Dover DoodleHeads

Buying and Selling Among Friends | Katherine Boehret | The Mossberg Solution | AllThingsD

WSJ reviews the new Facebook Marketplace.... Looks snazzy....

Buying and Selling Among Friends | Katherine Boehret | The Mossberg Solution | AllThingsD.

Give Your Laptop Battery a Longer Lease on Life - washingtonpost.com

I leave my laptop plugged in 24/7.... and my battery is pretty much kaput.  Here's why.... and what I should have done ....

Give Your Laptop Battery a Longer Lease on Life - washingtonpost.com.

Stretch your money by stretching your PC's life span - The Boston Globe

Instead of spending money on a new computer, stretch your PC's life span with a few easy upgrades.
Stretch your money by stretching your PC's life span - The Boston Globe.

Can’t Open Your E-Mailbox? Good Luck - NYTimes.com

What would you do if you logged onto your e-mail and received an unfamiliar message: “User name and password do not match”?

Digital Domain - Can’t Open Your E-Mailbox? Good Luck - NYTimes.com.

‘Sesame Street’ Is Upgrading Its Address on the Web - NYTimes.com

...

So unlike other Web sites, which rely heavily on Flash animation, this one features a live-action Muppet video that welcomes children with a new educational theme every day.

Perhaps equally important is a feature that children will not even notice: a proprietary, trademarked option, known as PlaySafe, intended to reassure parents. When the downloadable PlaySafe software is activated, it is technologically difficult for children (but not adults) to navigate away from the site, so parents can theoretically leave children alone in front of the computer without worrying that they will accidentally stumble onto inappropriate content, buy something or delete files.

‘Sesame Street’ Is Upgrading Its Address on the Web - NYTimes.com.

Sure the new iPhone is cool, but those apps... - The Boston Globe

Sure the new iPhone is cool, but those apps... - The Boston Globe.

Newer, Faster, Cheaper iPhone 3G | Walt Mossberg | Personal Technology | AllThingsD

WSJ reviews the new iPhone......

Newer, Faster, Cheaper iPhone 3G | Walt Mossberg | Personal Technology | AllThingsD.

Software and Online Store Will Widen Its Versatility, But There Are Hidden Costs

Basics - So Young, and So Gadgeted - NYTimes.com

At what age should children get their first cellphone, laptop or virtual persona? These are new questions being faced by 21st-century parents.

Basics - So Young, and So Gadgeted - NYTimes.com.

If You Have ChaCha And a Cellphone, You Have Answers

Link: Personal Technology - WSJ.com.

PERSONAL TECHNOLOGY, by Walter S. Mossberg A free cellphone service called ChaCha lets you ask any question answerable via a Web search, by simply making a voice call. In most cases, it gave fast, accurate answers. But it has a few weaknesses.

Mossberg's Laptop Buying Guide

Link: Consider Your Needs, Then Use This Guide To Buying a Laptop | Walt Mossberg | Personal Technology | AllThingsD.
For years, I have focused my twice-a-year computer buyer’s guides on desktop PCs, with less-frequent columns focusing on laptops. Now that the latter are outselling the former, though, I am going to center my main buying guides on laptops. Many of the specs I recommend will also apply to desktops.

WSJ Reviews 3 All in One Printers

Good review of 3 inexpensive all in one printers - all under $130!
Link: Katherine Boehret | The Mossberg Solution | AllThingsD.

All-in-One Devices Print, Scan, Copy For Around $100

Hulu Is a Good Site for Online Shows, but Fare Is Thin

Link: Hulu Is a Good Site for Online Shows, but Fare Is Thin | Walt Mossberg | Personal Technology | AllThingsD.

Hulu Is a Good Site for Online Shows, but Fare Is Thin

KidZui’s Parent Plan Lets Children Explore in Safe Corner of Web

Link: KidZui’s Parent Plan Lets Children Explore in Safe Corner of Web | Walt Mossberg | Personal Technology | AllThingsD.

The Internet presents a real dilemma for parents with younger children. On the one hand, it’s filled with fun and wholesome sites for kids, and lots of educational material. On the other, it teems with inappropriate content and potentially dangerous means of communicating with strangers.

How To: Declutter Your Hard Drive

Link: How To: Declutter Your Hard Drive.

PBS Kids Play Service - New York Times

Hopefully this will be better than MyNoggin....

Next week, preschoolers can watch “Curious George” and “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” on their computer screens as part of PBS Kids Play (www.pbskidsplay.org), a subscription-based service that mixes 14 games with clips from these and other shows. After you download the necessary software (a three-megabyte file) for Windows computers, you get free access for 15 days, but then must pay $10 a month or $79 a year.

Link: PBS Kids Play Service - New York Times.

Calling a technology timeout - The Boston Globe

Link: Calling a technology timeout - The Boston Globe.

Tapping Your TiVo’s Hidden Talents | Katherine Boehret | The Mossberg Solution | AllThingsD

Link: Tapping Your TiVo’s Hidden Talents | Katherine Boehret | The Mossberg Solution | AllThingsD.

