Shopping

As the world settles into an indefinite period of "social distancing" in which we keep our distance from others in order to stem the spread of coronavirus / COVID-19, grocery delivery services are looking like not only convenient way to shop, but a safe one as well. If you are a Whole Foods regular and an Amazon Prime subscriber, you'll be pleased to know that you can do your shopping on your iPhone from the safety of your couch and have it delivered to your doorstep, though the service is only available in select cities.

In an age where we've become accustomed to ordering any and everything we want online and having it delivered to our doorsteps in a ridiculously short amount of time, our furry companions have not been forgotten. There are plenty of services that will deliver food for your dog or cat (or guinea pig, hamster, gerbil, snake, lizard, fish, bird etc.). While only a handful of the larger operations have mobile apps, there are plenty of quality pet food stores that can be found online using Safari on your iPhone or iPad.

There is no shortage of corporations behaving poorly these days, creating both human and environmental tragedies. Whether they are polluting watersheds, using sweatshop labor or lobbying politicians to start wars that they can profit from, they need to be held accountable. Aside from voting in politicians that are willing to take action against them, you can also "vote with your wallet" by not purchasing products from companies that don't align with your values.

Brick and mortar stores have been on the decline for over a decade as online shopping has become increasingly popular and shows no signs of slowing down. If you are among those that do most of their shopping on Amazon, Ebay, Etsy or any other online store, then you probably have multiple packages coming every week. Rather than copying a tracking number and going to its delivery service's website to enter it and see where your package is, you can manage all of your deliveries under one roof, so to speak.

Now there's an easier way to find that random fastener, screw or bolt. Amazon has added a Find Parts feature to the camera search section of its iOS app. By placing the part you need next to a penny and snapping a photo, the iPhone can quickly calculate the length, diameter and other characteristics of the part. Amazon delivers specs, matching, and related parts almost immediately after scanning an existing piece of hardware.