Geeks In Training - How Young Is Too Young?

Last weekend we celebrated my son, Cruz's third birthday. Spawned from two geeks, he is naturally drawn to computers and gadgets. Over the past year, he has slowly taken over a few of my most needed pieces of tech gear; namely, my iMac and iPhone. At first it was cute. I was a proud Mama watching over my geek in training as he learned how the slide to unlock feature worked on my iPhone. And when he mastered every button of my MX Revolution mouse, I had a big smile on my face. Then it became a problem. My iPhone battery was constantly drained from him playing hours of Jirbo Bounce, and I barely had time to work on my own projects on my iMac. The solution to the madness was to get Cruz his very own iPod Touch for his birthday.

When I told various friends he was getting his own iPod Touch, I got a lot of different responses. My parents were very cool about it and even paid half of the price of the gift. Other friends started giving me bets on how long the device would last in the hands of a three year old. Sometimes I admit, I even had my doubts on the logistics of his present, but my doubts quickly diminished as Cruz took over my iPhone again, moved my icons around, and then drained my battery. He was definitely getting his iPod Touch.

For the most part, he is gentle with the technology he plays with. We make it very clear that if we catch him mistreating anything, it will go away. I think he understands. For three years old, he is remarkably smart. Yes, I know it sounds like I am bragging, but he mimics what he sees, and my husband and I set a very good example of proper care for computers and gadgets. However, he had been somewhat destructive to a few of his toys and books. I'm keeping my fingers crossed he won't damage his iPod Touch or any other expensive gadget in the house. I would hate to have to write a blog about why it is a mistake to give young children iPods later on down the line.

I also would like to add, I set up a log-in for Cruz on my iMac. I dabbled with parental controls for the first time ever. I have a few things I like and dislike in the way Leopard handles young users. First off, Simple Finder is lame! My son loves all the icons in the dock, but Simple Finder only puts a single applications folder in the dock and not separate application icons. Simple Finder is great in other ways such as not allowing access to the main hard drive or external hard drives on the desktop, but the simplified dock caused my son to have no interest in using his log-in. I had to disable Simple Finder and go into view options to hide the hard drives on the desktop, but if he clicks the finder in the dock and changes it from icon view to columns view, he can then navigate back to access my external hard drives - which he does. (I told you he was smart.)

Another thing I do not like is there is no option to prompt for administrator password to empty the trash. I can limit what applications he has access to, and I can try to control what he can see, but if by chance he does happen to throw an important file in the trash and empty the trash, it could be devastating. I guess that is why we have Time Machine, but it would be nice to have an option to keep him from deleting anything.

So am I crazy for letting my three year old son use my iMac? And is he too young for his own iPod Touch? I guess it depends on the kid, but how young is too young when it comes to our geeks in training?

UPDATE: Poll Results 10/27/08 - 11/3/08

Is 3 years old too young for an iPod Touch?
00% Yes
75% No
25% Meh

Do iPhones Need Screen Protectors?

I have had my iPhone for over a year now, and ever since I first bought it, I had a screen protecting film defending my precious iPhone against scratches. I have had good and bad experiences with different brands of screen protectors. Yes, they all worked as promised and my iPhone screen looks as glossy as the day I bought it, but some protectors applied easier and sealed better than others. As a perfectionist bordering on obsessive-compulsive disorder when it comes to how my electronics appear, I can not stand any bubbles or misalignment in my screen protecting films.

I had a terrible experience with the Rocketfish screen protectors I bought from Best Buy. I cheaped out and thought they were a better bargain. When it comes to screen protectors, I can say you definitely get what you pay for. The Rocketfish films were impossible to apply without bubbling around the top edge. It was so annoying, and I was relieved when I finally finished the last one in the pack and could get better quality screen protectors.

Last weekend, I went to the Apple Store to buy the Power Supply Film Set they carry. This was the brand I used when I first bought my iPhone and had great success with. They are not the best price on the market, but they are most certainly the best quality in my experience. When I arrived at the Apple Store, I was semi-shocked to find that they no longer carried screen protectors for the original iPhone and only supplied the store with accessories for the 3G iPhone. I say "semi-shocked" because I feared this would be the case even before making the trip to the Apple Store. I even asked one of the guys working there if they carried screen protectors for the original iPhone, and he confirmed they did not and said I could go online and buy them directly from the manufacturer. What he failed to mention was Apple still carries them on their website, so the Apple employee basically gave me information that could lead me to spend my money else where.

