Let’s take a few moments to visit a cool place to learn English and have fun… Mingoville – A Virtual World

From the People at Mingoville

Like the Mingoville School you are familiar with, the new Mingoville World is also based on the belief that kids learn better when they have fun and when they decide when and where to learn.

In the Mingoville World, all activities and games are in English. We have developed a whole universe based on fun and exciting educational games and exercises that teach children English while they play online.

At Mingoville, we have been working hard to develop a virtual world where learning English is 100% integrated into all games and exercises. A virtual world allows kids to practice and learn English without even thinking about it. We hope you enjoy it and consider using this new teaching tool in your curriculum.

Good News

Mingoville is free. You have free access to the Mingoville School and the Mingoville World. However, it is also possible to buy extended access to the Mingoville World and become a SuperLearner. As a SuperLearner, the student will have access to more fun educational games and the possibility of buying clothes and other things for his flamingo.

I freely admit that the iPod touch is a great iPod, a great pocket computer, and a great portable game player. Listen to a mix of songs automatically put together by the new Genius Mixes feature. Watch a movie. Surf the web. Download countless apps. (Click here to jump over and learn all about apps.) View rich HTML email. Find your location and get directions with Google Maps. Discover games and apps you’re sure to love with new Genius recommendations for apps. And since iPod touch now comes with the latest 3.1 software already installed, you can start using fun, convenient features right out of the box.

Product Features

Music
Listen to a unique mix, or watch the video for your favorite song created just for you.

Cover Flow
What a song does for your ears, Cover Flow on iPod touch does for your eyes and fingers. It’s a virtual party for the senses.

Genius Mixes
Introducing Genius Mixes. All you do is sync iPod touch to iTunes, and Genius automatically searches your library to find songs that sound great together. Then it creates multiple mixes you’ll love.

Genius Playlists
Say you’re listening to a song you really like and want to hear other tracks that go great with it . Count on Genius to create a mix you wouldn’t have thought of yourself.

Shake to Shuffle
Shake things up a bit. Musically speaking, that is.

iTunes
Fill your iPod touch with songs and music videos from your iTunes library on your computer.

Bluetooth
 iPod touch includes the iPhone 3.1 software, so you can pair Bluetooth stereo headphones with it. Keep your iPod in your bag or charging on your desk across the room and still listen to your music.

Movies + TV shows
A feature film, a video podcast, your favorite TV show. Now appearing on a subway train or a plane near you.

Widescreen Viewing
Carry hours of video with you and watch it on the crisp 3.5-inch color widescreen display.  From Hollywood blockbusters to independent favorites, there’s something for everyone.  Prefer TV shows? Get a single episode or an entire season’s worth all at once.

Onscreen Controls
While watching your video, tap the display to bring up the onscreen controls. You can play or pause, view by chapter, and adjust the volume.

iTunes
Need some entertainment for your next flight or road trip? With iTunes on your iPod touch and a Wi-Fi connection, you can buy movies and TV shows on the fly.

App Store
Shop the App Store and discover over 75,000 apps that let you do even more with your iPod touch. Browse apps in categories from games to lifestyle, social networking to education, and more.

Browse Apps
Shop the App Store a number of ways. Tap Featured and get a list of new apps and to see what’s hot. Peruse by category. Check out the Top 25 apps.

Amazon-Related Apps
Have Amazon at your fingertips with these applications:

• Amazon Mobile:  Buy millions of products from the palm of your hand
• Kindle:  Read Kindle books on your iPhone or iPod touch

Genius Recommendations for Apps

There are tens of thousands of apps in the App Store, with more added every day.

Download Apps
When you find an app you want, buy and download it wirelessly to your iPod touch from anywhere over Wi-Fi, and start using it right away.

Update Apps
iPod touch tells you whenever an app update is available, so you’ll always have the latest versions of your favorite apps.

iTunes
Discover and download new music, movies, TV shows, and audiobooks with iTunes on your iPod touch.

