As parents, we all have moods as well. There are days when I look at the kids’ choices of entertainment and think a box of Legos is all they need. Consider this, then. Without my poking and prodding, bribing and begging, my son has chosen to engage in activities on the electronic device that have helped him be able to count to 50, do simple addition, recognize all of the letters of the alphabet as well as write them, and put foods into basic food groups. I don’t have to give up my computer for this to happen, and waiting in the doctor’s office is 10,000 times less stressful. So… In anticipation of a busy Christmas shopping season, I did some research on available tablet technology dubbed “for kids”. Some are more “toy” than “tool” but I decided to cover them all here. Their function, price, and target age vary greatly. I also have taken the liberty to consider “total cost” that includes the device as well as games/activities/applications.

First to catch my eye is the VINCI Tab.

VINCI Tab

This tablet is marketed for babies through preschool, but at a pricetag of almost $400, I’d guess parents will not be looking at this rugged Android OS-based tablet for their toddler. With these specifications, it is robust enough to keep an 8-year-old busy. If mom or dad is technically savvy, any of the Android applications that do not require internet connection will work on this device. The appeal is that a child cannot access what the parent does not want him/her to access. It also is very rugged for kids. It connects to the parent’s Mac or PC via USB for software installation and for updates. This device is also the only TRUE touch screen Tablet made “just for kids” that I could find. The 8GB version with a 6 hour battery costs $479 while the 4 GB 3 hour one is $389. The upside of that is that many of the Android applications and games are free. The downside is that $400 still seems like a lot of money to put into a “toy”. The hardware is actually a Samsung Galaxy Tab with a few extras. If it were me, I’d look elsewhere.

Of the tablet-like options that require a stylus, the one that impresses me most is the Leapfrog LeapPad. The reason is that I am already familiar with the games and applications in the LeapFrog lineup. The educational value is not just lip service. I would put my son’s benefit (based on observation) at 60% learning, 40% fun and entertainment.

LeapFrog LeapPad

It is also more expensive than its main rival, but if one is looking for value, ROI (return on investment) then look no further. The interactive “games” teach new skills while children play, and this device is a real crowd-pleaser. On the features list, the makers of this device describe the screen as a “finger touch screen”. This is a bit misleading because it is not at all the same as the touch screen on your smartphone or iPad. One cannot make things larger, smaller, or shift objects around. The capability is limited to “selecting” something only. Even with the included stylus, images cannot be dragged or moved on the screen. To date, I have not found a single device designed specifially for child use that has this feature. The best part of this new device is that my son’s Explorer games will work on it. Win for current owners of the Leapster Explorer. 2GB built-in memory.

There are other LeapFrog products, including the Leapster Explorer bought for my son last Christmas. If one factors in the cost of the Explorer handheld + camera attachment, the $99 cost for the LeapPad with built-in camera is a bargain. As for applications, cartridge games cost about $25 each but there are also downloadable applications one can install for closer to $10.

Its nearest rival is the VTech InnoTab.

VTech InnoTab

At $89 it is $10 less than the LeapPad but it has no built-in camera. Both the LeapPad and the InnoTab require proprietary applications. This means that only VTech games and e-books will work on the InnoTab. The same is true for the LeapPad. The VTech InnoTab comes in two colors – blue (shown) and pink. What it does have: 64MB onboard memory and an SD card slot for videos/music. It supports music in MP3 format. This device also connects to a parent’s PC/Mac by way of a USB cable. According to device specs, the “touch screen” allows the user to select, drag, tap and flick. Again, this is limited functionality and will not at all be like an iPad screen.

Both of these options will “grow” with your child. They are great for preschoolers with a very kidlike appearance and appeal. But I have caught my 11 year old son enjoying his younger brother’s Explorer. Both of these have safety of not being wireless devices so that children will not accidentally activate applications with online capability. Unlike some handheld game systems, if the child is near another child with the same device, they cannot interact or engage in multi-player mode. This also is something many parents will find desirable.

All in all, the technology behind handheld learning systems for children has (for all practical purposes) arrived. Kids can use these without wishing they were using mom’s or dad’s laptop. And the price point is right.

http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/mimssbits/27049/?ref=rss

That is, the term “Web 2.0” will die. Now, to explain this we must understand what is meant by the term. Here is some of the history. In 2005, developers of search engines, like Google, came up with new ways to post, track, search, store, and tag data. This O’Reilly article explains it best: http://oreilly.com/web2/archive/what-is-web-20.html

Then, web technology grew to something more. In a Web 2.0 conference October, 2009, the evolving definition of Web 2.0 became more solid. http://www.web2summit.com/web2009/public/schedule/detail/10194

I think O’Reilly put it best in the following statement: “Web 2.0 is all about harnessing collective intelligence.” The social network, complete with hashtags and friends lists, is an expression of that collective intelligence. And it is largely done with text.

