Mommy's Info Dose

There's a lot of buzz on the iPad and with all the ads and the marketing hype, you and your kids may all be craving for it. However, as mommies, we have to engage in 'wise buying' so Mommy's InfoDose is offering you tips on some alternatives to Job's baby. First of which is Notion Ink's ADAM developed in India. It's yet to be released since its developers have some testing to do with the gadget's Flash compatibility but they assume it will be available by July this year.

A research published in “Stroke”, a journal of the American Heart Association (AHA), noted that women can significantly lower their risk of getting a stroke if they brisk walk at least two hours every week – that’s roughly only 17 minutes every day! According to the study, women who are engaged in regular brisk walking lowers their risk of having stroke by as much as 37%, as compared to women who don’t. The research based on 12-year follow-up and monitoring by doctoral students at the Harvard School of Public Health involved 39,000 female health workers 45 or older.  Infodose thoughts: It’s nice to know that even ordinary activities can help us reduce the risk of having serious health problems that we can have in the future. Just a guide for mommies: The AHA recommends that we either do 2 1/2 hours a week of moderate-intensity activities like brisk walking, running, aerobics, or we do a more vigorous set of exercises for 75 minutes.

A new study shows that there is a link between drinking alcohol and developing breast disease. Researchers discovered that those who drank alcohol for six days in a week are five times more likely to develop a benign breast disease just a few years after. These breast diseases may be in the form of irregular cysts, breast discomfort, sensitive nipples, and itching. Frequent drinking can also lead to development of cancerous hard lumps. The research, which was made among 6,900 women aged 16-23, was conducted by researchers from Harvard Medical School, led by Catherine Berkey.  Infodose thoughts: Though a lot of moms may not agree with me, I guess drinking alcohol (and trying to smoke) is part of being a teen. Teenagers love trying out things – especially those that you tell them not to. In general, I think it is okay to let your kids experiment, just don’t let them overdo their experimentation – especially with regards to drinking alcohol and other risky acts with irreversible c

Based on a recent study conducted by British researchers from Aberdeen University , women who have taken pills have longer lives compared to women who didn’t. In addition to that, they are also less likely to die from cancer and heart problems. The study showed that women who used oral contraception had a significantly lower rate of death resulting from any cause as compared with women who had never taken it. They also noted that there is no link between pills and an increased long-term risk of dying young. These results were reaped from a 40-year study on about 46,000 women. However, the researchers said that their conclusions may only be true for those who took older-style pills.

Dr. Penelope Leach, Baby Care expert and author of several popular parenting books, claims that leaving a baby to cry without getting no response can put her at risk of getting a brain damage. She said that crying for long periods can increase the level of the stress hormone in the baby’s body. Such can then cause damage to the baby’s brain. Dr. Leach also appealed to mothers who believe that allowing the baby to cry alone for twenty minutes can help them develop a sleep pattern. Though very popular, the baby care expert firmly believes that it is unsafe. Furthermore, she notes that babies are still not capable of learning how to regulate their sleeping patterns. 

About 10 million vehicles are ditched every year – not worldwide, but in the United States alone. So I firmly suggest that if you want to buy a car, don’t just look on its style, speed, price, insurance quote, and stability. Step into the green side and do Mother Earth a big favor – look into the car’s recyclability (If only I had the money to buy one, I will too). To narrow down your choices, you can start looking at Ford. I’m not saying that only Ford offers recyclable cars. It’s just that I came across a news story noting that their announcement that 85 percent of each Ford vehicle made now is totally recyclable. All of you are probably aware that most car parts are really recycled and reused for decades now. However, Ford Motors claimed that apart from the typical recyclable car parts, they have been using sustainable raw materials or recycled materials for car components. These include (a) splash shields and engine covers made from post-consumer recycled plastics, (b) seat c

It’s time to check your work desk and file cabinets once more. Now, if you see a 3.5 inch floppy disk somewhere, I suggest you either throw it straight to the trash bag or if not, have it laminated, ready for future use/display at computer museums. Why? Because the days of this disk are finally numbered! A month ago, Sony actually discontinued sales of the floppies to its international market – except for India and a few other countries. In fact, the company already stopped producing floppy discs September last year.  Last week, Sony announced that they will also end Japanese sales of the 3.5 inch floppy disk by March next year. Now, that’s an official death sentence to this ‘antique’ file storage which has been around for almost 30 years now. My verdict: “At last!” After all, it seems that Sony is among the last to let go of the floppies which were slowly driven to extinction by the existence of CDs, DVDs, USB drives, and external hard drives. Among the first to bid farewell wer

I don't know about you but when I so love an actor, I make it a point to watch all of his movies. If he's in the movie, then it's a must-watch for me. That's the case with me and Johnny Depp and Will Smith :) and apparently, my persistent fascination with Smith has also convinced me that having ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) isn't really a bad thing. Why? Because he has it. He admits that he had trouble paying attention when he was young. More so, he says that reading was a task a bit difficult for him. Joining Smith is one of my favorite comedians - Jim Carrey (though Adam Sandler comes first). They say that his zany antics were caused by his ADHD. The pop singer Justin Timberlake also admits that he has ADD mixed with OCD and even Paris Hilton (yes, that blonde, rich, sexy socialite) revealed in an interview that she is trying to manage the ADHD she was diagnosed with when she was 12. Last but not the least, the Deal or No Deal host Howie Man

When picking a monitor for your pc, power efficiency should be one of your priorities.  Though most brands will carry tags indicating their product’s power efficiency rate, it’s better if you understand how things really work with regards to monitors and saving power.               LCDs consume less than CRT monitors.               The brigthness level of the monitor indicates how much power the monitor will use. The brighter it is, the more energy it will consume.               However, do not forget that the larger the screen, the greater power it will need too. Let me repeat that third note - the bigger the monitor is, the more power it will consume. But then, who wants a small monitor really? When you want to watch stuff on your comp, read files, create graphic images, and play role-playing games, wouldn’t it suck if you had to limit your sight range to 14 inches?  I’m actually quite happy that Cnet has listed Top 5 energy-saving monitors over 22 inches instead of the just th

Bad breath or halitosis is usually caused by poor dental hygiene and by eating the wrong diet. However, if you have these things in order and you still can’t get rid of that stink, then you ought to have yourself checked right away because bad breath can just be a symptom of a serious health condition. Here are some of the culprits behind a persistent breath stink… a.       Periodontal disease or the inflammation of the gums can give you bad breath. If left untreated, these can lead to serious tooth and bone damage. b.      Chronic irritation of parts of the digestive system such as the esophagus and the stomach can also cause bad breath. c.       Xerostomia or dry mouth caused by gland problems and medications can also cause microbial growth inside the mouth, thus the development of bad breath too. d.      Ketoacidosis caused by low calorie but high protein diets can also lead to stinky breath. e.      Furthermore, some respiratory conditions, kidney and liver disease, and autoim

Last year, 'rumor' has it that Microsoft will be launching the "Courier". This tablet has two screens capable of folding like a book. Based on net buzz,  it will resemble a 5 x 7 'netbook', only thinner at less than an inch thick and lighter as it will only weigh roughly a pound. Tech sources also noted that though it will carry a different user interface, it will have the same operating system core as Windows Phone 7. Like any reliable PC tablet,  it will have a web browser, email software, an address book, to-do list and calendar. The first plan is that it will just serve as a mobile organizer. However, there are news that Microsoft now plans to make it a general purpose computer now.  Still based on the original plan, sources note that it will have an e-book software - much like an eReader to access the e-book store application which is also included on the device. The Courier will also have a built-in camera and headphone jack. It will be released so

The “purported”  Apple iPhone 4G – which is yet to be released – fell into the hands of Gizmodo (though Engadget also has photos of it ) – and so, all this buzz about the new gadget has enveloped the World Wide Web much faster than the Iceland volcano ash cloud will reach North America. Joining in the fun, InfoDose has taken note of some of its new features you may be interested in. It has two cameras – the regular camera at the back (with lens larger than that of the iPhone 3GS) and a front-facing camera for video chat. It also has a camera flash. It uses Micro-SIM like the iPad. Its buttons are metallic (power, mute, and volume control) and it has split buttons for volume. The back is flat and made of ceramic shiny plastic and it has an aluminum border for phone outline. It uses the new OS 4.0. This means that it has several new features like multitasking, folders, unified email access, iBooks, and more.  It measures 4.50 by 2.31 by 0.37 inches and weighs 140 grams (so it is

Hard work pays off – but so does ligation or vasectomy. In North Carolina, a charity group offers cash incentives - $200 to be specific - to women drug addicts who undergo sterilization or other permanent birth control techniques. The group ‘Project Prevention’ founded by Barbara Harris aims to reduce the number of substance-exposed births to zero. They also want to prevent drug addicts from having children that they won’t be able care for. Since 1997, Project Prevention has already worked with 3,371 addicts in the United States, and 1,253 of them opted for tubal ligations or vasectomies. Perhaps this is also a good solution to over population in the Philippines, right? Maybe if there were cash incentives for birth spacing, use of contraceptives, and limit to the number of children, we will no longer have to worry about overpopulation in the country.

Based on a new study conducted by a team of Scottish researchers, acute lower-respiratory tract infections caused by the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes death to about 200,000 children (under 5 years of age) every year. This conclusion resulted from the analysis of 33.8 million new episodes of RSV-associated acute lower-respiratory tract infections in 2005, among children under age 5. Among these children, about 199,000 died and 99% of these deaths occurred in developing countries. As such, the researchers are calling for the development of new prevention techniques and treatment strategies for infections caused by RSV. RSV is the virus that causes infection in the lungs and small airways. When infected, infants are at a high risk of developing bronchiolitis and pneumonia. The alarming fact is that almost all children around the globe become infected with RSV before their second birthday. It easily spreads through physical contact such as touching, kissing, hugging, and s

Apple Macs and PCs don't differ much these days. PCs are becoming to look much like reinvented Macs and Mac uses Intel Processors - just like PCs. Despite the likeness however, competition remains tougher than ever. To give you an overview of how fierce the laptop fight is, here's a comparison between two of most loved (and desired) laptops around the globe - Apple Macbook Pro and Dell Studio XPS. One of the major differences you should look into is that in processors. Dell runs in quad-core Core i7 while the Apple has a dual-core i7. However, do take note that Apple has 2.66 GHz while the Dell processor speed remains at 1.6 only for each core. The difference in processor speeds actually almost levels out the core counts. Also, the Pro has CPU-integrated Intel graphics so it can switch between Intel and Nvidia discrete graphics, resulting to longer battery life. In favor of the Dell however, it is packed with a Blu-ray optical drive plus a 3G modem which the MacBook lac

Move over Kindle. According to Gizmodo, Barnes & Nobles will be releasing two new versions of their award-winning e-book reader - the NOOK - later this year. There are no details about the supposed Nook 2 yet but they've noted that the "Nook Lite" will be Wi-Fi-only.

Adobe released Creative Suite 5 last week, yet that was not the biggest news during a Fox Business interview of Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen. Apparently, what caught everybody's attention was his announcement that Adobe Flash 10.1 in Android, WebOS, and BlackBerry versions will already be available midyear. He also noted that Flash will come to Tablets which run on Android and Chrome OS soon.