Gmail Motion - newest easiest mail yet

Gotta Love It!

Amplify’d from mail.google.com

Motion BETA

A new way to communicate

The mouse and keyboard were invented before the Internet even existed. Since then, countless technological advancements have allowed for much more efficient human computer interaction. Why then do we continue to use outdated technology? Introducing Gmail Motion -- now you can control Gmail with your body.

Try Gmail Motion Don't have Gmail? Create an account

How it works

Gmail Motion uses your computer's built-in webcam and Google's patented spatial tracking technology to detect your movements and translate them into meaningful characters and commands. Movements are designed to be simple and intuitive for people of all skill levels.

See more at mail.google.com

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/bxen3

The new Amazon Cloud Drive

Awesome; Love Amazon

Amplify’d from money.cnn.com

How Amazon beat Google and Apple to the music cloud

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Amazon on Tuesday launched the Amazon Cloud Drive, an Internet service that lets customers store music and other digital files on the company's servers and access them on computers, smartphones and other devices.

Amazon (AMZN, Fortune 500) will give customers 5GB of Cloud Drive storage for free, and if users buy an MP3 album through Amazon, they'll be upgraded to 20GB of cloud storage for a year. The Cloud Player works on PCs, Macs and Android devices. Read more at money.cnn.com

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/bx02i

Parent's Magazine neglects Autism month

Imagine the coverage for World Autism if Parents Magazine had chosen their April issue this year to feature an autistic child on their cover and stories inside about autistic children of all ages. Instead they chose to headline baby sleep solutions, the 10 family restaurants and 21 Mom-tested discipline tips, none of which work on my 8yo #ASD son.



Imagine the possibilities if Parents Magazine had chosen to list therapy programs around the nation where parents of autistic children can find therapist-tested ways to calm an autistic meltdown, respite care, autistic friendly parks and restaurants.



Now imagine another year lost for parents who don't have access to any of these saving graces. Another year lost without proper diagnosis and treatment. Another year worrying and wondering if your autistic child will ever speak or socialize with others.



Shame on parents magazine for missing this opportunity. Oh and FYI: We've been to several of your top 12 restaurants, without any sympathy for our son's GFCF special diet (we were actually told in some restaurants that we could not bring in his food); without special seating or understanding service when our son is starting to meltdown and with other customers and staff who just stare and comment loudly over the fact that our son is on the floor under the table rather than dining like a "normal" child. . .as if we could control his behavior.



The only exception I'm going to note is that we have received excellent service at Panera Bread company, where they will go out of their way to try to find something our son can eat or to cut his apple just so.

Amplify’d from communities.washingtontimes.com

Parents magazine vs. the autism community?

Silver Spring, Md. March 25 — It all started when Jennifer Ethirveerasingam looked at her April issue of Parents magazine. Mother to a child with autism and aware that April is Autism Awareness Month, she began to page through the magazine, looking for an article—anything—about autism. Finding nothing, she told some friends, who posted on the Parents magazine Facebook page under the heading "Lack of Autism Coverage." "What a missed opportunity to raise awareness, provide information and to include families with autism in your parenting discussions," wrote Beth Andersen, the first to broach the topic on the magazine's wall. Within hours, this slight gained traction in the online autism community, collecting dozens of comments on the Facebook posting and inspiring a string of posts around the blogosphere criticizing the magazine for neglecting a demographic that makes up a sizable chunk of the parenting population. Read more at communities.washingtontimes.com

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/bwlgv

Philadelphia Firefighter is planning a 425 mile journey during Autism Awareness Month. . .someday maybe this will be us to. . .right now we are still trying to get a handle on our own autism issues.

Amplify’d from voyageforautism.blogspot.com

The Voyage for Autism Awareness Read more at voyageforautism.blogspot.com

Down Rivers, Up Bays, Across Canals

The Voyage will make use of  several diverse bodies of water getting from Washington, DC to NY. ETA's are based on fair winds and no boat problems, with slim odds on maintaining both for the entire trip!