Now the way we experience the web will not change dramatically overnight. Many of us were moving to Web 2.0 when the general public was still getting a handle on Web 1.0. Most of the early changes were made without the average person even knowing it. What does this mean? One thing certainly is that if the creator of “Twitter” was hoping to get millions for its sale, those hopes just went out the window. Facebook and YouTube will be passé. So long to the boring teleconferencing via Illuminate! Bye bye Blackboard, bye bye. Well what could possibly be next, you might ask.

The answer may be in your children’s online gaming activity (or perhaps a spouse, or yourself, or the whole family). An idea that is still very much in its infancy, and is still rather like an expensive hobby, is a medium called “Second Life”. http://secondlife.com/whatis/ This has been around for more than 10 years, and there are still many details that need to be worked out before much of the framework goes mainstream. But it has a tarnished reputation since much of Second Life is restricted to those 18 years of age and older. It has a dark side due to a policy of uncensored smut. Serious business and/or educational/news entities never took it seriously, so Second Life remains pretty much the way it started, as an adult toy. It made an attempt to enter the teen market but failed. Therefore, it’s important to look at Second Life for its potential in technology, not necessarily what it is.

To see its potential, we are close to being able to reinvent any web presence into a visual, interactive, 3D screen on your computer monitor. It would be like participating in a LIVE an animated movie, and YOU represent one of the characters in that movie. Other characters are represented by actual people as well. There are two tools people are using in interesting ways. First is the design of a 3D world (what it looks like and placement of interactive objects). One is the Unity 3D engine. http://unity3d.com/unity/ Others are Jibe (works specifically with ReactionGrid) and Alice http://www.alice.org/index.php?page=what_is_alice/what_is_alice

In addition to the creation of a 3D world (the design of it), one needs a fairly robust computer on which the simulation environment is run. This is called hosting. Most people cannot maintain their own server, let alone set up the hosting. Both OpenSimulator http://opensimulator.org/wiki/Main_Page and Open Wonderland http://openwonderland.org/ offer this software free. Both are what is called “open source” which means development of the software is an openly collaborative project. Companies like Reaction Grid will do the design and hosting for you, but with a rather hefty pricetag. The state of Pennsylvania has its own hosting solution offered to K-12 institutions. It is called New Worlds, and can work with items/avatars/worlds previously created in Second Life. http://newworlds.cciu.org/ An interesting article that explains all this more thoroughly can be found here: http://thejournal.com/Articles/2011/01/11/Next-Stop-Open-Sim.aspx?Page=1.

We are already seeing the internet being used more and more in everyday activities. The state of Florida recently passed the “Digital Learning Now” Act which expands access to and use of online instruction. http://thejournal.com/articles/2011/07/26/a-closer-look-at-virtual-learning-models.aspx. The ways in which we think about education are changing. Educational institutions are generally the first to innovate, to bring new ways of thinking to the table. Then, other institutions will follow.

So what does this all mean? What is my take? We are about 18 months to 2 years away from working out the kinks and getting all the technology in place to make it happen, but the internet as you know it may look more like the Hypergrid of OpenSimulator. Consider what a typical school website looks like today. The main page contains pictures, graphics, links to other information on the school, and perhaps offers the ability for the user to download documents/forms. But most of it is in the form of text on a page. Clicking on the text moves the user to another page of information, and so on. The user had to type an address into Internet Explorer (or another browser) to view the school’s website. Suppose you have a son who plays soccer and attends the school. In order to schedule an appointment with the coach, you’d go to the website to find out the number to call, and dial. If the secretary is busy, you will have to call back. You have no idea if she is even in today. But it’s worth a try. Alas, no answer. You leave a message and hope she’ll return your call.

On a Hypergrid, the user would open his or her viewer software. Logging in would bring up the user’s “home” grid – an image of a 3D animated picture appears on the screen, complete with scenery, structures, a home, and rooms within the home, and furniture. The home décor is fully customizable, and as the user presses certain keys on the keyboard, he or she seems to be looking around. This is called a “first person” environment. The keys on the keyboard act as commands controlling a puppet on a stage. In this case, the stage is the image on the screen, and the puppet is a virtual character (called an avatar) representing the user (a human being, you) on that stage. Many of the images you see are representations of actual image files, documents, or actions taken with a computer.

