Made By Dad

File this one under either 1) Best Dad Ever or 2) Too Much Time On Hands – or both. But the resulting backyard squeals of delight and nervous twitching of mother were incredibly palpable this week.



Not every dad (or mom) is handy with PVC pipe and pulleys, but even the most citified of parents will find something to grab onto in Made by Hand: Searching for Meaning in a Throwaway World (2010, Penguin, $25.95) by L.A. dad Mark Frauenfelder.

The aforementioned Zipline Builder (see #1 and #2) is a dedicated follower of Frauenfelder's other creation, a blog called Boing Boing, that brings to light obscurities and oddities in a "cool geek" retro-techie framework. He is also the editor of that holiest of it's-cool-because-you-can-make-it-yourself magazines, Make.

Both are worth the perusal (longer, if you are like to make stuff/can be classified as "nerdy"), but in his new book, Frauenfelder really brings home the concept of slowing down your world, taking control of life and appreciating the simple engineering that it takes to, say,  make a musical instrument out of a cigar box (yes, the Zipline Builder has done that, too).

There are other projects (how to raise your own chickens and the automatic chicken door, grow your own things to eat and make your own yogurt) that are designed to show both you and your kids that food and fun doesn't just come wrapped in cellophane.

Check it out – and then make something out of it.

App-tastic: This Rocks

I try not to fall for too many gimmicks when it comes to adding apps to my iPhone, but this one sent me hurtling in the way-back machine to a simpler time. Perhaps, the mid-1970s? It was a time when merchandising to kids was a much simpler, less insidious enterprise – but still deeply effective.

Magic Rocks. I wanted this product. And I wanted it bad. The box said it all: Grow a beautiful underwater garden in minutes!

If those words sound familiar to you, then I'm glad to know that I'm not the oldest human being alive. You probably also remember H.R. Pufnstuf, MAD Magazine and Sea Monkies (the original ones that read newspapers and had cute faces).

But Magic Rocks held such intrigue for me, their simple colored rocks transforming into beautiful towers of crystalized salts right before your eyes.

And now, two disparate worlds of modern technology and old-school chemistry have collided: I can now "grow" them with pixels rather than in a jar with a dandy iPhone app. Sure, the visceral experience is gone, but I can now add a clown fish and a scuba diver and annoy my friends on Facebook with updates and ratings of my spectacular rock gardens. I can even add my own photo as a background to my rocks. And my mom will be happy that there's not a gloopy mess on my bedroom dresser (oh, wait, just slipped back to that era again).

Isn't technology great?

S'mores, Tents and ... Wi-Fi?

I'll admit that I have a long list of difficult demands when I'm forced to go camping:

• a scorpion-free, flushable toilet that does not require a two-mile walk in the dark to get to it


• a shower that does not contain the word "solar" in its name


• plenty of bacon


• sandwiches that contain neither dirt nor bologna


• a bed that does not deflate in the middle of the night


• a 5 o'clock cocktail hour


• ambient nighttime temperatures that do not dip below 70 degrees Fahrenheit


• absolutely no harmonicas


• absolutely no bears

I'll spare you the rest of my demands, but suffice to say that my husband Steve really just packs up the kids for his annual camping trek with our friends – and leaves me happily behind in the comforts of my quiet house and scorpion-free bathroom. But that's not to say he doesn't pack plenty of bacon and other fun camping stuff, like his guitar, outdoor toys for the kids, a hammock and a book. In fact, the SUV often looks like an overloaded jalopy, with fishing poles and duffle bags piled high in the back.

Sticks, creeks and dogs: So 2009.

What doesn't he take? His laptop.

You'd be shocked to learn (as I was) that the national trend across campgrounds in the U.S. is to offer Wi-Fi – yes, I said Wi-Fi – according to the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds. And it's a trend that's being fed by the demand from campers to have communication (often where there's a lack of cell service), access to movies and yes, to update their Facebook status.

Really?

For me, even access to my beloved NetFlix, e-mail and Facebook would not make camping any more enticing to me. And my laptop would probably just get hurled at that bear who's trying to make off with my bacon.

But seriously, campers. Leave the laptops out of nature.

What do you think?

App-tastic

I've been known to – uhm, jokingly – say that my iPhone is like a third child to me. So that makes my apps akin to those "I love yous" and syrupy hugs I get from other two (real) kids. The love flows freely from my human children, so I expect nothing less from my apps. Oh, sure, there's the occasional game or really useful application that's worth the 99 cents. But I figure that by limiting myself to downloading just the free apps that I probably cut down on the thousand or so distractions that could easily take time way from those "real" children I referenced earlier.

Thought I'd share a couple of fun and helpful free apps I've run across lately.

First off, find out where to dispose of old batteries and electronic equipment by downloading the iRecycle app from Earth911.com. You'll easily find recycling locations for everything anywhere in the U.S. I also found out that there was a free compost workshop on Feb. 20 in Burbank in the app's "Events" and learned that computers, batteries and televisions topped the list of most recycled materials in 2009 in the "Articles" section.

For the kiddos, bring books alive on your iPhone through Iceberg Kids' library of free digital books that include Curious George titles as well as The Pokey Puppy and the Mr. Men books (you can find titles to purchase for kids and adults, too). What makes this app cool is that it allows parents to record their own voices reading the books, creating a personalized element that is unique among kid-oriented apps. Here's the demo:


The Table of Contents makes navigating the books very "book-like," and it's easy enough for kids to flip through pages and follow along.

You just have to decide whether your young reader is responsible enough to take care of your "other" child. (I recommend keeping your iPhone in a very protective case and making them wash their hands first. But that's just me.)

Digging America

Hey, can your kids find North America on a map? How about the U.S.? Los Angeles?

Lots and lots of kids can't. When I was in the seventh grade, I had a lovely history-geography teacher who really liked memorization, and at one point I could recite all the countries in Africa and their capital cities. Sure, that has made me a winner at Trivial Pursuit, but I'm not sure I could've told anyone any other relevant or interesting fact about the otherwise fascinating continent.

The folks behind PBS recognized the inherent lack of general knowledge that our children possess when it comes to geography, says Halle Stanford, Executive VP of Children's Entertainment at The Jim Henson Company. They also recognize that children are receiving their media messages in small "bytes" and from different sources. Enter Wilson and Ditch, two goofy gopher brothers who drive onto PBS Kids Go!, delivering a lively, Web-exclusive series that also traverses America.

The "GoBros" travel to a number of major and off-the-beaten-path destinations and are brought to life on your laptop by the voices of Brian Henson (son of Kermit the Frog, a.k.a. the late Jim Henson) and Paul Rugg. Like its PBS cousin Sid the Science Kid, the characters are animated through the magic of "digital puppetry" from The Jim Henson Company (from the historic Henson Recording Studios in Hollywood). These short Webisodes take early-elementary-age kids to places like Philadelphia and the Grand Canyon where they learn cool facts and can play games, read blogs and comics, check out podcasts and learn about local food and other fun facts.

The show helps instill an appreciation of American culture, history and geography, but kids will also identify with Wilson's homesickness and Ditch's silliness. And chances are, you'll "dig" these two gopher brothers in a van, too.

Here's a glimpse: