your favorite stores. Whether you’re eyeing a new pair of shoes or thinking of upgrading your laptop, now’s a great time to do so. And if you’re thinking of getting a new Nixplay frame, you’re in luck: You can get 20% off a Nixplay Iris or 15% off a NIX Lux from July 4 to 13! Just enter the code FREEDOM20 for the Iris, and FREEDOM15 for the Lux. Don’t just add a frame to your cart–check it out now!

4. Let the kids do the planning.

It can be tiring to wrack your brain for a fun activity the whole family will enjoy. Take away the stress by getting the little ones to list the things they want to do on the Fourth of July, and tick them off one by one. Not only will this foster their creativity, but giving them a say in what you will do for the day will also make them feel like their voice really matters. This way, you’ll give the kids an Independence Day they’ll remember and treasure for a long time to come.

5. Visit an all-American attraction.

Mount Rushmore. The Statue of Liberty. The Grand Canyon. Walt Disney World. What do these locations all have in common? They’re all distinctly American landmarks, seen as symbols of everything our country and its people stand for. And there’s no better time to pay these places a visit than on the Fourth of July, where you can celebrate America alongside your fellow countrymen. If that doesn’t inspire you, just think of all the beautiful fireworks you’re guaranteed to see there!

Mars Salazar

Marianne is Nixplay’s Web Content Editor. Her hobbies include exploring new places, playing table tennis, and cuddling puppies. Send her a message at marianne.salazar@nixplay.com.