Past Shows

After nearly ten years on the air, The Edible Computer column is coming to a close. I've enjoyed sharing stories about how people are living better through computers, and tucking in field notes along the way. While there are only two shows left, you'll still be able to dig into the archives to explore previous shows, sharing some of the highlights from the past 9 year's worth of adventures.

Monday, March 16, 2009

Canadians Empower Disabled Youth through the New BeyondGraduation.ca

March is National Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month, so it's timely that a new Canadian web site is creating opportunities for young people with disabilities.

BeyondGraduation.ca is designed to support young people with disabilities in making a successful transition from school to higher education, employment and independent living.

Read on to find out how two award-winning young Canadians are tackling this latest effort to empower youth.

click here to learn more ...

Monday, March 2, 2009

Spring Cleaning: Power Tools to Help Get Your Digital House in Order

It's that time of year again. We've had the tease of a few early thaws to tickle the urge to clean house into high gear again. As I'm winding down the column, I thought it might be helpful to share some of the best free tools that I've found the most useful in keeping my own system running like a well-oiled machine … most of the time ~winks~ .

Read on to find out how you can extend that boost of spring adrenaline into a simple and powerful overhaul for your own home computer.

click here to learn more ...

Monday, February 2, 2009

Psst! Want Microsoft's new Windows 7 operating system free of charge without giving up what you have now?

By most accounts Microsoft's Vista operating system was considered a dog's breakfast. It didn't play nicely with many standard applications, and added irritating levels of security that meant more keystrokes to get basic tasks done, and in some cases simply left things dead in the water. While the experience left many people reluctant about the long-awaited successor, Windows 7, it seems Microsoft may redeem themselves after all.

Early reviews offer a sweeping thumbs up (looks cleaner, loads faster, gives you more control, behaves in a more stable fashion), with Microsoft arriving with a peace offering in the form of a beta giveaway that lets you load the new OS onto your system free of charge.

Still not convinced it's worth riding the bleeding edge even with a $0 price tag attached? You can dual-strap your PC to run the new Windows 7 side-by-side with your current Vista or XP operating system, reducing the risk of data loss and program failure while allowing you to decide if the move is one you really want to make.

Read on to find out how you can still get on board with this time-limited offer, and how to make Microsoft's newest operating system run it in tandem with your current set-up.

click here to learn more ...

Monday, January 19, 2009

The Game Industry Is Turning our Kids into Jedi. Will 2009 Be the Year that The Force is With You?

When I discussed mind-reading technologies last fall I talked about the cutting edge use of such applications that have already evolved in the military and in healthcare. It's going to be interesting to follow the progress that similar technologies make in the gaming industry as our kids become the next people to apply the rule of "mind over matter" in a very real way, since 2009 is the release target for many of the biggest developers.

There a significant challenge for this industry, albeit one that the "cool factor" is likely to quickly overcome. It's hard to have a conversation about mind-reading technologies without including the ethical questions. Parents may not be crazy about their kids using toys that give them telekinetic powers. For some it may conjure up images of things going badly, as in the 70's Hollywood blockbuster "Carrie". The upside of such a potentially powerful technology is it's ability to improve lives, returning speech and mobility to people who have either lost it, or who have never had it. Stephen Hawking is a great example of how empowering augmentative communication technologies can be. People with degenerative muscle conditions such as Lou Gehrig's Disease, can look forward to a renewed mobility and control over their environments. Parents of children with autism and attention deficit disorder are also applying these types of technologies to improve recall and focus.

Wondering what's available now and how it might affect your kids?

click here to learn more ...

Monday, January 5, 2009

Wearable Computers: Fashion Fun with Life-Saving Potential

"Embedded technology" has often raised eyebrows as people take microchips to the catwalk in the name of fashion, but this Christmas folks found that Santa had stuffed a few t-shirts into their stockings that were a tiny bit practical and a whole lot of fun, and even tipped a hand toward potentially life-saving fashion trends this year.

click here to learn more ...


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