Category: technology

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Mom of a Teenager Shares Tips on How to Teens Can Use Their Phones for Real World Experience

Raising kids is tough, so if you’re currently slogging through the long, interrupted nights with potty-training toddlers, well…I’m sorry to say that even though things will be different one day, that doesn’t mean they’re going to be easier.

Teens especially are leading completely different lives than their parents did thirty or forty-odd years ago, so we might often wonder what sort of wisdom we can offer when it comes to navigating this brave new world.

One mom of a teenager has some advice on using technology to prepare your almost-adult for taking on life after living at home, and personally, I’ll definitely be taking notes.

1. Have them conduct internet research for your family.

Image Credit: Pixabay

If you need to kill weeds or replace a fence or put your dog in day care or rent a car – anything you’d normally do, your kid can do (but of course double check!).

2. Have them pay medical bills.

If you get a medical bill, show them where to find the service date and invoice number and then sit there while they call or pay online.

3. Have them make actual phone calls to get help when something breaks.

Using the phone to make calls is a chore, but when our internet breaks, the water heater goes out, etc, your kid can make the calls and set up the appointments on their own.

4. Let them schedule their own appointments.

It might be time for them to schedule their own haircuts and dentist appointments, but make sure they actually get it done.

5. Have them renew your driver’s license or voter’s registration.

Image Credit: Pixabay

It can be intimidating to navigate official government processes, so why not let them practice while you’re still there as a safety net?

6. Let them order groceries online.

Online grocery shopping is amazing – and something everyone should know how to do when they’re on their own.

Show them how to re-order necessities, to check the pantry for recipe components, and to stay within a budget.

7. Make them responsible for cooking dinner once a week.

Image Credit: Pixabay

They should choose the recipe, make sure the ingredients get on the online grocery list, and then make the dinner for the family once a week.

8. Teach them how to use Microsoft Excel.

Use it to make a packing list, a personal budget, a schedule of activities – it doesn’t matter what for as long as they’re figuring out how to use the program.

9. Help them learn PowerPoint.

Image Credit: Pixabay

Like with Excel, PowerPoint is something they’ll likely need in college and, depending on their profession, beyond.

They can make birthday presentations, Mother’s Day presentations, etc – you could even use it as a punishment if they’ve done something wrong.

There you have it – I’m not sure my husband can do all of these things, honestly, so I’ll definitely be making sure my sons can before they call themselves grown ups.

What do you do to try to use technology as a teaching tool? Are you going to try any of these in your home?

Talk to us in the comments!

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Some Parents Are Annoyed by a Hospital Poster Shaming Them for Looking at Their Cell Phones

We all have to answer questions in this day and age about how much, how often, when and where we choose to pick up our phones. Sometimes we’re reading emails from work, or answering texts from friends or family or looking up a recipe for dinner, and other times we might be scrolling through Facebook or keeping up with the latest snark on the news on Twitter.

The truth is that your kids have no idea what the difference is – they see you staring at your phone and they know you’re not paying attention to them, full stop.

It’s complicated, and we all have to decide for ourselves what we want technology in our homes to look like.

The personal nature of those choices is probably why new parents want to snarl at a hospital poster suggesting they’re going to screw up their brand-new bundle by picking up their phones instead of staring lovingly into their sleeping (or screaming) faces.

Even worse – this was posted in a U.K. version of a NICU, meaning that the parents there spend long, stressful hours waiting for the day they can take their child home.

And, if they’re anything like me (who had a healthy, if pissy, newborn), most of the things they’re staring at on their device are answers to panicked questions about all things baby and motherhood.

The sign reads “Mummy and Daddy, Please look at ME when I am feeding. I am much more interesting than your phone!!”

Surely, the person who wrote it intended it as a reminder of the importance of bonding, but it definitely comes across as shaming in a place where added stress is the very last thing anyone needs.

During those long, late hours spent feeding, worrying, and just disconnected from the real world in general, our devices can be like a lifeline to other people – something not to be discounted, even if moderation is obviously key.

