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A young man by the name of Nachu Bhatnagar has terminal cancer and may die before the summer's end. When asked what he wants to do before he dies, he immediately explained that he wants to finish reading Harry Turtledove's "The War That Came Early" series and discover how it ends.
The final two books in the series have yet to be published.
But that fact didn't stop one of Bhatnagar's close friends from trying his best to fulfill the wish, nor did it prevent a group of Reddit users from doing everything they could to help.
It is my duty as a friend to do whatever I can to fulfill [Bhatnagar's] last wishes. Is it at all possible for you to send him copies of the remaining books in the series? I understand the risks involved in sending an advance copy of your books to him and I understand the potential copyright issues and backlash from publishers. That said, my friends needs some good luck and kindness to balance out the awful streak he's been on, and I couldn't imagine a better person for it than his favorite author.
The Reddit post was quickly flooded with comments and suggestions. One Reddit user wrote that he sent a copy of the post to Turtledove's daughters, another sent a message to a close friend of the Turtledove family, and so on. Hundreds upon hundreds of comments were posted until an author who happens to have the same publisher as Turtledove chimed in:
PM [private message] me — my editor can get you an ARC. Need your address (we can chat by phone if you want to make sure I'm legit).
Jang updated his original post to say that the ARC — an "advance reading copy" — of the second-to-last book in Turtledove's series was in the mail.
A couple of days later the following video was uploaded to YouTube. In it, Jang presents Bhatnagar with the advance reading copy and tells him that Turtledove will be calling him to discuss the remainder of the series:
Pulls at your heartstrings, doesn't it?
As Jang says at the end of the clip, "the Internet can do everything."
Want more tech news, silly puns, or amusing links? You'll get plenty of all three if you keep up with Rosa Golijan, the writer of this post, by following her on Twitter, subscribing to her Facebook posts, or circling her on Google+.
Despite a huge number of mobile apps created for children, the Federal Trade Commission said Wednesday that there's "very little information" by many app developers when it comes to letting parents know about the personal data that's being collected about their children or information that's being shared. The agency said it plans an "additional review" in the next six months to see whether "some mobile apps" are violating the Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule.
In a report, "Mobile Apps for Kids: Current Privacy Disclosures are Disappointing," the FTC said that app stores, app developers "and third parties providing services" need to play "an active role in providing key information to parents" that they aren't now.
App developers "should provide data practices information in simple and short disclosures," the FTC said. "They also should disclose whether the app connects with social media, and whether it contains ads. Third parties that collect data also should disclose their privacy practices."
Mobile apps "can capture a broad range of user information from a mobile device automatically, including the user's precise geolocation, phone number, list of contacts, call logs, unique identifiers and other information stored on the device," the FTC said.
App stores, too should "take responsibility for ensuring that parents have basic information." The two largest, Apple's App Store and Google's Android Market, were studied by the FTC.
"As gatekeepers of the app marketplace, the app stores should do more," the agency said in the report:
The market for mobile applications has experienced explosive growth over the past three and a half years. When Apple’s iTunes App Store and Google’s Android Market first launched in 2008, smartphone users could choose from about 600 apps. Today, there are more than 500,000 apps in the Apple App Store and 380,000 apps in the Android Market, which consumers can access from a variety of mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets. Consumers have downloaded these apps more than 28 billion times, and young children and teens are increasingly embracing smartphone technology for entertainment and educational purposes.
A newly released Nielsen study corroborates the last part of the statement: In homes with tablets, a vast majority of children are using them.
We've contacted Apple and Google for comment, and will update this post when we hear back.
FTC
The FTC's study shows a huge number of mobile apps aimed at children, both in Apple's App Store and Google's Android Market.
Apple issued a statement Wednesday saying "any app wishing to access contact data will require explicit user approval in a future software release." But Reps. Henry Waxman (D-California) and G.K. Butterfield (D-North Carolina) sent a letter Tuesday to Apple, seeking answers on the issue.
The Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA) was passed by Congress in 1998 — long before mobile apps and "practically the Paleozoic era of the Internet," as msnbc.com's Helen A.S. Popkin has noted. The law requires commercial websites to obtain parental permission before collecting the personalinfo of any user under the age of 13.