This first leg is about half the trip. We'll take the Potomac River from DC's Fire Boat Station . . .

See more at voyageforautism.blogspot.com

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/bw53f

Happy 5th Birthday to Twitter

Do you tweet? I do!

Amplify’d from www.11alive.com

Happy 5th #Birthday @Twitter

SAN FRANCISCO -- The message was cryptic. Two words. No context, no punctuation, just: "inviting coworkers".

But that short statement proved to be enough to launch a global phenomenon that has launched careers, reunited long-lost relatives, and even, some would argue, topple dictators.

It was the first tweet.

Since Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey posted it on March 21, 2006, Twitter has registered nearly 200 million users who now post more than a billion tweets every week. Read more at www.11alive.com

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/bvoy6

Shine a Light on Autism

Help me raise awareness by wearing blue on April 2, World Autism Awareness Day

Amplify’d from www.lightitupblue.org

Autism Speaks: Light It Up Blue Shine a Light on Autism 24058 people are joining Autism Speaks to shine a light on autism by raising awareness in communities across North America. Join them and sign the pledge.

WELCOME TO LIGHT IT UP BLUE On the evenings of April 1 and 2, 2011, prominent buildings across North America and the world — including the Empire State Building in New York City and the CN Tower in Toronto, Canada — will turn their lights blue to raise awareness for autism and to commemorate World Autism Awareness Day on Saturday, April 2. We’re aiming to light the world blue all throughout April — city by city, town by town — by taking action to raise autism awareness in our communities.

World Autism Awareness Day The fourth annual World Autism Awareness Day is on April 2. People, schools, organizations, and companies are hosting events around the world. Click here to find out more Read more at www.lightitupblue.org

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/bv2bg

AT&T puts broadband users on monthly all

This is NOT good news and I'm ticked since I just switched back from Comcast to AT&T three months ago. We'll see if this sticks.

Amplify’d from www.cnn.com

AT&T puts broadband users on monthly allowance

(WIRED) -- AT&T broadband users will soon face a cap on the amount of internet data they can download a month.

Traditional DSL users will be capped at 150 GB per month, while subscribers to the fiber-backed UVerse system have a 250-GB limit. Usage over that will be charged at $10/month for 50 GB, the company says.

So, how could a user end up hitting these caps? Streaming video such as HD movies from Netflix, using bittorrent to download movies and heavy gaming with services like Steam can easily eat up lots of data, especially in households with multiple heavy internet users. Read more at www.cnn.com

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/buolk

This goes triple for "less than perfect special needs moms;" there's no such thing as perfect people, even weebles wobble!

Amplify’d from www.cnn.com

Less than perfect moms need to unite!

(CNN) -- Glance at any parent's Facebook page, and you'd think that parenthood is a picture-perfect joyride, filled with constant sunshine, never-ending ice cream sundaes and breathtaking double rainbows. With the occasional unicorn trotting by.

Facebook has become the brag book for modern parents to showcase their budding superstars. Only the very best pictures, most precious stories and most flattering videos make the cut. It's the equivalent of not leaving the house without a full face of make up and an expensive designer suit.

But when's the last time you actually saw a mother in a designer suit that wasn't stained with spit or snot? Even if they've gotten the suit meticulously dry-cleaned, the bags and dark circles under their eyes give away the sleepless nights they've spent thanks to bed-wetting and night terrors.

There is no such thing as the perfect parent. Or the perfect child, for that matter. Read more at www.cnn.com

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/bubyw

Exemption for special-needs scholarship

I hope his passes and becomes law; the wait can easily be more than a year, since schools go out of their way to drag out the IEP process with SST tracking etc...in order to delay providing services.

Amplify’d from www.ajc.com

Exemption for special-needs scholarship clears House

The Georgia House on Monday approved a measure that would lift the one-year requirement for students to qualify for a special-needs scholarship.

House Bill 181 would let families petition the state Department of Education for a waiver of the requirement that students spend a year in public school under a Individualized Education Program before qualifying for the scholarship that can be used at private schools.

