How many of these apply to you?

I have to admit that being a geek dad is fun. I get to play with lots of cool toys that my kids would love to get their hands on. However, being a geek dad also has it’s traps. Sometimes I get too involved with the screen in front of my face and forget that there are little eyes watching me. Sometimes I have to not only reel in my own tendencies but also take a look at how much time my kids are spending with electronic gadgets and devices.

In his book Taming the Techno-Beast: Helping You Understand and Navigate Your Child’s Electronic World, Todd Wilson approaches the subject of technology’s invasion into our homes directly without calling for an all out rebellion against anything with a microprocessor.

Although written in 2009, Taming the Techno-Beast is still relevant in today’s tech scene despite changes in social networks and gadgets. The illustrations and advice offered in this book are just as applicable to the reader today as they were were three years ago. It’s a quick read which I like. No beating around the bush. Todd gets straight to the point.

Reigning in our kids’ desire to sit in front of a screen all day while tapping away is tough but with the simple steps Todd Wilson outlines in this short book you can be well on your way to taming the techno-beast in your home. You may even find that you have a little beast hiding somewhere that you need to get under control.

Taming the Techno-Beast by Todd Wilson is available on the Kindle for $2.99.

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Disclosure: I have not received any compensation to review this book. Links to the Amazon store are affiliate links.

I’m going to keep this short and sweet. I’m not one to provide lengthy reviews about movies and since my podcast is primarily about homeschooling and technology I don’t want to spend too much time “off-topic”.

The Hunger Games takes place in a post-apocalyptic, dystopian future country called Panem (formerly the United States). Divided into 12 districts, Panem is ruled from The Capitol which controls the residents of each district by controlling the food. Each year a male and female child between the ages of 12 and 18 are chosen from each district to compete in The Hunger Games as a tribute.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Hunger Games. The spirit of the book and the character-driven story were preserved in the film adaptation. Special effects take a supporting role in this film and they’re used to enhance the drama on the screen. If you think this is a sci-fi, action film then you’re mistaken.

Some scenes didn’t live up to my expectations because my imagination doesn’t have a special effects budget. A few scenes are added to move along some plot points. This is because the book is written in first-person, present tense and there’s no way to convey what’s going on in Katniss’ mind without throwing in a few scenes to move the plot along. Some scenes from the book are removed but it’s necessary due to time limitations. I could have sat in the theater for another hour but I suspect most movie-goers want to get out in around 2 hours.

Content-wise, it sits right in the middle of a PG-13 rating. Some teens might have trouble with the violent images but as a parent you’ll need to judge that for yourself. If your children have seen NCIS or CSI then they won’t have any trouble with the images in The Hunger Games.

Overall, I’d give The Hunger Games 4 out of 5 stars. I felt the special effects could have been a little better and the script writers could have spent about 10-15 more minutes developing Haymitch’s character.

Other reviews that may interest you:

The Spirit Blade Underground’s review of The Hunger Games
Plugged In’s review of The Hunger Games (contains spoilers)
The Hunger Games Is Well Worth Seeing, Even if You Haven’t Read the Book (contains spoilers)

Planning to send your homeschool graduate to college this Fall or next year? Expecting a Pell Grant to help cover some of the costs? According to some colleges your child may not be eligible. Starting July 1st, 2012 new students enrolling in college for the first time without a high school diploma or GED are not eligible for federal financial aid under Title IV.

A Dear Colleague letter was sent to colleges and universities entitled “Changes Made To The Title IV Student Aid Programs By The Recently Enacted Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2012″ clarifying that, “The law makes an exception for students who have completed a secondary school education in a home school setting that is treated as a home school or private school under State law.” (Source)

It seems, however, that some colleges and universities in Alaska, Oklahoma, Idaho, New York, and Ohio have misinterpreted this letter to mean that home schooled students are not eligible for Pell Grants under Title IV.

HSLDA sent a letter to the Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, asking that the U.S. Department of Education “give guidance to colleges and universities regarding home school eligibility for federal financial aid.” (Source) but I can find no other briefs or notices on the HSLDA website that point to a response or further clarification.

If your child is getting ready to go to college this Fall, make sure his school administrators are familiar with the new law. If you feel they are not interpreting the law correctly, you may need to seek legal counsel to settle the dispute. That HSLDA membership looks like a better investment every year.

Have you hear any news about this?  Have you been told your child isn’t eligible for federal financial aid.  Let me know in the comments below.

Tony Kochhar the ‘UK’s leading shoulder doctor’ says tablets like the iPad and Kindle Fire are causing a rise in shoulder injuries.

Dr. Kochlar, says he’s treating as many as 20 patients a week for problems caused by “iPad shoulder”.

Tablet users aren’t the only ones in danger of this new malady, smartphone users can also experience should problems when holding their smartphone between their ear and shoulder.

What do you think? Do you find yourself experiencing any pain from prolonged tablet or smartphone use? Think this is enough to consider limiting the amount of time your children use such devices? Let me know in the comments below.

Original article from Macworld UK: New iPad causing rise in shoulder injuries