My daughter is one of these kids that needs to be in constant motion.  Her little brain moves a mile a minute, but if she doesn’t have anything to do, she goes onto a path of tantrums and self-destruction.  Its quite disturbing at times, and some days I join in and have my own little tantrum.  One day, I felt my daughter going down this path once again.  “I’m soooo bored.  There’s NOTHING to do. I’m soooo bored,” over and over again she ranted.  Feeling inspired by Jeannette’s post, I decide to try a different tactic.  Usually, I will try to come up with ideas or activities for her.  Most of the time she rejects them, because she really just wants attention, not a solution to her problem.  On this day, I chose a different approach.  “Let’s see if we really can do nothing.  Maybe if we do nothing, then you’ll think of what you want to do.”

We went into my bed, and cuddled up.  I announced that we were going to try to do nothing. 

“Stare at the ceiling.  Don’t talk.  Don’t do anything.  When someone talks or giggle, then we are done doing nothing.” 

We laid in the bed, staring at the ceiling, barely blinking.  Suddenly, my daughter started to giggle.

“Oh! You are giggling!  That’s not doing nothing” I exclaimed.

“But, we are still staring at the ceiling.  And we are blinking.  We aren’t doing nothing,” she replied.  Her little eyes tinkled.

“That’s true, and we are laying in bed together.  What if we closed our eyes and went to sleep…”

“Then we are sleeping!  And when I was really bored, I still was doing ‘something!’ I was walking around being bored!”  We started to giggle hysterically then. 

“It’s impossible to do nothing!  Because, even if you are doing NOTHING, you are still doing SOMETHING!” She laughed.  We laughed and giggled for a long time, and talked about inanimate objects not being able to do nothing either, merely because they exist.  As we tried to do ‘nothing,’ her entire vibe changed.  We spent the rest of the day together having fun and enjoying each other’s company. 

My daughter’s epiphany was truly amazing and life changing.  Now, if she gets “sooo bored,”  I only have to remind her that she’s still doing something, no matter how mundane it may seem.  And when those moments start to come, I summon her back to my bed for a cuddling, trying to do ‘nothing’ session.  Works like a charm.

Are you ready for another holiday spending spree? It seems like so many new games have hit the shelves this season. How do you know what to purchase for your kids? What would thrill your geeky spouse? Are your toddlers ready for some gaming too?

Geeky Moms sat down with Jonah Lantto, gaming expert and general manager at our local Gorilla Games, for some in-depth coverage of this year’s best gaming gifts.

Geeky Moms: We are thrilled to see such a selection of games this year. What do you think will be your biggest game seller for the Holidays 2011?

Jonah, Gorilla Games: A month ago I would’ve told you the year’s best seller would unquestionably be Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3, but Elder Scrolls Skyrim released on November 11th and is crushing in sales. I think MW3 will edge it out because it has the Call of Duty name and its also available on a few platforms that Skyrim is not. The Wii, DS, and 3ds.

Geeky Moms: My teenage boy is so hard to buy for but he does have all the game systems. What game should I definitely buy for him this Christmas?

Jonah, Gorilla Games: If he’s a PC gamer/MMO player, you should let him take a shot at Star Wars the Old Republic which releases on December 20th. So far this year, every kid seems to be asking for one of two games; Skyrim or Modern Warfare 3. Both games are available on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. If swords, sorcery, and FPS are not his thing, the sports games of 2011 are the best class we’ve seen since 2005. Madden, NHL, and NBA 2k12 are at the top of their game.

Geeky Moms: Are there any new fantastic games for Mom this season?

Jonah, Gorilla Games: The most awesome geeky moms will be playing Skyrim A lot of moms I meet are still big fans of action platforming games similar to Mario and Crash Bandicoot. If you own a 3DS, you can’t go wrong with Super Mario 3D Land. Don’t expect anything new or groundbreaking, but it totally delivers the classic Mario experience. On the PS3, Ratchet and Clank is as good as it gets for platforming. The newest release, Ratchet and Clank All 4 One keeps the franchise tradition of utterly shaming every other platforming game of this era. For the fitness moms there is Zumba Fitness 2, Just Dance 3, and Dance Central 2.

Geeky Moms: What about for the little ones? My 4-7 year old kids love gaming on the Wii, but they need a game that is fun and keeps their attention.

