Posted on December 9th, 2024 by Joy Schwabach
For her 11th birthday, my niece got a $36 Bluetooth speaker that plays music, lights up in multiple colors and calls her friends. The Hetyre Night Light Bluetooth Speaker is a 6-inch tall reading lamp, nightlight, music player and alarm clock. My niece said the alarm woke her up with the sound of birds. “My parents thought there were birds outside fighting,” she said. “It sounded like a battle.” She figured out all the features without reading the manual or asking her parents for help. For the toddler crowd, there’s the PlayMonster “OK to Wake,” $20 on Amazon. It has multiple colors, five levels of brightness and turns green when it’s okay to get out of bed. I first heard […]
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Filed under: AI, analytics, astronomy, gadgets, health, Linux, social networks, text messaging | Comments Off on KID TECH
Posted on March 31st, 2015 by Joy Schwabach
— “Google Earth Pro,” which used to cost $400 a year, is now free. It can print much more detailed images, import thousands of addresses at once to be pinned on a map, capture high def videos of what’s on the screen, and measure distances using paths, circles and other shapes. It can measure the acreage of an area quickly or open ESRI files, the common format for Geographic Information Systems.
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Filed under: apps, astronomy, science | Comments Off on MAP APPS, EARTH AND BEYOND
Posted on December 28th, 2014 by Joy Schwabach
Chromoscope.net displays the Milky Way (our galaxy) in several wavelengths. If you were an alien with x-ray vision the galaxy would look quite different to you, so probably would we. Wave lengths shown add gamma rays and radio waves. Here’s looking at you, kid.
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Filed under: astronomy, Internuts, science | Comments Off on X-RAY VISION AND BEYOND
Posted on October 25th, 2012 by Joy Schwabach
EarthSky.org shows you where to look for planets and star formations visible with the naked eye. Jupiter and Venus are visible in the eastern sky this month. Jupiter will be visible right through December. We were amazed by how bright it is. Bob thought it was an approaching comet, but Google saved him from panicking. Venus is most visible around dawn. (Are they watching Earth?)
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Filed under: astronomy, education, science | Comments Off on LOOK UP
Posted on November 21st, 2010 by Joy Schwabach
PBS NewsHour just launched “PBS NewsHour Science” pbs.org/newshour/topic/science — the latest news in science, engineering and technology. We read about deaf dolphins, ancient volcanoes and an infant black hole. The site is mostly text but has some videos. We liked the photos of tiny things multiplied hundreds of times. Features include: Breaking news stories Energy/Environment Corner Just Ask – a weekly Science Q&A Podcasts: download or subscribe to podcasts of all broadcast and online reports. Editor’s Choice: NewsHour editors select and feature the best reports and videos. NewsHour Extra: Links to lesson plans and student reporting. Twitter Feed: the Top 25 Science twitter feeds.
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Filed under: astronomy, education, kids, science | Comments Off on SCIENCE NEWS HOUR AT PBS
Posted on May 26th, 2010 by Joy Schwabach
Point your Android phone at the sky and find out what you’re looking at.
(CLICK UNDERLINE BELOW HEADING FOR MORE.)
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Filed under: apps, astronomy, Google, phones, science | Comments Off on STAR GAZING
Posted on November 16th, 2008 by Joy Schwabach
Anyone who has looked at the night sky has wondered about what they see. It would be nice to know if that bright star is Betelgeuse, in the belt of Orion the Hunter, or Polaris, the North Star that has guided so many travelers for thousands of years. In fact, most of us haven’t a clue.
So we have been trying out a new device from telescope maker Meade (Meade.com). It’s called MySky Plus.
(CLICK HEADING FOR MORE.)
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Filed under: astronomy, science, Uncategorized | Comments Off on STARRY NIGHT
Posted on January 14th, 2008 by Joy Schwabach
“Digital Astrophotography, A Guide to Capturing the Cosmos” by Stefan Seip; $30 from Rocky Nook Press, RockyNook.com.
Almost everyone likes pictures of the stars and the planets. You need a telescope, of course, but once you have that, using a digital camera has big advantages.
(CLICK HEADING FOR MORE.)
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Filed under: astronomy, books, photos | Comments Off on BOOKS
Posted on January 7th, 2008 by Joy Schwabach
“Digital Astrophotography, A Guide to Capturing the Cosmos” by Stefan Seip; $30 from Rocky Nook Press, RockyNook.com.
Almost everyone likes pictures of the stars and the planets. You need a telescope, of course, but once you have that, using a digital camera has big advantages.
(CLICK HEADING FOR MORE.)
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Filed under: astronomy, books, photos, science | Comments Off on BOOKS
Posted on July 20th, 2007 by Joy Schwabach
Hold the phone. No, we don’t mean Apple’s iPhone, which has received enough publicity to qualify as a galactic event. It’s a cell phone for making phone calls. What a radical thought.
With no more suspense, it’s Samsung’s Jitterbug.
(CLICK HEADING FOR MORE.)
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Filed under: astronomy, phones, recycle | 1 Comment »
