Owner: Connect with your Teens through Pop Culture and Technology URL:http://connectwithyourteens.blogspot.com/ Join Date: Sun, 11 May 2008 19:37:03 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: This blog is intended to help parents keep up with pop culture and technology as a way of staying connected to their teenage children. Site statistics:Click here
Happy Mothers Day 2008-05-11 11:18:00 A special thank you to my friend Linda for reminding me of this wonderful essay written by one of my favorite writers, Anna Quindlen, and published in her book Loud and Clear.On Being Mom If not for the photographs, I might have a hard time believing theyever existed. The pensive infant with the swipe of dark bangs and theblack-button eyes of a Raggedy Andy doll. The placid baby with theyellow ringlets and the high piping voice. The sturdy toddler with thelower lip that curled into an apostrophe above her chin.All my babies are gone now. I say this not in sorrow but indisbelief. I take great satisfaction in what I have today: three almost-adults, twotaller than I am, one closing in fast. Three people who read the same books I do andhave learned not to be afraid of disagreeing with me in th Read more:Happy
, Happy Mothers
, Happy Mothers Day
, Mothers
Crazy Lost Episode and some good Lost news 2008-05-09 10:44:00 Image via WikipediaStarting with the Lost news first: Because the strike made Lost lose 2 hours of episodes this season, ABC has allowed the producers to add one extra episode to each of the next 2 seasons. So instead of having 16 episodes each season, there will now be 17. I know that doesn't seem like much, and for any other show I probably wouldn't care, but for Lost, I will take an extra five minutes if I can get it.On to last night's wild episode which leads up to the first part of the season finale which starts next week. The most interesting revelation to me was finding out the Locke was destined to be on the Island. The visits by Richard Alpert and Matthew Abaddon at first left me feeling that this was Locke's destiny. However, rethinking it today and reading other viewer's thought Read more:Crazy
, Episode
Lindsay Lohan, Mink Coat Thief - Can she sink any lower? 2008-05-08 18:37:00 One day after I hear the news that LindsayLohan
is going to guest star on Ugly Betty, and I think that maybe she is getting her act together, this news comes out. In January, Lindsay stole an $11,000 mink fur coat, owned by a college student, from a private birthday party at a nightclub. The student, Marsha Markova, didn't discover that it was Linsay that took it until a month later when she saw a picture of Lindsay wearing it in a magazine. She had to get a lawyer involved in order to get it back from Lindsay. Marsha is now suing Lindsay for a $10,000 rental fee.Besides the obvious fact that Lindsay could afford hundreds of these coats, what kind of sickness is going on here? Has she not had enough attention lately? She is not a minor anymore, so her parents can't do very much to control Read more:Lindsay Lohan
, Thief
RSS feeds made easy 2008-05-07 19:33:00 If my blog is the only blog that you read, then you probably don't need to learn about RSS feeds. However, if you read at least 2 or 3 blogs and any news sites or other sites that are updated regularly, then using RSS feeds and reading your blogs in a reader will save you a lot of time.Once again, as I did in my post about del.icio.us, I am going to let the makers of the "Common Craft" videos help explain how to subscribe to blogs and websites to you.Now that you understand the process, you can see that on the right side of my blog, right below the Google search bar, is my RSS widget. If you would like to subscribe, and you already have a reader, just click it, choose your reader and thats it. If you still need to sign up for a reader, I use Google Reader and I am very happy with it. Many
Twilight: The Hot Teen Book Series by Stephenie Meyer 2008-05-06 19:18:00 About a month ago I wrote a post titled I miss Harry Potter in which I wondered if there would ever be another series like it. A mother named Stephanie Meyer
is taking on that challenge. She has already published three books of a vampire series with an eagerly awaited fourth book due out this August. And the first book is already being adapted into a movie. The names of the first three books are Twilight
, New Moon and Eclipse but the series is known as the Twilight series.The genre over these novels is considered fantasy/romance/horror. Although considered young adult, they are big fat books just like the Harry Potter books were. I haven't read any yet, but from what I've read about them, and from skimming the first one, they remind me of a slightly younger version of the Anne Rice vampire
Happy Cinco de Mayo Day 2008-05-05 16:59:00 I'm taking the day off for my birthday. I'll be back with new posts tomorrow.
