You’d have to had been under a rock to not know that Steve Jobs introduced Wednesday what Apple hopes will be the coolest device on the planet: a slender tablet computer called the iPad. Apple is positioning the device, some versions of which will be available in March, as a pioneer in a new genre of computing, somewhere between a laptop and a smartphone. “The bar is pretty high,” Mr. Jobs acknowledged. “It has to be far better at doing some key things.” While admittedly cool looking, I am struggling with what exactly the iPad is (besides horribly named) and what need it could possible fulfill. What might very well be a precursor of success was the conversation I had last night. Two of my daughters already thought the iPad was the coolest thing on the planet. Apparently it was the talk of the lunch table at school as kids everywhere whipped out iPhones to show each other the iPad. Steve Jobs might be on to something after all.  (more…)

The average young American now spends practically every waking minute — except for the time in school — using a smart phone, computer, television or other electronic device, according to a new study from the Kaiser Family Foundation. Those ages 8 to 18 spend more than seven and a half hours a day with such devices, compared with less than six and a half hours five years ago, when the study was last conducted. And that does not count the hour and a half that youths spend texting, or the half-hour they talk on their cellphones. And because so many of them are multitasking — say, surfing the Internet while listening to music — they pack on average nearly 11 hours of media content into that seven and a half hours. Of course there is still the option of just saying no.  (more…)

Kraft’s purchase of Cadbury might be a sweet deal for the big food manufacturer but it leaves a sense of uneasiness among Brits that I share. I do hope the quality and heritage that are hallmarks of Cadbury remain despite Kraft’s past track record. I really don’t want anyone messing with my Fruit and Nut Bar.  (more…)

Brazilians feel the most pressure to be thin, the Finns are acutely aware of the dangers of obesity and Americans have the toughest struggle to lose weight, according to a global survey. About 1.6 billion people around the world are overweight or obese. The Reader Digest poll also revealed that Russians smoke the most to try to drop excess weight, and along with Germans and Indians they are most likely to blame genetics for their penchant for piling on the pounds. ”Our poll makes it clear that people around the world are struggling with their weight,” said Peggy Northrop, the vice president and global editor-in-chief of the magazine. (more…)

Yup.  Bon Appetit has declared meatballs the top dish of 2010. I guess it is a natural extension from hamburgers and on trend for comfort food. The foodie mag listed many recipes with an ethnic twist on this favorite food but at the end of the day I just don’t see it. If I had to call it strictly from a restaurant trend viewpoint, I would go with fried chicken. I guess we’ll see who is right.