Teaching Programming for Kids

Logo
Logo is a programing language for kids. There is a free version for the PC, MSWlogo, which also has lots of online tutorials. There is also a free version for the Mac, ACSLogo.

Lego Mindstorms
Programmable lego sets that offer a fairly simple programming interface. There is also a free online Lego simbot which overlaps with Logo.

Flowol
Control applications offer a good visual way to learn programming concepts. Flowol is a popular one used with students.

Game Maker
Game maker is excellent and free and allows for both drag and drop and coding.

Scratch
Scratch is a superb new visual programming environment that is gathering a lot of attention amongst educators. It can be used to create games, tell stories, respond to variables and so on.

Alice
For the final stage I would recommend alice for OOP but without the headache!

Pipes
One thing I'm going to try with my 10 year old is Yahoo Pipes

KPL
Code for Fun says I would highly recommend KPL(Kids Programming Language)...It's like BASIC on steriod..KPL is base on C#.

Hackety Hack
why, the luck stiff, put together an environment specifically designed to get kids interested in programming. It's based on ruby and specializes in creating applications that would interest kids, such as a blog or a music player. This is why he did, here is how you can get it, and here is more info about it.

Article Link (Wired)

Tech-savvy iTeddy

If you thought your childhood favorite Teddy Ruxpin was hot stuff, it
ain't got nothing on the MP3-playing iTeddy. Reportedly, the UK-based
critter is all set to launch today, and will be available in the Argos
catalog for a respectable £59.99 ($123). The bear
itself comes with a built-in LCD, integrated speakers, 512MB of
internal memory, a rechargeable battery, detachable media player, an SD
expansion slot, and a USB cable to load 'er up.
Article Link (Engadget)

Pleo Sold Out

[07-23-2007] Ugobe Store Sells Out Of Pleos! The
inventory of Pleos that Ugobe had earmarked for it’s own online store
has already evaporated in the face of customer demand. Because of
this, they are no longer accepting preorders at this time. Luckily, at
the current time, their retail partners still have stock available for
preordering.
Article Links (Engadget, Ugobe)

Wakamaru isn't ready

Things didn't turn out so well for Mitsubishi's cute little Wakamaru house bot,
which the company introduced in 2005. Initially expecting to sell 100
of the $14k+ bots, Mitsubishi received only a few dozen orders, and
shipped even fewer, since certain customers with multi-story homes or
no internet access wouldn't have gotten much mileage out of the yellow
robot. Other problems further limited Wakamaru's acceptance in the
home, like limited conversational abilities and lack of support for
internet content beyond weather forecasts and email. People also
expected Wakamaru to take over household duties like sweeping and
cooking, and while the bot's heart is in the right place, he's not
exactly handy with a broom. For now Mitsubishi is going to rent Wakamaru out
to corporations, and is working on expanding arm functionality to allow
for the carrying of drinks or newspapers, and to let him open doors.

Article Link (Engadget)

iCat Interacts, Plays

With 13 servos controlling its eyebrows, eyes, eyelids and weird Angelina-Jolie-esque lips, Philips' iCat
can play, chat with you and "explore human-robot interaction," all for
your enjoyment. Until he puts that "I'm going to kick your ass and take
your eyeballs off" face on. Then you should be happy that it's only 38
cm tall and actually has no razor-sharp claws.
Article Link (Gizmodo, with video)

Sega Robot Chicken

Lisa brought me back one of Sega's highly coveted robot chicks, modeled physically and behaviorally after a 1-week old chicken.
The bird has a light and touch sensor, and responds to petting. When I
say respond, it's just different crying sounds, with the occasional
wing flap. What's insane is that this thing is like $40.
Article Link (Gizmodo, with video)

Aardman unveils WebbliWorld

New children's virtual world to include education, entertainment and news.

Aardman Animations has teamed up with Enable Interactive to create a new virtual world for kids - WebbliWorld.com.

Commissioned
by WebbliWorld Limited and designed and developed by Aardman and
specialist agency Enable, the website features animated films staring
new characters, as well as interactive games and adventures.

WebbliWorld
will have numerous tie-ins to advertising clients, which will sponsor
different sections of the site, in additon to the two initial sponsors,
Puffin Books and the World Wildlife Fund.

"WebbliWorld.com was a
fantastic opportunity for Aardman as it allowed us to show that our
animation and design skills are just as relevant in web design," said
Heather Wright, head of Aardman's TV commercials division. "Our
designer created the highly colourful, energetic and immersive world
which kids love and which is something fresh and different, completely
from scratch."

