The Smart Bra?
Australian scientists have designed the Smart Bra, which adjusts its straps and cups to match how its wearer moves (perfect for the droopy strap syndrome). The bra is the brainchild of University of Wollongong researchers and lingerie maker Berlei, which hope to sell the bra commercially. Coated in an "intelligent" polymer that stiffens under strain, the bra offers instant customized support. What's next? British firm PDD is developing the Techno Bra, with a built-in heart monitor that will transmit and track distress signals, say, in medical emergency. PDD may want to wan date-bound wearers about false alarms. (From USA Weekend, August 18-20, 2000. Contributing: Krisha Chachra, Michele Hatty, Tara Mack, and Robin Reid.)

The Breadwinner, revisited.
Many traditional breadwinners would rather stay home and maybe bake bread instead according to a survey by CareerBuilder.com. For in 10 working fathers say they would leave their jobs to become stay-at-home dads if their spouses or partners earned enough money for them to live comfortably, according to A Portrait of Working Fathers 2003. With men working longer hours—65 percent of the fathers surveyed reported they worked in excess of 40 hours each week and 25 percent said they worked more than 50 hours a week—father have less time to spend with their families, especially when travel is involved with the job. Although most fathers still lag behind their wives in the amount of time they spend taking care of their families, the survey found that 34 percent of fathers cooked dinner four to five times a week. Fathers also have altered their daily work schedules to attend events with their children and spend more time with their families, according to the survey.