Shop Anytime, Anywhere
The built-in Wi-Fi capability in iPod touch gives you access to the iTunes Store, where you can choose from millions of high-quality iTunes Plus songs and thousands of movies, TV shows, audiobooks, and free podcasts and iTunes U lectures.  Browse New Releases, Top Tens, and Genres.

Sync with iTunes
When you connect iPod touch to your computer, the music, movies, TV shows, audiobooks, and podcasts you downloaded on the go sync to your iTunes library on your Mac or PC.

Voice Control
Voice Control on the new 32 GB and 64 GB iPod touch gives you the ability to control music playback with spoken commands. You say it. iPod touch plays it. And shuffles it, pauses it, or names it.

Say and Play
Voice Control knows the music in your iPod touch. Want to hear something specific? All you have to do is ask. For instance, say “Play artist Bob Dylan,” and iPod touch does just that. Ask what song is playing and hear iPod touch answer. Tell it to play your favorite album, artist, or playlist.

Speak into the Mic
The new 32 GB and 64 GB iPod touch come with the Apple Earphones with Remote and Mic. So you can reap the benefits (and the fun) of Voice Control even when your iPod touch is tucked in your pocket or bag.

Language Support
Voice Control features support for the following languages: Chinese (Cantonese), Chinese (China), Chinese (Taiwan), Dutch, English (UK), English (US), Finnish, French (Canada), French (France), German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Russian, Spanish (Mexico), Spanish (Spain), Swedish

Photos
With storage for up to 90,000 of your favorite photos, iPod touch lets you flick through and share all those remember-that-day moments.

Share Photos
Show thousands of photos from the palm of your hand.

Save Photos
If you receive a great image in an email, save it to your photo library on iPod touch. Once there, it acts just like any other photo. You can set it as your wallpaper, share it on the web, or pass it on.

Sync Photos
Just choose which photos or albums to sync to your iPod touch, then you can look at them–and share them–anywhere you go.

Home Screen
Maybe you want Maps as the first app in the second row. Or Mail down in the Dock. Whatever the arrangement, make iPod touch your own with customized Home screens.

Customize Your Home Screen
Move an app one row up, two apps over, or even to another Home screen. Create up to 11 Home screens for quick access to games and applications.

Home Button
No matter where you are on iPod touch, one press of the Home button at the bottom of iPod touch takes you to the main Home screen.

Spotlight Search
Looking for something? Search the entire contents of your iPod touch, all from one place.

Add Apps and Web Clips
Whenever you download an application from the App Store, a new icon appears on your Home screen. And if you check the same websites every day, just create web clips.

Safari
iPod touch features Safari, the most advanced web browser ever on a portable device. See the web in your hands the same way you see it on a computer. All you need is a Wi-Fi connection.

Browse Anywhere
iPod touch is the only iPod with built-in wireless access to the web.

Search the Web
iPod touch syncs your bookmarks from your PC or Mac, so you can access your favorite sites quickly. It has Google and Yahoo! search built in, so it’s easy to find what you’re looking for on the web.

Web Clips
If you check a website frequently–a favorite newspaper, blog, or sports site–why not create a Home screen icon, or web clip, for it?

Zoom
Get a closer look at any web page by zooming in and out with a tap or a pinch of the Multi-Touch display. View websites in portrait or landscape. Rotate iPod touch 90 degrees and the web page rotates, too.

Mail                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Email on iPod touch looks and works just like email on your computer. And it works with the email accounts you already have.

View Messages and Attachments
iPod touch supports rich HTML email, so vivid images and photos appear alongside text.

Access All Your Accounts
Access your email from popular providers–including MobileMe, Google Gmail, Microsoft Exchange, Yahoo! Mail, and AOL–and most industry-standard IMAP and POP mail systems.

Compose Instantly
iPod touch recognizes email addresses in different applications.