The site has been designed to provide children
with a safe online world in which they can experience the vast
resources of the internet, including entertainment, educational
resources and news feeds. The next phase of the site will include a
search engine and a social networking community.

Article Link

To create, Mattel toy company finds it must destroy

SHENZHEN, China: Inside Mattel's sprawling test lab
here, scores of technicians are doing their worst: setting Chicken
Dance Elmo dolls on fire, wrecking Hot Wheels cars and yanking at the
limbs of Dora the Explorer. The lab workers are paid to break toys,
pick apart their innards, and analyze the raw materials that go into
them.

The goal is to protect young children from the serious harm that
poor construction or dangerous components can bring. But it is also to
protect Mattel, the world's biggest toy maker, from what is
increasingly viewed as the risk of doing business in China.

The recent wave of recalls and warnings from China has ignited
worldwide concern about the safety of Chinese products, potentially
mucking up a global system built, in large part, on outsourced
manufacturing. As a result, companies are trying urgently to figure out
how to do business here, without risking their reputation, consumer
trust, or customers' lives.

Mattel may have some of the answers. In the 1990s, critics charged
the company with running sweatshops in Asia. Now, independent analysts,
and even watchdog groups, say Mattel may be the best role model for how
to operate prudently in China.

Article Link

Elmo goes online

The Elmo set goes online

The line between toys and the Internet has blurred further with the
Easy Link Internet Launch Pad from Fisher-Price, a device that gives
preschoolers limited access to select Internet games like Elmo's Potty
Time, with the rest of the Internet sealed off behind a password.

After you plug the plastic console into a USB port on your Windows
computer and install the software, you move your keyboard to the side,
start the special browser and turn your child loose. A preschooler can
jump from one site to the next at any time by snapping one of the three
included plastic figurines into the light-up cradle. Each figure acts
as a key to pre-selected activities chosen by Fisher-Price. Once on a
site, all links to the wider Web and paths to other parts of your
computer are deactivated.

The Launch Pad is available for $30 from major retailers, and
additional figure kits, sold in packs of two for $7, include Thomas
& Friends, Bob the Builder, Barney and the Wiggles.

A set of management options lets you set a play timer, to turn off
the game after an hour, or deactivate printing options, just in case
your child decides she wants 7,000 copies of her coloring page.

Article Link

Dancing Elmo Smackdown

The recent wave of recalls and warnings from China has ignited
worldwide concern about the safety of Chinese products, potentially
mucking up a global system built, in large part, on outsourced
manufacturing. As a result, companies are trying urgently to figure out
how to do business here, without risking their reputation, consumer
trust, or customers’ lives.

Mattel may have some of the
answers. In the 1990s, critics charged the company with running
sweatshops in Asia. Now, independent analysts, and even watchdog
groups, say Mattel may be the best role model for how to operate
prudently in China.

“Mattel realized very early that they
were always going to be in the crosshairs of sensitivities about child
labor and product safety, and they knew they had to really play it
straight,” said M. Eric Johnson, a management professor at the
Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, who has visited numerous
factories in China, including some of Mattel’s. “Mattel was
in China before China was cool, and they learned to do business there
in a good way. They understood the importance of protecting their
brand, and they invested.”

Mattel, and many of the outside analysts, say the key is command and
control. Unlike many other companies, Mattel, which makes about 65
percent of its toys here, actually owns the plants that produce its
most popular wares. About 50 percent of Mattel’s toy revenue
comes from core products made in these company-run plants, a high
proportion in the industry — and a more costly method than using
the lowest-bidding local manufacturer.

Its workers check toys for safety on site and in facilities like the
one here in Shenzhen. An independent auditor inspects factories and
posts reports on the Internet.

Mattel aggressively expanded the number of plants it owned in Asia.
Noncore products, like trinkets made under movie-licensing deals, could
be outsourced. But Barbie dolls and Hot Wheels, among others, would be
kept in tightly controlled factories.

In 1997, Mattel took a significant step to improve its image and
working conditions. The company hired S. Prakash Sethi, a professor at Baruch College, part of the City University of New York, who had an international reputation as a critic of worker mistreatment.

Mr. Sethi would make unannounced visits to Mattel’s factories and
vendors’ plants. He insisted that he would only monitor Mattel if
the toy maker let him post his reports publicly and uncensored.