The Yeovil District Hospital responded to the outcry with a statement:

“These posters were created by our Special Care Baby Unit nurses following UNICEF baby-friendly accreditation training and have been in place for a few months. They are intended to be used only within the context of the unit, where we support mums of premature or very poorly babies in building a healthy connection.”

Twitter clapbacked at that as well…

Which is fine, but someone should definitely work on their wording. A simple statement about the importance of bonding with premature infants would have sufficed.

Postpartum is a hard enough time, and we’re already questioning literally everything we’re doing – the last thing new parents need is the hospital staff pouring on more of the same.

What do you think? Good reminder or should the hospital just mind their own business?

Let us know in the comments!

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You Can Now Turn off Those Awful Autoplay Previews on Netflix

The year 2020 has been pretty shitty so far, but at least one marvelous thing has happened: Netflix will finally stop autoplaying every single preview that you scroll past.

For what feels like ages, Netflix’s autoplay feature has been non-optional. Every single Netflix user has had to deal with the jarring clips that immediately play as soon as you hover over a certain title. You could turn the sound off, but still, it was really annoying. It made trying to find something new to watch that much harder (and it was already pretty hard).

But! Netflix recently announced that “members can now control whether or not they see autoplay previews on Netflix.”

Needless to say, people are so excited that they basically had a party on Twitter about it.

People had a lot of things to say about the good news.

But most importantly, how does one take advantage of this new option and TURN AUTOPLAY PREVIEWS THE HELL OFF?

First, sign into your account. Then click the profile icon in the top right corner to reveal the drop-down menu and select “Manage Profiles.” Click the profile you want to edit.

You’ll see that “Autoplay previews while browsing on all devices” appears as one setting. It’s automatically checked, so you just uncheck it and voila! You can scroll in peace.

Finally.

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The ratio of people using…

The ratio of people using email for fun versus those using it for work has flipped since the 1990s. Many people nowadays dread email “because it is a conduit for unwanted advertising, a wide range of spam, and flat out attempts to scam or ‘phish’ us”.

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A Tricky New Scam Poses as a Text Message with Your Package’s Tracking Information

Be alert!

It seems like thieves and n’er-do-wells are always out there looking for the next best way to swindle you out of your hard earned cash…and that’s because they kind of are.

With all of the technology we use, their attempts are getting more diverse, more widespread, and harder to spot – even for the savvy among us. And given that many of us have more than one package en route to us on any given day (thanks, Amazon), this scam text acting like it’s a tracking update is pretty stinking clever.

The scam is described by online technology magazine ‘How-To-Geek’ as a SMS text being sent out that seem to be confirming shipping or delivery on a package, and asking you to click for more information.

Image Credit: Pixabay

They recommend that you do not open the message or click on any links, then block the sender and delete the message. Clicking the link will take you to a fake Amazon listing where you will be asked to take a customer service survey that offers you a free product at the end of it – as long as you hand over your credit card number to cover a small shipping and handling fee.

The fine print admits that by agreeing to pay the fee, you’re signing up for a 14-day trial, followed by a $98.95 monthly fee for a supply of scam products.

Image Credit: Pixabay

I assume that you’re not notified of the monthly charge in any way, so it could be a while before some people notice the recurring debit on their statement.

So be vigilant. Read everything with a squinted eye, as though there are people out there whose entire job it is to trick you into handing over your information.

Because there definitely are.

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Mojo are Contact Lenses That Will Give Your Eyes Superpowers

There are no flying cars or time travel, but we are solidly living in the future. The internet, virtual reality, air travel, space exploration – it’s all happening.

And do you know what else is happening? Contact lenses that give you superpowers.

Okay, okay, maybe happening is too strong of a word, because their concept product still has a long way to go before findings its way to consumers’ eyes, but the people behind Mojo – a contact lens that could not only improve the sight of millions, but improve the way many people live and work – believe they’re coming soon.

The minds behind the company began investigating the idea in 2015, though they depend on research that took place around 2008. The finished product is still a few years off, but Mojo Vision has already attracted over $100 million in investments.

