Device Addiction and Parental Responsibility

DAVID LESTER JARRETT·MONDAY, JUNE 11, 2018

I did not originate these thoughts, but when I came across them on a random Facebook post/share they resonated deeply with me and my efforts at raising my youngest son to become the well adjusted adult he is capable of becoming. Diane KrasznayMarch 24

In light of the recent shootings in Florida and then recently at our local high school (GMHS) where a boy went into school last week and shot his ex-girlfriend (she died) and then himself (he died) we all ask what is wrong with our kids today?? I may not know all the answers but I think I know one!!

Here is a photo that I took this AM. It shows my broken sprayer bottle (that I use to spray the cat when she jumps on the table etc) along with water on the carpet. This came from my son's temper tantrum this AM. He is 10. He is a wonderful, bright STEM student, a very sensitive but caring boy. He loves animals. He sleeps with our cat every night. He loves the puppies we have every year along with the 4 dogs in our household. He writes love notes and gives hugs abundently. So what is the problem?

This AM I took away his phone. We had an activity planned for him to go to and he wanted to take his phone. His friend was coming over and all I could think about was how bored his friend would be while they sat in the car for the long car ride with my son staring at his phone and playing his games while ignoring his friend. How did I know this would happen? Because it has happened every other time!

Which brings me back to this AM. When I told my son that he couldn't take his phone, he had a major temper tantrum. He lay on the floor crying. He begged, he pleaded. Then when I repeatedly said no, he argued. He stomped off. He reluctantly got in the car with his Dad and his friend still crying and begging for his phone. I went back into the house and that is when I noticed that he left the front door open and the cat got out. The muddy shoe tracks throughout the house. The spilled water and my broken bottle. And I realized, in one sudden moment, the phone addiction IS a drug addiction!

I have never seen a drug addict that can't get his/her drugs. Well, except on TV. I cannot imagine it could be much worse! I realize that, yes, life has changed a LOT from when I was a kid. A lot. There are more broken families. More drugs (opiates). There seems to be more mental illness, or maybe it is just diagnosed more frequently. There is violence on TV but there always has been. Same with video games. I remember seeing kids play horrible violent video games 20 yrs ago. But the one thing that is totally different from when I was a kid and even 20 years ago....are the cell phones!! How can something so seemingly innocent be such a profound influence on a kid?

My daughter is in high school. Yes, she has wasted a lot of time on social media. So have I. Let's admit, it's addictive. It's convenient. It's sometimes even helpful..I have to say, knowing some of the parents of the kids at GMHS, they were grateful that their kids had their phones with them in school that day. They got frequent texts and updates and they knew their kids were ok! It was a relief for those parents. So phones are not all bad! They can in fact be life savers.

But. This is where the parenting comes in. I realized this AM, after watching my son's reaction, after seeing the results of his temper tantrum, that we as parents are allowing this to happen. I am allowing this to happen! It IS convenient to have kids quietly entertaining themselves for hours. Back in the old days, and yes, I am of the baby boomer generation, we managed to get though our days without phones or electronics. We had no laptops, no switches, no Wii's, no Xbox, no PlayStation, no huge digital entertainment centers in our homes. We got home from school and we went outside and we played, yes PLAYED, with our friends. We rode bikes, we built forts in the woods, we fished , we played kickball, spotlight, freeze tag, climbed trees, rode skateboards, ran through the hose and sunbathed, and anything else we could think of. And yes, sometimes we were actually BORED. I read books in the Summer, lots of books. I went to the library. A LOT. I played tennis, I rode ponies with my friend bareback, I even rode my bike a couple miles to her house..... back in the day when we didn't worry about getting abducted. So what has changed? Why are kids unable to cope? Unable to think of things to do? Why are they so bored? So detached from their friends? Their families? So detached from the physical world?