Mattel agreed.

Ten years later, Mr. Sethi says Mattel, unlike most companies operating
abroad, still gives him 100 percent independence in his reports, which
are often critical. “Mattel is the gold standard,” he said.

That doesn’t mean the company, based in El Segundo, Calif., and
its subsidiaries, Fisher-Price and American Girl, haven’t had
recalls — 25 in the last 10 years. But, rather than supply-chain
defects, the recalls have mostly involved design flaws, or consumer
misuse.

[...]

The staff is mostly young and female, migrant workers who typically
leave home for three- or four-year stints in factories after high
school. Many of them say they work 10 hours a day, six days a week, for
about $175 a month, typical for this region.
Before the company approves any of its new toys — some 5,000 each year — it produces small batches.

Once full-scale production begins, toys are pulled off the line periodically and supplies are tested as they come in the door.

All the toy testing and safety measures cost money. But the Mattel
brand can command a premium price, said Mr. McGowan, the analyst at
Wedbush Morgan.

And, he said, “a major toy safety problem” could prove much more costly than prudence.
Article Link (NYTimes)

BarbieGirls MP3 Player Unlocks Chat Rooms, Content, Peer Pressure

These BarbieGirls MP3
players are bizarre for more than their creepy doll shape: Apparently
they are designed to teach your kids about exclusion and peer pressure.
When you plug the $59.99 device into the included dock, they unlock
exclusive content and chat rooms that only other kids with dolls can
access, making them a My-First-Country-Club gadget as well as a
portable music device. And yes, it gets even worse.

The
512MB of internal memory and SD card support players that will also
have additional "outfits," which will unlock even more chat rooms. One
can only assume that buying even more accessories will get you into
even more exclusive chat rooms, until you end up virtually discussing
the merits of jelly over peanut butter with the daughters of world
leaders and A-list celebrities.

Article Link (Gizmodo)

Barbiegirls.com

Most people know about Webkinz
by now, but with a quickly multiplying number of tween-targeted virtual
worlds taking over the Web, it’s not an easy task keeping up with the
rest of them. The newest one to know is BarbieGirls; since its launch on April 27th, more than 3 million users have registered on the site.


Similar to other tween virtual worlds but drawing tweens through the
iconic Barbie brand, the community site enables girls to create, dress
and style their own personal virtual Barbie. Using their custom Barbie
avatars, site visitors can chat with friends, primp, adopt pets, shop
with B Bucks earned through games, decorate rooms, and watch videos.
Although the site is free to use, participants need to purchase a
Barbie Girl mp3 player to unlock additional “special” content on the
site, including secret rooms, accessories and clothes. The device also
allows girls to sync their mp3 players to each others’ computers in
person, which then enables them to participate in "Secret B Chats" with
one another, offering more privacy and open conversation. While
physical components to virtual worlds are still a relatively new idea,
we believe that in the future they will be expected by users.

i-Sing MP3 microphone replaces vocals with your own

Looking for that perfect Christmas in July gift for your favorite
kiddo? The exorbitantly-named "It's Outrageous!" company has dolled out
just the thing with its laughable, albeit well-featured i-Sing microphone. This device may sport all of the tell-tale signs of a good toy gone bad, but this karaoke
enabler actually plays back MP3s and digitally removes the vocalist in
order for you, er, your child to belt out the lyrics without being
forced to out-sing the professional. Additionally, users can insert
lyrics via the built-in software so they can read them back on the
integrated LCD, and while you won't stuff too many jams onto 512MB of
internal storage, parents can shove in an SD card for extra space if
necessary. Hey, for $120, this seems to be a no brainer for your little
diva. Check the video after the break.

Article Link

RC2 unveils V_Bot three-in-one toy robot

Sure, you could throw down for a robotic car, Transformer, and speaker station whenever you well please, but how's about snatching all three in one fell swoop? RC2 is sure hoping that the aforementioned trio goes well blended together in a remote-controlled creature, as the V_Bot brings together all of those elements for what it dubs "the ultimate remote control robotic experience." The device can morph from vehicle to robotic beast in a matter of seconds via the handheld remote, and if digital driving controls and a host of built-in dance moves weren't enough to satisfy you, you can throw it in park and enjoy some tunes when you've had your fill of burnin' linoleum and breaking it down. Not too shabby at all for £129.99 ($267).
Article Link (Engadget)

WowWee Alive Elvis Robot Unboxed... and Skinned

$349.99 (Gizmodo)

$6,299 Hello Kitty Robot Replaces Good Parenting

Now up for preorder, the lovable robot can chat with a child in
three different personality modes: as a close friend, with the family
and as a guessing game. But that's just the tip of the proverbial Hello
Kitty iceberg.