Type Smart
With its built-in dictionary, the intelligent iPod touch keyboard predicts and suggests words as you type, making it fast and easy to write email. And when you rotate iPod touch on its side, the keyboard instantly switches from portrait to landscape for larger keys and more room to type.

Search Your Inbox
No need to scroll through message after message in your inbox looking for the right one.

Maps
Find your way and a place to eat. With Maps and a Wi-Fi connection, you can get directions, find local businesses, and check traffic.

Find Yourself
iPod touch finds your location using known Wi-Fi hotspots. It also finds points of interest by keyword: Search for “coffee” and iPod touch shows you cafes nearby.

Get Directions
Just type in an address and get directions from wherever you are. Choose the method of transportation–car, public transit, or on foot–and view a list of turn-by-turn directions. See a highlighted map route with estimated travel time.

Switch Map Views
Just like Google Maps on your computer, Maps on iPod touch lets you switch between views of Google map data, satellite images, and a hybrid of both. Multi-Touch makes the difference.

See Traffic
Maps on iPod touch shows you live traffic information, indicating traffic speed along your route in easy-to-read green, red, and yellow highlights.

YouTube
Skateboarding moves gone wrong. Hilarious commercials from another country. Whatever the video, iPod touch has your YouTube addiction covered.

Share from Anywhere
Email your favorite videos to your favorite people. Tap Share on any YouTube video detail page and iPod touch creates an email with the video link already in it.

Search YouTube
Explore Featured, Most Viewed, Most Recent, and Top Rated videos. Or search for the video you want using a keyword search. Once you find what you’re looking for, bookmark it to watch later.

Nike + iPod Compatibility
Rock out your workout. iPod touch has built-in support for Nike + iPod. It’s music and motivation rolled into one.

Tune Your Run
iPod touch includes built-in Nike + iPod support. Just slip the Nike + iPod Sensor (available separately) into your Nike+ shoe and start your run. The sensor communicates wirelessly with your iPod touch, tracking your time, distance, and calories burned. It even gives you voice feedback on your progress.

Tune Your Cardio Workout
This feature also works with new cardio equipment available in many fitness centers. Just look for Nike + iPod compatible treadmills, ellipticals, stair steppers, and stationary bikes.

Sync with nikeplus.com
When you get back to your computer, sync your iPod touch with iTunes and transfer your exercise data to nikeplus.com, where you can track your workouts, set goals, and challenge friends.

Voice Memos
You might have a good memory. But sometimes, it’s nice to have a backup. With Voice Memos, you can record little (and big) bits of information to your iPod touch.

Record Memos (or Any Audio)
Record a simple to-do, your next big idea, or a bet between you and your friend.

Edit Memos
You can trim recorded memos right on iPod touch. That way, you keep only what you need.

Manage Memos
Keep all your memos organized by choosing labels from a predefined list or by creating custom labels.

Share Memos
Send memos to your friends and colleagues via email. Memos you record on iPod touch sync back to your Mac or PC via iTunes, so you can share them later. 

ipod Touch Technology

~ Multi-Touch
The Multi-Touch display layers a protective shield over a capacitive panel that senses your touch using electrical fields. It then transmits that information to the LCD screen below it. So you can glide through albums with Cover Flow, flick through photos and enlarge them with a pinch, zoom in and out on a section of a web page, and control game elements precisely.

~ Accelerometer
The accelerometer inside iPod touch allows it to detect when you rotate iPod touch from portrait to landscape, then automatically changes the contents of the display. The accelerometer really shines when you play games, because it immerses you in the action. It’s perfect for racing games, where your entire iPod touch acts as a steering wheel, and for tap-and-tilt games such as Rolando, in which your movements control the action.

