Mommy's Info Dose

Diamond engagement rings are ancient. If your wife-to-be is a blogger, a software developer, a writer, programmer, a twitter or Facebook addict, or someone who uses a pc for most part of her daily living, you might as well give her something she could use and flaunt everyday as a sign of your love for her – the most expensive optical mouse diamond in the face of the planet. This mouse from Pat Says Now costs $26,730 or just about PHP 1,246,503.83, a fair price to pay for getting a lovely lady to share a life-long adventure with you and to be the mommy of your kids. The topside and keys of this precious computer accessory are in 18-carat white gold and 59 diamonds weighing 2 carats. This engagement mouse is made-to-order and the good news is that you can personalize the diamond patterns on it – for an extra fee of course. Infodose thoughts: If you are already married, don’t fret mommy. You can encourage your hubby to buy this luxury mouse for you as an anniversary gift or a birthda...

Skype Beta 5.0 for Windows is now available for test drive. Have you tried it already? It has brought to reality one of the most highly requested video call feature – 5-way group video calls. This means that you can call up to four of your friends simultaneously and their live videos will all appear on your screen – and on their screens. Note however that this new feature only works with Skype Beta 5.0. So if you and your friends would like to try it, all of you should have this version of Skype. The good news is that once you make the call, the five of you will be able to see and hear each other.  The new Skype also boasts of a ‘redesigned’ calling experience, improved browser plug-in and an improved gallery of video snapshots to set your mood. Also, this version does not support Windows 2000. To give this version a try, click here . Infodose thoughts: If this version of Skype works properly, then it would be a must-have. For the purpose of having a daily or weekly virtual fa...

Meet the future landline phone – The WIPI Phone. Yes, WIPI. On its back, it has an ethernet jack, usb jack, and power jack for optimum connectivity and media transfers.  Upfront, there’s a touch screen display, a number pad, and a time display. And here’s the big surprise – it has video screen and a video camera so you can do video conferences via your new landline. The WIPI Phone is also perfect for display – on your desk, on your headboard, and on the kitchen table. The design is superbly stylish. Look how slim and sleek it is! And the stand just makes it seem like a laptop.  There’s a handle on the top too. Unfortunately, it’s still not up for grabs. It’s a design by Ku Bon-Seop from YankoDesign.com. Let’s just all wish that Samsung or some other brand can make this concept a reality soon. Infodose thoughts: Mommies would love this. This would perfectly fit any futuristic living room or bedroom setup. Also, with this at hand, teens may find a reason why they could stay...

Who doesn't want to win some cash in exchange for a teeenie-winnie bit of work? Everyone I bet! So here's our chance to get easy $100 cash from the Ad Master - Shiela. She's celebrating her 'National-I-can't-come-up-with-a-blog-post-day' and all of us are invited to join. If you want to get a chance to grab a hundred bucks for free, all you have to do is... ( I copied this from her post)... And since, I'm bound to give you lots of tips, I've also decided to share with you my 'Less Than $100' list of dream gifts for my kids :) This includes the  Vtech Tote and Go Laptop Pink  and  Discovery Kids Toy Laptop, Blue  for educational purposes,  Sureshot Soccer Table Arcade Game  and  Pirate Hideout Play Center, 120" X 60" X 64"  for motor skills development, and the  Wild West Sheriffs Station & Jail , and the  Le Café Playhouse  to juice out their creativity and enhance their social skills. and my personal favorite... somet...

I f you're a blogger who's still stuck with blogspot, wordpress, and other free blogging platforms like me - and you want to have your own domain, I have good news for you. Bloggers can now get domain name and web hosting for just $20 per year at KindHoster . That's $10 for the domain name and another $10 for web hosting. This price is considerably cheap (if not the cheapest) when compared to many other hosting services you can find online. Kindhoster's tagline, "We host your website with Kindness" says it all. As you see, their hosting plans are very cheap. What's more is that they offer reliable service with customer support. If you may have any technical difficulty with regards to their web hosting and set-up, you can easily contact them via Facebook, Twitter, email, or online support via instant messenger. They guarantee that you'll have 99.99% up-time and that they will attend to your needs - including free website and blog setups - FREE of c...

