Living Today: Issues of modern living

VIDEO WAR GAMES

As video war games gain popularity throughout the armed forces, some military trainers worry the more the games seem like war, the more war might start to seem like a game, The New York Times reports.

"If there are tools that are less painful than reading through a book and can give them a better sense of what it might be like, we need to use them," says Dan Gardner, director of readiness and training policy and programs in the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

While computer training will never replace "muddy boots," real-life training is expensive. A three-week real-life war game cost $250 million last summer.

"Back in the Cold War, with the threat of a potential adversary coming over the border, the Germans were more amenable to having tanks running through their towns," Gardner says.

ARGUING HAZARDOUS TO HEALTH

Arguing with a spouse can have a physical toll, especially among wives who tend to remember the argument longer and more vividly than their husbands, the April issue of Ladies' Home Journal reports.

An Ohio State study videotaped 90 newlywed couples as they talked about hot-button issues and measured their physiological responses.

Couples that were sarcastic, criticized each other and engaged in other negative behaviors had higher levels of the stress hormones as well as weakened immune systems.

When surveyed a year later, the women who had the most affected immune system turned out to be the ones with the most unsatisfactory marriages.

APPLE COMPUTER BEING PHASED OUT

Apple's iMAC, the triangular computer plus screen that came in the colors blue, strawberry and green, is being phased out, The British Broadcasting Corp. reports.

When the company first unveiled its new, blue model in 1998, the iMac was an instant hit, especially for the home computer market.

The iMAC was the first time computers took on a more 21st century look as opposed to the anonymous beige boxes that have adorned home and office since the desktop computer appeared in 1981.

"It became iconic very quickly," says Neil Smith, head of a design for industry course at Northumbria University in Britain.

NEW YORK CITY LOGO FOR SALE

Citing the city's $4 billion shortfall, Mayor Michael Bloomberg is appointing a marketing official to exploit the name and reputation of New York City by selling logos and corporate sponsorships.

The mayor hasn't offered any examples of possible strategies, but says the initiatives have to be "tasteful," the New York Post reports.

So far, that has ruled out "a big sign over one of the great landmarks."

Corporation Counsel Michael Cardozo, who used to represent the National Basketball Association and National Hockey League, suggests the city might create its own logo, which would be trademarked and leased to sponsors.