ABC...easy as 123 - A hacker stole 32 million passwords and posted them on the Internet. This provided a golden opportunity, not only for other hackers to seize the list, but also for the benevolent team at Imperva to likewise seize the list and analyze the password habits of the users. Imperva found that nearly 1 percent of the 32 million people it studied had used “123456” as a password. The second-most-popular password was “12345.” Others in the top 20 included “qwerty,” “abc123” and “princess.” [more]

A simple design can save lives - It is an unfortunate fact that in the developing world, access to incubators is limited by cost and distance, and millions of premature babies die each year. TED Fellow Jane Chen has invented a device that's safe, portable, low-cost and life-saving. [video]

Innovate or die - In the Age of Innovation, great design gives you the competitive edge to succeed. Many of our favorite clients are winning big in their market and the software we designed and developed for them is a big part of that success. What approach did we take, and can this approach be applied to your product? Join me for Menlo's free monthly Taste of Software Success: Three Keys to Creating Unusually Useful Software session. During this 90-minute talk I'll give you practical insights into the practices of Menlo's unique High-Tech Anthropology® team and how they leverage those talents to create truly compelling results.

There's an app for that? - Dan Woolley was in a hotel in Port-au-Prince when the earthquake struck earlier this month. Trapped and injured, Dan turned to his iPhone for help. Using the light from his iPhone, he examined his injuries. Then he used an (unnamed) application to diagnose and treat himself. Woolley also used his camera to take pictures of the surrounding rubble to piece together a way out. He eventually took refuge in an elevator shaft until rescue crews found him 65 hours after the earthquake. [more]

10 inventions by Edison (that you've never heard of) - Edison biographers estimate that Thomas Edison averaged a patent every two weeks during his working life. Many -- such as the light bulb -- are well known, but this article discusses 10 of Edison's lesser known inventions.(#5 surprised me!) [more]

All the cool kids are reading it - No, I'm not talking about Twilight, I'm talking about Menlo's new tour storybook called Innovative Exploration: A Tour of the Menlo Software Factory ™. Our near-daily visitors over the past several years have asked repeatedly, "When are you going to write a book about this place?" Somehow we never found the time before now. Trust me, it was worth the wait! Get a free preview of the book here. If you like it, shell out a couple clams and buy it!

Holy overachiever, Batman! - When he was six, Marko Calasan got his first Microsoft systems administrator credential. Last month, at the ripe old age of nine, he became perhaps the youngest Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer. Marko is also a teacher with his own computer lab on the grounds of an elementary school where he teaches 8- to 11-year-olds the basics of computers. [more]

How much is too much? - According to a new study from the Kaiser Family Foundation, the "average" kid (aged 8 to 18) spends more than 7 1/2 hours using smart phones, computers, televisions or other electronic devices. Even more shocking is that because so many of them are multitasking -- say, surfing the Internet while listening to music -- they pack on average nearly 11 hours of media content into that seven and a half hours. [more]

Txt is gr8 4 hmwrk? - An ongoing study of eight- to 12-year-olds by the University of Coventry has discovered that contrary to expectations, the language of texting has not eroded students' ability to spell. On the contrary, it suggests that pupils who regularly use text language -- with all its mutations of phonetic spelling and abbreviations -- also appear to be developing skills in the more formal use of English. [more]

Brain games - A new study, in the journal Cerebral Cortex, found that researchers could predict your performance on a video game simply by measuring the volume of specific structures in your brain. The study adds to the evidence that specific parts of the brain profoundly influence a person's ability to refine his or her motor skills, learn new procedures, develop useful strategies and adapt to a quickly changing environment. [more]

Is listening a lost skill? - Close your eyes. Count slowly to 50 with one simple goal: You can't let another thought intrude into your mind. You must concentrate on maintaining the count. If another thought intrudes, start over... How far did you get before you had to start over? This may sound like a concentration test, but it's really a listening exercise. After all, if you can't listen to yourself (someone you presumably like) as you count to 50, how will you ever be able to listen to another person? [more]

Obligatory iPad mention - In case you were hiding under a rock on Wednesday and didn't hear the news, Apple has given the world its first peek at the iPad. While it undoubtedly has filled many with an immediate sense of longing, the device won't be on sale for at least two more months. See the link for the Apple Special Event keynote video. [video]