Apple's online store charges an extra $4 for shipping and Power Supply charges and additional $7 for shipping for a product that weighs next to nothing. Being the penny-pincher I am, that is just unacceptable.

After doing a little online searching, I started to question the necessity of the screen protecting films in the first place. The iPhone screen is made of glass similar to a car windshield. That is pretty durable and resistant to scratches.

Here is a video of the stress test PC World put the iPhone through. It's pretty brutal, so I'm warning those who have weak stomachs when watching perfectly good gadgets get tortured to not watch the video. Basically, the conclusion was if you plan to abuse your iPhone, you may want to invest in a sturdy case. However, they did not advise one way or the other on needing a screen protector. The scratch test in this video proved the screen itself was amazingly resistant to scratches.

I also found numerous forum postings of others asking about the necessity of the iPhone screen protector. Some replies strongly advocated using a screen protector and a few brave souls argued against it. Usually, most comments said they put a screen protector on their iPhone "just in case".

I think we justify the extra protection because of past experiences with many products getting damaged and dinged up very easily, and that is what we are used to. However, the iPhone is a high quality product unlike any other phone or PDA I owned in the past. At first, I thought I needed to baby my iPhone, but I am learning it is very durable and maybe the screen protectors are a little over kill. So I am boldly stripping my iPhone and letting it be bare. Well almost. I did get a GelaSkin to apply to the back since that is the most vulnerable spot. I must say, it is taking some getting used to. I went from a silicone case and screen protecting film to only a GelaSkin. That is quite a difference.

So now, I am curious how many other iPhone owners out there swear by their screen protectors or think it is an unnecessary accessory?

UPDATE: Poll Results 10/20/08 - 10/27/08

Do iPhones need screen protectors?
50% It's a must
00% Just in case
50% Not necessary
00% I'm unsure

Are Rumor Sites Spoiling the Surprise?

Apple has announced a MacBook Event for October 14. I am very excited to see what is unveiled. The web is flooded with rumors of what Apple will unleash, but I for one am not taking a peek. Instead, I will wait until Tuesday and be surprised.

Have rumor sites taken away the element of surprise and thus making new product announcements bland? Have these rumors added a new degree of anticipation or just spoiled it?

The last Apple event was Let's Rock on September 9 where the new iPod Nano was released. As exciting as that was, the rumors and leaked photos were right on the money. Knowing about any new technology before it is released is great, but did that make the Let's Rock event lackluster?

I kind of feel it did. As a known gadget head and lover of all things Apple, I anticipate every new product announcement. My production at work crawls to a halt as I feverishly click refresh on my browser, eagerly awaiting updates on Twitter from those fortunate enough to attend these special Apple events. I can say without a doubt after the Let's Rock event I suffered from rumor site regret, and I felt a little bit unfulfilled after the announcements from having known what would be unveiled.

I'm sure it is a personal choice. Some of us want to know if we can, and some of us like the element of surprise. I for one am taken the latter this time for the upcoming MacBook event to see if it changes my level of satisfaction when I find out what Apple presents to the world.

UPDATE: Poll Results 10/12/08 - 10/19/08

Have you suffered from rumor site regret?
50% Yes
50% No

How do you feel about new product announcements?
00% I like to know before
50% I like to be surprised
50% I don't care

You Can Be Anything You Want To Be

When I was in Elementary School, I loved to sing. I sang along to the radio in the car, all those fun little songs during music class, wherever I could. One day, the music teacher said the school was holding try-outs for the all-girls' choir. Excited about the opportunity to sing in a real choir, I ran home after school to tell my mom I was trying out. Then my mom did the unthinkable. She looked me square in the eye and said, "Keri, you can't sing."

This came as a shock as my mom encouraged me in almost everything I did, but not this time. Maybe she thought it would be better to hear it from her than from the judges at the try-outs. Regardless, I was still heartbroken and did not try out for the choir, and from that point on, I never sang in the car when someone else was riding with me. Should my mom have been so brutally honest with me?

We have all heard the phrase, "You can be anything you want to be." Should we encourage our kids to be whatever they want or be honest with them if they are lacking the talent?

