Few words are both nouns and verbs. Google is one of these. Before you say next say, “Let me google that," take a moment before you mindlessly type into the search box. You don’t even have to spell what you’re looking for correctly or completely. Just start typing. This begs the question, “Is Google making us stupid?” Or smarter? Here are eight tips for Google you’ll use every day. Curious about a particular word? No need to google Webster’s. Just type “define:” and the word. Google provides possible terms. Let’s say you type “define: volcano.” Without even clicking the spyglass, the page …
Hello to the dog days of summer. Maybe you can squeeze in a long weekend at a reasonably priced location before Labor Day. But where to go? Why the relatives' of course! Grandparents, mom and dad, aunts and uncles and cousins, the siblings? If your family is large and relatives live a distance from each other, the chance to attend your family reunion may still be ahead. Go! Even though it may be inconvenient to arrange, go. These opportunities are few. Relatives of all ages gather to catch up, tell the family stories, recount jokes and embarrassing moments, eat ridiculous amounts of food and …
Swimming, track and field, and gymnastics are classic Summer Olympic events. Who knew canoe and kayak, handball, and trampoline are as well? Beyond their playing surfaces, what is the difference between volleyball and beach volleyball? We’re about to find out, when the London Games begin on Friday, July 27 and end Sunday, August 12. The primary website, www.london2012.com, is the place to bookmark. Olympic Movement, NBC, ESPN and of course the BBC offer more content than you can consume. Summer Olympics assures variety with over 30 individual sports and glimpses into the preparation and …
There have been ample opportunities over the past weeks to be reminded of how much we rely on electricity. Perhaps the first few hours without power are okay, even possibly fun as we indulge in memories of camping. Then the need to hunker down sinks in, as we eat the second (or third) quart of softening ice cream and put another thawed steak on the grill. We intended to be better prepared for the next emergency, but oops! Where to start? Forewarned is forearmed. Local services, such as Fairfax County’s Community Emergency Alert Network (CEAN) provide traffic and weather notices to your phone…
Burke mother and entrepreneur Karina Garcia Neff, a native of Peru, has created an iPad application for kids. “I wanted to teach my children to embrace who they are and become connected to their heritage,” Neff wrote on her website, Mommy Americana. The result is Tonji, the Music Ambassador, an app for Apple's iPad, developed in conjunction with Neff's multilingual music album of the same name. Both aim to present culture and language through nursery rhymes. The app is available at the iTunes Store for $2.99. It currently features three songs, but will eventually include "the vast majority" …
I’ve not only accepted it; I’ve embraced it. Where do I go when I want to find the answer to a random question? My virtual speed dial is set to Google as my homepage and the connecting source for many of my social networks. And then there’s my other virtual speed dial source for all that’s social, Facebook. This Friday, May 18, is Facebook’s initial public offering (IPO). I’m hardly alone in my choices of “go to” sites for search and social. Now what if there was one place that excelled at both? Google I was entranced by its simplicity from the first time I saw the clean page with an empty…
Blue and yellow and red. That’s where it all begins. There’s something about the trees, flowers and grass greening up for the season that calls to me to pick up a crayon, pencil or marker and attempt to create their likeness. Technology has moved forward from the box of eight Crayola crayons that delighted us in pre–school to offering apps for our SmartPhones and Tablets. Three that span the basics to a social network are: Crayons 4 Kids, Drawing Pad and Draw Something. Crayons 4 Kids (copyright by stuartjmoore 2012) This app for Apple devices is simplicity itself. It’s just right for the …
The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit on April 4 against Apple, Hachette, HarperCollins, Simon & Shuster, Macmillan, and Penguin Group. The suit concerns pricing, specifically the over pricing, of eBooks. The root of the pricing issue began with Amazon’s $9.99 standard. Some of the defendants have settled; some remain. All this led me to consider the technical side of eBook publishing. Could someone publish their own writing as an eBook? And the answer is yes. We’ll introduce these three tools to convert your text and images into an eBook: Adobe® Digital Publishing Suite, Apple’s iBooks …
The Easter Bunny is known for cleverly hiding eggs for children to find, but he’s not alone in his ability to conceal treasures in almost plain sight. Geocaching is a year-round opportunity for people to participate in a grown-up version of hunting for eggs. Geocaching takes hide and seek to greater heights through GPS technology and clues provided in the quest to find the cache. It also expands treasure hunting to a larger geographic scale. Essentially, this involves someone hiding a cache and providing clues for others to find it. Anyone can hide a cache, which is another name for whatever…
How many times have you purchased a favorite song? I can hardly count the number of purchases I’ve made of “My Generation” by the Who. The first was the vinyl album Who’s Next in the 1970s. Then there was the CD version in the 1980s, the iTunes music download in the 00s and most recently we’ve become reacquainted via Pandora, Spotify and NPR Music. Pandora “At Pandora, we have a single mission: To play only music you'll love,” reports their website. Personalized, mobile and free are their watchwords. Listen to your favorites and enlist the Music Genome Project to discover new music. Pandora …
