Government Issue Apps

Move over iTunes, the United States government is now offering free apps for iPhones, Android phones and Blackberrys. While only a few such apps are available at this time, more are sure to come. In the meantime, they are all free and cover such things as My TSA (offering security wait times at airports), Product Recalls, the FBI’s Most Wanted, US Postal Service Tools and Find Your Embassy (for when you are abroad). Check it out!

Online Social Relations Subject of Survey

In its annual future of social relations survey, the Pew Internet & American Life Project asked 895 experts how e-mail, social networking sites and video conferencing among other applications are redefining the way we think of relationships. Some of the most interesting feedback was on online reputations. Here is one thought that you might leave with kids … “For better or worse, technology makes the citizenry its own Big Brother. Some will welcome this as transparency; others will feel oppressed.” - Stuart Schechter, a researcher for Microsoft.

Advice from the Podfather

Interested in the latest iPhone apps? Then you may want to download the Big App Show  to your iPhone. It is the latest brainstorm of Adam Curry, who as a podcaster in the 2000s, became known as The Podfather. On the show Curry delivers breezy two- to four-minute features on "really cool" apps. He plays with the app on an iPhone so users can see how it works, rather than forcing them to stare at static screenshots. It is estimated that consumers will download nearly 15 billion apps this year alone.

Learn Math Online for the Summer—and School Year, Too

It’s summer vacation time, but it’s also time for kids to work on skills they’ll need for success. No kid wants to do worksheets, but many enjoy learning through fun areas online. Math tutor and writer Rebecca Zook offers these suggestions for great math sites to visit: Multiplication Hip-Hop for Kids, a rapping way to learn the multiplication tables; Rockin’ the Standards, fun sing-a-longs for math learning; DreamBox Learning, over 500 math games for K-3; and KidCalc 7-in1 Math Fun, animated calculator and flashcards for iPhone and iPad. Curious about whether kids would want to head to these sites or apps over vacation, I went to each of them and tried one of the activities. Well, I admit I’m not exactly a kid, but I had a great time and I think the kids will as well. I’m still singing some of the songs.

Wanted : Young Cybersleuths

A nationwide campaign is on to recruit young techies into careers defending the Internet. Everybody from the federal government to education gurus and giant military contractors are trying to recruit a new cadre of techies specially trained to go after data thieves, online scammers and cyberspies. And just how are they going about doing this? Competitions that pit tech-savvy youths in mock warfare against professional hackers are one popular way to gauge young techies expertise. Training at both the university and community college level are also much more widely available, as are initiatives to attract grade schoolers to the career track. For example, new math exercises ask elementary students to calculate the total permutations of a four-digit PIN.