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  Geebo 11:11 am on November 18, 2016 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: cycling, Dyson Award, EcoHelmet, Isis Shiffer, technology ( 7 )   

  Paper bike helmet: way of the future? 

  

  A woman by the name of Isis Shiffer just won the James Dyson Award for her invention of a paper bike helmet called the EcoHelmet. Ms. Shiffer came up with the idea for the helmet after visiting cities that have bike share programs but she didn’t want to keep buying a helmet at each city. She also noted that helmets are bulky and inconvenient to carry around. The collapsible form factor of the helmet make it more portable and more convenient to carry around.

  This isn’t just a paper hat, when the EcoHelmet unfolds, its honeycomb design helps protects the users’ heads from impact. However, they’re not designed to be a permanent helmet though. Wear and tear and weather conditions will cause the helmet to need to be replaced. Ms Shiffer manufactured the helmet relatively cheaply with recycled materials so the price shouldn’t take too much of a bite out of bikers’ wallets.

  A lot of cyclists don’t even wear helmets due to them being so cumbersome when not wearing them. Ms. Shiffer herself admits that getting people to use a disposable helmet made out of paper, but hopefully the convenience of it will cause more people to protect their heads.

   

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  Geebo 11:02 am on November 17, 2016 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Christmas ( 15 ), dangerous toys, toys ( 2 ), watchdog groups   

  Watchdog group releases list of dangerous toys 

  

  In what has become an annual holiday season tradition, a watchdog group has released a list of the most dangerous toys being sold. While it’s been decades since the infamous lawn dart controversy, the toys on this year’s list don’t really seem that dangerous.

  All the toys listed have the potential to cause injury, but it seems that they would need to fit into some Rube Goldberg type situation for them to actually cause harm. Just about any object has the potential to do harm to children it’s up to the parent to make sure that their children know how to use them properly. Parents should be more concerned about the manufacturing process of some toys considering the lead paint threat from recent history.

  That’s not to say these lists are without merit. Without these watchdog groups looking out for us and our children we may unaware of legitimate threats from toys when they do happen.

   
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  Geebo 11:32 am on November 16, 2016 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Apple ( 34 ), book, Designed by Apple in California, marketing ( 3 )   

  Apple releasing $300 picture book of Apple products 

  

  There’s no question that Apple is a master of marketing. They have carefully cultivated a devout group of followers that will wait in line for every product they sell. Considering that the return of a peach emoji that looks like a human backside to iOS is newsworthy means that they have a highly dedicated fan base. Now would probably be a good time to point out that the word ‘fan’ is short for fanatic.

  Now it seems that Apple is really counting on their fanatics out there as they are releasing a $300 picture book that contains 450 pictures of nothing but Apple products. The book, entitled ‘Designed by Apple in California’, is also bound and linen and in true Apple style will come in 3 separate sizes.

  Is this something that you think is worth buying or is Apple the new P.T. Barnum? How long will it be before Apple charges for the Apple Egress?

   
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  Geebo 12:01 pm on November 15, 2016 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Christmas ( 15 ), hatchimals ( 2 ), must have toys ( 3 ), NES Classic Edition ( 2 )   

  The must have holiday toys are already gone 

  

  It seems that the Christmas season starts earlier and earlier each year and with it always come the ‘must have’ item of the season. Visiting the ghosts of Christmas Past some of us might remember the Tickle Me Elmo craze of the 1990s or the Cabbage Patch Kid rush of the 1980s. The 2010s are no exception as this years most wanted toy is a questionably cute toy called a Hatchimal.

  Hatchimals come in the shape of egg, the more a child plays with it the more the toy ‘matures’, eventually growing into a toddler version of itself. While it normally retails for $60 some people who we’ll refer to as Grinches, have been selling the toys at a steep profit climbing into the four figure range. Another item that’s been flying off the shelves is the the Nintendo NES Classic which we featured here.

