Technically Speaking

A study published by the University of Leeds has linked internet use with depression symptoms.

Correlation does not equal causality of course, and it's unclear whether depressed people use the internet or if internet use makes people depressed. Researchers have had the same problem with other studies on things like TV and video games.

Unsurprisingly, the depression rates were higher among addicts. Any addiction can make a person feel down.

They don't mention this in the news release, but social networking sites can be addictive because of what's called "variable interval" rewards. You never know when a person might reply to a post or send you a message, so you keep checking back.

Anyway it's hardly an earth-shattering finding, but it can be useful now and again to re-examine one's habits. Even if you don't feel like leaving the house, moving your body has a way of making you feel like it.

Not that I want to lose any loyal readers of WCCO.COM, of course.

Now I'll do the university the courtesy of linking to the full report, should you wish to buy it from them for all the juicy details.

On a related note, gaming addiction is a sort of epidemic in China. The government has even been intervening, putting restrictions on internet gaming. Games are a huge deal in Korea, too.

Image credit: Jupiter Images

People are super excited about Apple's iPad tablet computer. But before you shell out the $499, let's take a step back.

No doubt, it's sexy. That's sort of Apple's "thing." Thin, sleek, lightweight, minimalist interface -- I wouldn't fault you for wanting to lick it. It can handle Web browsing, video, music, e-mail, photos, apps, appointments, books, etc. It's sort of like a media manager/media player/PDA/Kindle/mobile web browser.

One thing it isn't, in my opinion, is a real "computer." With the right software, a netbook (small, inexpensive laptop) can do all of this and more, with a physical keyboard and USB port, to boot.

Without a USB port, you lose out on things like an external optical disk (CD & DVD) drive, "thumb" flash memory drives for moving files and an external hard drive for extra storage.

Apple has promised there will be accessories you can buy to add a keyboard, digital camera memory card reader and more, but prices and release dates haven't been announced. There'll also be an attachment to plug your digital camera in via USB, but whether the iPad will be able to use that port with other peripherals like the ones I mentioned is unclear, from what I've seen.

At $479.99 ($19.01 less than the iPad starting price), the Samsung Go netbook (not an endorsement, just an early result in a cursory google search) generally has better hardware specs in terms of both speed and storage.

Is it faster in everyday use? That partially depends on how well the software is optimized, so I can't say for certain. The netbook comes installed with Windows XP.

The iPad has its advantages. The things it does, it does very well and the ease-of-use of Apple products is unmatched. But if you're planning on doing a lot of actual work, or you think you might in the future, you can perform the same tasks of the iPad and more with a less expensive netbook -- without shelling out for extra attachments.

Unfortunately Apple doesn't yet offer a netbook, much to the frustration of Apple fans. Their cheapest laptop, the MacBook, starts at $999.

Photo credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

I have two solar-related stories to share with you today.

First, in Haiti. Everyone knows getting supplies from place to place has been a headache. We've heard a lot about food, water and shelter, but what about energy? Even if you open up a hospital, you can't perform surgery in the dark.

One night on the CBS Evening News I saw a cell phone charging station hooked up to a diesel-powered generator. "Neat," I thought. But that fuel could be used to transport people, equipment or supplies.

It looks like manufacturers of solar power technology have heard the call. For all the jokes about the solar-powered flashlight, they actually work quite well (you charge it during the day, smartypants). I'd imagine solar streetlights work just as well.

Panels could also be used to power water purification systems, and solar ovens can cook food without burning fossil fuels. And the less fuel you have to transport, the more room on the truck for food and medicine.

Each of those companies I linked is accepting donations, by the way.

My other solar-related story? Well, I try to keep you apprised of various products you may find of use (and now and then, better ways to use them). Apple has apparently applied for a patent for technology they're developing involving putting solar cells on some of their mobile devices.

Every year at the Consumer Electronics Show, companies from all over the world come to unveil and showcase the new products they're most excited about.

CES 2010 Coverage

There are also some handy "Tech Minute" articles there.

And don't miss our slideshow:

Cool Gadgets At CES 2010

Image credit: Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Every winter, the dry air means more static electricity to cause mischief with my computer.

If I forget to touch a light switch before turning on my computer, I shock it and it fails to post ("posting" is the gobbledegook you get before the pretty Windows screen). If the cat brushes against it, it restarts. If I plug in a USB device, it restarts. Maddening.

So for Christmas, I asked for an anti-static/grounding mat to put under the PC. Santa came through for me. I don't think I asked him for anything else. I told Heather Brown about this and she called me a nerd. I know, she seems so nice.

Santa also brought a Flip Ultra video camcorder (display pictured up top), which set the workshop back about $150 (it would have been about $50 more for the HD version, but unless you're burning a DVD, who cares about that). My favorite feature is probably the flip-out USB plug -- no cord necessary to transfer a video to your computer. The grounding mat is cheap, between $10 and $20.

So I thought, "What better way to demonstrate my two new tech toys than to use the Flip to record the installation of the mat?"

It was either a brilliant idea or a really really boring idea. You be the judge. Or not. Maybe you shouldn't judge.



