technology Archives

I think the iPhone should come with an instruction manual that’s required reading. It isn’t enough to know how to connect to Wifi or how to Facetime five people at once — it’s equally… important to understand how to communicate with other humans in a decent, which isn’t intuitive to new users (i.e., tweens). If you’re going to cave and give your kids phones before they’re mature enough to use them — like, um, I did — then it’s important that somebody teach them the rules. (For what… >> Read More

technology

Put Down the Phone and Watch Your Kids’ Performance

Jordana Horn

Once the calendar starts its perilous turn around the corner into June, we get into the thick of it: the onslaught of all those end-of-the-school-year events. The moving-up ceremonies, the concerts,… the performances, the awards ceremonies, and the graduations. There are so many of them. (Yes, as a mom to six kids, I perhaps have more than most — but even parents of one kid know exactly what I’m talking about.) All of these wonderful, important events are attended by a sea of proud parents and… >> Read More

Social Media

Type ‘Mazel Tov’ in Facebook and Watch What Happens

Emily Burack

Last year, Facebook rolled out a new feature called “text delight animations.” Basically, when you type certain key words — say, "you're the best" — a fun animation pops up. You've… probably realized that typing “congratulations” in just about any language leads to a delightful explosion of confetti and balloons. So, you could type מזל טוב — that's “mazel tov,” or "congratulations," in Hebrew — and the animation would appear. But if you were to use the transliteration, "mazel tov," — which is, of course, phrase… >> Read More

health

Fitbit Can Now Track Your Period

Emily Burack

Fitbit already tracks things like your daily steps and sleep patterns. But, starting next month, some versions of the OG wearable (like the Ionic and the forthcoming Versa) will also be able to track… your period. Here’s how it works: You start by inputting your period dates and attributes using adorbs emojis, such as an image of an egg or a honeycomb under the delightfully vague header of “fluids.” (You can also click to indicate if you’re experiencing fun symptoms like headaches, cramps, or acne.) But since it can’t… >> Read More

allergies

Peanut Allergies? This Portable Sensor Could Save Your Kid’s Life

Joanna C. Valente

Peanuts. The very word can strike terror in parents of kids who are allergic to this seemingly ubiquitous legume. Birthday parties, school cafeterias, playgrounds... The list of places where… peanut exposures could occur goes on and on. At the same time, you can't keep your kid inside a bubble forever, so the anxiety loops in an infinite cycle. But now, technology comes to the rescue! Nima is a portable, hand-sized device that can test foods for peanut proteins. All you need to do is pop… >> Read More

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