Have an App-y Summer
Smartphones in summer are far from perfect. The screens are hard to see when you’re out of doors, they tend to run out of batteries at inopportune moments, and it seems you’re always in a no-cell area when you need one. Still, your smartphone can be your summer companion on the road or in your own backyard. Try these apps …
Read More
College Education, The Prices Are Insane!
Higher-education costs have skyrocketed 450 percent, according to the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education. Over the past few weeks, we’ve heard lots of chatter about new online models for higher education. Some critics are outraged by the thought of removing the classroom experience from the equation. Others cite cheating and accountability as major obstacles. Still others, no …
Read More
A College Education: The Prices Are Insane!
Higher-education costs have skyrocketed 450 percent, according to the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education. Over the past few weeks we’ve heard lots of chatter about new online models for higher education. Some critics are outraged by the thought of removing the classroom experience from the equation. Others cite cheating and accountability as major obstacles. Others, no doubt, see …
Read More
Can Tech Help Change Your Kid’s Behavior?
You betcha! B.F. Skinner, the father of psychology’s behaviorist movement, would be giving electronics manufacturers the high five right now. It turns out that 1) kids like working for rewards and 2) technology is a really good motivator. A few examples… Zazoo Kids Alarm Clock: Do your kids wake up at 6AM on Saturday morning believing you should be up too? …
Read More
Fitbit – To Step or Not To Step
In my last posting I promised to report on my progress with the Kinect and Xbox, but things took an unexpected turn when we began renovations on our kitchen. Since we live in a one bedroom apartment in Manhattan, renovating one room requires the destruction of the other. Hence no living room, no workout room, no Xbox w/ Kinect. Instead, …
Read More
What Gets Your Inner-Fitness Going: Data or Friendship? Or Both?
A recent study from NPD shows that one in five consumers want a fitness device that they can hook up to their PC. Today’s question is “will people have more incentive to actually buy these devices if they can use them with friends”. Striiv, a smart pedometer that caters to casual exercisers who like rewards, thinks that collaboration with a …
Read More
Penveu Challenges Interactive Whiteboards
Interactive whiteboards in the classroom have been plagued by any number of problems. Often mis-calibrated, sometimes proprietary, always expensive – and it forces the teacher to be in front of the classroom. It’s high time for an alternative to the old “teacher stands in front of the whiteboard” trick. Enter Penveu, a very different approach to the standard teacher/whiteboard interaction. …
Read More
Stress: What Would Arianna Do?
Arianna Huffington gets stressed out too! I don’t know why, but I take great comfort when people who look pressed and pretty all the time confess that they need to deal with stress just like the rest of us. But unlike the rest of us who keep our stress to teeth grinding or lip biting, Arianna Huffington shares her taming …
Read More
Recharge Your Systems the Green Way
Technology and thinking green did not always go together very well. Filled with icky harmful metals and substances, never recyclable and persistent energy hogs – electronics were known for creating more environmental problems than they solved. One problem being solved in innovative ways is device recharging. Our phones, TVs, game machines and household products are electricity gobblers. Here are some …
Read More
Kid Tested: Kinect RUSH is a Rush
Can’t decide which Pixar movie is your fav? Don’t give it a second thought. If you own a Microsoft Kinect you can grab a copy of Kinect Rush: A Disney Pixar Adventure where you’ll get a taste of all your favorites with you staring as the added attraction. It’s fantastic and tailor made for an ADD generation that loves to …
Read More
