Grindr and Blendr: The Danger of 'Hook-Up' Apps

Blendr and Grindr are apps designed for men to meet other men or woman to meet men. But what happens when your underage teen is flirting with someone twice his age?

By Lisa Barr I'm an optimist, a Cup Half-Full person. There are, however, a few things I really hate - and topping my list are pedophiles/predators. Nowhere are they more prevalent but online, on apps, in chat rooms, and I'm learning ... on blogs (but that's another story). For those who have been following my blogs these past six months, you know two things about me: If something is dangerous or hurtful to kids - I will expose it. If something hurts our relationships -- you will find it here on this blog in the raw, no holding back. The other day, a Mom contacted me, and proceeded to tell me a story about how her gay cousin, who is in his late 40s, was visiting her from out of town, and they were having dinner. She noticed he was staring …

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The App Hunter

Be Your Own DJ with These Apps

This week's review includes a look into the TonePad and Songify apps.

I am not musically inclined. Or, rather, I'm not much anymore. When I was a teen, I played trumpet in a touring jazz band, but my ability to hit a high C has long since past. Which, I suspect, is why I'm in love with the free TonePad and Songify iPhone apps. With TonePad, there's no instrument to learn, or even music to read. You simply open the app up and run your finger across a field of dots--and voila, music! Now, it takes a little tinkering before you're making anything but pleasant-sounding noise (the simplicity of the program makes it difficult to create pure cacophony). But once you start lining up dots (aka, notes) in vertical lines, the player recognizes them as chords. You can build on the chords and the progressions to create…

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