Forget stamps and coins, computer manuals are what's catching on.
What's the hottest item in book collecting? It might just be that computer manual you threw away in 1984. And old books containing the theories underpinning the information systems revolution are commanding big prices at places like Christie's and eBay, as the original generation of programmers and computer techies ages and now has money to spend.
That's no ordinary weed, city slicker
Cities aren’t generally known for their diversity of flora and fauna, but they're hardly ecologically dead. Years of tweaking natural environments to build airports, beaches and dumps have created rare environments where critters and creepers actually thrive under the watchful eye of people like Margot Perron, the Pelham Bay Park administrator.
Up against computerized mayhem, can the Hollwyood stuntman survive?
With the emergence of new special effects technologies in action movies, will there be a place for the stuntman in the future?
Back from Iraq, a veteran finds his voice
During Lt. Paul Rieckhoff’s 10 months patrolling the dusty streets of Baghdad, he saw a mismanaged war and ill-equipped soldiers. Now back at home, Rieckhoff has formed the group Operation Truth to speak out about the war and advocate for better conditions for soldiers and veterans.
Pregnant and, oh, so pampered
Spas and luxury hotels are coming out with special packages for pregnant woman who want some pampering. They're responding to a growing expectation by expectant mothers that they should be indulged while carrying all that extra weight.
The Ritz-Carlton blings it on for the really, really rich
The ultra-wealthy are growing fussier by the day and keeping up with their ever-odd tastes is what luxury hotels are all about. In the last year, the Ritz-Carlton has added a gemologist, a personal shopper and a V.I.P., or very important pooch package just to compete.
The new cost of naps: $14 a wink
In a city where postage-stamp rooms fetch a king's ransom in rent, droopy-eyed New Yorkers are forking over $14 for 20 minutes of state-of-the-art bliss. The MetroNaps pod could be coming to a city near you.
Training four-footed actors for the stage, and cleaning up the mess, too
When stage directors look to animals for a bit of theatrical magic, they turn to a small handful of expert trainers. At short notice and under tremendously difficult conditions, animal trainers like Bill Berloni can make a Norfolk terrier into a Nathan Lane. And for a fee, trainers will even clean up the mess the animals leave behind.
Pouring concrete and building faith
The face of Christianity is changing in America, and no one is watching more closely than the contractors who build the country’s churches. As they transform Wal-Marts into prayer halls, install cafes in church lobbies and build ever larger houses of worship, some of these businesses have turned into ministries themselves.
Birds, beware of the glass
Bird collisions with windows and buildings are believed to be the second largest cause of the decline in the bird population in America. But scientists and architects are working to develop solutions to this often overlooked problem.
Neighborhood's online map warns residents of rapes
A new interactive map shows recent areas of "rape concentration" in Brooklyn. Residents now avoid the corners with broken streetlights, but sexual assault experts warn against the idea that rape can be stopped by taking a different route home.
Urban spelunkers explore forbidden--and eerie--territory
They climb the Manhattan Bridge by night, take private tours of Alcatraz and wander about in abandoned mental hospitals. Urban explorers get their kicks by going where they're not supposed to.
Treasure hunting via satellite
Hundreds of thousands of “geocachers” around the world search for hidden treasure using hand-held Global Positioning Systems and coordinates posted by other hunters on the Internet. The sport is approaching its fifth birthday and has transformed the treasure hunt into a high-tech adventure in which the search is more valued than the bounty.
Got an ingenious invention? Get ready for a tough sell
Each year around 100,000 patents are issued by the U.S. government. But many of the gizmos and gadgets designed by hopeful inventors to make life easier fail to find a place in the market. Still, inventors keep on trying.
Car sharing gains ground among drivers and local governments
Car sharing has become popular in cities across the United States and Canada, with about two-dozen companies providing almost 1,500 cars to more than 72,000 people in cities from New York to Toronto and from Seattle to St. Paul, Minn. Car sharing changes the way people, businesses and local governments think about vehicle use.
Little kids take to rock'n'roll
Kids across the country are picking up guitars and drumsticks and jamming to the classic rock of their parents’ generation, from the Beatles to the Kinks, from Black Sabbath to Led Zeppelin. Starting as young as 8, schoolchildren are learning to play rock and forming bands, signing up for afterschool programs and schools like Philadelphia's School of Rock Music.
This little belt of mine, I'm gonna let it shine
Digital name belts are the latest rage among teenagers in urban centers across the country. The personalized belts, available on the Internet and in stores, allow youth to keep up with the hottest trend while asserting their own identity.
Vaginal rejuvenation: the new wave of cosmetic surgery
For the nip-and-tuck set it’s no longer just about enhancing breasts and buttocks. More and more women are opting for vaginal reconstruction and tightening, and say it leads to better sex.
Synesthesia: When sounds have colors and words have taste
What color is a piano concerto? How does the word "Spanish" taste? Such questions are completely nonsensical to most, but not if your senses blend together so that hearing a sound can cause you to see a specific color or hearing certain words may produce a taste. Known as synesthesia, the condition affects at least one out of every 2,000 people.
Pumped up on gas station memorabilia
Gas station memorabilia is as “American as apple pie,” says one collector, and it's fueling a popular hobby that’s recently shifted into the fast lane.
Bhangra breaks out: An Indian folk dance takes the nation
Bhangra music, a Punjabi folk dance characterized by the beat of an Indian dohl drum, is infiltrating American pop culture. Hip-hop artists, nightclubs, dance classes and workout videos are tapping into the trend.
A 21st-century de-stressor: the quilting bee
Knitting as a hobby is so last century. Go back to the future with the resurgence of quilting.
