babies

Some decisions in life are very hard.

Which flavor of ice cream truly is your favorite? Should you eat goat's cheese rather than cow cheese because goats have beards? If you buy shoes with skulls on them, will someone think you're a necrophiliac?

And then there's naming your baby.

Some choose the easy way out. There are names handed down through their family, saving the need to buy baby-name books. Some try -- and even succeed -- to be creative, as was the case with my favorite Starbucks barista's mom who decided to name her little girl Kurshina.

Then there are those for whom it's all too much -- or something. They just wish someone else would take the decision and give them, say, $5,000.

That seems to be the case with 26-year-old Natasha Hill. She won a competition on the baby-naming site Belly Ballot for the privilege of having complete strangers choose her little one's name. (The little one is due in September.) … Read more

Thanks to "Twilight," vampires are more popular than ever. It's only natural that people would want their own vampire babies, isn't it? OK, maybe not, but there is a niche market out there for vampire baby dolls. I'm not talking about action figures or stuffed toys, I'm talking about dolls so realistic you'll feel like you've crossed the Uncanny Valley and emerged from the other side.

Artist Bean Shanine runs the Twisted Bean Stalk Nursery, a site devoted to her unholy baby creations. She takes Reborn doll kits and transforms them into monstrosities. Reborns are incredibly realistic, making Shanine's transformations all the more creepy.… Read more

Oh, what an adorable baby! What's his name? "Google?" Are you serious? Do you realize how many search results he's going to get when he grows up and googles his own name?

Naming a baby "Google" is a phenomenon that first came to our attention in 2005. Apparently, that was just the beginning. "Google" made the list of BabyCenter's most unusual baby names of 2012.

BabyCenter culled its list from a baby-naming survey of more than 4,000 parents. To make the list, a name had to be foisted upon at least two different kids. The spread of geek culture is evident in the list. For example, you can bet little Jedi's parents had a "Star Wars" theme wedding with Han Solo and Princess Leia action figure cake toppers. … Read more

Technology is trying to take over the world with as much grace as it can.

Sometimes, though, its influence can seem overt, especially when it steps onto the hairy, scabby toes of traditional thinking.

Earlier this week, there were unconfirmed rumors that a baby had been named Hashtag.

But, even if true, this is likely a one-off.

What is more important are societal trends. So my epiglottis was temporarily blocked with excitement on hearing that more and more parents are naming their children after Apple products.

I gurgle with delight at the information offered by Babycenter.com that "iBabies&… Read more

British inventor Colin Furze's 1-month-old son may have to wait til he's old enough to drive before he really gets to ride in his own baby carriage. Furze set his mind to creating the world's fastest pram, and it looks like he is likely to succeed.

According to the Daily Mail, the three-wheeled baby carriage is outfitted with a 125cc motorbike engine. It took four weeks and more than $700 to put the speed demon machine together. … Read more

One artist sees treasure in trashed keyboards of yesteryear.

Inspired by the tale of ancient Greece's infamously sneaky Trojan Horse and humankind's Internet gluttony, German artist Babis Pangiotidis created an elaborate model of a rocking horse known as "Hedonism(y) Trojaner" with skin made of thousands of forgotten keyboard keys. Babis states on his portfolio site that the shades of color found on the recycled keys range from ivory white to nicotine-stained yellow. … Read more

Yahoo's Marissa Mayer brought a baby boy into the world last night, according to a tweet by her husband, Zachary Bogue.

"Baby boy Bogue born last night," announced the proud father. "Mom (@marissamayer) and baby are doing great -- we couldn't be more excited!"

Mayer had tweeted news of her pregnancy in mid-July, shortly after being appointed as Yahoo's new CEO. She revealed to Fortune Magazine that she spilled the beans to the company's board of directors in June and that no concerns were raised.

Mayer is also eyeing a short and … Read more

Let's face it. Not every parent is going to raise a perfect little Luke Skywalker. If you suspect your wee hellion is leaning in a different direction, then this Darth Vader onesie is the best way to dress the tiny imp.

The $35.95 suit comes complete with a comfy black cap and Darth Vader helmet images on the soles of the booties. There is a cape, as well. Technically, it's not so much a onesie as it is a complete outfit. It fits kids from 6 to 12 months of age.… Read more

People generally have children in order to reproduce their own imperfect selves and try to make them more perfect.

This is a legitimate, if slightly warped, activity -- yet we tolerate it for what we imagine is a social good.

However, less of a social good is these parents constantly thrusting images of their progeny into the exclusive preserve of our Facebook pages.

They don't imagine that others might find these pictures annoying, dull, or -- dare one say it -- visually displeasing. They do it to wave their own fecundity into your every day.

There is now relief from this discomfort, a tool that has interesting ramifications.… Read more