Talking Your Tech with 'Castle' actress Stana Katic

— -- On ABC's Castle, actress Stana Katic plays Det. Kate Beckett, who investigates crimes in New York City with novelist Richard Castle.

Off-camera, Katic is the co-founder of the Alternative Travel Project website, aimed at encouraging folks to give up their cars for at least one day a week.

We met Katic at Det. Beckett's loft on the Castle set, where we talked ATP, the music playlists she creates to listen to while walking to work, and the app she uses to help memorize her lines for the show.

Alternative Travel Project

Founded with fellow Castle actor Seamus Dever, ATP encourages people to choose alternatives to driving, such as buses, subways or their own two feet. It's an effort to better the planet, people's health and communities.

Katic's walking commute

"I live a one-hour walk from work," she says. She doesn't stroll every day, but averages one day a week, on days when she isn't scheduled on the set at the crack of dawn. "I listen to music, I get a real understanding for what the city is about. There are things you don't even notice when you're driving, like the local architecture."

Three of Katic's playlists have been published on Twitter.

Making the playlists

She creates stations on the Pandora online radio service (which are devoted to such artists as Lynryd Skynrd, Pearl Jam, Florence and the Machine, and Chopin) to discover new music. "I end up playing DJ in the makeup trailer. I love new genres."

Favorite new (to her) iPad app

"Flipboard. The guys here are very gadget-oriented. They told me about it." On Flipboard, which aggregates online content in a magazine-like format, she likes flipping through interior design and fashion magazine articles. "I'm girly. I like seeing some of the new stuff."

Also uses the iPad to learn her lines

She uses the Rehearsal app ($19.99), targeted to actors. "It can highlight your lines, record the other person's dialogue, and you can memorize off that. It's phenomenal."