DadTalk

Who Knew It Was So Easy?

While working on a blog post about video learning sites, I came across How To Make A Burning Laser Flashlight on VideoJug. Now, you may be confused during the first minute of the video or concerned the project is too complicated, but I urge you to watch it until the end for the punch line. Can you say shock and awe? Can you say totally irresponsible yet strangely fascinating?

Additional

Make The New 007 Laser Weapon

Old Light Bulbs Redesigned

Could good news be coming to the world of light bulbs? As you may know, energy efficient compact fluorescents have a nasty problem: they contain small amounts of the neurotoxin mercury. And while LED lights are more efficient than CFLs, they are generally too expensive. Aesthetically speaking, both types of light bulbs emit odd color tones that seriously complicate taking indoor pictures and make my wife’s skin appear green.

So it came as a surprise to me that manufacturers are working hard to make energy efficient incandescent light bulbs, reports The New York Times. While these new bulbs don’t save quite as much energy as the two competitors, there seems to be room for significant improvement.

Philip’s is already selling Halogena Energy Savers at Home Depot and on Amazon. The bulbs go for about $5 a piece, but it takes time for new products to come down in price. But researchers are working on a variety of improvements that may soon find their way into homes.

Just the thought of an efficient bulb that doesn’t use mercury and puts off decent light brightens my day.

Want to Learn More About Twitter?

If you don’t, I understand. I mean, enough is enough already. On the other hand, Twitter is getting hard to run away from. If you want to learn more, go to my other site for an article on how to make the most of Twitter.

Can Kindle Save Newspapers?

This was written for my new website at WriteThru.

While the easy-to-read flat screens now being sold by Amazon are definitely a step in the right direction, technology can only save an industry if the revenue model makes sense.

Consider these drawbacks:

1. Consumers either have to pony up $489 to buy one of the devices OR sign up for a lengthy subscription to get a discounted device, reports the Los Angeles Times.
2. Amazon wants 70 percent of the subscription revenue from newspaper sales, reports Endgadget. Worse: Amazon also gets permission to republish content on other devices, such as the iphone.
3. If consumers must buy multiple subscriptions – ranging from $5.99 to $13.99 a month – to get news from EACH source, which content companies will be left out in the cold? Perhaps local news providers?
4. Do the math: News producers will get only $1.7 to $4.197 a month if they’re getting only 30 percent of the revenue.

What Was I Thinking?

Because I’ve just launched WriteThru.com, which offers free webinars to media professionals seeking to enhance their technology skills, I’m going to cross-post my “explainer” here on DadTalk. Please feel free to spread the word about WriteThru … I can use the help!

I LEFT THE LOS ANGELES TIMES knowing an economic storm was coming, but I had no idea just how hard the media world would be hit. I figured there would be layoffs at newspapers beyond those of the late 1980s and early 1990s, but then mistakenly hoped that the market would stabilize.

Today, I find it heartbreaking to see so many hard-working colleagues and friends suddenly wondering how to pick up the pieces of their damaged careers. PaperCuts counts nearly 16,000 newspaper jobs lost in the United States in 2008 alone and nearly 9,000 more so far this year. And by all accounts, TV, radio and magazine employees all have been equally pummeled.

But I do not believe that professional journalism will die. Hints of what might emerge are seeping through. Think ProPublica. Think VoiceofSanDiego. Consider the possibilities of electronic ink/paper. I don’t know exactly what form this golden era of journalism will materialize, but I do know that many of the journalists who are losing their jobs today will help launch this renaissance.

How Much Privacy Should Parent’s Grant Kids’ Digital Life?

Scenario: Your 13-year-old daughter comes home from school, runs crying up to her bedroom with cell phone in hand.

Do you:

1. Go up and talk to your daughter but don’t ask to see the message on the phone.
2. Demand to see the messages on the phone.
3. Go back to making dinner and pretend nothing happened.

Happily for me, I’m still years away from having to make that decision. My oldest is only 6, and he does not have cell phone or even Internet connectivity.

