Thanks, Apple! (It’s About Time)

When Apple releases the iOS 11 operating system later this year, a long-awaited, life-saving feature will be included.  The new iPhone distracted driving mode, (actually called “Do Not Disturb While Driving”) will silence notifications while you’re driving, and auto-reply to text messages as well.

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The Viral Unicorn Frappe

No Starbucks drink has ever been as magical as the new Unicorn Frappuccino (at least marketing magic if nothing else).  In a matter of just a few days, it has swept the nation. Some praise the sugar-laden drink, and although it is okay to #treatyoself occasionally, the frappe has some valid criticisms too.

The color-changing, mango-based cream frappuccino with a layer of sour is evidently so difficult to make that Starbucks baristas are flipping out. But we don’t care how magical or stressful, no drink should ever cause you to drive distracted.

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TextNinja tackles a serious public safety concern in an innovative way.  Rather than view texting while driving through the lens of punishment and control, it creates positive incentives for people to alter their behavior through a phone app where drivers will earn points for successfully refraining from texting while driving.  It also automatically silences incoming texts and sends a customized reply message, which alerts your friends that you are driving and helps raise awareness about the dangers of texting and driving.  The app even has a Campaign feature that allows community organizations to share their story, motivate text-free driving, AND provide a working solution to their followers who already want to drive safely, while quantifying their efforts through a points system so they can see the effectiveness of their message.
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A wise man (Henry David Thoreau) once said, “What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.”  While this is true, it can be helpful (especially for young, habit-forming minds) to get something along the way to encourage a positive reaction to what they might become.  For instance, while becoming a safe driver is the ultimate goal, it might not seem that important or desirable to your teen.  But what if they’re getting paid to do it?!?

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Human Conditioning

Have you ever had a bad habit that you’ve conditioned yourself out of doing?

I recently lost my headphones for a month among the chaos of my home, and I stopped running because of it. Running is monotonous for me, so listening to music is the only way I bear it. I could only imagine the toil of running without headphones. Every second feels like 10, and every step is under a microscopic lens in my head. The sound of my foot against the pavement somehow gets louder as I get farther, nagging me to just give up. I lose things often, so I couldn’t justify buying another set right away. However, without headphones, I was practically paralyzed.
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