“We’re really confident about this working,” said VP of product and marketing Steven Sinclair, who cut his teeth at Apple doing iPhone planning. “That’s why we’ve come out of stealth, because we’re seeing all the pieces coming together into a product that does everything we want it to.”

Steve, and the others at the top of Mojo, all experienced vision issues in their lives that got them thinking about using technology to improve sight. They wondered whether vision could get better than 20/20, and whether vision problems and eye issues could one day be a thing of the past entirely.

His co-founder, CEO Drew Perkins, thought “How can I give people this kind of super-vision? There’s got to be a way to give people advanced or elevated vision without surgery.”

Until 2015, the idea of an eye-mounted LED was theoretical, but with the math worked out and successful simulations under their belt, the team began to believe they could actually invent something that had never been built before then.

The technology built into the lenses is smaller than a grain of sand – about a half a millimeter across – and contains 70,000 pixels.

The display focuses light on a tiny indented area of the retina at the back of the eye called the fovea, which detects the fine details of objects right in front of us. The small space contains the majority of the nerve endings in the eye; it’s thick with photoreceptors that convert light into the electrochemical signals that transfer information to various vision centers in the brain.

All of that makes the fovea the perfect area to target – the display needs less power and light to transmit images there.

The first versions of the lens also contain a tiny single-core ARM-based processor and an image sensor, and the company has plans to add eye-tracking sensors and communications chips down the road. They will run on rechargeable batteries that will need to be plugged in once a day and will require syncing an internet connection with a phone or similar device.

Like all cool designs, the people at Mojo are also thinking of practical applications for their invention – and at the moment, they’re thinking firefighters could really benefit from their technology.

The lenses could be used to project a floor plan of a building on fire, with yellow lines around tables and chairs, and other colors leading toward exits. Other symbols could alert to the presence of fellow fighters, show the wearers oxygen tank levels another data, or display an alert system that could warn a firefighter that it’s time to get out now.

The company believes their interface “allows a firefighter to see situational things while they’re holding an axe or a hose or some other piece of equipment, and they don’t have time to pull out their phone.”

They have other application ideas, too, such as a hotel concierge being able to identify, greet, and help guests without having to look anything up, but their first version of the Mojo lens would be focused on helping people with vision problems. It’s a big market; there are 285 million people around the world who fall into that category.

The lenses could be life-changing for people with severe eye issues, says Mojo’s VP of medical devices Ashley Tuan. “We can give them the essential tools they need for mobility. They just want to fell that they are normal. They don’t want people to feel pity for them or take advantage of them.”

From their practical application to medical uses to just cool technology that people could want in the future, Mojo is moving the conversation forward when it comes to wearable – or embeddable – technology.

And though there are surely many conversations to come about limits and power in the future, for now, we can sit back and admire what the human mind is capable of inventing when we truly turn it loose.

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12 Examples of this Emoji Being Misused in the Most Hilarious Ways by Older Folks

I don’t know what the age cutoff is for people not understanding emojis – my guess is that it’s perhaps around 55 or 60? But once you meet a person who is confused about what they mean and when to use them, your first clue will be that they don’t understand how to use this guy:

That’s right, even though the “laughing crying” emoji is a favorite across the board, people over a certain age don’t really seem to see him correctly.

Here are 12 people who just really, really should have asked someone younger if they were doing it right before deploying this particular emoji in a text or post.

Seriously.

12. The words and the background just…

11. OMG that poor dog. Why am I laughing?

10. Oh, yeah, you seem very sorry. Ha!

9. I’m no expert, but I’m not sure you’re praying correctly?

Thoughts and prayers ?? from oldpeoplefacebook

8. Poor puppy!

Image Credit: Twitter

7. “Love, Grandma” I’m dead.

6. Yes, it is a sad day…so why are you laughing?

5. I’m guessing Bingo found his day less than hilarious.

4. TBH a lot of this is confusing.

3. Oddly, I think Robin Williams would have appreciated the humor.

2. Bless his or her heart.

Image Credit: Twitter

1. Well, if that doesn’t make you feel better I’m not sure what would!

Now I’m crying laughing, y’all, so maybe they’re not using it as wrong as I’d thought? Hard to say!

