Techstination

New partnership to help teachers & parents plan what's next in online education.   University of Phoenix  College of Education Dean Pam Roggeman on partnership with Blackboard.

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear.  I’m Fred Fishkin.  Brian Donnelly is a retired teacher and tinkerer.  Now keep in mind he has been working on his invention since long before the days of Covid-19.  And the invention is called Blow Out Pal.  A cake cover that holds candles….so the person blowing them out…in the midst of a Happy Birthday chorus….doesn’t contaminate the cake with an assortment of germs of saliva.  How did the idea germinate..

“About eight or nine years ago I was driving down Main Street in my home town and like a bolt from the blue this idea just came into my head.  And what inspired it, I don’t know.”

But here he is on Indiegogo raising funds to begin production of BlowOut Pal.  Make sure you check out the hilarious online video.  You can get in early for twenty dollars.

You can find us at Techstination.com.  I’m Fred Fishkin.

The story behind the app controlled Muro Box music box: Co-founder Shiao-Chen Tsai chats with Techstination.

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear.  I’m Fred Fishkin.  3Doodler is the name of a company that has had success creating a pen based 3D printer…  And the company’s latest device…3D Build and Play …is designed to be safe for kids as young as 4…and will be priced at just 30 dollars.  Co-founder Max Bogue says the idea here is to unleash creativity…and ease of use…

“We created these molds that have holes in them and it’s almost like an injection molding system that the kids can then use to fill in the molds and then put pieces together.  So we moved to a hand crank device that they could have more control in a sense.  And we developed it in a way that let us switch the handle that’s good for lefties and righties.”

And the materials for creating are actually food grade safe.  3D Build and Play is scheduled to arrive this spring or early summer.

You can find us at Techstination.com.  I’m Fred Fishkin.

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear.  I’m Fred Fishkin.   Shadows Edge is the name of a mobile game designed for teens to help them express feelings and cope with a range of problems…including the Covid-19 pandemic.  It was created by the Digging Deep Organization…where CEO Rosemary Lokhorst says…

“We rooted the game in the principles of narrative therapy and artistic expression.  And taking those principles we created a game world that is a city that is hit by a storm and you as a player have the quest to help save that city and bring its citizens back.”

The Shadow’s Edge game, available on iOS and Android…is free and designed for thirteen year olds and up.  The origins are in a book…Digging Deep: A Journal for Young People Facing Health Challenges.  Find more at www.ShadowsEdge.com.

You can find us at Techstination.com.  I’m Fred Fishkin.

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear.  I’m Fred Fishkin.  More people working from home may be the new norm…and being able to communicate by voice or video…is often vital.  Jabra has upped its game once again with new Evolve2 headsets…designed for voice quality…and impressive sound.  The Evolve 2 65 headset features passive noise cancelling.  You can find active noise cancelling in the Evolve 2 85.  Product Marketing Manager Sidsel Enghoff..

“It is an over the head, over the ear, wearing style.  So you really create that great seal around the ear to block out as much noise as possible so you can stay in your concentration zone also when you work from home whether you have barking dogs in the background or kids wanting your attention or something like that.”

Sound familiar?  Head to www.jabra.com for more.

You can find us at Techstination.com.  I’m Fred Fishkin.

Techstination Week is a compilation of this week's Techstination reports with tech journalist and host Fred Fishkin.

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear.  I’m Fred Fishkin.  How have you been getting by during the Covid-19 pandemic.  For many people…the economic impact has overshadowed the health risks.  For most…it has upended life as we knew it.  For me…attending an online memorial service for a long time friend who died from the virus…was hard to take.  On the plus side…online get togethers and storytimes with dispersed family members have been fun.  At Lief Therapeutics…a telemedicine platform…they have partnered with Genoa Telepsychiatry  for online mental health care.  CEO Rohan Dixit says that service is combined with a wearable device…

“A smart patch that essentially measures your heart rate, your breathing patterns and it can tell when you’re in a state of high stress, high anxiety.”

And the companion app can teach you to lower your stress levels.   Head to www.getlief.com for more.

You can find us at Techstination.com.  I’m Fred Fishkin.

ZVOX brings AccuVoice, comfort and affordability to AV50 headphones: CEO Tom Hannaher chats with Techstination.

Amazon says with safety precautions deliveries returning to normal.   Amazon's Rena Lunak in Techstination interview.