Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Connecting to Community (Thing #17)

Minnesota 511
This app is a must-have for all Minnesotans.  It has been on my phone for years, and I check it every morning in the winter, before even rolling out of bed.  I am a chicken winter driver, so days like today, I am constantly opening it up on my phone to reassure myself that things have not gotten worse! Though I primarily use the app to check winter driving conditions, you can also view road reports, cameras, and traffic conditions.  Road reports include construction, accidents, closures, restrictions, and other miscellaneous pertinent info. 

In my use, I've found the winter driving conditions to be fairly accurate.   The different levels include:

-Good-green
-Fair-blue
-Difficult-light purple
-Hazardous/travel not advised- dark purple

If you click to see more detail, you can also see when the conditions were last updated.  They usually are reported early morning and late evening, or if conditions change throughout the day.  

Stay safe on the MN roads!

MN Museums
What a fun little app! I love all sorts of museums, and am constantly dragging my husband to them.  I'm sure he will not be thrilled that I now have a new way to discover new ones! The best part about the app is that it includes museums as large as the Science Museum of MN all the way down to museums as small as the Moody Round Barn in Chisago City, where I work. I don't think I'd ever use the add photos feature, but I like being able to check off museums I've visited, as well as add ones I really would like to visit to my itinerary. The app has all the pertinent info a visitor would need to know for each museum: directions, address, and links to the website.   You can browse by type of museum or search by location or category, both great ways to discover new places to visit.  

2 comments:

  1. Wonderful post! I, too, like the Minnesota 511 app. I will have to build an itinerary list in the MN Museums app. Great idea!

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  2. I forgot to mention one of the cool things about the MN Museums app was that it is partially funded with Legacy $. As libraries are a source that benefits greatly from MN Art & Cultural Heritage funding, its fun to see examples of other great Legacy projects from other organizations, especially when the money is so well spent!

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