Is Facebook Really Making the World a Smaller Place?

November 22, 2011 Comments off

The number of acquaintances who stand between any two people on Facebook? It’s 4.74, according to a new study by researchers at Facebook and the University of Milan.

The study updates the popular “Six Degrees of Separation” theory first espoused by psychologist Stanley Milgram in 1967 and later popularized by the parlor game, “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon,” in which seemingly unconnected celebrities are shown to have a relationship to the Hollywood star.

The Facebook study used a set of algorithms developed by researchers at the University of Milan to calculate the average degree of separation between any two people. The study found that the average number of “hops” from one person to another was 4.74 degrees. In the United States, where more than half of people over the age of 13 are Facebook users, the degree of separation was even smaller – 4.37.

The Facebook study reminds us that the world is increasingly becoming a “Global Village,” a concept the philosopher and scholar Marshall McLuhan popularized in the 1960s when he described how the vast globe has become transformed into a small village by virtue of technology. McLuhan was thinking about television, but he might just as well have been describing the Internet.

The study also begs the question of just who, exactly is a friend. A person could have several hundred Facebook friends and yet have little real contact with any of them. As Jon Kleinberg, a computer science professor at Cornell and a faculty advisor to an author of the Facebook study, told the New York Times: “We are close, in a sense, to people who don’t necessarily like us, sympathize with us or have anything in common with us. It’s the weak ties that make the world small.”

Indeed.

Unplugged Toys are a Healthy Choice in the Digital Age

November 17, 2011 Comments off

Top 10 Low-Tech Toy Picks for this Holiday Season

What’s on your child’s wish list this holiday season? Chances are it’s something that plugs in, lights up, rings, zings and pings. And chances are they will be able to “connect” with unknown “friends” from around the globe, while oblivious to family and friends sitting around the dining table.

With this in mind, Unplug & Reconnect is recommending its pick of the hottest “unplugged toys” of 2011. These recommended toys, culled from myriad top toy lists of the current season, all have one thing in common – the only plug-in they require is a child’s imagination.