The bill passed 115-33. It now moves on to the Senate. Read more at www.ajc.com

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/bubwb

iPhone clock bungles time change

Just for the record, my 1-week old Droid X handled the time-change perfectly. So did our Blackberry Tour. And to think that Verizon tried to talk me into an iPhone when I had to replace my Blackberry last week.

Amplify’d from www.ajc.com

Users complain iPhone clock bungles time change

NEW YORK — It's hard enough to get your bearings when the time changes twice a year. It's all but impossible when your phone starts playing tricks on you, too.

One user complained of missing church, another of almost missing yoga. One called her iPhone stupid and several just asked for help.

It turns out some users' phones fell back one hour instead of springing forward, making the time displayed on the iPhone two hours off. Read more at www.ajc.com

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/bubmr

Disabled Student handcuffed seven hours

This is appalling!

Amplify’d from www.ajc.com

Student handcuffed seven hours to file cabinet sues APD, school system

A former Grady High School student who said Atlanta Police officers handcuffed him to a file cabinet for an entire school day filed a civil rights lawsuit Friday against APD and the city school system.

At the time of the incident, Tony Smith was a student with a disability and who received individualized educational instruction, the suit said. Read more at www.ajc.com

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/bty7o

Biggest Full Moon Possible March 19

I don't think I'll start blaming all the recent rain on the moon. We're just glad to be out of the years-long drought.

Amplify’d from abcnews.go.com

What Is a 'SuperMoon'?

Biggest Full Moon Possible Will Be Visible March 19

Next week -- on March 19 -- the moon won't just be at its closest approach to Earth in its elliptical orbit, enthusiasts say it will be closer to Earth than it's been in 18 years.

For the past few days, they've not only been buzzing about the mega moon, but the meteorological mayhem they expect it to cause.

Floods! Earthquakes! Volcanic eruptions! To hear it on the Internet, this so-called super moon could cause a climatological reign of terror on the entire planet.

In a blog post earlier this month, Paquette said a new or full moon at 90 percent or more of its closest perigee qualifies as a "supermoon." Next weekend's full moon won't just be a supermoon but an extreme supermoon, he said, because the moon will be almost precisely at its closest distance to Earth.

According to "new age" forecasts, he said, the supermoon is expected to bring strong earthquakes, storms or unusual climate patterns.

See more at abcnews.go.com

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/btre3

Well @DaveRamsey, what do you have to say about this?

Amplify’d from money.cnn.com

Debit cards: $50 spending limit coming?

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Declined! Your debit card may soon be denied for purchases greater than $100 -- or even as little as $50.

JPMorgan Chase, one of the nation's largest banks, is considering capping debit card transactions at either $50 or $100, according to a source with knowledge of the proposal.

Why? Because of a tricky thing called interchange fees. Read more at money.cnn.com

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/btqyg

60-year-old albatross still breeding

Fascinating that they have been tracking this bird for over 50 years.

Amplify’d from news.blogs.cnn.com

America's oldest wild bird is a new mom

e 50,000 miles a year, has had almost three dozen kids – and now she's got

The bird was first identified and banded by a USGS researcher in 1956 when she was incubating an egg, according to the USGS. As the Laysan albatross can't breed before age 5 – and spends much of its life before that at sea –  scientists estimate Wisdom is at least 60 years old. She may be even older, though, as most Laysan albatrosses don't breed until age 8 or 9 after an extended courtship, according to the USGS.

The Laysan albatross mates for life. No word on whether a 60-year-old Mr. Wisdom is somewhere on Midway or whether Wisdom is charting new skies in that area too. Read more at news.blogs.cnn.com

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/btns1

Del Monte says they can do better

What that old saying? It's Not Nice to Fool Mother Nature

Amplify’d from www.11alive.com

Del Monte says they can do better than nature on packaging

ATLANTA -- Where nature has provided a single serve, already wrapped banana, Del Monte says they can go one better -- with plastic-wrapped single bananas for sale. Read more at www.11alive.com

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/btlp2

Students disciplined for Facebook posts about teacher. . .parents should be vigilant

Amplify’d from www.ajc.com

Students disciplined for Facebook posts about teacher

Three Douglas County middle school students were disciplined with expulsion or suspension after they wrote disparaging comments on Facebook about a teacher, according to a media report. Read more at www.ajc.com

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/bsily

March In Like a Lion, Out Like a Lamb -If Monday's storm were any indication it will be true this month!