~ Wireless
iPod touch has built-in support for 802.11b/g wireless technology. That means you can get online anywhere there’s Wi-Fi. Send email from a coffee shop. Surf the web at the airport. Shop for games from your couch. Browse, buy, and download music and more from the iTunes Store. iPod touch locates nearby wireless hotspots, including protected networks. If you’ve never used a particular network, Wireless Icon it asks you to enter a password the first time, and it remembers the password from then on. So the next time you’re within range, it connects automatically.

~ Bluetooth
Bluetooth is a form of wireless technology that lets you use devices without the hassle of cables or wires. What does that mean for iPod touch? It means you can use iPod touch with Bluetooth headphones and listen to your music no matter where in the room your iPod touch is. So lounge on your bed, while your iPod touch charges on your desk. Bluetooth on iPod touch is also great for peer-to-peer gaming.

~ Design
iPod touch is as remarkable outside as it is inside. Holding one is all the proof you need. With its curved design, iPod touch is a mere 8.5 mm thin. Its optical glass front and polished stainless steel back feel sleek and smooth in your hand. Turn it on, and instantly you’re impressed by the brilliant 3.5-inch display. iPod touch is the perfect combination of stunning design and revolutionary technology–the total, beautiful package.\

Read Kindle Books on the iPod touch

~ No Kindle required.
~ Get the best reading experience available on your iPhone or iPod touch.
~ Access your Kindle books even if you don’t have your Kindle with you.
~ Automatically synchronizes your last page read between devices with Amazon Whispersync.
~ Adjust the text size, add bookmarks, and view the annotations you created on your Kindle.

Although I have been blessed with near perfect vision for my entire life, my daughter, and two of my grandchildren have not been so lucky in the vision department. While wearing glasses grants them a clearer view of the world around them, they have a hard time being active. They are always breaking their glasses, and being the young souls they are, they seem to misplace them often as well. Complaints are expressed quite often as to the inconvenience of wearing glasses, and I have seriously looked into viable alternatives to this unfortunate circumstance. Not to mention the safety factor… who wants to have a glass object directly in front of such a valuable sense as our vision?

I recently heard about a iLASIK Video Contest, which although the winners have now been chosen, brings about a suitable solution to these issues surrounding their state of being in their active lifestyles and their vision problems. I can truly see the benefits of lasic surgery to correct eye vision, and the convenience of not having to deal with eye glasses and their many downfalls.

You can still check out the winners in the iLASIK Video Contest, which is not only entertaining, yet gives some great examples of how our lives can be vastly improved upon with a simple procedure to correct eye vision. Just imagine a clear view of the world without having to deal with eye glasses on a daily basis.

As I get older, I truly value my luck so far in the vision department, and am grateful for the technological advances which bring us options to this annoying issue. If you, or someone you care about, has a vision problem, I would seriously consider checking out this option to leading a free lifestyle, without the hassle and stress eye glasses present. What a great way to view this virtual world we live in!

I decided to go online to check around and find out how easy it would be to file my son’s taxes for him, so he would not have to pay a huge fee to have someone else file for him. I discovered it is really quite easy to file our own taxes, as we are given step by step instructions, and this saves time as well as money. I also like the fact that at places like eSmart Tax, we can actually figure out our Federal taxes and file for free!

eSmart Tax, the premier online tax preparation service powered by Liberty Tax Service, is offering two ways American taxpayers can file their federal return online for free this year: the always-free Basic edition and the free Deluxe edition for persons with the last name of Johnson.

And get this. If your last name happens to be the second most common name in the United States, which just happens to be Johnson, then you and 2,121,489 other Johnsons file free!

Featuring eSmart Tax Deluxe Edition Which Includes:

~ Federal Tax Preparation and e-File – All the forms you need are right here, along with easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions that make free e-filing effortless.

~ e-File State Taxes – Only $5.95!

Seriously, even though my name is not Johnson, I would definately offer up my recommendation to those millions of Johnson’s out there, to just take a few moments and see what eSmart has to offer. It is totally free to check out, and just takes a few moments. I am not one to pass up a good opportunity, especially when it is so simple, and something which will save me precious time and the costly fees of hiring someone out to prepare my taxes. I always choose my best and greatest option.

