Both of my younger children are supposed to wear reading glasses for close-up work, whether it’s actually sitting and digesting a book or whether it’s arts, crafts or even computer work. Problem is, while both my son and daughter have their prescription glasses, I rarely if ever see them wear them, to the point where I sometimes forget that they have glasses and that I should encourage them to wear ’em to avoid eye fatigue…Read More
As a father, I’m officially anointed as The One With Lots of Opinions, so when an opportunity comes along to join a new Web site and make a few bucks off those opinions, I’m all ears. Well, all opinions. Or opinions about my ears. Or something like that! The site in question is ProOpinion and it’s pretty darn interesting because in addition to what appear to be merchant-directed surveys, the site also does lots and…Read More
Every time I hear about science and math, it’s something about how we have a crisis, about how girls aren’t encouraged to embrace so-called “STEM” courses, about how other countries are in the lead, about the “brain drain”, etc. Fortunately there are a lot of really bright kids who are already doing great science and helping lead us into the future. It’s a great thing to celebrate their accomplishments and use them to motivate other children…Read More
A few months ago in San Francisco I had the chance to learn about a really fascinating program that the savvy team at Mattel’s Hot Wheels division recently launched: Speedometry. I remember Hot Wheels from when I was a kid with the ubiquitous orange slot-together track and the crazy cool car designs. But like so many toy brands, the challenge is for Hot Wheels to keep up with all the amazing hi-tech toys that are…Read More
I don’t usually write about tech here on GoFatherhood since I have AskDaveTaylor to cover all my tech and gadget needs, but as a father one of the things I am constantly trying to balance is my love affair with technology and devices and my desire to not just model good behavior in terms of device/life balance, but also pay attention to my children when I’m with them too. If you’re more familiar with the…Read More
My 11yo daughter K- and I decided to go out for a nice dinner last night, somewhere we hadn’t been in a long time and when I suggested California Pizza Kitchen, she thought that sounded terrific. Hadn’t been to a CPK for a few years, actually: It’s one of those restaurants that’s just never on my short list and my kids prefer the informality of Chipotle, Firehouse Subs, Smash Burger or Wahoo’s, which works for…Read More
Sounds a bit like the beginning of a joke: A guy walks into a room full of teachers to talk about the Internet, privacy and cyber-bullying… but it’s the furthest thing from a joke I can think of, actually. A few days ago I was invited by my children’s school to address the faculty on these very topics and as it’s something I’m very concerned about, I was happy to participate in the discussion. What…Read More
From the very beginning, I have had a rule with my children that when they go to bed, their devices go to bed too. In my house we call it Device Bedtime, and even their friends know to expect it when they stay over. The logic is simple: at a certain time of night, there’s no benefit, nothing positive about remaining on a device, whether it’s staying up insanely late playing Clash of Clans or…Read More
Like many adults, I am aware that many of the personal and career decisions I made in my life were influenced by my Dad, my choices influenced, overtly or subconsciously by what I felt would gain me approval and respect from my father. That’s one reason I moved into writing and publishing: My Dad was an excellent, funny writer whose primary outlet was a snarky gossip column in a trade magazine — Type World — for…Read More
As a tech product reviewer, I have a lot of expensive devices, and therefore my children also have access to lots of devices too. My 10yo has her own iPod Touch, and both my 14yo and 18yo have iPhone 5s systems. Me? I have an iPhone 6, a Galaxy Note 4, and more tablets than you can shake a stick at, including a full size iPad, iPad Mini and Nexus 9 android tablet. I love…Read More
I just got a call from my son’s school: he was caught using his iPhone while in class and it’s been confiscated by the teacher. I now need to go into the school and sign it out, as per their policy. Now, before you think it’s Draconian and a violation of his civil rights to have someone take his cellphone, I should point out that the school is actually rather liberal about phones, allowing students…Read More
It’s coming up on that time of the year, with Black Friday two weeks away and both Hannukah and Christmas just around the corner from there. Which means that it’s gifting season too, and while for some people that’s a chance to enjoy poking around increasingly hectic shopping malls or big box stores, for a lot of us, it can be a bit stressful as we try to find the perfect gift for everyone on…Read More
Good news travels fast in the modern world, no delays as letters are sent via ship across oceans or via pony express across the country. Now when something happens, an update is only minutes away via popular social networking sites like Facebook and, of course, text messages and phone calls — most now with unlimited talk, text and data — with that handy cellphone in your purse or pocket. Sometimes the news might be better…Read More
One of the many great things about living in an entrepreneur-friendly community like Boulder, Colorado is that there are a lot of innovations going on around us. From the food biz to pharma, tech and software to consumer electronics, it’s quite astonishing how much is happening and how many little companies are slowly but surely growing to become big companies, all within a few miles of our house. I recently connected with the team at…Read More
If you’re active in social media like I am, you have a rather bewildering array of different news feeds to track. Between Twitter, Facebook, Gmail, Google Plus, SMS text messaging, iMessage, LinkedIn, Pinterest and I don’t even know what else, seems like my little notifications window on my iPhone is going non-stop. In fact, it’s common for other people to comment on it after a short period, typically “you sure are popular!”. If only they…Read More
Most people are familiar with the Goodwill chain, a line of stores with an emphasis on social services of global proportions. Thanks to these stores, many opportunities have been generated for individuals who struggle to maintain stability financially and socially. Generating more than $212.8 million since 1999, Goodwill is especially dedicated to helping individuals who have disabilities, special employment challenges, or lack of education/experience. Although Goodwill Industries is among the top five most recognized organizations…Read More
Life is chaos, and any delusion of control is just that, a delusion. It’s something I’ve learned as a parent. Except for the world of The Sims 4, in which case I have a ton of control over everything, from where houses are built — even building it room by room! — to how they’re furnished, body and personality characteristics of people in my community, and even who meets whom and what happens at parties…Read More
I like using my BBQ grill – a Weber, in case you’re curious! – because the food comes off the grill tasting delicious and it’s basically zero cleanup, which is way better than facing a messy kitchen. Last night I had a group of friends over and everyone had something different to cook, so we had salmon, steak, hot dogs, veggie burgers and five ears of corn on the grill simultaneously. The challenge is that…Read More
I’ve just about survived this first week of school, but it’s been remarkably rough. Change is hard, and going from a super-busy summer to a last-hurrah holiday with Mom up to a dude ranch in Montana and then bam! right into school? Crazy stuff. My real kids = hard. Which is why it’s no wonder I’m eager to get my hands on The Sims 4, poised to be released in just a few days: In…Read More
The AT&T Amber Alert is a GPS device and tiny one-button cellphone that lets you track where your child is and communicate with them in an emergency situation. But is it marketing to our fears or a legitimate solution to the increasing dangers our children face in a world of child abduction and strange people around every corner? My take in this video commentary: You can learn more about the Amber Alert device from AT&T’s…Read More
I grew up with really good eyesight until I started working with computers in high school, then went to college and spent hours and hours every day staring at computer screens. Then like so many young adults i found that I needed glasses, and needed increasingly strong prescriptions as the years passed. Maybe it was just me growing older, but if you read the research, there is indeed a connection between screens, computer screens, TV screens,…Read More