Editorials



Teaching a Younger Child About Pride Month

June is LGBTQ+ Pride Month, where we celebrate the anniversary of the modern gay rights movement. It comes from the Stonewall Riots that started on June 28th, 1969. It’s a piece of history that’s easier to understand as adults, but I struggled with how to explain it in an age-appropriate way to my son.


Why ChromeOS Is the Future of Personal Computing

Like many people my age, I grew up using Windows, and then later on in my life dabbled with OS X devices for quite some time as well. That was the world of personal computing that I knew, loved, and maybe sometimes hated. I grew accustomed to the frequent updates, drivers, and protection needed to keep Windows in tip-top shape.


Keeping Kids Safe Online Starts at a Young Age

My son is in kindergarten, and his favorite part of school is coding class. I was surprised (and a little jealous) that he gets to play coding games and drive robots. Today, though, their lesson was a little different: they learned rules for staying safe online.


An Interview with Marlies Gebetsberger, Personal Health Leader at Philips

Within each company that produces health apps or products, there are many individuals who are passionate about the products produced and how those products will improve their users quality of life. During the IFA Global Press Conference, I sat down with Marlies Gebetsberger, Personal Health Leader Philips Market DACH, to chat about her role at Philips and personal health accountability.


InvisaWear Takes a Tragedy and….Inserts Themselves?

Over the weekend, a college student got into a car she thought was an Uber, and tragically she was murdered. This is an awful story. Somehow, the folks at invisaWear, jewelry that offers emergency GPS beacons, thought this tragedy was a good opportunity to promote their product.


The Ennui of the Current Tech Cycle

Technology runs in cycles. We all know that, but it seems lately like we’ve hit the low end of our current cycle, and whatever the “next big thing” is, we’re spinning our wheels until it gets here.


The Death of eBooks Has Been Greatly Exaggerated

10 years ago, people were predicting the physical book was dead. eBooks were the rage, and everyone was predicting Kindles and Nooks would replace physical books on our shelves, in our backpacks, and on our nightstands. Instead, the physical book launched an unexpected comeback, the Nook is dying, and eBooks are back to being a niche; but they’re not dead.


The Supreme Arrogance of Apple’s Publishing Subscription Plans

There’s a cliché phrase, “If at first, you don’t succeed, try again”. Apparently, that’s how Apple feels about publishing, because they’re convinced their prior explosive failure at eBooks was a one-off, and they’ve got a great new subscription plan in the works. I’m sure publishers will love … wait, giving a 50% cut to Apple? Does Tim Cook have a head injury?


Gillette, #Boymom, and the Baby Steps to True Equality

I don’t spend much time on social media anymore, but one of the things guaranteed to make me grit my teeth whenever I did was #boymom.  Gillette razors apparently agree, with their controversial new ad asking men to be better. #bemoreliketheGilletteAd is a little awkward, but it’s way better than #boymom.



Smartening up an Apartment on Any Budget

Smart homes have moved from the realm of tech geeks to mainstream America. Even if you don’t set out to have a smart home, the various ways to connect devices and everyday items have become so easy it is impossible to avoid. It’s a bit tougher when you rent, but there’s plenty of ways to make your apartment smarter!





How My iPhone 8+ Gave Grandma the Best Birthday Ever

I recently gave my Grandma an amazing gift for her 90th birthday; I took photos from throughout her life and using a combination of Google PhotoScan, PicStitch, iMovie, and iTunes, I made a slideshow featuring friends and family. It only cost me some time, but the look on my grandma’s face when we showed it to her was priceless. 


Smartphones at Laptop Prices: Apple’s 2018 Keynote

Before we get into Apple’s Keynote announcement where they didn’t announce new Airpods or the elusive AirPower (because it’s indeed in the “air” at this point), let me just say that I plan on getting the iPhone Xs Max, the 512GB version, in Gold. Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way… here we go.


Dear Facebook, I’m Just Not That Into You

I stopped visiting Facebook about 2 weeks ago. It wasn’t a conscious declaration, it was just that I felt like Facebook was becoming a crutch to distract me, and it wasn’t something I enjoyed. I probably would have drifted back sooner, but Facebook has been inundating me with emails like a needy ex, and it’s starting to creep me out enough to not want to return.