Article by Brett Singer in Clark Magazine
Why hello there! I, the one and only Brett Singer, wrote a story for Clark Magazine, published by Clark University (‘natch).
The topic? Youth sports, specifically baseball, because that’s what I played as a kid and later coached my own child’s team. There were some big differences between then and now, which is what I talk about. The article is posted below.
You can also read the full issue online here. (Look for Clark Magazine, Fall 2015.)
The article I wrote was a full-page sidebar to a story written by Jeremy Shulkin about the reality show “Friday Night Tykes“, produced by Matt Maranz. And special thanks to James Keogh of Clark Magazine for the opportunity. (I like to give everyone credit.)
You can read more of my writing at brettsinger.org, see a nifty portfolio at Contently, or follow me on Twitter, which you should be doing anyway because I’m hilarious and extremely insightful. Also humble.
Bonus: here’s a wicked old photo of Clark University, back when it was called Clark College. Gotta love Wikipedia.
English: Clark College (now Clark University), Worcester, Massachusetts, USA. This photograph published circa 1910. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Teach Your Children About Proper Passwords (Tips)
This article from ZDNet about the worst passwords of 2015 reminds me to remind you that it’s important to teach your children about proper passwords.
What is a proper password? Pretty much anything not on ZDNet’s list.
No, we’re not calling you a dummy. But computer security is important, and it’s never too early to start talking to your children about it. Well, maybe toddler age is too young. But as soon as they have any sort of online account, they need to understand that importance of strong passwords.
(Aside to parents of younger children: don’t be surprised if your kid comes home from school with an account on a website you’ve never heard of. Nothing nefarious. But a lot of educators are using online resources these days, and many of these sites require a login, and therefore… a password.)
Not sure what we mean by bad passwords? Here are a few examples.
Good stuff like 123456. Or the still popular password.
Apparently, Star Wars themed passwords became popular last year, because of that movie you probably heard a thing or two about. (Something about a force waking up? You know the one I mean.)
Anyway, bottom line, and our DaddyTip for today is to teach your children to use good passwords. For examples of bad passwords, hit the link below.
Many of the new entries are dictionary-based words, but many of the passwords from the year prior are increasing in popularity.
Source: These were the worst passwords of 2015, and they’re only getting worse | ZDNet
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Bluetooth Pregnancy Test at CES (Why Do We Need This?)
Elle.com reports on a new Bluetooth pregnancy test from the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). My question: why do we need this?
(Note: the picture below is just a public domain pic of a not-Bluetoooth pregnancy test from Wikipedia.)
English: Pregnancy Test Svenska: Ett positivt graviditetstest (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
For the record, you have to pee on a stick, but this fancy new stick connects to your iPhone via Bluetooth.
But also! You can watch soothing videos while you wait three minutes for the results. From Elle.com:
The company released its Pregnancy PRO Digital Pregnancy Test at the Consumer Electronics Show this week. The sticks, which look just like your typical pregnancy tests, sync with a smartphone app via Bluetooth. You then urinate on the stick, as you normally would, and the app notifies you once it detects a sample. Then, a countdown clock shows three minutes until the result is ready. While you await the anxiety-ridden three minutes, you can click on “Calm Me,” “Educate Me,” or “Entertain Me” to either learn about fertility or just watch puppy videos to ease your nerves.
Oy vey. Maybe it won’t catch on.
Source: First Response Unveils Bluetooth Pregnancy Test – First Response Pregnancy PRO at CES (Elle.com)
Steven Universe is a Thing
Apparently the cartoon Steven Universe is a thing that we should be aware of.
I wasn’t until this article, and I’ve only skimmed it so far. The headline, “Steven Universe is the most delightful, sex-positive show on television” was enough to get my attention as I was reading about the Oregon militia standoff (a much more depressing news story).
I don’t watch cartoons as much as I used to. Part of that is because my children have gotten older, although I watched plenty of cartoons before I had kids. (Simpsons anyone? Batman Beyond? Heck, how about Thundarr?) Animation quality has declined over the past few years; I don’t mean the shows themselves, I mean literally the quality of the animation. Computers have made it easier and cheaper to produce cartoons, and I prefer the older stuff. That alone isn’t enough to put me off animated series, though. Several people have told me I should be watching Rick and Morty (not a kids’ show), and in general writing will trump animation for me — that is, even if something is impeccably animated but the writing stinks, I doubt I’ll watch it, but if the animation is only so-so while the writing is stellar, I might.