I know the answer. Maybe not the whole answer. But I have an addict in the house and it's my fault. I gave him the phone because he has a long bus ride home from school and I want to be able to stay in touch with him. However, I have allowed him to have data to play games so he won't be bored on the bus. And then I allow him to play games as a break between homework assignments. And this leeway, this reward I have given him, this phone, has grown into a monster of sorts. If I am working and not home, I trusted that he would stick to his limits. But that apparently isn't working. I have to physically monitor him at home and how much time he is spending on the phone. I have to be more diligent. I have to make THE decisions. Do I take away his phone altogether? Can he handle his daily limits? Is it changing his personality, his brain? Is he well rounded? Is he getting along with people? Does he have other interests?

Based on what I have seen today, I am convinced this is more serious than I originally thought. I saw an addict today. I know I'm not the only parent that has noticed this. Change needs to happen. It starts at home. I am committed to do everything I can to have well rounded, functional children. Children that play. Children that go outside. Children that have interests. Children that can interact in person with others. My commitment starts today. Wish me luck and please give me strength in numbers. Feel free to share. Thank you.

UPDATE:

First of all, from the bottom of my heart, I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to read, comment, message me, send me links for information and ideas, and share my post. When I posted this a few days ago, I had no idea how far and wide my message would travel, nor how much it would resonate with so many people across the world. I truly appreciate and am grateful for all the support, encouragement, advice, prayers and help that I've received as well as the sharing of my message.

I have heard from so many people that are struggling and suffering with the same problem in their children, grandchildren, students, or from those who have just observed the significant changes in the younger generation. This addiction is widespread, it is real, it is serious, and in my opinion, it is worldwide. For those who don't yet understand or believe the extent of this addiction, let me share with you a few of the messages I have received from families struggling with it or whose lives have been devastated. One mother's 14 year old son became so angry after they took his cell phone away, he hanged himself right after. His name was Justin Shuman. His mother wrote that he was a brilliant child gifted academically and physically but very addicted to his phone and other electronics. Justin has a support page on FB and his mother said they are totally open about what happened, why and how,. His mother's name is Melissa Duttlinger Shuman. She is hoping that awareness of this problem through this post will grow so that other parents and caregivers can help their children and grandchildren in time and never have to experience such a terrible and devastating tragedy in their lives.

I have heard from multiple parents about children, around 14 and 15 that have attacked their parents and siblings when their phones were taken away. One 14 yr old boy is sitting in jail today in Texas after having attacked his mother last night! One mother got attacked by her 15 yr old daughter after taking her phone and the police won't help her do anything about it. Multiple teachers and educators have written and commented that they are scared to confiscate the phones of their high school students as they have become so angry that they were shaking! One teacher said nothing scares her more or is more a threat to her life than having to ask for a cell phone!

Clearly the extreme anger and reactions of some children and teens that have their devices confiscated is evidence of a serious addiction and problem in society. Of course adults are certainly addicted too....one woman even wrote that her 80 yr old husband has become addicted to facebook in 2 months!

The problem is real, it is growing, and it needs to be dealt with. Not every child exposed to electronics and phones will become addicted, but the younger they are when they start, the greater the danger seems to be. I am just a Mom, not a physician, a psychologist, or even remotely trained in addiction therapy, but I found a very good resource of information in this book:

http://www.techaddiction.ca/children-addicted-to-video-game…

This book is not free but is written by a clinical psychologist specializing in tech addictions in children and teens such as gaming and cellphones. He provides great information, details about the types of games and how they are designed to be addictive, screening tools, questionnaires, links to support groups, links to devices to help limit access to electronics, software and hardware, details about how to know when you can intervene yourself or when you may need professional help and how to find it. If you need help, please reach out and get it! Your children are worth it!!