Jonah, Gorilla Games: The most innovative children’s game release in years, hit shelves about a month ago, Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure. It’s available on all platforms and its completely awesome. The game includes a few Spyro action figures, a portal of power, and the game software. By placing your figure on the portal the character is uploaded into the game. Each character is unique with its own powers and skills. All the information is stored on the figure itself and the figures are compatible across all platforms, a sweet mixture toys and video games. This is the must have game for kids in that age group. Its not the only one though. Mario 3d Land and Mario Kart will both be available on 3DS. The other big kids release is Disney Universe a fun exploration of Disney worlds and adventures with characters that progress. What I love about these games is they’re all playable by 2-4 players. 2 player limit on Spyro, but up to 4 on the others.

Geeky Moms: The geeky men in my life are on top of any new game that comes out, so I have to be more creative in my gifts. Any ideas on awesome gaming hardware that they would love?

Jonah, Gorilla Games: If you really want to spoil the gamer in your life check out the G155 Mobile Gaming Environment. I want one and I don’t need it even a little bit. It’s a hard shell briefcase contained gaming unit with a built-in LED HD monitor. All you have to supply is the console, the game and electricity. Plug it in anywhere and you’re gaming in beautiful HD. If your husband is an Xbox 360 player I’d encourage any mom to check out the custom controllers available at Gorilla Games. You can design your own controller and we build it for you!

Geeky Moms: What do you think the the top game is for each console this season?

Jonah, Gorilla Games: Xbox 360 – Gears of War 3 is the best console exclusive title money can buy on the 360.

Playstation 3 – Uncharted 3 is the definitive PS3 experience. If you own a PS3 and don’t/haven’t played Uncharted 2/3 – shame on you!

Wii – Zelda Skyward sword is all you need!

Nintendo 3DS – Mario 3d land or Mario Kart 7

PC – The Witcher 2 or Star Wars the Old Republic

Geeky Moms: If you were to get only one present this year, what would it be?

Jonah, Gorilla Games – Oooh man, just one? I would want the Darth Vader bread imprinting toaster from www.thinkgeek.com.

Spoken like a true geek! 

Thanks again Jonah for your time and expertise.   Check out Gorilla Games on Facebook for more gaming updates..

(dramatic music.) 

I can see all of these events, masked in costumes and dramatics, as a reflection of a 20th century soap opera. Suddenly, it dawns on me.  The fall of the daytime tv soap operas is far more than just people’s choice for Reality TV.  Reality Web is your new form of entertainment.  Its your own social network or community giving you constant updates to their lives.  With the help of online media, journals, and time-based updates, Reality Web is your real life drama playing out right before your eyes.

My favorite part about daytime soap operas are the familiarity with the characters.  They grow old with you.  Sometimes super fast aging, but that’s besides the point.

The characters experienced their own ups and downs which sometimes reflected your own life. This interpersonal bond is what makes soap operas addicting.  The same holds true for social networks, with an added bonus:  you care about everyone on your list.  Even if you aren’t exactly fond of them, or they are just acquaintance, you at least have some interest in their life or else you would have de-friended them years ago.

With the advent of my driver’s license, I was able to go home for lunch during my senior year.  Coincidently, my soap opera started during my lunch.  This is pre-dvr age.  If you didn’t have a VHS available, you would just have to read about it in tomorrow’s newspaper.  Harsh reality of the 1990s.

The idea that your drama was available at the very same moment every day is comforting.  Its a routine you use to Zen through your day.  Reality Web thus holds the same power, yet it is instantaneous.  Hundreds of devices now give you the comforting knowledge that your world is only a click away.

You decide your own level of involvement. Tyler Durden, Fight Club  Tyler lived a life of drama and made and sold soap out of lipsuction left-overs.  Btw,  Brad Pitt got his start on Another World. 

I would take a long break from my soap and then come back.  The characters remained mostly the same, with some significant changes, but usually a friend could completely catch you up with back story.The idea that I could even take a break, just to live an actual life away from the tv, but still come back for entertainment kept me on this cycle. 

With advances in internet technology, I completed stopped the cycle and switched to Reality Web.  I still get a small soap update from a friend every now and then, but its always out of jest and humor.  They could never resolve any problems.  It took weeks to find some sort of resolution.  At least in Reality Web, everyone ends up with a happy ending.  Most of my facebook friends, including myself, have perfect abs, a yacht and an amazingly joyful life. (Dramatic Music.)

Buy a Blacklight

Blacklights are super cool for kids (hippies love them too.)  Switch out a lightbulb with a blacklight, pour some tonic water into a glass, and voila you have a glow in the dark drink!  If you use tonic water for jello jigglers, the jigglers will glow as well. 

Make Your Own Slime

Ooooh slime.  There’s something about icky, gooeyness that children love.  The results is a polymer that contains qualities of both a solid and a liquid.  It can take the shape of any container that holds it, yet you can hold it in your hand like a solid.  Keep the slime in a plastic bag so it retains its properties.

You will need:

• Elmer’s glue
• 2 disposable cups
• Food coloring (preferably green)
• Borax Powder
• Plastic spoon
• tablespoon

Instructions:

1.  Fill one cup with water and add a spoonful of Borax powder and stir.  Set aside.

2.  Fill the other cup with 1 inch of glue.

3.  Add three tablespoons of water to the glue and stir.

4.  Add a few drops of the food coloring to the glue and stir.

5.  Add on tablespoon of the Borax solution to the glue and stir well.  The slime will form.

6.  After the slime forms, let it sit for about 30 seconds and then pull it off the spoon and play with it.

Screaming Cup

A cup that makes an eerie screaming noise!  Your kids can carry these while trick-or-treating for the added effect.

• You will need:
• Large plastic cup
• Piece of string 24’’
• Water

1.  Poke a hole in the bottom of the cup.

2.  Thread the string through the hole and tie a knot at the end of the string to hold it in place.

3.  Wet the string.

4.  Hold the cup in one hand and pinch the string between your thumb and forefinger.  Squeeze tightly on the string as you slide your thumb and forefinger down the string.  The string will stick and slide between your fingers causing a screaming sound.

Enjoy these projects and have a fun Halloween with the kids!

Special thanks to http://www.stevespanglerscience.com and http://www.sciencebob.com for the great ideas!

My nagging for him to stop playing felt quite similar to the nag I used to give my husband when he was in the throws of yet another MMORPG.  I stopped nagging my husband years ago, when I realized that all that energy could be put into my own quality time.  If he was so involved in this hobby of his, then I decided to focus on my own hobbies and build my own life.  This is probably the most healthy approach for any relationship, although your marriage tends to grow in different directions. 

Yet, the focus away from the nagging worked.  I made sure to appreciate the times they did spend with me, and realized that they will grow tired of the newness of their current game, and will come back to the ‘real’ world.  My husband realized one day that he was missing a lot of my life, and didn’t really like the fact that I didn’t nag at him anymore.  The nagging meant he had some control over my feelings.  With that power gone, he couldn’t wait to get it back!  The entire experience evolved into a great lesson for me.  My happiness was no longer bound to what the people in my life said or did.  My happiness was under my control.

With this lesson being learned, I decided not to nag at my teenager, but use a different approach.  As a growing boy, I didn’t want him to subject himself to living a life of reclusion at a computer.  The thought of him growing into one of those pale, smelly gamers who only comes up from the basement briefly, was not a nice picture.  Here are some methods I used to help him transition out of this period nicely:

1.  He has to feed himself. I would not serve him food while he was playing.  If he couldn’t eat dinner at the same time as us, he would have to come up and heat up his own food.

2.  Emailed or texted him notes of appreciation or love.

3.  Watched him play.  There were times that I would go into his room, sit back on his bed, and chill out.  I tried to maintain a good conversation, but there were times where he was so far gone into a raid, that he would barely say anything.  But, even so, I enjoyed bothering him.

4.  Encouraged him to attend family outings.  Sometimes, I MADE him to do this, which involved threatening WoW account closure.

5.  Chore completion for monthly subscription fees.  I will admit I balked on this sometimes, as I’m not very good at insisting on chores.  As time wore on, I did get better and more of a stickler on this.

6.  Family vacations to the outdoors.  There is no better way to get your kids attention, than by taking them away from technology.  Camping is especially a great way to get them involved with the family. 

7.  Make it clear they know where you stand.  I told my son specifically that playing games exclusively in life will not bring him fulfillment.  I also told him that he would grow out of it, and when he does I’ll still be there, but in the meantime he still needs to be responsible for taking care of himself.  Bathing, eating and sleeping are basic life necessities.  If his gaming interrupts those, then he should take a break.

Overall, he listened.  He has since passed the obsessive gaming, and is more active in our family life.  He still uses his computer and phone a lot, but it has been a more positive experience than negative.  He has grown to be an amazing teenager, and I even think WoW helped him grow out of his cocoon.  He met some great friends during that time period, friends that he’ll probably know at least ‘virtually’ his entire life.

The great news is that I didn’t freak out about the whole thing.  I was able to continue living and raising him as I wanted.  Nagging has lost its luster for good.

