Sep 22 2013

Should I Stop Holding Back?

Believe it or not, I hold back a lot. Should I stop? Is it time to to really tell the world (whoever is listening/reading) what I actually think?

DaddyTips—Thoughts on Dadding

Some have told me that no good will come of me expressing my views. Not that I’ve never expressed an opinion. I was particularly harsh to Lance Armstrong, but I felt that he deserved it. (Plus I was ahead of the curve on that story.)

Ultimately this is a parenting blog. It is called DaddyTips. The original idea was to offer, you know, tips. That isn’t always easy because a lot of parenting advice comes from my actual experiences as a father. Why is this an issue? Because I don’t like writing about my kids too much. I don’t use their names, I don’t post their photos, and I think they have a right to privacy.

Note: I know this isn’t what everyone does, and I respect people who make different decisions on this matter. Except for Jon Gosselin and Kate Gosselin. Them I find irritating and always did. Here’s the proof. Notice what I wrote at the end, that perhaps Jon could get a regular job. I wrote that in 2009. This has now happened.

And yes, quoting yourself is tacky but it makes fact-checking easier. I will keep writing that until somebody tells me to stop.

Anyway, back to the original topic of whether or not I should hold back. Someone suggested to me recently that they thought I was out of control. There’s a lot more to that story that I’m not going to share because it’s too personal and involves details I prefer not to discuss in public. I have always felt strongly that one way to avoid being “out of control” is to vent. Get it out. Rant, if that helps.

I don’t know. It’s difficult to decide.

Is there a tip here? There is. The tip is to consider whether or not sharing certain things on the Interwebs is good for you or for your kids. It might be. Or not. But like Dora says, let’s stop and think for a minute.


Jan 18 2013

We Were Ahead Of The Curve On Lance Armstrong

DaddyTips Rant

 

Flashback time. We’ve never been fans of Lance Armstrong. Back in May of 2010 we wondered, “Are we done with Lance Armstrong now?” Remember when Floyd Landis accused Lance of doping? And all those folks who defended Lance? Now Lance is saying he lied.

He made his confession in a TV interview with Oprah Winfrey, which is very celebrity of him but probably not a great idea since he said under oath that he hadn’t used any performance enhancing drugs and that’s, like, perjury, according to published reports.

Here’s one of the reporters he lied to, ESPN’s Rick Reilly, talking about how he’s none too happy with the former cyclist.

[youtube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILP_PZV4pGA]

This is the full interview if you like that kind of thing.

[youtube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43EE9I8ZMFc]

I don’t need to watch it. Maybe eventually I’ll look at a clip of the important part. For now it’s enough to say that we were ahead of the curve in terms of the “Lance Armstrong is a douche” story.


Aug 20 2012

Video Games Suck, Part One

DaddyTips Rant

I like video games. I’ve been playing them for most of my life, which is also most of their lives. That is, I’ve been playing video games almost as long as video games have existed.

Games have become infinitely more complex as the years have marched on. There have always been games that flat out suck. But now they suck for different reasons. Here’s one. There are more. But we’ll start with this one.

Video Games Suck, Part One — Everything Must Be Online

What’s wrong with going online? Aren’t you blogging? You couldn’t do that offline. I mean, you could. But then nobody would read what you wrote. Hasn’t the Internet democratized everything, eliminated all strife in the world and made the planet a more wonderful place?

OK, now I’m just being obnoxious. Let’s stay with how the Internet has contributed to the suckification of gaming, especially for kids. Read more »


Mar 23 2012

Why Are We Still Debating The Benefits of Bilingualism?

Speaking Klingon does not count as a second language.

I’m not going to bother reading this New York Times essay titled The Benefits of Bilingualism.

Why not? First of all, I’m busy. Second, I’d rather write this post and I really am kinda busy right now. Third, and most important, I truly cannot believe that there are people in the world who don’t understand that it is a good idea to know how to speak more than one language. (And Klingon doesn’t count. Sorry.) Read more »


Jan 26 2012

Wherein I Bash Parenting Blogs On A Parenting Blog

DaddyTips Rant

I’m not familiar with the parenting blog EarlyMama, but it sounds like the author, Michelle Horton, gets her chops busted a lot for having kids when she was in her early 20’s.

I have some thoughts to share. Generally we call these rants. It’s not really a rant, per se, but calling it a rant makes things easier. Read more »


Jun 24 2011

Game Changing Gadgets That Aren’t [Opinions] – UPDATED

DaddyTips Rant

This list of “10 game-changing gadgets” from a panel of tech journalists (via ZDNet) is amusingly stupid. Let’s go through them one by one. (Note: this is more of an opinion piece than a rant. But I like my DaddyTips Rant graphic. And I do rant a little bit.)

UPDATED 6/27/11: see below for an update on the OnLive Game System, which can be used on an iPad and may include a controller. That could actually be a significant product if anybody notices enough to use it.

Read more »


Dec 08 2010

Original Tron Not Available on DVD?

How is the original Tron not available on DVD? Seriously, how is this possible?

Amazon has used copies going for over a hundred dollars. Or there’s the VHS version — for 40 bucks.

Are you kidding me?

Tron Legacy opens on December 17. Me and the boys are excited to see it. As a completist type of dad, I want them to see the original Tron before they see Tron Legacy.

So I go on Netflix. They don’t have it. It’s in my “saved queue.” Because the DVD is out of print.

Which is stupid. Because if there were ever a time you could sell a boatload of those things, it’s before the sequel hits theaters.

But noooo. No DVD. No streaming. No on-demand. Nada. Zip. Zilch.

Grrrr.

Here’s the original Tron trailer from 1982. That’ll have to do, I suppose.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3efV2wqEjEY]