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A good friend of mine had been complaining that her iPhone 3GS battery was holding less and less of a charge. When we got together at 5 p.m. one recent day, it was at 5 percent full - and it had been fully charged that morning. She had barely used it all day. The phone was apparently running itself dry simply by being turned on. The single biggest battery consumer is the screen brightness. But it wasn't especially bright on this phone. So I suggested that she take the phone to an Apple store to get the $60 battery replacement service. In fact, there was an Apple store only two blocks away, so I accompanied her - and found out, upon arrival, that there is no $60 battery replacement service! There's one for iPods, but apparently not for the iPhone. There are plenty of do-it-yourself and third-party battery-replacement services that advertise online, but the Apple store Genius, named Nicole, said none of that would be necessary. She tested the battery and found that

Nestlé Purina Petcare, MITRE, and SAS top list compiled by Glassdoor. If you want a better work-life balance, consider trying to land a job at Nestlé Purina Petcare Company , where you can bring your dog into the office; MITRE , a technology-consulting organization that employees say is family-friendly; or SAS Institute , a business analytics software provider that offers on-site child care, a heathcare center, and a fitness center. Those companies, when rated by their employees, rank at the top of a new list for work-life balance created by Glassdoor , a website that offers insight into careers and companies, as well as job listings. This is the first year Glassdoor has produced such a list, reflecting what could be interpreted as an increasing desire for workplace policies that allow employees to meet family and personal responsibilities. "A lot of companies talk about a good work-life balance," says Robert Hohman, CEO and co-founder of Glassdoor. "But not

Consumers may know that their bad driving record will raise their car insurance, but just how much will a single moving violation cost them? Plenty, according to a new analysis from Insurance.com . The website looked at 32,000 of its auto insurance policies sold in 2010 and found that those with zero moving violations on their driving record can expect to pay, on average, $1,119 a year in premiums. However, as soon as a consumer had a moving violation on record, the quotes skyrocketed. Their analysis found that: More from MainStreet.com • The Worst Roads in the U.S. • 7 Neighbors That Can Hurt Your Home's Value • What You Lose to Booze • One violation led to an average annual premium cost of $1,318, an 18% increase. • Two violations lead to average annual premium cost of $1,497, a 34% increase. • Three violations lead to an average annual premium cost of $1,713, a 53% increase. Violations that can cause these spikes include speeding, careless or reckless dri

Some might call it a simpler time. Others might say life was just less comfortable. In 1973, about three people lived in each household in the U.S. The average single-family home built that year was one story, 1,660 sq. ft., and had two or three bedrooms. It was very rare to have more than two bathrooms. Home life transformed in the following decades: Increased access to financing allowed first-time home buyers to buy larger residences. More homes were built with two stories, and at least four bedrooms and three bathrooms, U.S. Census Bureau data show. Siblings were no longer expected to share bedrooms. Such new amenities as media rooms were added. By 1990 the average American household had shrunk to about 2.6 people, yet the average single-family home built that year was 2,080 sq. ft.—about an extra 400 sq. ft. (just larger than the average U.S. hotel room, which is 325 sq. ft., according to PricewaterhouseCoopers) compared with 1970. More from BusinessWeek.com »  

WHEELING, W.Va. — The nation’s biggest law firms are creating a second tier of workers, stripping pay and prestige from one of the most coveted jobs in the business world. Make no mistake: These are full-fledged lawyers, not paralegals, and they do the same work traditional legal associates do. But they earn less than half the pay of their counterparts — usually around $60,000 — and they know from the outset they will never make partner. Some of the lawyers who have taken these new jobs are putting the best face on their reduced status. “To me there’s not much of a difference between what I’m doing now and what I would be doing in a partner-track job,” said Mark Thompson, 29, who accepted a non-partner-track post at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe when he could not find a traditional associate job. “I still feel like I’m doing pretty high-level work — writing briefs, visiting client sites, prepping witnesses for hearings.” Asked whether he hopes someday to switch o

A few months after losing her administrative job in the summer of 2008, 23-year-old Brianna Karp got rid of her furniture, a beloved piano, and most of her books so she could move back in with her parents. When that didn't work out, she moved into an old trailer a relative had left her, settling into an informal homeless community in a Wal-Mart parking lot in Brea, Calif. By the summer of 2009, she was living without electricity, regular showers, home-cooked food, and most basic conveniences. More from USNews.com: • 10 Industries With Stagnant Pay • Why GOP Discord Is Good for the Economy • Why Gas and Food Prices Are Likely to Drop Karp held tight to her laptop, however, and began writing a blog about her experiences. That generated attention that helped her land a part-time magazine internship, and eventually ink a book deal. Although her book, " The Girl's Guide to Homelessness ," was recently published, Karp still lives in a dilapidated shed

Olivia Ward lost nearly 50% of her body weight to win Season 11 of " The Biggest Loser, " starting at 261 lbs. and dropping 129 of them. Olivia earned her $250,000 prize by showing viewers that true transformation is about life balance and prioritizing health. She and sibling Hannah Curlee, who dropped 120 lbs. to become the runner-up, were the first sister team to make it to the finals together. Cheers to them for their successes and for using the show to change their lives. Plus, they made us laugh, which is always a bonus!