Change definitely needs to happen!! Please continue to share and spread the word!! Pediatricians (one of whom is copying and posting my message to put up in their waiting room), perhaps school counselors and educators, politicians, the press, families, friends and concerned citizens....everyone perhaps needs to look around and see the problem. Yes it starts AT HOME but more and more computers and tablets are becoming incorporated into the schools and homework as well. Children that truly have a serious addiction to electronics may need to not have access to any electronics at school or at home. They may need to have very restricted usage or perhaps none at all. Many parents have done that same as myself, handed their kids electronics...phones, tablets, I-pad, computers without having ANY idea that they would become addicted!! And many children and teens are much higher tech capable than their parents and can get around many of the controls their parents put into place. Social media is also a huge addiction as well as gaming. Many people have written about their own addictions to FB and social media as well as their children. Not all children become addicted but the danger is grave.

There are some people that commented that my son just needs a butt whipping and corporal punishment. I disagree with that approach and it certainly doesn't help resolve an addiction! My son does get disciplined in other ways and he is normally very well behaved. Nor does he get everything he wants. Just as someone wouldn't beat a drug addict to cure an addiction, beating a child with an addiction is not a solution! Tech addiction is compared in the book, referenced above, as more similar to a gambling addiction than a drug addiction, but there are also dire consequences with each. The tech addict dies slowly inside by his or her addiction, their personality changes, their mood changes, their brain changes and their lack of connection to family, friends, or the outside world! As far as my son, he has not had his phone in 3 days. He is restricted to playing video games to just an hour a day. This may seem like a lot to some people but to him it is a drastic reduction. Many people have commented that he never should have received a phone and in hindsight, I agree. In the future he will only have a basic phone to reach us in emergencies. I am already seeing huge signs of improvement! In the car, we actually had conversations. He looked out the window and noticed things, for the first time in a very long time. He actually got on the floor and played with his lego sets for the first time in many many months. We went outside everyday since the big revelation (to me!) and played tennis, walked and rode bikes. I know we have to be super diligent with our son and that he will at the slightest opportunity, get right back into his gaming. But I am in it for the long haul. We love our son. And by the way, our cat is fine. She only traveled a couple of feet on the porch before we found her.

Sorry for the long update!!! Please continue to share and discuss and lets's all make changes to help our children, our grandchildren, our relatives, our friends. We have a societal problem that we all need to fix but I am confident it can be done, one child, one family at a time. I am just a Mom and it takes a villlage as they say!! If you think you have or know a child or teen addicted to electronics, please research, find support, get help or get professional help if needed!!

Thank you again Diane Krasznay

Our Most Valuable Possession Is Our Time

The telephone rang. It was a call from his mother. He answered it and his mother told him, "Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday."

Memories flashed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days.

"Jack, did you hear me?"

"Oh, sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. It's been so long since I thought of him. I'm sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago," Jack said.

"Well, he didn't forget you. Every time I saw him he'd ask how you were doing. He'd reminisce about the many days you spent over 'his side of the fence' as he put it," Mom told him.

"I loved that old house he lived in," Jack said.

"You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man's influence in your life," she said.

"He's the one who taught me carpentry," he said. "I wouldn't be in this business if it weren't for him. He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important. Mom, I'll be there for the funeral," Jack said.

As busy as he was, he kept his word. Jack caught the next flight to his hometown. Mr. Belser's funeral was small and uneventful. He had no children of his own, and most of his relatives had passed away.

The night before he had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time. Standing in the doorway, Jack paused for a moment. It was like crossing over into another dimension, a leap through space and time. The house was exactly as he remembered.

Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture...Jack stopped suddenly...

"What'swrong, Jack?" his Mom asked.

"The box is gone," he said.

"What box?" Mom asked.

"There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk. I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he'd ever tell me was 'the thing I value most,'" Jack said.

It was gone. Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered it, except for the box. He figured someone from the Belser family had taken it.

"Now I'll never know what was so valuable to him," Jack said.

"I better get some sleep. I have an early flight home, Mom."

