Facebook 'is' done with controversy

SEATTLE -- "Is" is no more.

For years, members of the popular online hangout Facebook have been able to compose one-liners, called "status updates," to tell friends what's going on with them -- as in, "Jessica is craving egg and cheese on an English muffin."

Each update started with the member's name and "is," followed by a blank box.

This led to tongue-in-cheek workarounds (say, "Jessica is egg and cheesed"). Others ignored the verb completely and followed "is" with a second active verb.

To the delight of several hundred thousand Facebook users who joined protest groups online, the "is" quietly disappeared about a week ago, making "Jessica is wants an egg and cheese muffin" a thing of the past.

Facebook claims 58 million active members. In comparison, the largest anti-"is" group, "Petition to Get Rid of 'is' from Facebook Status Update!" was 182,015 strong when its founder, Ahmed Shama, pronounced the "is" dead.

In an interview, Shama, a 29-year-old technology consultant who lives in Irvine, Calif., said he was half joking when he started the group with his brother and invited friends to join. But supporters all over the world wrote to him -- and not just because they were tired of gerunds.

Many who speak languages other than English complained Facebook "was imposing a very English-specific way of updating your status," said Shama.

Anti-"is" groups formed in Turkish and even Norwegian. Facebook hasn't translated its site into languages other than English yet, but a spokeswoman said that's on the agenda for early 2008.

Twelve thousand people have left Shama's group since last week, and he, too, is turning his attention elsewhere.

"I try to use my Facebook profile to create groups that raise social consciousness among people, whereas this was more for fun," he said, though he acknowledged the "is" was his biggest success so far.

"Nothing came even close."

Hot items are GPS, digital photo frames

NEW YORK -- Retail slowdown aside, people are still shopping for consumer electronics this holiday season, and growth in the field could be double the growth in retail overall.

Among the best-selling categories are global positioning systems, laptops and video games.

Market researcher NPD Group said Tuesday Americans spent $4.5 billion on electronic gadgets between Nov. 18 and Dec. 9. This is half a percent lower than last year's figure, but NPD analyst Stephen Baker said everything is "pretty much on track to what we expected it to be."

Global positioning systems were the fastest-growing category, followed by digital picture frames. People also bought more laptop computers and digital SLR cameras, but they spent less on point-and-shoot digicams and MP3 players.

And while sales of LCD TVs grew, people bought fewer plasma TV sets -- which are generally available in bigger sizes.

But while electronics sales overall are solid, they are growing slower than in past years. In October, the CEA forecast 7 percent growth in factory-to-retail sales of consumer electronics in the fourth quarter, and so far this seems to be holding up, said Tim Herbert, senior director of market research at Consumer Electronics Association. This is still better than the 4 percent overall retail growth forecast by the National Retail Federation. But it's slower than last year's 16 percent growth rate in electronics sales.

NPD, which tracks video game sales separately from consumer electronics, said last week that sales of consoles, games and accessories hit $2.63 billion in November, up 52 percent from last year.

Toyota developing car for seniors

TOKYO -- For those feeling nervous behind the wheel as old age kicks in, savvy cars may be the answer.

Prof. Ryuta Kawashima, who helped develop Nintendo's "Brain Age" games, is teaming with Toyota to develop cars that help seniors drive safely, the researcher said Tuesday.

"We envision future cars will be able to monitor brain and emotional activity to back up elderly drivers," said Kawashima, a Tohoku University scientist who worked on Nintendo Co.'s best-selling "Brain Age" games -- and whose smiling image is the guide in the series.

Among technologies on the table is a that can determine a driver's driving patterns and curb any dangerous activity, Kawashima said. It could, for example, slow the car if it senses the driver is hitting the gas pedal for no reason.

Future developments could involve a navigation system and temperature controls that help drivers stay alert, he said.

"Ultimately, we hope to develop cars that stimulate brain activity, so that driving itself becomes a form of brain training," Kawashima said.

Toyota spokeswoman Kayo Doi said company engineers are working with Tohoku University but aren't ready to announce any specific technologies.

"Brain Age" -- a brain-training game series for the DS handheld game console -- has sold millions of units around the globe.

Doing simple puzzles and exercises can help stimulate the brain and keep it supple, Kawashima said.