"Companies that operate in the mobile marketplace provide great benefits, but they must step up to the plate and provide easily accessible, basic information, so that parents can make informed decisions about the apps their kids use," said FTC chairman Jon Leibowitz in a press release. "Right now, it is almost impossible to figure out which apps collect data and what they do with it. The kids app ecosystem needs to wake up, and we want to work collaboratively with industry to help ensure parents have the information they need."
Updated, 6:15 p.m. ET: Google did respond to msnbc.com's request for comment, saying it is reviewing the FTC's report. In addition, a spokesperson for the company said, "From the beginning, Android has had an industry-leading permission system, which informs consumers what data an app can access and requires user approval before installation. Additionally, we offer parental controls and best practices for developers to follow when designing apps that handle user data.”
The bread pictured is sold by UK supermarket chain Sainsbury's. It was recently renamed from "Tiger Bread" to "Giraffe Bread," thanks to a young girl's letter — and some help from the Internet.
UK-based supermarket chain Sainsbury's sold something called "Tiger Bread" until Jan. 31. But on that day the bakery product was renamed to "Giraffe Bread," thanks to a 3 1/2-year-old girl's astute observation, a couple of letters and some help from the Internet. Here's how all of those things came together.
In May 2011, 3 1/2-year-old Lily Robinson wrote a letter to Sainsbury's about one of its products, Tiger Bread:
Dear Sainsssssssssssssssssssbbbbbbbbbbbburyyys,
Why is tiger bread c\alled tiger bread? It should be c\alled giraffe bread.
Love from Lily Robinson age 3 1/2
Chris King, a member of the Sainsbury's customer service team, happened to spot Robinson's note and sent her a reply. "I think renaming tiger bread giraffe bread is a brilliant idea — it looks much more like the blotches on a giraffe than the stripes on a tiger, doesn't it," he agreed in a letter, which included a gift card redeemable at any of the supermarket chain's locations.
Courtesy of Sainsbury's
The letter sent by three-and-a-half-year-old Lily Robinson (left) and the reply she received from Chris King, who was a member of Sainsbury's customer service team (right).
Robinson's mom posted that charming reply along with the child's original note on her website on June 15, 2011, where it got a little bit of attention before being swallowed into the Internet's void.
But then something strange happened in January 2012. The photos of the letters exchanged by Robinson and King were suddenly all over Twitter, Facebook and other social networks. There's no solid explanation as to why this happened, but Laurence Borel of Blog Till You Drop speculates that renewed interest began with a post by a Facebook "power user" and spread virally from there. (One Facebook post in particular wound up with more than 150,000 likes and nearly 50,000 shares.)
Eventually publications such as the Huffington post, the Sun, and others got wind of the delightful letter exchange. The stories these outlets published drew even more attention to things until Sainsbury's finally decided that it was time to revisit Robinson's idea.
"In response to overwhelming customer feedback that our Tiger Bread has more resemblance to a giraffe, from today we will be changing our Tiger Bread to Giraffe Bread and seeing how that goes," proclaimed the company's blog on Jan. 31. "We think that renaming Tiger Bread to Giraffe Bread is a great idea and want to thank Lily for helping us see the spots for what they are."
In response to this announcement, Robinson's mom wrote another new blog post, explaining that her family is "grateful for the massive interest in Lily’s Giraffe Bread letter as a result of the new viral impact this week and Sainsbury’s launch of Giraffe Bread." She encouraged those who were touched by the story to donate to one of several charities.
In the meantime, Chris King — the man who noticed Robinson's letter in the first place — has left Sainsbury's and gone off to university. He's studying to become a teacher, a Sainsbury's representative tells me. "He's obviously picked the right career."
Though one must wonder what his future students will think when they discover that their teacher has a Facebook fan page dedicated to his now legendary time with Sainsbury's.
Want more tech news, silly puns, or amusing links? You'll get plenty of all three if you keep up with Rosa Golijan, the writer of this post, by following her on Twitter, subscribing to her Facebook posts, or circling her on Google+.
Whether you're a child with concerned parents or a parent with forgetful youngsters, you've probably been on one end of that conversation at some point. You know the one — it's filled with reminders of motherly love and an emphasis on how important it is for a parent to know that her child arrived to a destination safely.
