The Flip is a popular handheld digital video camera used by many to
capture precious family moments and create stunning viral videos for
display on the web. While the cameras themselves are super simple to
use, the results are often less than glamorous. With the help of the
experts, we share 6 ways to make your Flip (or any other brand of
camera) clips look like a pro handled them!
Modern technology makes home automation an easy task for just about anyone. From the basics of controlling lights and appliances to more advanced home automation, your life can be easier than ever before. Kipkay for Make Magazine, a DIY (Do It Yourself) technology magazine, shows you how to automate your home in this video.
The garage sale is the classic low-tech moneymaker: put your stuff on the curb, sell it to passersby. Success has everything to do with weather, location and the effectiveness of homemade signs nailed to telephone poles.
Getting indoorsy family members outdoors: it's my annual summer
challenge. I'm proud to report that, despite a number of lost battles,
I'm winning the War of the Air Conditioned TV Room. My next quest: THE
HIKE. 
The Android
Market may not be quite caught up to its Apple App Store counterpart
just yet, but it's certainly no slouch either. Gamers looking for
a free fix on the go won't be disappointed, as a number of fun and
entertaining apps are available, with more being introduced all the time.
Some folks think that travel is the antithesis to living a green
lifestyle. After all, driving
and flying hundreds or thousands of miles creates a huge carbon
footprint. Still, there are many ways you can tread a little less
lightly while
hitting the open road . Check out our guide of handy online tools,
apps, and services that can help you plan and green your summer
vacation.
The web is a great place for film buffs, and there are thousands and thousands of sites and communities geared specifically toward movie goers.
Magic Choppers that slice, dice, even make julienne fries! Instant Pasta Extruders that also make perfect omelets! We've seen and tested every kind of kitchen gadget imaginable. Truth is, most of the time, you're better off with a plain old knife, cutting board, pot, and wooden spoon. But every once in a while, one shows up that is every bit as useful as it sounds. Here are six of our favorites, each one of them rings up at under $10. 
Do our kids really need more encouragement to play electronic games?
I'd be one of the first to say "no." Already, a multitude of screens are competing for our kids' attention,
and the non-electronic world is being rendered increasingly pokey and
boring. A neighborhood stroll? Monopoly with Mom and Dad? Snooze. Sure,
there's the Wii, and we have great fun playing together. But the fact
remains that we're still all staring at the TV.
Being a new parent takes planning, endurance, and technology. Perhaps
you only slept 30 minutes last night, but science is on your side. Here
are a few gadgets to help new parents go the distance. 
I'm very, very pregnant. By the time you read this feature, we may have
already delivered our own new bundle of joy! 
Some folks feel that savoring nature requires leaving all material
possessions at home. Others need a little help from technology. If you
fall into the latter category (and let's face it, most of us do), you're
in luck: A number of iPhone apps are designed to enhance our
experiences in the wild. No matter what outdoor activity you prefer,
there's an app for that.
Too time-starved and money-strapped to plan a family vacation, you say?
Such is the lament of today's busy parents, not to mention their equally
overscheduled prodigy. Stressed out Americans leave over 460 million
vacation days on the table each year. Yet consider the irony: families
too busy to plan a vacation are precisely the ones who need one the
most. 
Summer's almost here, and your child is still surgically attached to the nearest glowing screen. If you'd like to nudge your kids outdoors without the ensuing drama, these gadgets for kids will hold their attention while they take in a little fresh air.
Each summer, families across the world choose to devote an extended period of time together as a unit, traveling long distances to foreign lands, hiking tall mountains or voluntarily trapped in cavernous tents. This annual event is commonly called "The Vacation." Ever heard of it? In today's work-till-you-drop society, "vacation" can certainly seem like an unknown term. Yet family vacations are still a popular way to reinforce the bond often lost amid busy schedules, as well as a way to prove to skeptical kids that their Moms and Dads are still cool (depending on where you go for vacation, of course).
