Author: Mario Armstrong

Must-have tech for families heading back to school

by Mario Armstrong

When the kids head back to school this fall, you want to be ready. And I don’t just mean that they’ve got cool new backpacks and killer sneakers to show off to their friends, I mean that you and your family are leveraging all the latest technology to make the next school year a safer and more organized one.

While it might feel like summer has just begun, that doesn’t mean it’s too soon to start getting ready. Here are three awesome pieces of tech your family needs to have set-up and be ready to use before this fall rolls around.

1. Shared Calendars

Once school starts, everyone’s schedules go nuts. You’re trying to figure out which parent is picking up which child, while balancing soccer practice and art class at the same time. As parents, you’re also trying to manage a chore regimen, schedule doctor’s appointments, make sure the pet gets to the vet on time, and you’re expected to do all of that efficiently without double booking anyone’s time.

Setting up an online shared calendar with your family is the perfect solution. That way the kids can log in and see their own schedules, so they’ll know when they’ve forgotten to clean the upstairs bathroom. For mom and dad, the transportation regimen is easily accessible so no child is left behind.

Plus, by taking advantage of the ability to access and update calendars from smartphones, everyone will always have the most up-to-date version of the family schedule no matter where they are. Read More

Follow the George Zimmerman trial on social media

by Mario Armstrong

Social media has played a part in the George Zimmerman case almost since the beginning. Judge Debra Nelson ruled before the start of the trial that Trayvon Martin’s texts and social media statements, which included references to fights at school and marijuana, wouldn’t be allowed in opening statements.

Zimmerman’s defense team, meanwhile, has taken to social media to make his case. His attorneys have a Twitter account, @GZLegalCase, with updates straight from the Mark O’Mara Law Group about Zimmerman’s defense.

Through a related website, gzlegalcase.com, the attorneys are also blogging, fundraising for the defense and sharing documents and press releases related to the case.

Martin’s supporters are no strangers to social media, either. One Twitter hashtag that’s popped up is #J4TM, which stands for “Justice for Trayvon Martin.” Martin’s supporters are organizing Twitter parties and other gatherings around that hashtag to show their “unity, support, faith and love.”

Many tweets related to the defense use the hashtag #GeorgeZimmerman, while many of those specifically discussing Trayvon Martin use #Trayvon. Read More

Katie Couric Asks Me: What Can Be Done About Revenge Porn?

by Mario Armstrong

If you’re on a mobile device and can’t see the video above, click here to watch it on Katie’s site. To learn even more about how revenge porn is affecting women, and to see more clip’s from Katie’s show today, head on over to her site and check out the other videos. My notes about how to best stay safe and avoid embarrassing nude photos of yourself from turning up online, as well as what to do if it happens, are below.

Why is it so hard to get revenge porn sites taken down?

1. Once the image is out there and it goes viral, it’s hard to know where it is and who has it. It is especially difficult if they have changed the file name.

2. People don’t know that they can request content to be removed.

· You can contact reputation management companies to basically scare the perpetrators into stopping.
· You’re allowed to contact individual webmasters and ask them to remove any content.
· Google Inside Search is an Online tool to help you remove information about you online. Read More

Google Reader Alternatives and the Future of RSS

by Mario Armstrong

Google Reader AlternativesNo matter what industry you’re in, you can leverage Rich Site Summary (RSS) feeds to gain a competitive advantage. Whether it’s simply by seeking out all of the best news sources within your field (both the big ones and the obscure) or keeping tabs on your competition, good RSS readers have helped businesses small and large to condense the net — with it’s millions of new news and opinion articles that are published every single day — down into headlines that can be easily skimmed and articles that can be read, archived, or saved for later.

For years, I’ve been using one RSS reader in particular, Google Reader. It has helped me keep up with the various blogs, authors, and websites I read not only to stay in the loop on the latest happenings in the tech world, but also to get the news first, as it happens. When I need to pitch HLN, CNN or the TODAY Show on a new segment idea, my Google Reader account is literally full of hundreds of ideas just waiting for me to sift through. When I need to know what’s happening on the web and across the blogs I respect, I turn to Google reader for information and inspiration. But this expands far beyond tech—no matter what industry you’re in, once you’ve done the work finding the best blogs and websites out there, and have subscribed to their RSS feeds, you’re able to stay on the cutting edge of new trends and be the first to know when major news impacts your business.

Two ways around the Google Reader shut down

In the 8 years Google has been running their extremely popular reader service they have virtually taken over the entire RSS industry. But the service, while the industry standard, apparently doesn’t do anything to help Google’s business model and the search giant announced recently that they’ll be shutting down the service on July 1st. Now, this doesn’t mean that Google Reader-style RSS readers are necessarily dead in the water, as countless other services have been working over the past few months to create strong platforms for Google Reader users to switch to. But it does mean that you no longer have to rely on RSS itself to serve as the glue behind how you read the news. In fact, this may be the right time to pick an alternative.

Keep Reading this Article at the AT&T Networking Exchange Blog –>

 

 

HLN: Online Courses to keep skills sharp during the summer!

by Mario Armstrong

Whether you’ ve got kids going on summer break and you’re worried about whether or not they can keep their skills sharp over the next few months, or you’re an adult who wants to learn more, tackle a new field, or just dip your toes into a subject matter, online educational tools and courses are an amazing asset. There are a ton of cool things about these sites & getting an Education Online. For one, you’ve got a flexible schedule. There are no fixed classes or deadlines, so you can work at your own pace. Another advantage is being able to work from anywhere—home, the library, a coffee shop, whatever! Even for sites that charge, it still costs a fraction to learn online compared to what you’d have to spend to take even a continuing ed course at the local community college, and you further save on gas and time by not having to commute to drive your kid to their classes. Finally, online courses can be updated frequently so there’s no need to worry that you’re getting an expired education.

Read More

HLN: Father’s Day Gift Combos

by Mario Armstrong

Father’s Day is coming up quick! But that doesn’t mean it’s too late to get him a kick-butt gift. By combining a few different items together (some tech, some non-tech) you can combine forces with your family and really knock the gift-giving out of the park this year! For Dad’s with a variety of interests, I showed off some great gift combos on HLN TV this morning. Take a look:

For the Dad that Loves to Grill

iGrill:

For Apple and Android devices, $79.99 – http://www.igrillinc.com/

·      Perfect for the griller that doesn’t want to stand over the grill during his party.

·      Grilling and cooking thermometer that connects with your devices via Bluetooth.

·      Allows Dad to hang out with his family and just check his meat via his phone or tablet.

Omaha Steaks

Prices Vary, http://www.omahasteaks.com/servlet/OnlineShopping

·      Order Dad a pack of his favorite grilling meats, seafood, side dishes and even dessert!

·      You can order one type of meat or a huge variety of things for him to grill with.

·      They have great deals on the combo packs and often offer Free Shipping on some packages Read More