Tech Blog

We talked about a bunch of video games for the whole family with our friend Marc Saltzman.  He talked about “Astro Boy: The Video Game.“  He showed us "Spore Hero”, the action-adventure game created exclusively for the Nintendo Wii.  You can create your own hero without any limitations in The Next Chapter of “Drawn to Life.”  Create & Customize Your Own Zoo with “World of Zoo” from THQ and rock your way to pop super-stardom with "Band Hero."  In addition to what Marc covered, here's a list of the top-selling video games, worldwide, as of mid-November.

- Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 for the 360
- Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 for the Wii
- Wii Sports
- Wii Fit Plus
- Wi Sports Resort
- Forza Motorsport 3
- Mario Kart Wii
- Dragon Age Origins
- Pro Evolution Soccer 2010
- Dragon Ball: Raging Blast

So do I.  The white ones look blue and the blue ones hurt my eyes.  They don't twinkle.  They don't melt the snow around them.  I bet, deep down inside, that Al Gore doesn't even like these harsh little energy savers. Steve King and Johnnie Putman of WGN Radio hate them so much they started a Facebook group called SLEDS. That's Screw LEDs.

In Barrington Hills they're looking at legislation to limit outdoor lighting. Some folks are very upset.  The town would like to be the first city east of the Mississippi to be named a dark sky city for their efforts to protect the night sky.  The International Dark-Sky Association gives that honor. Even if you don't support a law, there is a lot to learn at their web site www.darksky.org.  Our resident astronomer, Bob Gadbois, introduced us to a great way to locate dark skies, using Google Maps.

There's been a lot of talk about cyberbullying.  An organization in Great Britain would like to see Facebook and MySpace put a "PANIC" button on their sites that kids can hit if they feel threatened or bullied.  Not sure how that would work on a wolrdwide basis.  As we know, new technology can open a world of problems and dangers to children.  Communicating with strangers, cyber bullies, sexting, online pornography, are all areas need to be concerned about.  The Illinois Attroney General, Lisa Madigan, is looking into the problem with a special summit held today in Naperville.  A survey by her office finds that schoolkids are using technology in a big way, from cell phones to social networking sites.  The survey included 4,200 school kids and was conducted to understand use of cyber technologies including cell phones and the Internet. Startling survey results of children 14 and over demonstrate the pervasive dangers facing children online.  More than 27 percent of those surveyed said they have been threatened by someone online.  Nearly 30 percent have felt uncomfortable with a conversation they have had on the Internet.  Almost 40 percent of respondents said they have received an inappropriate picture of someone online.  More than 43 percent indicated they have said something inappropriate to someone online.  Nearly 90 percent have cameras on their cell phones and can send text messages.The Attorney General has set up a new web site to combat cyber bullies. Visit www.ebully411.com.  It also features an E-Info Hotline, which is a phone- and Web-based resource staffed by the Attorney General’s Internet Safety Specialists, who can help victims and teach bullies to understand the impact of their actions.    

On our tech segment this morning, we talked about some hot items for the holidays.  The Consumer Electronics Association does a survey each year and their Jim Barry had some tips for us. According to the trade group that brings us the annual Consumer Electronics Show,  "Consumer electronics comprise four of the top 10 items on adults' holiday gift wish list, with computers and video games ranking two and three respectively behind clothes. Televisions and digital cameras also made the list. Several emerging technologies, such as Blu-ray players, eReaders and netbooks, are among the most wanted and hottest gifts this season. These products are in adults top ten CE wish list for the first time, joining mainstays such as notebooks, portable MP3 players and flat-panel TVs. Netbooks are another hot category, especially among teens, ranking in the top ten CE gift wish list of that age group for the first time. Portable MP3 players, video game consoles, and digital cameras are among the most popular gifts consumers are planning on giving their friends and family this year."  See the short video below:

This the the year eBooks will really get hot.  The fire for electronic books has already been kindled by Amazon, but we have to remember that it was Sony that started the ball rolling years ago.  Their latest Sony Reader is a great device but I'm really intrigued by the capabilities of the Nook from Barnes and Noble.  Those are just a few of the electronic books out there and I'm still waiting for the large flexible pages that can become your daily newspaper, collecting data each morning and allowing you to leaf through it.  The Readius already uses a flexible display, and now the latest announcement is that we may see this format coming next year from another manufacturer.  An eBook that fits in your pocket!  One of many eBook choices now available.

When choosing a hand sanitizer, make sure it's at least 60% alcohol.  It's been shown that percentages above that don't clean all that much better.  So when I heard about a new hand sanitizer that was better, I was skeptical.  Sure, it's 70% alcohol, but there has to be more to it than that...and there is.  Ultracept is the first hand sanitizer being sold to consumers that has a special ingredient, Viacydin, that  keeps your hands protected AFTER you use it!  They say this is similar to what surgeons use.  Regular sanitizers clean your hands but the minute you touch a contaminated surface, you're recontaminated.  But it's said that this product can keep protecting you for up to six hours, with repeated use (huh?).  All the grimy details are here.

