TV We Hardly Knew Ye
TV networks better be perking up their ears, ’cause baby it looks like the times they are a-changing. And right quick, too. For a while now, the big TV studios have been fretting about declining viewership. Morgan Stanley analyst Benjamin Swinburne and his team published a shocking set of numbers earlier this year, pointing out […]
Therapy for Your iPad Tyke
There was a time when parents waited eagerly to hear what their baby’s first word might be. Was that an oddly muffled belch, or did she just say “daderooo?” I remember the day when my son first blatted out the word “ball” and I was suddenly having daydreams of a boy with an NBA career […]
An Ad That’s More Than Just Skin Deep
Ah, commercials. They’re interesting things, aren’t they? In this media-saturated world, ads are a constant part of our lives. We see them glowing prettily at us from our TVs and computers. Or popping up on our tablets and movie screens. And whether it’s a sunny detergent spot showing us just how colorful a shirt can […]
Reunited. Thanks, Internet!
What would you do if you found out you had an identical twin sibling on the other side of the world that you never knew about? Freak out? Welcome the news with open arms? Get together with your surprise sib and play some wacky tricks on your friends? Well, twentysomethings Anaïs and Samantha have probably […]
A Bit of Juggling Media
We at Plugged In often mull over the effects that some new media release might have on our families. And all too often we’ll have to, out of necessity, land on the many negatives we see creeping up on us. You know, the language in films is trending raunchier or the games bloodier or the Internet […]
Searching and Learning With Lightside Games
Back when I was a kid, I would generally greet my mother’s announcements of a pending dentist or doctor’s visit with about as much enthusiasm as her orders to go clean up after my dog Rusty. If it was a good day, though, those doc visits might just hold out one little island of relief […]
You Like What?!
At some point or another, we’ve all pondered what we reveal about ourselves online. I’m sure that some have even consciously curbed some of our online comments just because, well, it would be a little uncomfortable if a girlfriend/mom/buddy/wife/sister/boss/etc. happened upon a poorly thought-out late-night post written in a moment of stupidity. But guess what? […]
Keep an Eye on the Kid!
This past weekend, my young granddaughter was over at our house and asked me if she could use my iPad to play an app. Of course she could, I told her. A cute and free app? Why not? Hey, they take just minutes to download, they’re entertaining and even educational in some cases, and they can […]
Video Game King of the Hill
Let me start out by asking you a quick question: How much would you suffer to get your name printed in a record book somewhere? I mean, this is the day and age of the Internet where any average Tom, Dick or Harry can get their name, opinions and picture pinned up on some virtual […]
Drawing With an Extra D
If you’ve read any of my little blogs in the past, you’ve likely seen me pontificate, or, OK, babble on about my blasé feelings for high-tech fads or heavily marketed whiz-bangs that eat up our time and money. Yeah, you can keep your 24/7 minutia-focused tweets and 3-D movies for all I care. Give me […]