Amplify’d from www.11alive.com

In Like a Lion, Out Like a Lamb

We've all heard the old saying: "If March roars in like a lion, it will go out like a lamb." But is there truly any validity to this old proverb?

March is a very fickle month with a lot of changeable weather, due to the fact that it occurs during a time of transition as our weather is shifting from Winter to the Spring season.

It turns out, though, that the actual saying may be more derived from astronomy than meteorology. During the beginning of March, the constellation Leo (the Lion) is more prominent in the night sky, while at the end of March, the constellation Aries (the Ram or Lamb) is more visible.

See more at www.11alive.com

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/bsgkk

Sadly, I can believe this!

Amplify’d from www.ajc.com

Code officer among 10 charged in connection with fatal DUI wreck

Douglas County authorities have charged 10 people -- including Douglasville's chief code enforcement officer -- they say helped supply alcohol at two parties attended by teens before a fatal wreck.

The accident early last Saturday morning killed Cheyenne Sauls, 16, a Villa Rica High School sophomore. Her funeral is today.

Douglasville's chief code enforcement officer, Todd McAllister, owns the Sterling Point Drive home that hosted the second party, the Sheriff's Office said. He and his son, Justin McAllister, 17, were among five defendants who appeared in court Friday on charges of furnishing alcohol to minors.

"That's the party they left just prior to the accident," Chief Deputy Stan Copeland said. Read more at www.ajc.com

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/brr9l

This should NEVER happen to any child, must less special needs children!

Amplify’d from www.ajc.com

Cherokee teacher pleads guilty to duct-taping autistic student

A Cherokee County teacher who duct-taped an autistic boy to a chair and confined a blind girl under a desk pleaded guilty to false imprisonment and was sentenced to six years of probation and $2,000 in fines. Read more at www.ajc.com

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/bro2m

T. Rex More Like Hyena Than Lion

I don't think I will tell the #ASD 8yo Tazmanian Devil that his T-Rex is not the king of the prehistoric jungle. Taz doesn't adjust well to change.

Amplify’d from abcnews.go.com

T. Rex the Killer? Nah. King of Dinos More Like Hyena Than Lion

The blood-thirsty Tyrannosaurus rex of our favorite books and movies may not be so ferocious after all.

According to a team of dinosaur researchers, the so-called King of the Dinos was more like a scavenging hyena than a hunting lion.

After a 12-year study of dinosaur skeletons uncovered in eastern Montana, the researchers said there were just too many T. rexes for the animals to survive solely on prey killed by themselves. Read more at abcnews.go.com

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/brhe0

Amazon Prime now includes unlimited instant streaming of movies and TV shows

Thanks Amazon, just another great benefit of my Amazon Prime membership. Will be comparing your selection to Netflix so keep adding to the free streaming content.

Amplify’d from www.amazon.com

See more at www.amazon.com

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/brha9

Via johnpiercy 'Sister Internet' kicked out of religious order for spending too much time on Facebook

Amplify’d from www.dailymail.co.uk

Bad habit: Nun dubbed 'Sister Internet' kicked out of religious order... for spending too much time on Facebook

For its millions of users all over the globe, Facebook is a fun and harmless way to make new friends and catch up with old ones.

However for Spanish nun Maria Jesus Galan, her online activity on the social networking site ended up costing her job - and her home.

Sister Maria was apparently asked to leave the religious order where she has resided in seclusion for 35 years because she spent too much time on the website, it has been reported.

See more at www.dailymail.co.uk

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/br6fw

I'll stick to the $100 dinner and knighting ceremony at Medieval Times for my autistic son's 9th B'Day. . .we don't have to worry about the color of his cake since he has food allergies, and we've already gotten lots of mileage out of an old knight's costume that he still loves to wear.

