Taken alone, the seatbelt is interesting. Taken together with other safety and technology enhancements that Ford’s been revealing, it’s clear that they’re gunning to be the new Volvo. High marks for safety in a reasonably priced car.

Recently, the company announced a crash avoidance system that uses radar to look behind and in front of you, alerting you about unseen traffic. Adaptive Cruise Control will automatically slow down your cruise control when a slower object is in front of you. MyKey, a personal data system that lets you manage information for each driver, enables you to set limits for your kids on driving speed, for example.

The new seatbelts will be available in Ford Explorers beginning next year; the other features will be part of the Taurus line (see blog on Taurus).
Watch my movie of the Ford crashless crash simulator and the new rear seatbelts.

So why did Disney decide to offer a full refund to families who bought its Baby Einstein DVDs because they were supposed to make baby smarter? It’s because Baby Einstein DVDs and Disney were accused of making false claims in their marketing materials. The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) faulted Baby Einstein for stating that the software would improve infants’ thinking skills, thus paving the way for future Einsteins. According to news reports, the feud between Baby Einstein and CCFC has gone on for years.

I’m no lover of false or overinflated product claims, especially when it comes to kids, but the question of infants and screen time has never been more important. In fact, we should be steeling ourselves for an explosion of apps made to engage infants and toddlers.

YouTube is filled with videos like this one showing a one-year-old competently touching his way through an iPod. Sweet little applications like Old McDonald from Duck Duck Moose and Giggle Computer Fun Time for Babies are being used and enjoyed by kids barely old enough to touch and point.

To date, the authority of screen time and kids has been the American Academy of Pediatrics. Its position is that kids younger than two-years-old should have NO screen time. But that rule was a world ago, before interactivity and the ability to explore virtual worlds was an everyday reality. The main argument against screen time was that it didn’t engage all of a child’s modalities. Now that the world of touch has been added, the game may change.

Personally, I’ve admired Baby Einstein’s founder, Julie Clark, as an early pioneer in the stay-at-home-mom-turns-entrepreneur movement. I never thought leaving a baby in a crib to stare at a screen for hours on end was a very good idea, but most parents I knew used Baby Einstein as a way to participate: singing, pointing, and sharing with their children. It’s all in how you use the tools.

Baby Einstein and the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood have both expressed their points of view. What’s yours?

Disclosure: My company, Living in Digital Times, is in talks with Baby Einstein about participation in an upcoming event.

Don’t they know that texting is just the tip of the iceberg? Your phone is about to distract you in so many new and exciting ways that you may never look at the road again. Take a look at the three apps I just saw at the DEMO conference this month. I think they’re out to get me.

Waze is a free app that allows you to build maps, update other drivers about traffic, police traps, and other potential gotchas. It’s available on Android, iPhone, RIM, and Windows. In all fairness to Waze, they get their dynamic traffic information in two ways. If you’re just driving around, your GPS is updating other drivers about where you are and whether you’re stuck in traffic. You can take a more active role as a traffic reporter by sending people messages about your commute. At that point Waze becomes a social-networking mobile driving application. Yikes. It’s a free app, but should be labeled “handle with care.”

TravelTrac, maker of MotoTrac, lets you build a website and update it constantly, keeping an in-depth, multimedia log of your vacation, your car pool, or any other road trip. Used wisely, MotoTrac provides the tools to build a travel site, open it to others to share, chart your route so friends and family can see you, add photos and real-time voice reports. The company’s demo reminds me of a multimedia twitterer on road trip. Great app, but take it from me, you’ve got to balance documenting your life with getting out of your car, right? There’re also versions of the product for sailors and for hikers.

Traffictalk is a voice-based traffic information sharing system. Your phone gets updates from other drivers in real time It’s meant to keep you talking, not texting. But the company demo showed that there are still plenty of buttons to press when transmitting and receiving. The new word for apps like this one and Waze are “crowdsourcing” — using the wisdom of the crowd to get your information. It may be new to us, but truckers have been doing it on CB radios forever.

They’re back and about to repeat history in Vancouver in 2010. A joint venture by Nintendo, Sega, and ISM (creator of Olympic interactive games for the past 17 years), Mario and Sonic at the Olympics is the only interactive game licensed by the Olympic Committee.

