“Family” collection
Navigate the intersection of family life and technology with expert advice on household gadgets, digital parenting, and home safety. This section focuses on tools and strategies that enhance family connections and simplify domestic logistics in a digital-first world.
HTD Tech Briefs
View all →April 25, 2011
10 Days in a Lincoln MKX – A Crossover SUV with an Almost Perfect Blend of Technology and Luxury
It seems that I have started sort of an annual tradition every Spring Break. For the past two years, Ford Motors has graciously lent me a car to enjoy with my family during our vacation. Each year thus far, we have driven from San Francisco to Los Angeles and back again. And each year, the car that we used has…
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April 20, 2011
iMovie & the iPad 2 = Fun Afternoon Creativity With the Kids
What do you get when you put together 2 kids, a dad, some stuffed animals, an iPad 2, iMovie and a bunch of pent up creativity? Well, I found out this past weekend as my kids and I created an entire movie (albeit short) in just a few hours using only an iPad 2 and iMovie on it for the…
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April 13, 2011
Dads are Ready for Summer! Road Trips, Teen Celebrities, Music Madness, Spring Sports & More – Cast of Dads Podcast #41
The Dads are definitely getting back into the swing of things, finally able to get together to talk about the latest and greatest things happening to us and our families. Obviously, our opinions and advice fly like t-balls in the Spring but you have to listen to the Cast of Dads podcast #41 "Summer is Almost Upon Us" for all…
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April 1, 2011
Hey Parents, Some Kids’ TV Shows are On Sale in iTunes for the Next Two Weeks!
With the weather (hopefully) changing for the better (at least out where I live), being good parents, we are pretty much required to get our kids OUT of the house and playing outside. That means, un-plugging from the computer/game console/TV/electronic gadget. But who am I to talk, I'm always plugged in pretty much everywhere I go. So, don't be like…
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March 16, 2011
IMPORTANT: Enable SSL on your Social Media Accounts NOW! – Twitter and Facebook
As hacking into people's accounts has become a "clear and present danger", it's important to note TWO quick and easy configuration settings that you can now enable within both Facebook and now Twitter that can make your Social Media account just a bit more secure. While it won't protect you from other types of hack attacks, phishing or other social…
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March 10, 2011
Woah! “Tiger Blood, Puke & Other Body Fluids” – Cast of Dads Podcast #40
Hope that our Cast of Dads podcast title grabbed you! Yeah, being a dad, we get to experience all types of fluids coming from our kids. That is just the facts of life…and you really get used to it. I'm not sure if that is a good thing or not, but it is a reality. In Episode 40 (yep, the…
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March 1, 2011
PBS Kids Show “Design Squad Nation” Hopes to Bring Out the Engineer in Kids
This past weekend, my 7 and 9 year old daughters and I were introduced to an interesting new show that is on PBS Kids called "Design Squad Nation". But we didn't watch it on TV, instead, we headed over to the Lawrence Hall of Science in Berkeley, California to meet with the co-hosts of the show, Judy Lee and Adam…
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February 18, 2011
When Can You Have “THE Talk” with Your Kids? – Cast of Dads Podcast #39
Wow, back-to-back Cast of Dads podcast posts! I guess we are slowly getting back into our groove. Episode #39, "Having THE Talk" was focused on pretty much one thing – having "the talk" with your kids. While some of the Cast of Dads have kids still in diapers, others have graduated to the parenting of young adults, and some of…
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February 14, 2011
Gadgets + Dads = “Dadgets” – Cast of Dads VIDEO podcast at CES 2011
The Cast of Dads has been on a bit of a vacation recently – the reality is, we've all been so busy that our little "baby" (Cast of Dads) has become a bit neglected. But we promise to get back on track! To get things going again, we actually did do a video podcast at CES 2011. Unfortunately it was…
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January 23, 2011
Two Celebrations of Life on the Same Day – Birthday & Memorial
Today is an interesting day for me. For starters, it is my 43rd birthday. But it is also a somber and reflective day as it was a memorial service and celebration of life for a neighbor of mine that passed away much too early in her life at 41. So my thoughts are mixed and introspective today. I woke up…
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January 18, 2011
Install Video Monitoring for Home or Business in an Hour? You Can Do It Yourself with the Logitech Alert System
We are all paranoid, right? Well, most of us are. We worry about what is going on in the places where we are not. That could be your office when it's the weekend or your home when you are traveling or there is a baby sitter watching your kids. Or maybe you want to keep an eye on your pool…
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January 14, 2011
Backup Strategy: The ioSafe SoloPRO External Hard Drive is Waterproof, Fireproof & (Almost) Bulletproof!
When was the last time that you backed up your data? Today? Yesterday? Last week? A month ago? EVER?! And where did you save your backup? To another drive? To CDs? To an external drive? To the cloud via an online backup service? The reason I'm asking these questions is because most people don't make backups, and if they do,…
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