“Opinion” collection
Explore expert editorial perspectives on the evolving relationship between technology, family life, and modern culture. These opinion pieces offer unique insights and personal reflections on industry trends from a veteran technologist and parent.
HTD Tech Briefs
View all →September 5, 2013
Still Texting and Driving? This #ItCanWait Documentary Will Change Your Mind
We all know that we shouldn't text and drive, but yet even I feel sometimes compelled to glance at my phone. I don't respond to texts unless I'm fully stopped, but even that is against the law in many places. That second that you remove your eyes from the road, you become distracted, and the vehicle you are driving is…
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August 28, 2013
What is a Technology Evangelist?
I often get asked by friends, family, acquaintances and recently, companies that I’m interviewing with – what is a Technology Evangelist? While many within the technology space understand the position, it is still relatively unknown within the job marketplace. In fact, when I first started the position almost 6 years ago, it was definitely one of those niche jobs. Fast…
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August 22, 2013
The Back-To-School Hard Drive Questions: Use for Backups or Media? Size vs. Size?
Schools are booting up in the coming weeks and students are also Ctrl-Alt-Deleting their brains to get ready to upload GBs of essential data into their minds to help them maintain their upgradability down the line. As part of the back-to-school process, parents often need to think about the tech that they will provide their kids. This is particularly important…
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August 15, 2013
Selling Yourself versus Applying for a Job
I recently had an interesting conversation with an ex-coworker around the process of getting hired. What was fascinating was that we both had the same thoughts, his as a result of some advice from a career coach and mine from some introspection. What it all converged on was that there is a big difference between simply applying for a job,…
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August 14, 2013
Head-to-Head: 4 iPhone 5 Battery Cases Reviewed – Mophie, Belkin, MyCharge & XPAL Power
Smartphones these days are big battery consumers. The larger the screen and the more active you are, the more you rely on having a big, hefty battery. There are many smartphones that allow you to simply swap out a used battery with a fully-charged one. The Apple iPhone, unfortunately, is not one where you can easily change a battery on…
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August 12, 2013
This Car Is “Hot” – Review of 2013 Mercedes CLS 63 AMG “4-Door” Coupe
When I test drove the 2013 Mercedes CLS 63 AMG coupe (which has 4 doors by the way), the San Francisco Bay Area was going through a bit of a heat wave with temperatures hovering over 100 degrees. While the meteorologists think it was due to a pressure system hovering over the area, I had another theory - it was…
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August 7, 2013
The Job Search Roller Coaster and Getting Social
Why are roller coasters so much fun? Is it because of the rush of speed as you plummet down multiple stories in a seeming free fall? Or is it being thrown into your seat as you race up a hill? Or is it the corkscrew turns that twist your stomach upside-down? Or perhaps it is the adrenaline that races through…
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August 2, 2013
Coffee, Conversations and Commerce – The Barista Banter
There is something to be said about coffee. Not only does it get your brain firing on all cylinders (sometimes over-firing so don’t drink too much), but it also is a conversation starters. In fact, coffee seems to grease the gears of conversation. In recent years, the coffee house has become an “office away from the office” – a casual…
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July 31, 2013
CrashPlan Online Backups Keep Your Digital Life #WorryFree!
Are you backing up your computer? How often do you do it? Do you do it manually or automatically? Have you ever thought about the possibility of hitting the power button on your computer and suddenly it not starting up? What would you do if that happened? What if you couldn't access all of your home movies or photos, or…
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July 29, 2013
Review: Inky – An Email Client with a Refreshing New Approach to Filtering & Management
Despite all efforts by Social Media, text messaging and other communication protocols, email is not going away. And, it seems to be growing instead of shrinking. The good think is, email service providers like Google (Gmail) and Microsoft (Outlook.com) seem to be trying to keep up with the times and integrating "intelligent" features within their web-based clients. Things like smart…
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July 23, 2013
On Infographics, Cloud and How NOT to Run a Small Business
Infographics seem to be one of the best ways to convey a message. More often than not, infographics compile industry statistics and tend to tell a compelling story. Some infographics can be complex while others are simply fun to read. One of the reasons for their success is due to their visual nature. As a result of high-resolution smartphones, better…
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July 18, 2013
In Between Successes – The Career Pyramid
Many years ago, I heard a career counselor talking about the time between jobs. He said never to call them "jobs" but rather "successes." Using the word "success" to describe employment is a way to keep your outlook positive and convey that same positivity out to others. Ever since I heard that career coach, I have always used that term …
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