How gadgets and modern life affect the human race
From the monthly archives:
I wonder where this technology might take us ten years from now. A tooth microphone has been patented.
I wonder if this means that soon we’ll have tooth cellphones? Will they be based on Bluetooth technology?
OK. That was lame. I’m sorry.
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A bit off topic, but as a parent, I am concerned when I see things marketed to kids that shouldn’t be. Sometimes the corporate world just doesn’t have any shame.
The New York Times says:
The company’s marketing materials describe the drink as a way to kick-start the morning for children as young as 4. The company Web site, adorned with a picture of an elementary school wrestler and a gymnast, says its drink can help a child “develop fully as a high-performance athlete” and fill nutritional gaps “in a sport that is physically and mentally demanding.”
I came across this post via DadTalk. Brett has some good commentary on the new item and also a link to the Time’s article in his post. Go read it; it’s really pathetic where corporate greed will take some people.
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Your kids are begging you for a cell phone, right? How did I know… Oh, it’s because that’s all my 11-year-old talks about these days. It’s back to school time, and I’m sure that 95% of the parents are having to listen to the incessent begging thanks to the 5% of parents that caved over the summer.
So if the peer pressure isn’t enough to make you crazy, Virgin Mobile has come up with a web site that provides your kids with additional ammunition. They call it the
Parental Enlightenment Kit. Lots of encouragement and materials, including a PowerPoint presentation, to fuel your kid’s campaigning for the cell phone. (They call it the Pressure Point Presentation)
Hey, two can play at this game… The Families and Technology version of the Parent Enlightenment Kit, (in the way of previous posts where we discuss cell phone use by kids, and some of the common issues):
here,
here,
here, and
here.
You’ll have to make up your own PowerPoint presentation though. I’m just going to stick to the no-word for now.
[Hat tip to YPulse]
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Once a Booming Market, Educational Software for the PC Takes a Nose Dive – New York Times (this link may require registration or expire)
From $498 million in 2000, down to $152 million in 2004. Ouch. What’s going on here? With the prices of computers falling constantly falling in the past few decades, and more and more kids getting access to them, that trend seems quite odd.
When I hear a parent talk about getting a computer for their young child, I typically ask them, “Why?” Not surprisingly, the answer is usually, “For education and to get them ahead of the curve.” So how can it be that the educational software market is suffering so?
The article says that these things are killing the educational software market:
My gut feeling on this is that parents go as far as buying the hardware, but do little beyond that to ensure that it becomes a learning tool. They aren’t investing in software, and they aren’t investing their time to work with the kids and the computer to make it into a teaching tool. Instead, the computer is being used for other things. Older kids are browsing the web, IMing their friends, and playing games; younger ones are just being babysat by it, with a game or a simple educational program that they’ve outgrown. Maybe it’s not getting used much at all.
Parents should be involved in the kids education and that goes for the use of the computer at home as an educational tool. Know what your kids are doing by paying attention and look over their shoulder. Once they’ve mastered a skill, it’s time to move up to the next level on the software. If you don’t, then they are aimlessly going to play the game portions of the educational software, over and over, just for the entertainment value. It’s also important to get them off of the computer to experience creative play, learn other things from the real world, and interact with others.
I also think that a lot of educational software isn’t all that good either, but I’m not sure that has had a lot to do with the downfall of the market. Most new parents assume that it is good quality, helpful software. I’d like to think that parents are getting wiser and realizing that kids will have plenty of time later in life to learn about computers and that there is nothing wrong with the traditional methods of learning their ABC’s and 123′s. But I don’t believe that’s the case either, unfortunately.
One paragraph made me laugh out loud though:
Alan Zack, product director for Encore Software, a Los Angeles company that makes and distributes educational programs, said, “Kids come home and they don’t want to get on the computer.”
OK, maybe that’s true at the preschool and early elementary age, but after that, many parents are going to have to learn how to pry their kids off the computer.
What did you buy your kids a computer for? Are they using it as you intended?
[Thank you to AJ @ Thingamababy for the heads up on this news.]
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Mackenzie Carpenter says in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that Desperation, death make compelling television. The part of the story that I want to talk about is right here:
Indeed, many television viewers are experiencing what media psychologist Stuart Fischoff describes as classic addiction symptoms.
“Visual imagery involves a much more primitive part of our brain, a monitoring system to sense danger,” Fischoff said. “The trouble with this story is that it’s not in a resolution stage yet, things are just getting worse. Usually, when we’re anxious, we seek information to reduce anxiety, but in this case, we’re just increasing it.”
Disaster coverage “feeds a demographic of grief junkies, who are tapping away at the remote control like a rat tapping for crack pellets,” added Matthew Felling, media director at the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Media and Public Affairs. “Not only does misery love company, it also makes for compelling television.”
After Sept 11, 2001, I found myself behaving like one of those rats tapping on the remote. I also found myself profoundly affected by the stream of depressing news. I started to feel anxiety. I found that certain music about darker and depressing themes could put me over the edge and I’d have to shut it off. It got to the point where I had to look away when the they showed the planes, buildings and collapse.
So, what do you do if you find the news getting you down, depressed, or anxious? American Red Cross has advice.
I have not turned on TV once since the hurricane hit. Part of it is that I’ve been keeping myself really busy, and the other part is a conscious effort to stay away because I know how it can affect me. I have been keeping up with the news on the blogs though — It’s less graphic, less repetitive, less hyped, more interesting and hyperlinked to related stories. I’m getting more information in a shorter amount of time. Rather than being isolated, watching TV, I’m actually discussing the blog reporting via email with fellow blog readers. The conversation with others is helpful.
Hat Tip: I have to give the credit for showing me those three paragraphs to Ambra Nykol. Thanks!
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This is VERY cool!
In This CNET article, news of a computerized pool-monitoring system called Poseiden, which is credited with detecting the girl at the bottom of a pool who wasn’t moving. Within three seconds the alarm sounded and within forty seconds was out of the pool and was resuscitated.
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An MSNBC article with a list of sites to help families reconnect with loved ones and find and share information. Text messaging appears to be one of the best ways to get in touch as well:
“More than ever, the Internet is playing a huge role in the effort to pick up the pieces from Hurricane Katrina. From information and news to relief efforts and searches for family members, people are turning to the Web.”
“For residents of the Gulf States, the Internet and wireless technology are the only means of getting information about loved ones.”
UPDATE: Here is another related story from Wired News
Another interesting article from Wired News about a Disaster Map Wiki
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The concerns about Families and Technology extend beyond this blog. SoftwareTime is a company founded on the idea that technology affects families in many ways. Balance and responsible use of technologies is important. SoftwareTime's products will help.