But eventually, I, like many parents, will face unhappy technology scenarios and subsequent “values” decisions. The key question in my mind: how intrusive of privacy should parents be when it comes to technology?

Consider the latest social/legal conundrum facing authorities and parents in Greensburg, Pa. There, three teenage girls sent nude photos of themselves via cell phone to teenage boys, reports The New York Times.

Let’s Shed Some Light on Clean Energy Options

Although solar cells are technologically exciting, there’s another way to convert sunlight into energy. Stirling generators can convert heat energy into electricity without the use of toxic chemicals.

Essentially, all you need are large mirrors, a Stirling engine, a little bit of reusable hydrogen gas, some water to wash the mirrors, engine oil and a lot of land. There are several companies around the world that have worked hard to take advantage of this technology.

Stirling Energy Systems, headquartered in Phoenix, is building two large solar plants in California, for example. The above picture is what these solar generators look like.

Just one of these engines can produce enough energy – about 55,000 KWh of electricity – to power about a dozen homes each year. The efficiency of these machines is impressive, reaching a conversion rate of 31.25 percent, reports Popular Mechanics.

But as I wrote earlier this month, there always, always seems to be a downside to energy production. As you can see from this picture, it takes a LOT of solar engines to make enough electricity to feed our energy needs. While one looks cool, lots of them are kind of unattractive.

This solar farm is in a fairly desolate spot in the Mohave Desert where the general population is not likely to complain about aesthetics. But the solar project, which has been winning clean energy awards, has a new problem: a California judge “struck down plans to build a high power transmission line (through a national park,) effectively dooming the massive solar initiatives set to be built in the desert,” reports Daily Tech.

A Toy for Dad’s Day

In recent years, I’ve said no to gifts on Father’s Day and even my birthday. We have enough financial pressures – and clutter – as it is.

Yesterday, though, my wife surprised me with a handheld Play Station – God of War edition. Part of the fun for me is figuring out how these things work without looking at the instructions. I only looked at one page – to enter my name in – before I was blasting away.

Seth was fascinated by the machinery while Lael was fascinated by the game. I refused to play such a violent game in their presence though. I will have to find a few games they can play. Perhaps there is a train simulation game? Is Hot Shots Golf Open Tee good for small kids? Any other recommendations?

I told my wife this was the biggest surprise gift I’ve ever received and I’m not kidding. I’ll be the first to admit it’s not easy to buy gifts for me.

My First-Ever Giveaway

A lot of my blogging compatriots have made great use of free giveaways. My wife has given away books. One blogger I know has handed out T-shirts, iPods and music CDs.

I’ve given out, um, bupkis. Why? I don’t know, I guess I figured no one wanted my old shoes.

But then yesterday, amid all my dozens of e-mails cajoling me to post this or that about Father’s Day was this:

Since your blog is dedicated to Dads, I thought I might check in to see if you ever do giveaways; specifically I have an opportunity for a Father’s Day giveaway. Casio has a new timepiece called the Waveceptor that would be a perfect treat to any of your blog visitors this Father’s Day.

Free watch for Father’s Day? Brilliant!

Virtual Worlds for Kids to Flood the Market

Shhhh. I need your help keeping a secret from my children. Don’t tell them about Webkinz or Club Penguin. Ever.

I’m especially talking to you, gift-givers. I will be checking all, cuddly, stuffed animals for  “Webkinz” tags. If I find one, be prepared to cough up a gift receipt pronto.

To be honest, I didn’t even know what Webkinz was until about two weeks ago. But at a recent holiday party, a boy about Seth’s age was dragging one around by the ear. The 4-year-old freaked whenever he lost sight of the toy.

The boy’s dad explained the concept to me: You get the doll, go online and activate an account. From there, you can feed and take care of your Beagle, Alley Cat or Brown Arabian. Personally, I’d go for the Bull Frog, since cats and dogs dominate the market. Besides, it would be a lot cooler to feed it insects than stinky dog food.

So you are probably wondering, what’s wrong with these virtual worlds? Harmless fun, right?