KidZui vets Web for kids

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Few YouTube videos are age-appropriate for a toddler or a pre-teen. And even fewer parents will take the time to find that dinosaur-related clip amid a slew of music and college-partying videos.

But a new Web company aims to do the work for parents. KidZui, a subscription-based browser that will cost parents $9.95 a month or $99.95 a year, offers a cordoned-off Internet for kids that features hundreds of thousands of reviewed sites, images and video for kids age 3 to 12. KidZui (pronounced kid-ZOO-ee) plans to open its service Wednesday after roughly three years of development.

"With Internet filters, most parents think they're blocking the worst of the Web, but there's so much great content for kids," said Cliff Boro, KidZui CEO and a serial tech entrepreneur. "We're taking the power of the Net and bringing it to kids in a kid-friendly way."

Kids sites are all the rage. Everyone from Disney to PBS to Mattel has launched new virtual worlds in recent months or years with various attractions for kids. PBS, for example, recently unveiled a subscription-based virtual environment that uses games to teach kids the basics of reading or math.

What's different about KidZui is that instead of trying to create a new imaginary world for children online, it has pulled together content from the Web, ensured it's appropriate for kids, and then built an engaging environment for kids around that content.

To build its service, the company hired as many as 200 contractors--parents and teachers--to rate and review Web sites and videos. It then categorized each piece of content into an appropriate age group. The company employs an editorial team to keep its library fresh.

Once parents sign up for the service, their kids (up to 10 per family) can log onto KidZui, create and decorate a personal avatar, and surf among a collection of 500,000 Web sites, pictures, and videos reviewed by the KidZui team. Categories of content on KidZui include animals, hobbies, or fairies--and the material changes depending on the child's age or if a parent adds or deletes sites or subjects. Kids can earn points to decorate an avatar by looking at new sites.

The San Diego-based company has raised $8 million in the last two years. In September 2006, Emergence Capital Partners and First Round Capital put in $3 million in a series A round of funding; and then, in July of last year, Maveron, the venture firm of Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, led a round of $5 million. Tom Kalinske, former CEO of Mattel and educational company Leapfrog, sits on the company's board.

The company will offer parents a free trial period for 30 days, or a charter membership of $4.95 per month or $49.95 per year to those who sign up in its first month.

Must Have: Internet Explorer Web Developer Toolbar

By Tyme

Pucker up, Web developers. You will want to kiss Bill Gates on the lips for this one.

I recently stumbled upon the Internet Explorer Web Developer Toolbar, which bears a release date of 5/9/2007, and we've been happy together ever since. It is the kind of tool that likely was birthed from a Web developer's a-ha moment followed by the thought "It's so obvious. Why didn't I think of it sooner."

SuperCard (mini SD) Rumble Adapter + 1GB mini SD

http://tinyurl.com/2yj6n8

Sex on Airplanes

CANBERRA (Reuters) - Two in three Australian travelers are either
members of the notorious Mile High Club or would like to be a member,
a survey showed Monday.

Asked if they would consider a mid-air sexual encounter, almost half
of 1,110 people surveyed wanted an adventure, while 12 percent already
had mile-high membership wings.

"People are obviously looking for more stimulating entertainment than
a movie or a CD when traveling by plane," Totaltravel.com global
marketing manager Paul Fisher said.

A flight attendant for Australia's flag carrier Qantas was sacked last
year after claiming to have had a tryst with actor Ralph Fiennes in a
business class lavatory during a flight from Darwin to Mumbai.

Singapore Airlines last November asked passengers on its new super
jumbo Airbus A380 aircraft, which had its maiden commercial flight
from Singapore to Sydney, not to seek Mile High Club membership in
first class cabins, which boast a double bed.

Fisher, whose company carried out the survey, said joining the Mile
High Club was easier these days in a super jumbo, but urged travelers
to be mindful of others within close cabin earshot if gripped by "Mile
High madness."

(Reporting by Rob Taylor; Editing by Bill Tarrant)

So nobody is watching the movie anymore?
Mon Jan 21, 2008 9:45am ET

(c) Reuters 2008. All Rights Reserved.

This is CNN : The 10 coziest U.S. spas

Next CNN Article in Travel » 

 

(Travel + Leisure) -- Baby, it's cold outside. Luckily, Travel + Leisure has the cure. From New York to Seattle, T+L rounded up 10 of the country's coziest spas and their most inviting treatments.

 

The spa lounge at Connecticut's Mayflower Inn & Spa offers gorgeous views of the countryside.

Emerge Day Spa, Boston, Massachusetts

Though only open for a short time, Newbury Street's Emerge spa has already established itself as the go-to place for relaxation. Think flat-screen TVs in the Men's Club, a fireside lounge and a roof deck, and treatments like the Thalasso Kur: a body wrap, mineral bath and massage. 275 Newbury St.; 617/437-0006; emergespasalon.com; $215.