Read more:Happy
A Television/Legal Blog: "that's what she said" - Guess what TV show it is about? 2008-05-04 16:20:00 Recently, during some Internet surfing, I came across a very interesting and unique blog. Two labor and employment attorneys are writing a blog about the television series The Office and all of the Human Resources lawsuits and legal problems that could potentially arise during each episode. I love this type of thing. The title of the blog, "that's what she said", is perfect. As any fan of the office will know, Michael says that phrase at least once per episode (with a sexual meaning, of course) but its also a phrase that might be used in court.
Read more:Guess
, Television
Alltop - The place to keep up with the topics you like 2008-05-03 14:28:00 A while ago, I recommended the website popurls, to keep up with the top stories circulating the web. However, you all have your own interests and much of what makes it to this site may not be what you want to read about. The website for you is Alltop.Alltop takes the top blogs from almost 70 catagories and lists the most recent 3 posts from each blog. The posts are constantly updated. If you hold your mouse over a post a pop-up will appear of the first paragraph or so. You can click into any of the posts, or the title to get into the full blog. Alltop acts as an RSS feed and a blog discovery tool all in one. By going into the TV category, I can keep up with all the television blogs I usually read (I might clear them out of my overloaded Google Reader) and skim through many that I haven't r Read more:topics
Teenagers on Television through the Years 2008-04-30 23:02:00 Image via WikipediaWhen I first had the idea to write about teenagers on television over the years, I was planning on doing so to discuss how realistically teenagers have been portrayed over time. But after making the list in chronological order, other patterns stood out.First, here is the list of many or most television shows that had portrayals of teenage life as part of the theme of the show. I might have left some out, either purposely or accidentally, but I think there are enough here to get the sense of what happened during different time periods. The TV shows are in chronological order of when they premiered:The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet 1952-1966Father Knows Best 1954-1960Leave it to Beaver 1957-1963The Donna Reed Show 1958-1966The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis 1959-1963Gidget Read more:Teenagers
, Television
, Years
Amnesty International and Bloggers join together for Human Rights 2008-04-30 16:55:00 This posting is not going to be about my usual topics. I am not going to talk about pop culture or technology or parents or teenagers. Today, and again on May 15, I am writing about Human Rights
.Today I am writing to alert bloggers that Bloggers Unite For Human Rights, to draw attention to human rights issues, are challenging bloggers everywhere to write about a human rights topic on May 15th. Bloggers Unite is sponsored by the social networking group BlogCatalog and AmnestyInternational
. I urge any bloggers reading this to do so also. All you need do is sign up, add the badge to your page, write a post urging other bloggers to help out, and then on May 15th write a post on any topic relating to Human Rights.And for you non-bloggers reading this, you can do something too. On May 15th, you Read more:Amnesty International
, together
Wii Fit - The Video Game parents may want more than teens 2008-04-29 17:37:00 Wii Fit is a new video game by Nintendo, the makers of the Wii video system. A Wii Balance Board is used to measure the user's weight, height and center of gravity and then it calculates the body mass index. There are 40 different exercise activities including yoga, step aerobics and sit ups. The activities fall into 4 groups: Strength Training, Aerobics, Yoga and Balance Games. One caveat is that the balance board only holds people up to 300 pounds.Wii Fit is described as "a fitness center for the whole family". I think it would be a great way for parents and their teens to all get exercise using the teens video game system. The teen would feel proud that their system was put to good use. You wouldn't feel you spent your money just on a gaming system. I think this is a very smart move on Read more:Wii
Nathan Fillion casting news 2008-04-26 10:37:00 Image via WikipediaI just read the best television casting news ever: Nathan
Fillion is in negotiations to star in a new ABC procedural comedy “Castle”. If many of you are saying “who is Nathan Fillion?” it is because he is the most underrated actor today. My son and I are both extremely big fans of his, although this came about from different shows. I first fell in love with his character Joey on the soap, One Life to Live, back in the mid-90s. He then went on to star in Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place. While certainly not his claim to fame, my son was a fan of the show. From 2002-2003 Nathan Fillion starred in the tragically short lived show Firefly. Although mishandled by Fox and cancelled after less than half a season, the show developed cult status on DVD. Among that cult,