Amplify’d from abcnews.go.com

Parents Drop Lavish Amounts on Over-the-Top Kids' Birthday Bashes

It's almost expected that celebrities throw their children over-the-top birthday bashes.

But today, even everyday moms and dads are spending big bucks to say happy birthday in style, which is the subject of the new TLC reality show, "Outrageous Kids Parties."

One couple featured on the show, Nicole and Jason, planned an over-the-top party of their own for their soon-to-be 6-year-old daughter Gracie's birthday.

Gracie may not be a real princess, but she might as well be with a party like this. They spared no expense -- from Gracie's spa treatments the day before the party, to the perfect pink dress befitting a princess, to the exact cake of their daughter's choosing.

Not to mention 42 center pieces, 2,000 flowers and 300 costumes. The party's budget? $32,000.

All did not go as well with the cake, however. Gracie began to cry when a bird on the cake was purple instead of blue. Read more at abcnews.go.com

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/br6ey

Only used UberTwitter briefly a couple of years ago; did not work well on Blackberry so ax'd it.

Amplify’d from www.ajc.com

UberTwitter, other popular Twitter clients, banned

Users of popular Twitter clients got an unpleasant surprise Friday: UberTwitter, twidroyd and UberCurrent have been banned.

"Today we suspended several applications, including UberTwitter, twidroyd and UberCurrent, which have violated Twitter policies and trademarks in a variety of ways. These violations include, but aren’t limited to, a privacy issue with private Direct Messages longer than 140 characters, trademark infringement, and changing the content of users’ Tweets in order to make money," Carolyn Penner, Twitter’s spokeswoman, told TechCrunch. Read more at www.ajc.com

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/bqt5i

It's about time. We're there!

Amplify’d from www.accessatlanta.com

Dolphin exhibit at Georgia Aquarium opening in April

After nearly three years of construction and planning, the dolphin expansion at Georgia Aquarium will open April 2.

The $110 million exhibit, formally dubbed AT&T Dolphin Tales, will include a live theatrical show, interactive displays about conservation efforts and a 25-foot-long underwater viewing window.

Tickets are on sale now at the aquarium website. Read more at www.accessatlanta.com

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/bqhzw

It's about time. We've been waiting not-so-patiently for this event. Just in time for #ASD ds' 9th Birthday.

Amplify’d from www.accessatlanta.com

Dolphin exhibit at Georgia Aquarium opening in April

After nearly three years of construction and planning, the dolphin expansion at Georgia Aquarium will open April 2.

The $110 million exhibit, formally dubbed AT&T Dolphin Tales, will include a live theatrical show, interactive displays about conservation efforts and a 25-foot-long underwater viewing window.

Entry to AT&T Dolphin Tales is separate from general admission; guests will be required to purchase an advance ticket to guarantee a seat inside the enclosed theater that houses the show.

Tickets are on sale now at www.georgiaaquarium.org. Read more at www.accessatlanta.com

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/bqhfj

This is a no brainer. . .start your kid's on whole wheat breads and grains and they will learn to love them. Never had Wonder Bread in our house growing up.

Amplify’d from www.cnn.com

Whole grain fiber linked to longer life

(Health.com) -- Eating a diet rich in fiber - especially the kind of fiber found in whole grains - reduces the risk of dying at an early age from a range of causes, a new government study suggests.

Fiber's beneficial effects on heart health have been known for decades, so it wasn't surprising that eating a lot of fiber was associated with a lower risk of death due to heart attack and heart disease. But fiber intake also appears to lower the risk of dying from respiratory diseases (such as pneumonia and chronic bronchitis) and infectious diseases, the study found. Read more at www.cnn.com

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/aqby2

I got a Charming Devil for Valentine's

He's got the best pick-up lines:



Do you believe in love at first sight or do I need to walk by you again.



I'm glad I brought my library card because I'm checking you out.



Do you have a license because you're driving me crazy.