It had been about two weeks since Mr. Belser died. Returning home from work one day Jack discovered a note in his mailbox. "Signature required on a package. No one at home. Please stop by the main post office within the next three days," the note read.

Early the next day Jack went to the post office and retrieved the package. The small box was old and looked like it had been mailed a hundred years ago. The handwriting was difficult to read, but the return address caught his attention.

"Mr. Harold Belser" it read.

Jack took the box out to his car and ripped open the package. There inside was the gold box and an envelope.

Jack's hands shook as he read the note inside.

"Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bennett. It's the thing I valued most in my life." A small key was taped to the letter. His heart racing, as tears filled his eyes, Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch.

Running his fingers slowly over the finely etched casing, he unlatched the cover. Inside he found these words engraved: "Jack, Thanks for your time! -- Harold Belser."

"The thing he valued most was my time!"

Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his office and cleared his appointments for the next two days.*

"Why?" Janet, his assistant asked.

"I need some time to spend with my son," he said. "Oh, by the way, Janet, thanks for your time!"

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away."

Think about this. You may not realize it, but it's 100 percent true.

1. At least 15 people in this world love you in some way.

2. A smile from you can bring happiness to anyone, even if they don't like you.

3. Every night, SOMEONE thinks about you before they go to sleep.

4. You mean the world to someone.

5. If not for you, someone may not be living.

6. You are special and unique.

7. When you think you have no chance of getting what you want, you probably won't get it, but if you trust God to do what's best, and wait on His time, sooner or later, you will get it or something better.

8. When you make the biggest mistake ever, something good can still come from it.

9. When you think the world has turned its back on you, take a look: you most likely turned your back on the world.

10. Someone that you don't even know exists loves you.

11. Always remember the compliments you received. Forget about the rude remarks.

12. Always tell someone how you feel about them; you will feel much better when they know and you'll both be happy.

13. If you have a great friend, take the time to let them know that they are great.

Share this letter with all the people you care about. In doing so, you will certainly brighten someone's day and might change their perspective on life...for the better.

To everyone who read this just now...."Thanks for your time."

Some thoughts on the current

state of politics in America

The problem with the gene pool is that there is no lifeguard.

Experience and perspective is something you don't get until just after you needed them.

For every election, there is an equal and opposite criticism.

Two wrongs are only the beginning.

A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.

If you must borrow money, borrow money from Social Security.

No politician will ever expect that you are actually going to pay it back.

Half the people you know are below average. The other half are above average.

Which group you want to belong to is up to you.

RULES FOR THE DOG

1. The dog is not allowed in the house.

2. Okay, the dog is allowed in the house, but only in certain rooms.

3. Okay, fine, the dog is allowed in all rooms, but has to stay off the furniture.

4. The dog can get on the old furniture only.

5. Fine, the dog is allowed on all the furniture, but is not allowed to sleep with the humans on the bed.

6. Okay, the dog is allowed on the bed, but only by invitation.

7. The dog can sleep on the bed whenever he wants, but not under the covers.

8. The dog can sleep under the covers by invitation only!

9. The dog can sleep under the covers every night.

10. Humans must ask permission to sleep under the covers with the dog.

The Google Hatchet is falling on the Chrome web browser

Over the years I have encouraged countless numbers of computer users to switch from the notoriously insecure Internet Explorer web browser to a much more secure Google Chrome web browser instead.

Unfortunately, one of the pitfalls of using ANY Google produced product is Google's notorious habit of randomly and arbitrarily discontinuing products with little or no apparent concern for the users that have come to depend on those products.

Recently millions of users of the Google Chrome browser have been getting notices that the notorious Google Hatchet is about to fall on their Chrome web browser. Users of the old Windows XP, Windows Vista, and users of 32bit Linux operating systems are due to lose all security updates for their Chrome web browser effective March 2016.

Conspiracy aficionados are claiming this is due to a behind the scenes 'deal' between Google and Microsoft to force owners of these older computers to purchase new computers running a new version of Windows. In reality, anyone with any real experience using Google developed products and services knows that this is just a recent example of Google being Google.

