Techish

How to keep pesky ‘Porch Pirates’ from pilfering your holiday packages

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In the next few weeks holiday shoppers in the United States are expected to spend a whopping $136 billion for all kinds of great gifts online. That means more packages will sit out on doorsteps and front porches than ever before, tempting pesky “Porch Pirates” to strike. If you haven’t had a delivery stolen yet, odds are pretty high you will. More than half of online shoppers reported at least one missing package in the last six months according to research analytics firm Clutch. But surveys also show there are ways to slow the thieves down that don’t cost a fortune or require a whole lot of work on your part. Here are the simplest ways to protect yourself — and your precious holiday buys ... Read more

These are the Black Friday, Cyber Monday shopping secrets retailers don’t want you to know

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https://youtu.be/OvztNWwBNcI I would rather lick a dirty sidewalk than camp out all night for “doorbuster deal” on Black Friday. Okay, that’s a bit dramatic and totally gross — have you heard what’s on the sidewalks in my area?! — but you get the point. Holidays are for precious family time, not for combat couponing with sales-rabid, sharp-elbowed strangers. Is there any way to get in on doorbuster deals without the chaos of the holiday crowds? This year, more than ever, the answer is an emphatic “yes,” according to several people “on the inside.” We spoke with current and former employees of Target, Walmart, Best Buy, GameStop, and even eBay, to get a handful of holiday shopping secrets ... Read more

People Share Rules for Screens and Sleep

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THIS POST IS SHARED WITH PERMISSION FROM DR. DELANEY RUSTON, MD, FILMMAKER OF SCREENAGERS. Read more of these articles on Dr. Ruston’s site: Tech Talk Tuesdays Recently a group of eighth-graders was discussing Screenagers NEXT CHAPTER, and a few of them told the teacher how surprised they were to learn in the film that almost 40% of youth and teens with mobile devices in their room report that they wake up and check it at least once a night. *I like to keep stats to a minimum in my films, and I was happy these teens got the significance of this recent data. A new study from a survey of 12,000 teens in the U.K. who were asked about their social media use and sleep found that teens who use ... Read more

WIRED WELL: New tech gadgets get senior moment and the results will make you cry (in a good way).

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hp1yQzH6KAY ***This story and video originally ran/aired on USA Today. It's reposted here with permission.*** Brooklyn resident Marilyn Stone* isn’t your typical early tech adopter. She’s 95 years old, can’t see or hear very well anymore, and grew up in a time when the hottest new gadgets around were toaster ovens and zippers. Today? She’s not sure what she would do without her Amazon Echo smart speaker. “Alexa has been a miracle,” the spirited senior tells me over the phone, “I ask ‘what is the weather,’ and get an answer. Alexa turns on my lights, tells me what time it is, and when to take my pills.” Stone is now one of the 16.7 ... Read more

Worried your kids are addicted to screens? Help is here.

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https://youtu.be/qga2yuPYVd4 My daughter is off to college, yet I still have some of the same worries about her tech use as my friends with kids in middle school: Is she safe? Is she on social media too much? Does she put her smartphone down long enough to have meaningful connection and communication in real life? Tech-centric worry is the new norm and makes up a lot of what we parents are talking about these days: Safety, screen-time, device distraction, and making sure our kids get the right balance of necessary tech tools — along with real-life skills — to succeed. How do we handle modern technology the “right” way, especially when so many of us are overwhelmed by it all ... Read more

Rinsta vs. Finsta: Why do teenagers often use more than one Instagram account?

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THIS POST IS SHARED WITH PERMISSION FROM DR. DELANEY RUSTON, MD, FILMMAKER OF SCREENAGERS. Read more of these articles on Dr. Ruston’s site: Tech Talk Tuesdays It is very common for teens to have two Instagram accounts or even three or four. Their main, public-facing one is referred to as their Rinsta (as in Real + Instagram). Their second account is called their Finsta (Fake + Instagram) and is in addition to their main account. Teens use their Finsta as a place to post pictures and videos meant only for their closest friends to see. Since teens’ main accounts generally have a lot more people following them, including adults, the posts on them are curated whereas Finstas offer teens a ... Read more

No Epic Plans For Labor Day? These New Apps Have Got Your Back(pack):

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No plans for this Labor Day weekend yet? Don’t worry, thanks to a handful of new apps that go all-in with the sharing economy, you could throw an epic pool party, rent a speedboat, or even go glamping on your own private paradise. Let’s dive in. SWIMPLY If you don’t have a pool of your own — and let’s be honest, most of us don’t — and don’t want to fight the crowds at the local public swimming hole, Swimply will come to your rescue. It’s like Airbnb, but for pools: You search for nearby private pools, pick a time that works for you, and then pay based on how long your group wants to swim. It’s insanely simple, and there are no strings attached, just tap, swim, and ... Read more

Sharing, Not Scaring, is Key to Managing Screen Time

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***THIS POST IS SHARED WITH PERMISSION FROM DR. DELANEY RUSTON, MD, FILMMAKER OF SCREENAGERS*** Read more of these articles on Dr. Ruston's site: Tech Talk Tuesdays As a society, we often give information to others hoping to elicit some fear with the goal of getting a desired behavior. Think for example of schools teaching kids about cyberbullying and sexting and having police officers deliver the message so it is clear that they should be scared, really scared of consequences. Unfortunately, scare tactics for long term behavior change have proven to not be very effective. Let me give one example. Massive public health campaigns designed to combat smoking that showed images of damaged ... Read more

HOW TO: Keep creepers off your smart home gadgets!