Fortunately, I am the proud owner of one of those so-called ‘smart phones.’  I’ve been in this exact situation before and was prepared this time.  As the long line of people moped their way up to the counter, my phone and I sat down on a nearby bench.  The children and hubby went to buy popcorn and I assured them that I would have the tickets in no time.  The movie was to start in 20 minutes, and the line was at least 30 minutes long!

Thankfully, Fandango exists.  I launched the Fandango app, selected the movie I wanted to see, chose the number of tickets, and hit purchase.  Voila! With five tickets on the system, I skipped up to the special Fandango ticket booth.  The teller immediately went over to me, bypassing the frustrated people waiting in line.  I handed him my credit card, and he was able to get my confirmation based on it.  The days of waiting in line at the movies are over.

Pros

1- Guaranteed tickets for your movie slot.  You can purchase online at fandango.com before you head to the theater, but I usually wait until we get there.  If the line is very small, I will use the traditional method of purchasing tickets, therefore foregoing the Fandango convenience fee.

2- Excellent customer service.  The ticketers treat you as a VIP to their showing.

3- Time saver!  No more waiting in lines, get right in and find the perfect seat before everyone else.

Cons

1- Fandango convenience fee.  A very small fee, usually 3 or 4 dollars. 

2- No more waiting in line.  Sometimes the best conversations happen when you are waiting in line with a bunch of people.  For some people, this is part of the movie-going experience.

Overall, “Fandangoing” your movie tickets is definitely a great option.  Check out their mobile apps here:  http://www.fandango.com/mobilemovietickets.

In the excitement of leaving my office and transporting a fixed computer, I lost my phone.  I realized about 30 minutes into my Friday night that my phone was either in my friend’s car, in my car, or lost on a sidewalk somewhere.  The feelings of abandonment overcame me, and suddenly I felt naked.  No phone!  What will I do without it?  I couldn’t call my friend to ask her to look in her car, and even worse I didn’t know her number by heart as its stored in my phone. 

Fortunately, my Android phone is set to sync my Gmail contacts.  I had stopped by another friends house to visit on the way home, so I hopped onto her computer and logged into my Gmail.  I quickly sent a Gmail text to my hubby so he would know that I am barren and contactless while I visited my friend.  Then, I wrote down my friend’s number, and (gasp) used a LAN line phone to call her!   After a few phone calls back and forth, she gave me the bad news that it wasn’t in her car. 

An hour or so passed, and the thought of my hubby not being able to get in touch with me kept creeping up on me.  I decided I better go home and check on everyone, before I went back to visit for my Friday festivities.  Of course, everyone was fine at the house, in fact, they hadn’t even tried to message me.  I was very tempted to take my hubby’s phone with me when I went out again, but I realized it would be pointless for him to not have any sort of phone at our house.  (We turned off our LAN line years ago.) 

So, I lived without it.  I realized the phone was probably still sitting at my desk in my office.  No biggie.  I thought about going to check on it, but the thought of going into the office on the weekend, wasn’t very tempting. 

As the weekend progressed, I felt ‘free.’  Free from worrying where I put it, checking to see if I got any messages, playing a random game here and there, maintaining its charge, etc.  I didn’t call anyone on my husband’s phone either.  I embraced the feeling of being without it.  I played with the kids outside.  I worked in the garden without music plugged into my ears via my Pandora app.  If someone wanted to talk to me, they would have to physically come to my house, or get in touch with my hubby.  (He is now my newly appointed secretary!)

The freedom from this experience taught me how dependent to our phones we have become.  Remember the days when…you left the house and didn’t worry about carrying so much technology?  When you could truly be unreachable for a period of time, and no one worried about you?  When you could drive across the country without a cell phone, only to stop at a payphone a couple times on the journey just to tell your Mom & Dad that you were ok?  When you didn’t text everyone that you knew, just random forwards or one word blurbs, but actually spoke with them days later?

We’ve become so over connected.  I urge everyone to take a ‘phone fast’ for a weekend.  Plan it in advance so your loved ones are aware that they need to come by your house if they want to talk to you.  The experience is eye-opening and will open up your life to a weekend of intense relaxation!

Oh, btw, the phone was happily sitting next to my office keyboard on Monday morning.  It looked relaxed and glad to have had a break too.

The entire situation shines light on their rivalry and shows how much the Internet world has changed in the past 5 years.  Microsoft has recently cultivated a firmer partnership with Facebook.  YouTube went to Google.  Yahoo and Geocities dominated the web hosting and search engine world by the end of the 90s.  Now, its running close to its end-of-life.  As we look into the future, the question remains:  will competition rule out or will one giant remain standing?

