h/t Zonga
BASEL, Switzerland — Remember when toys were simple? A stuffed animal was just a stuffed animal, and the only data it collected was the occasional ketchup stain or grass mark from outdoor adventures. But in today’s digital age, your child’s favorite playmate might be secretly moonlighting as a miniature surveillance device, collecting data on everything from playtime habits to personal preferences.
Welcome to the brave new world of smart toys, where every playtime could be a potential privacy pitfall. An eye-opening new study by researchers from the University of Basel uncovers alarming shortcomings in the privacy and security features of popular smart toys, raising concerns about the safety of children’s personal information. read more
Buy them classic dumb toys like Tonka trucks, Lincoln logs, erector sets, Legos etc. that don’t require batteries or anything electronic to stimulate kid’s imaginations to build things. My son told me yesterday that he saw a store that still sold Red Ryder BB guns and that he thought about it for his son’s 3rd birthday the other day, I told him to wait until Holden is least 8 or 9. Holden’s middle name is Ryder, he was named after one of my son’s dogs and not the BB gun.
^^^Geoff,
Have your son buy the Red Ryder now, and put it away for a future b’day. If the DildoCrats get back into power, the Red Ryder may not be available later.
chemistry sets were always fun 🧨🔥, with responsible adult supervision of course.
And the perverts probably installed cameras inside the bath-tub rubber duckie.
Remember when Furbys were new, and the DOD (et al) banished them from military installations due to them POSSIBLY being able to collect and re-transmit secret information?
No longer a conspiracy theory, is it?
As Geoff said, give children simpler toys (age and maturity appropriate); decks of cards, board games, chess, checkers, bikes, toy trucks, Legos, etc. Banish anything that requires a battery.
Jellybean, Ernie singing rubber duckie, you’re so fun, you make bathtime lots of fun was an annoying earworm back in the day. If the rubber ducky had cameras and a microphone inside it would probably be a gay toy and play a constant loop pf YMCA by the Village People. There used to be a lot of fags hanging around YMCA’s, I was almost accosted by one once outside of the downtown San Diego YMCA when I first joined the Navy and was on my way to NAS Miramar and my first duty station and I was ready to fight this black queer, it so freaked me out because I had never experienced that before.
Chuckie shit is about to get real!
MY time is come!
https://youtu.be/EEcRq9iEfoo
I enjoyed my HO slot car set when I was young, I hope the toy makers haven’t ruined those.
Blocks, Lincoln Logs, Tinker Toys, Erector Set. Get your kids building things, preferably things that move or act in controllable ways when completed.
Light cardboard, construction paper, blunt scissors, masking tape, cotton string. Have your kids making their own toys.
We built forts and had dirt clod fights. Bottle rocket wars were great, too. All of us boys in the neighbor were always playing WWII and killing Japs or Krauts. BB gun battles were one of my favorites. That was when we stood up to tyranny, even as kids. Good times!
My buddy hit me with a dirt clod. During a truce!
Enraged, I picked up the first thing that cane to hand- a fair-sized pebble- and slung it in his direction.
There was no response for a while, so I began a flanking maneuver on his position.
He was lying on his back with his eyes rolled up. My shot was a direct hit- right between the eyes! (Served him right.)
He was knocked clean out.
I doused him with some ditch water, and he came to, though a bit groggy for a while.
That was about 55 years ago. Good times….
Imagine your childhood toy being called as an eyewitness in your trial for having sentiments at odds with government policy.