POST CATEGORY : Tech

Podcasts from the Philippines that I Listen To… [2017 Edition]

I love listening to podcasts. They help me learn new things about our world and they also entertain me some. Read my post on how to subscribe to podcasts if you have not done so yet.

Here’s a list of the podcasts from the Philippines, or by Filipinos that I listen to. I provide a sentence of two of what I like about them and links to some of the best episodes I have listened to.

I had a podcast back in 2014 and it ran until I moved to the United States in early 2015. There were only a handful of us, independent podcasters. Sure, there are several radio programs made available as podcasts such as “Good Times with Mo,” and some Love Radio programs. But I am glad that there are more and more podcasts that came out since 2015. Here’s a list of the home grown podcasts that I listen to.

Continue reading →

How to Subscribe to Podcasts

Podcasts are an awesome way to learn and be entertained. They could keep you company on a long drive, or when you’re stuck in traffic.

For the uninitiated, according to Wikipedia: “A podcast is an episodic series of digital media files which a user can set up so that new episodes are automatically downloaded via web syndication to the user’s own local computer or portable media player. The word arose as a portmanteau of “iPod” (a brand of media player) and “broadcast”. Thus, the files distributed are typically in audio or video formats…”

If that still sounds Greek to you, here’s (hopefully) a simpler definition. A podcast is like a radio program broadcasted over the web. You can listen to it on a website, or download the episodes to your smartphone or mp3 player.

How to subscribe to podcasts

Continue reading →

Should You Fight Your Battles on Facebook?

Back in the day, social media was more of a place to find long lost friends and socialize online. These days, though, social media seems to be more about debates and ugly conversations, especially when it comes to religion and politics.

We all know of friends who stopped talking with each other because of intense disagreement on social media. I personally know of former friends and neighbors who got their circle of friends all caught up in their online feud.

Maybe, social media is making us unsocial and we’re just too deep into it to notice. The TedX video below says as much.

Continue reading →

Why I’m Getting a Less Smart (Dumber) Phone

After thinking about it for a few weeks, I finally gave in and ordered a slightly less smart phone. It’s not exactly a dumb phone, but it is sufficiently less powerful and less feature rich than my current Moto X4 AndroidOne.

Why would I do such a thing?

Avoiding distraction and smartphone addiction

I told a friend that I needed to rethink my relationship with my phone. Even though I am not waiting for a call or text message, I just take my phone out of my pocket and scroll mindlessly on social media or any website of interest.

This mindless scrolling is taking a toll on me and my attention. My wife has complained at some point that whenever she opens Facebook, she watches a video. Before she knows it, half an hour has passed!

Continue reading →

6 Tips for Parents on Kids’ Use of Smartphones or Tablets

6 Tips for Parents on Kids’ Use of Smartphones or Tablets

Parents of young kids often wonder how to regulate the screen time of their kids. It’s no longer a matter of whether kids should have access to tablets or smartphones. It’s now a matter of regulating that access.

Kids as early as one are now watching videos so their parents can do their chores or work at home.

Here are some tips for parents on kids’ smartphone use.

Continue reading →

What’s the right age for a child to get a smartphone

What’s the right age for a child to get a smartphone

Unless you want to live under a rock, you cannot escape the invasion of smartphones in our world today. You could see smartphones being used by adults falling in line while waiting for their coffee, by teenagers hanging out in the classroom or in public spaces, by adults walking down the street, and just about anyone in the train or a bus.

Increasingly, bored children are also staring down at a smartphone or tablet screen when they are at a restaurant, or when their parents want to have some peace and quiet in the house or in a public space.

It’s one thing for a child to borrow his or her parent’s phone. It’s an entirely different thing for a child to own a smartphone. What is the right age for a child to get a smartphone?

Here are several facts from Influence Central about smartphones and kids that you might want to know:

  • On average, kids get their first smartphones when they are 10.3 years old
  • Families text each other even when they are home
  • Kids are using tablet computers and smartphones for entertainment when they travel with family
  • 50% of kids have social media accounts by age 12, Facebook and Instagram lead the way in kids’ usage

Continue reading →

The Positive & Alarmingly Negative Impact of Smartphones on Young People

The Positive & Alarmingly Negative Impact of Smartphones on Young People

Do you ever remember a time when there was no iPhone or Android phones? Those days are so far gone, and we just take these tech appendages for granted.

The Smartphone has revolutionized so many aspects of our lives. This is as true in developed countries, as well as in developing, or even underdeveloped countries.

We cannot deny the positive impacts of the smartphones and the ecosystem of apps and related technology that it helped create.

Continue reading →