Have you ever used an emoji wrong and been schooled? I definitely want to hear about it in the comments!

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The Coronavirus Can Be Tracked on Johns Hopkins’ Website

The coronavirus, or 2019-nCoV, has spread throughout mainland China and beyond. The virus makes daily headlines, though reports about this new respiratory disease are constantly changing, which makes monitoring it a challenge for everyday people.

However, the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University has provided a way for those outside the medical community to see how widespread coronavirus is with an online dashboard tracking the outbreak as information is confirmed.

Photo Credit: Johns Hopkins University

Users can see hard data regarding numbers of confirmed cases and their locations, as well as recoveries and deaths. Clicking through the various figures and graphs will expand the information further.

For those who like to see the hard facts without the grabbing verbiage of online news outlets, this website will prove to be revealing, if not fascinating. Use it to become informed, but be wary if you live in an area with confirmed cases. You don’t want to scare yourself unnecessarily.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

So far, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) reports that the cases found in the U.S. are people who had recent and close contact with travelers from Wuhan – or were travelers themselves. They state the virus is not spreading throughout communities.

While they call the coronavirus a “very serious public health threat,” it’s also unclear how the threat will affect the U.S. at this time. As of right now, the threat-level to citizens in the U.S. who are not actively treating or being exposed to coronavirus patients in a medical setting is low.

Photo Credit: Edwards AFB

In the meantime, wash your hands, keep yourself healthy and check out that factual dashboard if your concerned or even curious about the coronavirus spread stateside.

And maybe buy a few medical masks, just in case.

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Cyber Security Experts Say Social Media Platform TikTok Isn’t Safe for Kids

Parents everywhere should be careful about letting their kids join social media platforms. You should talk to them ahead of time about the potential dangers, and also let them know that you’ll have access to their passwords and accounts and will be free to check their activity at any time.

Savvy parents are already doing these things, but every time a new app gets popular, they face a new learning curve. And while TikTok is super fun, very popular, and used by kids around the world, it probably comes as no surprise that people who are looking to prey on those kids are on it, too.

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A former basketball coach in Iowa was found to have sexually exploited and abused 400 boys. 400 innocent lives. Many of these children were led to believe they were chatting online with a teen girl sending nude images of themselves. Some were basketball players he coached. If you follow us on FB or Twitter, you can find the link to the news report. With the mission of protecting children we do not promote social media as harmless fun for children. Nearly every app and game has chat functions that enable strangers to talk to children – even with privacy filters, there is no way to 100% block communication from people unknown to a child. To suggest that children are capable of managing their own safety is naive at best. Predators continue to flourish on the internet because it takes a lot of time, often months, and some luck to catch them. For every perpetrator convicted there are countless that are harming children -even as you read this. Please, think long and hard before putting your child into the world of social media. Consider the many risks and few benefits that come from access to so many negative and unproductive influences. Talk to youth leaders about prevention training and policies to reduce risk and empower children to know they have a right to be safe. Make sure anyone you trust with your children knows you promote body safety. Awareness can deter abusers, be that voice. #rockthetalk #mamabeareffect #childsexualabuse #childexploitation #yso #youthsports #socialmediamom #preventionispossible #parenting #parentingblogger #parentingtips #socialmediasafety

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TikTok was developed in China and, since its launch in 2017, has been downloaded more than 80 million times – handily surpassing Snapchat in popularity. The platform allows 3 to 60 second videos and encourages interaction in multiple ways. The app allows users as young as 13 to sign up without parental consent.

Australian cybersecurity expert Susan McLean is adding her voice to the chorus yelling that the space is not even close to safe for kids, due to the access it gives people looking to groom and bully them.

“Any app that allows communication can be used by predators. TikTok does not have the same safety sessions as some of the more well-known apps and routinely do not remove accounts that have been flagged as potentially a predatory. …The data gathering is a huge concern and if the government is worried then it is not a place for kids.”