Keyboards are filthy places to put your fingers.  Especially keyboards that are shared by a lot of people.  When it comes to the flu, the Centers For Disease Control has stated, "the virus can live on hard objects up to 8 hours. Flu viruses may be spread when a person touches a hard surface (such as a desk or doorknob) or an object (such as a keyboard or pen) where the virus has landed and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth. Routine cleaning of surfaces will help stop the virus from spreading in this way."  That's why you should wipe down your keyboard with a disinfectant, from time to time, to keep bacteria minimized.  Experts suggest your personal keyboard could stand to be wiped down weekly, while a shared keyboard should get a daily dose of disinfectant.  First, I'll warn you that all experts recommend that you first shut down your computer, then unplug the keyboard, before you launch your mission.  I think they're just covering their butts and, if you use only dampened cloths, all your cleaning solution will stay on the keys.  I'll give my own disclaimer...use any of these methods at your own risk!  If your keyboard needs more than disinfecting, if there's a lot of particulate between the keys because you're always eating your morning croissant over your keyboard, you may want to clean between the keys.  Small vacuums are made for keyboards and can remove debris, but you may want to just use a can of compressed air to blow away the grunge instead of sucking it up.  A new product has been developed just for cleaning the debris out of your keyboard and disinfecting it at the same time.  We found Cyber Clean at Radio Shack for 5 bucks.  It's like a cross between Silly Putty and Slime.  It smooshes between the keys and encapsulates the gunk it pulls out.  It also contains a disinfectant.  Cyber Clean was invented for electronics, like TV remote controls, phones, and similar devices with little buttons.  Just push it on and pull it off.  I don't know how effective it is but it's kind of fun to use!  The $5 package can be used more than once and the substance changes color when it's at the end of its usefulness. For really dirty jobs you can pull all the keys off your keyboard, starting with the biggest ones, and wash them in water with dish detergent.  You may want to take a photo of the keyboard first to make it easier to replace all the keys.  When the keys are off you have great access to the base of the keyboard for more efficient cleaning.  Now, lets try to get rid of some of the nasty bacteria or viruses lurking across your QWERTY keyboard!  For years, I've sprayed my shared keyboard with Lysol spray.  Just a light spray on the board and mouse, and it's never damaged anything over all that time.  But, a direct spray is NOT RECOMMENDED!  If you want to clean the keyboard with a spray like Lysol you should first spray a cloth with the Lysol and then wipe down the keyboard.  Tests have been done on pre-moistened disinfectant wipes and the results were very good.  They're probably the easiest way to quickly wipe down your keyboard and, if not sopping wet, can also be used on your laptop keyboard.  The rule here is to NEVER use wipes that contain bleach!  Wipes I've used are made by Clorox but specifically state that they contain NO BLEACH.  It's right on the front of the container.  Apple likes using Lysol or Clorox wipes.  The other effective way to clean some keyboards is by using 70% isopropyl alcohol, the bottle you're so familiar with at the drug store.  In fact, it's how Microsoft recommends you clean their keyboard and mouse devices.  Finally, people ask me quite frequently if you can put your keyboard in the dishwasher to clean it.  The answer is, probably,  but you have to air dry it several days before using it.  It's a practice that's not necessary for the average keyboard but, if you really want to do it you can find directions here...(and you're on your own!)  After you use one of the above methods to disinfect, remember to plug your clean keyboard into your computer before turning it back on.  Finally, if you mess up doing anything with your keyboard the good news is that a basic one is pretty inexpensive to replace.  Stay clean, and use your computer in good health.  If you're really paranoid about bacteria, you may want to buy the world's first self-sanitizing keyboard.  The Vioguard sells for $899 and, in some environments, makes all the sense in the world.

For all you white-knuckle fliers.  For those who won't even get on an airplane.  Virgin Atlantic has a course to cure you of your phlight phobia.  They boast a 98% success rate, but it takes a whole day and about $325.  But now, there's an app for that.  They've put their course into an iPhone app that can fly right with you, instructing you, relaxing you, reassuring you, and all for just $4.99.  It even has a button you can hit in case you get an in-flight panic attack.  I played with it a bit today and I liked it.  Knowledge of what's happening in the plane gives you comfort and the relaxation doctor is so good, you might want to use this app on the Kennedy expressway!  It's sooooo relaxing, however, that I hope no pilots are using it!  Here's a link to the actual course.  Here's more info on the app.  I like Sir Richard Branson.  He's an aviator who's working hard to put you and me into space!  He loves aviation and I'm sure he wants to see everyone love aviation.  Whoopi Goldberg is a graduate of the course, "I was a sceptic. I hadn't flown in 13 years but after doing their program, I understood that while my fear was real, there were many things I didn't know or had misinformation about, which they were able to clear up. So what happened? The program works. I now fly. It's that simple."