“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 →July 2, 2010
Thunderstorms, Earthquakes, Spies, Sports Channel for Kids & More on Cast of Dads Podcast #25
In Cast of Dads episode #25 titled "The Russians Are Coming", we just couldn't stop talking. Our podcast is pretty loosely structured, frequently we have only 1-2 topics that we plan to talk about ahead of time, but some days we just go without any planning whatsoever and just see what directions the subjects take us. I had just returned…
Read more →June 24, 2010
Dads, Have You Done “The Big Snip”? – Cast of Dads Podcast #24
As all 5 of the us on the Cast of Dads have recently recovered from Father's Day, with a variety of good times and adventures, we spent some time discussing something that "cuts close" to our Dad-dom, that of "The Big Snip". Can you guess how many of us on COD have actually had the procedure done? It's an obviously…
Read more →June 15, 2010
Beer, Beer & More Beer (And Father’s Day Stuff) – Cast of Dads Podcast #23
Who says that we can't do a Podcast on a Monday? Well, I guess that I did last week but that was during the day. For our "Happy Father's Day" episode of Cast of Dads, we did our recording a bit later on a Monday, and lubed up our voices, creativity and topics with a few beers. And I recorded…
Read more →June 15, 2010
10 Father’s Day Shopping Tips – But First, Bring your Cell Phone!
With Father's Day right around the corner, how are you going to make your Dad (or husband) happy? For me, any type of gadget will make me grin, but that is probably not what each and every dad wants. The best bet is to develop a strategy with your siblings or kids in order to work together to get the…
Read more →June 11, 2010
“Pitching the Tent Both Ways” – Pre-pre-Father’s Day Cast of Dads Podcast #22
It's really odd but for some reason, the Dads of Cast of Dads are much more talkative on the weekend. Perhaps because Episode #22 ("Pitching the Tent Both Ways") was recorded on a Monday, we were a bit punchy and off our game. Or were we? You will have to listen in to decide for yourself. One topic that we…
Read more →June 4, 2010
Summer Road Trip & Travel Essentials: Kids & Family TV Shows on iTunes
I'm not quite sure how any of us made it through any roadtrips alive when we were children. Many of us, like me, didn't have air conditioning or built-in DVD players. And we sure didn't have little personal electronic devices that could play movies and TV shows. My kids, on the other hand, each have iPods and they can fire…
Read more →June 4, 2010
Cast of Dads “Memorial Day” Podcast #21 – Education, Family & More
On Memorial Weekend, the Cast of Dads got together to record Episode #21 and it was one of those shows where we were so into the subject matter that the 30 minutes just flew by before we knew it. We always seem to have lively conversations, sometimes we are a bit crazier than others, but this time around, we really…
Read more →May 28, 2010
Keep Track of your Kids through Social Media & a Cell Phone, But BE CAREFUL!
I have always been a big proponent against the use of Social Media by children, especially when they are in elementary school. Interacting with Social Media is not something you want your kids doing at an early age, at least not until they can really understand its implications. However, as they grow older and more independent, loosening up the reigns…
Read more →May 25, 2010
“From Douchebags to Dish Washing” – Cast of Dads Podcast #20
Well, we are no longer teenagers. That is to say, this Cast of Dads episode has pushed us out of the terrible teens and we now are almost at drinking age. And, I think that drinking was on our minds when we recording Episode #20 of Cast of Dads. I personally had just woken up from a nap, Daddy Brad…
Read more →May 20, 2010
From Virtual to Physical – Actually Meeting Another Cast of Dads Member!
This past Tuesday, I had the good fortune to actually meet one of the Cast of Dads members in person, Jeff Sass from Dadomatic.com. Jeff happened to be in town for the SF MusicTech Summit and since I'm based in San Francisco, we managed to meet up at an event called SFBeta. Our backgrounds are very different but we share…
Read more →May 20, 2010
The Ripple Effect of Social Media – Get Mobile for More Waves!
We all know the well used imagery of throwing a stone into a pond and watching the ripples spread out from the center. The same imagery can be applied to social media, I believe. But there are different ways choose the rocks and throw them. Most of the time, I stand in the same place, casting similarly shaped rocks into…
Read more →May 18, 2010
Is “Touching” Ok? Hey, I’m Talking about Writing! Cast of Dads Podcast #19
Hope that title grabbed you! The latest episode of the Cast of Dads podcast #19 is now live and is titled "Why Write It When You Can Touch It?" The Cast of Dads discuss the future of the written letter, keyboards and the types of devices our kids and grand kids will have. We all agree that we are at…
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