Technology helps us manage family life in many ways. It's hard to imagine being a parent without email and cell phones (though our parents managed just fine), and I've written about TiVO and iPod as transformational technologies for parents in my book, Mojo Mom.
And yet, I sit here on the brink of mental information overload, and physical gadget overload.
The sure sign that this situation has passed the tipping point is that I frequently find myself using one phone to call the other, usually to find my Blackberry as I fly out of the house. It goes both ways though, mobile to landline and vice-versa. I've pitched the idea of a "cordless phone tether" to several friends, and they've all said it was a good idea, before realizing that it was a joke about the fact that we already have corded phones.
Three other signs: First, the proliferation of gadgets and their docks/rechargers/adapters has formed an impenetrable layer in my desk drawer. It's hard to know when it is time to part with each of these accessories. Many of the adapters look nearly identical but have slightly different connectors, creating a confusing mass that is quickly approaching junk.
... Read moreCNET is all about the newest gadgets around, but looking around my home office, one beloved dinosaur stands out among the new devices. I still use the first laser printer I ever bought, a Hewlett-Packard LaserJet 5MP. I remember studying reviews in the spring of 1996 and sweating the extra $100 I kicked in to buy the HP printer rather than the slightly less fancy Apple model I was considering. That was an investment that was well-worth the marginal cost.
It's been almost 12 years and that HP LaserJet has produced all the drafts needed for one Ph. D. thesis, two books, one screenplay, and countless thousands of other small projects. It still works great. The only problem is that I haven't dared try to hook it up to my current iMac, so I have kept around an old PowerBook circa 2002 to serve as the printer's liaison. Why not try to hook it up? I hadn't even thought of it much before today. I suppose I could give it a shot (it has USB and may be compatible with Mac OSX) but my old setup has the air of superstition, "it just works, so don't mess with it."
Now I know that planned obsolescence is part of the process with devices (whether or not that is a truly wise idea) but I want HP to know that their great performance with this old LaserJet has led me to buy other HP printers to serve as an inkjet all-in-one. I am thankful that the laser toner cartridges still work in my ancient model. I don't have any expectation of receiving support for repair when things finally do go wrong, but I'll keep using it until it konks out. Ironically, the thing that may give out first is one of the lowest-tech parts: the plastic paper tray, which is developing strange grooves and doesn't like to slide in any more.
Is it just me, or do any of you have critical devices on your desktop that you aren't ready to give up, even if they are awkwardly kluged together to keep them going?
One more quick CES-inspired post:
Work-life balance may seem a bit off-topic from parenting and technology, but if you are like me, your "digital leash" is a large part of both work and family life. It's mostly a blessing, but can be a curse when you find yourself pulled in so many different directions that you feel that you aren't doing anything well. Nonetheless, I had gotten so used to the idea that blending job and family in the most flexible way was always a good strategy that it took a trip to CES to remind me that sometimes you just have to throw yourself into one thing at a time.
There is no "balance" at CES. It's a nonstop parade of sight and sound, inescapable sensory overload. Even when you leave the convention floor you have the buzz of Las Vegas surrounding you. But as a CNET freelancer, I had an amazing time. In four days, I was able to collect enough ideas and leads to fuel months' worth of blogging. The biggest challenge was taking time away from roaming the displays to sit down and write. I knew I couldn't possibly see everything but I wanted to try.
It was a luxury to step away from family life for just a few days and wear my journalist hat without juggling the other responsibilities of being a mother, wife and daughter. For those of you who are in a similar situation, wondering which work-life style might work best for you, I highly recommend the new book CEO of Me: Creating a Life that Works in the Flexible Job Age, which takes a fresh look at a variety of options. Flexibility is an important tool, but structure and support are also valuable strategies that can help create a plan that is satisfying and sustainable for each family member.
View complete CES 2008 coverage from CNET.
CES 2008 is waking up and quickly accelerating to a fever pitch. I walked through a convention hall the size of an airport terminal (one of about 10 such halls) to get to the CNET office, and I can tell you there are a lot of companies who are hoping to sell you a flat-screen TV.
The question that formed in my mind during yesterday's media prevew is, What does it take to motivate consumers in today's bountiful tech marketplace? The manufacturers have a daunting task ahead of them. One of their biggest challenges is that frankly, consumer electronics have reached a level of such high quality that it takes a lot to convince everyday people to ditch the $2000 TV they bought two years ago to upgrade to the latest and greatest model.
This dynamic is playing out right now in the battle between HD DVD and Blu-Ray DVD. While the industry is buzzing with the latest developments about which platform is gaining the upper hand, many consumers like me are sitting on their existing DVD collection, thinking that the picture already looks pretty darn good.
I have several suggestions for companies as they try to turn enthusiasts into customers:
... Read moreView complete CES 2008 coverage from CNET.