A Google World

When Google began to take over the search engine market, it was one static page with a simple search box.  Now, you can get lost for hours in their endless stream of ‘beta’ products.  Google voice, Google Talk, Google apps. . . the list of products Google supplies is limitless.  In 1999, all of your applications were Microsoft Office, with a pop3 account integrated into your email program, and a simple Internet Explorer browser.  Here in 2011, you can host all your documents online, with Google if you prefer, chat with your friends, email them, and use Google chrome for your browsing pleasure.  They have truly became the leader in the world for Internet technology. 

As much as they dominate through a multiple of technologies, they lack in their social networking and seamless integration between applications. 

And Then There Was Facebook

Facebook took everyone by surprise.  When the average baby bloomer started signing up by the droves, Facebook became an unstoppable force in the Internet world.  As they move forward with third-party gaming and applications, virtual currencies, and advertising, it is apparent that the world of social networking will never go away.  They’ve spotlighted what it means to be ‘private’ and even inspired us to stop being so afraid of showing the world who you really are. 

Their simple social networking browsing experience has outshined all the other social network platforms.  While they have elevated in this arena, they are lacking in other technologies.  Facebook is marketed for your personal life and entertainment.

Who Will Win?

People use both Google and Facebook services simultaneously.  As the competition heats up, the question remains:  If left with a choice, which would you choose; Google or Facebook?  Share your thoughts in our discussion group.

When you have called into a Help Desk or into Computer Support and been told to reboot your computer, what is the first thing that comes to mind? “I just got blown off!” or, “What do they think I am, an idiot?” I know it seems that way. But be honest, how many times did the reboot work when trying to fix your issue? The answer is a good portion
of the time. The rebooting myth is that support just wants to get off the call.

When in reality, it is rebooting the computer or a terminal fixes a huge
amount of strange issues. Do you want to know why it does? OF COURSE YOU DO!

Why the reboot works really depends on what the initial issue was on the pc. Let’s say
you go to print on a  terminal, and all of the printers are gone in the printers
folder. Why does a reboot bring the printers back? Because, the terminals are
set to go back to a “default” mode when it is rebooted. They return to the state of when
they were first set up. When they were set up. the printers were put on the device.
Thus after rebooting, your printers are back.

Sometimes, if a program won’t open, or it has an error upon opening, a reboot fixes this
issue. This is because there are processes running in the background on your pc that are
hidden. When you close a program and reopen it—sometimes—not always, the processes
remain active in the background, even when the program is closed. So the reboot actually
shuts down all processes and keeps them disconnected until you activate the program
again.

“Rebooting is a
wonder drug – it
fixes almost everything.”
~Garrett
Hazel, Help Desk
Blues,  2002

Another example of a reboot success, is memory errors. If you get a memory error on a
pc or Wyse terminal, a reboot will fix this issue a majority of the time. As I said before,
there are processes that run in the background on your pc. Those processes use the
memory of the PC device. If the processes don’t disconnect when the applications are shut down, and sometimes they don’t, and when that happens, they basically suck available memory
from your computer. A reboot will do a memory dump. When your computer comes back up, the memory will again be available for use.

Rebooting is typically the best, first, troubleshooting step you can take in many instances.

People say some nerdy things.  Especially when they are hopped up on caffeine, chocolate and the Internet.  Famous geeks have said been quoted to say some clever musings.  Let’s take a peak at some of these mind blowing quotes.

1.  “It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity.” Albert Einstein

2.  “The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency. The second is that automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency.” Bill Gates

3.  I am learning to forgive my inner geek, and even value him as a free man. Kenny Loggins

4.  I’m still a geek on the inside, that’s the important thing.  Wierd Al Yankovic. 

5.  "Computers are like Old Testament gods; lots of rules and no mercy."  Joseph Campbell

6.  “Computer games don’t affect kids, I mean if Pac Man affected us as kids, we’d all be running around in darkened rooms, munching pills and listening to repetitive music”  Gareth Owen

7.  “There’s a streak of alienation running through this culture, … There’s a streak of braininess, obsessiveness. I mean, anybody can use a computer, but not anybody’s a geek.” Jon Katz

8.  "Some things Man was never meant to know. For everything else, there’s Google." Unknown

9.  "Life would be so much easier if we only had the source code." Unknown

10.  Alcohol & calculus don’t mix. Never drink & derive. Unknown