Child tracking devices?

The mother of one of my elementary school friends has worked for a pretty wealthy family for quite a long time. Through that family, she got a dog named Holly that I wasn’t even really afraid of. (Did I mention my fear of dogs yet? Well, there that is.) I was fascinated by Holly because not only was she a very well-behaved, beautiful dog — sorry I don’t know breeds — but she was also pretty tech-savvy. Holly had something like puppy LoJack installed by her tail.

If you felt near her rear, you could feel a rather small computer chip that used GPS technology to track her down if she was ever stolen or ran away. At the time, it was unheard of and I thought that as long as it didn’t hurt the dogs then it was a really great idea. Now it is more commonly used, and has helped many sad pet owners to happily reunite with their furry friends.

The idea of embedding computer chips into humans has been around for some time. It was referenced in the 1995 film Johnny Mnemonic (Johnny was a data courier, with the information stored in a brain chip) and more recently in the television show Fringe (Walter Bishop implants a tracking chip into his neck so his son Peter can find him if he wanders off). A current Google search reveals more than a million results for articles, blog entries, etc., related to making this practice more common.

Why, you might ask, would I bring this random idea up? I read a piece recently discussing the pros and cons of using GPS technology to keep tabs on children (leaving a tracking device in their bag or something, not embedded in their skin).

Personally, I am not thrilled with this idea. Of course, I can understand parents’ fears about their child getting abducted, abused or worse. I watch SVU; I know what’s out there. But while it could provide some peace of mind in that sense, there are so many other things that could happen to kids that a GPS could never detect.

Really, my biggest issue with the whole kiddy GPS thing is that you are taking away your child’s privacy. A kindergarten student doesn’t need much alone time, and their parents or guardians should keep tabs on them. But as that child with a chip in their backpack grows up, they will know that they are being monitored. They may feel that they aren’t trusted, or that they need to act or live a certain way because they are being watched. It could dramatically affect their personality and inhibit them in a way that a lack of GPS technology wouldn’t. 

As I said, I do see both the benefits and the downsides to monitoring children in this way. However, I am definitely more con than pro.

What do you think about this technology? Would you ever consider planting a tracking device on your child?

I don’t get it

 

Apple's latest - the iPad

 

Sorry for the delay in new posts. I took a mental break apparently, but will try to get back on track.

Even if you don’t want to be, I am sure that you will be bombarded with news today about Apple’s latest creation, the iPad. Everyone is talking about it (here’s NYTimes, CNET, Wired and TechTalk, just to pull a few from my RSS feeds), and I watched the demo video just a short while ago.

Now before I give my opinion, I would like to establish my relationship with Apple products. I had a first generation iPod shuffle that still works perfectly and currently have an iPod classic that I rarely leave home without. I have a 2 1/2-year-old MacBook Pro that I use at work and home which I adore (here are the new models). I work on iMacs every day here with the students, and think they are fantastic. One day, when we have some disposable income, I would love to have a Mac at home.

For the record, Jesse does not share my affinity for Apple products; he despises the iPod for only playing m4a files (while his Zune will play any audio files) and generally trashes Macs (unless, of course, he wants to use my laptop).

So after reading all about the new iPad, watching the video and hearing countless others weigh in, I really need to put this out there – I don’t get it.

Is it just me who thinks this wonderful, shiny new innovation looks really awkward? You have to sit with your knees up to balance it on your legs, or stare straight down at your lap or a tabletop to work on it. It appears significantly larger than a Kindle and even some of the new smaller laptops (here’s s Dell example). It appears to be a big brother of the iPod Touch, with a few new bells & whistles. And since so many people ran out to get a new MacBook, iPod Touch or iPhone, are these people now going to trade those in for a new, larger device that can really do pretty much everything they already have covered?

Unless someone can tell me something that would completely revolutionize my world, I really do not see a point to the iPad other than it being an excuse for tech geeks to snag themselves a new toy.

Thoughts? Comments? Lay it on me.

The lifesaving app

 

Apple iPhone 3GS

 

By now, everyone knows that the iPhone has an app for just about everything. You can keep up with the President’s latest doings, play super popular video games, and even use it as your remote control. But who would have thought that this device, seemingly designed as a primarily entertainment-driven gadget, could literally be a lifesaver.

I first read about this story yesterday in Wired, where they referenced this MSNBC piece. Dan Woolley lay under piles of rubble from his Haitian hotel, expecting his life to end following the January 12 earthquake. As he frantically wrote goodbye notes to his wife and children, he used a first-aid application on his iPhone to treat some of his wounds and set his phone alarm to go off every 20 minutes in an effort to avoid slipping into a coma or losing consciousness. He then waited 65 hours until he was miraculously rescued.

Um, hello Apple? Yea, I think you have a new spokesperson. What other phone manufacturer can make the claim that its product kept a man alive during an intense natural disaster? Not likely, Samsung. Fat chance, Motorola.

