Category Archives: Family Computing
iCloud email censorship
Jared Newman of Time magazine published an article that indicates that iCloud email accounts are being censored by Apple prior to delivery. The company appears to be looking for inappropriate or “naughty” language and if found, silently deleting the message without any indication to either the sender or receiver that the message has been trashed. The …
Master Your Family’s Schedule with These 10 iPhone Apps
I received an email recently from Molly, who runs a website devoted to helping parents and potential caregivers connect. It’s an interesting site that I would have been all over when our kids were small! She also writes a blog, which has a number of interesting posts about various issues around raising kids and working …
Do you have a kid who likes to tinker with stuff?
When I started my studies in computer science at what is now the University of North Texas, there was a lab of homemade personal computers running Intel 8080 processors. This lab was used by the department for classes in assembly language programming as well as to provide an environment for learning basic computer architecture. This …
Smile, you’re on Candid Camera!
Today’s computers and mobile devices are full-service platforms for all sorts of activities, including audio and video conferencing. As readers of this blog are aware, there is a potential dark side with computing that one needs to be vigilant to prevent our privacy and security from getting compromised. All newer computers, tablets and smart phones …
The war on malware
First of all, Happy New Year! Here’s hoping that 2013 is a terrific year for you and your family. Sadly, I believe that 2013 will be a watershed year for malware, as it morphs into more sophisticated and broader based applications. In the past few years, there have been articles upon articles discussing the many …
Hackers can hack the camera on your new Samsung TV … Or can they?
Here’s a story that reeks of crisis, but in reality is much ado about nothing. Sadly, it’s the type of story that media outlets love to trumpet. NBC News is reporting that security researchers have hacked into the new Samsung line of high-end TVs which contain a camera and microphone, taking control of all functions …
Windows 8 compatibility
Now that Microsoft’s new Windows 8 has released, a few comments about compatibility. I’m making a couple assumptions here. You’ll be upgrading one or more PCs from Windows 7 to Windows 8. Note: Upgrading PCs from Windows XP to Windows 8 isn’t supported, nor a particularly good idea. Alternatively, you could be adding new hardware …
I NEED to watch TV …
Over the weekend, I purchased a device that leverages the combination of the strength of the Internet with traditional cable television. I broke down and purchased a Slingbox. What’s a Slingbox? It’s a solution that allows one to watch their home TV (or Apple TV, Xbox, etc.) via the Internet. And yet another device …
Using your electrical wiring for networking
As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I needed to do some investigation into using your home’s electrical wiring for an easy high-throughput networking solution. So, I did a little research on the topic. I’ve not had the chance to actually experiment with this technology, nor have I thoroughly investigated it. However, with that disclaimer out …
As I suspected …
As I suspected when I started this little project, more and more people are being thrown into the role of their family help desk and are looking for answers to their questions and concerns. Salon.com’s David Sirota just published an interesting article on this very topic called Surviving the Networked Home. It’s an interesting read …