February 14 is not the only day to think of hearts and flowers and the one you love. American Heart Month lasts all 28 days or in this Leap Year all 29 days. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in America. Every year, nearly 800,000 have a first heart attack and almost 500,000 experience a second or additional heart attack. While telling the ones you love how much they mean to you, consider how much you mean to them. Here are some lifestyle areas to consider to help your heart. Number 1 is check with…
I admit it. Despite my fondness for Renaissance sculpture, Johann Sebastian Bach’s music, and Gothic architecture, there’s an entirely different set of interests lurking. Televised football games, contests for ballroom dancing, and of course some reality shows too weird to mention snag my time and attention. I suspect I’m not alone. While the content of television shows arguably isn’t improving, the devices we use to watch them are changing. Last week’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas highlighted new television technologies, which have become viable options for use in our homes…
Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and now Google+. Let’s be honest. Initially it is fun to find people you’ve lost contact with during the crush of daily life. One of you sends a request. The other accepts. You share “since we last spoke” and they reciprocate. Good memories. Good times. Then what? There is something powerful about social networks and the connectedness they provide. Google+ launched June 28, 2011 and six months later had an estimated user base of 62 million, according to Google+ Users Estimated at 62 Million. Google has assembled the pieces needed to be the major force in content …
The wrappings are hardly off the holiday gifts and a new tech tool emerges. The tech news of the week is that ultrabooks are on the cusp of filling the void between the full-size laptop and the tablet. There are just a few more items to check off the delivery list. Ultrabooks sound suspiciously like netbooks. Toshiba, Acer, Hewlett-Packard and a handful of others started offering “notebook” computers in 2007. These lighter, smaller, and cheaper alternatives to the traditional laptop provided much promise in moving us along toward more mobile computing. Christened “netbooks”, notebook …
As 2011 approaches its end, we enter the traditional big push for charitable giving. A favorite memory is my father handing me a few coins on our way out of the grocery store to put in a red metal bucket. Next to the bucket was a man cheerfully (and tirelessly) ringing a hand bell. He thanked everyone who put money in the bucket and wished everyone, whether or not they gave, a “Merry Christmas.” When I got older and could read the sign, it said “Salvation Army.” Those bells and red buckets are a consistent reminder to give to others, especially as we rush to get one more thing checked …
Is it possible to make an online service based on 140 character messages even simpler? Twitter thinks so. As 2011 draws to a close, Twitter is gifting all of its users with a new look. The “Let’s Fly” entry in Twitter’s blog summarizes their intent. “We’ve simplified the design to make it easier than ever to follow what you care about, with others and discover something new. You’ll see this new design both on Twitter.com and mobile phones, so that you’ll have a familiar experience anytime, anywhere.” They have created video and clear explanatory text on what’s what and to generate excitement…
Call it a serious dose of nostalgia: During December’s lead up to Christmas, high tech doesn’t take center stage for me. The Nat King Cole Christmas album my parents cherished is playing—granted it is the iTunes version instead of the 33-1/3 LP. I open the fresh box of holiday cards, uncap the fountain pen and begin to write, in long-hand, our holiday cards. I verify postal addresses using the contacts list on my SmartPhone. This year’s holiday stamps are affixed. Stickers with trees, festive birds and St. Nick himself double seal the back of the envelope. All are now ready to be physically…
Holiday spending has begun with the biggest bang on record in the world of ecommerce. ComScore Inc., the Internet tracking firm which happens to be located in Fairfax County, reports that Americans spent $816 million online on Black Friday and $1.25 billion on Cyber Monday. If you missed participating in the online shopping frenzy thus far, never fear. There are still good deals to be had on products, services and events this holiday season and all year round. Burke boasts both your favorite Mom and Pop stores and large chain stores like Target, Walmart and Kohls. Many offer coupons online as…
Holidays are famous for time spent with family and friends around a dinner table. This makes for memorable images (think Norman Rockwell), but what do you do on Day Two? Family and friends may still be sharing the same space and the jubilant feeling of the previous day’s holiday may be losing its warm fuzziness. Keep the spirit alive by getting those priceless family photos and videos online while they are still fresh. Check out Facebook, Flickr, or Picasa. Re-live (and embellish) this year’s Thanksgiving highlights with those who couldn’t be with you in person. Try Skype, FaceTime, or Tango …
One eye on the road, the other on the speedometer, and the third trying to read the tiny print of the name of the artist currently singing on your mp3 player plugged into your car’s sound system. The times – while driving your car – are indeed a’ changing. No more sitting back and maybe briefly daydreaming. Now be more safe and productive while multi-tasking behind the wheel. It is heartening to see Cadillac and Ford, two great American-made brands, competitively developing and deploying new technologies alongside European and Asian brands. The focus is on driver safety. The added benefit…
