NEW IDEAS AND TRENDS (old)

Like a scene out of the Sopranos, the Microsoft family might be setting their targets on an area of the search engine arena that has the greatest potential of becoming monetized..."local search!" If they are successful, "Bada Bing" they are back in the big leagues, bucking the Don of Search...Google, itself!

A bookcase tells your story... who you are... who you became after your genetics determined your hair and eye color. In MYDNA, Mexican designer Joel Escalon has designed an altar-like DNA strand that lets you tell your own unique story through the things you love -- your personal treasures and the books, music, and movies that entertain or inspire you.

Patients afflicted with epilepsy always desperately need new, effective and reasonably priced anti-convulsants. Scientists from the Novosibirsk Institute of Organic Chemistry (Siberian branch of Russian Academy of Sciences) are currently developing less toxic and cheaper drugs to treat the disease. Read on for more information on a very serious subject.

"March madness" was tame compared to the excitement generated by the Luxury Pet Pavilion Show in Los Angeles, a few weeks ago. The exhibitors were luxury dog product companies and dogs themselves, dressed to the nines, walking the famous Pavilion red carpet. Three contests were the highlights of the event: Best Dressed Dog, Best Booth, and Best New Product.

A student at Monash University in Australia has designed and fully prototyped the Boomer, for all of us up-and-coming mobility aid seekers. Designer Daniel Molloy has won the recognition of the Australian Design Award committee, which selected Boomer as one of 13 finalists in its student award competition. The Boomer's futuristic styling and lightweight manufacturing technique make it more bearable to think about moving into a walker... but its safety aspects may cinch the case.

In the case of so many things appearances are everything, although who would have thought this would ever apply to a nation’s security? Perhaps the Russian army is correct and power truly is, like beauty, in the eye of the beholder? Still, wonder and read on before you decide to throw down the gauntlet.

Dima Loginoff is not shy about expressing sensuality in his designs, thankfully so. Indulgence may be the most sensual of his works yet. Unlike chair designs that easily satisfy the eye but not the body, Indulgence is not just visually appealing with its robust, Rubenesque, fluid hollows and curvaceous peaks; Indulgence is viscerally satisfying. It calls on you to sit and indulge.

In recognition of its leadership, quality products, and service, the OCZ Technology Group's DIY Laptop Program has just won the Intel® Mobile Innovation of the Year. A computer memory developer, OCZ Technology Group launched its DIY Laptop Program just a year ago to respond to demand rom gamers and hardware enthusiasts.

The LoJo™ is the first product to be launched by the design team of Bang Creations, a design studio formed by a pair of design engineers who met at engineering school, went their separate ways, and then met again while at Hasbro... he, designing boy toys and she, girl toys. Now, they're married with children and a lot of customers for their new LoJos.

It won't replace good diet and an exercise routine, but it can do the work of  five other pills to ward off heart disease and other life threatening diseases caused by high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Yet, not so fast...

IMM Living has just come out with its new catalog of neat stuff. This time I found a pair of glasses called Four Eyes designed by Willie Tsang for nerds and nerd wanna-be’s. The thing about Four Eyes is they actually give you what you've always wanted... a photographic memory!

The mining of raw materials in Russia has up to now been an activity limited to times when outside temperatures are significantly above the freezing point. This is a feature shared with other countries like Russia that suffer from severe climactic conditions. Now that’s all changed as Russian scientists introduce a new phenomenon known as “high output technology,” which provides a new method for mining water-bearing deposits. Read on for more details.

If you're familiar with "Little Shop of Horrors," the successful Broadway Show and rock musical, then you remember how the nerdy florist tended to Audrey II, his demanding plant with a ravenous appetite. The refrain "Feed Me" that became more and more pronounced as the plot progressed might give one a little insight as to how our lives might change if our plants could Twitter?

No recession for dogs... I tell ya! It's just a bunny a minute out there for the lucky dogs getting dressed up for Easter. This year's fashions include bold and bodacious sweaters for dogs this spring, and classic, more regal dresses for females with lots of emphasis on fabric details...and I'd have to say they're even more beautiful than last season's. My top 10 picks for Easter, with the exception of one (I hope) can be worn all spring, until it's time for bikinis.

Fleur de sel caramel, Madras Curry Cashew, Chipotle Caramel Almond are three of the eight current popcorn flavors offered by 479°, and it's likely you won't be woofing these kernals down by the handful. 479° is gourmet gourmet popcorn, meant to be savored just like those designer chocolate truffles.

Following your favorite celebrity on Twitter? Maybe not! While the whole world is a 'twitterin'...was it any wonder that a certain level of the elite twitterati would eventually find a way to game the system. The latest trend a foot is "Ghost Twittering." The term was coined to describe when someone, usually a celebrity, politician, sport figure or a corporate brand pays another person or persons to update their Twitter account on their behalf. The use of ghostwriters has been around in the literary world since literature was first penned. Now,it appears it is prevalent in Twitterdom as well. But, while it may make sense for our busy world leaders to farm out their tweets, when celebrities engage in this practice it really seems to be defeating the purpose.

Animals, sea creatures, birds, and insects all have different kinds of hunting and swarming behaviors that they employ in groups whenever necessary. These behaviors are now being studied by a project called HUNT, sponsored by the U.S. Office of Naval Research. Wait until you see what HUNT stands for....

Replica fashions based on clothing seen in movies have been sold in stores all over the world. Now, a new DIY fashion business, Lucky Seven, allows cult movie and TV show fans to create their own caps based on the fictional brands made famous by film.

As a blog reader, surely you know about the significance of using Wikipedia links.  The user-generated information resource has become a staple of online research, and sometimes reading Wiki articles is just plain fun.  Wikirank is a new service that displays all of the current trends on Wikipedia, such as most viewed pages of the month, trending topics, and lets you search throughout them to get all the info you need.