Randi Zuckerberg's Blog, page 28

Inside the Brains of Internet Jerks

A new study published by PLOS ONE might shine a light on who’s behind many of those mean tweets and comments that one in four women between 18-24 say they’ve been a victim of, and we’re guessing you won’t be surprised by the results.

According to the study, men with low self-esteem may be more likely to attack women online than men who feel good about themselves. (Shocking, we know…)

To conduct the study, researchers had 163 groups of men and women play a video game against each other. The only thing they knew about the other players was their gender. When the men performed poorly, their attitudes toward the other men playing stayed the same—but they started saying nasty things to and about the female players.

According to the study’s authors, men who are losing the game aren’t just annoyed—they may actually feel threatened by the women. “Low-status and low-performing males have the most to lose as a consequence of the hierarchical reconfiguration due to the entry of a competitive woman,” wrote the authors in the text of the study.

In the same study, the authors also hypothesize that low-performing males might be harping on women to (probably unconsciously) try to lower their self-esteem and increase their chances of getting with them.

However, men who feel good about their performance don’t necessarily feel the need to lash out. “Higher-skilled (i.e., more dominant) males do not behave in this manner, as there is no need for them to reinforce their dominance to maintain their attractiveness,” the authors state in the study.

The study also concludes that with more and more women entering male spaces (like video games and online platforms), men are going to have to take note and change offensive behaviors like the ones exhibited in this research.

“A way to counter it may be through teaching young males that losing to the opposite sex is not socially debilitating,” write the authors. Just another reason why we’d love to see the U.S. Women’s Soccer team take the men’s team to task.

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Airport Pod Simulates the Weather

For anyone who’s ever stepped off a plane into sweltering heat and instantly regretted their decision to dress head-to-toe in mohair, there’s now help at hand.

Stockholm’s Arlanda Airport has installed a new “climate portal” that allows travelers to sample the weather at their destination before they go there.

Here’s how it works: Before you brave the security lines, simply step inside one of three shiny pods and be whisked away to locations like the desert, the arctic or SF to experience weather conditions in real time. where you’ll experience the location’s weather conditions in real time. The portal is wirelessly connected to several online weather services around the globe and translates the data directly into the physical rooms.

From there, the pods use heaters and air conditioners, wind simulators and audiovisual cues to simulate the weather at your destination. There’s even misters for creating San Francisco’s legendary fog.

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Why ANY Screen Time Is Too Much for My Kids

By Stephanie Bernaba

I know writing this might not make me the coolest kid at the lunch table. I know many of you may not agree with me on this. But I want to discuss it anyway.

I don’t think young children should have access to smartphones or tablets. My kids do not have access, and I plan to shelter them from all things digital as long as humanly possible (until, like, first grade, when every kid is handed a tablet).

Now, I neither knock nor deny the positive impact technology has had on our society. There are economic, educational, organizational, and even humanitarian benefits. Some of the most significant advancements in medicine have been in concert with developments in the digital world. And I support that.

What I’m not fine with is the impact digital life has had on a social level. Here’s the thing: We are so enmeshed with our technology that it takes a literal act of God for us to look away. We roam fromelectrical outlet to electrical outlet seeking our next fix. We search for WiFi signals like prospectors during the Gold Rush. We literally cannot complete a meal without involving social media. Technology has become a silent yet very influential partner in all of our lives.

Don’t get me wrong. I remember being holed up in my room on Christmas vacation in 6th grade, trying to beat Super Mario Brothers. I was one of the first to run out and buy myself a cell phone. I won’t play a movie without it being connected to a home theater system. I love my technology. I do.

What I don’t love is what’s happened to people because of it. Tech has become the curtain we all hide behind, the filter for all our interactions, and the mandatory final step before actually making connections with the physical world.

There’s nothing sadder to me than seeing a kid in a shopping cart with his head trained toward a glowing screen, swiping hither and yon. I mean, shouldn’t that kid be taking in his surroundings, exploring his world, talking to his mother? Granted, I am aware of and fully acknowledge the educational benefits of handheld devices. It’s just, can’t we wait a while?

Our kids’ heads are inevitably going to be buried in something for the rest of their lives. They’ve got a good 75 years ahead of them to be inextricably trapped in the web of technology. Must they begin at age two or three?

My kids don’t have tablets, phones, or iPods. They’ve never even held an iPad. Further, they don’t know that other kids use them. The only time we use our phones to entertain is at SuperCuts, where they watchMater’s Tall Tales. That’s it.

