Computers, the Internet, video games and other electronic diversions are a part of most kid's lives, but it doesn't have to get in the way of normal social interactions, especially when other kids come over to hang out or play. One rule that works well in my house when it comes putting some balance between electronic entertainment and old fashioned play is what I call the "30 Minute Rule." The rule is simple--if a friend comes over to visit, for the first 30 minutes there can't be any electrically generated fun. No computer, no television, no video games, no electronically generated entertainment of any kind. I've found that the lack of electronic fun didn't keep the kids from having a good time and I've rarely had the children ready to turn on the juice right at the 30 minute mark.
For more suggestions on how to manage your child's use of computers and the web, you can review Parenting and the Internet, especially the chapter on the parent's role and what kinds of general rules parents should have. You will be sent a link for your free download of the PDF edition of the book when you join the book's mailing list at subscribe.speedbrake.com.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Free Online Photo Editing at FotoFlexer.com
Ever need to do a few changes on a photo but you are on an unfamiliar computer? Like with so many other functions that used to be only on a PC, FotoFlexer at http://fotoflexer.com/ can be a quick and free online replacement for an image editor program like Paint or iPhoto. Change contrast, get rid of redeye, crop, or resize, add captions, or do any of a number of basic edits on your photo. It can be from your hard drive, or from an online resource like your account at Photobucket, Flickr, or Picasa.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Another File Conversion Resource
Last year I talked about a convenient file conversion resource that allows you to convert files between formats. I've found it to be very useful for things like converting and Flash video file into a format that can play in iTunes or on my iPod. You can also take a video and only convert the audio portion of the program. The resources at MediaConverter.org can take a file that is online or on your hard drive and convert it to a more useful or compatible format.
You don't need to download any software or even register with the site to use the service. While file sizes are limited to 100MB, you also have the option to pay for a premium service that can convert much larger files. In addition to going to the site, if you use Firefox, you can also download it as an add-on in the browswer.
You don't need to download any software or even register with the site to use the service. While file sizes are limited to 100MB, you also have the option to pay for a premium service that can convert much larger files. In addition to going to the site, if you use Firefox, you can also download it as an add-on in the browswer.
The NeoOffice Office Application Suite Alternative
One of the best resources in the book Parenting and the Internet is the listings of free software that you can use to improve or expand the capabilities of your computer. One of the resources mentioned in the book was OpenOffice, an office application suite that allows you to create or edit word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation files, including files created using a Microsoft Office program such as Word or Excel.
OpenOffice is also available for Mac users, but depending on the version of the Mac you are using, you may have problems starting or using OpenOffice. An alternative for Mac users is NeoOffice. It is designed to work very much like OpenOffice, and even has a similar look and feel.
If you own a Mac, and you either have problems with OpenOffice or want to try a free alternative to expensive word processing, spreadsheet, or presentation files, you may want to give NeoOffice a try.
http://www.neooffice.org
OpenOffice is also available for Mac users, but depending on the version of the Mac you are using, you may have problems starting or using OpenOffice. An alternative for Mac users is NeoOffice. It is designed to work very much like OpenOffice, and even has a similar look and feel.
If you own a Mac, and you either have problems with OpenOffice or want to try a free alternative to expensive word processing, spreadsheet, or presentation files, you may want to give NeoOffice a try.
http://www.neooffice.org
Thursday, August 14, 2008
A Little Unexpected Fun with Words
Just about everyone who spends time online will encounter a technology, have a positive reaction to it, and only later find the words to describe it. That happened to me yesterday with the Wordle site at http://www.wordle.net.
I came across a Boston Globe article that graphically compared the words used by the blogs for Senators Obama and McCain. The graphic compared the words used by each site, with the size of the word corresponding to the number of times it was used. The most popular word on both sites was Obama, but that was not why I'm writing this. The site mentioned that the graphics came from the Wordle web site, so I followed it and discovered that it allows anyone to do what the Boston Globe did to any web site or blog, and even to a block of text. Just for kicks, I input the entire content of "Parenting and the Internet" and got the following result for the 100 most frequently used words in the book:
After I played around with the site, I did a bit of research and found out that what I had created was a word cloud, which is a visual depiction of frequently used words on a web site, blog, web page, or other document. It illustrates the relative frequency of words by using font size. The more often a word appears, the larger the word appears in the word cloud
I'll have to admit that I only bothered to find out the definition after I spent some time playing around with Wordle. I suggest that you do the same and visit the site at http://www.wordle.net. It's free, it's fun, and it's with a little bit of your time.
I came across a Boston Globe article that graphically compared the words used by the blogs for Senators Obama and McCain. The graphic compared the words used by each site, with the size of the word corresponding to the number of times it was used. The most popular word on both sites was Obama, but that was not why I'm writing this. The site mentioned that the graphics came from the Wordle web site, so I followed it and discovered that it allows anyone to do what the Boston Globe did to any web site or blog, and even to a block of text. Just for kicks, I input the entire content of "Parenting and the Internet" and got the following result for the 100 most frequently used words in the book:
After I played around with the site, I did a bit of research and found out that what I had created was a word cloud, which is a visual depiction of frequently used words on a web site, blog, web page, or other document. It illustrates the relative frequency of words by using font size. The more often a word appears, the larger the word appears in the word cloud
I'll have to admit that I only bothered to find out the definition after I spent some time playing around with Wordle. I suggest that you do the same and visit the site at http://www.wordle.net. It's free, it's fun, and it's with a little bit of your time.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Free Service for Launching Your Video on Multiple Sites
If you have published a video on YouTube, Google Video, or a similar video sharing site, you may be interested in TubeMogul.com, a service which allows you to publish your video simultaneously on most of the major video sharing sites. In addition to launching your video, you can also track your videos performance on each video sharing site.
To find out more, visit Tubemogul.com at http://www.tubemogul.com.
To find out more, visit Tubemogul.com at http://www.tubemogul.com.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Free Online Press Release Resources
Do you have a business, school, or other organization that can use some online publicity, but you don't have the budget to pay for distribution of your press release? If this sounds like you, several resources worth looking at are PR-inside.com at http://www.pr-inside.com, openPR.com at http://www.openpr.com and PRLog.org at http://www.prlog.org.
Each of these options take you step-by-step through the process of creating the press release, and in minutes your release can be online and spreading your message. To make the process go smoothly, you should take the time to put together a properly structured traditional press release, and use that as your guide to help you use these services.
For guidance on the latest trends in free press release sites, visit BigNews.biz at http://www.bignews.biz.
Each of these options take you step-by-step through the process of creating the press release, and in minutes your release can be online and spreading your message. To make the process go smoothly, you should take the time to put together a properly structured traditional press release, and use that as your guide to help you use these services.
For guidance on the latest trends in free press release sites, visit BigNews.biz at http://www.bignews.biz.
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