Martha, Martha, Martha

Let the record show that Time magazine used the obvious headline: Not A Good Thing For Martha. *

Underneath that flippant phrase, however, is a pretty sober examination of just how the doyenne of domesticity got into this mess -- "at almost every turn, she and her advisers made the wrong move, getting her deeper and deeper in trouble" -- that opens with this nice bit of reflection:

The Martha Stewart jokes didn't seem as funny on Friday. You know, the ones about how black-and-white stripes are in this year and how a little lemon and seltzer can remove those pesky ink stains after you've been fingerprinted. As much as we revel in the failings of the famous, many folks figured she would never face prison. Such jests have the ring of tragedy now that she has been found guilty of obstructing justice and other crimes that all but guarantee she will end up behind bars.

* It wasn't alone. Newsday actually used the same headline, and Martha's catchphrase showed up in slightly different heads used by the St. Paul Pioneer Press, St. Augustine Record (Florida), the New Britain Herald (Connecticut). I'm sure there are more, but those are the ones listed on Google News.

Excuses, excuses

Sure, having a cell phone lets people reach you wherever you are -- but what if you don't want people to know where you really are?

A Romanian software company called Simeda has developed a solution, New Scientist reports. Its SoundCover product adds realistic background noises to your call at the press of a button. Want to tell people that you're stuck in traffic, or that you have a call coming in on another phone? No problem.

(Yes, technology has given us yet another way to be rude to people without their knowing it.)

Also, taking the custom-ring concept a step further, SoundCover can automatically play different backgrounds for different callers. Catch: It only works on phones that use the Symbian operating system, like the Nokia series 60.

(Via SmartMobs.)

Living on the go

I think it's pretty clear that cell phones have transformed daily life. But have you thought about all the ways in which they've done so? The Atlanta Journal Constitution ran a thoughtful piece that takes a big-picture look at all the little changes.

(Via SmartMobs.)

Gay divorce

The issue of whether same-sex couples should be allowed to marry, or be granted legal rights similar to those enjoyed by married couples, has gotten a lot of attention lately. But what happens when same-sex couples split up?

A story in the Sunday paper provides an answer: In this state at least, courts treat them much like married couples going through a divorce because they've been in a "marital-like" relationship.