Amos Taman: Urban Hero

As someone who rarely carries more than two dollars in my wallet, I owe a huge thank you to Amos Taman. He's the genius behind the technology that allows you to pay for your cab with a credit card.

Amos Taman moved to the United States from Israel in the 1980s looking for a brand new start in the land of opportunity. An electrical engineer trained at Tel Aviv University, Amos began servicing taxi cabs in New York City. 20 years later he's the CEO of Veriphone Transportation Systems, the industry leader in wireless technology that enables taxis to accept credit cards.

Next time you pay for your $50 cab ride from JFK, think of Amos Taman and remember that the American Dream is not dead...yet.

The Double-Dare Book for Girls ::Giveaway:: Winner!

Congratulations to mail4rosey, the lucky winner of The Double-Daring Book for Girls.

Enjoy!

And a big thanks to everyone that entered. It was really fun to read your tales of dare. You are some brave people.

I Double Dare You ::Giveaway::

The Double-Daring Book for Girls is exactly the kind of thing I would have devoured as a little girl. I would have made a blanket fort in the living room, hid inside and read every single page, dreaming and scheming of ways to use the information.

The sequel to The Daring Book for Girls, set to release next week, is filled with even more daring ideas. It includes: fun games for slumber parties, how to prepare a Japanese Tea Ceremony and my personal favorite, how to go Camping in Your Car. (Which could be really useful in this economy, if you know what I mean.)

The Double-Dare Book for Girls is a great gift, loaded with stuff to keep young girls busy. (Busy until their double dares turn into things involving boys and seven minutes in heaven.)

Someone once triple-dog dared me to run around the outside of my parent's 1970s split-level house totally naked. I did it.

What's the most daring thing you've ever done? Tell me about it in your comment for a chance to win a hardcover copy of The Double-Daring Book for Girls.

Enter to Win:
Comment below by Tuesday, March 24th at 11:59pm CST and a winner will be chosen at random. Be sure to leave your email address so I can contact you. Winner must respond within 48 hours of being notified to claim the prize or another winner will be chosen. US Shipping Addresses only. Good luck!

Future's So Bright

Round is the new black.

The hot trend at the 09 Spring Fashion Shows was round glasses. It's not a style everyone can pull off, but if you can, now is the time to put away the Jackie Os and the Wayfayers and give the circular look a try.

Whatever style of glasses suits you best, nothing beats the convenience and selection of eyeglasses.com. You can count on their outstanding customer service to make sure you get the perfect pair of glasses at a great price.


Proenza Schouler, Spring 2009.

Geek Like Me

So, you birth a baby boy and he's pretty cute and not too much of a bother...a few years go by and then all of a sudden he's tall and wants you to get off the computer so he can feed his Webkinz and check his Gmail. He's all "mom, it's my turn, you're hoggin' it".

It doesn't matter that he can't read. He emails with his father using emoticons. ;-)

Henry loves the computer and I'm amazed at how skillfully he uses it. I properly safeguard him from harm, but sometimes I get nervous that it's too much too soon. And then I wonder if perhaps I'm just like a mom in the 1930s concerned about the children listening to too much radio. Egads!

The first time I sat down in front of a computer I was twelve. It had a greenish screen with a blinking cursor and I tried unsuccessfully to teach myself DOS.

In high school I passed around a notebook to friends and asked them to write down their feelings and observations and then pass it on for others to make comments and write their own entries. I suppose it was kind of like my first blog. You can imagine my excitement when the internet was born. I sent my first email when I was a freshman in college. It was to a boy I liked and he replied, "You know I have a phone, right?" I guess not everyone was excited about it as I was.

For today's growing children the computer will always have existed. And just like other medias in the past, it has its controversies and concerns when it comes to young minds and the potential harm of overuse. I'm not too concerned about it. The rule in our house is: if you're a good listener and you don't pee your pants, you get computer time. However, I think it's time we all had one of our own.

This is the product review site for www.BlahBlahBabycakes.com