You’ve been chipped: Microchips tag people under the skin
Tiny microchips injected under the skin can now track humans just as they do animals in the wild or stolen cars. The high-tech implants link to a database of personal information, posing medical benefits and ethical qualms.
Want to avoid Starbucks? Check out the web
A new Web site hopes to boost business and recognition for independent coffee shops. Launched April 1 in San Francisco, Delocator.net challenges people to find local cafes in their area instead of just going to the nearest Starbucks.
In search of silence: Speechless retreats are on the rise
In today's hectic world, more Americans are attending retreats that involve absolute silence. They say spending a few days at a monastery without speaking leaves them refreshed and renewed.
Breast lifts: They're not just for women anymore
Men are finally getting something off their chests: unwanted fat cells. With liposuction and breast lifts, men who suffer from so-called "man boobs" may have found a medical solution at last.
The tines, they are a-changin'
Have you sporked lately? A spork is rounded like a spoon, but with four small tines at the top so that it can function both to scoop and to spear. If this multipurpose utensil is so useful, why isn’t it on everyone’s dinner table?
Bidders hunt for value at New York auto auction
All large cities use public auctions to unload extra cars and trucks; but in a polyglot city like New York, the sport of bidding is an art form in frenzy, and the lucky winners go home with anything from a beat-up Chevy to a bulldozer.
Scootering in style: Vintage Italian motor scooters are hot
Classic Italian motor scooters like Vespas and Lambrettas aren't just an easy way to get around town. They are works of art, pop-culture icons and the center of a quirky scooter subculture.
Kindergarten set rocks hot nightspots by day
By day, hot city nightspots host concerts for kindergarteners. Aging rockers play kid-friendly tunes while preschoolers mosh and hipster parents sip beer at the bar.
Americans increasingly shift to nursing
Three years after winning a Pulitzer Prize in 1996, photojournalist Stephanie Welsh decided it was time to shift to a new career: nursing. She is one of a growing number of Americans, from literature teachers to engineers, who have quit their jobs to take up nursing as a second career.
New York chess fans take the game to the streets
Spring has finally arrived in New York, and fans of street chess are back in action. The city's renovation of Washington Square Park will close the fabled “chess circle” where Bobby Fischer got his start, but outdoor matches take place all over town.
Know sweat, so it's no sweat
People who sweat excessively often endure ridicule and acute embarrassment. An estimated 3 percent of Americans suffer from this condition, known as hyperhidrosis. Some are scared to shake hands or wear strapless gowns. An organization devoted to hyperhidrosis is trying to raise public awareness of their plight.
New center reduces confusion about a rare but fatal childhood disease
Batten disease is a devastating, inherited condition that strikes seemingly healthy children, causing blindness, mental impairment and eventually, death. The University of Rochester Medical Center has opened the country's first center devoted exclusively to the study of Batten disease.
Sharks threatened by human predators
Sharks have a fearful reputation, but scientists say that they're the ones in danger, from commercial fishermen.
Clothing stores shrink size labels to lure vain shoppers
Retailers like the Gap and DKNY are using smaller size labels to flatter their female customers. But does "vanity sizing" provide a harmless ego boost or deliberately dupe unwary shoppers?
Going underground: cave-diving in the Yucatan Peninsula
The stretch of Mexican coastline south of Cancun called the Mayan Riviera is best known for its white sandy beaches and turquoise water. But a growing number of visitors are venturing away from the surf to discover the area’s other natural wonder: geologic sinkholes known as cenotes.
New museum will explain science behind creation
How did the world begin? You can look it up in Genesis, the first book of the Bible. At least that's the story they'll be telling in the new $25 million Creation Museum and Family Discovery Center now being constructed outside Cincinnati. Scheduled to open its doors in 2007, the natural history museum will present what organizers consider the factual account of the history of the world, with Adam, Eve, Noah and the whole cast.
A rose is a rose, isn't it?
One of the most important things you'll ever have is something you didn't get to choose. Your name. Onomasticians, people who study names and name-giving, are increasingly finding that contrary to Shakespeare's immortal wisdom, names matter more than we thought.
Australian punter masters American football
Australian punter Ben Graham takes on American football. Observers say he's been quick to pick up on the oddities of the American sport.
The abracadabras of trade shows
Seth Kramer is one of a handful of magicians for whom the ultimate venue is not the birthday party, the company picnic or even the standing-room-only stage show. Rather, it’s a trade show, where companies like Praxair, one of the world’s largest distributors of helium, will pay from $2,000 to $5,000 a day for a performer who can make attendees stop and listen.
Big trouble in Mini Israel
Soldiers have been kidnapped, trains wrecked and one plane knocked down. The situation is so bad, Muslims need Plexiglas shielding to avoid being stoned by visitors. Welcome to Mini Israel, a theme park of small models with life-size tensions.
Workplace stress: a $300-billion problem for American business
Workplace stress costs U.S. corporations $300 billion a year in lost productivity. Yet, because it has a certain cachet, it will take more than yoga to eradicate this plague from the modern workplace.
I want to hold your fingerprint
Critics of a fast-growing online dating service say its efforts to legislate background checks prey on bloated fears that online dating is less safe than regular dating. They also say the service is presenting background checks as a panacea even though they are a flawed measure of criminal activity.
Cognitive radio: a smarter way to use radio frequencies
No, cognitive radio doesn’t beam music straight into your brain. It is a technology that would open up the artificially crowded radio spectrum and usher in the next radio revolution, leading to fewer dropped calls on your cell phone and wireless Internet service anywhere. And that’s barely the tip of the iceberg.
For reluctant wakers, an alarm clock that runs away
For most people, a combination of noise and natural light is usually enough to lure them out of their beds in the morning. But for the most reluctant of wakers, the Clocky, a brown-shag-carpet-covered alarm clock on wheels, might be the answer.