Featuring face recognition through a CMOS sensor and voice
recognition through a microphone, hopefully Hello Kitty will remember
not to blurt your secrets to the first Aibo who crosses her path. Her
face, whiskers and ribbons are equipped with LED lights, which (we're
guessing based upon vague description) alter states based upon identity
recognition and/or Aibo seduction.

A moving head, arms and legs couple with a motion sensor...probably
for cold, calculated robot hugs. And Hello Kitty appears to be an
entertainment device with TV-Out and mouse compatibility...probably for
cold, calculated robot brainwashing.

Though light on specifics, we think the website sums it up best
with: "This is a perfect robot for whoever does not have a lot time to
stay with child. Hello Kitty Robo can help you to stay with your child
to keep them from being lonely."

Article Link (Gizmodo)

RobotSquare

Situated on the second floor of the TNC Broadcast Hall in Fukuoka City,
RoboSquare is described as a "Test-Drive Center" for our more compact
and bijou automaton friends. Although it opened in 2002, the center has
just moved into larger premises and upped its 'bot count from 41 to
111. You can even worship at a shrine to Aibo if you want...
Article Link (Gizmodo)

Robotic Insect Takes World's First Bug-Bot Flight

Those
Harvard boys are at it again, this time creating the world's first
robotic fly that actually took flight for the first time. This
sophisticated machine is made of tiny laser-cut pieces of carbon fiber,
parts so small they're nearly invisible and molded to outlandishly
tight tolerances of within 2 micrometers. There have been other
attempts at building robotic insects, but this tiny bot-bug is the size
of a horsefly with a wingspan of just over an inch, and uses the same
flight technique as those everyday, filthy varmints flying around your
garbage can.

Its first flight
reminds us a bit of the Wright Brothers' first flight, but it was even
more primitive because it's not capable of being controlled yet. It
just takes off on a two-wired tether that keeps it straight and level
and moving in an upward trajectory. But hey, it's still flying.

There's also talk of using the little houseflies to sniff out toxic chemicals and such.
Article Link (Gizmodo)

Steampunk Robots are Totally Awesome

We have a well-documented steampunk
fetish here at Gizmodo, which is why we totally popped some tents when
we saw these amazing steampunk robots by sculptor and animator Stephane
Halleux. They're beautiful in their detail, although unfortunately,
unlike real robots, these guys don't move. I could see these fetching
some pretty high prices as pieces of art, however. Nice work, Stephane.


Article Link

World of Barbie-craft: 3 Million Sign-Ups in 2 Months!

… in the first 60 days of its existence, the new online virtual world Barbie Girls has signed up three million members, and they’re adding new ones at the rate of 50,000 a day.

This is staggering growth by any standard, but even more so because Mattel’s MMO is still in Beta.

(”Hey, girl!,” the site helpfully
explains to a horde of pre-teens just getting introduced to the
concept, “‘beta’… means we’re still working on the site to make it even
better.”) By contrast, it took World of Warcraft four months to reach just half
that amount. (Yes, largely an apples-to-Orcs comparison, but in terms
of eyeballs, attention, and enthusiasm, still a fair one.)

The overarching point is how much online worlds have come to be dominated by pre-adults. The GigaOM Top Ten MMO list is roughly half kid-oriented virtual worlds (Habbo Hotel, Club Penguin, Webkinz, Gaia Online, and arguably RuneScape), and doesn’t even include sites like Zwinky, NeoPets, and other child-centric social networks with MMO/avatar-based elements.

Almost all of them, it’s worth noting, are not subscription-based,
but leverage other revenue streams, primarily outside
advertising/sponsorship deals and virtual item sales.
(Barbie Girls employs these, as well.) In terms of huge MMOs, then, the
classic subscription model of World of Warcraft is now in a distinct
minority, and surely in its waning days. (What happens when the fans of
all these worlds grow out of adolescence, and start looking for new
online worlds to play in? Doubt they’re going to find much appeal in
paying a monthly fee.)

