“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 27, 2014
Parents Guide to Social Media Apps Used by Kids
I was recently asked by a reader of my site (Denise) if I could put together a chart that lists out some of the main social media sites used by tweens and teens and if I could provide some commentary on how they are dangerous (or not) for kids - essentially, a Parents Guide to Social Media apps used by…
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September 15, 2014
Running Flat But In Style – Likes & Dislikes of the 2014 BMW X5 xDrive35i
I've been test driving cars for a several years now. It's definitely a lot of fun to try out the latest and greatest designs by a car manufacturer. Other than having to sometimes pry the keys from my hands with some cars when I have to return them, for the most part, I haven't had any type of issues. That…
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August 28, 2014
HighTechDad Does the ALS “Ice” Bucket Challenge – #IceBucketChallenge
The ALS #IceBucketChallenge has been spreading like wildfire across the Internet and honestly, I think it is brilliant. Supposedly, it wasn’t even a campaign thought up by the ALS Association which is a non-profit organization working to fight Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), otherwise known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Regardless, the #IceBucketChallenge has done wonders to raise awareness of the disease…
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July 21, 2014
NETGEAR ReadyNAS Review – Enterprise Network Attached Storage for the Home
I was dreading writing this review actually. And it wasn’t because the product is bad, quite the opposite actually. The product is actually quite good. It’s the number of features and configuration options that were making me drag my feet in doing my review. I was a bit overwhelmed as I had a couple of directions I could follow -…
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June 30, 2014
Has the Magic Kingdom lost its Magic?
My family and I headed down to Disneyland a few weeks ago. It was to reward my kids for a successful year at school and a way for all of us as a family to do something together before we splintered off in different directions during the summer and even the coming years. So, I figured it would be good…
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June 24, 2014
15 Things Families Can Like about the 2015 GMC Yukon Denali
I decided to take a slightly different approach to this automotive review. For a week (which included a road trip down to LA to Disneyland), my family and I experienced the 2015 GMC Yukon Denali. We compiled our thoughts and came up with a list of about 15 features of the Yukon that we particularly enjoyed. For our trip, we…
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June 8, 2014
Dyson Digital Slim DC59 Motorhead Vacuum – Review & Dog Does Unboxing Video
I was going to be very cliché and have the title of this review of the Dyson Digital Slim DC59 Motorhead cordless vacuum be…”this vacuum sucks” or “yet another sucky vacuum from Dyson” but I figured that has probably been overplayed and over used. And anyway, we all know that Dyson vacuums are known for the vacuum power, even as…
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June 5, 2014
Evolving & Revolving the iPad’s Usefulness – iGear iPad Flip Turn Case Review
We all know how useful Apple's iPad Air is. It's great at work, in the home and on the go. So is it possible to extend the iPad's utilitarian and multi-use functionality? Of course. One way is to get a case that builds in additional functions. Last year, I talked about iGear's Flip Turn Case and Keyboard for the iPad…
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June 2, 2014
CDW is NOT a Warehouse, It’s a Services Company & Review of HP Elite Display e231
A few weeks ago, I was invited on a "red carpet" tour of CDW The funny thing is, I have always thought of CDW as a catalog and warehouse company. It turns out, my idea was a bit off. Sure, they do have online and print “catalogues” but that was so 90’s. They are transforming more into a services company.…
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May 20, 2014
Less “Stranger Danger” – Kik Messenger Updates App Over Privacy Concerns
Back in mid-2012, I wrote an article about the "dangerous" combination of Kik Messenger and Instagram. The article turned out to be quite popular (and controversial) in a few ways. Parents didn't know about Kik nor how the "Kik me at" functionality was working with Instagram. Over 2 years later, Kik Messenger has taken a new approach to privacy and…
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April 25, 2014
A Simple Search Can Get You Rewards…Bing Rewards
How many times do you do an Internet search a day? Once? Ten times? Fifty? I probably am more in the higher end of this number count. With the luxury of Internet searches at our fingertips, we also have access to unlimited sources of information and entertainment. So while we essentially have a living encyclopedia at our beck and call,…
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April 9, 2014
Your Young Scientist Could Win $25,000 from Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge
If your middle-schooler has an aptitude for science, you might want to consider having them enter the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge. Not only do they get the opportunity to dive deeper into scientific concepts that they may be interested in, they also have a chance of winning the $25,000 grand prize and claim the title of "America's Top…
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