A phone with an innovative design and decent specs – that’s the Motorola Flipout. It’s a square-shaped phone with a QWERTY keyboard. So what’s innovative about that? Well, the thing is if you want to get to the keyboard, you should first rotate the display (Hmmm… why don’t you just look at the picture?). The Motorola Flipout has a 2.8 inch display with a 3.1 megapixel camera perfect for taking pictures and making video recordings. It also has 512 ROM, 256 RAM and a 700 MHz processor. Like other Motorola phones, it runs on Android OS 2.1. Motorola Flipout will be released this June. Infodose thoughts: What a cute phone perfect for you mommy! With a Motorola Flipout, you can go about mommyhood in style. The good news is that you don’t sacrifice functionality just for a fad. In all fairness, the specs amazingly fit a mom on the go as it allows scheduling, messaging, net surfing, and even office work while mobile.  You may also want to get one for dad. 

If you’re an explorer who is always outdoors taking extreme challenges, then here’s the perfect notebook for you – The Panasonic Toughbook 31. It’s Panasonic’s latest creation which is specially designed for people who never say no to challenges. Seeing it for the first time, most people mistake it for a briefcase but it’s actually an almost indestructible notebook which can withstand extreme environments. Some of its notable features are… A spill resistant magnesium case which protects it from water, dust, and other hazards  A hybrid cooling system that moderates power supply and optimizes pc performance even in most extreme conditions  Long lasting but fast charging battery perfect for long trips outdoors  Comes in three models, Strongest model has Intel Core i5-540M 2.53GHz with Turbo Boost up to 3.07GHz, 250GB HDD, ATI Radeon HD5650 and Intel QM57 video controller  2 GB RAM, expandable to 8 GB  Windows 7 Operating System installed though you can dow...

Repetitive laughter and exercise have the same effects on our body - this was the conclusion reaped from the study conducted by researchers at the Schools of Allied Health and Medicine of the Loma Linda University. Researchers found out that like moderate exercise, repetitive laughing also lowers one’s stress hormones, boosts the immune system, lowers blood pressure, brings down your cholesterol level, and promotes positive mood. This study was based on tests wherein changes in blood pressure, hormone levels, and endorphins were monitored before and after participants of the study were exposed to humorous and upsetting videos. It will be presented in this year’s Experimental Biology Conference. Infodose thoughts: If mommy can’t make it to the gym or to her yoga class because her schedule is tight with office work, household tasks, and parent-child bonding time, then she just has to make sure that she gets a good laugh in everything she’s engage in. 

One of the hottest items in Fujitsu's two-day event of product demos (Fujitsu Forum) in Japan is their 3D-powered desktop PC. Mommy's Infodose couldn't find much data on its full specs and features but according to CrunchGear, it not only displays 3D images. What's delightful about it is the fact that it also has a 3D built-in camera that can shoot not just 3D photos, but also 3D videos. According to Fujitsu, their aim is to make this all-in-one PC very user friendly - to the point that even very young children could use it. Like any typical 3D-generating hardware however, you'd have to use glasses so you can actually experience the 3D images on its screen. The bad news is that though the hardware is completely finished, the company hasn't decided when it will be available in the market. Infodose thoughts: Welcome to the new generation of desktops! Mommies would love to own this new technology just to capture their kid's delightful moments in 3D. Forget...

A recent study that was published in the Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Mechanism showed that a cocoa compound found in dark chocolate can help prevent stroke. According to a team of researchers led by Sylvain Dore, an associate professor at John Hopkins University School of Medicine, dark chocolate from cocoa contains the compound “epicatechin”, which prompts the formation of protective pathways in the brain. These pathways prevent stroke. However, researchers also said the study doesn’t imply that eating lots of dark chocolate results to stroke prevention and other health benefits. Rather, Dore said that they are only focusing on cocoa, not on chocolate. The study was based on previous researches on Kuna Induans in Panama. Apparently, the tribe had an unusually low incidence of cardiovascular diseases – including stroke. Such observation was attributed to their habit of drinking bitter cocoa drink. Infodose thoughts: Now here’s a reason why mommies should give their kids da...

