DEMO 09 is traditionally a showcase for new technology that’s just coming out of incubation. The tools showcased range from mindless to the sublime, but it’s always fun to see what the trends are. The operative word for this show was mobile apps. About 90% of the demos involved the smartphone. Why? In part, because [...]

I remember sitting in Dr. Salas’ Spanish class. The sum of the year? I can sing A Las Son Las Mananitas and have a great conversation with anyone who has a cold. (Ojala que se mejore pronto.)
I’ve always felt a little sheepish about comparing a human teacher to a computer, but when it comes to [...]

The last printer I had that I truly loved was my old HP LaserJet. Ink jet was just a glimmer in some inventor’s eye. That was 25 years ago, and it’s time for me to get over it. But honest, if I turned it on today it would still work like a charm. I paid [...]

My 80-year-old dad just invited everyone he knows to join him on Desktop Dating. (I’ll refrain from providing the URL.) Desktop Dating is a porn dating site. The site’s opening screen shows two people engaged in some powerful human one-on-one interaction.
So what was going through Dad’s head when he invited everyone in his AOL address [...]

What if your life were just an example to be parodied? That’s how I felt when I watched this perfectly executed parody of an earnest mom explaining how she can keep tabs on her college kids. If you’ve ever been part of the Internet safety discussion you’ve got to see this clip from The Onion.

Now that school is back in session, kids will be spending inordinate amounts of time staring at their usual screens, but parents typically have no idea whether the kids are looking for homework help or looking for trouble. Some of the newest products available for kids give them a chance to do some really cool [...]