Unfortunately distractions, failing memories, and time-restrictions can easily interfere with the best of intentions and that "I got here safely" call may never come. And you know what happens then — hair turns grey, someone contemplates calling 911, visions of horrific accidents flash through a parent's mind, and so on.
The service is pretty simple to use. All you have to do in order to get started is sign up at hashtagmom.com (which involves linking the service to your Foursquare account). From then on, anytime you tag a Foursquare check-in with "#mom," your mom will receive an automated call or text message notifying her of your arrival at a destination.
Not bad, right? Now if only Weinstein and Pike would create a service that magically makes forgotten sweaters appear in luggage, we'd be all set.
Want more tech news, silly puns, or amusing links? You'll get plenty of all three if you keep up with Rosa Golijan, the writer of this post, by following her on Twitter, subscribing to her Facebook posts, or circling her on Google+.
Three-year-old Lucas Gonzalez has hyper IgM syndrome — a rare condition which means that his immune system is unable to protect him. He is unable to do a lot of the things a child his age might not think twice about doing because even the smallest issue could seriously threaten his life.
A bone marrow transplant could give him a chance to be a normal kid, but Lucas' parents were unable to cover the costs associated with the transplant. They started a site to raise funds, yet their $50,000 donation goal seemed like a huge stretch — until a group of Internet strangers united to offer help.
Everything changed with a post on popular link-sharing website Reddit:
Hi Reddit, I'm Lucas! I'm 3 years old, have a 1 in 1 million disease, and need a bone marrow transplant!
Within 12 hours, the donation amounted to $44,405 — with $31,000 being attributed directly to Reddit users — and a new message was posted:
REDDIT. HOLY CRAP. YOU ARE CUT OFF. STOP. STOP NOW. WE HAVE ALL THAT WE NEED. I CANNOT THANK EACH OF YOU ENOUGH. BUT SERIOUSLY, STOP DONATING NOW.
The remaining necessary funds will be gathered during a silent auction/fundraiser in Jacksonville, Florida later in December. And out of sheer gratitude, Lucas' father will be getting a tattoo of the Reddit alien — the site's mascot.
It's worth noting that the sort of altruism presented after the Gonzalez family's call for help isn't uncommon among Reddit users. The site has hosted communities which dedicated themselves to shutting down auto-warranty robo callers, reuniting a mother and son who'd been apart 21 years, raising $500,000 for DonorsChoose.org, donating more than $185,000 to Direct Relief International for Haiti after an earthquake devastated the island in January 2010, preventing suicide, helping promote a large rally in Washington starring Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, and more.
Want more tech news, silly puns, or amusing links? You'll get plenty of all three if you keep up with Rosa Golijan, the writer of this post, by following her on Twitter, subscribing to her Facebook posts, or circling her on Google+.
For family game night at our house, my husband Richie and son Oz jump into the Wii game "Kirby's Return to Dreamland" together.
By Winda Benedetti
According to a recent study from the NPD Group market research company, 91 percent of kids in the U.S. between the ages of two and 17 are now gamers. But here is the surprising bit: The fastest growing group of young video game players is the toddler set — between two and five years old.
While some parents worry about whether playing video games is good for young children, I've found that gaming — when properly supervised and balanced with other activities — can be a great pastime not only for kids but for parents' relationship with their kids. Playing video games with your child is an absolute blast! It's a fun way to bond with your kid, plus it's a superb way to teach children some teamwork and puzzle-solving skills without ever letting on that you're actually, you know, teaching.
It just so happens that I have my own young gamer — my almost-five-year-old son Oz. He's been helping me test out some of the latest video games in an effort to find titles that are enjoyable and appropriate for kids four to 10. What you'll find below is a look at the pros and cons of seven games that are not only easy for young players to jump into, but are great for parents and kids to play together.
Kirby's Return to Dreamland – Wii - $50
Nintendo
Pros: Learning how to use video game controllers can be difficult for the youngest players, but this laid-back title — starring Nintendo's famous pink protagonist — is a fun, easy way to teach young hands to work buttons and a directional pad. The game is also downright adorable and relatively non-threatening for little players just trying to get the swing of things.
