organs

There's busy, and then there's Super Mom (or Dad) busy, which brings us to Cozi's free Android app. Cozi's motto is "Family life. Simplified." Cozi lets you share common messages, calendars, shopping lists, and anything else you need to keep your family organized and informed. And where better to do it from than your smartphone? Cozi's app is free but ad-supported, which means ever-changing banner ads. But some of the ads we saw offered coupons and discounts on products that actually might be of interest to the resident decision maker, so maybe it'… Read more

While created by T-Mobile for their devices, the Cozi Family Organizer Shared Calendar and Lists app for the iPad and iPhone can be used by any iOS user. While it does require registration of a new account, both for yourself and for your family, the process is quick and the number of free tools you receive is quite impressive.

Cozi Family Organizer is designed to put all of your family's events, activities, and needs in one interface. Ideally that interface would be organized by each family member, not just one person--though the owner of the account can make changes … Read more

Using off-the-shelf 3D printing tools, silver nanoparticles, and cell culture, scientists at Princeton University have created a functional bionic ear that can detect radio frequencies far beyond the normal human range.

Living, 3D-printed tissue has been in the news a fair bit recently, but this is the first attempt at creating a fully functional organ with embedded electronics.

"In general, there are mechanical and thermal challenges with interfacing electronic materials with biological materials," said Michael McAlpine, an assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Princeton and the lead researcher on the project. "Previously, researchers have suggested some strategies to tailor the electronics so that this merger is less awkward. That typically happens between a 2D sheet of electronics and a surface of the tissue. However, our work suggests a new approach -- to build and grow the biology up with the electronics synergistically and in a 3D interwoven format." … Read more

Call them what you will -- task managers, organizers, or personal assistants -- but software designed to help busy people stay a step ahead of the competition (or disaster) is practically as old as computing, itself. It sometimes seems like we've tried them all, yet few have been "keepers." So we were intrigued by Dextronet's Swift To-Do List since other picky users seemed to like it. It's shareware, so it needs to offer a lot of features and performance to stand out from the freeware crowd -- and it does. But you can try it … Read more

There just aren't enough donated organs to fill the need. That's why scientists have been dreaming of growing transplantable organs in labs. Scientists at the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Regenerative Medicine have made a step forward by creating a functional rat kidney.

The process is not quite as futuristic as growing a whole organ from scratch. Researchers started with kidneys from dead rats and used a special soap-cleaning process to scrub away the cells. Essentially, this gave them a foundation of a kidney to work with, a blank canvas.… Read more

Like most homeowners, I've got furnace filters to replace, smoke-alarm batteries to check, a central air conditioner to maintain, and so on. I also have a septic tank and water softener that need occasional attention.

Unfortunately, I'm terrible at tracking this stuff, meaning important tasks often get overlooked or neglected -- sometimes at their peril (and my expense).

BrightNest for iOS lets me schedule these and other home maintenance jobs, thereby ensuring they don't get forgotten.

The app does require you to create an account (because it syncs with the BrightNest Web service), though you can also … Read more

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On this week's Crave, we take a first look a gadget that truly blows, an optical game controller that looks like a kazoo. Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield gives us some more cooking tips from space. And Hotello is a hotel room in a box. Sounds uncomfortable, no? All that and more on this week's episode. … Read more

HANNOVER, Germany--Some vehicles don't fit easily into one category or another.

Organic Transit's Elf -- a battery-boosted, solar-powered, covered tricycle -- is definitely one such device.

The North Carolina startup has begun selling the vehicles through Kickstarter and now directly on its Web site. It's now built 12, and it's showing off the $4,000 machines at the CeBit trade show here.

"This is targeting commuters," said Alix Bowman, director of strategy for the 15-person company. One possibility: People can go to work on battery power so they don't arrive sweaty, then can … Read more

There is officially a Wachowski Brothers-style "Matrix" for rodents.

Scientists in North Carolina and Brazil have connected the brains of two rats using "brain-to-brain interfaces" that can connect directly or via the Internet. These allow the rodents to share sensory information, collaborate on tasks to earn rewards, and fight back against the shadowy and cyber-apocalyptic forces that have enslaved them.

There's actually no evidence of the latter, but I'd still suggest researchers watch out for any rats that start displaying a propensity for martial arts.… Read more