The Top Ten Unplugged Toys for 2011

  1.  What’s not to like about LEGO building blocks, featuring colorful interlocking plastic bricks and an accompanying array of gears, figurines, and various other parts – with themes for every age group? Hot this year is LEGO Harry Potter Hogwarts (Age 8+), which lets young wizards build and recreate the battle between Harry Potter and his friends vs. the Death Eaters and Dementors ($116.97). For the younger set, try LEGO Duplo Learning (Age 3+), with big, colorful, numbered bricks for endless hours of learning through play ($24.99). Also promising hours of fun is the LEGO Toy Story Western Train Chase (Age 7+) – roll down the tracks with Buzz Lightyear, Woody, Jessie, Bullseye, and Rex while trying to escape from the “Evil Doctor Porkchops ($70.99). Families will enjoy the LEGO Creationary Game (Age 7+), which challenges players to guess what other players have built, charades style ($32.30).
  2. Playmobil is an enduring line of collectible action sets featuring small plastic people and animals – from pirates and police officers, dragons, Vikings and fairy tale princesses – amidst castles, ghost ships, puppet theaters, western forts, and a variety of other settings. Hot for 2011 is the Playmobil My Take Along Puppet Theater (Ages 4+), which lets children stage their own puppet show for the Playmobil characters to act out ($49.99), and the Playmobil Figure Set Furnished School Set (Ages 3+), providing a great setting for hours of play school ($99.99).
  3. Lalaloopsy Silly Hair Doll by MGA (Ages 4+). This season’s “it” doll, the Lalaloopsy were once rag dolls who magically came to life, taking on the personalities of the fabrics that were used to make them. The Lalaloopsy have silly hair that bends every which way, and come with their own hair styling brush, clips and beads. Clothing and accessories sold separately ( $29.99).
  4. Angry Birds: Knock on Wood Game by Mattel. (Ages 5+) A hands-on, unplugged version of the touchscreen phone app, for two to four players. This game follows the same goals as the online version: launch the Angry Birds toward the egg-stealing pigs’ wooden castles to destroy them to advance to the next level ($26.99).
  5.  Real Construction Deluxe Took Workshop by Jakks Pacific (Age 6+). A great way to strengthen problem-solving skills and nurture creativity without a mess! Featuring a real saw, hammer, screwdriver and more, the workshop lets children come up with their own projects and figure out different ways to build them ($24).
  6. Squinkies Cupcake Surprise Bakeshop by Blip (Ages 4+). The hot new toy for 2011, Squinkies feature miniature worlds of imagination. Put a “coin” in a slot, turn a dial, and the fun world of Squinkies begins in the palm of your hand! Once you open the cupcake you will find your own bake shop and hours of fun playing with the Squinkies figures ($29.99)!
  7.  Rory’s Story Cubes by Gamewright. (Ages 8+). Everyone who plays is transformed into a master storyteller with this pocket-sized idea factory. Just roll the dice and use the pictures that come up to create a tale. A great party game and ice breaker ($6.71)!
  8. Eco-Kids-Eco-Crayons available at LuckyVitamin.com (Ages 2+). No childhood is complete without crayons, so why not get them nontoxic and eco-safe crayons? Features six crayons handmade with natural and organic fruit, plant and vegetable extracts, soy, bee and palm wax ($9.99).
  9. Hot Wheels Wall Tracks Starter Set  by Mattel (Ages 4+). Hot Wheels racetracks are always fun. Now take it to a whole new level. Using the wall mount track, your child can expand the world of Hot Wheels and create stunts and tricks up and down the wall ($27.99)!
  10. Magnet Levitation Kit by Dowling Magnets (Ages 10+). Challenge your child to learn about equilibrium and magnetic fields while constructing an incredible gravity-defying train. Designed for older kids who love science, this kit comes with tons of educational components and a comprehensive “how to” guidebook with step-by-step instructions. A must-have for science fairs ($25.95).

 

 

Magazine: How We Unplugged

October 27, 2011 Comments off

Hot off the newsstands this week is the latest issue of Mishpacha Jewish Family Weekly “Family First” section, with a feature story describing the experiences of some of those who chose to Unplug & Reconnect on Sunday, Oct. 2, the “Day to Disconnect.”

The publication, which reaches more than 250,000 readers, reports that tens of thousands of hours were devoted to unplugging from technology on this one day, with participants spending that time reconnecting with the people and events that are meaningful to them. The initiative was conceived by Ohr Naava, a Brooklyn-based women’s organization, and sponsored by Ohr Naava and Unplug and Reconnect.

“From the start, there was a natural synergy between Unplug and Reconnect and . . . Day to Disconnect,” says Dr. Joseph Geliebter, founder of Unplug and Reconnect. “Unplug and Reconnect brought a greater emphasis on ‘reconnecting’ to the disconnect mission.”

While event organizers anticipated that businesspeople and teens would be the among the most “wired,” of event participants, they were surprised to learn that oftentimes it was young mothers who confessed to being the most plugged in, according to Mishpacha. “Many of them found cutting the tie to their cell phones surprisingly more liberating than constraining,” Mishpacha reported. One mother told the magazine, “I never thought of myself as too obsessed with technology, but evidently I’ve been stuck pretty deep. I was so excited to spend three hours with myself and my family and found myself happier those few hours and definitely more patient with those around me.”

Overwhelmingly, people pledged hours away from technology in pursuit of family activities – whether it was spending time with a spouse, children, grandchildren, parents, or grandparents. Poignantly, one father reported, “I played with my two-and-a-half-year-old son and for the first time ever, I gave him my full attention!”

