John Biggs

I live in Brooklyn, NY, and write about technology, security, gadgets, gear, wristwatches, and the Internet. After spending four years as an IT programmer, I switched gears and became a full-time journalist. My work has appeared in the New York Times, Laptop, PC Upgrade, Surge, Gizmodo, Men's Health, InSync, Linux Journal, Popular Science, Sync, and I've written a book called Black Hat: Misfits, Criminals, and Scammers in the Internet Age. You cand find more about me at BigWideLogic.com.

Headshot by SharonaPhoto.com.

also find John here:

John's Latest Posts

All the Rage
What's All the Fuss About Google Glass?

posted by John Biggs 9 hours ago in Technology

1 +SHARE

By now you may have heard about something called Google Glass. These things are arguably very cool -- they're a sort of "virtual reality" system for Google/Android devices that lets you speak commands and take pictures with a wink of your eye, and they're one of the hottest gadgets out there. But do they live up to the hype?
Read More
Inspiring
Disabled Children Without Hands Get Their Own Little Miracle Thanks to a Chance Friendship Online

posted by John Biggs May 12 at 11:27 AM in Technology

0 +SHARE

Technology is supposed to improve our lives. Here's a perfect example of that.

The Robohand project is an open source -- that is, free -- system for creating prosthetic hands for adults and children who have suffered an amputation or were born with no fingers at all.
Read More
How Do You Talk to Your Kids About All the Bad News in the World?

posted by John Biggs April 23 at 6:46 PM in Big Kid

2 +SHARE

My wife's clock radio starts blaring at 6:30 every morning just as the kids are slowly stirring from their slumber. The news of the day is usually tame -- weather, politics, business -- but some mornings, it's all tragedy. Hours of it. Tragedy so plainly wrought that I wonder if I shouldn't throw the clock radio out the window.

So how do we talk to kids about this stuff? How do we hide the news when it comes at us from all angles? How do we keep a plugged-in generation in the dark? Should we?
Read More
What Is 'Crowdfunding' and How Can Moms Use It?

posted by John Biggs April 18 at 8:33 AM in Technology

0 +SHARE

Crowdfunding may seem too good to be true: you have a great idea, you create a web page, and a month later, you have enough money (hopefully) to bring your idea to fruition. For countless artists, writers, and filmmakers, sites like Kickstarter have let them do just that. Here are some tips and tricks for making a great crowdfunding request to get your amazing idea off the ground.

First, a little on crowdfunding. Kickstarter and Indiegogo are the two major crowdfunding platforms. Users can visit their pages and "pledge" amounts to get certain rewards, including products. Each reward should be an item -- a T-shirt, a movie, a video game -- and each product should be something people want. Most crowdfunding efforts compartmentalize rewards into different tiers and leave one "entry level" tier that includes a personal note or postcard from the creator.
Read More
'Facebook Home' Makes Your Regular Old Phone a 'Facebook Phone' & We Have All the Details

posted by John Biggs April 6 at 8:34 AM in Technology

1 +SHARE

Facebook recently announced something called Facebook Home, a program for Android phones that puts your social feed front and center on your device. What does that mean? Well, you can send Facebook messages, read Facebook feeds, and look at Facebook photos. In short, it turns your phone into a Facebook phone.

As Jan on The Brady Bunch might have said in exasperation if the show were on today: "Facebook, Facebook, Facebook!"

Here's what Home will mean to you.
Read More