weather

On Wednesday I gave lip service to the Audi Ice Driving Experience that took place roughly a month ago in Finland. Today's video is a continuation of the current topic, showing the sights and sounds of this yearly event that's been in effect since the mid-'80s. There isn't a whole lot that I can add to what this video displays--it's simply poetry in motion with cars driving around on the beautifully snowy mountainside, and that can hardly be a bad thing. Enjoy.

So recently we've gotten a look at BMW's xDrive all-wheel traction control system, both in theory and in action. Not surprisingly, German manufacturer Audi thinks its vehicles run and handle better on snowy and icy roads to the point that the company is hosting an event known as the Audi Ice Experience; it's a racing-track-based high-performance practical driving education event that's been around for more than 20 years now. And today we've got video from the most recent Experience held this year in Finland.

The Audi Ice Experience is a winter-specific course that is usually … Read more

All-wheel traction control systems can make a trip on snowy and icy roads an easier time on you and your car. On Monday we got a brief glimpse of the innovative BMW xDrive traction system in action, and in today's video blog we dive into the deeper details of the technology involved and how BMW xDrive works.

For those of you just joining the conversation, BMW's xDrive is an "intelligent" electrical all-wheel traction control system that through Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) sensors can redistribute power between the axles depending on what is felt on existing road … Read more

It's official: we can't take anymore winter. We need a pick-me-up. Actually, we just discovered that the only thing worse than winter is a glowing blue beam of death designed to act like the sun. Also, shocking news about Rafe Needleman!

Philips GoLite: cure for winter blues? http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10456661-1.html

Celestial fashion: weather-dependent dresses http://dvice.com/archives/2010/02/celestial-fashi.php

ThinkGeek :: WoodStation Weather Display http://www.thinkgeek.com/homeoffice/lights/c317/?ref=c/&cpg=cj… Read more

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

Weather service Weather Underground has a new trick up its sleeve: it can now show you the weather on a full-screen Google Map. The company is aptly calling it Fullscreenweather.com.

Fullscreenweather works just like Google Maps, meaning you can use your mouse wheel to zoom in and out, as well as use it to drag around the surface. It also includes quick toggles to change the terrain type, as well as what weather layer you're looking at--like temperature, precipitation, and cloud cover.

The company says it's been designed especially for touch-screen devices, including the Apple's upcoming … Read more