Smart Tech

In July I had one of those Saturdays that was a paradox. The morning was spent mourning my Uncle. He was quite a character and could really spin a yarn. A few days before I had visited him with my wife and she noted how close to death he seemed. She was right. That afternoon I drove from the graveside of my uncle, to a park across town where I celebrated my grand daughter's third birthday. It really was the circle of life in one day.

At my Uncle’s funeral they showed a very nice slideshow which included quite a few photos I had never seen before. Photos with my grandfather (who died before I was born) and also unseen by me photos of my mother. I so wondered about the details of those photos and other family stories and now I may never know them, because he is gone. And memories my grandaughter will also never know. And is is a shame, because, as I said, he was a great story teller and there was a time he could remember exact dates and times of all sorts of events. Not so much his last few years, but there was a time.

I started to think about how many memories are lost to time because we haven’t taken the time to record them. At one time, people were prolific letter writers and we know a lot about our history because many of those letters were preserved. But not so much anymore. InBox Zero causes us to delete our emails. Our excuse today is, just, TIME. Taking the time. But technology has allowed us all to have the means. Many of our cameras, tablets and of course phones, record audio and video. We just need to take the time. So this episode I want to encourage you to take the time before it is gone, before it is too late.

1. Modern technology gives us the means

2. You need to make the time.

3. Use what you have, a smart phone works if placed appropriately.  You can also spend a little money and improve the audio quality immensley.  See the Amazon links below.

4. Don't know where to start, try these starter questions.  Just click the link to download a PDF version: tellmeaboutyourlife

5. Save the files to physical media (DVD, etc.) and in the cloud like to Evernote.

6. Share the Evernote link with interested friends and family.

7. Don't put things off.  Enjoy these memories with loved ones while you can.

Although the technology in this article is a bit dated, you might get some good ideas from the following article: http://www.instructables.com/id/Record-Your-Familys-Oral-History-before-it-dies-/

Not too long ago, protecting your children meant giving them a safe home and school environment.  It meant keeping them at least within earshot.  But no more.  The internet and especially the internet on smart phones and gaming devices, allows your children to unknowingly invite predators into your own home.  This opens children up to all sorts of abuse, from exposure to pornography, to sexting and ultimately to abduction and physical abuse.  Parents need to be vigilant!

On this episode of SmartTech, we look in depth at an article written by Felicia Alvarez where she identifies the 9 most dangerous apps for your child.  Don't be caught off guard!  This is vital information for parents, teachers, and anyone who even comes in contact with children.

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Felicia Alvarez 9 Most Dangerous Apps Article - Click HERE to read it!

Felicia Alvarez Blog - Click HERE to see what else she has written

Felicia Alvarez Facebook Page

Watch out for these Apps!  (And this is just scratches the surface!)

Whisper, YikYak, Kik, Viber, WhatsApp, TextNow, Poke, Wire, Wickr, Snapchat, Vine, ChatRoulette, Omegle, Tinder, Poof

I always liked James Bond, he not only got the women, but even better, he had all the cool high tech spy gadgets.  When I first saw the two devices I am going to talk about today, I thought of how far we have come and how some of this technology is available to the rest of us non-spys.  The first is your own personal observation camera and the second is the utility belt of phone cases.

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There are many surveillance cameras out on the market now, but the Simplicam caught my eye because of its price point and ease of use.  It also has several free real time services and a monthly fee option to record and store your surveillance photos and videos.  So what would you use a personal surveillance camera for?  How about keeping an eye on your house while you are away, or on a babysitter, or checking in on your place of business?  During the podcast I talk with a representative from the maker of Simplicam who explains about the camera and the web services available. Now if you ever watched old episodes of Hogans Heros or Mission Impossible, these guys carried small tool kits with them on their missions.  You never know when you have to pick a lock or disassemble or bomb or something.  They also had these small cool little cameras for taking pictures of classified documents.  We all have those cameras in our phones.  What if our tool kit could also be in our phones?  And what if these tool kits were TSA compliant so we could freely fly between all of our secret agent missions without hassle?  Well a company called Azadi has come up with an iPhone and Samsung Galaxy case called the IN1 Case, that not only has the obligatory kickstand, but a virtual swiss army knife inside. Pens, screwdrivers, a nail file, tweezers, scissors and a toothpick.  I also recently talked with a representative of the IN1 case for a brief explanation of their phone case and you can hear that in the podcast. This episode is probably not everything you need to be an effective spy, but we aim to give you a good start!   Please leave a comment or question in the comment section below and like this episode on your favorite social media by using the links at the top of this post.

Preorder a Simplicam HERE

Everything is “smart” now a days. Smart phones, smart cars, even smart refrigerators. So how about a smart pen?

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Another mega company has jumped into the mobile phone fray, Amazon. We haven’t really talked much on smarttech about Amazon, but we have talked ecosystems. When you buy a smartphone or computer or tablet you are buying into an ecosystem. Meaning, how well does this device work with other devices and with the types of digital services and apps we rely on? Thats why its important to try and figure out what you want to use your portable device for.

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For millinia, parents have been given the daunting task of motivating their children to do their chores. Today we explore the app Chore-inator and see if they can live up to the promise of making chores fun.

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