"Return to Dreamland" can be played by up to four people at a time which makes it a fantastic all-family game night option. Playing as Kirby and his pals, you and your children will need to use teamwork and cooperation as you to explore bright, colorful worlds and try to find the pieces of a lost spaceship that crash-landed on Kirby's planet, while fending off a host of relatively non-threatening foes in the process.
For this game, your child will turn Nintendo's Wii Remote controller on its side and use it as a traditional controller. And since this is a two-dimensional side-scrolling game, figuring out how to run, jump and fly the characters around the screen is fairly easy for kids to do. Meanwhile, the difficulty level ramps up veeery slowly, which means your child (and therefore you) won't get frustrated.
My son loves watching Kirby suck up his enemies to absorb their powers and is wowed by Kirby's new eye-popping, screen-filling Super Abilities. And when the going does get a bit tough, he can have his character jump onto my character's back for a piggy-back ride past the rough patches.
(It's worth noting that another excellent Kirby game to consider playing with young kids is last year's superb Wii game "Kirby's Epic Yarn.")
Cons: There really isn't much of a downside to this game other than the fact that seasoned, grown-up gamers familiar with Kirby's history may find this particular installment a bit too easy. But then again, this isn't about us is it?
Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster - Xbox 360 (Kinect required) - $50
Double Fine Productions
Pros: "Once Upon A Monster" offers everything a conscientious parent wants from a video game — non-violent gameplay that both activates the body and the mind. It also offers that delightful Sesame Street sensibility and, well, Elmo ... lots and lots of Elmo along with his adorable monster pals.
With the Kinect motion controller reading your child's body movements, this game acts as a kind of interactive story book throughout which your child meets various colorful characters and tries to help them solve the problems they're facing.
Winda Benedetti
Oz tries out his Kinect-enabled flying skills in "Once Upon A Monster."
To cheer up an unhappy monster, your child will make music by flapping their hands to bang on virtual drums. To help clean up a flower creature's garden, they'll hurl balls of virtual garbage into virtual garbage cans (as if tossing basketballs). And since the game features easy drop-in/drop-out cooperative play, mom and dad can jump into the action at any time.
Cons: The Kinect controller is often pitched as the perfect device for allowing young children to interact with games and virtual environments. After all, there's no controller to hold in tiny hands and no buttons or sticks to struggle with. And yet, my son ran into more controller-related frustrations with this game than any other on this list.
The thing is, little kids have a hard time standing in one place. They jump and flail their arms when they're relaxing. "Once Upon a Monster" asks kids to perform some pretty specific movements but frequently seemed to have a hard time reading my son when he performed them.
Be sure to take the time to make sure the Kinect is perfectly calibrated to your child's size (the game will walk you through the process). Meanwhile, urge your wiggle-worm to hold still a bit and try to focus on the specific gestures they need to execute to interact with the game. It may take some practice and some patience but the little whippersnappers learn very quickly.
Kinect Disneyland Adventures - Xbox 360 (Kinect required) - $50
Frontier/Microsoft
Pros: Imagine going to Disneyland — but a Disneyland without all the crowds and lines and cost ... not to mention the parental misery created by all three.
Welcome to a little game called "Kinect Disneyland Adventures." Sure, the Disneyland you'll find here is merely a digital recreation. But it is a pretty impressive digital recreation and one that you and your child can jump into and explore at your own pace.
Almost all of the Disneyland grounds have been recreated within this game and are ready to explore. With the Kinect camera reading your child's body motions, your kid makes an avatar to look like him or herself and then steers that avatar around the Disneyland grounds by pointing where she would like to go. She can run up to Mickey and give him a high five or give Snow White a hug. And these characters will send your child on various quests that will have them exploring the famed park.
Meanwhile, the rides are where the gaming action comes in. Head over to Peter Pan's Flight, where you and your child can fly through the air collecting coins or sword fight with Captain Hook. Step into the Matterhorn where you'll race bobsleds or ski down snowy hills.
The $50 lifetime ticket for you and your family to enter this virtual park will seem downright cheap compared to the hundreds of dollars a trip to the real Happiest Place on Earth will run you.
Cons: If you're not a fan of the Disney marketing machine, then this game is not for you.