Giving your kid an allowance...seems simple enough, right? Pass him a few bucks per week for spending money and call it done. And it can be that simple...if you regularly have cash on hand. We do most of our spending on credit and debit cards, so when Allowance Day would roll around each week, we'd inevitably be caught with our pockets empty. (Ransacking the couch cushions to drum up change didn't do much for our credibility.) When we did manage to pay the kids, they would consistently forget to carry their cash during shopping trips. The resulting "Can I buy it? I'm pretty sure I have the money" conversations were frustrating for all of us. 
Sure a good cookbook can be your best friend in the kitchen, but just imagine if your cookbooks came with built-in timers that start and stop themselves right when you need them. Or what about local dining guides that help you sift through the chain restaurants and get straight to the good stuff no matter what city you're in?
After a long day at the office, you may think the last thing you want to
do is chop, steam, and stir, when that microwave dinner is two minutes
in the making. But cooking can be therapeutic. And whether you're a
certified foodie or a comfort food connoisseur, the web is a bountiful
resource of recipes and cooking how-tos.
One of the greatest things about the iPhone is the App Store. The slogan, "there's an app for that" exists for a reason -- there is an app for almost everything. Sometimes the hardest part is actually finding the best applications in a certain category.
Camping is the ultimate vacation experience for environmentalists. It allows both city dwellers and suburban folks to reconnect with nature. Plus, it's relatively low impact-most sites are totally off the grid, so as long as campers make sure to clean up after themselves, it's one of the most eco-friendly trips out there. Luckily, there are a number of techie goods to make the adventure even more enjoyable. Before you hit the great outdoors, check out our list of green gadgets and services for campers.
Everyone wants their home to be a haven from dangers. Thanks to some of the more innovative smart phone apps on the market, you can now handle some of the most basic safety tasks effortlessly. Whether you have kids, pets, or just hang out alone, we've got the scoop on the most effective applications designed to help you live a healthy, happier home life!
Who else has money on the brain? Tax season always has me both lamenting my mediocre recordkeeping and vowing to do better the following tax year.
ROAD TRIP! It's all I can think about as summer approaches. I've got serious wanderlust, and our minivan needs to earn its (too-big) parking spot in front of our house. I happen to live in the Pacific Northwest amidst a wealth of natural beauty, but fun road trips can begin just about anywhere.
Most people peg
techies for indoor types. But in actuality, much of the
latest technology is meant to improve user experience in the
great outdoors.
It's easy enough to gauge your kid's learning when it comes to concrete skills. Walking, talking, reading...the "evidence" of progression is right there for you to see. It's much more difficult, however, when your kid struggles with invisible skills such as empathy, perception of personal space, and frustration tolerance. These are skills, to be sure, but not ones we usually "teach" -- we
expect our kids to pick them up on their own. When they do, we call them
"good," "well-behaved," and "sweet." When they don't, they get labeled
with much less forgiving terms: "selfish," "rude," and "bad." Sadly,
kids who lag behind in social skills are often judged before they are
helped.
The problem with the internet, as anyone will tell you, is the noise. There's no shortage of information for adventurous home cooks or aspiring professionals online, but with so much noise, how does one separate the succulent prime-grade stuff from the lean and bland choice-grade?
With the budding leaves of spring comes the desire to clean. We all want
to enter the warmer seasons feeling refreshed, reinvigorated and
renewed, right? Fortunately, the internet offers a host of resources to
transition into the flower season more organized than ever. 
Got your creative game on?
Here are the deets:
The most creative, funny, and otherwise awesome response in the comments wins a $50 Amazon gift card! Asha and her son will choose a winner in 72 hours (that would be Thursday 3/11/10 at about 11:30AM PST).
Check out the contest here.
Want to see the competition you're up against -- see what we've got so far here.
Full rules here: http://mylifescoop.com/mylifescoop-photo-caption-contest---official-rules.html
Remember, you've got to be in it to win it!
