Have you ever noticed how some gadgets are so easy to use that you can’t figure them out?

Koi Pond HD is a 99-cent app that turns your iPad screen into a fish pond, where every tap makes a splash or scares fish. Designed for ages 3 and up, it’s a great first app for anyone. So I fired it up on my iPad, and handed the tablet to my 84-year-old father-in-law for what I hoped would be his first, no-fail iPad experience.

“Now don’t spill this,” I joked, pretending to balance the virtual puddle as I passed it to him.

“I broke it,” he said a few seconds later. “How on Earth could you break it?” I thought. it turns out his trouser leg had brushed against the sleep/wake button, causing the pond to disappear.

I took the iPad back for a different approach. this time, I cut up a regular white mailing label and used it to mark the important controls. I returned the iPad to him, and gave him a 15-second tutorial. the curriculum consisted of where to find the home button, which I had labeled “Change Apps,” the sleep button, which I had labeled “On/Off,”  and the confusing volume controls. my goal was to give him some iPad training wheels.

I had used this technique in the past with preschoolers, and, much to my delight, it also worked for my father-in-law. He soon stumbled into my classical music playlist, and marveled at the clarity of the iPad’s internal speakers. “I love this thing!” he proclaimed, to the sounds of Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition.”

If you want to set up training wheels, here are some tips on how to do so.

STEP 1. Label the buttons.

STEP 2. use Spotlight search. if you have more than a dozen apps on your iPad, you’ve undoubtedly noticed how hard it is to find things. but you can program your Home button so that a double click goes right to search, just as it would with Google. (You can also swipe to do the same thing.) Here’s how: Go to Settings, General, and look for the “Double-Click the Home Button” option. Select Search. you can also set the level of detail of the search, just in case you don’t want things like your contact list to be included in the search results. Now, a quick double tap lets you find apps by typing short sections of the title.

<a href="http://gadgetwise.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/29/training-wheels-for-your-ipad/?src=buslntag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://gadgetwise.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/29/training-wheels-for-your-ipad/?src=buslnThu, 29 Jul 2010 18:33:25 GMT 00:00″>Training Wheels for Your iPad – Gadgetwise Blog – NYTimes.com

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If you ever have trouble sleeping and mention that you’re considering taking sleeping pills, someone invariably asks if you’ve considered natural sleep remedies. Your friends are probably just concerned about your health and welfare, and they want to make sure you’ve considered gentler alternatives to prescription medicines. however, if you’re anything like me, you may view alternative medicine with a healthy dose of skepticism. after all, do these herbs and flowers really work? You might be surprised to find that many natural sleep remedies have actually faced rigorous clinical test methods. Let’s see what researchers found out.

Most natural sleep aids fall into the broad categories of either supplements, teas, or essential oils. Valerian is one of the strongest natural sleep supplements and has probably been tested more often than the others. One of the more well-known studies compared the action of valerian with the sleep aid oxazepam. the results of the research showed that valerian was at least as effective as oxazepam, but was less likely to cause negative side effects. Score one for the natural remedies.

If you’ve ever wandered down the tea aisle in your local grocery store, you may have noticed some herbal tea with a sleepy bear on the box. this popular tea contains an ingredient called chamomile. this herb has been used for many years to calm anxiety and promote drowsiness. although many chamomile tea drinkers swear by the formulation, there have actually been no well-designed clinical trials. so we’re still waiting for the science to speak on the effectiveness of chamomile.

The essential oil lavender is often cited as promoting relaxation and sleep. the safest and most common way that lavender oil is used is to place a few drops on a cotton ball, and then put that cotton ball by your pillow at night. the aroma of lavender from this nearby source provides calming effects throughout the night. Scientific support for the effectiveness of lavender is actually quite good. Lavender has performed well in several studies, including usage for geriatric and cancer patients.

Based on this quick review, it would appear that natural sleep remedies really do work. These alternative sleep aids, with their gentle effectiveness and long safety record, are a valid choice for anyone having trouble getting a good night’s sleep — even if you require a scientific stamp of approval on your medications.

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Do Natural Sleep Remedies Really Work?

Millions of people suffer from insomnia, it can may fall asleep when find yourself awake at night, throw, turn around and have a hard time going back to sleep can be so exhausting. Stress can lead to that you suffer from sleep problems, poor diet and your lifestyle. Many do not know, but the type of food you eat depends on the type of sleep you get.

Men and Women suffer from this medical condition, but women suffer more because of menopause, pregnancy and menstruation.

Sleep is very important to our health, not getting enough sleep can cause illness, medical conditions and change the look by growing signs of aging, causing the eye bag, dark circles and lack of concentration. Tired all the time is no picnic. Here are some tips on how to get a good night's sleep.

no coffee before bedtime all know that caffeine keeps you going. If you drink coffee do it way before bedtime because it may take up to 6 to 8 hours for caffeine to leave the system.

Try to avoid go to sleep after eating large meals, they can make you sleepy which will get you to take a nap, so try to stay awake so it will not interfere with night sleep.

A sleepy hormone called melatonin your body produces is also in the food you eat. Scientists have discovered the hormone in food such as rice, oats, corn, ginger, bananas, and barley, "said Russell Reiter, PhD, of cellular and structural biology and author of Melatonin: your body's natural wonder Drug.

Lack of nutrition and vitamins can affect the sleep cycle as well. the better the diet is all the greater your sleep will be. Studies have shown that people who do not get enough copper and iron in the diet has a longer time to fall asleep. Shellfish have a lot of iron in it, eat about 20 small steamed scallops, for example, would provide 25 milligrams of iron or 139 percent of the daily value

A sleep called Oxy Sleep if other methods are not convenient for you. It is a totally natural sleep aid that gives your brain hormones it needs for you to fall asleep and stay that way all night without tossing and turning. It has ingredients that combat insomnia, so that the sand man can do his job. This sleep relive the stress and anxiety.

Drinking a cup of chamomile tea before bedtime relaxes you prepare the virtual body for sleep, warm milk also has a calming effect on the brain.

Magnesium is another mineral that is essential for good sleep. having low levels of it stimulates the brain neurotransmitters, which leads to over stimulation of the brain. Foods that contain this mineral is pinto and navy beans, green leafy vegetables like spinach, Swiss Chard, soy beans, pumpkin seeds, wheat germ and almonds.

Vitamin B is also important when it comes to diet. There have tryptophan, found in foods turkey and dairy products. It helps the brain to relax and sleep. when we eat, it pulls blood into the digestive tract and away from the brain, which then leads to the getting sleepy.

Avoid drinking alcohol before going to bed, but it can make you pass out that makes you wake during the night so just as alcohol plays with your mind and your body. Chocolate interrupt the sleep cycle, but only eat it before bedtime.

If you find yourself suffering from insomnia because of regular urination at night may be a prostate condition when it comes to men, wake up to use the bathroom is the most common when it comes to up during the night. For women it may be a bladder condition or urine respiratory tract infection. If you have prostate problems getting a prostate health supplement that promote prostate health is very crucial for your health it can prevent cancer and other medical conditions. href = "http://mhlnk.com/276E7709"> Prostacet provides a comprehensive mix of vitamins and herbs that protect your body for better health.

Thinking Tip: If you take drugs till the side effects, some drugs are guilty of insomnia.

About the Author

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Foods That Help Fight Insomnia