Rayman: Origins - PlayStation 3; Xbox 360; Wii - $50 to $60
Ubisoft
Pros: One of the great joys of parenting is hearing your children laugh. And if you want to enjoy the sounds of your young gamer guffawing uproariously, then grab "Rayman: Origins."
Zany, crazy and hilarious not to mention utterly creative, "Rayman: Origins" is not only a delightful platforming game for up to four players, it is a gorgeous work of animated art.
My husband, son and I have been having an absolute blast playing this game together. Here Rayman and his friends have awoken a cranky granny and her minions with their snoring. And now you must run, jump, swing and fly through one surreal level after another, each filled with a colorful host of outlandish baddies to beat. My son unleashed the most splendid, unstoppable peals of laughter when we encountered the chicken-headed boss pictured above.
Kids will love this game because it is silly in all the best ways. Adults will love this game because each level is a cleverly constructed work of gaming art. (See In-Game editor Todd Kenreck's full video review at right.)
Cons: This game will grow more demanding for the very youngest players far more quickly than something like "Kirby's Return to Dreamland" and will have them facing down more intense challenges than some young kids may be ready for. But it's worth noting that, if a child fails to get past a particularly difficult part in the game while playing with a parent or older sibling, he or she will find his character popped into a bubble that floats safely along until another player pops him out to rejoin the action at a more manageable point.
Pros: My son loves both skeletons and swashbuckling tales of sword fighting, so perhaps it's no wonder he's a huge fan of "Medieval Moves." This game puts young players in the role of the boy Prince Edmund who finds himself transformed into a skeleton and thrust into a battle against a nefarious sorcerer and his army of undead.
Skeletons? Army of undead? Well, yes. "Deadmund's Quest" may sound scary but it is cartoony as can be. The story of Prince Edmund-turned-Prince Deadmund is presented in comic-book-style cut scenes and the bad guys are more goofy than they are blood-curdling. Meanwhile, this is an "on rails" game, which means your child doesn't have to worry about maneuvering Deadmund around this world. Instead, the hero is whisked through the medieval-themed environments almost as if on a roller-coaster ride. All your young player has to do is focus on knocking out the bad guys.
Since this game uses the PlayStation 3's Move motion controllers, kids get to do battle with a host of skeletons by swinging the orb-topped wand controller like a sword, or drawing it out like they would a bow and arrow. And the Move controls here work superbly. They are highly responsive and my son found the gestures and button presses easy to get the hang of.
The Move controls really pull young players right into what is nothing short of a thrilling adventure. And the multiplayer modes mean that we parents can jump in and try our own sword-swinging, arrow-shooting skills alongside our young companions.
Cons: Each youngster is different and you should consider whether doing battle with skeletons — no matter how bloodless and cartoony those battles are — is something that will thrill your child ... or scare 'em. This game may be most appropriate for slightly older kids (think seven to 10).
Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure - Xbox 360; PlayStation 3; Wii; Nintendo 3DS - $70
Activision
Pros: This title blends two things that kids love into one bright, enjoyable package. That is, it combines real-world toys with video gaming.
The starter pack comes with the game disc, three Skylander figurines — Spyro, Trigger Happy and Gill Grunt — and a plastic Portal of Power peripheral that you plug into the game console. Fire up the game disc and then pop an action figure onto the Portal of Power and suddenly an animated version of that action figure appears inside the game.
You and your child will take these characters on a colorful, humor-filled quest to save the Skylander world from the evil powers of Kaos. Each of the different action figures has unique powers and abilities and your child will need to think about how to best use these unique strengths to conquer the challenges and puzzles they face.
It really is pretty neat to swap these toys on and off the portal and see them pop into and out of the video game on the fly. Meanwhile, the more your child plays the game with a certain character, the more that character is upgraded with additional powers and abilities. And here's another cool bit: All those upgrades are uploaded to an RF chip in the matching action figure. What that means is, your kid can take their own action figures over to a friend's house and, even if that friend has the game on a different kind of game console, your child can pop their figurines onto their friend's Portal of Power and play the game with all their own characters' unique upgrades and customizations intact.
Cons: The $70 price tag for the starter kit is steep to begin with, but you may end up spending even more money than that. While the "Skylanders" game can be won with just the three initial characters, there are actually 32 Skylander figurines in all to collect (i.e. buy for around $8 a piece) and these additional characters unlock additional challenges and additional areas within the game.