Tapping Your TiVo’s Hidden Talents A Brief User Guide To Codes, Shortcuts You May Not Know

Video Game Guide for Parents: WhatTheyPlay

Link: Video Game Guide for Parents: WhatTheyPlay.

Parental Control Software Buying Guide from PC Magazine

Link: Parental Control Software Buying Guide from PC Magazine.

Web Playgrounds of the Very Young - New York Times

Link: Web Playgrounds of the Very Young - New York Times.

Worlds like Webkinz, where children care for stuffed animals that come to life, have become some of the Web’s fastest-growing businesses. More than six million unique visitors logged on to Webkinz in November, up 342 percent from November 2006, according to ComScore Media Metrix, a research firm.

Wikipedia Competitor Being Tested by Google - New York Times

Google is testing a new Web service intended to become a repository of knowledge from experts on various topics, one that could turn into a competitor to Wikipedia and other sites.

Link: Wikipedia Competitor Being Tested by Google - New York Times.

For Parents, a Service That Can Offer Peace of Mind - New York Times

Snazzy...

Link: For Parents, a Service That Can Offer Peace of Mind - New York Times.

When Mr. Gray uses the service, he turns to his computer and clicks on the Sprint Web site to locate either child. “Within about a minute, an icon appears on a map showing where the phone is,” he said. “It’s easy to use. And it’s good to be able to keep in touch when you need to.”

A Pad to Easily Power Up Your Phone | The Mossberg Solution | Katherine Boehret | AllThingsD

Super snazzy way to charge Razr phones - a WildCharge pad - no plugs and cords needed!
Link: A Pad to Easily Power Up Your Phone | The Mossberg Solution | Katherine Boehret | AllThingsD.

No More Safari

I love my MacBook, but I'm not fond of Apple's web browser, Safari. It gets all wound up and crashed when I check the weather at weather.com and tends to not work when I'm adding URLs with blog text editors. So I've moved on to Firefox. My techie husband has been telling me to make the switch for years, but I just never had a reason to. One Safari thing I do miss is the rss reader items on my buttons in Safari... It always told me if I had anything new to read with one glance at my buttons.

Zillow Mobile: House Values from your cell

If you haven't seen Zillow yet, check it out. Especially in this real estate market. And now, as you're driving around admiring houses, you can now get Zillow's "Zestimates" from your cell phone or blackberry. Send an address via your cell phone or Blackberry and get an instant Zestimate and home facts.

How does it work?
- From your mobile device, send a text message to z@labs.zillow.com.
- In the message field, enter an address for which you want a Zestimate, then send the message.
- Examples:
2911 W Boston St Seattle WA
2911 W Boston St 98199
Tip: The format is not case sensitive and you do not need to use punctuation.

A text message from Zillow will be returned to your mobile device within a few seconds or slightly longer, depending on the network or your mobile phone provider.

The return message will contain the home's address, the Zestimate, number of bedrooms, number of bathrooms, square footage and year built.
Requirements:
- Your device must be able to send text messages to an e-mail address.
- You need to have text messaging enabled through your mobile service plan.

Reading Planet: Online Reading Club

RIF's Reading Planet online reading club has lots of fun reading games and activities for kids. My 7 year old loves it. Online features include four sections : Activity Lab, Game Station, Book Zone and Express Yourself.

Some fun activities offered are :
- Online Reading Log
- Super Sorter Robot Book picker [Really fun! Go to the robot's room, & answer some simple questions. The Super Sorter will give you a list of books and activities you might like to try.]
- Birthday Fortune Teller {What's in store for you this year?}
- Read interviews {recent interviews include the star of the new Nancy Drew movie}
- Book Zone Featured Books & Authors
- "My Bookshelf"

Learning games include:
- Star Words: Navigate a rocket ship through space & collect the letters to spell words.
- Sink It 'n Solve It: Make free throw shots to win the basketball game as you solve a mystery word puzzle.
- Writers' Blocks: Write stories with other kids! Read the beginning of a story & add your own ideas until the story is complete.
- Poetry Splatter: Create poems! Start by splattering words onto the screen & drag them into your poem.
- Story Maker : Pick a scene, answer a few questions, & we will start your own personalized story.
- Riffington's Coloring Book: Online coloring book - you can color & print lots of fun pages!
- Word Builder: Choose a word list & make your very own word puzzle to print out.

Check it out! Free registration required [only limited personal information required to register, and parent receives emails]. Reading is Fundamental {RIF} is the oldest and largest children's and family nonprofit literacy organization in the United States.

Add Internet Access points in your home - no geeks required!

Our internet connection and wireless router are in an unfortunate location - our basement. So using my laptop in a more desirable location in the house - or outside - is limited. And venturing to the second floor is close to impossible due to the low connection. So, I was pretty much stuck in the basement or in a room nearby.

Until I read Walt Mossberg's article on Powerline Adapters.

Basically, powerline adapters allow you to use your electric lines in your walls to extend your internet access points. Mossberg explains the details much better than I could, so read his article.

A pair of these {I got the Netgear XE103} allowed me to go from one corner in my basement to the other side of the house on the second floor and use my lightning fast internet connection! I'm no longer banished to the basement.

And no geeks needed!!