10 Essential Gadgets for Parents with Babies

Being a parent is hard and it’s even harder to take care of your children today thanks to the busy nature that is brought about by house chores, office work and home online business. When compared to a few decades ago, parents today have the choice of amazing gadgets to help monitor babies as well as make the role of parenting easier.

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Steve Jobs, 6 Weeks to Live: My Thoughts

I don't usually post personal blog posts on TekSocial, but this I might just to gather everyone's opinions.Jobs, back in the day Please, set aside 5-10 minutes of your time to read and comment on this post.

It has been announced in various news articles that Apple CEO, Steve Jobs, who took time off to focus on his health, has been given 6 weeks to live. This is due to the fact that he has pancreatic cancer, which grows on part of your digestive system. For the faint hearted, the pancreas is a 6-inch long gland and is shaped like a leaf. It provides insulin, unless you're diabetic and releases hormones which revolve around digestion. 

Earlier on, I watched a video Chris Pirillo recorded and published to YouTube, claiming that when he announced the news to his near 92,000 followers on Twitter, a 'kid' messaged him back saying that he will 'celebrate his death'. Why? I'm unsure.

What Jobs has created, a company that only recently claimed the top spot of the computing market, a music device range that has changed the music industry and the people around us, why must someone come to their senses and say such a negitive and disgusting thing. Sure, he may be a kid, no younger than 13 unless his parents don't know he's on Twitter but use some common sense at least, especially when you're talking to a person you don't know in person who has so much power on the internet.

If Jobs pulls through his hard time, or not, we should all remember what Steve has created. A range of products that has made us, 'Think Differently'.

Twitter

Twitter for Mac, Twitter for Windows?

In January, we saw with the release of the new Mac App Store Twitter released their new client for Mac,updating the outdated Tweetie, after Twitter bought Atebits, creator of Tweetie and claiming rights to the application. Atebits was also the developer who invented Tweetie for iPhone which in turn changed to Twitter for iPhone. 

Twitter then created Twitter for Android & Twitter for Windows Phone after releasing a BlackBerry client too. With the majority of smartphones sorted, what about the other computer operating systems? Windows & Linux?

Twitter clients which are widely available for Windows and Linux, thanks to the Adobe Air platform are standard and allow the user to control their Twitter account within the client itself, without the need of logging into the web interface. TweetDeck is a great client for those power users where as Twhirl and DestroyTwitter are primarily focused at the casual tweeter. However, with the Adobe Air platform compatible with Mac too, Twitter is facing quite a competition and will need to add more functions than they did with their Mac application to win Windows users over. 

I'm both a Mac and a PC as I operate both within my household so I have no bias opinion, but I ask "what is yours?". Leave a comment below!

Twitter

Twitter for Mac: Initial Thoughts

The day has come, January 6th 2011. Apple has released their Mac App Store, not yet full to the brim, launching with only 1,000 apps. Pretty impressive for a start though. However, there has been one application some Mac users have been boasting about. What is it? The top free app available, Twitter for Mac.

With a elegant user interface, Twitter for Mac is almost like a dream come true. A total redesign of Tweetie, which was owned by Atebits that Twitter bought out in April last year. Although it is free, Twitter for Mac looks so good with sleek transitions between the timeline, @replies, direct messages, lists, your profile and search. The black sidebar complements not only the Twitter for iPhone and iPad apps, but the texture used on the timeline itself. All in all, Twitter for Mac looks like a paid app, still in the wrapper.

Real time updates in the timeline is another new addition that Tweetie didn't have and competes with Echofon and TweetDeck, which both released the feature out in November. 

Although Twitter for Mac has its good side, there is just one negative that strikes me. By default, Twitter for Mac automatically shortens links via t.co, which cannot be turned off, making my personal url shortener useless. Hopefully, Twitter sees this as a problem to some users can changes it in a later update. 

What are your thoughts about the new Twitter for Mac? Are you going to be using it? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

Follow me on Twitter: @JonnyRowntree

Firesheep your FireFox to Hack Facebook

I'm all against hacking and using exploits for personal gain. However, I'd like you to know that there is a FireFox extension called Firesheep that enables you to hack into anyone's Facebook account if you are in an unprotected wireless hotspot. What Firesheep allows you to do is to use cached information that is stored within that wireless hotspot to enable you to access their photos, personal information, etc., but they cannot change your password.

This video from HouseHoldHacker provides more information:

You may not want to use a public wireless hotspot that isn't protected now. Before you stop taking your laptop or iPad out to a local coffee shop, you may want to consider using a MIFI or mobile WIFI device that is protected and uses 3G to connect to the web. It's inexpensive, very mobile and can save you from giving your personal information to a complete stranger. 

In the UK you can pick one up from 3 for as little as £70 that includes 3GB of data off contract. In the US, you can pick up a MIFI for $99 on Verizon with a 2 year contract. It may sound expensive but you'll have mobile broadband where ever you are and it's a great deal if you travel a lot.

Stay protected and don't go spreading your information to people you don't know!

Twitter