This is truly an amazing and wonderful story to hear about, especially in the midst of all the sorrow coming from this event. 

Has hearing this story changed your perception of the iPhone? Are you more inclined to get one, or to recommend it to others if you are already an owner?

New approach to college recruiting

This is perhaps the strangest, silliest, most absurd and most brilliant ideas in the recent history of college recruiting. I read about it today, and had to share it.

It seems that Yale University is taking a more theatrical approach to attracting future graduates. Andrew Johnson, an ’06 alum who now works in the Admissions Office, wanted to shake things up by creating a musical recruitment video. Check it out below.

Is that not ridiculous? While I don’t think a classy place like Yale needs to use such gimmicks, you certainly can’t blame them for putting this out there. It’s definitely going to get people’s attention. Yes, it’s cheesy, but it’s almost nice to see what some people may view as a stuffy Ivy League school letting it’s hair down a bit.

What do you think of this video? Do you think it was below the Yale standard, or was it a fresh idea from an established institution?

More downsides of 3-D TV

It is so comforting to know that I’m not the only one concerned about this whole 3-D television scenario.

The good people at Wired magazine (one of my fav RSS feeds, as you can tell from my many links to them) laid out four reasons why 3-D TV may not be all it’s cracked up to be. If I was nervous about this before, I’m extra anxious now.

As a person who requires eyeglasses in order to function – how I wish I was joking – 3-D movies (and possibly TV) is an issue for me. Trying to layer the special glasses over my own glasses is annoying. I also feel that my anti-reflective, UV coating thing somehow creates a weird viewing situation for me. I don’t always seem to see what other folks see in 3-D.

Eye strain is a huge factor in today’s society. So many people spend all day staring at a computer screen, which is already harsh on their eyes. If those same folks were to come home and have to focus in on the special images coming across their television, I think I can safely predict more migraines, eye problems and even more people needing corrective lenses than currently do.

What are your thoughts on 3-D TV? Do you think the benefits outweigh the negatives? Have you read anything else on this topic? Share it with the group!

This Wii just got even better!

Attention Wii owners who are also Netflix subscribers – this Spring, Netflix streaming will be available for free on the Wii! I just read about this, and have already reserved my free CD. This is very exciting!

I’ve been a Netflix member since 2005 and absolutely love it. Once Netflix began streaming content online, I started to watch movies and any of their content available online. It will be glorious to have that content on my television screen instead of my lovely but small 15′ Macbook Pro monitor. 

And I just had a brainstorm… I wonder if, using the Wii’s Internet access, I can watch the TV episodes I stream online on my television set. I must try this when I get home! I will report back after my experiment with my success or failure.

Update Jan. 19 – sadly, the Wii runs the Opera browser, which is not supported by Fox, ABC and hulu’s online players. But you can watch YouTube clips, so I guess that’s something!

Bursting with GLEE!

 

Glee!

 

Yes, this post will talk about the fabulous TV show Glee, among other things. How awesome is this show, seriously? I am so excited to hear that Fox gave the official go ahead for season two. Yay! Even cooler is that they are holding audition to get 3 new cast members. Check out the details at the show’s official site.

When I first heard about the show, I was skeptical. I didn’t watch it until Jesse and my friend/coworker Dana told me I needed to get onboard. So I sat down and watched the first 3 episodes online (which is, by the way, pretty much the only way I watch TV). The first one didn’t wow me, but I saw potential. With every new episode I watched, I was pulled deeper and deeper into William McKinley High. I love it!

You already knew of my love for musical theater, so this just brings that love into my home. I can’t wait for it to come back from hiatus in April! If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend either renting season 1, volume 1 (road to sectionals) or watching it online. These are talented folks, and it’s a wonderfully fun, sweet, emotional, adorable show. Give it a shot.

I am also gleeful because just a short while ago I saw the rough cut of a segment of our wedding video! Yay! These guys are truly fabulous, and I’m so glad we decided to go with them. They are also QU grads and friends of mine, and it was great to see friendly faces on our special day. I look forward to seeing what else they have in store for us, as well as the gorgeous pictures that are sure to come from our incredible photographer. 😀

Do you have any thoughts on Glee? Who is your favorite character? (I’m torn – I love a bunch of them!)

Can’t they just wear a sweater?

Here’s an interesting tidbit I just read in the New York Times. If the temperature inside any of the New York Public Libraries drops below a certain temperature for a couple of hours or more, unionized workers can either take paid leave or accrue comp time.

Wow. Really. I can tell you that where I work, it is almost always super chilly due to the dozens of computer stations and studio equipment we house. And what do we all do when the temp dips a little low? We add another layer. We all come into work prepared with an extra sweatshirt or something because we are well aware that it could be 100 degrees outside but 50 inside. Even now in the winter, it is brisk in here (I’m rocking a t-shirt over a long-sleeved thermal shirt and my hands are cold).