I have just begun home schooling my ten year-old son. But, like so much in parenting, what I thought would be a process I led...
Me: "Here, son! Let's sit down and learn about the Ancient Greeks!"
Him: "Um..."
...is turning into a process in which I follow.
Him: "Let's do a chemistry experiment!"
Me: "Sure!" (followed by frantic Google searching for a how-to.)
I'm no iPhone evangelist. I acknowledge it's groundbreaking technology, it's extremely useful, fun, beautiful, etc., etc., but I can't seem to get past what it does to its owners. I'll spare you the full-on soapbox, but I believe that people's love affairs with their iPhones -- complete with the stroking and the fawning and the moon-eyed gushing -- tend to interfere with their real-life activities. Things like walking. Looking at people. Noticing what's happening right next to them. The iPhone is just TOO fun and useful. It competes a little too successfully with real life.
There are many of us who are bound to a Dilbert-like office setting and only occasionally get a chance to stretch our legs and work outside of the break room. If you're lucky, however, you may be able to freelance, telecommute, work from the road, or manage an occasional "work from home" afternoon. These 7 tools can help make that dream a reality - and may put your productivity on par with those who never leave their desks!
In today's shaky economy, the last thing one worries about is keeping up with fashion trends. With skyrocketing gas prices and a scarce job market, the expensive wares of top designers seem farther than ever. Nevertheless, just because you can't afford a look on the rack doesn't mean you can't get the look at all. There are many online resources available to help you get a high-end look on a shoe-string budget. Of course, once you've gone through all the sites listed, don't forget to check out BurdaStyle, our sewing community with loads of open-source patterns, techniques and thousands of passionate DIYers --- perfect for frugal fashion followers.
There's no longer an excuse to sabotage your diet when away from home: Smart phones go with you everywhere, and can even be used to encourage, educate, and hold you accountable to your fitness goals. So what tools are worth the hype? We share the eight downloads you'll want to check out before you start pursuing those ambitious diet objectives.
Beamer
iPhone
Case, $38
If you have a book lover in your life, don't struggle with which book to buy this holiday--get them gadgets that make all books more fun instead. Here are our favorite high-tech gifts for the avid readers.
If you don't ask for what you want around the holidays, you'll be be doomed to itchy sweaters and ugly socks. These online wishlist tools are a lot more high-tech than throwing letters in the fireplace, and a lot more reliable than just dropping hints.
Will you be hitting the malls to do your Black Friday shopping the day after Thanksgiving? By doing a little homework ahead of time, you may be able to find some great deals without even having to leave the house--and if you do decide to battle the lines, at least you'll be prepared. Many websites have posted Black Friday specials already. Black Friday 2009 has a complete and constantly updated list of ad scans, though they caution that some of them may be fake. (And you probably shouldn't be fooled by this supposed Apple Black Friday ad at Boy Genius Report--"Apple almost never discounts their products, other than selling refurbished equipment on the cheap," warns The Unofficial Apple Weblog.) TGI Black Friday has a list of Black Friday deals available online now.
Technology can make cooking a lot easier--we're not just talking dishwashers and Cuisinarts, but iPhones. "The iPhone has completely revolutionized my food life," writes Farm To Table, which is doing a series on iPhone apps for foodies. The Kitchn has the best iPhone apps for cooks, including one that just might be a Thanksgiving lifesaver. And Baby Health Advice tells you how your iPhone can help you manage food allergies.
Don't have an iPhone? At Gizmodo, Alton Brown offers up some of his best kitchen hacks: "I use heating pads to raise dough on, or to incubate yogurt with...I have used a hair dryer to the bottom of my charcoal grill to turbo charge the Weber." Boing Boing teaches you to poach salmon in your dishwasher. You can also use your garbage disposal as a margarita maker and, if you're seriously strapped for kitchen gadgets, make chicken pesto in the coffee maker.
