babies

In 1999, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a statement that discouraged electronic media use by children under the age of 2. Today, the same group is releasing a follow-up statement that not only maintains its previous recommendations, but backs them up with a great deal of data to boot.

In 1999, as display screens were making their way into parents' and children's bedrooms alike, the pediatricians had limited data with which to work. But they had something of an expert hunch that kids younger than 2 reaped more negative than positive effects from media exposure.

In today's … Read more

Every once in a while a hilarious idea is actually well executed. Mommy Tummy 8.0 out of the Kanagawa Institute of Technology in Japan is looking to be one of those.

The idea is that a pregnancy simulator might help a dude (or a lady who has yet to experience the joys of pregnancy) better empathize with pregnant women.

Even setting aside the obvious issue that the simulator wearer is not experiencing hormonal changes, and that he can take the simulator off at any point (oh, the freedom), there is something downright bizarre about a man who appears to be pregnant. (See video below.)

Get past the oddity and the Mommy Tummy 8.0 is actually an impressive little (and then rather suddenly big) gadget. It comprises a water bag, touch sensor, acceleration sensor, and fetal air actuator to simulate the growth, weight, and even movement of a fetus.… Read more

Too busy to keep up with the tech news? Here are some of the more interesting stories from CNET for Friday, August 26.

• As Hurricane Irene approaches and East Coast residents are on lock down, CNET offers up some of the best ways to track the storm online and even through smartphone apps.

• Apple has ditched the 99-cent video rental plan, which was offered through Apple TV and iTunes. Why? CNET's Greg Sandoval said, "The Hollywood studios and TV networks don't want another Netflix. Look around. They're trying to stuff that genie back into the bottle.&… Read more

2cute is a free, ad-supported app that lets you browse, download, and share images from the 2cute Web site--images that are empirically very cute (or as the app points out, in Japanese, "kawaii") of puppies, kittens, bunnies, and more. You can browse through large thumbnails of the pictures just by swiping left and right, and you can tap to rate, share, or download a normal or high-resolution version of the photo.

Flipping through the photos on 2cute is fun (with an occasional surprise, like a baby octopus or pygmy marmoset), and this app provides a great and easy … Read more

The success of Rovio's Angry Birds franchise is pushing creator Rovio into new areas of business, soon to include game-themed gear for babies.

Reuters reports that developer Rovio is planning a lineup of baby blankets and clothes made by SwaddleDesigns that will feature Angry Birds art.

The new offering will join Rovio's existing lineup of wearable merchandise, which includes flip flops, shoulder bags, and backpacks. The company also sells plush toys, iPhone cases, and stationary kits aimed at those in school.

The sales of products like these has turned into a big business for Rovio, with Reuters reporting sales of some 7 million Angry Birds toys since the company began offering them late last year. In an interview with the news outlet, Ville Heijari, Rovio's vice president of franchise development, said merchandise is "one of the fastest growing parts of the company."

Related: The unofficial Angry Birds bra … Read more

Some time ago, a friend sent me a YouTube link with no explanation. In fact, I'm pretty sure the e-mail didn't even have a subject. Once I clicked the link and started watching the video I realized why: how does one neatly describe the hilarity of a video in which a monkey forcibly rides a pig backward? Even better, the video's creator, Perry Gripp, wrote a silly song to go with the video. If you haven't seen it, the video is worth checking out for a good laugh, but be warned: the song will stick with … Read more

Since 2010, Facebook users have been able to list family members on their profiles. In February, the social-networking site added "in a civil union" or "in a domestic partnership" to its relationship status line.

Now, Facebook lets people announce that they are expecting through a status update that includes anticipated date of birth and name(s). (Being a twin, I am compelled to point out that some will be entering multiple babies/names.)

An obvious debate quickly ensued, and will likely rage for a good week or two before everyone forgets that there once was a time when such an option was unavailable.

Among the currently trending questions: Is this just another way for Facebook to add to its data pool? Is it at all appropriate to announce pregnancy (or adoption) online? Does this simply serve our growing ability to self-aggrandize? Et cetera.

Immediately after Facebook launched the feature, it was discovered that a technical glitch enabled pranksters to enter their Facebook friends' names as the expected children, but that has since been fixed.

Of course, the beauty of the system is that the user gets to decide whether to take advantage of the new status option. If you like it, use it. If you don't, then don't. And people can still let everyone know in their preferred way first, before releasing the news in one fell swoop via Facebook.… Read more

Anyone who's ever been around small children can tell you that they love to imitate Mom and Dad. If this tendency is endangering your computer with Junior's indiscriminate keyboard banging, Baby Kids Keyboard Free Edition might be the program for you. This simple software provides kid-friendly images and sounds while protecting your computer from potentially problematic keyboard inputs.

The program comes with five themes: the default theme (an assortment of random objects), cartoon animals, keyboard, piano, and an editable theme that you can customize. Each touch of the keyboard changes the image displayed and, depending on the theme, … Read more

The term "sudden infant death syndrome" is vague for a reason; it names the unexpected and inexplicable death of a child under age 1. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that roughly 2,500 babies in the U.S. alone die from SIDS each year.

While the cause of the syndrome remains unknown, researchers theorize that a big drop in heart rate precedes the death--which is why two students at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel have been busy working on a computer system that would sound an alarm should an infant's heart rate drop below a certain level.

Using what is described as a basic video camera with a home computer, the researchers added software which, while still being developed, actually monitors the baby's skin tone to detect a drop in pulse.… Read more