Old-fashioned ham radio captivates in digital world: "The appeal of ham radio can't be explained with logic. Cellular phones and wireless computing now do almost anything hams can do. I wouldn't get much of an argument from many fellow hams when I say the Internet is more efficient and dependable than ham radio. Even the role amateur radio operators have in dealing with emergencies has lessened—but has not gone away—because of these same technologies."

Stay-at-home dads cherish their role: "Years after the feminist move to give mothers a choice between the workplace, the home or a combination of both, some families are discovering that the best solution for them is to have Dad home with the kids while Mom brings home the paychecks."

"There are far fewer at-home dads than at-home moms: 105,000 vs. 5.2 million nationwide in the latest census estimates. Of the 23 million married parents of children younger than age 15, about 22 percent of the moms were at home full time, while just 0.5 percent of the dads were."

"Manning the home front is different for dads than for moms, men say. Those who stay home must get over the societal expectation that men are supposed to be the financial providers. They may not even know how to refer to their new vocation. Brian Reid of Alexandria, Va., rejects the term 'househusband' as dated and 'Mr. Mom' as offensive; he came up with 'rebel dad' for men at the leading edge of a social revolution."

Personally, I don't see why both parents can't stay home. With telecommuting, why can't dad earn his living from home, have more time with the family, and less work-related expenses? That would even provide for more time to get out!

"'I want to take care of my family. It’s frustrating to this day, being a man and now a father (who can’t work).' When they’ve run out of diapers and had no money to buy more, they asked for help from family or from their church. 'It bothers me a lot. I can’t be the man I should be.'

"Asked whether he believes it’s OK for men to be at-home dads, Jones says, 'Yes and no. The Bible says if a man doesn’t work, he doesn’t eat,' he adds, paraphrasing [2] Thessalonians 3:10. Yet it’s clear he does work, at home."

Radio Shack Targets Women Customers: "You may notice some changes the next time you go shopping. Retailers, who used to depend upon just men, are now looking for new customers... And that means brighter stores and more hands-on displays.

"Think about Radio Shack and you might think about a guy's store. You think gadgets. You think parts. Lots of them. Probably in a dark store. Not any more. Radio Shack's getting a face-lift. This is about getting the product out so they can touch it. Feel it. Interact with it."

"Radio Shack had about an 85-percent male customer base. And like other retailers it needed to expand its appeal. 'The two groups in the family we're looking for are females. We're now about 40-60 male/female. And youth. We want more young people engaged in the brand.'"

"It goes right down to the colors—the wall panels behind the racks aren't only bright, they can be replaced in a hurry. 'So literally for about 300 dollars and about 20 minutes as the color palettes and people's tastes change we can completely change the way the store looks.'"

Private craft soars into space, history: "Test pilot Mike Melvill landed at Mojave Airport, about 80 miles north of Los Angeles, California, after taking the rocket plane SpaceShipOne to an altitude of more than 100 kilometers (62.5 miles)—the internationally recognized boundary of space."

"SpaceShipOne lifted off early Monday morning in the Mojave Desert, carried by the jet White Knight. As the pair approached 50,000 feet, SpaceShipOne decoupled from the jet. After a brief glide, Melvill ignited the spacecraft's engines and ascended into space at Mach 3, three times the speed of sound.

"Melvill said once he reached weightlessness, he opened a bag of M&M's in the cockpit, and the candies floated for three minutes while the ship soared high above California."

"Rutan's company, Scaled Composites, built SpaceShipOne with financial backing from Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft Corp., for a little more than $20 million. Rutan said the flight, which went from a concept in 1995 to reality less than a decade later, was the realization of a long dream."

"Scaled Composites is one of 24 companies from several countries competing for the X Prize, which will go to the first privately funded group to send three people on a suborbital flight 62.5 miles high and repeat the feat within two weeks using the same vehicle."

"The nonprofit X Prize Foundation is sponsoring the contest to promote the development of a low-cost, efficient craft for space tourism in the same way prize competitions stimulated commercial aviation in the early 20th century." The prize is fully funded through January 1, 2005.

What Your Company Can Learn From Google: "'Sergey and Larry never really wanted to start a company, they had hoped to sell Google to Yahoo for $1 million, but Yahoo wasn't willing to pay that much. So they launched the company as a last resort' explains Jeff Ullman, a former computer science professor at Stanford University. Funny how things turn out!"

Refusing to Choose: "Two-time Emmy winner and author Patricia Heaton supports both women and their unborn children" and "serves as honorary chair of Feminists for Life."

"'Women who experience unplanned pregnancy also deserve unplanned joy,' Heaton said. 'Being a mother is one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. As a member of Feminists for Life, I want to share the joy of motherhood with other women, to enable women to make life-affirming choices for themselves and the children and to elevate our society’s perception of mothers.'

"Margaret Colin, another celebrity who refuses to choose between women and children, is Feminists for Life’s honorary co-chair. Her film credits include 'Three Men and a Baby' and 'Independence Day.'

"'The early American feminists who fought for our right to vote fought for the rights of pregnant women—for society to change to accept them, not for them to change to be accepted by society,' Colin said.

"Feminists for Life focuses its efforts on eliminating the root causes of abortion. It endorses creative solutions for pregnant women like affordable housing, adequate child care, health care, maternity leave, telecommuting and a living wage."