What's up with the rubber ducks on cruise ships? The cruising rubber duck game.

Taking a cruise? Or maybe you just got off a ship and saw rubber ducks randomly placed around the ship. 

A few years ago a trend of hiding rubber ducks onboard for others to find took off. It became so popular that several cruise lines have banned the duck custom and crew will dispose of any rubber duckies found hidden on the ship.  

Does the official duck ban have your interest in these scavenger hunts more than ever?

Looking for ducks?  Get your Rubber Duckies and Duck Tags! Amazon pays me an affiliate commission on sales made through links.

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Lighten Up! Don't let Seasonal Affective Disorder make you SAD.

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD),  (aka: winter depression, winter blues, summer depression, summertime sadness, or seasonal depression), is a mood disorder subset in which people who have normal mental health throughout most of the year experience depressive symptoms in the winter or summer.

In 1984, a paper defining Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) described bright artificial light as a treatment for winter depression. Experts hypothesized that lengthening the daily photoperiod (ie: simulate a summer day in the northern hemisphere) would lead to remission of symptoms.
Expose yourself to light, every day for about 45 minutes, before 8 AM.  Light affects the part of your brain that controls your body’s internal clock. It could take a few weeks before the light kicks in and helps your mood and it doesn't work for everyone. Seasonal Affective Disorder starts to fade off in April or May.

White light of all your electronic devices signal your brain to produce energy, not ideal just before bedtime.  A few cool, new light gadgets are being developed:

First there's ARIO, with their self-described, "world's first healthy connected lamp," which changes light color and direction as the day progresses.   In the morning it shines bright, energizing blue-rich light and as the sun sets, the light color changes to a melatonin producting relaxing amber, supposedly to help you sleep. The light mimics movement and casts up in the morning and down in the evening. Ario developed this using research from Harvard Medical School, NASA, and the National Institute of Health.

Then there's C by GE.  A smart LED light bulb which claims to adjust your circadian rhythm and help with sleep.  Their line is, "bulbs that go together like day and night, and make it simple to get light that always feels good."

There are numerous light therapy products on the market and a quick Amazon search will turn up several options.   They range from crazy looking light boxes to bulbs that turn and change color linked via WiFi.  Do your own searches and decide what's right for you http://amzn.to/1GLzJhB

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Amazon Kindle 2 - Slimmer, Thinner, Faster

Amazon.com unveiled a new version of its Kindle e-book reader, thinner and faster than the older model, but no cheaper.

Amazon tweaked the user experience a bit but Kindle 2 still lacks a color screen. The battery life was increased 25% and a useful new feature for many is a text-to-speech option. The company says the new Kindle will cost $359 and begin shipping on Feb. 24.

READ MORE and PRE-ORDER A KINDLE 2




Say Hello to The New Kindle
Slim: Just over 1/3 of an inch, as thin as most magazines

Lightweight: At 10.2 ounces, lighter than a typical paperback

Wireless: 3G wireless lets you download books right from your Kindle, anytime, anywhere; no monthly fees, service plans, or hunting for Wi-Fi hotspots

Books in Under 60 Seconds: Get books delivered in less than 60 seconds; no PC required

Improved Display: Reads like real paper; now boasts 16 shades of gray for clear text and even crisper images

Longer Battery Life: 25% longer battery life; read for days without recharging

More Storage: Take your library with you; holds over 1,500 books

Faster Page Turns: 20% faster page turns

Read-to-Me: With the new Text-to-Speech feature, Kindle can read every book, blog, magazine, and newspaper out loud to you

Large Selection: Over 230,000 books plus U.S. and international newspapers, magazines, and blogs available

Low Book Prices: New York Times Best Sellers and New Releases $9.99, unless marked otherwise

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Top Travel Gadgets

I've been trying to pick up a pair of noise reducing headphones that fold up for travel and while evaluating my options I ran across the Jersey Journal's, Top 5 gadgets for Travelers. I don't necessarily agree or disagree with the list but a lot of people are planning their summer trips, so this list could be helpful if you're taking a flight in the near future.

• Apple iPod Touch: The top-of-the-line iPod Touch stores 32GB of songs, movies and TV shows, with a relatively large, video screen.


• Noise-reducing headphones: Little ipod earbuds don't block out a jet engine's roar, so something stronger is recommended. The Bose QuietComfort 3 headphones are considered the best choice, but Sennheiser and JVC offer decent options that cost much less.


• Knee Defender: A bit obnoxious, okay this is totally obnoxious and rude. The knee defender locks on your tray table preventing the seat in front of you from reclining. Just be warned that seat karma will back at you for this evil trick.


• Scanner Bag: A luggage tag with a quick-fold pouch inside to hold your “pocket stuff” when you go through airport security.


• Nintendo DS Lite: I don't play video games, so I can't kick in any comments except recommend you wear your headphones when playing the games (or for that matter wear headphones while watching your portable DVD player or anything that makes noise). The author this list likes the Nintendo more than PlayStation Portable because of the interface and ease of use.

I'm thinking an Amazon Kindle or Sony Reader would be tops on my travel gadget list. I have trouble sleeping on long flights so this would be an opportunity to cut down my book list backlog. Hopefully inflight cell phone access doesn't catch on (cringe).

Add a comment if you can recommend a decent pair of headphones to use on a flight. Thanks!

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