Smartphone Parental Controls and You
Here we are once again about to celebrate the holidays. And, as we all know, that means kids with a lot of time on their hands—and generally a gadget or two in their hands. And if one of those said gizmos also happens to be an internet-connected one, such as a smartphone, you might be […]
The Dating App Conundrum
Ever stop to think a bit about dating apps? The truth is, you don’t have to be using them to see that they’re having a big impact on our social media-driven world. And a lot of people are saying so. Last September, Vanity Fair published an article by Nancy Jo Sales called “Tinder and the […]
Send Me In Coach, I Play Video Games
Let me distract you from the agonies and ecstasies of the political season for a moment to address an interesting tidbit from the land of gaming. We all know that we live in a video-game-friendly world. And as gaming systems have gotten more powerful and game creation has become more nuanced, we cheery button-crunchers can’t […]
Another App You’re Not Supposed to Know About
In our ongoing effort to let you know about apps that fall under the category of “Teens Would be Pretty Ticked if Their Parents Knew They Existed,” let me tell you about the Hide It Pro. This little sneaky wonder shows up on your smartphone screen as a couple colorful music notes and declares itself […]
Ms. K. and the 6,000 Selfies
There was a time, back when I was a youth preparing to face the world, when learned sociologists worried about the American masses and our priorities. They decried the fact that we had created a society that glorified silly things such as being No. 1 and earning A’s on school papers. The experts felt that […]
Barbie’s French Connection
You’ve come a long way baby … er, Barbie! Mattel’s little plastic doll has found herself embroiled in many a controversy over the years—from some racial miscues to Tokidoki the tattoo-covered Barbie to Happy Family Midge, Barbie’s pregnant best friend with a removable tummy and baby insert, etc., etc. And even if you never spotted […]
A ‘Nightmare’ Too Close to Home
It’s not even close to Halloween, but I have a horror story for you—scary enough to curl the toes of your footy pajamas. It did mine. It involves a number of Internet twists and turns, a webcam and a pair of little girls. And it could be happening to you and you don’t even know […]
Batman v Superman, the R-rated Version
Hey there, superhero movie fans! With the jumbled, confused and generally rather messy Suicide Squad just hitting theaters, and with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice topping the video sales charts, it only seemed right and timely that I should take a quick look at the “Ultimate Edition” of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice […]
Age 9 and on the Scoop
Earlier this year, a young female reporter broke the news of a suspected murder in her hometown. And pretty quickly she started getting hammered online for her reporting. But it wasn’t because she had done a bad job. No. It was because she was, like, 9 years old. Hilde Kate Lysiak, the precocious little investigative […]
Selfie Elbow, Everyone Has It’
There’s tech pain flaring up everywhere. And I’m not talking about the agnsty pain of not having the latest tech. I’m talking about the actual physical pain you get from having it and using it. Surely you’ve heard of people suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome from too much computer keyboard use. And you may have […]