As much as parents want to protect their kids, it’s damn near impossible today to totally block access to the internet. Google is moving forward with plans to create child-friendly versions of its most popular products to help kids under 12 go online safely.
The appeal of maps lies in just how personal they can be. Your childhood street, your first big city apartment, your first house—these are all places we look back on with irrational fondness. There are plenty of stylish maps for your wall, but Monochrome lets you custom-print your favorite place onto tanks, t-shirts, and skirts. Show off your ‘hood whenever you go.
Our gorgeous fall leaves are gone for the season, and we’re left with bare trees over a sky of grey. But that, too, can be a beautiful thing in its own way. For this week’s Shooting Challenge, let’s celebrate trees without the leaves—in black and white.
I’ve been using my phone upside-down for the last two weeks. I didn’t lose a bet, nor am I carrying out some weird social experiment. I’m doing it because I hold my phones left-handed, and that’s the only way I can comfortably use the Samsung Galaxy …
New York City’s brass hasn’t fully committed to tricking out its nearly 35,000 person police force with body cameras yet, but Mayor Bill DiBlasio is eager to give them a shot. That’s why the NYPD is testing the waters with a pilot program that’ll see…
Those murmurs that Google was retooling its services for kids? Yep, they’re real. The search giant tells USA Today that it’s creating versions of its products for the 12-and-under crowd, with plans to start launching them in 2015. The company isn’t s…
SCENE IN TOKYO
Google is one of the biggest tech companies on the planet that owns and operates some of the most widely used online services, with Google Search undoubtedly being the flagship product. A senior executive from the company detailed plans to USA Today about kid-friendly versions of its popular products like YouTube, search and Chrome, which will be geared primarily towards children aged 12 and under.
Pavni Diwanji, the vice president of engineering, told USA Today that the big motivator behind this project in the company is “everyone having kids,” which is why there’s a push to make products safe and fun for children.
She says that Google expects this move to be controversial. Lets not forget that the FTC requires companies to obtain parental consent before children’s data can be used, and many of Google’s services track usage to target products, so there will be quite a few hoops to jump through.
Diwanji does say that parents will be in the loop as well. The company wants to be thoughtful about what it does and that includes “giving parents the right tools to oversee their kids’ use of our products.”
There’s a small room called the Kids Studio at Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, California, where children of employees are encouraged to tinker with prototype projects. Some of these projects are expected to see the light of day come 2015, and it will really be interesting to see how Google can achieve this while ensuring that children aged 12 and under remain safe when using such online services.
Google Developing Kid-Friendly Versions Of Popular Products
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Flying is a headache and a half. Not only do you have to get to the airport super early to get through security, but you must also prepare a day or two in advance to pack your suitcase, carry on, or both to fit the requirements. If you like to travel with only one bag, then you’re faced with the challenge of which size you should bring.
If you hate living in the limbo between the two, why not get a bag that can change its size? The FUGU Luggage is a suitcase that can be a carry on or check-in bag at the push of a button. It uses an electric air pump to expand the sides of the bag to a full-size suitcase from a carry on size, and is tough enough to be thrown against a wall while still protecting the internal contents. This is all thanks to a special PVC material that is used in surf boards and flotation devices. It weighs the same as any other suitcase, and even being fully expanded still fits within the required checked bag size.
Of course, if you’re going to drop $245 on a new suitcase, this may not be enough to sway you. The creators of this suitcase made sure that this would change how we think about travel, so they gave it the ability to be a desk, table, and have shelves so you can treat it as a closet at home or abroad. They also toss in a laptop case that makes pulling out your computer before checking your bags a breeze. Should this still not be enough, the wheels are omni-directional, meaning it can glide in any direction, making sure you’ll never again have to deal with toppled bags while you’re running from gate to gate.
Available for crowdfunding on Kickstarter
[ The FUGU Luggage is the only suitcase you’ll need copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
Oh, the holidays — truly a magical time of the year! A time where even the smallest surprises can make a big impact. Speaking of small, our family (probably like yours) has embraced the Elf on the Shelf for the past few years. Our oldest daughter has since outgrown the “mystery,” but she still enjoys participating in the “magic” of this little elf, who flies home to the North Pole every night to report to Santa and then arrives back in our home just in time to be greeted with smiles from our kids in the morning. Yes, there are plenty of pictures of said Elf on Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram in various different places (and positions) all over your home. And yes, many of you enjoy the magic behind this holiday tradition. But, can I be honest with you? Sometimes, between the holiday parties, events, work, school and shopping, there are times when the Elf doesn’t make it to the North Pole (oh, the horror!). So, just in case this happens to you (no judgement), here are my 12 Reasons Why Our Elf Did Not Fly to the North Pole Last Night (feel free to use these excuses eh hem, I mean reasons too):
1. Elf stayed up too late texting a fellow elf (lesson learned: no texting after 8 p.m.).
2. Elf binge-watched Breaking Bad on Netflix and fell asleep after 3 a.m.
3. Elf drank too much egg nog and didn’t want to get a FWUI (flying while under the influence).
4. Elf thought he saw you coming into the room (so stay in your bed kids, all night!).
5. Elf didn’t move? Are you sure? Are you absolutely sure?
6. Elf found out that there was a major storm and it wasn’t safe to fly (it is the North Pole, you know).
7. Elf wanted to make sure you were paying attention. Congratulations, you win! (Insert some last-minute prize here.)
8. Elf was so happy with this very spot in our home that he wanted to fly back to this exact same spot.
9. Elf was so proud of how nice you were today that she didn’t want to miss out on putting together a compete report for Santa’s Nice List.
10. Elf was so disappointed in how naughty you were today that he didn’t dare fly back and have to report to Santa for his Naughty List.
11. Elf didn’t move? Really, come on. I thought for sure he was over there last night? (Point with true conviction). Are you sure?
12. Elf loves our home and our family with all of his/her heart and wants to stay right here and live with us forever! I mean, just wants to stay one more night… yeah, one more night.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
