Cyber Safety

Keeping our children out of harms way is a fulltime job. We do our best to protect them from playground accidents, germs and infections, and now more than ever we have to be concerned with digital dangers. Today’s kids are internet savvy; however, this valuable and educational tool must be used responsibly. I have found several sites on the web that encourage healthy internet habits so that the whole family can enjoy the wonders of the internet.

One common sense guideline for all households with children is to place computers in common areas such as a kitchen or sitting area- not in the bedroom. Too much privacy can lead to too much trouble.

Educate yourself on parental controls and filtering software that can screen and block inappropriate content. Use search engines such as Yahoo! Kids and askforkids.com for younger children and teach them to never give out their phone number or address online.

Also, check your children’s internet browsing history and randomly check their emails and buddy lists. If your children participate in chat rooms, help them to pick screen names that don’t reveal their identity. In addition, be very cautious of your teens posting information that may reveal too much detail about them such as place of work, school name, age, photos, etc… While social networking can be entertaining, stay abreast of their online profile and the contacts they interact with. Don’t be afraid to cyber snoop.

It is also recommended that downloading of any kind should not be done without parent permission. Furthermore, while playground bullying can be taken lightly, any comments over the internet that appear threatening or dangerous should be reported to the police and the service provider.

You may not be the coolest parent by enforcing these guidelines, but they are very important to your child’s safety. If you would like more information about kids and computers visit NetSmartz411 for expert advice form the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. The internet is a fantastic tool and with everything safety comes first. To you and your loved ones, be careful out there and stay connected.

Diet and Technology

I have always enjoyed physical fitness and particularly enjoy the outdoor activities that you can participate in during the spring and summer months. The sunshine, blue skies and scenery provide a nice break from the confining walls of the gym. Just this past weekend I enjoyed an exuberant workout of roller skating and bike riding at the park.

It felt good to be amongst other park enthusiasts who also shared the love I have for outdoor fitness activities. There were myriad joggers, bike riders, skaters, those doing yoga, tai-chi and even new mothers performing stroller-aerobics.

With all the technological advancements we have, good old fashioned diet and exercise are still necessary to become physically fit. I have always had exercise discipline, but tend to struggle more with the diet piece. For the fitness oriented tech-nista there are some digital devices to help you stay on track.

Have you ever wanted to know how many calories were in the lunch portion of the Pasta Primavera at the Olive Garden or a Venti Starbuck’s Caramel Macchiato before ordering? If so, you can use your cell phone to text “diet1” with the name of the restaurant and menu item. Within seconds, diet.com’s Nutrition on the Go service will send you a reply listing the calories, total fat, carbohydrate, and protein in the requested food.

Have you ever weighed yourself in the morning to only discover that by that evening you were four pounds heavier? Not a good feeling, right? Typically in those scenarios the additional weight is attributed to water. To discern between weight gain and water pounds, the Tanita Duo Scale Plus Body Fat Monitor (model BF680W) provides accurate body weight, body fat percentage, and body water percentage readings. This enables you to precisely track your weight loss progress and you can also avoid the unnecessary frustration with being temporarily bloated. Relax….it’s only water.

You are what you eat; therefore, a food scale is just as important as a body scale. For people truly on-the-go, Liberta digital food scales from Escali literally fit in the palm of your hand. Now you can control your portions even when you’re traveling. These dandy scales fit nicely into your purse, briefcase or desk drawer at the office.

These devices can be helpful with your quest to achieve better health and fitness. They can be useful in enabling you to better adhere to your sensible eating plan or at least assist with damage control. So even if you order that 1000 calorie slice of cheesecake at dinner, you’ll have the knowledge to know how many bites equate to over indulgence. Dine wisely ladies and stay connected!

Surf and Sip

Cafés or coffee shops started as places for information exchange, and have always been used as places to read the paper, write, play games and engage in stimulating and sometimes controversial conversation. The explosion of the Internet and the growing need for “connectivity” has lead to the natural evolution of Internet Cafes.

Most Internet cafés are private businesses that were established to help bridge the “digital divide” by providing computer access to those without home access. With Internet cafés, the idea is to let people browse the Internet (or even do real work) while basking in the comfort of a familiar café.

