“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 →August 17, 2011
“ESV” Really Stands for “Entertainment System Vehicle” – 2011 Cadillac Escalade ESV Platinum Edition
There seems to be some confusion about what the ESV means in the name Cadillac Escalade ESV. Some people on the Cadillac forums have said "Escalade Stretch Vehicle" or "Extended Service Vehicle." I actually think that it means "Entertainment System Vehicle" or at least that is what I would call the 2011 Cadillac Escalade ESV Platinum Edition. My family and…
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August 5, 2011
10 Ideas for Facebook Parental Controls and What You Can Do Until They Are There
Facebook needs parental controls - although I will bet that if you ask kids between the ages of 13 and 16, they would say that it definitely does NOT need ANY type of parental control whatsoever. But, being a parent and a bit of a social media junkie, I know that something is definitely needed. Children are simply too young…
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July 27, 2011
Energy Conservation & Caring for the Elderly – 2 Topics of Today with Huge Impacts for Tomorrow
A few weeks ago, I participated in the Intel "Upgrade Your Life" 2011 summit in Intel's Santa Clara, CA campus. This was the second year I attended and after both summits, I always managed to walk away with a headache. But, not a "bad" headache by that definition, but a "good" one. Think about when you go for a very…
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July 18, 2011
2/5ths of the Cast of Dads Get Their Brains Upgraded at Intel’s “Upgrade Your Life” 2011 Event
Last week, 2 of the Cast of Dads had the opportunity to visit Intel in Santa Clara, CA to participate in an annual event called "Upgrade Your Life." This day-long summit was an opportunity for a variety of influential technology and parenting bloggers to convene to understand some of the initiatives that Intel participates in or drives – something beyond…
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July 11, 2011
The Pitfalls of Summer – a Parent’s Financial & Scheduling Nightmare
What happened to the good old days of unstructured play during summer vacation? You headed out to your friend's house in the morning, checked in with your parents around lunch (maybe), and then were out until it was dark or dinner time. You had fun, it was raw, it had what little structure you imposed on it. There were the…
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July 2, 2011
“Gamecocks to Bull Horns”- 4th Of July Cast of Dads Podcast #43
Happy 4th of July holiday weekend! Hopefully nobody is actually reading or listening to this podcast during the 3-day weekend and they are out enjoying friends and family. But in case you do take a glance at your computer or listen to the podcast, I wanted to wish you a stellar Independence Day. Let's also be sure to remember those…
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June 28, 2011
Cloud Computing in Cars? Extending Powerful Compute Cycles to your Phone via the Cloud? Intel Knows How!
I'm always "in the cloud" with my day job as Technology Evangelist for GoGrid, and all of the rest of the time, I'm working on the HighTechDad side of my life (parenting and technology). Yeah, I sleep once and a while as well. Sometimes, both of these jobs intermingle and that intersection is cloud computing. I first started talking about…
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June 16, 2011
He May Be Someone Else to You, But To Me, He’s Just My Dad
With Father's Day just around the corner, we are all hopefully thinking about our dads. Dads have it tough, you know, compared to moms. We don't have a clue about parenting, or so we are told regularly by our wives. And we don't have that bond with our kids the way that mom's do ("YOU didn't give birth to these…
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June 13, 2011
Teenage Humor & a Father’s Day Contest – “Weiner, Junk & Tools” – Cast of Dads Podcast #42
It's alive! Yes, that's right, after a bit of a hiatus, the Cast of Dads are back with another action-packed…er…humor packed…uh…informative podcast appropriately titled "Weiner, Junk & Tools". Being a dad is a busy enough "project" in itself, but then coupling our other "jobs" into the mix and finding time to get the 5 dads together is something that warrants…
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June 8, 2011
Tips for Improving your Child’s Safety Online – An Interview with AVG Internet Security
Last week I spent some time speaking about Internet Security for your kids with Tony Ascombe, "Ambassador" of Free Products for AVG, an Internet Security firm specializing in keeping your business and home safe from Internet threats. My feeling is that these types of discussions should take place regularly, and not just with security experts, but also in the home…
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May 25, 2011
Time For Some Fun – My New Site Celebrating Technology Failure – Tech-Fail.com
Last week I decided that I needed a bit more fun in my life, or if you look at it another way, to add some more workload to my already busy day. Since I cover technology all of the time in the form of reviews, how-to's, fix-it's and other musings, often with a family spin, I needed a way to…
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May 16, 2011
Traditional Fans are NOT Safe, Fans Have Evolved, And Now I’m a Fan of the Dyson “Air Multiplier” Fan
When you think of Dyson, you think of those techie-looking vacuums that don't have a bag and look like they are an exercise of a engineering design firm coupled with a SciFi set designer. But, did you know that they also made fans? Enter the Dyson Air Multiplier. These aren't ordinary fans though, and I would expect nothing less from…
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