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A recent spate of high-profile smart home gadget hacks has a whole lot of us wondering what we can do to keep the creepers out. Easy to guess passwords? Oh hell no. Unsecured Wi-Fi networks? Gone. These are things I've been warning you about for years, but have you actually taken steps to make you and your family as safe as possible? Likely, the answer is, "no," and that's okay. It's not easy, and that's why we're here to help! “A smart home gadget is no different from your phone or your computer,” says Kelvin Coleman, executive director for the National Cyber Security Alliance. “If it’s vulnerable to being hacked, there are basic good housekeeping practices that should become second ... Read more

HOW TO: Hack back to school routine-rage with Alexa!

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For busy parents, back to school means back to juggling schedules, long school supply lists, and competing priorities. Luckily, Amazon's Alexa can help parents get back into the routine during that back to school transition. Here are few things to try:  ●      Stay stocked on back to school essentials and last-minute household items with Dash Buttons for things Ziplocs and Bounty. Click the button when you’re running low, and the product will be delivered right to your front door. ●      Don’t forget about that upcoming field trip, permission slip, or fundraiser. Just say “Alexa, remind me that I’m chaperoning a field trip next Monday at 8 am.” ●      Set a custom Routine for you and ... Read more

FTC Warning: Protect your child’s personal information

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***Note: The Federal Trade Commission sent out this article to sites and blogs like ours and asked that we share it with our readers. Written By Colleen Tressler, Consumer Education Specialist, FTC Many school forms require personal and sensitive information. Here are some tips for keeping your child’s personal information safe — from pre-school through college. Safeguard your child’s Social Security number (SSN). Don’t carry your child’s Social Security card with you, and don’t share it unless you know and trust the other party. Ask why it’s necessary and how it will be protected. Ask if you can use a different identifier, or use only the last four digits. Know your ... Read more

Back to School Gadgets: As Seen on Good Day New York

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Here are some fun gadgets to tech kids out: 1.   Go-To Safety Gadget: Relay - For Ages 6-11: (starting at $99, plus $6.99 monthly data charge) This is a screen-less, water-resistant device that works like a walkie-talkie and puts you in direct contact with your child, but with the connection of a smartphone. You can connect to your child’s Relay whenever you want from either an app on your smartphone or from another Relay device, and they can contact you by pressing the large button in the middle of the gadget. The Relay uses 4G LTE connectivity so you can check on them, and talk with them, whenever you want – from anywhere you want. 2. Nokia “Candy Bar” 3310 3G Phone ($60) Iconic – and ... Read more

These High-Tech Home Gadgets Will Instantly Upgrade Your Life

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If you own a home, there’s a good chance you’re working on some kind of fix-up project right about now. Americans spend more than $400 billion a year on residential renovations and repairs, according to a recent report from the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University — and June is one of the busiest times of the year for upgrades. Whether you’re fed up with a leaky washing machine, or trying to figure out which neighbor’s dog is using your lawn as a personal porta-potty, here are a handful of impressive, new AI-powered gadgets that can do most of the thinking — and even some of the heavy lifting — for you. TAKE A LOAD OFF Short of hiring a maid to do your laundry — we can ... Read more

GIFT GUIDE: Impress Pops With These Awesome Dad’s Day Gadgets!

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haPuMC6Vm_0 Impressing dad is easy if you’re a kid. Just ride your bike off a three-inch ramp without crashing and more likely than not he’ll be beaming with pride. But impressing pops as a full-fledged wage-earning adult is a whole other story. Lucky for us though, new gadgets are coming out at a faster pace than ever before, and this year, some budget-friendly choices are still unique, memorable, and even super helpful too. Here are my top Father’s Day gift picks for all kinds of dads. A BETTER WAY TO RECHARGE Sometimes the simplest gifts end up being used the most, and this 3-in-1 charging station ($29) will be dad’s gadget go-to when he’s ... Read more

GIFT GUIDE: Great gadget gifts for grads that they’ll totally love!

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***This story is from Jennifer's weekly columns and video segments for the USAToday Network.*** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xooy3Gg8csk Think back to your graduation, do you remember who gave you cash? I don’t. (And not just because I graduated a million years ago.) This cap-and-gown season, Americans are expected to spend more than $5.5 billion on gifts for high school and college grads. Cash in a card remains one of the most popular gifts, but it’s not the most memorable or even most useful in the long term. With my daughter graduating from high school this month, the pressure’s on to gift beyond cold, hard cash – and to find something truly meaningful, useful and just plain smart. ... Read more

#GiftingGoals for Mother’s Day 2019: Epic Gifts For All Kinds of Moms

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpfUxJsk7Vc Most moms I know “live in service and sacrifice to their children” 24/7. (I didn’t come up with that, Oprah did, see #7 on this list.) So it never hurts to go the extra mile to make her feel loved and appreciated. Of course, she’ll love your homemade card. And cry a few happy tears if you clean the bathroom without being asked. But if you — like more than 8 out of every 10 Americans — plan to spend a record amount of money on Mom this Mother’s Day, starting with this list is a genius move. #MomLife #TechLife Why? I’m a Mom who tests gadgets for a living. I also polled thousands of other Moms across social media, and then tried every single one ... Read more