The few times I found myself in one of the Queen’s public libraries, I remember it being warm and cozy. And in the summer, it was a great place to catch some A.C. if you happened to be walking by. I never remember it being too extreme in either way, but I really don’t remember too much besides grabbing some R.L. Stine or other young adult horror/thriller books and rushing home to read them.

Now, if you read through the article, there are not many instances in which this policy is invoked. Still, it’s interesting to me that such a policy exists.

I wonder what other organizations/businesses have climate-related worker policies… any ideas?

Hey you, what do you see? Something beautiful, something free?

[This post was inspired by an article I read highlighting how BeautifulPeople.com kicked out members after they gained a little weight over the holidays. Sickening.]

There is a lot of pressure on kids, teenagers and even adults to look a certain way. Every other commercial on TV is about a weight loss program, fitness video or new miracle product that will make you drop 4 sizes in 4 days (only a slight exaggeration). 

When you flip through the stations and see reality shows like  Jersey Shore or dramas like Gossip Girl, it may be hard to deal with the fact that you don’t look like the faces staring back at you. Pop culture applauds sickeningly skinny actresses for their beauty and plasters bare-chested actors on magazine covers to show what men should aspire to.

Being healthy is one thing. There are safe ways to trim down and maintain a healthy weight. However, these methods take work and some people want double the results with half the effort. They go to extremes to try and meet the unrealistic expectations they see in the bright lights.

I had a friend in high school who was unhappy with her appearance due to body image issues (which stemmed from a mentally abusive relationship). She started Weight Watchers, but wasn’t happy with the speed of her results. She began to take laxatives and avoid meals to drop more weight, and before we knew it she was getting too skinny. Of course, she didn’t see it. She thought it was great, and there were people who applauded her for dropping down. Those of us who cared about her did not like seeing her cheek bones protruding from her face, or her arms getting frightfully thin. It was scary, and we worried about her, but it’s not an easy thing to approach someone with.

She battled with her body image disorder for years, and will probably always have to work on it. While we are no longer in real contact, I do hope she has come to terms with what plagued her earlier in life. But it’s not fair that she ever had to deal with it in the first place. People’s cruel comments and mean spirited words dug deep. Those things, combined with society’s unrealistic demands, can cause lasting trauma to women. And it has to stop.

I’m totally guilty of avoiding exercise, eating bad foods and skipping doctor’s visits. But I am thankful to be comfortable enough in my skin to know that I will never be nor do I ever want to be a supermodel, and that’s okay. I do want to make a more conscious effort this year to start living healthier and maybe show those jerks at BeautifulPeople.com that you don’t have to be a size 0 to be sexy.

**Blog title taken from the lyrics of Marilyn Manson’s “The Beautiful People”**

This blog post was edited on January 17 to clarify points and remove incorrect information. Genuine apologies to anyone who received misinformation or misconstrued the purpose of the post as it was originally written.

But I’m scared of things flying at me

Anyone who knows me should be well aware of my lack of athletic skills. I’m not ashamed of this ineptitude. My sister has always been the athletic one while I was the creative. I’m really okay with that. I avoid situations where things might be thrown at me, and if something is tossed my way it will either end up hitting me or falling to the floor due to my inability to catch or get out of the way.

Now I’m hearing how TV is trying to go 3-D. HD isn’t real enough for some people. Now, they want to feel like they are getting tossed the ball or that the shark is gonna bite their face off.

There are several things that came to mind when I heard this news. We still have an older, standard definition TV. We are saving up for an HD one but they aren’t cheap and our current model still gets the job done. The new TVs that will be capable of fully showcasing 3-D TV will be even more expensive than the current plasmas & LCDs on the market. If I can’t afford to upgrade to HD, I sure as hell won’t be able to go 3-D.

Jesse is a big sports fan, and ESPN is a staple in our apartment. They plan to start up the first 3-D network and broadcast this summer’s World Cup in 3-D.

So this means that if we were able to access this channel, I would feel like people are kicking soccer balls at me? That’s kind of my nightmare. I’ll be ducking and weaving in my living room, paranoid that someone will knock me down or that I’ll get a cleat to the face. Not cool!

I must admit, though, that the thought of some Discovery Channel programs in 3-D is intriguing. Imagine feeling like you were really in the Titanic at the bottom of the ocean, or that you were surrounded by wildlife. That could be cool. But wouldn’t that minimize the appeal of specialized theaters at museums and aquariums that show 3-D movies like that now? Sure, the IMAX would still be a big draw, but wouldn’t people rather watch it in their pjs in their own homes?

Perhaps I just don’t appreciate the novelty of it. What do you think about 3-D TV?

Author’s Note: I wanted to add in this post I just found featuring a podcast that talks about consumers not necessarily being thrilled with 3-D TV. Updated 1/11/09