Its tough being a mother when virtually everything is bad for you
Pregnant mothers who drink or even shower in tap water can double the risk of serious heart and brain abnormalities in their unborn babies, a study has suggested.

 
 German spys were feeling pretty safe at their Deutsche Telekom home until this happened
The allegations against German telecommunications giant Deutsche Telekom just keep on coming. German news service, Spiegel, has information that Telekom tracked journalists’ movements using mobile phone data. And the company may have hired ex-Stasi spies to help.

Is it real or virtual? Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain
Gartner defines a disruptive technology as one that causes major change in ‘the accepted way of doing things’, including business models, processes, revenue streams, industry dynamics and consumer behavior. Complete list after the jump.

 Even though virtual worlds are a fun place to hang out, they’re still not and effective business tool
New research from Gartner finds that nine out of 10 corporate attempts to use virtual worlds fail within the first 18 months. Virtual worlds could still play a vital role, however, in the future.

 
 The great national pastime - Picking on the fat kid
It’s known that exercise is a key factor leading to sustained weight loss. But, a new study says otherwise — physical activity has no impact on obese children and instead they should be encouraged to eat healthier.
Researchers studied 300 children over five years and found that […]

 
 Research now shows that watching Blues Clues makes children far more chimp-like
Human beings do not like to think of themselves as animals. It is thus with decidedly mixed feelings that we regard the frequent reports that activities once thought to be uniquely human are also performed by other species: chimpanzees who make and use tools, […]

The first rule of fight club: Don’t abuse the hot chicks
They wear trendy dresses, spend most of the time in front of the mirror, but contrary to conventional wisdom, teenage girls who consider themselves attractive are more likely to be the victims of emotionally damaging bullying - including being socially ostracized or having rumors spread […]

Being a millionaire isn’t even cool anymore. This guy need someone to help him dress
Nearly 10 million households in the US have a net worth of at least $1 million, excluding their primary residences, according to TNS’s “Affluent Market Research Program.”
The research company said the number of millionaire households increased by 5.9% from June 2006 […]

Paranoid about people reading your email?  You should be…
In its fifth annual study of outbound e-mail and data loss prevention issues, Proofpoint found that 41% of the largest companies surveyed (those with 20,000 or more employees) reported that they employ staff to read or otherwise analyze the contents of outbound e-mail. 22% of these companies […]

 Hmmm, perhaps all of their closets have finally filled up
A “Frank About Women” online survey found that US women are losing enthusiam for shopping and are spending less.
Few women—just 15% of those surveyed—said they found inspiration and ideas when shopping in a store. Only 16% said shopping provided an escape from the world and 12% […]

Warriors who are battling the empire overloads can’t be bothered
by the petty economic concerns of you mortals
Video game sales in the US were up 31% through April over 2007, according to NPD Group. “Grand Theft Auto IV,” which made $500 million in its opening week, was not released until April 29. NPD said […]

 
A person standing by the interstate in 2035 will see a truck pass them every 3.5 seconds
A recent report by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials predicts a tsunami of freight hitting U.S. shores by 2035 due in part to truck volumes approaching “staggering levels” on the Interstate Highway system.

For women, shopping should be an Olympic sport
Wealthy women were responsible for 64% of family buying decisions, according to a recent Luxury Institute survey of women in US households with $150,000 or more in annual income.

 Using your blood pressure as an excuse for listening to music.  Cool idea!
If your blood pressure is high, do not fret. Just breathe slowly, turn on some quiet, slow rhythmic music and watch your blood pressure tumble drastically.
According to researchers at the American Society of Hypertension’s 23rd Annual Scientific Meeting and Exposition (ASH 2008), patients […]

 
 While viewers are switching to online video, ad revenues are not
The Internet represents a valuable complementary distribution platform for television broadcasters and cable networks, but it is not a viable replacement, according to Convergence Consulting Group.

Judging body language, a key to most relationships, is missing online
An April 2008 Harris Interactive survey conducted on behalf of WooMe identified some problems with online dating and making a first impression on the Internet.
More than 70% of the single US online adults surveyed said flirting online was more difficult than in person.

 
Apparently baby have a way of sucking the arthritis out of their moms
Breastfeeding has unplanned benefits like protecting nursing mothers from rheumatoid arthritis, according to a new study.
The study found that women who had breastfed for 13 months or more were half as likely to get rheumatoid arthritis as those who had never breastfed. Those […]

 Drugs and alcohol are becoming a growing part of teenager sex lives
More and more teenagers in Europe are turning to alcohol and drugs to improve their sex lives, a new study has revealed.
Researchers questioned 1,341 young people in nine cities across Europe - a third of men aged 16 to 35 and a quarter of […]

This is what happens when you spend too much time online promoting your social network
Datamonitor forecasts that the number of social network users in Europe will more than double to 107.4 million in 2012, up from 41.7 million in 2007.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCxCXwL7g1c

Say “hello” to Mr. Robotic Poker Dealer
The iDeal automatic poker dealer gets rid of all your suspicions that the house is trying to cheat you. It uses infrared sensors, looking for bike reflectors mounted on stands, to determine how many players are at a table and ultrasonic detection to know how far to throw a […]

 
USPTO Commissioner John Doll talks abouts plans to expand the USPTO
Patent Hoteling Program at a recent DaVinci Institute event
As a solution to the US Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) difficulties in recruiting and retaining high caliber patent examiners and other critical personnel to move to the Washington, DC area, the agency has embraced a telework […]

 
 Online promotions account for 22% of overall interactive marketing spending
Spending on online promotions, including contests and coupons, will nearly triple to $22.8 billion by 2012 from $8 billion in 2007, according to Borrell Associates‘ “Online Promotions: The Big Shift” report.

 
 More changes ahead for the traditional newspaper industry
Newspapers seeking to compete with the Internet are likely to become free and place greater emphasis on comment and opinion in the future, a survey of the world’s editors showed on Tuesday.
The report, conducted by Zogby International for the World Editors Forum and Reuters, revealed that newspaper editors […]

 Commonly held stereotypes of women managers are proving incorrect
Women make better business leaders than men in all but two areas of management but men have the upper hand when it comes to focusing on the bottom line, according to an Australian survey released on Monday.
Data collected from 1,800 Australian female and male chief executive officers […]

 Are teens less interested in fashion, or just broke?
Year-to-year teen spending on fashion in the US declined nearly 20% in spring 2008, according to a recent Piper Jaffray survey.
Though fashion accounted for nearly 41% of surveyed teens’ budgets, Piper Jaffray noted this was low compared with previous years.