So I admit that I’m posting a link to an article about a show that I’ve never seen. That said, maybe it’s good, and maybe we should all be watching Steven Universe.
I did watch this video, and the song is pretty catchy. Check it out:
The internet’s favorite cartoon is weird, fun, and nuanced.
Source: Steven Universe is the most delightful, sex-positive show on television – Vox
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Tom Coughlin Steps Down As Giants Head Coach
Tom Coughlin has announced that he will step down as head coach of the New York football Giants. In part, he said this was the right decision for his family.
Image Credit: Wikipedia
Coach Coughlin, with Eli Manning as quarterback, led the Giants to two Super Bowl wins, both over the Patriots, the first one ruining New England’s perfect season. You know, the one with the David Tyree helmet catch:
It would’ve been nice to see Tom go out on a higher note, but things don’t always work out that way. I think most Giants’ fans would agree that he had a good run. I know I do. I wish him well and hope he gets plenty of time to enjoy his grandchildren.
Tom Coughlin released a statement Monday, and will step down as head coach of the Giants
Source: Statement from Tom Coughlin (Giants.com)
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Han Solo Parenting Advice Via Twitter
Parenting. You're doing it right. pic.twitter.com/GweUbbEUFx
— Han Solo (@HanSoloFA) December 29, 2015
There are Star Wars: The Force Awakens Contrarians
I enjoyed Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and the movie has received much critical acclaim. Great! May they make all the money.
However, I also think it’s important that there are other voices out there. People who say “this stinks” or at least “this isn’t as good as everyone says it is”. Otherwise we’re all mindless drones bowing to our corporate overlords. Not to be over-dramatic about it. But it rarely ends well when EVERYBODY agrees.
Star Wars – Sand People (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Deutsch: „Star Wars”-Logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
And OK, sure. It’s just a movie. It’s just Star Wars. But it’s also more than just Star Wars. It’s entertainment, it’s escapist, it’s fun, it’s all good… as long as we can see the flaws. Or as long as we aren’t blindly devoted to the blockbuster.
DaddyTips readers (and pretty much anyone who knows me) are well aware of my love for the Avengers movie. I am willing to acknowledge that there are parts of the film that aren’t perfect. It’s a thing that makes me happy, and I think those things are important. For example, I don’t believe in “guilty pleasures” unless your guilty pleasure is something you should feel guilty about doing, such as clubbing baby seals. Watching a movie that you know isn’t great but you like it anyway? Please. (I do not, for the record, put The Avengers movie in that category. At all. I’ve seen it more than ten times. I might watch it again today.) That being said, I have no problem with someone who doesn’t like the movie, be they a friend or a professional film critic. I enjoy reading/hearing a different point of view than mine. As long as they have more to say than just this:
This article from Vox, titled “Critics are going too easy on Star Wars: The Force Awakens”, written by David Roberts (whose bio says “I write about energy and climate change” — and Star Wars, apparently, which shows how big a deal this movie is, in case you hadn’t noticed), makes some good points, and also has links to other Vox articles that are worth reading, including one that supposedly explains what the heck The First Order is. (I haven’t read it yet, hence the “supposedly explains”. Keep in mind that I did see the movie, but I still don’t really know what The First Order is. For the record, it doesn’t really matter, except that it does. Which is basically my point. If that’s confusing, ask me and I’ll explain.)
Bottom line: you can like a movie and know that it’s flawed, you can dislike a movie and acknowledge what’s good about it, you can hate a movie that everyone says is great — you should make your own decisions. I’ll even go so far as to call this a DaddyTip. In what way? The tip is that you shouldn’t let your kids get sucked into the blind devotion of a movie. I’m not suggesting you hit them over the head with criticism either, especially if they’re young. But let them know that it’s OK if they don’t 100% LOVE every single minute of this new Star Wars movie even if their friends do, or any other piece of entertainment for that matter. Be clever. Be a contrarian. Look at things with a critical eye as well as the eye of a fan. Understand that entertainment is awesome, and that it’s fun to escape from reality. Just make sure that you don’t completely forget about reality when the movie is over.
Or join the crowd and love it. That’s also an option, and probably easier.
Being derivative is not some clever pomo statement — it’s just derivative.
Source: Critics are going too easy on Star Wars: The Force Awakens – Vox