In a recent study conducted by psychologists from Yale University, babies which are as young as six months have been proven to have the ability to differentiate good and evil. Such study suggested that perhaps a person’s sense of morality may not be based on parenting and environmental factors alone. Researchers argued that babies may have biological “moral codes” instilled on them. As noted by Professor Paul Bloom, one of the researches, “Some sense of good and evil seems to be bred in the bones.” The study was based on an experiment where the preference of six-month old babies between ‘good’ puppets and ‘naughty’ puppets were studied. According to Bloom, “Just about all the babies reached for the good guy”. Some babies even smacked the bad puppets. Infodose thoughts: I think this infodose only shows that not only do babies know what’s good. Instead, this also goes to show that babies prefer to be good. As such, environmental factors and parenting may then be the culprit if babies...

About a month ago, HP announced the coming of the supposed iPad killer which is the HP Slate. However, a few weeks after the announcement, HP decided to kill the Slate just after they bought Palm. Now, an insider from HP said that they are working on the HP Hurricane - better than Slate and supposedly better than the iPad too. So what can it offer? An insider at HP tells us that it will no longer run on Windows 7. Instead, it will be a webOS tablet which, as most tech analysts say, is an outstanding operating system for tablets. Other than the change in OS however, insider reports reveal that it will still have the specs that the HP Slate boasted of. These include dual camera, USB ports, SD memory expansion, and Adobe Flash. The HP Hurricane is set to be released 3rd quarter of this year. Infodose thoughts: Yet another alternative to the popular iPad. It's obvious that HP tries to bring us the best iPad killer and I sure hope they do succeed.

Maybe sooner or later, we will forget about the Macbook Air and Dell’s Adamo because Toshiba is coming up with what they dub as the WORLD’S THINNEST AND LIGHTEST LAPTOP. So what will be its major advantage over its competitors? First off, rumor has it that Toshiba’s latest creation will run with a SCiB or Super Charged Ion battery - which will be used for laptops for the first time ever if this product is released. SCiBs are new technology, fast charging batteries which can charge up to 90% in just ten minutes. Apart from the SCiB, they say that it will be available in 4GB Core i3, i5 or i7-620 configurations. It will also be accompanied with 500GB hard disk plus 512GB optional SSD and USB 3.0 dock. They say that it will weigh less than a kilogram and here’s good news to mommies – this outstanding Toshiba laptop is expected to be less expensive as compared to its Macbook and Dell competition. Infodose thoughts : It’s great that technological innovations are being made continuously ...

The U.S. Government issued a warning on drop-side cribs last week, saying that such baby essentials have caused the death of at least 32 kids through suffocation and strangulation, over the past nine years. To add to that alarming news, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) also said that during the same period, deaths of 14 other children were also linked to the use of drop side cribs. However, these cases have no conclusive results yet. As a result, 170,000 drop-side cribs from known brands such as Sorelle, Golden Baby, and C&T International were recalled. This recall was made apart from the previous recall of Simplicity and Graco Cribs two weeks ago. CPSC reports revealed that over the past five years, there were a total of 11 recalls of thousands and thousands of drop-side cribs. The agency said that such precautions were made due to complaints noting that the ‘drop-sides’ of such cribs were easy to bend, detach, deform, or break. Infodose thoughts: Our babie...