So.... The big questions is, if you are one of the millions of computer users that are seeing this message, what should you do?

1) If you are still using Windows XP then STOP. Upgrade if you can, to at least Windows 7/8, assuming that you just HAVE to keep using Windows. Upgrading to Vista is pointless at this stage of the game, since support for Vista is due to end in early 2017.

2) If you are still using Windows Vista, it's time to get your upgrade ducks in a row as well. Again, if you simply MUST keep using Windows, you should check into whether or not your computer can be upgraded to Windows 7/8.

3) If you are using a 32 bit LINUX system, thne it's time to look into a 64bit upgrade if your machine can handle one. If not, then for now, your best solution is to stop using Chrome, and switch to Firefox instead. Be aware that the chances of Firefox also following Google's lead on dropping support for these systems in the future is probably very high.

4) Win XP/Vista users also have the option of switching to Firefox as well, with the understanding that this may be a stopgap solution if Firefox follows Google's lead in support for these systems.

5) Needless to say, my suggestion for everyone is to upgrade to a 64bit LINUX operating system. If your computer can't handle this, then by all means, it's time to start shopping for a new computer.

You can see the details of the announcement of Google's intent to take their notorious hatchet to Chrome by visiting this webpage:

http://chrome.blogspot.com/2015/11/updates-to-chrome-platform-support.html

And if you do decide that switching to Firefox is the best solution for your situation, the simplest way that I know to accomplish that is to download it directly from Mozilla here:

https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/

Don't you HATE it when LINUX users are 'dissed by Corporate America?

As a new CPAP user, I quickly discovered that the SleepMapper software for my Philips Respironics® CPAP machine is only supported for Windows or Mac computers, with Linux users being once again, left out in the cold by corporate America. Like I have done in the past, with so many other companies that offer little or no support for those of us that use LINUX computers, I contacted Philips about the lack of support for LINUX users, and asked if it was Philips official policy that only people who owned Windows or Mac computers should be users of their products. You can see their answer to my inquiry below.

And as much as I hate to be to one to have to point this out to the fine folks at Philips, the way this answer translates back to me as someone that does not use a Windows or Mac computer is that, even though I am a Philips customer, I do not matter enough to them, being a big profitable corporation, to care about providing service to me, and others like me. And it is sad that Philips, like so many other companies, has decided to take this approach, when the effort it would take to support LINUX, considering how closely it resembles the BSD-based Mac OS, is truly minimal.

But I decided to take this rejection of my concerns as a Philips consumer as a challenge. In my original inquiry, I had suggested to their support personnel that it would not be all that difficult to modify the Windows version of the SleepMapper SD card import program so that it would work under LINUX when run in a virtual WIndows machine with the popular Virtualbox software. Since Philips would not attempt to make those types of modifications to their software, I set out to discover if there was indeed a way to get their software to work in Virtualbox.

I am happy to report that I did, indeed discover a solution, and have given a detailed explanation of that solution on this blog entry. Not only did I get the SleepMapper SD card import program to work, those same steps allow the much more comprehensive Windows version of the open source Sleepyhead CPAP software to work in a virtual Windows machine with Virtualbox and LINUX as well. To be honest, the open source Sleepyhead CPAP software gives a much more detailed analysis of the data from the Philips Respironics® CPAP machine than the Philips supplied SleepMapper software.

In closing, if you are a LINUX user who is also a user of a Philips Respironics® CPAP machine, and have been informed by Philips that they offer zero support unless you are using their software on a genuine Windows or Mac computer, hopefully a Google search has lead you to this blog entry, and you now are on your way to finding a solution, that you can indeed use not only the SleepMapper software on your LINUX machine, but also the more comprehensive Windows Sleepyhead software as well.