LOST - OMG Amazing Ben episode 2008-04-25 12:20:00 If last night's episode of Lost titled "The Shape of Things to Come" does not prove that Lost is not only back in full form, but the best television show on the air today, if not ever, than I don't know what could. I am not going to go into any details for those who haven't seen it yet except to say that many answers are given, there are shocking moments and the episode explores both mythology and character. One other thing, Benjamin Linus is one of the best TV characters ever written and Michael Emerson deserves an Emmy.Anybody that gave up on Lost because they felt that it "lost" its direction - go back!! Anybody that doesn't watch Lost but their teens do - what are you waiting for - get the DVDs and catch up. Your teen probably already owns them. If your teens don't watch Lost - you've Read more:Amazing
Teens Love Wikipedia - Should We? 2008-04-24 19:21:00 Wikipedia is the largest online encyclopedia. Since its inception in 2001 it has grown to include more than 10,000,000 articles and is read by almost 700 million visitors a year. And to most teenagers, this is the only encyclopedia they have ever known or ever care to know.Wikipedia is a wonderful resource. There are articles on topics that print encyclopedias never even considered including. The best part, though, is the interlinking within and between articles. Each article will provide links to other articles within Wikipedia and external articles also.The main complaint about Wikipedia is that anybody can edit it. According to Jimmy Wales, Wikipedia's founder, most of the articles are written by the same 500 or so people. But because they can be edited by anyone, their trustworthiness Read more:Teens
, Wikipedia
New York loves GOSSIP GIRL 2008-04-23 08:30:00 That is New York
Magazine I am referring to. The cover story of this week's issue (4/28/08) is Gossip Girl with the cover touting "Best Show Ever". The title of the actual article is "The Genius of Gossip Girl".At this point, I am thinking, maybe I should be watching this show. If my teens watched it, I would definitely start. I'm starting to wish I did have kids that watched Gossip Girl so that I would have a good excuse to watch. I've watched Felicity and The Gilmore Girls without my kids (to me, the worst part of not having daughters) but somehow watching Gossip Girl at my age by myself seems sad.Back to the article. It list six reasons why Gossip Girl is the most awesome show ever. The first one is that Gossip Girl is the Greatest Teen Drama of all time. Do the writers of this article
Marketing to Teens and Tweens - learn more on Ypulse 2008-04-22 18:49:00 The Ypulse blog publishes daily news and commentary about the next generation for media and marketing professionals. The areas covered are teen magazines and websites, entertainment for teens, teen gadgets and technology, advertising to teens and more.Since my blog is written for and targeted to parents you might be wondering why I am writing about Ypulse. I think that by reading the same news that these marketers are reading about our teens and tweens we can learn
more about our kids and more about the media and marketplace that are after them. I found it very interesting. It is not written as a business blog; it has a very casual tone.Ypulse was founded by Anastasia Goodstein, the author of the 2007 book, Totally Wired: What Teens
and Tweens are Really Doing Online.
Read more:Marketing
Great Google tools you should know 2008-04-21 19:02:00 Image via WikipediaEverybody loves Google
because it is so easy to use. You just type words into a search bar and Google finds results for you. Did you know that there are other things that Google can do. Here is just a sample:GOOG-411: When you call 411 on a phone you pay for directory assistance. But if you call 1-800-GOOG-411 you get free business directory assistance and connection from Google.Calculator: Type in any calculation in the search bar and press enter. Your search result will be the answer.Currency Conversion: ex. type in "4 USD in Euros" and press enter. You will get the number of Euros that 4 US dollars are worth at that time.Numbers: If you have a UPS, USPS, FedEx, Patent number or any other type of unique number, you do not need to go to the page of the company or agency Read more:Great
Judd Apatow's Great Teen TV Shows 2008-04-19 10:50:00 Judd Apatow is one of the hottest movie producers today. The Forty Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up were huge hits and Forgetting Sarah Marshall is probably on its way there. However the two television shows that he both wrote and produced in the early 2000s were canceled within a year, even though both were critically acclaimed. Both of these shows are great shows for parents and teens to watch together and if you haven't seen them, I highly recommend getting the DVDs and watching them now.Freeks and Geeks - A dramedy about high school students set in the 80s. It is a very real show about life in high school for those on the outside. Starring Linda Cardinalli (ER), James Franco (Spiderman), Jason Segel (Forgetting Sarah Marshall), Seth Rogen (Knocked Up), Busy Philipps (ER), and other Judd Read more:Great
Cool Free Online Student Resources 2008-04-18 10:51:00 I recently found a great blog called Teens Today with Vanessa Van Petten. Vanessa offers up parenting advice from the teen perspective (although she is currently in her 20s). Although she doesn't seem to write about pop culture the way I do, she does have many postings on technology and the Internet.Her most recent posting is titled "Coolest Free Online Resources
for Student
s". She provides links to articles, tools, blogs, websites and what she calls random cool online stuff. I definitely recommend sending this posting to your high school or college students; it is a valuable resource.
