"There the Tsuen Shing Baby Monitor (due in April; http://www.tsuenshing.com). It looks like any other white, plastic, walkie-talkie-style baby monitor. But as you carry this one around the house, you can actually watch your baby on the screen instead of just listening. Why didn't anyone think of this before?

Skull Candy may not sound appetizing, but it's the name for a delicious idea: a $30 pair of headphones that plug into your phone and music player simultaneously (http://www.skullcandy.com). When you're out hang-gliding, you can answer an incoming call with the touch of a button; the music volume drops automatically. If it turns out the conversation isn't all that interesting, you can turn the music volume back up - and only you hear it.

Finally, there's the KidSmart smoke alarm (http://www.voicealert.com). Having recognized that children sometimes freeze in reaction to shrill smoke alarms, its inventors designed this one to alternate its beeps with a recording of your own voice: "Honey, this is Mommy. Meet me downstairs as soon as you can."

News - News study finds little risk to Earth from exploding stars: http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/supernova_threat_021216.html

Comment - The study estimates that a supernova explodes close enough to damage Earth once every billion years or so. Those are pretty low odds.

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