And Philips is more than welcome to refer any LINUX users to this blog entry, with my compliments. It's not that Philips couldn't have had one of their computer people work out this solution, it's that they simply didn't think it was important enough to bother with.

Fortunately for any Philips Respironics® users who only have access to a LINUX computer, I disagree, and offer this solution for one and all to use.

David Jarrett © 4/08/2015

All logos, trade names, trade marks, and photos of the same belong to their respective owners.

The use of such material in this article falls under the Fair Use provisions of intellectual property laws.

Target Product Protection Plan Saves the Day!

If you have read my post from January 2013 regarding all of the difficulties that I experienced with Element Electronics TVs, here is a follow up post to how the end of that story all worked out.

Back in January of 2013, frustrated with the poor quality of the two 26 inch Element TVs I had purchased, I finally decided to spend a little more and opted for a 32 inch Westinghouse EW32S5KW from Target. I also purchased the 3 year Target Product Protection Plan for the TV at the same time.  Unlike the previous Element TVs, the Westinghouse worked great, and for all intents and purposes, the drama of the bedroom TV was over.

Fast forward 618 days, or roughly 8 months, 9 days past the expiration of the original manufacturer's warranty. Turning on the TV resulted in what was obviously some sort of on board diagnostic display, no response to the remote or to the buttons on the case. Searching the net resulted in a few reset ideas, none of which helped in the least. So I dug out the paperwork on the Target Product Protection Plan, and placed a call. Target, as well as many other retailers, use Asurion to service their product protection plans. The technician that I spoke to had me try a completely different reset procedure. Unfortunately, it had no more effect than anything else that I had tried. The technician determined that the TV would have to be sent in for repairs. He explained that they would send out a shipping box, and a prepaid shipping label for the return, which I would receive in a few days. Throughout the entire call the technician was helpful and pleasant, and explained everything quite clearly. I would describe the quality of the service call and the technician's assistance as outstanding.

As promised, in a few days the return shipping box arrived. All I had to supply was the packing tape to seal the carton once the TV was inside. UPS picked up the box two days later, and I waited to hear what would happen next.  Four days later I received an email telling me that the TV had made it to the repair center, and was being diagnosed by a technician. Later that same day I received a second email telling me that the repair will require replacement parts, which have been ordered. Once again, I begin to wait to see what happens next. Four days later, I received an email telling me that the needed replacement parts are not available, and that I will be reimbursed for the original purchase price, which will be provided on a Target gift card. I am told that I can expect the card to arrive in 10-14 days. Six days later I received a UPS 2 day envelope with the gift card inside.

Fortunately for me, the prices on 32 inch TVs have come down a bit since January 2013, and apparently September is a great time to buy a TV, since retailers are trying to entice buyers not to wait for those door busting Black Friday deals. The day after the gift card arrived, I visited Target online, and begin to hunt for a replacement. After checking specifications, reviewer's ratings, and availability for in store pick up near me, I selected a Magnavox 32ME303V. Needless to say, I also added the Target Product Protection Plan to the purchase!

A few hours later, the email arrived telling me the TV was ready for pickup, and a few hours after that, I was unboxing the new replacement. It took about 3 weeks, but there is now a brand new fully working TV in the bedroom, and it has an additional extended warranty as well. From one viewpoint, the previous TV cost me less than $45 for 20 months of use, which is the price of the protection plan plus the original sales tax amount. What really worked out nice was that since prices have come down. the refunded amount was enough to pay for the replacement TV, the sales tax, and a new protection plan. To say that I am completely happy with Target's Product Protection Plan would be an understatement from any perspective!

