Standard

Posted by

Posted on

October 9, 2013

Posted under

Uncategorized

Comments

Leave a comment

Our Kids Book is almost funded – thank to You

We are getting there!

Just a quick and heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone who has showed their support for Planet Earth Kids Club! Thanks to you we’ve raised almost $3000! Your willingness to be at the front shows a special kind of support and we are deeply grateful.
[http://igg.me/at/planet-earth-kids-club/x/4483097]
We are happy to share with you a new illustration Hagar has just completed for the book.

This is the part where our Tom is visiting the museum with his dad, and for the first time he finds out how it is to grow up as a kid in planet Earth. An experience that will change his life, and the life of others on Compupiter…

Thank you for believing in us!

Oh! and don’t forget to share this project again and again, we still have a long way to go… here’s the link:
[http://igg.me/at/planet-earth-kids-club/x/4483097]

Lots of love,

Lior, Einav and Hagar

1398900_695526990469308_2041643002_o (1).jpg

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

September 19, 2013

Posted under

Uncategorized

Comments

Leave a comment

Planet Earth Kids Club

Our founder Lior Frenkel – together with Einav Kesher are producing a book for kids who’ll help them play outside instead of on their phones.

Soon – the Indiegogo campaign.

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

September 9, 2013

Posted under

Uncategorized

Comments

Leave a comment

Web Summit – here we come

Thank you all for voting. We will be speaking at the Web Summit about UNDIGITIZE.ME. See you in Ireland.

Our founder – Lior Frenkel will talk on the Web Summit stage about Smartphone Addiction.

C ya there!1172241_675283335827007_732753716_o.jpg

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

August 27, 2013

Posted under

The People's Voice

Comments

Leave a comment

Orange. Phone Faced Down.

Israel – the Startup Nation – leads Europe and US in smartphone use. That is why, when we created the Phone Faced Down campaign, it had a great success all over the country. Radio and TV shows interviewed us and UNDIGITIZE.ME was covered everywhere in the offline and online sources.

Today we got another proof that the message got spread out. Orange – the most popular cellular network operator in Israel – has published a new video, using our exact message: “There are moments in life, when you should put your phone aside”.  Click here to see the video.

Orange. Phone Faced Down.

Orange. Phone Faced Down.

That was our dream when we first started UNDIGITIZE.ME – spread the word until the cellphone operators and manufacturers themselves will understand us, the users. Of course, it’s a commercial for their new network, but still, it shows that they are aware of our addiction.

If you wish to help spread the word in Europe – please vote for us – so we could speak in the Web Summit in Ireland. You can vote here: http://goo.gl/IMs8vF.

// Lior Frenkel

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

August 20, 2013

Posted under

Organic Apps, Smartphone Addiction

Comments

Leave a comment

Help Us Convince Developers to Make Less Addictive Apps

We are all addicted to Smartphones.

But it’s not only our fault. Just like with tobacco, coca-cola and other addictive products, the other side – the producers – are also responsible for the addiction.

I have an amazing opportunity to speak at one of the biggest Internet conferences this year – WebSummit, Ireland, 2013. In my talk I will convince app developers and entrepreneurs why they should make less addictive apps for us, the users.

Lior Frenkel WebSummit

Lior Frenkel WebSummit

But in order to speak there, I need your help

Get into this link, watch my video and press “Like”. It should take a minute of your time, but this is for a great purpose. Spreading the word about UNDIGITIZE.ME.

You can also help by clicking on this link to tweet the message: http://clicktotweet.com/28T06

I must remind you, that this is a non-profit project, so we need your good will support whenever possible.

Thanks…

// Lior Frenkel

Video

Posted by

Posted on

August 19, 2013

Posted under

Internet Addiction, Smartphone and Health

Comments

Leave a comment

Your smartphone and your eyes

The negative social and cognitive influences lurking around the corner due to intensive Smartphone use are probably evident and clear by now to most of you intelligent birds out there, but what about the physical hazards?

Most of us spend the majority of our awakening hours in front of the computer. Combine your office hours with your after work Social media hours and add to that your approximate total daily Smartphone use count. Are you afraid to even calculate this equation? So do us.

eye safety

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dqbLqueXfU

Repetitive strain injuries (RSI) are injuries to the skeletal system and nervous systems caused by repetitive tasks. Eye strain is one of the most common RSI injuries among Smartphone users.

When we stare at the screen in front of us, we blink much less than naturally. Decrease in blink rate causes dry eyes and is one of the top factors to cause headaches. Eye strain is known for the negative effect to our vision and is also likely to cause neck and shoulder pain.

Scared yet? Have no fear! CNN as well as LifeHacker community have adopted an easy method to avoid potential damage: The simple 20-20-20 rule.

This Optometrist and eye doctor supported method suggests that every 20 minutes we take an at least 20 second break in which we shall gaze at an object that is 20 feet (6 meters) away. This is the recommended distance in which our eyes relax and restore focus. Maintaining this habit should help us avoid the unwanted potential damage mentioned above.

Optometrist Dr.Glazier also suggests intensive users consulting to an eye doctor regarding potential adjustments need to be made, limiting the usage, keeping a healthy distance from the screen (elbow to wrist distance – minimum) and taking the time to adjust brightness and contrast according to your personal feeling.

// Noy Tamarkin

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

August 18, 2013

Posted under

Kids

Comments

Leave a comment

Why Writing A Children’s Book is our New Project

Our kids are addicted to screens. TV, computer screen, tablet or Smartphone – kids can spend up to 75% of their day playing with one or the other.

