Blog Posts by Claudine Zap

Groundhog Day is almost upon us, when marmot meteorologists take over the weather report to answer the pressing question: Is spring almost here, or are we subject to six more weeks of winter -- and maybe more important, are rodents ever right?

Searches on Yahoo! have forecasted a storm of interest, including "what is groundhog day," "when is groundhog day," and "history of groundhog day."

The story goes that on February 2, if the groundhog (also known as a woodchuck) emerges from its burrow and sees its shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter. No shadow means an early spring.

The history of this now American tradition stems from pagan and Christian holidays brought over from Europe that looked to hibernating animals to signal the end of winter. The Germans used hedgehogs as their weather guides. In Pennsylvania, early American settlers found groundhogs, not hedgehogs, and the forecasting began in the new country with a new rodent.

Thanks to the movie "Groundhog Day,"

The GOP Iowa caucuses caused plenty of talk. But when Sarah Palin appeared on Fox to give her take on the race, it was her new wavy 'do that caught viewers' eyes.

The former governor of Alaska gave her rundown of the candidates while debuting a look that had the signature Palin pouf (the Huffington Post, noting Palin's new 'do, suggested the pouf might have been from a Bumpit) -- but went a little more curly than the usual flat-ironed straight tresses that, say, Michele Bachmann normally wears.

Sarah Palin's hairstyle, if not her speaking style, has been a little flat. In South Korea to give a speech, her hair lacked body. She was really due for a new 'do.

Palin declined to endorse fellow social conservative Rick Santorum, but perhaps her hairdo is a clue. The tea party darling pronounced Mitt Romney, who won the vote by a hair, the "most electable," and perhaps her flowing locks mirrored Mitt's mane. She called for Bachmann, with her helmet head, to get out of the race

 
With the gift-giving season here, shoppers are still heading to the Web for help finding that perfect present.

If there are kids who have made it onto your "nice" list, here's what they might want under the tree this year: Check out gift ideas that are popular top searches on the Web.

Wuggles -- billed as pets you "bring to life yourself" -- are the popular "as seen on TV" pick. Pillow Pets (chenille toys that double as a headrest) are also a hit this season.

Consider the Angry Birds board game (no batteries required) along with other video game-inspired finds like Annoying Orange toys, Transformer toys, Star Wars toys, and Batman toys.

If you choose the low-tech route, you're not alone in searching out "john deere toys" and "tonka toys." For the adventure set, trampolines and scooters may be a good bet. So are LEGOs.

According to search trends, older kids might like the game Skyrim or the Nintendo add-on Skylanders. Gamers who appreciate old-school gifts might get

Photos courtesy of Tateuchi CenterWelcome to the performance space of the future: A 2,000-seat concert hall, a state-of-the-art building, and a policy that allows the audience to use cell phones during the show.

The bold decision of the Tateuchi Center to be built in Bellevue, Washington, first reported by the New York Times, is a play for a younger, texting generation to take an interest in attending live performances.

John Haynes, the CEO of Tateuchi Center, who is overseeing its design and construction, was given the option of putting a cell phone signal block in the performance space. He thought, "That is exactly the wrong direction to go in." For a tech-savvy audience to feel at home at an arts center, Haynes decided to not just let Wi-Fi into the space but also to allow tweeting and texting during live performances.

Speaking on the phone to Yahoo!, the 64-year-old said, "I am convinced we can control the experience, but we can't forbid the experience." He added, "We are creating a new etiquette for a

Courtesy of Alfred AngeloIn the "Twilight" series, first came vampire love. Then came the proposal. (Sigh.) And next, the wedding. The bride, played by a glowing Kristen Stewart, in "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part I," would be walking down the aisle to marry her immortal beloved, and all eyes would be on…her dress.

When Carolina Herrera, the fashion designer who consulted with "Twilight" author Stephenie Meyer, created the gown for the wedding scene, she was sworn to secrecy. At the "Twilight" premiere, she told MTV that she wanted to convey romance and innocence.

Now the secret is out, and not only can fans get an eyeful, they can actually purchase a licensed replica of the dress, available through bridal designer Alfred Angelo.

Fans expected something mah-jor, but not modern. The description of the gown is decidedly old-fashioned, with long sleeves and buttons running down the back, an homage to the bride's 110-year-old groom.

In a press release, Alfred Angelo describes the design as a

-- By Claudine Zap

The Apple iPad. So easy to use, a child can do it. A magazine? Well, that proves to be more of a challenge -- at least for one very gadget-savvy baby girl.

A video surfaced by CNET shows an adorable one-year-old working an iPad faster than most of us can think. But when the same techno-whiz kid is handed a magazine, the child of the iPhone age is lost.

The video was posted by French father Jean-Louis Costanza, who has seen the future for his daughter: She thinks a magazine is a broken iPad. In the clip, the adorable child is traded an iPad for a magazine.

The techno-baby patiently taps the printed page and pinches it as if it were a touch screen. But the magazine is nothing more than a useless piece of broken tech. Glossy photos of fashion models? Pages of text? What good are they if they aren't an app?

Somewhere, Steve Jobs is laughing. Or, as dad Costanza put it, "Steve Jobs has coded a part of her OS."

(Photos courtesy of Darren Pearson of dariustwin.com © All rights reserved 2011)


By Claudine Zap

By day, Darren Pearson is a graphic designer who creates T-shirts for the company True Religion. By night, the artist can be found on the rooftops of L.A., in Balboa Park in San Diego, or in the forest at Lake Arrowhead, creating images of dinosaurs out of light.

Pearson makes "light art" in the dark, using a digital camera placed on a tripod. Instead of snapping a quick shot, the shutter remains open for 5 to 10 minutes while Pearson points a flashlight beam at the lens and waves the light into a shape. He then checks the display on the back of the camera to see whether what he envisioned came out in the photo.

With four years of experience making such images, Pearson now succeeds in only two or three takes. (If you want to see the man in action, check out the artist's tutorial on YouTube).

After learning about long-exposure photography from a photo in Life