  So what happens if you can’t get the hot toy of the year? Some experts believe that this would be a good life lesson for your child and will eventually make them less greedy and more appreciative of the gifts they do receive. Others suggest getting your child ‘an experience’ rather than a toy that they’ll eventually get bored with.

  So even if you don’t get the hot ticket item this year there are still many ways for you and your family to have a joyous holiday season.

  The Christmas of broken Hatchimals | Greg's Corner is discussing. Toggle Comments

   
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  Geebo 12:37 pm on November 14, 2016 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: internet ( 9 ), politics ( 16 ), representation, Shereef Bishay   

  Democracy 2.0: Please share this video 

  

  Rather than getting on YouTube and simply complaining about the outcome of the election, tech influencer Shereef Bishay has come up with a plan that he feels will not only give everyday citizens direct representation in congress but our opinions will actually matter. In his YouTube video entitled ‘Upgrading our democracy’ Mr. Bishay refers to democracy as an operating system that is in desperate need of an upgrade.

  In his plan Mr. Bishay suggests there should be a web portal where we vote on the issues facing congress today that go straight to our representatives. However, if we don’t want to vote on every issue we can give our votes to proxies who can vote on our behalf. The example that Mr. Bishay gives is that you can give your vote to the Sierra Club if you care about environmental issues.

  The problem is that our current representation are more beholden to lobbyists and special interest groups rather than their constituents and can vote on issues any way they see fit. Mr Bishay has a suggestion for that as well. He believes that there should be an internet candidate to congress who should be legally bound to vote as the way the constituents he or she represents have voted. He suggests we should have these internet candidates in all congressional races until all the old guard is removed and the new system is patched, as he calls it.

  He does into more detail in his video below and would like to see his video shared on Facebook at least 1000 times before he puts in money himself then starts a Kickstarter campaign to get the ball rolling. Please watch the reasonably short video in its entirety.

  Are there flaws in Mr. Bishay’s plan, of course there are. There are flaws in almost any plan, and there are definitely too many flaws in the way today’s political system works. We’ve been using the same form of representation for over 200 years and our technology has vastly surpassed that system. Isn’t it time to bring the two on par?

  Please share Mr. Bishay’s video today.

   
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  Geebo 11:12 am on November 11, 2016 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: veterans ( 8 ), Veterans Day ( 2 )   

  Honoring our veterans on Veterans Day 

  

  Today, as I’m sure you know, is Veterans Day. It was originally known as Armistice Day to celebrate the ending of World War I. In the US, it was later changed to Veterans Day to honor all the veterans who fought in all US wars.

  According to the US Census there are 18.8 million veterans in the US today. A number of them need assistance with mental healthcare due to PTSD and too many of them are currently homeless.

  Maybe this year, especially with the amount of division in our country right now, we should pledge to do more to help our veterans, not just for one day, but all year round. Volunteer, or donate, or do what you can to help our veterans who are in need of assistance.

  As civilians we should be more than happy to assist those who fought for our country and need our help. They have given so much and gotten so little in return where they should be on our minds all year-long.
   
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  Geebo 12:00 pm on November 10, 2016 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Samsung ( 4 ), smart phones ( 14 )   

  Can Samsung bounce back with a ‘flip’ phone? 

  

  If you’ve flown anywhere in the US lately, you’ve probably heard the warning that it’s illegal to fly with a Samsung Galaxy Note 7. In case you haven’t heard, the Galaxy Note 7 has had some minor issues with occasionally bursting into flames at the most inopportune times. Even though that there have been recalls of the phone and apologies from Samsung it’s been a PR nightmare for the South Korean phone company.

  A lot of people in the financial and tech worlds have been saying that it’s going to take a long time for Samsung to get back to where it was as a leader in the smart phone industry. It may not take them too long with the development of a new flip phone. They don’t mean your old early 2000s flip phone that was so satisfying to close to hang up on someone, but a new foldable smart phone.