I don’t want to wax old-fashioned, but my generation got by without it. We really did. There was no daily visual chronicling of life, no ability to solicit feedback from the general populace on every activity of daily living, and no social media influence exerted or accepted.

I don’t want technology to come between my husband and I and our kids, or our kids and their childhoods. It’s that simple.

It’s bad enough that they know every corporate logo they see, they blurt out the names of cereals I’ll never buy, and beg for toys I’ve never heard of. If I’m uncomfortable with thatlevel of engagement, I can’t imagine how uncomfortable I’d be with the three of them asking to use tablets all day.

I’d like to say that I shield them completely from all the evils of technology and social media, but you know I don’t. You see their pictures on Facebook, and Instagram, and even on my blog. And that’s on me. In an ideal world, I’d never have started that, but, as you know, this world’s not ideal, and indeed I have.

I’m not a Grinchy grouch, or a technology-hater (at all). It’s just that I have preciously few years to see my kids faces in the glow of the sun instead of a touchscreen.

I’d like to keep it that way as long as I can.

This post originally appeared on StephanieBernaba.com.

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Walmart Hosts a Massive Online Sale to Rival Amazon’s Big “Prime Day”

Have anything you’ve been itching to buy lately? Wait until Wednesday. That’s when Amazon and Walmart are going head to head with sales that promise to beat Black Friday. Yes, you read that right.

Last week, Amazon announced it was going to celebrate its 20th birthday with “Prime Day” on July 15, featuring new deals every 10 minutes. But rival Walmart isn’t going to be outdone. USA Today reports that the big-box retailer is going to launch an online-only sale the very same day, with more than 2,000 “rollbacks” in categories like electronics, home goods, and toys. They’re also lowering the minimum purchase for free shipping to $35 from $50.

Most of Walmart’s deals will last a whopping 90 days online, so even if you miss the start of the sale, you won’t necessarily miss out. The company is promising some secret “atomic deals” too, but won’t give any details yet.

In a blog post, Walmart took a dig at Amazon for restricting their deal to Prime customers. “We’ve heard some retailers are charging $100 to get access to a sale. But the idea of asking customers to pay extra in order to save money just doesn’t add up for us,” president and CEO Fernando Madeira writes. (To be fair, you can sign up for a free 30-day Amazon Prime membership just for the sale, and simply cancel it if you don’t want to keep it.)

Walmart’s big move is part of the store’s effort to boost online sales. And when two companies compete on discounts, the shoppers win. So start thinking about holiday gifts now — and compare both stores before you take out your credit card.

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Can Choice Compass Help You Make Important Decisions?

If you’ve ever had the hunch that gut feelings lead to the best decision, well, you might not be too far off the mark. An app developed by Northwestern University neuroscientist Julia Mossbridge taps into the body’s physiological response to intuition—specifically, variations in heart rate—to help you sort through decision-making quagmires and figure out what you really want.

“Some people thought it was ridiculous,” Choice Compass’ inventor Mossbridge told Macleans. “You’re literally listening to your heart.”

Here’s how it works: After downloading and launching the app, you hold your index finger over your smartphone’s camera lens for 50 seconds. The camera can detect your heart rate—which, for a typical resting adult, falls between 60 and 100 beats per minute.

According to the Choice Compass site: “A more rhythmic heartbeat pattern shows an inner state of calm and joy. A less rhythmic heartbeat pattern shows an inner state of stress, fear, or anger. As you concentrate on each of two different choices for one minute (example: ask for a raise vs. switch jobs), Choice Compass detects your heartbeat patterns to help you learn what the right decision should be—i.e., what choice reflects the calm and joyful feelings that will benefit you.”

There are some scenarios in which it makes sense to use Choice Compass—simple, direct situations where all other variables, besides your own decision, are stable and/or under your control. Other, more emotionally loaded dilemmas for which the outcome also depends on variables outside of your purview—like the behavior and/or reaction of others—yield less clear results.

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Radio Show Recap: Educational Toys for Kids

This year the global toys and games industry is expected to hit the $100 billion mark. And now that every marketplace is influenced by high tech gadgetry, children, too, now choose video games and electronic toys over analog toys such as board games and jigsaw puzzles. While 10% of parents say they consider touch devices as playthings, children are also becoming more accustomed to technology as toys. This means toy and game manufacturers have to keep up with new toys that focus on innovation and technological advancements on a regular basis to stay competitive.  So how can toy companies stay up-to-date and be educational at the same time?

Yesterday on “Dot Complicated with Randi Zuckerberg” Randi discussed educational toys for kids with Vikas Gupta of Wonder Workshop, Raman Lachman of Pley, and Aparna Pande of Kidstir.