For years I have read that the experts tell us that retailer product protection plans are a waste of money, but I say that this is simply not true at all. Particularly with electronics, which are almost exclusively manufactured overseas with little or no quality control or service/parts infrastructure. Like it or not, we live in a disposable society. When it breaks, we throw it out, and buy a new one. Long gone are the days when the purchase of a new family TV meant you could expect 10, 15, or even 20 years of  enjoyment. But then again, look how things have changed. Back in 1967, a 23 inch color TV cost the average household the equivalent of 3-4 weeks pay, almost 1/12 of their annual income. Nearly 50 years later, as Black Friday 2014 approaches, a 46 inch LCD TV can be purchased for roughly the same price, which is equivalent to about a half week's pay for the average household, or less than 1/100th of their annual income. There's no wonder nothing is built to last when things are built so cheaply! 

As my experiences with the Element TV products taught me, with some electronics you can consider yourself fortunate if it even works for 30 days, and exceptionally lucky if it works for more than the manufacturer's warranty period. Nowadays buying an extended warranty on offshore produced electronics should be automatic, something you would never NOT consider!

Hats off to Target, the folks at Asurion, and the speed and efficiency of the entire transaction. From breakdown to replacement in 21 days displays that their commitment to customer satisfaction is not just marketing jargon!

(For those that are interested, here is the actual timeline for these events)

Jan 11, 2013 - 32 inch Westinghouse TV and extended warranty purchased at Target

Sept 20th, 2014 - 618 days old, TV quits working, call made to customer service

Sept 24, 2014 - Return Shipping Box/Prepaid Shipping Label Received

Sept 26, 2014 - TV picked up by UPS

Sept 30, 2014 - TV arrives at repair center, diagnosed, replacement parts ordered.

Oct 4, 2014 - Notified that parts are not available, a refund will be sent in 10-14 days.

Oct 10, 2014 - Refund for original purchase price, via Target Gift Card, received

Oct 11, 2014 - New replacement ordered online, picked up locally, set up and working

All logos, trade names, trade marks, and photos of the same belong to their respective owners. The use of such material in this article falls under the Fair Use provisions of intellectual property laws.

When is a pound not a pound? Another rant against modern marketing tactics!

In the beginning, marketing was about coming up with new and creative ways to introduce and sell products. Unfortunately, nowadays marketing is more about misdirection and tricking the consumer into believing they are buying something other than what they are really paying for. 

Take this product from Kraft Foods/Oscar Mayer for example-

Over 20% of the label at the top boldly proclaims the customer is purchasing a ONE POUNDER package. In reality, the fine print points out that 32% of the package contents are 'other ingredients', i.e. NOT ham. So the consumer is NOT buying ONE POUND of ham, they are actually buying slightly less than 11 OUNCES. 

Sorry Kraft Foods/Oscar Mayer, but this type of labeling crosses the line from marketing into outright DECEPTIVE ADVERTISING.

All logos, trade names, trade marks, and photos of the same belong to their respective owners. The use of such material in this article falls under the Fair Use provisions of intellectual property laws.

Everything you always wanted to know about sideloading Android Apps.

Since my toddler received a Kurio Touch 4s from his grand parents for Christmas, I've been brushing up on my Android app side loading skills recently. It occurred to me that lots of folks, having found themselves in possession of a new tablet, might also need to learn more about some the different ways to do this. 

Listed below are a few articles that may prove helpful.

How to Sideload Apps Onto Your Kindle Fire

How to Download APK Files (Android Apps) from Google Play

The Ultimate Guide to Installing Incompatible Android Apps from Google Play

Hat's off to HowToGeek.com for these excellent articles on sideloading!

All logos, trade names, trade marks, and photos of the same belong to their respective owners. The use of such material in this article falls under the Fair Use provisions of intellectual property laws.

Kurio Touch 4s - Initial Impressions

Christmas time has come and gone, and one of the new acquisitions for the toddler in the household was a shiny new Kurio Touch 4s.

On the surface, it seems like a good idea, a phone sized tablet, with a protected environment, for the little ones, ostensibly to help the adults keep possession of their phones/tablets instead of constantly having to 'borrow' it back from their youngsters.

