Hasta La Gadget!

Oprah and author Ayana Mathis recently sat down to discuss the newest Oprah’s Book Club pick, The Twelve Tribes of Hattie. In this clip from the interview, Oprah tells Mathis, “Many of the characters in your book make bad choices. As a writer, is there such a thing as making the wrong choice as a character?”

“Oh god, yes, yes,” exclaims Mathis. “That’s what you grapple with in your sweatpants all day long…. You take wrong roads all the time, and then somehow have to get yourself back on the right roads. Or you have to throw out 50 pages… because you’ve taken someone down a completely wrong path. There are a number of ways that you can make a wrong choice for a character.”

“I think you made all the right ones [in Hattie],” says Oprah.

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For the first time in U.S. history, the youngest generation is expected to have a shorter lifespan than their parents — the result of childhood obesity. In the latest episode of “Our America with Lisa Ling” — entitled “Generation XXL” — Ling travels to the state of Georgia, where 40 percent of children are dangerously overweight.

In this clip, we meet Ramsey, who is 13 years old and one of the children at risk for health problems because of her current weight. “It’s frustrating… if you can’t fit into clothes,” she says. “Or you can’t do what other kids can do.”

Her single mother of three, Virginia, says that Ramsey’s weight increased by 20 pounds in one year — and that that was the tipping point for her. She has since changed her children’s eating and exercise habits, and says, “It’s not about the weight. It’s about being healthy.”

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A good friend of mine and I were in a heated debate at Starbucks—naturally—over whether or not it’s possible to reconcile Islam with the LGBTQ community. My friend Zara was outed by her strict Muslim Pakistani family at the age of 19 when they read through her diary while she was away at work one evening. The scene awaiting her arrival was ugly. No longer able to see a place for herself in Islam, she broke ties with her beloved religion—and with her family. Why do so many gay Muslims self-segregate themselves rather than modify their interpretation of their faith to be more inclusive?

Back at Starbucks, Zara struggled to explain that letting go of her faith was the right thing to do. Irritation crept into my voice as I judged her for defending her family’s stance against her “lifestyle choice.” Don’t get me wrong—Zara is not self-loathing by any means. She has lived her life openly and proudly for the past nine years. But whatever made Zara feel like she wasn’t allowed to practice her religion struck sadness in her she has never been able to shake.

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SimCity is just about a month away, arriving on PC March 5 in the US, with a Europe release on March 8. However, this is Windows only, but developer Maxis announced that the release date for Mac is planned for sometime this spring. The company also notes that both Mac and Windows players will be able play co-op together on the same maps.

The reason for the delay, according to Maxis, is that the Mac port isn’t a port at all, but a “full native version” specifically for OS X. This means that the team will be making sure that Mac players get the same experience as Windows players. However, one of the key differences is that the Mac version will be a digital download only.

As far as minimum spec requirements are concerned, Maxis didn’t give any concrete details on how much power is required out of your Mac, but the company says that they “are aiming to make the game as accessible as possible,” so any user with Snow Leopard and a Core 2 processor should be able to play the game without any problems.

SimCity will be a complete overhaul from past installments. Just from the nine-minute gameplay video that we saw a few months, the new game will include much more detail and better graphics this time around, making the city-building experience more realistic for the players. We definitely can’t wait to get our hands on it.

SimCity for Mac arriving in spring 2013 is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
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Crowdfunding has to be one of the biggest buzz words of the last year. Kickstarter and Indiegogo really put a different spin on how to create a product. Unfortunately, many good products don’t achieve funding goals. A new type of crowdfunding site began to emerge to help move these unfunded projects along, give inventors more infrastructure and feedback while also protecting buyers. Christie Street does just that and took on a product that is now funded and slated to launch this summer.

DoorBot looks to be a next generation example of how our phones continue to integrate into and control parts of our lives. DoorBot is a wireless video doorbell that links through your home network to your phone or tablet. Included on the device are a video camera and doorbell. Rather than ringing in the house, DoorBot will ring the app on your device when activated. Whether at home or away, you will immediately see who is ringing. And similar to when a call comes in, you have the chance to speak to them or ignore them. In addition to not missing instructions for delivery people or friends dropping by, DoorBot provides a perfect deterrent for warding off unwanted solicitors. And it can even help you give an illusion that you are home to not encourage thieves.

A few months ago we wrote about Lockitron, which enables you to lock and unlock your door remotely. Combined with DoorBot you can remotely see who is at the door and choose to let them in (or not!). Shipping in July, DoorBot on its own runs $189, Lockitron $179, or sign on for the DoorBot/Lockitron combo offered on Christie Street for $339 – and enter the world of remotely controlling access to your home or business.