One aspect of my personality that seems to attract others is my positive attitude. I am always going out of my way to help others. I have made it a personal goal of mine to look for ways to improve upon myself physically, emotionally, and spiritually. My path seems to lead me to just what I am looking for, right when I need it.

Someone like me still needs a bit of inspiration from time to time. When it comes to living our Dreams, nothing can stand in our way of achieving our goals, as long as we learn how to do this in a good way. Sometimes we despair about our Life situation, and just need a little boost to get us going again. I have a great desire to live my Dreams to the fullest, and let the pain of the past stay right where it is; in the past.

I have discovered a great coaching tool in the form of a book called Blast Off! written by leading Life and Career Coach, Allison Maslan. I am truly ready to take my Life to the next level and wholly realize my greatest desires and make my Dreams a reality. Allison reveals her failures, as well as her successes in this eye opening book, designed to help others gain the personal and professional happiness that she herself has achieved.

Hear what others have to say about Blast Off!

“How sweet is this! A beautifully crafted book, jam-packed full of bright wisdom, heartwarming stories, and brilliant ideas. Let it be your personal coach and you cannot go wrong. It will guide, advise, encourage, and even cheer you on at each and every step of your way, as you craft a vision, breathe life into your dreams, and make them come true.”
Miranda Castro, FSHom, CCH, homeopath and author, The Complete Homeopathy Handbook; Homeopathy for Pregnancy, Birth, and Your Baby’s First Years; and A Homeopathic Guide to Stress

“Allison Maslan is amazing. My dreams have come true after working closely with her program. Blast Off! is completely unique and led me to my road of success. Years of dreaming are now manifesting as a speaker and writer due solely to her program. Thank you, Allison!”
Jeanne Stryker, M.D.

These are just a couple of the wonderful comments people have on this amazing book. Are you ready to take your Life into your own hands and create a Path to make your Dreams a reality? Take a chance and focus on what it is you want out of Life. This is definately on the top of my ‘must have’ list, and what a great deal for only $24! Blast Off! has officially launched as of January 19th, 2010 and is available on Amazon, Borders, Barnes and Noble websites. It will also be available in all other major bookstores!

So I decided to find some great tools to help get us started. Of course, I am already a fan of LeapFrog, so it was an easy guess that I would find something quite simple to get us going. When I saw the LeapFrog Scribble and Write, I knew I was on the right track. Let me just post a couple of reviews to let people see how others have responded to this cool little gadget.

BoysMommy says…

This was an Amazon gift from the grandparents to my 4 year old. He LOVES this! It teaches your child the proper way to make their letters. (My 8 year old needs one LOL!)He loves tracing the dots and sliding the eraser. It cheers the kids on after they push the paw print. He will sneak to play with it when he is suppose to be sleeping. It is currently at show and tell at his pre-k, he loves it that much. One week of use and he is going all over the house writing the first letter of his name. He has shown off his letter writing skills at the Drs. office. He now writes his letters better than his big brother in 3rd grade!

Daddy B Me writes…

My 3 year old is starting to write and draw and this is really helping with her learning to write her ABC’s and shapes. She really loves the dog Scout and the cute audio. The size of it is right on the money and is easy to take along in the car. Every letter brings out some cute responses too.

Mother of 2 Boys tells us…

My 3 1/2 year old son got this scribble and write for Christmas. He loves following the dots to draw, does great with the letters, still a little slow with the picture part but is so proud when he writes the letter properly. And the best thing of all, he enjoys using it (and he’s learning without even knowing!!)

Well then, I am definately of a mind that this is a great gift, as well as a sweet little learning toy. For the price, it is worth checking out… what a wonderful addition to our travel toys to keep those little ones occupied on the road as well!

For more vital information on how you can help, please visit –> The American Wild Horse today. There is no time for delay, as this is happening now, and horses are dying.

