NerdBeach

Apple Adds Family Page for Its Parental Tools

Making good on a promise it made in January, Apple has launched a portal page to help parents control how their children use their Apple products.  The new Apple Families page has information about all of the parental controls, allowing a parent to quickly see what tools are available to them and how best to manage their child’s product use.

Apple Family Portal Page (Image: Apple)

Handy Tools and Information on the Apple Families Page

On the page, you will find helpful tools such as an app management control that will block in-app purchases. There is also an Ask To Buy interface that allows you to approve purchases requested by your child. You can also limit their internet exposure, letting them access only certain parts of the web or your approved websites.

Find My Friends
Find My Friends, the tool to track family members and friends via GPS, was originally announced during Apple’s “Let’s Talk iPhone” keynote event on October 4, 2011.

 

Apple also includes the Find My Friends feature, so that you can track your child’s location. This tool allows you to be alerted when they arrive or leave at a designated area.  This feature alone can reassure even the most worried parent.

Discover Tools and Features

By bringing all of the parental tools Apple has to offer on a single page, it makes it easy to see exactly how Apple Families can help with your parental tasks. In fact, you may even discover one or two options that you didn’t know existed before.

For example, the page shows new driving safety features and better sleeping tools. There is also helpful information about sharing purchases and calendars, which may help keep everyone in sync and on time. If you haven’t taken a look yet, you just might discover a new feature or two, even if you aren’t a parent.

The 15 Best Quotes from Stephen Hawking

Stephen Hawking died yesterday at the age of 76. The award-winning physicist made a huge impact not only in physics but in humanity as well. The bestselling author was known to be a huge Star Trek fan and was the only person in history to appear on the fan-beloved series as himself.

Hawking’s Voice
Even though better speech synthesis voices were available as the technology developed, Hawking retained the original voice. He said that he preferred this version and identified with it.

Hawking was not one to rest on his own laurels and was known to be outspoken. The brilliant thinker shared his wisdom on the nature of life itself. The universe expanded when Stephen Hawking was born, and today it is continuing to do so thanks to his contributions to the world at large.

To celebrate such an amazing life, here are 15 of what we feel are the best quotes from this genius humanitarian:

  1. However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at.”
  2. In my opinion, there is no aspect of reality beyond the reach of the human mind.”
  3. We are just an advanced breed of monkeys on a minor planet of a very average star. But we can understand the Universe. That makes us something very special.”
  4. I am just a child who has never grown up. I still keep asking these ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions. Occasionally, I find an answer.”
  5. Science is not only a disciple of reason but, also, one of romance and passion.”
  6. I have noticed even people who claim everything is predestined, and that we can do nothing to change it, look before they cross the road.”
  7. Life would be tragic if it weren’t funny.”Stephen Hawking
  8. Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change.”
  9. Science can lift people out of poverty and cure disease. That, in turn, will reduce civil unrest.”
  10. There is no unique picture of reality.”
  11. When one’s expectations are reduced to zero, one really appreciates everything one does have.”
  12. God is the name people give to the reason we are here.”
  13. Work gives you meaning and purpose and life is empty without it.”
  14. Scientists have become the bearers of the torch of discovery in our quest for knowledge.”
  15. The past, like the future, is indefinite and exists only as a spectrum of possibilities.”

Nerds Cook: High Energy Trail Mix

Let’s face it – nerds get hungry too. Now, sometimes a real nerd may have a slightly different sustenance requirement than a typical person. For example, heavy gaming or a busy project may require a quickly consumable energy source that doesn’t require a lot of prep work or that can be prepared beforehand. This is why we present our first NerdsCook video, High Energy Trail Mix.

High Energy Trail Mix

The high energy trail mix is easy enough to prepare, and it gives you a wonderfully indulgent taste along with enough complex carbs to keep you focused on the task (or play) at hand.

The high energy trail mix comes in at around 140 calories per 3 tablespoons. I’ve found the best way to manage this type of consumable is to have it pre-measured into handy snack bags. This way you can easily plan ahead, or at least keep a quick count of the damage when midday or project hunger pangs hit.

Fill a Snack Bag

In the video, we used a snack bag holder to make it easy to fill. I’m surprised at just how handy this little stand is, and you can get your own snack bag holder, if so inclined. You can also use a cup or other such holder, but I’ve been unlucky with these in the past. Your mileage may vary.

Mix It Up

The dried fruit used in the video consisted of white grapes and cranberries. Now, you could easily use whatever fruits you like, but I do think that dried pineapples deserve an h0norable mention here.

We used three types of chips in the trail mix, white chocolate, regular chocolate, and peanut butter. I think this gives a great flavor profile. But feel free to mix and match as you see fit.

You can even cut down on the number of chips in the mix since this is the largest source of refined sugar. But it does taste lovely and serves to give a quick energy boost.  The key here is moderation, of course.

We hope you like the high energy trail mix and find that it can help stretch out those performance levels when it comes to any number of activities. I’ve used it on hikes, bike rides, and even at work. Just remember to keep track of the calories, because it can disappear fast.

Alexa Controlled Ziro Robotics Kit Invade Earth

Fresh out of a successful Indiegogo campaign last year, Ziro is a hands-on, programmable cardboard robots kit that allows people to build interesting gadgets as they learn. But this year they are adding something new, Alexa controlled modules.

Alexa Controlled Ziro

Once you set up the new Ziro skill with Alexa, you can start giving it voice commands. This takes your average robotics kit and adds a new level of functionality to it. For instance, you could probably control Ziro through the Alexa app. This allows you to access it from virtually anywhere. Just imagine the things you could have the kit doing for you, all remotely.

In case you don’t want to control it via Alexa, you can fall back to its standard control mechanism. That is no slouch either since it comes with a smart glove tied to a mobile app, which allows for fun control. You can do simple and intuitive things with that, such as tilting your hand to control a car you built.

Adaptable to Your Resources

Ziro is designed to allow the builder to use whatever material they have on hand. This is done by attaching the Ziro modules to their creation, allowing for movement and control. Of course, you can always use their pre-made starter kits. The modules are designed to emulate hinged or rotational movements.

With just these two types of motions, you can build a lot of different articulated gadgets. It’s easy to see how one could build a walking dinosaur robot or a car. In fact, you really are just limited by your imagination (and maybe the number of Ziro modules you have). Maybe you can get really creative and take on Nintendo’s Labo for a showdown.

Ziro is made by ZeroUI, and with the way they are adding to their kit, I could see a bright future for it. Who knows, maybe we’ll see an army of cardboard robotic dinosaurs take over the world, all controlled by Alexa. We should probably start practicing now, “Alexa, stop.”