But there is a catch. Despite the 30 applications that come with the Kurio, the options for adding additional apps are woefully inadequate. Out of the box, the Kurio comes with it's own app store, and nothing else, thereby making all of the other apps your child is probably already familiar with out of bounds.

Good marketing ploy for Kurio obviously, but for the consumer, it's not such a great deal, since the Kurio does not give you access to the hundreds, if not thousands, of otherwise available free apps in the Android ecosphere.

Kurio has indicated that certification for the Google Play store is in the works, but there is no firm date as of this posting, as to when existing Kurio Touch owners can expect this update.

I did manage to successfully install the Amazon Android App Store onto the Kurio 4s, but there are inconsistencies in the results. Some apps install and run correctly, others have conflicts with the Kurio's additional 'kid-safe' security features.

Hopefully the folks at Kurio will make certification for the Google Play store a priority, and work out whatever needs to be done to make sure that apps installed by the 'Owner' account and allocated to the other User accounts will actually be approved by the Kurio added security features.

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Mythbuntu 12.04 and the mythfilldatabase bug - SOLVED!

I had a bit of a scare the past few days when I suddenly realized my MythTV HTPC was showing only 6 days of programming info. Searching various forums indicated that this was not uncommon, and the solutions, even over a year since these reports started to flood in, were not clear, and in fact, most suggestions were either horribly complicated or virtually ineffective. After hours of searching, checking settings, checking file permissions, emailing back and forth with Schedules Direct, I did finally fix the problem on my machine. In the event that my solution might actually help someone else avoid this type of HTPC angst, I'm posting it here-

For reference, I am running Mythbuntu 12.04 and myth .025, and I did a complete shutdown and reboot before proceeding with these steps-

1) Using a different computer, log into Schedules Direct, and select the resend lineups button
2) On the HTPC, shut down frontend and backend, go into backend setup

3) Manually check every channel to make sure none are using EID data

4) Clear and re-enter the password for logging into Schedules Direct (Data Direct), and made sure the user ID is correct

5) Download the lineup data from Schedules Direct

6) Match the correct lineup from the pull down to the correct source (I have two)

7) Repeat steps 4-6 for each additional source.

8) Exit the backend setup, then run mythfilldatabase.

9) Run mythfilldatabase a second time using the --dd-grab-all option

10) Restart the backend and the frontend and if all goes well, you should find all the listings were restored properly

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Get Yourself a Full Featured

Dedicated eReader the EASY Way!

A little tech tip for today - 

http://androidlife.co/diya-turn-an-old-android-tablet-into-a-personal-dedicated-e-reader/

In fact, with the glut of low cost tablets floating around, you could even do this to a brand new tablet, and wind up with a powerful ereader for well less than the cost of an actual off the shelf ereader.

At Last! A FIX for the annoying FULLSCREEN bug

in Chrome and Chromium!

Since sometime in 2011, Google Chrome and it's open source equivalent Chromium have been plagued with the dreaded ''Fullscreen'' bug which *seems* to occur randomly after updates. I've labored over editing configuration files in the past, so that I didn't have to restart with a blank user profile, and then rebuild, which is most often suggested as the only solution.So when I got slammed with the bug again today, and was painfully searching for the info I needed to once again do a manual edit of the configuration file, I found this little gem - A solution that is painless, and nothing short of miraculous! Thanks Dansoonie, for sharing this with the rest of us! You are AWESOME!

http://dansoonie.tistory.com/m/post/view/id/665

In a nutshell, when faced with this problem, you simply change your screen resolution to one SMALLER than you normally use. Your browser will resize itself accordingly. After that, it's simply a matter of reverting back to your normal screen resolution, and your problem is permanently fixed! No need to lose your existing profile settings, no need to painstakingly edit the profile defaults by hand!

All logos, trade names, trade marks, and photos of the same belong to their respective owners. The use of such material in this article falls under the Fair Use provisions of intellectual property laws.