season

I figured since I'm acting like your grumpy old driver's ed instructor this week regarding how to pioneer your vehicle safely in rough winter weather, today I will present the second installment of the Michelin Tires' series on this subject. Whereas yesterday's video concerned braking techniques when driving in winter weather, today's clip is all about accelerating safely and efficiently on snowy and icy roadways.

Yes, I know a lot of what's covered here may seem like common knowledge to most viewers, the main reason I wanted to post this video is because of its … Read more

In yesterday's video blog, we all got a brief glimpse into the impact good winter-specific tires can make when driving on snow and ice. Today's video from Michelin goes into deeper detail on how good winter tires and proper braking techniques can keep you safer when driving on winter weathered roads.

This demonstration video covers comparisons of braking distance between different tire types, emergency or threshold braking techniques, the difference in braking with ABS, cornering, and everything in between. Once again, even if you think you know everything about how to drive your car in the snow, there … Read more

Yesterday's video blog touched upon many available features for automobiles that can aid driving in hazardous winter weather conditions, so since we were on the subject, I thought I'd present this video that demonstrates the difference in performance between a car with a complete set of winter tires and another one that has a mix of tires installed. As you probably guessed, there is, indeed, a noticeable difference.

Tire retailer TireRack.com pits a red car with mixed tires (two regular all-season, two winter weather tires) against a blue car that has four winter tires, and evaluates the … Read more

Although the worst seems to be over, many of us across the country are still digging out of "Snowmageddon" and having to deal with nasty winter driving conditions. And although showing this video to you kinda makes me feel like an old-fart driver's ed instructor, I feel it is my social responsibility to present this Web clip from Cars.com for those of us not fortunate enough to know about and/or possess an automobile with these features. So here we go with today's vid, which will tell us all about winter driving safety technology for … Read more

Some call it seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Others just call it the winter blues. But whatever you call it, if you happen to be one of the millions of poor schmucks who live in colder northern states, you may be aware that you're hitting the peak gloomy season, and it's not particularly fun.

One way to combat SAD is simply to get outside and absorb as much sunlight as you can during the daylight hours. However, sometimes it's just flat out too cold outside or that little thing called a job--if you're lucky enough to have one--keeps you in the office cave.

That's where something called light therapy comes in, and several companies sell small light boxes to combat the winter blues. The product I've been testing out in my windowless office in New York is called the GoLite Blu, which is made by Apollo Health but has the Philips brand on it (Philips Respironics bought Apollo in 2007).

The GoLite has been out for a while and uses something called Bluewave technology. Philips describes the glow the GoLite produces as a low-intensity blue light (470nm), but it's actually quite intense at the brightest setting. You're not supposed to look directly at the device, but instead shine it more at the side of your face for about 15-30 minutes a day (you can adjust the timer as well as the intensity of the light).

According to Philips, "using the right wavelength of light, you can trigger your active hormones naturally, boosting your mood and overcoming those down feelings, whatever the season."… Read more

Despite the recession, people are expected to be in a charitable mood this holiday season, as they shop online.

In the United States, cumulative online donations to charities could hit more than $4 billion during the holidays, according to a survey released Tuesday by marketing firm Convio. More than than 63 percent of those surveyed said they plan to donate money via the the Internet over the holiday season (November 1 through December 31, 2009), up from 51 percent in 2008.

Convio's "North American Technographics Omnibus Online Survey" for the fourth quarter of 2009 found that despite … Read more

It may not be happy holidays for the retail industry overall. But the Web should provide one bit of good cheer.

Retail sales will probably be flat this holiday season, but online sales are expected to reach $44.7 billion, an 8 percent jump over last year, according to the latest data from Forrester Research.

Among 4,000 online consumers surveyed, 94 percent have made a purchase online in the past three months and plan to do the same for the holidays. As for retailers, 72 percent of those questioned for the third-quarter Forrester report "The State of Retailing … Read more

It's finally here!

After months of preparation and anticipation, the new television season begins. The networks will launch some 40 new shows, plus bring back returning favorites. There's a lot of media choice out there, and a lot of product calling for the attention of the nation's television viewers. The barrage of messages from on-air promos, print ads, cable, radio, billboards, and interactive technologies all set the stage to create awareness and attention. Now it's up to the audience to tell us what they like, and what they don't. So stay tuned and enjoy the … Read more

Sadly, grill season doesn't last forever. If you live in many parts of the country, you know well enough that at some point it's time to pack up the grilling accessories and call it a day (or season). Before the grill can get cold and lonely, jealous of the hot dogs and hamburgers nice and warm on the kitchen stove, consider that with a little preparation, grill season never has to end. If you're willing to brave some inclement weather for the reward of grilled meats and vegetables, you are already halfway there.

The Grillzebo is a … Read more