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Thank you so much Jenny Gatlin Breazeale for hosting a parents conference on Social Media-Balancing Safety & Reality at Elberta Elementary this evening. Parents were served soup, an awesome cookie bar for dessert….and there was child care for the young kids! We had a wonderful group of engaged parents and teachers. We laughed a lot, (back row I’m looking at you?), we cried some, and we learned so much from one another. This is my third year being invited back to speak with this community and I am SO THANKFUL for teachers, parents and administrators like Jenny that recognize the importance of education….and empowerment…when it comes to protecting our children online. As parents, as adults…WE get to lead this charge. WE can protect our children. Knowledge is power.

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Setting your kids’ accounts to private will keep them from being contacted directly through the app, but TikTok admits that “even with a private account, profile information – including profile photo, username, and bio – will be visible to all users.”

Reports from the United Kingdom claim that kids as young as 8 were getting bullied, groomed, and spammed with explicit messages.

A representative reminded parents that the app ages are 13+.

“TikTok is an app for users age 13 and over, and we’ve give the app a 12+ App Store rating so parents can simply block it from their child’s phone using device-based controls.”

Kids are vulnerable to predators on all social media apps – really anywhere online – so talking to yours about how to respond and what to do if and when something happens to them is vitally important. You and your kids should be aware of the dangers, no matter how tough the conversation, because you’ll need to partner up to keep your little loves – and hopefully others – safe online.

For now, definitely don’t let your under-13’s talk you into TikTok, and when they do age into the app, be sure you’re checking up on their activity regularly.

It’s a brave new world, parents, but we can do this together!

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A Rescued Sea Turtle’s Digestive System Was Jammed Full of Plastic Trash

You probably know that trash dumped into waterways around the world makes its way to the ocean, where it’s endangering the lives of all manner of marine life.

It can be a difficult problem to look directly at because no one wants to see animals hurting because of human behavior, but until we recognize the power we have to fix the problem (i.e. reduce, reuse, recycle), nothing is going to change.

So we have to look.

Scientists rescued a green sea turtle from a fisherman’s net off the coast of Buenos Aires, in Argentina, and passed it to a conservation group called the Mundo Marino Foundation.

Workers there quickly figured out that the animal’s health was endangered by the amount of plastic trash clogging its gut.

“Through radiographic images, we could see foreign bodies inside. Therefore, we started a treatment with a medication that increases peristaltic movements (movements of the digestive tract) and allows it to excrete what we saw in images,” explained Ignacio Pena, a veterinarian at the Foundation.

The turtle – a member of an endangered species that faces grave threat due to the degradation of their habitat – spent a full month excreting over 13 grams (half an ounce) of nylon bags, netting, and other plastic trash.

Green turtles typically keep a herbivorous diet, but juveniles will branch out, and a young and inexperienced hunter like this one was can easily mistake trash for food, scientists say – particularly because many sea turtles will eat jellyfish, which look alarmingly like plastic bags floating along. The mistake is often deadly according to one 2018 study that found that a turtle who eats just one piece of plastic has a 22% chance of dying.

Pena says that this particular turtle, though, is doing well.

“Today the turtle is eating green leaves, mainly lettuce and seaweed. We’re viewing this with an optimistic attitude, the progress is favorable.”

Sadly, the same can’t be said for other turtles who have been found in a similar state – even at Mundo Marino, they’ve been unable to save many that came into their care.

Plastics are insidious for animals like turtles, says biologist and conservation manager Karina Alvarez, for a couple of big reasons.

“There is not only a risk of a mechanical obstruction due to plastic intake. The accumulation of non-nutritive elements in the digestive systems of these marine reptiles can cause them a false sense of being full, which gradually weakens them. …In addition, a large amount of gas could be generated in their organisms, product of the accumulated plastic. Which would affect their ability to dive, both to feed and to find more suitable temperatures.”

Please do your part to keep turtles like this one from accidentally ingesting your trash; put your garbage where it belongs, and try to find alternatives to single-use plastics wherever you can.

Think of the turtles (and the fish and the dolphins and whales and sea lions)!

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