As with the internet, the user can make himself or herself invisible to others (private). If one chooses to be public, his or her avatar will be visible to anyone else on that grid (website). One’s home grid is also private. The owner can control who can visit, or get access to their home. People who have home networks can see the usefulness of a 3D virtual home. So you want to listen to music from your digital library? No problem, just open the viewer software, use the keyboard to move the puppet (avatar) to the appropriate room of the house where the music library is, make your music selection, and press ‘play’. Obviously the digital music library on your computer is tied to this virtualized representation.

Now the user can choose to leave home and visit another grid (an outside web page using “old” lingo). To do this, we’re going to borrow an idea from a video game called Portal. Typing certain key combinations on your keyboard causes the appearance of a hole in the floor/ground of the scene in front of you. Type the site you want to go to, and your avatar jumps through the hole (portal) and is whisked away to another 3D scene. In OpenSimulator, your avatar merely disappears from one scene and reappears in the new one. Suppose the site name that you typed was the name of the school from the previous paragraph. On the screen in front of you, your avatar is positioned as though standing perhaps on a walkway leading up to the front door of the school, perhaps in the front entranceway near the Main Office. Rather than clicking on text on a web page, you literally move your avatar around this virtual environment. You may see other avatars as well. Ones with a question mark over their heads indicate you can stop and interact with them. If both of you have a microphone and speakers, you can talk as though face to face. Moving your avatar into the office, you see a table with papers on it. With the proper command, you can closely examine these papers. You see there is a form you need? Fine, click the download button. Your avatar will stop closely examining the papers once the download is complete. There is someone in the office talking with the secretary. You decide to sit in a chair and wait. When the secretary is available, you stand and send her a text message: “I wish to make an appointment to speak with Coach Jones”. The avatar for the secretary has a text bubble above her head. She appears to recognize you. “Can I tell him the purpose of the meeting?” You give her a brief purpose. She then gives you a date and time. Here is the kicker (no pun intended). The actual soccer coach of the school just had his calendar updated because the virtual secretary is tied to the actual secretary’s computer; so Coach Jones is now expecting you at that day and time, perhaps in person… or, perhaps, it is a virtual meeting. If you so desire, you can take your avatar to the virtual school and tell the virtual secretary you are here for your appointment. Just like the real world, avatars can behave like people. The coach’s avatar appears before your avatar and beckons for you to enter his virtual office.

Meetings can take place via communications software and all arranged in advance. It is possible that the creators of Skype (or someone else) may find a way to embed the ability to make a call right into this virtual environment. You will have the school’s phone number already entered. In mere moments, you could be talking with the real Coach Jones while your avatars register facial expressions, gestures, and body language (via your integrated webcam).

After your meeting, you hear a familiar sound. Ah, it is your avatar’s virtual cell phone ringtone. On your screen, your avatar reaches into her pocket and pulls out what appears to be a cell phone. Your spouse is calling to tell you he has left work and is on his way home. You did not have to log into your twitter account or other social media to find that out. He merely sent you a text message from his real cell phone and it was directed to your real cell phone as well as your virtual one.

So how does all this work? Well it doesn’t, not yet. This is why the technology to bring it all together is still about 2 years out. But for the first time, a few months ago when a colleague mentioned OpenSimulator to me, and my contacts at Carnegie-Mellon University have gotten excited about Open Wonderland, this form of internet seems not so far away.

Several factors will determine the integration of this kind of experience. Businesses will have to pay someone to “virtualize” their organization/operation. Secondly, every server that hosts Hypergrids, or virtual worlds will need to be able to handle hundreds of 3D avatars running a Live simulation program. Certainly, at first there will be limits on the number of avatars (people) present at any time on a particular site. To solve the problem of crashing servers due to too many join requests, we may see Hypergrids forming around the world in cells. Just like the state of Pennsylvania with its New Worlds simulation. Content will be geared to the audience desired, and each Hypergrid owner will determine the rules for conduct and appearance, just like current social networking sites. So, a Hypergrid cell geared for K-12 learning, discovery and play may look entirely different from a corporate Hypergrid cell. Retailers will then need to make decisions about which cells (or communities) in which they want a presence. It would be almost like the real world where chain stores maintain “brick and mortar” structures in strategic locations around the country. Companies would pay “rent” to have their virtual store operate in a Hypergrid. And same as the real world, certain locations would give them more exposure, therefore higher rent. But I’ll leave the economics for others to work out.