The buying is done, the presents have been unwrapped, the after-sales have yet to begin. I've dragged myself out of my Christmas-dinner-induced food coma long enough to ask which Christmas gadgets were hits, and which were disappointing lumps of coal?
Flytech Dragonfly
Good thing this is a family blog because most of our gadgets were toys. Our 8-year old loved the WowWee Flytech Radio Control Dragonfly. She was able to overlook the fact that this toy was marketed to boys. After all, who wouldn't love a dragonfly? I spent the day wondering whether we'd make our way up the learning curve to work the controller before the dragonfly self-destructed during normal use. Yes, the dragonfly has to be ultralight, but with a styrofoam body and plastic fasteners (key elements that repeatedly popped off on "landing") we'll be lucky if the dragonfly lasts until New Year's Day. I was truly unimpressed by the remote control's engineering, particularly the connection between the remote's power cord and the dragonfly's body. The microscopic connection was hard to see and difficult to engage. Within a couple of hours I had to straighten out the connector pins. The good news is that dragonfly does fly, and one one spectacular run I actually got it stuck on our house's roof. My bad--thankfully we were able to back it out of the gutter via remote. My daughter is thrilled with the toy. I found it disappointing but maybe that's because at $40 a pop I am wondering how many minutes of fun we'll get out of this purchase.
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You won't read this in the glossy ads of a pregnancy magazine, but motherhood often leaves women feeling burned out, disappointed at times, and confused about who they are anymore.
As a writer on this topic, one of my major conclusions is that it's not our reality that is necessarily so difficult, but rather the gap between our expectations and reality that drives us crazy.
BabyPlus ad from Fit Pregnancy magazine
What creates this gap? It begins with the romanticization of motherhood, the buildup to the "big day" of childbirth, like the idealization of a wedding as opposed to the reality of a marriage. Mothers-to-be are marketed to like crazy, and I am concerned that high-tech gadgets have a particular role in this problem. The marketing of gadgets raises the bar of expectation even higher, and gadgets tend to promise new parents an unrealistic level of control and certainty.
Take the BabyPlus "prenatal education system." Hey, I guess a regular baby isn't good enough any more. You need to produce a baby PLUS. This little pod is the latest gadget that a pregnant woman is supposed to strap to her belly to give her fetus a jump-start on academic achievement. The device "introduces patterns of sound to the unborn child in only the language he or she understands - the maternal heartbeat." The promised benefits include better sleep, better nursing, more self-soothing...right up to improved school readiness.
Now I can't say whether this program has any effect or not, but the marketing really bothers me.
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On Thursday BBC News gave us a child's view of the $100 laptop. The article reads like a techie version of Jim Carrey's breakout movie The Mask, with Rufus Cellan-Jones as the star. The laptop, which came by way of Nigeria, unleashes incredible intuition and abilities in young Cellan-Jones:
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Flying monkeys from firstSTREETonline.com
It's getting down to the wire for holiday gift-giving. I am afraid I missed the boat for making recommendations in time for Hanukkah, and I am just starting on my Christmas list. With online shopping, I go right down to the deadline that regular shipping service can handle.
I've been looking for some cool gift ideas for the grandparents in our lives. The seniors I know are fairly tech-savvy in at least one area of their lives, if not totally enamored with gadgets. My Mom still doesn't like her cell phone but she is an eBay maven, for example.
So it's been fun thinking about what kinds of gadgets they might enjoy, and I have found a great source for gift-giving. The firstSTREET catalog specializes in gadgets aimed "at Boomers and Beyond." Interestingly, the business started out as more of a general gadget catalog, but as its buyers began to skew older, firstSTREET evolved its offerings to appeal to this emerging market. After all, catering to Baby Boomers is following the money.
Bestsellers include gadgets to improve sound quality on TV speakers and phones, and there are also plenty of gift ideas for family members of all ages. I might just have to see just how much fun a Flying Screaming Monkey toy can be.
Cute, but ask parents before gifting.
Tech toys are all the rage this holiday gift-giving season, and I have a request for all the cool, creative, and wired aunts, uncles, and friends who are choosing presents for the kids in their lives. Please consult with parents before you buy a child a high-tech gift, especially any toy or gadget that has an online connection.
Just as you wouldn't spring a puppy on a family as a surprise, you should check in with parents before you give a tech toy. I can testify on behalf of frazzled parents, even those of us with a techie bent ourselves, that we are dancing as fast as we can to keep up with the implications of computers, gadgets, and online communication for our kids.
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My First Computer, for ages 3 to 6
(Credit: LeapFrog)
The New York Times' Technology section leads with the story headlined "For Toddlers, Toy of Choice Is Tech Device," declaring:
Cellphones, laptops, digital cameras and MP3 music players are among the hottest gift items this year. For preschoolers.
On the plus side, retailers and toymakers have learned that children are not satisfied with fake gadgets. Hooray for authenticity!
On the minus side...
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