My son was perfectly happy with the initial three action figures, but that doesn't mean every kid will feel the same. The more your child delves into this "Skylanders" adventure, the more you may hear them beg "I want more."
Fruit Ninja Kinect - Xbox 360 (Kinect required) - $10 download via Xbox Live
Oz and his friend Dexter - both 4 years old - slice and dice (and wear themselves out) with a game of Fruit Ninja Kinect.
Pros: I cannot tell you the joy that "Fruit Ninja Kinect" has brought to our household ... and to our son's bedtime routine. Simply put: There is no better way to wear out your kid to the point that he or she has no strength left to fight sleep.
"Fruit Ninja Kinect" (which I reviewed in full here) takes the gameplay found in the hit smartphone/tablet game and puts it up on your TV via Xbox Live and Kinect. Rather than swiping your finger across a touchscreen to slash fruit that's tossed up into the air, the Kinect camera keeps track of your body movements as you swing your arms and legs to cut down pineapple, kiwi, bananas and other nefarious foods.
This game was not made specifically for children, but it certainly brings out the child in everyone who plays it. More importantly: It's easy for children to jump into and I can promise you, their enthusiasm for the fruit-slashing ninja arts is a joy to behold.
The multiplayer mode is especially enjoyable to play with young kids. Sure, you can play it competitively, but there's also a cooperative mode that allows you to work together as you slash your way to a joint high score. And there's nothing like conquering evil fruit to bring you closer to your adorable rugrat.
Cons: The menu screens are very sensitive to motion and can be difficult for wiggly children to navigate, so you might need to help them get things started. Meanwhile, the difference in an adult's height and a small child's height can make it so the Kinect camera has a difficult time fully reading both players' movements. I suggest you have Kinect calibrate to your child (giving them the best game experience) and then play on your knees beside them.
Also be absolutely sure you give each other enough room when you play together — otherwise, with all those flailing arms, someone is liable to get a karate chop to the nose.
For more game news and holiday buying guidance, check out:
Winda Benedetti writes about games for msnbc.com. You can follow her tweets about games and other things here on Twitter or join her in the stream here on Google+.And be sure to check out the In-Game Facebook page right here.
This year's Halloween was not a happy time for two young trick-or-treaters in Salem, Oregon. After five hours of collecting candy, the brother-and-sister team was robbed of their bounty by a group of older boys.
But thanks to a local stranger who saw a Craigslist ad about the incident, the kids wound up getting a pile of sweets anyway.
The Statesman Journal reports that 13-year-old Michael Harper and his 10-year-old sister Michelle received a very special delivery on Thursday. A police officer brought 10 pounds of candy as well as cash for next year's Halloween costumes to their northeast Salem home.
The teenage boys who snatched the kids' candy — one of whom punched Michael in the ribs during the crime — do not appear to have been apprehended yet. But police do say that they could face second- or third-degree robbery charges when that happens.
Want more tech news, silly puns or amusing links? You'll get plenty of all three if you keep up with Rosa Golijan, the writer of this post, by following her on Twitter, subscribing to her Facebook posts or circling her on Google+.
Mobile devices have become mini-pacifiers/babysitters for many wee ones: 52 percent of all children 8 and younger have access to mobile devices at home like a smartphone, video iPod, iPad or other tablet, according to Common Sense Media, a nonprofit group that studies children’s use of technology.
During a "typical" day, 11 percent of those young ones use a cellphone or other mobile devices for "media consumption," spending an average of 43 minutes with them.
Among the parents of these children, 29 percent have downloaded apps, or applications, specifically for their children to use on phones. You may see them in restaurants or in doctor's offices: a parent with their squirmy young one who is handed mom or dad's phone to stay occupied — and quiet.
For many years, of course, TV has been the leading tech babysitter for many children in the home; video games on handheld units like Nintendo's DS and Game Boy have also been glued to the palms of many little ones, both in the home and on the go.
