Carving the perfect pumpkin?

The seeds and pulp leave a slippery mess, and there’s always pressure to design the spookiest pumpkin on the block.

For those who don’t want to bother with the timeless Halloween custom, there is a modern solution: stick an iPad in the window instead.

In a world where there are apps for everything, the tradition of pumpkin-carving has indeed gone digital.

It’s as simple as downloading an app like “Carve-a-Pumpkin.” Most are free or available for a small price and allow users to select a virtual pumpkin to carve freehand or from a series of pre-made designs.

When completed, it can be shared as a photo, e-mail or on the Internet via Facebook or Twitter. And, yes, some people opt to display their glowing electronic handiwork for Trick-or-Treaters to see.

“Instead of something rotting on your doorstep, you can actually create an infinite amount of designs,” said Scott Steinberg, the U.S.-based author of The Modern Parents Guide series and a frequent commentator on technology trends.

The apps are touted as a fun activity for small children — a safer way for little hands to “carve” a Jack-’o-lantern than with a butcher knife.

The technology comes as kids and even toddlers are increasingly accustomed to tapping on Mommy’s cellphone or Daddy’s tablet.

“We’re entering what I call ‘Generation Tech.’ These are the kids whose first word is literally ‘iPad.’ By the time they are two years old, they are used to interacting with smartphones and tablets,” said Steinberg.

When it comes to Halloween, the apps don’t end there. Technophiles can use their computers and phones to locate a haunted house or find out what their face looks like “zombified.”

There’s even “geo-location” apps for parents to track their little ghost or goblin as they trick or treat.

One such product, dubbed “Trick or Tracker,” keeps mom and dad updated on their child’s whereabouts as they traipse the neighbourhood on the spookiest night of the year.

The parent selects an interval of time — say, 10 or 15 minutes — and receives a text message with location details as each interval passes.

The app is billed as a way to offer peace of mind for the parents of older children who may be on their own for the first time.

“Technology is shaping all aspects of our culture — even Halloween,” said William Burkleitner, editor of the Children’s Technology Review.

“The apps are just one more way to play with the theme of ghosts and scary things.”

But some, like culture and communications professor Maria Bakardjieva, can’t help but wonder if the technology comes at a cost to children raised on apps and the latest gizmos.

The University of Calgary instructor is quick to say that she doesn’t view an iPad app as “a big monster that will steal the spirit of Halloween.”

But she disagrees with the notion that it’s a better experience for a child to create a digital pumpkin rather than physically dig into a sticky, pulpy gourd.

“There are things in life we have to teach children to do with their hands and bodies. You can’t bury them into the virtual world: they need to develop skills in different areas and contexts,” said Bakardjieva.

Meanwhile, police caution that the existence of things like geo-location apps can sometimes lull parents into a false sense of security.

“Don’t rely 100 per cent on technology,” said Calgary Police Services Const. Kathy Macdonald. “You still have to give your kids lots of practical tips that have worked in the real world since people started to go out trick or treating.”

That includes planning your child’s itinerary in advance, making sure they don’t wear masks that obscure their eyesight and equipping them with a flashlight, whether it’s the traditional kind or something like an iTorch, according to Macdonald.

It does raise the question: could a digital Jack-O-Lantern one day eclipse the humble orange fruit that has graced doorways on Oct. 31 for decades?