The Buzz

Come Draw with Me

After the release of Skype 3.0 Beta for Windows, the latest version of the software that enables phone communication over the Internet, the Skype blog has announced another nifty feature: whiteboarding. With this function, Skype 3.0 users can share a “canvas” with a friend, which they can both draw on. For more on Skype 3.0, which enables multi-user public chats and one-click calling to ordinary phone numbers, visit www.skype.com.

Darwin Via the Tubes

A project sponsored by the University of Cambridge, The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online offers more than 50,000 pages of searchable text and 40,000 images, many items being reproduced for the first time. Organizers say there is much to add to the collection before 2009, the bicentennial of Darwin’s birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his Origin of Species. Darwin-online.org/uk.

I Ate the Whole Thing

If, like us, you really put on the feedbag this holiday season, it’s time to gain control. A new site, The Daily Plate, currently in beta, claims to help users “eat smarter” by providing an easy-to-use template for creating a personal food diary. After registering on the site, which is free, search for the foods that you’ve consumed, from McDonald’s to meatloaf, and hit the “I Ate This” button to add it to your “plate.” The site calculates your daily caloric intake and provides healthy alternatives. Say you’ve downed a Reese’s peanut butter cup, OK two. That’s 230 calories. A better choice? A Kit Kat bar is 150 fewer calories. www.thedailyplate.com.

Calm Yourself

Stress relief? We’re all for it. EmWave, a small device from HeartMath, is designed to help users maintain personal calm. Based on the principle of biofeedback, the gadget monitors the intervals between your heartbeats. With stress, this pattern becomes irregular, which can affect our health. So how does EmWave work? Using the included ear or thumb sensor, you first measure your heart rhythm. Then an LED strip will guide you through a breathing pattern, going from red to blue, and finally to green, indicating the most relaxed state. Ahhhhh, that’s better. $179. www.emwave.com.

Two-fisted Entertainment

It’s never too early to start accessorizing your iPod. The latest in video iPod cases from ifrogz, the Tadpole is designed for children ages one and up. Constructed from the same high-grade silicone as ifrogz’s fully customizable line of iPod cases, the Tadpole gives busy parents a way to entertain their children with content uploaded to their video iPods. The product sports two large handles that not only help children maintain a solid grip on the iPod, but also provide additional protection for the device. “Many families have DVD players in their cars to help entertain their kids on road trips,” says Scott Huskinson, president of ifrogz. “Now it’s possible for moms and dads to entertain their children wherever they go. Ifrogz’s Tadpole has got their entertainment needs—and your iPod—covered.” $24.99. www.ifrogz.com.

Gear for Geeks

If you’re a techie—and not too cool to wear it on your sleeve—then pixelgirlshop.com is the place for you. Here you’ll find this geek-chic vinyl handbag with six 3.5 inch 1.44 MB diskettes gracing each side. Total available memory: 17.28 MB. (Not our corny joke, but the site’s.) Measuring 7.4" x 10.6" x 4.5", the bag, which costs $60, features a zippered change pocket inside, along with two elastic pockets to stash the rest of your stuff. For you guys, there’s a tie tack fashioned from a microcontroller ($35). Complete the look with a pair of matching cuff links ($45).

Plug-and-Play Webcam

The 1.3-megapixel Live! Cam Optia from Creative eliminates the need for a driver. Just fit the Webcam into the USB port of your PC and you’re ready to chat away on your computer. The slick little all-white device features Smart Face Tracking, to make sure you stay in the picture, and multi-axis swivel, allowing almost any viewing angle up to 270 degrees. Spice up your chats with fun video effects and special backgrounds. When you need privacy, no need to unplug Live! Cam, simply turn the camera downward to deactivate it. $80. www.creative.com.

Cure Desktop Clutter with Style

The stylish new LaCie Hub resembles a high-tech flowerpot. Created by French designer Ora-Ïto, the hub includes two FireWire and four USB ports for easily connecting a variety of peripherals and is both Mac and PC friendly. Eight flexible cables can connect in an instant to external storage devices, printers, keyboards, cameras—you name it. Eight glowing LEDs indicate when a device is plugged in, with a different color for each port. Included too is a fan and a small light to keep you and your stuff cool and attractively lit. $79. www.lacie.com.

Taking Care of Teens

Rosen Online has released Teen Health & Wellness: Real Life, Real Answers, a database offering students curricular support and self-help information on topics such as diseases and conditions, drugs and alcohol, nutrition and fitness, friendship and dating, mental health, diversity, and family life. Created for teens with their unique concerns in mind, Teen Health and Wellness features a clean, user-friendly interface, advanced searching, first-person teen narratives, a custom glossary, automatically generated citations, and more. For a free 30-day trial, visit www.teenhealthandwellness.com/trial or call (800) 237-9932.