Striiv is a nifty little device. To call it simply a pedometer would be doing it a disservice because there’s all sorts of things going on behind its little touch screen. I’ve been using it daily since I was sent one to review a few weeks ago. Out of the box (and even while […]
Continue ReadingI am typing this post from my 52 degree living room. My laptop has a four hour charge and the fireplace is roaring so it’s just warm enough to type without my fingers falling off. Turn on the heat, you say? I wish! I am suffering the fallout of Snowtober, a cute name for a […]
Continue ReadingMy daughter is really quite tech savvy for someone who just turned three years old. She can turn on the DVD player or the Playstation 3 so she can put in the movie she wants to watch. And she always wants to push the buttons on remotes and game controls. But I didn’t realize how […]
Continue ReadingIf there’s one thing the iPad is good at it’s games, and this one from Sega, based on a 2009 arcade game, is a great example. Kids who are trapped on a car ride, or waiting at an airport, or anyplace where there is nothing to do and time is passing far too slowly will find […]
Continue ReadingA couple weeks back during Maker Faire New York, one of the adolescent members of our party suddenly realized he’d misplaced the mega-gig iPod Touch he’d just received for his birthday. Emotions subsequently ran rather high. “Look,” I finally pointed out: “If this were a department store in midtown Manhattan, I’d be worried for you. […]
Continue ReadingI have to admit that I’m still reeling from the news about Steve Jobs passing away. So it seemed a little surreal when I got the mail and it had a copy of Goodnight iPad in it. Goodnight iPad is another parody of the ever famous Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown. This one, by […]
Continue ReadingI began working in children’s media not long after Steve Jobs returned to Apple. Those were the days of CD-ROMs, when we had to fight those who controlled the purse strings to allow us to make Mac-compatible games even though it was such a small part of the computer market. There was always a sense […]
Continue ReadingApple‘s co-founder and former CEO, Steve Jobs, has passed away. A statement was put out by the Apple Board of Directors announcing his death this evening. Jobs had been ill, having suffered from cancer in 2004 as well as having a liver transplant in 2009. He announced his resignation as Apple’s CEO on August […]
Continue ReadingArgh, matey! Oh, I know Talk Like a Pirate Day has come and gone, but this fantastic app from Kidoodle Apps will have you and your kids celebrating all year. It was created by two parents who wanted their son to have fun playing with the latest tech gadgets while using his imagination at the same time. They […]
Continue ReadingThis past summer Siena College held robotics camps for children ages 7 – 12. They were a huge success, with children learning how to build and program robots, plus, understand the physics behind the movements. Working with NXT can be fun, but challenging. To keep up the interest behind the mechanics, each camp had a […]
Continue ReadingIt’s truly unbelievable to walk through the tents at Maker Faire New York and marvel at what people have pulled from their imaginations put forth into reality. So much time! So much energy! Frankly, I always leave feeling like a serious underachiever. Fortunately, the Makers have me covered. All throughout Maker Faire was cool stuff […]
Continue ReadingRobots are cool. The first robot I remember was Gort from The Day The Earth Stood Still. I thought he was amazing. An alien robot who didn’t talk, he guarded his master’s spaceship with fierce devotion and shot a laser beam from his head that destroyed puny Earth weaponry without hurting anyone. I wanted a […]
Continue ReadingThe second-born child came up to me a few days ago and announced gravely: “Mom! ComicCon is in October and I need to prepare. I think today I would like you to teach me how to make a sword.” “You mean: a cardboard sword, right?” “No, no, no! A metal sword–steel.” Looking piercingly out […]
Continue ReadingWe’re getting ready to head to Seattle in a week or so. It’s only a couple of hours on the plane, but I always like to have a few tricks up my sleeve to keep Vivienne entertained. So I’m in the market for some new apps to play with. Whenever I do a little refresh […]
Continue ReadingI’m not a person who was blessed with musical abilities. I grew up falling asleep to the sound of my mom pounding out Baptist hymns on the piano, just to relax after a long day of raising lots of kids. But I was so naïve when it came to rock and roll music that I […]
Continue ReadingIf you’ve got a LEGO fanatic in your household as I do, you will appreciate that what looks like a simple 8-stud LEGO brick is actually a USB drive. Mind you, it’s not an actual LEGO brick (nor is it a LEGO product), but what better way to proclaim a love of all things LEGO […]
Continue Reading‘Princess Arabella Wants to Play’, is an Interactive Children’s Book by RumdeeDum for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. Featuring beautiful illustrations, it’s based on the Princess Arabella books written by Mylo Freeman. It’s advertised as being suitable for children ages 4-10. When I was asked if I were interested in giving this app a try, […]
Continue ReadingAs our area of the country continues to bake in the relentless heat, our family continues to stay inside in the air conditioning. When we do venture outside, it is early morning or early evening and for brief periods of time. They are starting to talk water rationing and temperature records are being set frequently. This […]
Continue ReadingThanks to everyone who entered our contest over the last four weeks. What a whirlwind! Last week’s winner is Trishden (and while I’m always team Weasley I can understand that there’s just something about Severus…) With the movie breaking records around the world, we sure hope our lucky winners will be proclaiming their Potter fandom […]
Continue ReadingWow, it’s hard to believe that we’re already in week four of our Kodak and GeekMom giveaway! We’ve been busy putting our own printers to work (which were given to the four editors, Jenny, Kathy, Corinna, and myself) provided by Kodak (you can learn about my favorite Harry Potter character later this week and the […]
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