Product Recall: Britax Marathon Child Seat

Britax Child Safety, Inc. announced a recall of the Marathon child restraint, model numbers E9L06, E9W06, and E906. The recall includes production of the Marathon child restraints from May 23, 2006 through July 28, 2006 and with a top tether lot number of KGR 01 A. A child could be injured under certain circumstances.

Action:
To address this issue, Britax will send all registered owners of the Marathon child restraints manufactured between May 23, 2006 and July 28, 2006 a top tether hook replacement.

For complete details, visit MarathonRecall.com or call 1-800-683-2045.

Related Links:
Product Recall: Britax Decathlon Child Seat

Was Your Father a Positive Role Model?

Bill at Inside Fatherhood asked an excellent question:

Was your father a positive role model and did his parenting style influence how you raise your children?

I voted “mixed.” My father has always been supportive of me, but I’ve been uncomfortable with the way he treats my mother. He was also either working or doing his one hobby throughout my youth (and still today). So if I wasn’t working with him (after school, summer vacation, renovation projects), then I wouldn’t see him often. Different generation I guess.

So as it relates to my own children, I try to see my children morning and night. I don’t have any hobbies (other than late night blogging and podcasting), so I’m there for the family during non-work hours/days. I can’t say I’m a positive role model, but I try to be physically accessible/present.

Please go over there and take Bill’s poll. I’m curious to see the votes/comments.
Thanks.
-BD

Happy Birthday, Awesome Mom!

It’s my wonderful wife’s birthday.

Karen (aka “Awesome Mom”) keeps our ship afloat. I can’t be thankful enough for what she does for our large family.

I’d really appreciate if you’d leave a comment for her. Thanks in advance.
-BD

Labradoodles?

I was contacted by the administrator of Labradoodles Australia. This mobile site is your source for…well… Labradoodles, of course!

Open question to our online chums down under: Is there a demand for Labradoodles? I never heard of them before.

Here in the states, some people raise Alpacas, these freakishly llama-like things, in order to sheer the wool off them and mow the lawns. But I might be comparing apples to oranges, here.

Thanks in advance if you can enlighten me.
-BD

How To Subscribe To A Podcast - Video Tutorial

Podcasts are a wonderful source of entertainment. Generally speaking, ordinary people like you and me decide they have something to share and publish it online for others to enjoy — for free! Community participation is what inspires podcasters to continue to publish content.

Podcasts come in audio and video formats, covering most every subject imaginable. If you haven’t done so, I suggest you take some time to explore the breadth of content and creativity out there.

To get you started, I recorded a brief video tutorial (7 min) explaining the basics of how to subscribe to a podcast. You’ll learn:

• The fancy buzzwords.
• Podcatching software to make subscribing and organizing easy.
• How to subscribe to any podcast.
• How to find RSS feed links you need.

I hope you find this useful. Enjoy!
-BD

Teach Your Children These Computer Ethics Tips

I saw this title in eWeek and groaned: Seven signs that your kid might be a hacker (Or how to tell if your kid might go to jail before getting into college.).

It’s pretty dopey and another example of how media picks up on buzz words and doesn’t know what they really mean. I wont bore you with the details of hacker vs phreaker, but it’s similar to the Trekkie vs Trekker argument.

What’s worse, I click through expecting an article about teens trading stolen credit card numbers or poking at secured servers. Instead it’s a ridiculous slide show of illustrations with dopey stereotypes like being a Star Trek fan.

So, I thought I’d share some useful advice instead. Here are Seven Tips:

• Teach your children right from wrong. Moral ambiguity and a sense of entitlement is why young people think it’s okay to trade music files and use Bit Torrents to download movies without paying. Support the artists when possible.
• Know what they’re doing online. Set limits. Have them explain what they’re doing and who they’re communicating with. Make agreements about what is acceptable. Enforce limits. It’s called parenting!
• Everything is traceable. Everything! Every Web site you visit has what’s called an IP address - a numeric representation of the site. Even the location you connect to the Internet from has an IP address. Every site you go to is logged somewhere, most likely by your Internet Service Provider (ISP) or online services you use, like Google, which offers to keep a history of the pages you view, just like your Web browser. Even when you post a comment on a blog or forum, your IP address and other information is recorded. You can not absolutely cover your tracks.
• It is not acceptable to slander others online and think you can remain anonymous.
• It is not acceptable to trade the personally identifiable information of others for financial gain or bragging rights.
• Once you post information online, it’s out in the wild permanently. Content gets cached and stored on backup tapes, other servers or requoted/redistributed by other people online.
• It is not okay to sabotage someone’s computer system if you have a disagreement. When I was a teen, there were guys (yes, myself included) who stole apple pie slices from the fast food store we worked at because we thought we were entitled to it for the extra hours we put in. Now teens/twenty-somethings place logic bombs in payroll systems. Either way, it costs the employer money and potentially lost productivity.

Please share your thoughts.
Thanks.
-BD

Related Links:
What are your kids doing with the video camera?
Parental control software
Protect your privacy at home

Safety Recalls From KB Toys

KB Toys announced a recall of toys with excessive lead levels in the surface paint. Manufactured in China, these toys were sold in the United States between 2005-2007.

ACTION: If you have any toys that look similar to the ones below, please take them away from the child until you can verify whether it has been recalled by the manufacturer.

More information can be found here:
KB Toys Recall Info
KB Toys Recalls Wooden Toys Due to Violation of Lead Paint Standard

Or call KB Toys toll-free at (888) 843-9520 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday.

10-in-1 Activity Learning Carts

Flip-Flop Alphabet Blocks

Wooden Pull-Along Alphabet & Math Blocks Wagons and Learning Blocks Wagons

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