Danica Patrick watches her team prepare her car prior to the 2010 Indianapolis 500. Getty Images There are two Danica Patricks – Danica the Racer and Danica the Brand. If the future were up to Danica the Racer, chances are she’d stay right where she is, racing in IndyCar and focusing all her energy on the thing that matters most to her as a competitor: winning the Indianapolis 500. But Danica the Brand says go south, young lady, to the land of NASCAR and those extra zeros before the decimal point. One is the angel whispering in her ear, telling her to chase her childhood dream, the other the devil explaining that dreams don’t pay for a cushy retirement. More From Jay Hart Japan earthquake relief: Bid on Jenson Button t-shirt May 24, 2011 For NASCAR, more celebrating than hand-wringing May 20, 2011 <img width=1 height=1 alt="" src="http://us.bc.yahoo.com/b?P=_FvoGEwNdHFAe0odTdpJ

It feels a little like Royal Wedding madness all over again across the pond. What did Duchess Catherine wear during the Obamas' visit to England? What did the president give the Queen as a gift? Who made a speech blunder? President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama are once again under the microscope as they visit the United Kingdom this week. Each action, misstep and blunder is being interpreted by England and the U.S. media at a fevered pitch. Below we round up some of the moments of President Obama's UK adventure that are creating the most buzz: Botched toast: Following proper protocol and etiquette are a huge deal for guests of British royalty--and the social anxiety surrounding royal occasions helped make one Tuesday night flub even more newsworthy. The orchestra at Buckingham Palace last night mistook a pregnant pause in President Obama's toast to the Queen as a signal he was finished with his speech. "Ladies and gentlemen

OROUMIEH LAKE, Iran – From a hillside, Kamal Saadat looked forlornly at hundreds of potential customers, knowing he could not take them for trips in his boat to enjoy a spring weekend on picturesque Oroumieh Lake, the third largest saltwater lake on earth. "Look, the boat is stuck... It cannot move anymore," said Saadat, gesturing to where it lay encased by solidifying salt and lamenting that he could not understand why the lake was fading away. The long popular lake, home to migrating flamingos, pelicans and gulls, has shrunken by 60 percent and could disappear entirely in just a few years, experts say — drained by drought, misguided irrigation policies, development and the damming of rivers that feed it. Until two years ago, Saadat supplemented his income from almond- and grape-growing by taking tourists on boat tours. But as the lake receded and its salinity rose, he found he had to stop the boat every 10 minutes to unfoul the propeller — a

When many couples have a baby, they send out an email to family and friends that fills them in on the key details: name, gender, birth weight, that sort of thing. (You know the drill: "Both Mom and little Ethan are doing great!") But the email sent recently by Kathy Witterick and David Stocker of Toronto, Canada to announce the birth of their baby, Storm, was missing one important piece of information. "We've decided not to share Storm's sex for now--a tribute to freedom and choice in place of limitation, a stand up to what the world could become in Storm's lifetime (a more progressive place? ...)," it said. That's right. They're not saying whether Storm is a boy or a girl . There's nothing ambiguous about the baby's genitals. But as Stocker puts it: "If you really want to get to know someone, you don't ask what's between their legs." So only the parents, their two other children (both boys)

This year marks the 65th anniversary of the two-piece bathing suit, commonly known as the bikini. Inventor Louis Reard called his creation a bikini in honor of America's first nuclear test in the Pacific, which took place near the Bikini Islands. According to an article from the BBC , the French engineer assumed that his scandalous new suit "would cause a similar explosion" once it hit the mainstream. It did. Now the two-piece is everywhere, including, of course, Hollywood. Rare is the film that doesn't feature at least one bikini-clad starlet romping in the surf. Perhaps the most famous scene in which the bikini plays a starring role came in the 1982 comedy classic " Fast Times at Ridgemont High ." Actress Phoebe Cates wears a red two-piece while lounging at her friend's pool after school. Though the film is nearly 30 years old, online interest in the iconic scene remains red-hot. Photos: Most Memorable Movie Bikinis >> Over the past

If you're one of those   pork connoisseurs   who prefers your   chop   or   tenderloin   to be   pink in the middle , rest assured: As of Tuesday, the USDA says you're in the clear as far as food-borne illness is concerned. More from The Stir : Exploding Watermelons Are Da Bomb for Summer Barbecues The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service   has lowered   its temperature recommendation for   cooking pork to 145 degrees   -- down from 160. (This means that pork will be held to the same standard as beef, veal, and lamb.) Moreover, it is recommended to let the pork rest for   three minutes   after removing it from the grill or oven; the temp will continue to rise slightly while killing any remaining pathogens. Of course, there's an inherent irony in the fact that the USDA is lowering pork's minimum temperature ... It's that professional chefs have been cooking pork this way   FOR YEARS ! Now home cooks and backyard barbecuers can

Behold, the $2 million, 20.5 carat ring Kris Humphries gave to Kim Kardashian . Humphries designed the ring with jeweler Lorraine Schwartz, who is a "longtime Kardashian friend." Kardashian gushed about the rock to People . "In high school I went to Macy's and bought this fake ring, my 'perfect' ring, and this is almost the exact same," she said. "It's the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. It's perfect." Kim said she wanted something that would be "her own," distinct from sister Khloe's $850,000, radiant-cut ring. So they went for an emerald cut, with a 16.5-carat center stone and a couple of two-carat trapezoid stones surrounding it. As for Humphries, it seems the basketball player had one thing on his mind in selecting the perfect ring. "I just knew I wanted it to be big!" he told People . And in that, he undoubtedly succeeded. Bauergriffinonline.com has more photos of Kim Kardashian and