In this June article, we found companies across the country that are converting break rooms into game rooms to create a fun, positive office atmosphere. A recent survey by PopCap Games shows it's a trend employees say helps them alleviate stress and, as a result, become more productive. In fact, the survey found that 84 percent of white-collar workers surveyed felt "more relaxed and less stressed out" after taking a short game break at work. But perhaps the most surprising results represent the senior executives surveyed, including CEOs, CFOs and presidents. Compared to their colleagues, senior executives reported a much higher frequency of play at work. 70 percent said they play "during work, when I need a short break" versus 49 percent of other gamers. And the survey discovered 71 percent of senior executives play on average for about 15 minutes or longer during each game-playing session in the office.

You may not have the budget for your own travel department, but a new website promises to take care of all your traveling needs--free of charge. TripIt was founded by Hotwire co-founder Gregg Brockway, former Hotwire executive Scott Hintz and software engineer Andy Denmark. Simply e-mail TripIt your travel itineraries for airfare, rental car or hotel stay, no matter where you booked them, and the site's "Itinerator" will organize the information into a single document. "TripIt can do a lot of the dirty work of travel organization. Our goal is for TripIt to be like a great personal assistant and take care of all the details so that travelers don't have to," said Brockway. The site also allows users to coordinate their travel plans with those of friends, family and colleagues.  

This week, the site was recognized as a finalist at the TechCrunch40 conference in San Francisco.

The Federal Reserve's policymaking committee cut the federal funds rate today by half a percentage point to 4.75 percent--the first rate cut since 2003. The stock market rose sharply just minutes after the announcement. The lower federal funds rate--the rate that banks charge each other to borrow money--will make it cheaper for consumers and businesses to borrow, which could bring about lower interest rates on business loans, mortgages and credit card debt. "The tightening of credit conditions has the potential to intensify the housing correction and to restrain economic growth more generally," said the Federal Open Market Committee in a statement.