Personally, I believe Internet cafes offer a welcome respite from the office, home office or library. There is a local establishment in the Atlanta area that I often visit. In between doing Internet research (and writing this blog), I inconspicuously take a break from working to enjoy a little eavesdropping, or should I say “environmental observation.” In doing so, I have overheard a wide range of humorous commentary from politics to backstabbing gossip. Those who are regular patrons tend to enter with a sense of ownership and are greeted by first name. These customers are very obvious, and if its crowded, they seem to appear a bit perturbed at the sight of someone seated in “their spot.” LOL.....too funny!

The number of Internet cafes across the U.S. is estimated to be well over 10,000. Most are surviving by offering more than just your traditional high-speed or wifi Internet access. Many establishments offer scanning, desktop publishing, printing and of course, tasty sandwiches and pastries to complement the mediocre-at-best java. Over the years; however, the number of pure Internet cafés is decreasing since more and more traditional cafés are now offering the same services.

If you’re living in or near a major metropolitan area there are probably some Internet Cafes near you. To determine where they are, visit these Internet café locator sites: CyberCaptive, Cybercafe and World66. Surf, sip and stay connected!

Digital Summer

Summer officially begins with the summer solstice, the day of the year with the longest period of sunlight. This occurs in the Northern Hemisphere around June 21 and in the Southern Hemisphere around December 21. For those of you that live in Atlanta like me, it may feel as if summer is already here. "Hotlanta" has arrived and I imagine even more sweltering temperatures are to come.

Besides the heat, the summer also brings trips to the beach, summer camp, water sports, suntanning and other activities. If you consider shopping a pleasurable activity, there are some digital gadgets that will make the upcoming summer season even more enjoyable!

How do you get high-quality audio underwater? You get a SwiMP3 MP3 player that clips to swim goggles and lets you listen to your favorite tunes underwater. The MP3 player's rechargeable battery and 256 MB of memory provide four hours of continuous play. Boogie while you backstroke!

You've got an iPod dock in your car, alarm clock, and stereo, so why not have one while you’re cooking? The George Foreman GIPOD200 has a dock, 10-watt amplifier and a speaker on an indoor/outdoor electric grill. The 200-square-inch grill's nonstick coating makes cleanup easy. Just like the original kitchen model, there is a channel that drains fat away from food (and, presumably, your iPod).

While you’re enjoying all those outdoor summer activities it’s nice to cool off indoors with a frosty beverage. Well now you can keep a canned beverage of your choice chilly cold and ready to drink at all times! The USB Mini Fridge holds a 12 ounce beverage can. The unit has a built-in cooling plate that quickly drops to its lowest operating temperature within five minutes after being plugged in.

To capture all of those great summer memories everyone needs a digital photo frame. Sony offers a very stylish option that has auto image rotation, red-eye correction and supports a variety of image formats. This is definitely “the must have” item of the summer.

Make it a digital summer and enjoy what the season has to bring. Life may not get any easier, but you can at least increase the fun quotient. Keep it cool this summer, be safe and stay connected!

Go Abroad

Unless you live in a cave or under a rock, you are fully aware that the U.S. economy is in a downward spiral. The U.S. dollar is weakening, financial markets are volatile and gas prices are astronomical. While this flurry of bad news regarding the domestic economy can be overwhelming, it is wise to be a little less myopic. After all, we live in a global community and in many parts of the world economies are flourishing.

The U.S. is still strong when it comes to global competitiveness; however, there are other countries that rank high on the competitiveness index for overall economic and infrastructure conditions and business environment. Notable countries in Europe are Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden and Germany; in Asia, Singapore, Japan and South Korea. Visit the World Economic Forum for more information.

If you’re truly an international tech savvy fashionista, now may be a good time to consider an opportunity abroad. While the thought of this can be daunting, at the same time it can be thrilling! Keep in mind; however, international tech-nistas are not born overnight. You must carefully plan before making such a radical move. If you’re tossing this idea around, The Big Guide to Living and Working Overseas, may be a great resource.

You only go around once, so why not experience all that you can. Tech savvy women are all over the globe. Wherever you are in the world…la estancia conectó, séjour relié, 接続される滞在, Aufenthalt angeschlossen and stay connected!