Lost news from TV Squad 2008-04-17 18:58:00 Exactly one more week until Lost returns. To hold you over I have some posts from one of my favorite television blogs, TV Squad
:1. A post from today in which the producers of Lost reveal what to expect in the remaining episodes of this season.2. News that Lost will have an extra hour this season and a 3 hour finale. To see the timing of this change see the TV Squad article.3. A really funny video that any Lost fan will enjoy.Thanks to TV Squad for always keeping me up-to-date on my favorite television shows.
Too many Television shows for our teens to have shared memories as adults 2008-04-17 17:36:00 When I was a child and then a teenager, in the 60s and 70s, the only new television programs airing in the U.S. were on ABC, CBS, NBC and PBS. Therefore there were relatively few television shows to watch. We also did not have computers and video games back then so I imagine that a larger percent of time was spent watching TV. My point is that because so many people were watching so few shows, the people in this age group (the younger half of the baby boom) have a shared nostalgia of television shows of their youth. I worry that our teens won’t experience this when they are our age. Ever since Fox became the fourth network, more and more channels have been adding new programming to their lineup. The viewing audience today is so fragmented that most people haven’t even heard of many of Read more:memories
, Television
Samsung survey: Text Messaging Improves Parent-Teen Relationship 2008-04-16 21:09:00 The results of a survey on family text messaging habits were just announced today by Samsung
Mobile. The general conclusion was: “Finding a way to communicate with teenagers can be difficult for many parents,” said Bill Ogle, Chief Marketing Officer for Samsung Telecommunications America. “What this survey shows is that communicating with teens the same way they communicate with each other, by text messaging, may be a great way for some parents to improve the lines of communication. And with more than a billion text messages now being sent each day, I think we will see this new trend in parent-teen communication continue to grow.” The full results of the survey can be found at Business Wire.
Read more:Messaging
, Parent
, Relationship
, Text Messaging
Email subscription 2008-05-12 21:04:00 I now offer a subscription to my blog via email in addition to RSS feeds. So if you want my blog to come to you, but you don't use a reader such as Google Reader or bloglines, as I discussed in my recent post on RSS feeds, then you now have another option.
Read more:Email
Answers.com: One click help wherever you are 2008-05-12 13:22:00 I am a big fan of Answers.com. It is a multifaceted reference page. In addition to being able to look use it as a dictionary and encyclopedia, it also has sections such as today in history, today's birthdays, today's highlights, question of the day and word of the day.The reason I am writing about Answers.com now, though, is because they offer great tools that you and your teenage students can use Read more:wherever
American Idol, David Archuleta's Dad and Stage Parents 2008-05-13 20:13:00 I just watched American
Idol and have no idea what is going to happen tomorrow night. Will it be the two David
s in the finale like everyone has predicted all along, or will Syesha manage an upset. If so, and if David Archuleta is out, I worry about him facing his dad after things I've heard and now a blog post that I just read. Ken Levine, emmy winning writer, director and producer on shows such a Read more:American Idol
, Parents
, Stage
Tivo and all forms of television time shifting: Is it good or bad for family TV viewing? 2008-05-13 13:39:00 Image via WikipediaI love the digital video recorder (DVR) that I have with my cable TV subscription. I think it is the best thing to happen to TV, well, since the addition of cable. I love being able to pause, rewind and fast foward while watching television, whether the show was recorded or live. I love being able to start a TV show about 20 minutes late and fast foward through the commercials.
Lost: There's no place like home, Part 1 2008-05-15 22:17:00 Image via WikipediaWow. Things on Lost are happening now so fast. My favorite parts of this episode were:Jack learning Claire was his sister - his reaction was fantasticSayid seeing Nadia - how bittersweetSawyer becoming a better and better person, not letting Jack go alone and then worrying about Hugo (not only does he not use nicknames for him anymore, he doesn't even call him Hurley)Sun and Jin
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