Amplify’d from www.gemmy.com

Charming Devil

He's a sharp dresser, a smooth talker, and a hilarious gift for your funny Valentine. Read more at www.gemmy.com

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/aq3d7

Roses for Autism: Check out this great site #ASD

Roses for Autism was the inspiration of a father of a teen with autism.



Roses for Autism not only provides individuals on the autism spectrum the chance to learn the skills necessary to maintain meaningful employment, but also serves as a model that can be replicated nationwide to develop unique opportunities for them as a whole new competitive workforce.

Amplify’d from www.rosesforautism.com

We grow amazing roses with amazing people. With every purchase you will help create job opportunities for people with autism! Read more at www.rosesforautism.com

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/aq1vw

Feeding babies solids too early may make fat toddlers

Just for once, I would like to see the American Academy of Pediatrics make recommendations for babies who cannot be breastfed. . .preemies, babies with allergies, adopted babies and mothers who cannot breastfeed. Both of my kids were premature and on special formula w/o any choice.



It's not what babies eat at 4 mos that makes them gain too much weight; it's what they eat at 18 to 36 months.

Amplify’d from pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com

Feeding babies solids too early may make fat toddlers

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that new mothers breast-feed their babies for at least six months and introduce solid foods between 4 and 6 months. This new study finds that among formula-fed babies, those who were given solid foods before age 4 months had a higher risk of becoming obese.

But Dr. Frank Greer, former chairperson of the AAP Committee on Nutrition, is puzzled by the fact that the researchers didn't find an increase in weight gain in the children who were introduced to solids early.

"They didn't show that there was any increase in rate of growth in the formula-fed babies before that {age 3}. It makes me wonder if this is just a marker for people that introduced solid foods between 2 – 4 months, that their overall diet is poor in general," suggests Greer. Read more at pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/ap7g6

Vaccines did not cause my children's autism. They were born with it and it was more than likely genetic in our case. With my son's asthma, he could die from the flu. So we get the shots each year in addition to everything else.

Amplify’d from www.cnn.com

Bill Gates: Vaccine-autism link 'an absolute lie'

Davos, Switzerland (CNN) -- Microsoft founder Bill Gates sat down recently with CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Sanjay Gupta in Davos, Switzerland. The billionaire philanthropist was attending the World Economic Forum to push his mission of eradicating polio by 2012. Gates, through his foundation, also pledged $10 billion to provide vaccinations to children around the world within a decade.

Gupta: There has been a lot of scrutiny of vaccines recently -- specifically childhood vaccines. There has been a lot of news about is there a connection with autism, for example. What do you make of all that? Dr. [Andrew] Wakefield wrote a paper about this [in The Lancet in 1998] saying he thought there was a connection. And there were lower vaccination rates over a period of time as a result in Britain, then the United States. What are your thoughts?

Gates: Well, Dr. Wakefield has been shown to have used absolutely fraudulent data. He had a financial interest in some lawsuits, he created a fake paper, the journal allowed it to run. All the other studies were done, showed no connection whatsoever again and again and again. So it's an absolute lie that has killed thousands of kids. Because the mothers who heard that lie, many of them didn't have their kids take either pertussis or measles vaccine, and their children are dead today. And so the people who go and engage in those anti-vaccine efforts -- you know, they, they kill children. It's a very sad thing, because these vaccines are important. Read more at www.cnn.com

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/aoi1u

A New Study Links Maternal Employment to Child's Body Weight

This is a lot of bunk: Children are getting fatter because of what they feed their children, not whether or how much time their moms work. Plenty of stay at home moms frequent McDonald's, Burger King and Chuck-E-Cheese. How about praising working mothers whose children do exercise and eat properly?

Amplify’d from abcnews.go.com

New Study Adds to Working Mother's Guilt

A New Study Links Maternal Employment to Child's Body Weight

Just today a new study twisted the scissors in a little deeper. It reported a link between the length of maternal employment and childhood obesity. For each year a mother continues to work, University of Chicago investigators found, her child's body mass index (BMI) creeps up a small but statistically significant percentage. Read more at abcnews.go.com

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/aohnf