Without our help, these beautiful, wild, and noble creatures will no longer exist. They have been our friends and helpers since ancient times… is this really how we will repay these great hearts that have helped us so much? I am not willing to accept this. We need to take action, sign the petitions, and make some phone calls.. let our voices be heard in this outrage!

Some numbers to call – 1) Call President Obama (202-456-1111) and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar (202-208-3100)

Searching around for new ideas for gifts is fun, and it also gives me a chance to add to my own wish list as well. At the top of my list of course is the Kindle Wireless Reading Device (6″ Display, Global Wireless, Latest Generation) which can be found at Amazon. This device simply has to be the coolest gift for an avid reader such as myself!

Let me give just a few examples of why I think this a virtually awesome gift for book lovers (pick me! pick me!). First of all the Kindle is 3G wireless, which lets you download books right from your Kindle; no annual contracts, no monthly fees, and no hunting for Wi-Fi hotspots. Just imagine how wonderful to be able to pull out my kindle wherever it pleases me! Oh yeah, that’s what I’m talking about.

This sweet little device reads like real paper, without glare, even in bright sunlight. Plus we can read for up to 1 week on a single charge with wireless on, a significant improvement from the previous battery life of just 4 days. Holds up to 1,500 books… not that I really need that many, but heck let’s just build a virtual library, shall we?

The Kindle Store has more than 360,000 books available, including 101 of 112 New York Times® Best Sellers, plus top newspapers, magazines, and blogs. So there are little or no worries that avid readers will find what they are looking for. Whether you prefer biographies, classics, investment guides, thrillers, or sci-fi, thousands of your favorite books are available. The ultimate vision for the Kindle Wireless Reading Deviceis to have every book ever printed, in any language, all available in under 60 seconds. Now that is a lofty goal!

I actually discovered The Kindle last spring and mentioned it in another post, which gives more details about the features, and of course more of my own thoughts. All in all, I believe this to be a Virtually cool gift!

There are lots of fun games and activities geared towards teaching about interesting things around the planet. As a parent I am well aware of how it sometimes takes a lot to get our kid’s attention when it comes to learning. If we keep it fun, while stimulating active imaginations, we can pretty much count on retaining some pretty important facts about life on this Earth. I love to teach through interacting activities online and off, so I get excited when I find new places to explore with my daughter.

So if you have kids, or just wish to play around a bit whilst discovering new places and facts, well then you may wish to take a few moments to visit Kid’s National Geographic and beef up your trivia knowledge of the world around you.

“To reach out to the public, we need to be where people are—and we know tens of millions of people spend their time in social media sites,” says John Miller, head of FBI Public Affairs. “Adding our fugitives, missing kids, threat and scam warnings, and other information into these sites is an extension of what we’ve done for decades—enlisting the help and support of concerned citizens around the globe to keep communities safer.”

Here are a few places in which we can follow the presence of the FBI in the Social Media’s…

• Facebook, where you can follow our news, check out our photos and videos, and become a “fan” of the FBI;
• YouTube, where you can watch our videos and connect back to our main website for job postings and other content; and
• Twitter, where you can receive our tweets on breaking news and other useful information.

The FBI is exploring a presence on SecondLife. Jonathan Cox—along with graphic artist Scott Carmine—designed the FBI’s first virtual billboards for sites like Second Life and sees them as the wave of the future. “Unlike 10 years ago, almost everyone today has had an experience connecting online through virtual media, whether through a gaming console or popular sites like Second Life,” Cox said. “The ease at which information can be transferred, ideas can be exposed, and technology can be shared in virtual worlds will hopefully lead to the arrest of a fugitive or the location of a missing child in the near future.”

You can learn more by visiting The FBI in the Virtual Realms of Social Media to get the whole scoop and more news. Modern technology sure does add a whole new realm of possibilities when it comes to connecting with the people around the world.