But with more types of mobile media now available, things are changing and changing fast. Common Sense Media gives this perspective:
Today — 20 years after the birth of the World Wide Web, 13 years after the launch of Google Search, eight years after the start of the first social networking site, six years after the first YouTube video, four years after the introduction of the first touch-screen smartphone, three years after the opening of the first “app” store, and a little over a year after the first iPad sale — the media world that children are growing up in is changing at lightning speed.
Nine-month-olds spend nearly an hour a day watching television or DVDs, 5-year-olds are begging to play with their parents’ iPhones, and 7-year-olds are sitting down in front of a computer several times a week to play games, do homework, or check out how their avatars are doing in their favorite virtual worlds. Television is still as popular as ever, but reading may be beginning to trend downward.
Computer use continues to be "pervasive among very young children," with 53 percent of all 2- to 4-year-olds having used a computer, and 90 percent of 5- to -8-year olds. Among all children who have used a computer, the "average age at first use was just 3-1/2," Common Sense Media said.
Meanwhile, children under age 2 "spend twice as much time watching TV and videos (53 minutes) as they do reading books (23 minutes)," Common Sense Media says.
Common Sense Media
Nearly one in three of this age group has a TV in their bedroom.
While almost all American families have a TV or TVs in their homes, smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices are still relatively new — and expensive.
"There continues to be a substantial digital divide, including both computers and mobile devices," Common Sense Media says. While 72 percent of children through age 8 have a computer at home, "access ranges from 48 percent among those from low-income families (less than $30,000 a year) to 91 percent among higher-income families (more than $75,000 a year)."
When it comes to mobile devices, group calls that divided the "app gap," saying among children in lower-income families, 27 percent have a parent with a smartphone, compared to 57 percent for higher-income children. "One in 10 (10 percent) lower-income children has a video iPod or similar device in the home, compared to one in three (34 percent) upper-income children. And just 2 percent of lower-income children have a tablet device such as an iPad at home, compared to 17 percent of higher-income children."
And when it comes apps themselves: 38 percent of lower-income parents say they don’t even know what an app is, compared to just 3 percent of higher-income parents."
This screenshot shows the official "Sesame Street" YouTube channel after it reappeared on the video-sharing website.
By Rosa Golijan
Updated at 12:50 p.m.
The official YouTube channel for children's television series "Sesame Street" was compromised this weekend. At that time, a hacker filled what could be considered one of the more child-friendly corners of the Internet with videos so pornographic that they'd make Cookie Monster blush until he resembled Elmo.
Security blog Sophos reports that the incident occurred on Sunday and that it took about 20 minutes before the explicit content was removed. It wasn't just the pornographic material which disappeared from YouTube at that point though. The entire "Sesame Street" channel — and all of its original videos — are currently "not available" on YouTube.
YouTube
But don't worry! According to a statement provided to CNN, Sesame Workshop — the non-profit organization behind "Sesame Street" — is working with YouTube to set things right:
"Our channel was compromised and we are presently working with YouTube/Google to restore our original content," the group said. "We always strive to provide age-appropriate content for our viewers and hope to resolve this problem quickly."
The details regarding who was behind the hacking incident are still murky. Before the entire YouTube channel was removed, its profile had been modified to include the following text:
WHO DOESN'T LOVE PORN KIDS? RIGHT! EVERYONE LOVES IT! IM MREDXWX AND MY PARTNER MRSUICIDER91 ARE HERE TO BRING YOU MANY NICE CONTENT! PLEASE DON'T LET SESAME STREET TO GET THIS ACCOUNT BACK KIDS :( PLEASE...LET ME AND MRSUICIDER91 HAVE IT AND WE GONNA MAKE ALL THE AMERICA HAPPY!
Updated: The official YouTube channel for "Sesame Street" has reappeared on the video-sharing website. All traces of pornographic content seem to have been removed.
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British teenager Matthew James recently wrote a letter to Ross Brawn, the boss of the Mercedes GP Petronas F1 racing team, in which he asked for about $57,000 in order to pay for a high-tech artificial hand. Amazingly enough, the simple letter did the trick — and the 14-year-old is now the proud wearer of "the most advanced prosthetic limb in the world."
The Telegraph reports that James was born with a "congenital defect which meant his left arm only developed up to his wrist." As a result, he's been wearing an artificial limb with a basic clamp-like open-and-close mechanism for quite some time. Despite the prosthetic's limitations, the young man managed to participate in various activities — including karate and cricket — albeit with some struggle.
