Is “Text Speak” The Wave Of The Future?

“Text-speak” — the cell phone text message language beloved of teenagers and celebrities (I’m talking about you Paris Hilton)–is the talk of the town in Wellington, New Zealand. High school students there will now be able to use “text-speak” on national exams this year. But not everyone is happy with the move. In fact, the decision to allow text speak (which for many teens is a second language of sorts) in the realm of education has divided students and educators who fear it could damage the English language. For all of you non-texters–text-speak uses abbreviated words and phrases such as … Continue reading →

Fashion Forward—A Musical T-Shirt

How many times have you caught your husband or boyfriend making like a rock star in front of the bathroom mirror? You know, strumming an imaginary air guitar and mouthing the words to “Bang Your Head?” If you have lost count of the number of times a day the aforementioned scenario occurs, then you and your beloved will be overjoyed to know that scientists just announced today that they have developed a high-tech T-shirt that turns the strumming of an air guitar into music. (This could be a good or bad thing depending on how intense your spouse it about … Continue reading →

Interesting Innovations

There’s the anti-spill water bowl for dogs that is designed for traveling, the e-Lation electric bike conversion kit, which turns a standard bicycle into an electric one while maintaining all the bike’s gears, and the Universal Tile Ventilator, a new type of roof tile that allows ventilation and heat to exit the roof space when there is no breeze through natural convection flow… interesting innovations are born everyday, but only a very small fraction of the creative (and sometimes crazy) creations go on to become household names. YouTube, the video-sharing website, happens to be one of them. Believe it or … Continue reading →

Eyelash Implants

In a previous blog I wrote about a new procedure that claimed it would allow you to get rid of your mascara forever. Eyelash extensions plumped up your lashes without the pain of going under the knife. Well, if you thought that was inviting this next procedure could take your lashes to a whole new level. If you think you’ve seen it all when it comes to cosmetic surgery think again. Introducing… eyelash transplant surgery. Studies show it is the new must-have procedure for women — and the occasional man – looking to extend their lashes in an unconventional manner. … Continue reading →

The Invention That Has People Smiling–Or How To Look Skinnier In Pictures

The holidays are coming… the holidays are coming… time to grab those cameras and all those friends and relatives who flee at the sight of a photographic device while whining: “Don’t take my picture I look fat.” (I’m guilty of letting the phrase slip from my lips as well, though I am usually the one holding the camera trying to wrangle loved ones together so my daughter has documented proof that they exist long after they fly back to their respective homes—but I digress.) Let’s face it; there aren’t very many people who like the way they look in pictures. … Continue reading →

A New Invention That Helps You Spy On Your Nanny

I have never hired a nanny, but I have been hired as one several times, so when I heard about this new nanny invention I was quite intrigued. In a previous blog I wrote about the ingenious individual who came up with the idea to turn a suitcase into a stroller, but the mom who designed this new stroller license plate is worthy of a few headlines herself. Are you familiar with the signs trucking companies’ display on their vehicles, which ask the public to report unsafe drivers? Well, now you can put a license plate on your baby’s stroller … Continue reading →

Internet Romance: More and More The Trend

The Internet is here to stay in more ways than one. Not only is it a primary source of information for consumers, students and researchers, it has also become a new way for finding one’s “cyber soul mate.” I myself know of one couple (second marriage for them both) that found themselves and each other through an online dating service. In their particular cases, it was E-Harmony that matched them up, (http://www.Eharmony.com, but there are many such sites on the Internet today awaiting to pair single people up with each other. Do they do a good job? Overall, I would … Continue reading →

All About SPAM

Whether you eat it or not, SPAM is a part of our pop culture. When I was growing up, you knew what SPAM was – a mystery meat that came in a can, but still managed to taste good. SPAM was born in 1937 and was originally called Hormel Spiced Ham. Kenneth Daigneau placed the entry “SPAM” in a contest to rename the product and the rest is history. You may be wondering…what exactly is SPAM? According to Hormel’s web page, it is a mixture of chopped pork shoulder with ham added, salt, water, sugar, and sodium nitrite. It doesn’t … Continue reading →

Wedding Videos: A Costly, Priceless Memoir

Wedding albums seem to be on their way out of standard wedding protocol, and videos are in. How did this happen and why? Well, with all the technological advances available today, memories are going the way of all things, namely digital. A wedding is a special day to be sure, and with a wedding video, the bride and groom and their happiness are the stars of their own moving picture show. While a photograph certainly captures specific moments, like toasts and kisses and the like, it is not the same as actually reliving, moment by moment, the hours minutes and … Continue reading →

The New Sport: Cyberathletics

Our computer-oriented culture has triggered many innovations in our modern cosmos, but probably none more unlikely and unexpected than the evolution over the last few years of a new sport. Cyber-athletics, as it is called, developed from the ashes of the simpler video games of yesteryear and now maintains a huge following and sub-culture throughout the world. For a twenty-four year old man from Kansas, who has chosen this sport to be the source of his bread and butter, it is likely that he will earn more bread and more butter than he will ever consume in four lifetimes! Jonathan … Continue reading →