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Vikas Gupta is the cofounder and CEO of Wonder Workshop, an educational, codeable robot for ages 5 and up:

“Social media is here to stay. It’s a big part of our lives and society will just have to follow.”

“If children’s have the right tools in their hands they can solve big problems.”

“When I learned to program when I was 14, the more I did it, the better I got at it. It gave me a level of superpower, or confidence.”

“When I see kids growing up now they’re growing up with smart devices already. The challenge is the way the toys companies have approached where technology is.”

“We wanted to make the robots to be whatever the children imagined them to be. Right out of the box the robot has a personality.”

“Right in the age of 8 to 10 is our sweet spot. Kids can do a lot with the robots yet deal with the complexity of what the robot offers.”

“Dash and Dot are 1 and 0, binary references to the coding of computers.”

“We do hack-a-thons for kids where kids interact and program together. We also have robot parties.”

“Kids use the robots to express themselves better.”

Favorite app: “One Night Werewolf is an app we use in the office.”

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Aparna Pande is the CEO of Kidstir, monthly subscription boxes filled with hands-on food adventures for kids ages 4 through 10

“I had my two boys who both went into anaphylaxis from eating nuts. From then on I had to become a vigilant parent in what they were eating.”

“The more labels I read, the more I started getting more concerned about what I was reading.”

“I want to teach my kids about good food so they can be educated and not scared of it.”

“Conventional wisdom says teaching kids to cook makes them healthier and helps with family interaction.”

“People value the idea of developing their kids’ appreciation for food but there’s not a lot of time to develop it in that 6 to 6:30 hour when parents are home with their kids.”

“Kids get a cooking kit with a real cookbook that they can own and fill in.”

“Kids learn about what’s happening with the bees, geography, why do popovers pop up—there’s games and activities and two fun cooking tools.”

“Toyetic means a toy is s both fun and functional.”

“I’m very inspired by Pixar because they cracked the code on how to create an enjoyable experience for kids and parents.”

“We started creating videos and have people reaching out who want to facilitate a class.”

“I think it’d be fun to create a kids dining experience for families across the country— like a restaurant week for kids.”

“My mom is early interventionist who works with kids with disabilities and she kept reminding me to think in a broader way.”

“We just earned the AblePlay seal which says Kidstir is well suited for kids with special needs. All of our kits are packed by adults with autism and special needs as well.”

Favorite app: “I love the TasteMade app to stay in touch with food world.”

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Ranan Lachman is the CEO and founder of Pley, the Netflix of LEGOs.

“It takes time to get used to any major innovation.”

“I’m a father of two kids and realized I spent $3000 on LEGOs for my son. I thought there’s got to be a better way to do it.”

“We have a catalogue of hundreds of LEGO sets to choose from and to get each for less than $20 a month.”

“You don’t have to schlep to the toy store any more.”

“When you’re done with playing, put the toys back in the box, let the mailman pick it up and get a new box every week.”

“It’s a 6.5 minute process to clean and sanitize each box and check to make sure there are no missing pieces so every child can enjoy their box.”

“We don’t charge for missing pieces. We know kids will lose them and we can replace them.”

“With Pley you de-clutter your house, plus it’s sustainable and friendly.”

“We have the benefit of the connection with the customers that LEGO themselves doesn’t have. We have data we can provide them. We see that girls rent Star Wars, which is considered a ‘boy’ thing.”

“We run a LEGO-thon where we invite parents to bring their kids and build together.”

“We provide free LEGO birthday parties with 16 different sets to invite their friends and build together.”

“LEGO therapy is a big part of our business.”

Favorite app: “Google Cardboard.”

Join “Dot Complicated with Randi Zuckerberg” next week when she talks to the founders of TodayTix and Gametime about the Business of Mobile Ticketing only on SiriusXM Business 111 at 9am PT/12ET. 

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5 Technology Tools You Can’t Live Without

The best new tech gadgets for him, her and the whole family.

PlantSense EasyBloom. Why It’ll Change Your Life: You’ll get a green thumb.

Shove the 11-inch stick into the dirt in a spot where you want to grow a plant. Built-in sensors gather info on soil moisture, sunlight, and temperature. After 24 hours, plug it into your computer’s USB port to upload the data to plantsense.com, which spits out a list of the perfect flowers for your locale or info on how to rescue an ailing plant. $60, plantsense.com.

Black & Decker Power Monitor. Why It’ll Change Your Life: You’ll save electricity and cash.

This Mama Nature lover displays your house’s kilowatt draw and translates it into dollars. Just clamp a small sensor over your electricity meter (usually outside or in the basement). The sensor radios stats to the portable monitor. $100, blackanddecker.com.

