Creating PowerPoints with more Oomph

I was reading posts on the Free Technology for Teachers site and came across a way to make your PowerPoints a little more exciting.  This intrigues me because I am trying to incorporate more PowerPoints into my teaching and requiring my students to give more presentations.  Oomfo is a free add-on to Microsoft PowerPoints.  It allows you to insert animated charts and graphs.  There is a video that shows a quick demonstration...if your into PowerPoints it might be worth checking out :)

Google Internet Traffic

CNN Tech released a report that Google traffic accounts for 6.4% of all internet traffic.  This is a new record.  It has gained more than 1% internet share since January.  There is only one other global ISP that handles more (but the article did not mention which one).  The article also mentions how Googles share could be a little more (8-12%) if you look at traffic offloaded by Google Global Cache deployments.  Internet traffic is also growing at a rate of 40-45% each year. 

Halloween candy often picked off by parents

Since Halloween is just around the corner, I found this article very fitting.  According to USA Today and author Nanci Hellmich, Halloween is the biggest time of the year for eating candy.  Approximately 5% of candy that is consumed for the year occurs on Halloween and the week following Halloween.  What is even more interesting is that parents eat one candy bar for every two the child(ren) bring(s) home.  Most of the snack size candy bars contain 60 - 80 calories each.  Eating many of these can cause people extra weight gain.  If you find yourself not able to resist, it is recommended to give candy away to a senior center as treats or not give away your favorite candy to trick-or-treaters (that way you won't be tempted by the candy in your basket).

Cholera Outbreak

There has been a suspected Cholera outbreak in Haiti.  At least 135 people are dead.  According to ABC News, the outbreak has occurred in rural Artibonite, which is the home of thousands of earthquake refugees.  "Cholera is a waterborne bacterial infection spread through contaminated water. It causes severe diarrhea and vomiting that can lead to dehydration and death within hours. Treatment involves administering a salt and sugar-based rehydration serum."

Internet Bullying

This is a great topic/poll on Edutopia.  I see bullying all the time at the middle school level.  Kids are really cruel at this age.  This is one reason I like to teach this age level...hopefully I can make a difference and all kids can see how important and special they are.  But, is bullying happening more now that kids can be masked behind the computer?

Tylenol Product Recalled

For those of you who follow products that are recalled, you may be interested in this, especially because it is from the makers of Tylenol.  Tylenol 8-hr. caplets in 50 count have been recalled due to musty or moldy odor.  They say adverse medical events are remote.  This was found on CNN.com.