Techno Snobs The New Divide

I often hear people that I come in contact with bragging about their lack of technology or knowledge thereof. One person braggardly remarked " I don't own a cellphone." Another remarked that they do not have cable or the internet at their home. To them it was a good thing to be disconnected and uninformed. I think it a tragedy and another attempt by the elite to separate themselves from the masses and once again prove to the rest of us that they are better.
I for one, find this to be an attempt to put down the rest of us who use tech as a tool to increase our knowledge and to make information more accessable.
I find this snobbery to be the most prevailant in my profession of teaching. I was at a workshop this summer, and was informed that laptops are now banned from school district meetings. How could a profession where technology is not a luxury but essential be so resistant to technology.
Many of the teachers that I work with, find technology mof of a nusance than an inhancement. Once I mentioned that student achievement would be greatly achieved if all student had laptops . One of the older teacher remarked in a patronizing tone that laptops would be a wast of money.
This lack of knowledge and insecurity amoung teachers toward technology is disturbing and one of the reasons why public schools are so far behind technology wise and otherwise. All of us need to see technology for what it is a tool to enhance our lives and not what it is not a burden or hinderence on our lives.

Tech Find of the Week.

How many people out there hate their cellphones. Not only do you hate it, you would like to throw it out of your car while going at break-neck speed down I-94. If you are on the GSM network(t-mobile, verizon etc.) you only have to do two simple things: 1. Log on to ebay and look for unlocked cell phones. Find a really cool one and buy or bid on it. 1. Once that cool phone is in your tight little hands, take the sim card out of your old phone, put it in your new phone and that's all there is.
The great thing about this, is that if you become tired of this phone, you can switch your sim card back to the old phone. you can do this everyday if you like and it will not harm you service as long as the sim card is intact . I change my cell phone often between a Razor and a Treo.
The sim card makes all of this possible. So if your cell phone is not your cup of tea anymore, and you want to get into something new but you do not want to pay the high prices that many carriers are asking, try the old sim card switch.

Tech Find of the Week.

Hello out there,
Do you want one of those new ipods but you do not have the $300 or $400 they are asking. I you do not there is hope for at least a portion of the cost if you have an old ipod that you would like to part with. First Tech in Uptown Minneapolis is taking trade-ins on the new ipods . Anyone can participate as long as they have the ear buds, data cord and it is in good working condition. You may get up to half the original value on the ipod and you can put that towards the purchase of a new ipod touch. To my knowledge, First Tech is the only store that take trade-ins and the pricing ir fair. You could probably sell it for more on Ebay or Craig's List with more of a hassel.

My How I-94 has Changed

This weekend, I was driving down interstate 94 on my way to Chicago and I was amazed what a nice trip it was. I have been making this trip for years and over the last few years it seems to get better every year. When I left Saint Paul at 6 am, I found it to be very little traffic , the traffic that was out there was evely spaced and in the right lane.
Along the way, I found not the typical wide open spaces but a mixture of space and sprawl. Places that were quaint off the road spots are now large collections of resorts , restaurants and shopping so instead of seeing rows and rows of fields, I saw fields, fun and fauna. I usually make the trip in a bout 6.5 hours and it used to be like pulling teeth and I would be exhausted . I arrived in downtown Chicago this time feeling refreshed and relaxed. All in all , the trip was excellent. A big shout out to Paul Bunyans in the Wisconsin Dells( great limberjack breakfast) and the Norskie Nook (grrrrreat pie). Need a break, need to relax, drive to Chicago catch the blues and the bears.

see the fall colors

If you want to wee the fall colors but you don't want to drive to the north shore and you want to come back the same day or the next why not try Decorah Iowa. I the heart of Amish country, Decorah is a weekend find. You can stay at the Winnesek hotel or one of the many hotels in the area. You can also take advantage of the Amish crafts and produce that dot the area. For those who do not want a long road trip but a get away but do want to get away southern Minnesota and Northern Iowa is theplace to be.

steroids. why?

I heard today on the news that Olympic gold medalist Marion Jones admitted steroid use prior to competing in the Olympic games. My question to everyone is ,why would a world class athlete like Ms. Jones have to use performance enhancing drugs? She was already the best in the world, who was she trying to defeat herself? Maybe I am not getting it but it seems that the lust for money and victory overshadow the need for good health and long life, neither of which can be assured by steroid use.
When the issue of steroid use by athletes comes up, it is usually coupled with concerns about cheating, I think it goes beyond that. Cheating aside, many of the athletes who use steroids are taking big risks for the sake of winning not knowing or caring that early death and a painful future may await them. I hope that Ms. Jones is ok and can reverse the effects of steroids and convince others not to use them regardless of performance results.

transfer tivo programs to your laptop

I found an interesting way to take movies and tv shows that you have recorded on tivo and put them on your ipod , psp or laptop. You can download tivo to go and if you tivo has a wireless connection, you can make a wireless transfer from the tivo to your laptop and either burn it to a dvd or download it to your ipod video or psp. This is an excellent way to take your entertainment with you and get your money's worth out of tivo.