In China, there is a baby born with syphilis every hour. Researchers said that this alarming health crisis is a result of the country’s rapid economic growth. Apparently, the booming economy of the country provides businessmen and migrant workers with more money and overwhelming opportunities to hire prostitutes and engage in unsafe sex. STDs (Sexually Transmitted Diseases) like Syphilis were once very uncommon in China, especially in the 1950s. However, the rapid economic development eventually propelled the epidemic spread of the condition. This commentary was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Syphilis and Babies Babies who have congenital syphilis may not exhibit signs of the disease the moment they are born. However, the typical symptoms include low birth weight, skin rashes or small sores, yellowish skin (jaundice), a bloody nose, and swollen arms and legs. If left untreated, the baby may suffer from pneumonia, anemia, brain seizures, and delayed mental and phys...

Do you want an iPad so badly? Have you been wishing that it will be available in your country anytime soon? Well, if you live in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK, then Congratulations! Your wish has just been granted. Apple has just released a press release noting that the iPad will be available in the said nine countries by May 28 (roughly three weeks from now!). However, before you start celebrating, make sure that you pre-order Jobs' baby on May 10. Remember that the iPad is one of the hottest gadgets these days and it’s not really surprising if Apple will ran out of supply just a day after they release the iPad in your local tech stores. And here’s more good news for Apple iPad lovers – your beloved dream gadget will also be released in Austria, Belgium, Hong Kong, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand and Singapore come July. We will just have to wait for further announcements with regards to the product’s availab...

On a recent study that was published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, researchers found out that the use of antidepressants during early pregnancy puts the child at an increased risk of having a heart defect. The study suggests that taking the antidepressant buproprion within the early months of your pregnancy doubles the risk that your baby will have Left Outflow Tract Defects. Children with this defect suffer from blood flow problems from the heart’s left chambers to the other parts of the body. Most of the time, children with this condition will need a surgery, especially when the body’s main artery is tightening. Such conclusions were based on a research conducted among 12,700 infants born between 1997 and 2004 in the United States. Infodose thoughts: Women who are pregnant and even those who are planning to conceive should make it a point to see their ob-gyne and ask about the various medications that they cannot take and the activities that they cannot e...

I n a recent study involving a thousand women between ages 18 and 65, Toyboy.com discovered that women who had boyfriends younger than them felt that they were young – four years younger than their true age. This is because they tend to go out more, engage in more youthful activities, and be with a younger crowd as compared to women who are with older men or men the same age. Furthermore, ToyBoy.com noted that the greater the age gap between the older women and young men, the happier the woman will be. The only problem was that 30 percent of the older women do not totally trust their partner’s ability to resist the urge to run off with somebody their age. The survey also showed that most women think that older men are grumpy, boring, and stiff. Infodose thoughts: Now age does matter! – in a good way. Perhaps if you can just find that younger man, then you can say goodbye to those tons of anti-aging and age-defying beauty creams, moisturizers, and facial cleansers.

Photoscape is a FREE photo editing software that allows you to quickly and easily enhance your pictures and make it perfect to post on your Facebook, Tumbler or Flickr account. Its “Editor” menu allows you the usual resizing, cropping, and adjustment of contrast, color, and brightness. On top of that however, it also has backlight correction, noise reduction, distortion, film effect, and vignetting and antique photo settings. It also lets you to put frames on the photo, along with other objects like stamps and cartoon which are already pre-loaded in the software. Another delight in the Photoscape software is the “AniGIF” menu which lets you use and combine multiple photos to create an animated one. It also has a 'Batch Editor" that allows you to edit a bunch of photos all at once according to your desired set of effects, filters, size, and file format. Photoscape also has the following features… Viewer lets you view photos in each of your file folders Page allows you to m...

According to a research which appeared in the Archives of Internal Medicine, four bad but very common lifestyle habits can make you look older – not just by a year or two – but by twelve years! Based on a study involving about 5,000 British adults for 20 long years, people can look 12 years older than their real age if they (a) smoked tobacco, (b) drank excessive alcoholic (more than three for men and more than two for women), (c) get less than two hours of physical activity weekly, and (d) eat fruits and vegetables less than three times each day. Researchers also noted that these risky behaviors not only make you look older. Instead, these habits also increase the chance that you will die young while looking old.  Infodose thoughts : We should do a lifestyle change as early as we can – the moment we become aware that what we do harms our health.

