Kids Email at KidsEmail.org

About:

Safety features available with KidsEmail.com:

     You can allow children to only receive and send emails from those that are in their contact list

     You can email a copy of incoming and outgoing messages to the parent

     You can remove images within emails

     You can remove links within emails

     You can set it to only allow specific attachment types such as: images, pictures, video, mp3s, zip, pdf, word files, etc.

     You can approve or deny any email sent to children via the mail queue

     You can filter out offensive words found in incoming mail

     You can filter spam

     Kids can change out the look of their email with various fun templates- even older kids have options

     There is a simple mode for young children and an advanced mode for older chidren

     You can set time restrictions to limit days and times when kids can login (you can even set up grounding and punishment times)

     You can actually have incoming and outgoing mails forwarded to your personal email account

    

Review:

Let’s face it; kids are almost required to have an email address anymore. Teachers want children to email them assignments or to be able to email kids assignments; friends want to email each other, etc. Some kids just want to have an email address to say that they have one.

KidsEmail.org is very parent friendly and can be set up in less than ten minutes. I set up an account for my son in just a few minutes. I was happy to be able to choose from a wide array of safety features. I like having control of what he can or cannot do with this email account. I also like knowing I can be able to see what he is getting and what he is sending. I love how there are a variety of options that would be appropriate for different ages. I actually cannot think of any options that were not available that I would want to use.

Another awesome feature this program has is that it blocks ads from users. This is a huge deal when it concerns children. They do not need to see advertisements for weight loss products, sexual enhancement products, dating sites, etc. It won’t be there for them to see and that makes me feel much better about them having email.

Would you believe this program also has a GPS tracker? It is currently only available for Android devices via a mobile app, but it is a great feature that I am appreciative to have the option of using.

KidsEmail.org is a paid program, however considering the safety and options it provides, a few dollars a month is worth a sound mind! Currently, users may purchase a full annual subscription for $2.99/month billed at $38.95 for the year. You can choose from an @kidsemail.org or @kmail.org (better for those older children who want a more grown-up email address).

Overall I would highly recommend this program for anyone with kids needing email (which is most all kids anymore). This program is so easy to use and has so many options you can choose from in terms of keeping your kids safe. You don’t have to sit and worry about what they are seeing, getting or sending. You can be sure they are only getting what you are allowing them to get.

You can try this program for 30-days free with no obligation and no credit card. For more information you can check out KidsEmail.org

You can connect with KidsEmail.org online through:

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I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Pimsleur French 1 Language Learning Course

About:

Principle of Anticipation

Our brains are hard-wired to automatically process speech and “anticipate” a correct response. It’s an intricate thought process that most of us take for granted. Dr. Pimsleur’s research demonstrated that new connections are activated whenever this dynamic system is triggered. By systematically asking for understanding, pausing for a response, and then reinforcing the correct response, Pimsleur courses accelerate learning, increase understanding, and activate new neural pathways in the learner’s brain.

Core Vocabulary

Effective communication in any language depends on mastery of a relatively limited number of words and structures. Trying to learn too much at once substantially slows the process, and many people quickly become discouraged. Pimsleur courses deliberately limit the amount you learn at any one time, giving your brain a chance to internalize each new item before moving on. Once this foundation is built, adding new words and phrases becomes easy and natural because there’s a clear framework to attach them to.

Organic Learning

Every new item introduced in a Pimsleur course is given within the context of a conversation or exchange. This helps learning and retention in a multitude of ways, from allowing your brain to automatically integrate intonation, rhythm, melody, and pronunciation, to embedding prompts for your memory. When you need a word, it’s there – seamlessly on the tip of your tongue.


Review:

To start out, I’d like to say that I have wanted to learn a new language for a long time. I’ve taken 4 years of Spanish in High School, however that was quite some time ago! I also took a year of French. I have wanted to learn more French, and this seemed like the way to go. I could pop a CD in the car and learn while I’m driving to and from work (which is 45 minutes or so each way).

When I first got the program, I was extremely impressed with the packaging of the program. It came in a very nice box with a magnetic flap to keep it closed. Discs 1-8 were in one sleeve, and discs 9-16 were in another sleeve. It also came with a “passport” with information on how to use the program. It also had a paper with a link to go and view the owner’s manual and reading booklet. I thought this was a nice added bonus.

So here are the pros and cons of this program:

The Pros:

It is entirely verbal. This helps us to learn better as when we hear a languages rhythms, etc. we can learn it better.

You will improve your pronunciation. This program is set in a way that makes you pay attention to how you are saying the words. You are listening to native speakers so you will be able to better able to compare your pronunciation to theirs.

You are encouraged to learn grammar naturally. They explain some of the more complicated grammar, but for the most part, you are forced to learn it on your own. I really feel that helps us learn and understand better as we learn naturally.

There is a lot of repetition. You will hear and say the same words over and over again. This is great for retaining the material.

You learn in clusters. You learn words on their own, and in a phrase or sentence. You will able to use and understand these words in part of a conversation.

The Cons:

It can get a little boring at times. While repetition can be wonderful for learning, it can get boring when you are saying and hearing the same word over and over.

It’s a slow pace. You will learn maybe 10 new words a day and review a few other words. I think it may be speedier learning to increase the words learned per day.

The vocabulary you learn is limited and sometimes odd at times. You don’t seem to learn enough words to put together a simple conversation right away.

It is a little pricey. It might be a little pricey, but other programs cost much more.

Overall Opinion:

Overall, I think you really are getting a great value and program here. You won’t be fluent from this program but you will be able to hold a simple conversation and be able to pick up key words in phrases/conversation. I think that is truly beneficial. If you can pick up key words, you are one step ahead of the game.

You will also learn how to properly pronunciate words and have the basic tools to make it through a trip to a foreign country!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

AKVIS OilPaint Program

About:

AKVIS OilPaint is photo to painting software that creates oil paintings from photographs. The characteristic feature of the program is a unique algorithm of the artistic application of brush strokes that authentically reproduces the technique of the real brush.

Review:

This program is very, very cool. You can either install it as a Photoshop plugin or use it as a standalone program. I don’t have Photoshop (I wish!), so I just installed it as a standalone program.

This program has many presets already included which are an easy way to start out with this program. You can select through the presets to see which one you like the best and you can customize from there. It has many options for customization.

The more familiar you become with the program and what it can do, you can start adjusting the various controls to see what looks best to you. You can change everything from the thickness, intensity, stroke length, and much more.  You can also choose whether or not to paint on canvas, and you can change the texture of your canvas.

It shows you the paint strokes as it’s rendering and it’s very cool to watch. It’s almost like watching someone paint right before your eyes. It takes hours upon hours of painting and transforms it into seconds. You get anything you could imagine turned into an oil painting in seconds.

This program also has a built-in test feature that would allow you to turn your photos into greeting cards or whatever else you could imagine. It’s a nice extra that this program includes.

Overall, I loved this program. I was able to take photos I loved as photos and turn them into oil paintings that I loved even more. I could see this program as being used for many different applications as only your imagination could limit.

Here are a couple of my before and after photos:

Before Akvis

After using Akvis

Before Akvis

After using Akvis

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.