Of course, I'm not an electrician. Be careful and don't shock yourself or start any electrical fires. Turning off the circuit breaker during installation would probably be safest.

EDIT: My father reminds me he actually had a surge protector when his computer fried, but the phone line going into his fax machine wasn't routed through the surge protector. Some have two phone jacks, one in and one out, just for this purpose.

Photo credit: Sean Gallup/Getty Images

The slideshow is done! I hope you enjoy revisiting technology's journey through the past 10 years as much as I did.

A Decade Of Tech Innovation

I expect the next decade to be even more dramatic.

Image credit: Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Images

I've got to hand it to Ford for trying new things. I'm sure you've seen ads for their voice-activated, everything-and-the-kitchen-sink Sync tech (Chrysler is countering with Uconnect). I thought the Big 3 were too set in their ways, but I suppose necessity is the mother of invention.

Sync is getting a new feature that I consider to be exciting: turning your vehicle into a rolling Wi-Fi hotspot. I just hope only passengers use it.

According to the press release from Ford, you just plug a mobile broadband modem (not included) into a USB port in the vehicle, and the Sync system uses it to create a wireless internet network.

To put it another way, in my home I have a wireless router. A cable runs from my wall to my modem, and another cable from that runs to my router. Antennas on the router operate a wireless network so I can access the internet from anywhere in my house -- Wi-Fi.

The mobile broadband modems (or "air cards") needed for this feature connect to the internet over a cell phone network. You'll need to have a data plan with a provider. So that's the modem.

The wireless router, the thing that makes the Wi-Fi network like the one in my house, is built into the Sync system.

Ford promises the network will use WPA2 network security, which is just fine. Any wireless-capable laptop made in the past few years should be able to use it. The protocol has been around since 2004.

Of course, since you could just plug this wireless modem directly into your laptop, this only matters if you have multiple laptops in your car. But it sure is cool.

This is cool too, though it's been around for awhile. Listen to WCCO Radio on road trips!



Photo credit: Bryan Mitchell/Getty Images

I'm working on a slideshow of technology in the past decade. What was created? What was improved? It's a lot to go through. Let me know what changed that was important to you.

To get that train of thought running, fellow WCCO Web Producer Eric Henderson recently shared with me two articles on predictions made in Back To The Future II for the year 2015.

• 11 Predictions That Back to the Future Part II Got Right
• 11 Predictions That Back to the Future Part II Got Wrong

It's an amusing read. Some of the "right" predictions are a little... eerie.

I was 7 years old when the movie came out. I was deeply disappointed that the hoverboard wasn't real. The closest thing we've got is flat-based crafts with hundreds of tiny air jets to lift it a couple of millimeters off the ground (like air hockey tables, but upside-down). One of which I rode around on at the Science Museum of Minnesota (6th item down the list).

I think I'll continue on the Christmas gifts topic.

Toys that read your mind. What could be more exciting? They've been getting notice recently. With most of them you put on the headset, and it "reads" your brain waves. But as sci-fi as it seems, the technology is hardly new, just getting cheaper and becoming popular.

The Star Wars Force Trainer ($99.99) senses your level of concentration. The more you focus, the higher the ball "levitates."

Some variations, like Mindball (price tag of many thousands), are competitive between 2 or more players or require you to relax to move the ball toward your opponent, which I'd imagine feels counterintuitive to the player.

MindFlex ($79.99) requires you to move the ball through a sort of obstacle course of hoops and the like. Focus intently and air jets move the ball higher, relax and it lowers. Turn the knob with your hand to move the ball along the course.

One of the more sophisticated toys is the Emotiv Epoc reader ($299), set to ship Dec. 21. The company says it reads beyond simple concentration but can recognize emotional states, facial expressions and even ideas like "lift" or "vanish." With the Emokey software, they say you can program certain thoughts to equal certain keyboard combinations, so that you can use it as a controller for other games (anger = shoot, for example).

In fact, it sounds like it's about as sophisticated as a toy I owned in the 90s, the MindDrive (more than $400 after conversion from today's Euros). It included a sensor that went on the tip of your finger, not on your head, and understood directional thoughts -- up, down, left, right. I don't have it anymore, but I swore it worked. I don't know why it never gained in popularity, maybe it was their ghastly Web site. More than 10 years later, the tech is making another go-around, and I can't help but smirk a little bit.

The ultimate goal, of course, is for the technology to reach a level where it can help the disabled.

When I was 10, my dad had to go through the phone book (I know, who uses those any more?) calling stores to see if any of them had a copy of Sonic The Hedgehog 2 for the Game Gear. Then he had to drive to who-knows-where to get it (he's forgotten, but he made sure I knew it was far).

This year of course the hard-to-find toy is Zhu Zhu Pets.



The WiiTracker service I told you about hasn't added the Zhu Zhu Pets yet (they track more than just Wiis), but there are similar sites that are tracking them.

• NowInStock.Net (register to get e-mail or other alerts)
• Zoolert.com (again, register for alerts)
• ZhuTracker.com

Good luck!