A recent study in Canada showed that lots of TV time at age two causes a variety of behavioral and lifestyle problems among kids when they reach the age of 10. Based on a study among 1,300 children born in Canada in 1997 and 1998, researchers discovered that 29-month old kids spend an average time of 8.82 hours every week in front of the television. Furthermore, they also discovered that every hour in excess of this average watching time was linked to a variety of problems when they reach the age of 10. This included an increase in the kid’s body mass index (BMI) by five percent, an increase in carbonated drink consumption by nine percent, an increase in the risk of being bullied on by 10 percent, and a decrease in physical activity during weekends by 13 percent. Based on this study funded by Canada's Social Science and Humanities Research Council Intentional Collaborations Fund, lots of television time at the age of two eventually prevented the kids from engaging in othe...

Postphone your ‘Reserve an iPad’ day til June or July and give the ExoPC Slate the chance to awe you. With it’s a multi-touch interface that allows you to surf the web, play flash games, watch TV, read books, download apps, transfer media files and more, this is definitely a netbook-tablet that you should wait for. The ExoPC Slate was supposed to be released last March but the need to further enhance the specs prompted the developers to delay its release just a bit. When they finally place the product in the market, I’m sure you’ll definitely have second thoughts on buying an iPad. Infodose thoughts: The ExoPC Slate excels when it comes to display size, flash compatibility, processor speed, and storage. These features give it edge over the Apple’s iPad’s lavish style and popularity.

Women are sensitive and men are not. This is natural, thanks to the differences in our genetic makeup. The good news, however, is that a nasal spray can now bridge that empathetic gap. Men can become more empathetic with their partners in just a spray. How does it happen? Well, the special spray contains oxytocin. It’s more popular as the “hormone of love and cuddle”. It promotes social bonding and sensitivity to others. Oxytocin also helps us fall in love, increase our trust in others, erase our fears, increase our parental instincts and, enhance our orgasmic experience. In a recent empathy test made on 48 men and 26 women, researchers found out that after oxytocin was given to the participants through a nasal mist, "emotional empathy responses in men were raised to levels similar to those found in untreated women." The men also became more affected with emotional scenes. However, its effect only lasted for two hours. This research appeared in this month’s issue of the...

Miriam Starobin, a twelve year old girl who watches Nickelodeon’s Spongebob, saves the life of her best friend who choked on a gum. Apparently, Miriam and her best friend Allyson were having a good laugh over a teacher’s joke when all of a sudden; Allyson stopped laughing and turned purple. Miriam then got her up quickly, did the Heimlich, and saved her life. How did she know what to do? She said that she recalled a Spongebob Squarepants episode where SpongeBob used the Heimlich maneuver to get the clarinet that was stuck in Squidward’s throat. Infodose thoughts: It turns out that kids do really learn a lot from watching T.V. hmmm… how about you, do you watch Spongebob Squarepants? Do you know how to perform the Heimlich maneuver? If not, here goes what you should do: Stand behind the choking person and put your hands around his waist. Now, make a fist with one hand and place the thumb side of your fist on his navel. Then, hold your fist with your other hand and do quick, upward...

In the United States, thousands of cribs from Graco and Simplicity were recalled last week after the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said that both brands were linked to several infant accidents and deaths. Based on a news report, the government also issued a warning that babies could strangle or suffocate from the ‘hardware failures’ of the cribs from the said brands. Apparently, the dropsides of Graco wooden cribs were easy to detach or break. Once detached, a gap is created between the dropped side and the mattress. If caught in the gap, there is a high risk that the baby might suffocate. The brand has received 99 complaints but none of which involved serious injuries. As for Simplicity however, CPSC reports that their full-sized cribs have tubular metal mattress-support frames which are easy to bend and detach. As a result, the mattress can collapse and the baby can roll into the space and be trapped. They also noted that this brand’s cribs and bassinets have been ...