I got to tour the Olympic site with my plumber and hedgehog mascots. (That’s me, the non-Olympian in the middle.) The game, created for the Wii (used with or without a Wii Fit) is really a conglomeration of mini-games based on Olympic winter sports. While the game won’t start shipping until late fall, I got to try out a few of the competitions.
The most cooperative play medal goes to the bobsled, where you all shake your nunchuks in unison to get your speed up, and then shift your weight left and right as the bobsled does its thing. There’s a ski race that’s best played with a Wii Fit addition. And the speed skating game is best for shapely calves.

The inventors are convinced the game provides a great family experience, easy enough for every aged person (including those over 30) to master. And truly, the play is easy. If you can lean and wave your arms, you’re good for the GOLD.

Still, something doesn’t feel quite natural about Mario and Sonic as Olympians. Goofy, bouncy, jumpy, and fun, they’re lots of things, just not athletic. I’m thankful that at least they’ll be bundled up for the winter Olympics. A butt-crack-showing plumber and a hedgehog in a swimsuit would be the only thing that’s more bizarre.

There’s an expected crowd of 1.6 million heading to Vancouver this January. If you’re not there, you can turn down the heat (brrrr…) and fire up the Wii. The game will be available for the DS as well.

The first generation of Internet safety products to help parents protect their kids from the dangers of cyberspace were all about saying “no.” This next generation is all about negotiation and conversation. And that’s a good thing, since what most kids need is education about the Internet and not a lockdown.

Today, Symantec launched Norton Online Family, a web-based service to help families facilitate the conversation that parents and kids should be having about the Internet. The site encourages kids to stay in touch and earn their parents’ trust by showing them that they can ask for permission and that they’re willing to live openly, not secretively, on the web.

So, for example, with Norton Online Family a parent can choose to be notified each time their child wants to add a new friend to their IM list. A parent can choose to monitor the child’s web usage, set time limits, or be notified when their child wants to visit a blocked site. Because of the built-in communications and alerts, this new generation of software promotes a discussion rather than a parental dictatorship.

Other Internet safety companies are also revising their approaches to reflect a more discursive approach to protecting kids on the Internet. We’ll be seeing more and more products that aim to protect through conversation and dialog rather than putting up blockades on the Internet.

Full disclosure: I serve on a Board of Advisors that was assembled to test the beta design of the product and offer feedback to Symantec.

With the holidays around the corner, these products might steer you towards personal nirvana and less personal agita.

The Pzziz Personal Life Coach bills itself as a combination energy enhancer and tool for insomniacs. It’s a nap program that lets you enter a relaxation state and then re-emerge, refreshed and energized after 20 minutes. The product plays that Windham Hill-like music and uses soft speech that it calls Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) to suggest relaxation. While you’re in this deeply relaxed state, pzizz delivers combinations of suggestions and affirmations that encourage you to relax and also to focus and energize. You can purchase the pzizz hardware device or just download the music to your iPod or PC.

More competitive types might want to try Vyro Games’ PIP (Personal Input Pod) in which you try to out-relax your opponent in a game-like environment. The device is a teardrop-shaped, keychain-size gadget that uses biofeedback and Bluetooth technology to wirelessly control game play. You can play on a cellphone, PC, or game console. In one mood-based game, the player who is the most relaxed can see his or her dragon outrace an opponent. A game where “calmness” triumphs.

CalmLink Relaxation Software and GSR-II System (a biofeedback mouse) looks like a computer mouse with two finger-sized dents, but it’s actually a GSR biofeedback “mouse” that measures changes to the electrical conductivity of your skin. Galvanic skin response tells a lot about whether your body is relaxed or tense. The unit translates these tiny tension-related changes in skin pores into a rising or falling tone. You learn to lower the pitch and your stress level by relaxing.

Neural Noise Synthesizer (NNS) from Transparent Corporation turns your computer into a recording studio for audio brainwaves. Based on the idea that specially designed sounds stimulate your brainwaves in precise ways, the device includes sounds that promise to enhance creativity, offer headache relief, increase focus/concentration, and lead to lucid dreams.

One of our Silvers Summit exhibitors, HeartMath’s emWave Personal Stress Reliever is a handheld that uses a combination of LED displays, audio feedback, and a stress reliever system to train you to relax. You place your thumb on the sensor or attach a special hands-free ear sensor. The unit detects your pulse, which synchronizes to your heart rhythms. Small changes in heart rhythms can signify stress. Once the heart rhythms are detected, the unit can train you to shift your body out of stress mode and into what it calls high coherence.

With Wii Fit, the human condition and its relationship to technology migrates to the body. The Wii Fit, as you probably know by now, is Nintendo’s new add-on for the Wii. (*The Wii is not part of the Wii Fit purchase.) It looks like a white plastic rectangle. You stand on it, and the board, equipped with sensors, responds to the player’s movements and weight. I love using the new Wii Fit to get a bit of a workout, but seriously, Nintendo isn’t just laughing at me, it’s having a hysterical fit as it watches me exercise.

The Wii Fit games are all about working up a sweat and building stamina and strength. There’s yoga, strength training, muscle toning, and aerobic exercise. I learned to lean my body from side to side while bashing soccer balls with my head, swooshed down a slalom ski run, held a yoga pose, did a bunch of leg extensions, and swiveled my hips with an imaginary hula hoop. I checked in with Wii Fit friends and they were all having as much fun as I was.

But inside those cute games and the innocent Wii Fit board lurks what I’ve come to call the Wii-minatrix. First she embarrasses you (in my case publicly) by asking for a base level on your Body Mass Index (fat), weight, and balance. Then she starts on your litany of flaws: overweight, unbalanced, and more. She commands you to step off the board and step back on for no apparent reason. Finally, if you don’t show up every day for your workout, she’s there tapping her virtual foot and pointing her virtual finger. Next, she starts to hammer you. And adding insult to injury is the fact that I look incredibly silly as I’m trying to hold my pose or bat a ball with my head. I’m sure Wii-minatrix is laughing through the whole session. It’s sort of like Hal (from 2001) meets The Soup Nazi (from Jerry Seinfeld).

Despite being a bit of a bully, the Nintendo Wii Fit is a total winner. You have a blast, work up a sweat, and lose those inhibitions, all while you’re shedding extra pounds. Wii Fit gets my thumbs (make that my whole body) up! Kids of any age will fall in love.

How can I find out about crimes on campus?

According to the Clery Act, colleges and universities are required by law to file annual reports on campus crime. Schools must also make timely warnings to the campus community anytime something that poses a threat to the community happens. You can find a list of campus crimes at The Department of Education’s web site and visit Securityoncampus for good information.

What is the school’s notification system in the event of an emergency?

Some schools use email, some have students’ cell phone numbers, and some schools are even looking at using text messaging and Facebook as part of a campus alert system. Every campus should have an explicit notification system that students know about.

What can I observe on campus to let me know it’s a safe school?

Nothing in life guaranteed, but typically, on-campus private security guards, good campus lighting, a system of emergency call boxes, and video cameras on campus are all signs of a well-protected campus. Unfortunately dark, poorly lit areas may be romantic, but less safe.

Dorms that use electronic keys (which can be deactivated if a student is no longer on campus) are much safer than dorms with traditional keys. Traditional keys require changing the locks, something that seldom happens. Look for good window and door locks, too.

Does the school encourage a culture of partying?

Parents can pick up subtle clues. Look in the dumpsters. Are they filled with empty alcohol bottles? Look for bars in close proximity to campus. Do they advertise “2-for-1” or “finals week” specials? Check to see if the school has a policy about underage drinking and how it is enforced. Look at the lists of “party schools” generated by the college guidebooks to get an idea of the culture.

How prevalent are mental health issues on campus?

Unfortunately, studies suggest that more and more students are either on prescription drugs or suffering from depression or stress. Parents should ask about the campus’ programs and facilities, including things like time and stress management and activities to encourage other than solitary studying. Make sure you know the type of mental health services the college offers. If possible, meet the RA (resident advisor, typically an upper classperson who’s the students’ first line of contact in the event of problems).

Parents need to be in touch with their children often enough to recognize unusual or disturbing patterns. Sleeping all day for one day or saying that they’re depressed is not a problem. Sleeping every day and complaining of chronic stress and depression is. Use CampusBlues and ActiveMindsOnCampus as two good resources.

How common is rape on campus?

Research indicates that college students are more vulnerable to rape than any other age group. Parents should find out if the campus has programs in place to discuss how to stay safe from sexual assault. Parents can remind their students to go out in groups or to leave word with a roommate or friend when they go out on a date. Encourage them to go on first dates in public places, not to someone’s room. Check to see whether or not the campus has well-lit paths at night and whether there is some sort of escort service for getting back to their dorm after hours.

What are my rights as a parent?

Less than you would think. Because a student’s privacy needs to be protected many schools do not share students’ grades, medical issues, or sometimes even their transgressions with parents. Sometimes a school will notify a parent if there’s a repeated problem (the three strikes rule) and sometimes they will notify a parent if the child is in imminent danger or endangering their community. Find out what your school’s policy is towards keeping parents informed of problems.