The Left Lane
Somebody's watching

With all the talk about speeding lately, teen drivers have more than traffic cameras to worry about.

Now their parents can sign up to keep tabs on their driving.

Instead of having "My Child Is an Honor Roll Student" plastered on the back of the car, parents can post "Grade My Driving" bumper stickers on the tail of the family sedan. That way, when the kids take the car out for a spin, someone will be watching.

Bumper stickers include a number that allows other drivers, passengers or pedestrians to send comments to Mom and Dad.

Gives a new twist to those "Big Brother" traffic-camera analogies, doesn't it? Now the whole family can get involved. Sign up at the Hawai'i-based Web site Your-Kids.com.

Tale of the tape

Scrapbook hobbyists, doting grandparents and travelers all know the problem: how to mount photos and mementos easily and unfussily without damaging them. Everyday packaging tape was out because it contained acidic adhesives that would damage paper. Now 3M is marketing a new double-stick, acid-free photo and document tape under its Scotch brand.

Like 3M's Post-It notes, the tape is removable, allowing scrapbookers to reposition items. While the tape isn't recommended for fragile, one-of-a-kind photos or documents, and can lift correctable ink, it's fine for everyday projects and won't cause paper to yellow or degrade.

Selling briskly — and with good reason — is Jodi Fukumoto's brightly colored and well-written sequel to her popular "Hawaiian-Style Origami Book," called "The Guide to Hawaiian-Style Origami for Keiki" (Island Heritage, $7.99), which includes not only instructions and new designs, but a starter packet of papers for each of the ideas.

The book grew out of Fukumoto's experiences in demonstrating origami, when children expressed fascination with the art of paper-folding. Fukumoto decided to design a series of projects just for young people, with brightly colored papers printed specifically for the folds (the "honu" paper, for example, has green sea turtle shell markings, skin patterns and eyes just like the real creature — if you fold it right!). Designs include mu'umu'u, aloha shirt and surfboard patterns, and a classic "gecko catcher" fold that older folks will recall from small-kid time.