He kept wishing for a better limb though — something like those made by prosthetics maker Touch Bionics — but unfortunately his family was unable to afford it.
Eventually James had an idea. He sat down and drafted a letter to the boss of the Mercedes GP Petronas F1 racing team. In it he explained his situation and suggested that a sponsorship of sorts would help him greatly. If Mercedes were to cover the expenses associated with the new limb, the company could put its logo onto it — just like some companies put ads onto F1 cars.
And — as you already know — the letter worked. Someone at Mercedes was incredibly touched by James' letter and decided to reach out to Touch Bionics. Together the two companies designed a customized i-LIMB Pulse prosthetic for James. They call it "the most advanced prosthetic limb in the world" and it's understandable why:
The hand is so versatile Matthew can grip a pen to draw pictures and write, tie his shoe laces and catch a ball. The hand, made from high-grade plastic with a black silicone socket, literally plugs into Matthew's arm. Two electrodes on the inside of the socket detect electrical impulses made by the muscles in Matthew's lower arm. The signals are then beamed to a mini-computer in the palm which translates the messages into movements, replicating a normal hand.
[...]
Each finger is powered by an individual motor which allows the digits to move independently. The hand is protected by an aluminium chassis-style casing which is capable of supporting a load of up to 90kg (14st). Amazingly, it is even fitted with Bluetooth technology to allow Matthew to hook up to a computer wirelessly to track the strength and speed of his movements.
James says the new limb feels "just like the real thing" and he wears it proudly — little Mercedes logo by the wrist and all.
It's worth noting that while Mercedes was not able to offer James all the funds necessary to pay for the prosthetic, the company is aiding him and his family in a fundraising effort. Touch Bionics contributed by fitting the hand and training James to use it — a process which would normally have cost over $40,000.
Rosa Golijan writes about tech here and there. She's obsessed with Twitter and loves to be liked on Facebook. Oh, and she can be found on Google+, too.
Screenshots acquired by VentureBeat show a simplified, child-friendly Netflix interface.
By Rosa Golijan
Your kids probably think of Netflix as a magical portal to all their favorite shows, but you fear allowing them to browse the service on their own — after all, what if they see something age-inappropriate? Well, if a mysteriously appearing child-friendly Netflix interface is any indication, your mind will soon be at easy about such things.
The folks at VentureBeat recently noticed that a "Just For Kids" section appeared on some Netflix accounts. This section lays out child-friendly content in slightly modified format — one tailored-made for youngsters:
The new interface has a row of clickable cartoon characters on top. When you select a character, the next page shows every episode associated with that character’s show. For example, if you click Aang from the show Avatar: The Last Airbender, you will be taken to a list of 54 episodes of the series. Individual episodes are represented by thumbnails and slider that shows how much of each episode has been watched.
Netflix has not made any official announcements regarding this new interface and it isn't known just how many users are able to access it at this point.
Rosa Golijan writes about tech here and there. She's obsessed with Twitter and loves to be liked on Facebook. Oh, and she can be found on Google+, too.
Teen dating violence and abuse has unfortunately existed for as long as anyone can remember, but — thanks to technological innovations — it has evolved a great deal in recent years. Teens as well as their parents may not fully understand what qualifies as abuse now, the effects it can have, how to stop it, and what warnings signs there might be.
That's where a program called Love Is Not Abuse comes in. It is part of a teen dating abuse and domestic violence advocacy effort begun by Liz Claiborne and it seeks to provide educational tools and support while raising awareness of related issues.
And one of the ways the program will raise soon awareness is by releasing an iPhone app which demonstrates exactly how damaging digital dating abuse can be. Among other things, the app will expose a user to increasingly menacing texts, emails, and phone calls similar to those a victim of relationship abuse may experience.
The app will also include "facts on dating abuse, warning signs, tips on how to talk to teens, and immediate, concrete steps to take if [you] suspect [your] child is involved in an abusive relationship." It will be available through the Apple App Store on August 10.
Rosa Golijan writes about tech here and there. She's obsessed with Twitter and loves to be liked on Facebook. Oh, and she can be found on Google+, too.
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