Speaking of which, that has to be the biggest opportunity in this
space right now: not adult-oriented MMOs like World of Warcraft or
Second Life, not adolescent hang-outs like Habbo or Gaia, and not even
child-centric sites like Club Penguin and Webkinz. No, the real
untapped potential is in cusp MMOs, for kids in transition.
The online world which can figure out how to steer customers from the
16-18 age bracket into young adulthood, while managing to maintain
their loyalty, will make anything out there now seem sparse.

Article Link

Water Strider

Throwing its fins into the proverbial pool with various water-bourne robots such as the Strider, the CMU Water Runner, and whatever this creep is called, is the new STRIDE -- soon to be the aforementioned Strider's enemy number one. The name stands for Surface Tension Robotic Insect Dynamic Explorer, and the
minuscule bot works by mimicking the strider insect and skirting along
the surface of the water using hydrophobic wire legs coated in Teflon.
Researchers discovered that the 1-gram bot could carry a 9.3-gram
payload without breaking the surface by utilizing a sculling motion for
movement. The robot is 10-15 times slower than the actual insect and 10
times larger, but the engineers hope to lower the bot's size and
increase its speed by downsizing its build, along with expanding its
capabilities by harnessing technologies such as sensors, wireless
communication, and autonomous control.
Article Link (Engadget)

Cellphone Transforms Into Deadly Robot

Check out this transforming cellphone concept
found over at Parkoz Hardware. It turns into a little bi-pedal bot,
complete with twin miniguns. Definitely reminiscent of scenes from
Michael Bay's Tranformers, with a little bit of Batteries Not Included, Short Circuit, and Robocop (ED-209, anyone?) Koreans get the coolest cellphones, so it figures their concepts are going to be kick-ass, too.
Article Link (Gizmodo)

iBotics Stingray

This is the Stingray robo-sub, one of the competitors in the tenth Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Competition,
which is taking place at the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center in
San Diego this weekend. Rather confusingly, one of its rival's entries,
from the U.S. Naval Academy, is known as Project Stingray.
Article Link (Gizmodo)

USB Dancing Robot

By sacrificing a single USB
port, you can have your very own 7-inch-tall, dancing robot to
tirelessly bust a move for your pleasure. After detecting whatever tune
you have playing, USB Dancing Robot will start swaying and flashing LEDs to the beat. And that looks like all it'll do. Forever.

The USB Dancing Robot is a tad steeply priced for what it is at 25 smackaroos, and it'll only work with Windows XP or 2000. We love its boxy retro design, but what's with that crazy face it's making?
Article Link (Gizmodo)

Mitsubishi Robot Receptionists

Robots
have long been a mainstay on high-end factory floors, but now they're
getting a lot more social and interacting with humans in the workplace.
These Mitsubishi
robots, named Wakamaru, are being hired out in Japan as receptionists
for $1000 a day or $25,000 a year. It turns out these goofy-looking
yellow droids are pretty good at the job, recognizing faces and even
chatting it up with the customers, using their 10,000-word vocabulary
to amaze and entertain, and possibly annoy.

Standing a childlike 3'3" tall and weighing 66 pounds, the robots
cut a decidedly non-imposing figure, flashing a dorky-looking
expression and generally doing nonthreatening things. They are at able
to perform a few manual tasks, however, and we're thinking that
bringing us a beer might not be too challenging for these little
droids.
Article Link (Gizmodo)

Teens Choose Reality Over Virtual Reality

LOS ANGELES, July 12 /PRNewswire/ -- OTX (Online Testing eXchange), the
leading global consumer research and consulting firm, released results of its
teen study today revealing new facts about teens' attitudes toward
socialization. This first study is part of a new syndicated offering by OTX
and partner eCRUSH, a leading PG-13 social networking site. The Teen Topix
survey taps into the complex lives of the 13 -17 year old set -- what's
important to them, their behaviors, and their outlook on life. 750 teens
across the country were surveyed.

One of the key findings of the study was the insight into the 'teen media
swap.' The study found that 58% of teens sacrifice watching TV for going on
dates, with Internet surfing (54%), playing video games (47%), and listening
to music (42%) taking hits as well.

But "reality" only extends so far. When teens go out on those dates,
they're eschewing free options like cruising (53%) or school events (53%) for
the marketing-laden options of movie theaters (87%), malls (64%) and
restaurants (58%).

"It's this kind of information marketers are looking for," said Bruce
Friend, President of Media and Entertainment Insights for OTX. "Insight into
how and why teens are swapping one activity for another, and where they're
spending their dollars, helps advertisers target them effectively."