Dell Mini. Why It’ll Change Your Life: You can pack Facebook in your purse.

Laptops that can tuck into your tote usually cost a bundle. But at $350 (and a little over two pounds), the Dell Mini won’t strain your budget (or your back). So take your e-mail, Word docs, and Facebook flirts with you anywhere, and spend your savings on a latte–the Mini has a spill-resistant keyboard. $350, dell.com. 

The Netflix Player by Roku. Why It’ll Change Your Life: You’ll get instant DVDs.

Sixty percent of you still hop in the car every time you want a movie. Netflix has been sending out DVDs for years, and now it has a faster option. The Netflix Player connects to your TV and plays movies from its Instant Queue–all included in a regular subscription–over your Internet connection. $100, roku.com.

Polaroid PoGo. Why It’ll Change Your Life: You’ll be able to hand out photos on the spot.

Of our survey respondents, 51 percent said the worst thing about digital cameras is printing the snaps. Enter the PoGo, a pocket-size printer that connects to your camera or phone and spits out color two-by-threes. $150, polaroid.com for stores.

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Radio Recap: Utilizing Big Data for Men

While Big Data is most often used to describe the huge volumes of complex data generated by traditional business activities from new sources such as bank ATMs, store point-of-sale terminals, Facebook posts, and all other forms of social media—the long and short of it is Big Data means powerful information. By looking for hidden patterns, trends or other insights, companies use sophisticated software to analyze data to better tailor their products and services to customers, anticipate demand and improve performance. But in the private sector, complex and large data sets are also changing the way we live. Simply put, Big Data can improve our lives.

With Randi discussing utilizing everyday Big Data for men are authors Charles Morgan of Matters of Life and Data, Scott Behson of The Working Dads Survival Guide and Asher Price of Year of the Dunk.

CHARLES MORGAN

“Teach kids to be an entrepreneur by setting the example.”

“That the first practitioner of Big Data was the AFL CIO as early as the mid 70s.”

“Big Data has helped the democratic party immensely in getting out the vote and polling.”

“Data protection and privacy has to be engrained in the culture of the company.”

“Cloud computing was built out of necessity. We couldn’t manage or process information on any traditional computer or server.”

“We used grid computing, a.k.a. cloud computing, to help our Big Data collecting for all the credit history for all the citizens of the US to find the best customers for the banks.”

“I was sitting in my office 4 days after 9/11 and my co-workers found 4 or 5 of the perpetrators in our Acxiom database. We had data information that helped catch them.”

“My favorite app is PrivacyStar, it allows people to block callers.”

SCOTT BEHSON

“Technology is in search for a problem to solve.”

“I have a flexible job, I make a decent living, and even for me it’s difficult to juggle work and family.”

“Only 14% of employers provide paid paternity leave.”

“Dads are starting to take those 2 to 4 weeks of paternity leave.”

“More applicants and better applicants apply when workplace flexibility leave is available.”

“The world is changing. Paternity leave was an unthinkable conversation 15 years ago.”

“12 weeks at a time isn’t the best paternity leave model. Maybe 2 weeks and a day here or there so you’re not out of sight, out of mind.”

“Gay parents have been strong allies for the cause of working dads.”

“A Better Balance is the legal muscle for crafting legislation against discrimination for families in the workplace.”

“The US and Papua New Guinea are the only places that don’t have paid maternity leave.”

“You have to make time for your priorities. Step one is thinking about what you want to accomplish.”

“Being a dad has allowed me to be the Jedi I always wanted to be.”

“My FitBit app helps me take 10,000 steps a day and measure my fitness goals.”

“I listen to Pandora with commercials because it’s free.”

ASHER PRICE

“As far as competition goes, I’m sure consumers are happy with the landscape of streaming music.”

“Year of the Dunk is a metaphor for the questions we ask ourselves when we get older. What untapped abilities do we have?”

“Starting at a young age the dunk fascinating me. But I never tried it. I started feeling like the window was closing a bit.”

“On the training regimen side, I enlisted help of a few trainers including a gold-medal winning high-jumper from the Olympics.”

“I can tell you I got much higher than I ever thought I would.”

“There were a lot of doctors who created a regimen of squatting and jumps.”

“I enlisted the help of an insect specialist who studies the highest jumping insects in the world called frog hoppers which could jump over the St. Louis Arc as humans.”

“Spud Webb who won the slam dunk contest was only 5’7”.

“We can surprise ourselves with the potential to improve.”

“Carve out time and give it a shot. See if you have some talent and the discipline.”