Mayflower Inn & Spa, Washington, Connecticut

During the Thermal Sanctuary Experience, a modern-day hammam ritual, spagoers detox with a selection of scrubs and oils in a marble-clad steam room. Afterward, settle into a settee in the lounge, a welcoming space complete with a roaring fire and gorgeous views of the Connecticut countryside. 118 Woodbury Rd.; 860/868-9466; mayflowerinn.com; $90.

Cornelia Day Resort, New York City

This 22,000-square-foot self-proclaimed "day resort" on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue is stocked with decadent touches, like cashmere throws and butlers serving champagne in the relaxation room; a mini-boutique displays designer bags and accessories alongside skin-care products. But it's the Signature Facial that is truly deluxe. Instead of one aesthetician, clients get two -- the first tends to your face, while the second gives you a massage. 663 Fifth Ave.; 212/871-3050; cornelia.com; $195.

Don't Miss

• Travel + Leisure: Cruise Guide
• Travel + Leisure: Best Caribbean spas
• Travel + Leisure: The 500 best hotels in the world
• In Depth: Winter Getaways

Espa at Acqualina, Sunny Isles, Florida

Overlooking the ocean, this is the United States' first stand-alone outpost from Espa. Look for an authentic experience in a resolutely modern environment. Services like the Vata Comforter -- a scrub, massage and wrap using muds, oils and spices -- draw on a range of Asian traditions (ayurveda, in this case). 17875 Collins Ave.; 305/918-6844; acqualina.com; $295.

Belladonna Day Spa, New Orleans

When it reopened directly following Katrina, Belladonna served as a community gathering place. It's still a welcoming haunt, thanks to its worldly boutique and indulgent treatments such as the Thai Foot Ritual, an upgraded pedicure that includes traditional Thai stretches. 2900 Magazine St.; 504/891-4393; belladonnadayspa.com; $95.

Lake Austin Spa Resort, Austin, Texas

It is Texas-chic at Austin's top spa: mismatched wing chairs in the lounge; massage tables covered with gingham throws. To feel especially pampered, book the Texas Starry Night, done after dark in one of the outdoor treatment areas. The combined effect of the lavender-oil massage, twinkling stars and air tinged with the scent of Texas wildflowers will lull any insomniac to sleep. 1705 S. Quinlan Rd.; 512/372-7300; lakeaustin.com; $140.

Boulders Resort & Golden Door, Carefree, Arizona

A compound of adobe buildings that seems to spring from the desert landscape, the Golden Door goes out of its way to put guests at ease. Case in point: Needle & the Stone, a blend of acupuncture and hot-stone massage, conducted by a therapist certified in both arts. 34631 N. Tom Darlington Dr.; 480/488-9009; goldendoorspas.com; $200.

Qua Baths & Spa, Las Vegas, Nevada

One of the latest spas to open in Sin City, this water-themed spot differs from its other Strip counterparts through unusual offerings like Sleep Health; the massage followed by a hypnotherapy session is a welcome relief in a city known for encouraging late nights. Caesar's Palace, 3570 Las Vegas Blvd. S.; 866/782-0655; quabathsandspa.com; $280.

InterContinental Century City, Los Angeles, California

Forget standard treatment rooms. Services at Los Angeles' InterContinental are performed in private villas with flat-screen TVs and meditation gardens. During the Mediterranean Olive Scrub Massage -- an exfoliation with crushed olive seeds and an olive-oil massage -- guests are given time in the room's infinity-edge Kohler tub, making it easy to soak it all in. 2151 Ave. of the Stars; 310/552-0425; ichotelsgroup.com; $190.

Ummelina International Day Spa, Seattle, Washington

Most treatments at downtown's Ummelina begin with a foot soak and tea ceremony. Seaweed pedicures are performed in private rooms where you are literally tucked into a plush heated bed. You'll doze off while your toes are filed, buffed and polished. 1525 Fourth Ave.; 206/624-1370; ummelina.com; $80. E-mail to a friend

Planning a Caribbean getaway? Don't miss Travel + Leisure's new Ultimate Caribbean Hotel Guide - CLICK HERE

Copyright 2007 American Express Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved.

By Christine Ajudua, Alice Gordon, Stirling M. Kelso, Clark Mitchell, John Newton, Nina Willdorf and Elizabeth Woodson

All About Travel Destinations

Martin Luther King, Jr. - "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."

pip pip Dr.

NASA to watch meteor shower via Google plane

NASA officials said Thursday they will view a meteor shower while flying over the Arctic in a Gulfstream V aircraft owned by the founders of Google Inc.

The mission was scheduled to depart from Mineta San Jose International Airport around 4:30 p.m. Thursday to fly for 10 hours over the Arctic and back to San Jose.

The mission is to view the Quadrantid meteor shower, which is expected to produce more than 100 visible meteors per hour at its peak.

NASA has a $2.6 million agreement with Mountain View-based Google's (NASDAQ: GOOG) founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, to house their aircraft at Moffett Field.

In return, NASA scientists get access to the aircraft, which also includes a Boeing 767, for research purposes.