  According to reports Samsung will be releasing a phone next year that’s not only foldable but has a hinge on the back that possibly can be slid up and down the length of the phone making it foldable just about anywhere on the phone. What remains to be seen is whether or not a foldable phone is something the public will want or just another cell phone gimmick that will fail to catch on?

   
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  Geebo 11:24 am on November 9, 2016 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Election ( 21 ), politics ( 16 )   

  In the wake of the election comes the opportunity to reconcile 

  

  As the saying goes, it’s all over but the shouting, and boy is there shouting. Today, half of us are acting like this is the Apocalypse, while the other half of us are gloating like Emperor Palpatine when he revealed that the second Death Star was full operational. While this has been a very divisive election it’s not the worst thing to happen to our country.

  If you think this election is bad, consider the election of Abraham Lincoln. You may ask, what was so bad about the election of one of our greatest presidents of all time. Well, Lincoln’s election was the impetus for the South to secede and ignite the country into civil war. It is highly doubtful that this election will result in the hundreds of thousands American citizens killing each other over political belief.

  Instead of digging in further to our comfortable echo chambers either, commiserating or celebrating with like-minded people, we should get to know our friends who think differently than we do. Not everyone on the other side from the political spectrum from you is a stereotype of whatever political ideology they subscribe to. As a country we need the more rational of us to come together and work together to keep the country from being even more divisive. We need to set an example to show those who need more convincing that the American people can be united and work together.

  If we keep practicing ignorance and intolerance, and yes all parties on the political spectrum can be accused of both, it will always be politics as usual, and even more people will become disenfranchised.

  Now is the greatest opportunity for civility to become the order of the day in so we can really make our country greater than it ever has been.

   
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  Geebo 9:18 am on November 8, 2016 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Election ( 21 ), Google ( 33 ), lyft ( 15 ), politics ( 16 ), Uber ( 25 ), voting ( 5 )   

  Get out and vote! 

  

  It’s finally here. Today is election day in what is possibly the most important and controversial election in decades. While we’re not here to tell you who to vote for, we do have some information to help you along with the voting process.

  NBC News has a guide to some helpful tech tips for the election including some helpful apps and how to find your voting place with your smart phone. Speaking of technical tips, Google is claiming that they will have election results as soon as the respective polls are closed.

  In case you need a ride to the polls, ride sharing services like Uber and Lyft are offering either free or discounted rides.

  If you’re thinking about foregoing voting today because you’re afraid the election will be hacked, you can put that thought out of your head. Not only is the government on high alert for such an attack, the real threat to hacking the election is good old-fashioned misinformation and misdirection.

  Lastly, please don’t forget that if you’re in line to vote when the polls close they still have to let you vote.

  Now you have no excuses, get out and vote as every vote really does count, especially in this crucial election.

   
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  Geebo 10:58 am on November 7, 2016 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: detectives, Fraud ( 4 ), social media ( 88 )   

  The social network detectives 

  

  With the advent and ubiquity of social media most people have to worry about embarrassing photos of themselves from being disseminated into the social stream. It’s not unheard of that a drunken picture posted by a friend on MySpace back in the day to cost someone a job or other opportunities.

  Now imagine that you’re trying to commit workman’s comp or disability fraud. You would think that these fraudsters would keep their activities off of social media. Then again, no one ever said that criminals were smart. CBS/CNET has a great article about how a group of claims investigators use social networking tools to investigate these types of fraud.

  The amazing thing from that article is the lengths people will go to try to disguise their identity so they can commit fraud and continue to post their daily lives on social media. For example, one man claimed he had an injury where he was unable to walk, yet he was posting on social media about how he was running marathons. Gotta get that 26.2 sticker I guess.

  What is it about social media that makes people not only over-share details of their lives that could put them in potential danger, but in some cases they risk jail time? The 1970s were called the ‘me decade’ since so many people were looking to improve their own lives through what was then new and unconventional means. Maybe the 2010s should be called the Me Decade II since so many of our lives are driven by likes and subscribers.