“I rely on my Yelp app. I rely on the wisdom of others.”

Join Dot Complicated with Randi Zuckerberg every Wednesday at 9am PT/12ET for all the latest in business and tech only on SiriusXM channel 111. 

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4 Tech Tips for Fourth of July weekend

As far as tech is concerned, a lot has changed since July 4, 1776. We have radios. We have TVs. We have computers. And more than half of us now have smartphones. So as you celebrate Fourth of July weekend, here are four tech tips you may find useful. From educating you about astronomy to helping you snap that perfect photo of the fireworks display, today’s technology can improve your holiday weekend:

Fireworks Photos. If you’re watching a fireworks show, chances are you’ll take a few photos with your phone. Some tips: Turn off your flash, avoid shakiness, don’t zoom in, tinker with your camera’s exposure settings, and try burst mode. If you aren’t satisfied with the features of your built-in camera, the Wall Street Journal has some good app recommendations, including Camera+ (iOS andAndroid) and Nokia Camera (Windows). Or, if you prefer to just take video, Vhoto is a cool iPhone app that finds the best photos in your videos.

Offline Maps. For those of us taking long drives through and to rural places without that quick 4G LTE connection, knowing how to access Google Maps (iOS, Android) offline can be super useful. First, you’ll need to have the latest update — 3.0 for iOS; 8.0 Android. Open the app and hit the profile icon in the top right of the search bar. Scroll to the bottom and click on the offline maps widget. Then, simply drag to the area you want saved — pan and zoom appropriately — and hit “save.” You can find your saved offline maps on your profile page. Alternatively, you can also enter “OK Maps” into the search box when you’re viewing the map. There’s one more way, too: You can bring up an address or place, drag up from the bottom information widget, and select “Save map to use offline.”

Star Gazing.  Once all that smoke from the fireworks dissipates, you may be able to see stars — especially if you’re in an area without much light on the ground. Sky Guide, which we featured last month, is a digital planetarium for the iPhone and iPad that makes it easy to see all the stars and constellations nearby. When users first fire up the app, they’ll be asked to let it access their location, and it will then show them a 360 degree map of all the stars and constellations around them. Users interested in learning more about a particular star or constellation can tap on it to pull out a drawer with plenty of facts. For Android users, Sky Map is equally great.

Digital Detox.  Maybe you are looking forward to spending Fourth of July weekend not having to constantly check your smartphone every five minutes — perhaps a digital detox is in order. If that’s the case, the simple and cheap way to detach from your gadget is to, well, stop using it. Disable your internet connection, put your phone on silent — heck, just turn it off if you really don’t want to be distracted. Or, if you’re just not disciplined enough to give up the device — perhaps you’re one of the people who would give up a best friend over a smartphone — the popularFreedom software locks you away from the Internet. However, it’s only available for desktop and Android. For iOS users, check out this guide from Lifehacker that helps smartphone addicts who want to enjoy the weekend without the distracting device.

 

 

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Should States Allow Online Voter Registration?

[image error]Currently, 20 states allow online voter registration. Two additional states have limited online sign-ups, and five more, along with Washington, D.C., have passed (but not implemented) an online registration system. But now, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) is trying to make digital registration the norm with a universal online system. A few weeks ago, the senator introduced the Voter Registration Modernization Act, which would implement a nationwide system and bring online registration to millions of eligible voters. Registering by mail would, of course, remain an option, but making things digital could transform the electoral process.

Why this could a game-changer: 

It makes voter registration quick and easy. No more excuses, all you 62 million eligible voters who are still unregistered.




It saves states millions—in Arizona, the individual cost per online registration rang in at 3 cents compared with 83 cents per paper registration (via the National Conference of State Legislatures).




It allows voters to update their voting records online, should they change address or political party.



    It makes registration easier for people who might be otherwise disenfranchised. Under Gillibrand’s law,         all eligible voters would be allowed to register regardless of whether they have a state-issued ID. This         means people who are less likely to have such identification—young people, minorities, senior citizens,         and low-income voters—will have the opportunity to register and access their records online.

What could possibly go wrong:

Hello, have you met the little elephant in the room called “potential voter fraud”?




Remember when healthcare.gov first launched? There is a possibility that a universal online voter registration could experience rollout problems.




An online system could be viewed as a potential barrier to entry for lower-income voters or voters in rural areas.
 With sensitive personal information—Social Security numbers, home addresses, birth dates—it could be a  hotbed for hacking.

Does your state allow online registration? If so, has your experience with it been like? What are your thoughts on creating a nationwide system?

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