Okay. Our faithful GeekDad readers get an early look into the Tron:Legacy takeover of disney.com before anyone else. Today, December 16, 2010, Tron breaks through the Disney homepage to reveal exclusive Tron: Legacy downloads, games, videos and more. Here’s a …
Continue ReadingThe Midwest US is about to get clobbered today with a mix of rain, freezing rain, snow, and lots of wind. It’s the kind of day to hunker down and figure out how to entertain your young ones when you …
Continue ReadingWith the weather turning colder and the kids still wanting to burn some energy, you can stay inside, grab some big air, and skate or snowboard your way to fame and high scores with Activision’s Tony Hawk:SHRED. We’ve had a …
Continue ReadingBullying and cyber-bullying have been making lots of headlines in the past several weeks. There’s increased media attention on the topic (although one does need to question if it’s an epidemic). So, not to be left out, groups are popping …
Continue ReadingWe all likely have lots of them — or at least lots of places that want them: usernames and passwords. Our kids are no exception. To comment on this post, you’ll need a username and password specific to wired.com. To …
Continue ReadingThis week we had several days of high-wind warnings where we live. The forecasts were accurate and after the leaves had been stripped from the trees, the kids wanted to be outside having fun. They made the most of the …
Continue ReadingTony Hawk. Mentioning that name brings one thing to mind: skateboarding. His name is synonymous with the sport that millions of kids around the world participate in each year at skate parks, driveways, public streets, and wherever. Tony Hawk has …
Continue ReadingThat was the question from my youngest son this weekend. Granted, it came after his request to go somewhere that we were not able to go; however, the question has been rattling ’round my brain since Saturday afternoon. The question …
Continue ReadingA chilly autumn Saturday greeted us as our family (strangely) had no plans for the day. At the GeekMom’s recollection of a childhood memory, we did a bit of googling. After that, I took the kids and we headed out. …
Continue ReadingI’ve reviewed several internet filtering and internet security products for GeekDad over the years. Each has pluses and minuses. I’ve decided to come clean with what my family runs: yes, we do filter the internet for our kids — but …
Continue ReadingParental control (Internet filtering) software is big business with several providers trying to out do each other. Each vendor has their take on providing “safe” access to the internet. I’ve most recently tested out the latest version of Safe Eyes …
Continue ReadingIt’s spring. Lots of people have decided to take up running as a way to lose a bit of weight and get into better shape. I mentioned five tools last year that got me running, now for a couple more. …
Continue ReadingTake Your Child to Work Day is fast approaching — April 22 will be upon us before you know it. Chances are, your place of employment is already making plans to host and entertain more than the usual number of …
Continue Reading“Fruit, veggies, cheese, or yogurt.” That’s our stock phrase (nearly) each night when the kids ask for a snack between dinner and bedtime. They’ve gotten to the point that as soon as they ask, they repeat the familiar phrase. Here’s …
Continue ReadingSo Easter is almost a week into our past; yet I’m still reeling over an event that happened in our area just before the holiday. An Easter-egg hunt. For dogs. We’ve got a great dog. He’s a rescue from a …
Continue ReadingThis past Christmas, the kids got a couple Wii games, some new handheld games, and one got an iPod Touch. Besides the iPod Touch never leaving my oldest teen’s hands (even when asleep I believe), the one stand-out game that …
Continue ReadingGoogle announced several weeks ago they were going to select a city for a high-speed internet pilot. Several cities have done some crazy things to woo the Googleplex to their neck of the woods. Some are pretty funny, and it …
Continue ReadingIt was March 2nd, 1904 that Theodor Seuss Geisel was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. Today we pay tribute to Dr. Seuss’ 106th birthday. While most commonly known for his children’s books (he wrote over 60 of them), “Dr.” Seuss was …
Continue ReadingOur kids love their tech — from iPods to hand held games to game consoles and TV. They have reached the age where the time-out is no longer effective as a means of getting their attention and helping them learn …
Continue ReadingDigital cameras have made it too easy to capture any moment in a family’s day-to-day life. The trouble is organizing the really good shots into something memorable. Shutterfly aims to help that with their Simple Path. Shutterfly has been our …
Continue ReadingFor the past couple of weeks, my family has been testing out a review copy of Party Games 3. We’ve had some fun, laughed at the graphics, and seen our competitive edge come out in unusual ways. Game Party 3 …
Continue ReadingOkay – there’s been lots and lots of interest in vaccinations on wired.com recently. Here’s a well-reasoned explanation as to why one reasonably smart and well-informed family won’t be getting flu shots this year. First, my disclaimers – I’m not …
Continue ReadingOkay. We’re relying on the wisdom of the collective. We’ve got a loyal GeekDad reader – we’ll call him Mr. John Smith* – who recently took a job with the federal government (we’d tell you which division, but…you know the …
Continue ReadingThe new academic year nearly always holds a lot of promise for parents. While the kids figure out what to wear the first day and have the excitement of meeting up with friends they haven’t seen for a while, that …
Continue ReadingRunning. A word that used to make me groan with the thought of having to do it. Forced to run in P.E. class in school was pretty much the only time I ran – otherwise I avoided it at nearly …
Continue ReadingKeeping the kids safe on the internet is big business. Whether you select a service, locally installed software or hardware options – you’ve got several choices in each category. A few weeks ago I received a NetBlox hardware device for …
Continue ReadingA couple months ago, I got a review copy of Sam Stern’s Get Cooking. A cookbook designed to get your teens/tweens cooking. I tried the recipes with my youngest two children (so far) and it’s been a great experience. Sam …
Continue Reading“Weird Al” Yankovic has been pumping out parodies before there were CDs. Yes, young padawans, I listened to him on cassette tape. So, with a shout-out to one of my favorite artists (and a hat-tip to big-time fans), I present …
Continue ReadingI raided the GeekDad archives from two years ago for a quick weekend project with my boys. Sure, I could have done a mail-order compost bin. However, opening a cardboard box and plunking something down in the yard would have …
Continue ReadingBufferZone from Trustware brings virtualization to your internet connection helping prevent trojans, bots and other malware from getting on your computer. Even with a couple of small issues, it is an interesting take on how to protect your computer and …
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