Addicted to Technology

Many participants in Day to Disconnect recognized that they might be addicted to technology. One young man told Mishpacha that after disconnecting for four hours, he realized that his cell phone had become like “a drug, an addiction, one I can’t stop. Whenever I’m interacting with other people and my pocket vibrates, even if I don’t look into my pocket, I’m far more curious what e-mail, text, or [BlackBerry message] I just received than what the person I’m talking to is saying.”

Indeed, we’re so enamored of our cell phones that many of us even sleep with these devices under our pillows, the magazine noted. One young woman opted to disconnect from her cell phone at midnight, moving her cell phone far from her bedroom. “. . . When I woke up . . . I felt refreshed and invigorated, since I actually slept a full eight hours. No disturbing texts stealing my REM sleep, no vibrating phone beneath my pillow, just a deep revitalizing sleep,” she reported.

Still disconnected later that day, this same young woman discovered what organizers of Day to Disconnect had hoped participants would realize: “I found it’s possible to communicate without my communication devices,” she said.

 

 

 

 

Yes, Let’s Do Lunch

October 25, 2011 Comments off

 

Are you guilty? Are you one of the growing number of employees who lunch at their desks or go without if you’ve forgotten to brown-bag it?

 

According to a recent study by Aviva Health, Health of the Workplace, you’re not alone. Thirty percent of employees surveyed said they were likely to skip a regular lunch break. Aviva found that almost 15 percent of employees skipped meals entirely because of stressful workloads, while 25 percent said their decision to take lunch or not depended on whether they had the time.

 

Many  of us would have fallen in with the 30th percentile, those who skipped lunch in order to complete their work. If you’re like these workers, you rarely take yourself away from your desk for a leisurely meal break. You probably feel virtuous about it, too, since skipping lunch seems to have become part of the new American work ethic. But skipping lunch isn’t good for you– and it isn’t good for your employer either.

From a health perspective, it’s important to refuel with a nutritious lunch, especially in the midst of a stressful day. When we’re stressed, we get an adrenaline rush that may mask our hunger pangs, but our body still craves food. Without midday nourishment, our body experiences dropping glucose levels. Glucose is something our cells (including those all-important gray cells) need in order to function properly. Eventually, skipping lunch will slow one’s metabolism, which may explain why we find ourselves stifling yawns at three in the afternoon.

But more importantly, taking a lunch break forces us to Unplug and Reconnect. The very act of getting up and walking away from our computers helps us recharge our batteries. Sometimes, when we give ourselves a brief respite, we find that our problem-solving skills grow stronger, that our creative juices start to flow again. A workload that seemed insurmountable before lunch seems more manageable once we’ve walked away from it for a while.

If you’re an employer who hopes for an energized workforce, encourage your employees to take lunch. If you’re an employee who’s tempted to skip lunch, step back and repeat: Let’s do lunch.

 

Cute ‘iPad Baby’ Provokes Thoughts about Reading

October 18, 2011 Comments off

In a video making the rounds on YouTube, a toddler is seen trying – and failing – to manipulate the pages of a magazine as if it were an iPad instead of a stack of printed pages. Frustrated in her attempts to make images move, she pushes the magazine away.

Adorable, right?

Well, maybe not. How valuable can it be for a baby to learn that mom’s iPad, with its flashy moving images, is way cooler than the printed page? If children learn to read by being read to by their parents and by mimicking parental behavior – which they do – what is this child learning?

Reading experts say even the youngest of babies benefit when their parents or other adults read to them aloud from a book. By being read to, a baby learns about communication and about important concepts such as numbers and letters, and colors and shapes. Reading also builds critical listening, memory, and vocabulary skills. Indeed, the very act of participating in reading at an early age is what creates lifelong readers. When parent and baby share a book, the baby is usually encouraged to join in the activity by turning pages and following text from left to right. This is behavior that will serve them well when they begin to read on their own.

So yes, it’s cute to see the iPad baby grapple with the pages of a magazine. But it would be really neat if the next frame of the YouTube video showed a parent picking up the magazine the child has pushed away to show her how cool words and pictures can be – even when they only move in our imaginations.

 

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