Whenever I visit my nephews, I experience how strong this addiction can be. My 2 year old nephew is browsing the YouTube app on the iPad almost as fast as I do. Well, this is amazing, and I admire this little smart guy, but I have problems to communicate with him because his attention span is so short.

A few months back I started UNDIGITIZE.ME first and foremost for myself. I am addicted to the Smartphone, and I wanted to find ways to get my life back. The deeper I dig, I get to the real problems – and kids’ addiction to screens is one of them. Now, with the “Phone Faced Down” campaign, on family dinners we are no longer allowing the kids to play with any of the screens, and we see the change immediately. They cry and cry for half an hour, but then they get creative and play with us. So I get to know my nephew more and more.

But influencing my own family is not enough – I feel that I want to make a real change. I want more kids, and more parents get aware to the screens addiction. I want the message to spread – that is the whole purpose of UNDIGITIZE.ME. I want parents to discuss it with each other and with their kids. Understanding the good and the bad in the screens. What we can gain, but also what we lose when we are “screening” ourselves so much.

With that in mind, I’m ready for the next challenge – spreading the word to the kids. And what is a better way doing that, than creating a children’s book, that will inspire them – not preaching to them – to try and visit the world outside the screens a bit more. To explore the abundance in the physical world, more than they do today.

I will share this beautiful journey with you in the next few weeks and months.

 

// Lior Frenkel

To read more about kids and tech addiction, try Michael’s guest post.

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

August 15, 2013

Posted under

Smartphone Addiction

Comments

Leave a comment

“Stop Phubbing” Campaign Will Help Us with the Digital Diet

Stop Phubbing. Undigitize.ME

Stop Phubbing. UNDIGITIZE.ME

StopPhubbing.com is a great campaign, trying to make people, well, to stop phubbing…

Phubbing is the act of snubbing someone in a social setting by looking at your phone instead of paying attention.

Their website is so beautiful and awesome, you just have to head there right now!

// Lior Frenkel

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

August 7, 2013

Posted under

The Future

Comments

Leave a comment

Do Nothing To Get A Free Beer

We rarely take a break.

Especially if you’re working in an office, you might be in a constant hurry. In the few minutes you’re not in front of the computer, you’re playing with your Smartphone. Never do you take a real break, a real pause. We are either slaves to work or to the Smartphone.

Amstel Pause is a super cool installation in Sofia, Bulgaria, that makes you do nothing, and in return you’ll get a beer. How awesome is that!
Unlike other installations that ask users to dance, pay attention or do stuff, Amstel Pause just wants them to have a three minute break. And to enjoy a cool beer afterwards.

Watch this video to get the gist of it:

Did it work? Yep…

For 16 days, working from 16:00 to 21:00 o’clock in the busy center in Sofia, Amstel Pause collected:
— 4,032 minutes of break or more than 67 hours of rest for different people;
— Average of 84 users per day;
— Total of 1,344 beers given to people who do nothing;

amstel pause undigitize.me

amstel pause undigitize.me

Well kudos to Amstel

It’s not the first time this brand is helping us to cope with our Smartphone addiction. Remember the cool wardrobes for mobile phones in bars?

I can’t wait for it to get to my city. I always preferred my beer with doing nothing at the same time. It’s bad for my diet, but really good for my Digital Diet 😉

// Lior Frenkel

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

August 7, 2013

Posted under

Smartphone Addiction

Comments

Leave a comment

Are You A “Phone Potato”?

A new study by researchers at Kent State University found a link between heavy smartphone use and reduced fitness levels among university students.

Phone Potato

Phone Potato

Researchers Andrew Lepp and Jacob E. Barkley, associate professors in Kent State’s College of Education, Health and Human Services, found college students who reported the highest smartphone use – averaging 14 hours a day – were less fit than those who used the devices less often.

“There’s no ‘phone potato’ term, but maybe there should be,” Barkley said. “We’re just scratching the surface here. I don’t think they think about the consequences of sitting and playing with your phone.”

Well, that’s a whole new meaning for the term “Digital Diet”…

Read more here.

 

// Lior Frenkel

 

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

August 6, 2013

Posted under

Kids, The Future

Comments

1 Comment

How to control your kid’s smartphone addiction

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post. Michael Gilin is a husband, father, telecommunications professional and blogger at Maveze. Fascinated by social media, amazed by technology, thinks he has valuable things to say and loves to share his observations and opinions with the world. You can follow his blogs here and here.

Michael Gilin

Michael Gilin

No doubt we live in a super technological era. And it’s a blessing. It’s what drives all the mankind forward into the future. But in some way, as every coin has two sides, it’s also a curse. Technology is making our lives easier in many ways, but also turns us to be quite dependent on it. It is changing the way we live, influencing the way we behave, altering the way we think. And if by “we” I mean mostly iY, Y and even X generations. You can only imagine the implications it will have on our children.

When I was a 4 years old toddler (in the beginning of the 80s), the most sophisticated piece of technology we had was a black-and-white TV set with manual knob to change the channels and adjust the brightness.

 

Continue reading →

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

August 5, 2013

Posted under

Uncategorized

Comments

1 Comment

20% Are Using Smartphone During Sex

Looking at 1,102 participants, Jumio revealed that 9% of adults admit using their smartphone during sex. And 20% of adults between 18-34 admit to using it.

Other interesting numbers of smartphone use:

-35% in movie theater

-33% on dinner date

-32% at child’s school function

-55% while driving

-12% in the shower

-19% in church

Read more: http://www.jumio.com/2013/07/americans-cant-put-down-their-smartphones-even-during-sex/

Read more: http://newsfixnow.com/2013/07/15/online-dish-more-people-using-smartphones-during-sex/#ixzz2b4W6ZVOy