    What Teens Sacrifice for Dating     Where Teens go on Dates
    Watching TV               58 %      Movie Theater        87 %
    Surfing the Internet      54 %      Mall                 64 %
    Playing video games       47 %      Restaurant           58 %
    Listening to music        42 %      School Dance         53 %
    Hanging out with Friends  39 %      Drive/walk around    53 %
    Reading                   39 %      Park                 51 %
    Homework                  37 %      School event (sports,
                                         play, etc.)         49 %
    Sleep                     34 %      Concert/live music   34 %
    Family time               32 %      Coffee shop          22 %
    Playing sports            26 %      Professional
                                         sporting events     14 %
    Going to religious                  Town recreational
     services                 20 %       center              12 %

When it comes to rules of dating, gender differences become clear -- while
66% of all teens say their parents impose dating rules, only 49% of boys are
subjected to rules, compared with 83% of girls. As to the rules of
attraction, jocks, bad boys, and adventure seekers rule the hearts of today's
teens. 31% of all teens said they're attracted to "jocks" such as Nathan on
the CW's One Tree Hill or Claire on NBC's Heroes. 30% of girls also prefer
"bad boys" like Michael on Fox's Prison Break, and 28% of boys like
adventurous women such as Veronica on the CW's Veronica Mars.

"Teens are ready and willing to speak their minds. The challenge is
reaching them at the right time, on their terms, to gain relevant insights for
a marketers' business," said Amy Gibby, President of eCRUSH. "The OTX/eCRUSH
collaboration is totally unique -- tapping into the power of eCRUSH's teen
social networking engine and stewarded by OTX, the teen research market leader
-- to deliver faster, cost-efficient and in the end more useful teen
research."

The Teen Topix study is designed to take the pulse of teenagers on hot
topics of the day. Future studies will focus on topics such as a summer movie
wrap-up, teen buzz for the new fall TV shows, and holiday shopping plans.

The syndicated teen study is only one portion of the partnership between
the two companies, who will also be conducting custom studies and jointly
building a teen mobile panel for real-time, efficient access to this demo.

"In this ever-evolving technological landscape, we have to constantly
invent new ways to reach teens. This partnership between OTX and eCRUSH offers
The N and teen marketers a cool, new way to research this elusive
demographic," said Radha Subramaniyam, Vice President, Research and Planning,
MTV Networks Kids and Family.

About OTX (Online Testing eXchange)

OTX (Online Testing eXchange) is a global consumer research and consulting
firm that has established itself as a leading provider of online-based
research. The company specializes in providing innovative, cutting-edge online
technology, products and analysis to the marketing, entertainment and
advertising communities. OTX has developed the most innovative products
available for online research today - products that work to uncover deeper and
more profound consumer insight. Today, the company is one of the fastest
growing research companies in the United States and has offices in Los
Angeles, New York, Cincinnati, Miami, Chicago and London, with strategic
partners in Australia and China.

About eCRUSH

The eCRUSH Network, acquired by Hearst Magazines Digital Media in January
2007, is a group of PG-13 sites related to universal truths of crushing,
flirting, and all forms of teen connectivity.

    -- eCRUSH(R) is the original "crush" site -- a way for users to find out
       anonymously if someone they like feels the same about them, with no
       chance of rejection. The site launched on Valentine's Day 1999, and has

       matched close to 1MM users.
    -- eSPIN(R) is a profile-based site that offers the old junior-high game
       with a modern twist. Designed with safety in mind (all youth
       submissions are screened to remove any personally identifiable
       information and inappropriate content before they can be posted), this
       is the premier way for gen-Y to connect, flirt and make new friends
       online. Launched in 2001, eSPIN-the-Bottle(TM) has over 2,500,000 users

       and is growing rapidly.
    -- HighSchoolStyleBoard is a photo-rating site with a few new twists.
       Users can post photos in numerous categories, such as "Best Hair" and
       "Preppiest." Multiple votes per page and an extensive "Top 500" list in

       each category keeps users returning to this site.
    -- Surveys4Teens is an email based resource for teens who are interested
       in age-appropriate research.  Surveys4Teens has a unique audience of
       over 250,000 teens.

    For more information contact:

    Ajay Durani
    adurani@otxresearch.com
    212-886-5934

    Lindsay Galin
    lgalin@hearst.com
Article Link
    212-649-2145

SOURCE OTX