I'm sure you have all seen or heard of the try-outs for American Idol. As much as I try to escape this show, I always get sucked into watching the try-outs at the beginning of each season. There are so many terrible singers on there, but they are convinced they sing beautifully. I have also seen many of these not-so-great contestants' parents standing beside their kids and supporting them all the way. Are the parents just as delusional as their kids or are they just encouraging them to follow their dreams?

My husband and I discussed this very topic on how we would handle supporting our son's ambitions and what to do if he chooses a career path that he might not be best suited for. My husband says, he would encourage our son no matter what because it is better for him to try and fail than not try at all, and failure is an important part of life that helps you learn from your mistakes. He phrased it as, "I'm not saying he will be anything he wants to be, but he should try to be anything he wants to be."

I will agree and say it sounds like a good, well-intentioned plan to me. I also want to focus on our son's gifts and talents and encourage growth in those particular areas. I never think I could come right out and tell him that he could not do something. A dream is a terrible thing to take away from a kid, or anyone young or old, and there could always be a way for them to somehow achieve their dreams, especially if they want it bad enough.

UPDATE: Poll Results 10/5/08 - 10/12/08

Should kids be told they can be anything
they want to be?
100% Yes they should
00% Be honest with them
00% I don't know
00% Undecided

Homeland Security Can Seize Laptops?

This story has me so curious, I felt compelled to write a second blog post this week...

Kevin Mitnick was detained for four hours and his laptops seized by customs agents as he re-entered the United States. For those unfamiliar with Mitnick, he is a computer security consultant who was one of the world's most notorious hackers in the late 20th century.

After a trip to Bogota to give a speech to the newspaper El Tiempo and visit his girlfriend, Mitnick flew into Atlanta to moderate a panel at a security conference sponsored by the American Society for Industrial Security (ASIS). As he went through customs, he was asked to go downstairs for questioning and to have his luggage inspected.

Meanwhile, ASIS organizers were concerned Mitnick had not arrived for his ride from the airport and called the director of security at the airport to help clear things up. Also, a member of the same panel Mitnick was scheduled to moderate works for the FBI and was able to verify his story. After a few more questions by customs agents, he was released.

"They can detain you for four hours, inspect everything, and put you through the third degree for no reason. It's really a police state," Mitnick said. "I travel in foreign countries that have even more stringent rules, and I never have problems." (Source)

All this comes shortly after the U.S. Department of Homeland Security implemented a new policy giving custom officials the right to seize laptops and other electronic devices taken across the border. They claim that searching electronic information is useful to detect terrorists (no surprise there), drug smugglers, and people violating copyright and trademark laws. You can read the policies for yourself here and here.

This new policy raises many ethical questions. Am I to understand correctly that now Homeland Security is fighting illegally downloaded music? Moreover, I'm so tired of government agencies attaching the word "terrorist" to something and suddenly it's supposed to be ok for us to give up more of our rights. Do they seriously think terrorists are dumb enough to bring sensitive information into our country via laptops? This is as ridiculous as the questions airline agents ask you when checking your luggage.

Fortunately, legislation has been introduced to restrict Homeland Security in their power trip. The Travelers Privacy Protection Act would require reasonable suspicion of illegal activity before searching electronic devices carried by U.S. residents. The Department of Homeland Security would also be required to provide probable cause and a warrant or court order to hold such a device for more than 24 hours. The bill also limits what information acquired through electronic searches Homeland Security can disclose, and it requires the department to report its border searches to Congress. (Source)

I have no problem with customs agents inspecting bags for contraband, but seizing laptops and other electronic devices is invasive and excessive and should only be done when there is good reason. Kevin Mitnick may have been red-flagged because of his controversial past, but this case is one of the first in which Homeland Security has flexed its muscle, and it will only get worse from here if legislation isn't passed to restrict unnecessary searches and seizures with no probable cause. In fact, we should not have to wait for legislation to be passed since The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution guards against unreasonable searches and seizures.

So, what can we do for now? When traveling abroad, I suggest using encryption on any personal information on your laptop and electronic devices and completely powering down your computer when going through customs. Know your rights and protect yourself!

UPDATE: Poll Results 10/1/08 - 10/8/08

Should U.S. Homeland Security have
the right to seize electronic devices?
00% Absolutely
00% No way man
100% With probably cause
00% Undecided