There are dangers to over-simulation (yes, I spelled that correctly). One of these dangers is that we can find ourselves so involved in the virtual world that we forget how to behave in the real one. Another is the tendency to think of the simulation as JUST a game, and kids being kids, the worst of human behavior can manifest itself due to the perceived anonymity an avatar brings. But this is a topic for another post. For now, I’m just getting started in the learning process.

Step 1: If you still have the installation disc in your CD drive (the one that came with the printer), remove it for now.

Step 2: If your printer is attached to your computer via USB, unplug it (for now). The reason is that you need to do a fresh install. Plugging it in, you will see in your “Devices and Printers” menu an unrecognized device. I learned the hard way that it continues to be unrecognized, even if you perform the next step out of sequence. So just unplug it.

Step 3: Go to Lexmark website and download the driver for Windows. The page you need is here. Click on “Complete drivers and software for setting up, configuring, and using your device.” This opens a new window. Scroll down and click the DOWNLOAD button. If your browser prompts you to open or save, just click “Open” and the process pretty much runs itself.

Step 4: Now plug in the printer to your USB drive. Go to the START menu (the little Windows icon at the end of your taskbar) and there is a new entry called “Driver Profiler”. It is highlighted yellow. Click on it and answer a few questions about the printer you have and its features. Some have extra paper trays at the bottom. You also have the option of giving the printer a name. HINT: Once complete with wireless setup, you will seem to have TWO printers in your list of Devices and Printers. It is important that you will be able to distinguish between the USB-connected one and the wireless one.

Steps 1-4 were necessary to set up and install the printer via USB. You are done if that is how you intend to use the printer.

To install the printer via Wireless Network, continue with the following:

Step 5: Now put in the CD and follow the instructions in your printed booklet. When you reach the step to select “Wireless Network Attach” make sure the box below it is checked: “I need to perform wireless configuration on this device.” Even though the printer is already installed via USB, it still does not have the credentials for the wireless network connection. You must teach it how to connect to your wireless network.

Continue through the step-by-step instructions. As long as your computer is connected to the desired wireless network, it will show up on the list of available networks to choose.

You may not know what your wireless configuration settings are. WEP, WPA or WPA2. To find out, locate your network connection icon in your taskbar tray (looks like a series of lengthening bars). Clicking on that icon shows you the network you are currently connected to as well as others that are available. Click on “Open Network and Sharing Center” at the bottom of that pop-up. On the new window that appears, find your network and click on “Wireless Network Connection(NAME)”. Now click on “Wireless Properties” and then the “Security” tab. Make note of the Security Type, Encryption Type and the Network Security Key. (Checking the box on “show characters” will reveal the passcode for your wireless network).

You will need to enter these into the Wireless Configuration setup for your printer. Until any of it changes, once you complete the Wireless Configuration tool, your printer will automatically be connected (or attempt to connect) to your wireless network via these settings. You can always run the configuration tool again to change the password or security information.

Step 6: Once you have completed the wireless configuration portion, your instructions tell you to disconnect the USB cable from your printer to your computer. This is important!

Step 7: Continue with “Installing the Printer Driver”. (But didn’t I already do that? you ask). Well, yes and no. You installed the USB drivers. Now it is time to install the wireless drivers to your PC. Choose your printer from the list, click “Next” and the printer you just finished configuring will appear on the next window and click “Finish”. You are done.

When it’s all over, you will have 2 printers in your list of Devices and Printers. One is accessible via USB cable (if your wireless network is unavailable) and the other is accessible over your wireless network.

One issue that is unresolved at this time is that of Duplex printing. I attempted it but for some reason it did not seem to work. This will be the topic of another post.

No doubt people will be raising eyebrows wondering what nefarious scheme is driving Nissan’s need to capture this demographic data on its customers. The main reason for this concern is that people can’t explain why the folks at Nissan would need your GPS coordinates to feed you the latest news from Fox News Channel. I believe in the saying, “Never attribute to malice what can more easily be explained by stupidity, or laziness.”

Think of the data in your car’s computer in terms of a trunk full of groceries. The various pieces of information represent items in the bags in your trunk. The RSS feeder is just another computer trying to find a specific item in your trunk. It only wants to know how many apples you have purchased. To do that the program will need to either sift through all the groceries in search of the apples, then count them. Or, because the programmer was lazy, it just takes a picture of everything in your trunk, identifies apples and uses that information it needs.

Trying to extract only the apple data is harder than just capturing the entire “block” and using the portion that is needed. Easy doesn’t make it right. What this does is make us more aware that our cars can develop leaks. It’s important now in the auto industry for car manufacturers to take care that consumer rights are being protected.