January 2013

GM Trio of Large CUVs are ‘Family Truckster Avant Garde’

Several years back, General Motors decided to begin offering consumers an alternative to large, frame-based SUVs that while still being family-friendly they were geared more towards actual usage by their owners and delivered better fuel economy along, improved ride and handling, and ease of use. This new family of large Crossover Utility Vehicles has proved popular with consumers and for 2013 GM has updated the Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, and GMC Acadia models. The trio share common architecture with each brand giving unique styling cues to the individual vehicles. They are all powered by 3.6-liter direct-injection V-6 engines generating 288hp…

Gear Bits

In 2013 Thanksgiving and Hanukkah Overlap for the Only Time … Ever

Largely because I am not Jewish, I only vaguely keep up with the Hanukkah calendar on an annual basis. But when Perry shared this link on Facebook recently, I fell in love with the graph and simply had to share it here. Bottom line – Thanksgiving and first day of Hanukkah coincide in 2013 … never before, and never again. Why is that? Thanksgiving is set as the fourth Thursday in November, meaning the latest it can be is 11/28. 11/28 is also the earliest Hanukkah can be. The Jewish calendar repeats on a 19 year cycle, and Thanksgiving repeats…

Gear Bits

Early Aerial Spy Photos – How Did They Get Them?

The Wright Brothers famous first powered flight at Kitty Hawk happened on December 17, 1903. Lasting for only 12 seconds and covering a distance of only 120 feet, that historic flight was brief — and anything but covert. In order to take aerial photographs previous to powered flight, photographers would use hot-air balloons, kites, and even rockets. It wasn’t until 1909 before the Wright Brothers produced the world’s first military airplane, but one method had already proven stealthy enough that it could be used for early military spy photos. How then could shots like these be taken virtually undetected? That same…

Health and Fitness

Even if the Science is Murky, ‘Meatless Monday’ is Worth Your Effort

Choosing a dietary plan can be challenging, because sometimes it seems that for every bit of ‘nutritional science’ that tells us one thing, there is at least as much counter-evidence. No carb, all-carb, low-fat, loads of fat, Paleo, South Beach, Vegan, all-juice and on and on … it makes it very difficult to know what to do. Here is one thing I will suggest – join the ‘Meatless Monday’ campaign. Why? Let me get back to that in a bit … In terms of making healthy changes there are some easy things – a while back we looked at our…

Editorials

Interesting History Lesson on the 2nd Amendment and Slavery

There is something about the mental image of 20 six and seven year old kids shot to death, some as many as 14 times, by an American citizen using perfectly legal and licensed weapons, that causes people to demand that SOMETHING must be done about the level of gun violence in our country. Others say that ANY restriction of guns is an attack on the 2nd Amendment. This isn’t meant to be a diatribe on gun violence or ultra-powerful lobbyists or what I think we need to do or anything else. It is more about the history of the second…

Gear Bits

Updated Star Trek The Next Generation Blooper Reel Video on YouTube!

A couple of weeks ago I posted about a 10-minute ‘gag reel’ for Star Trek: The Next Generation … and naturally, within minutes of the post going live, the video was pulled. Well, eagle-eyed Joel noted that the video is up again! I checked it out, and it is now a 2.5-minute quick-cut with a push to grab the DVD for more … but there is still plenty of great stuff contained in the video! Enjoy!

Editorials, Health and Fitness

LED Ice Cubes Signal It’s Time to Stop Drinking

There are many devices and tools that connect to your smartphone. Likewise, there are many fine apps that let you track your food, drink and activity. However, if you require LED ice cubes to alert you that you’re en route to a blackout, perhaps you need help, and not a text from your drink? If the novelty of such an item amuses you, though, don’t worry: it does exist. I’m trying to be fair here, but if I landed in the hospital after drinking too much, my response would emphatically not be to invent a complex ice cube that nagged…

Events, Vehicles & Gear

First Chevrolet Corvette Debuted 60 Years Ago Today, First C7 Hits Auction Block Saturday

Happy Anniversary Corvette! Sixty years ago today the first Corvette debuted at the Motorama in New York City. The rest – as they say – is history. Commemorating the event Chevrolet is returning to the Big Apple with the new C7 Corvette Stingray that was debuted in Detroit earlier this week. “The all-new 2014 Corvette Stingray is the most advanced and engaging Corvette in the long, prestigious legacy of this uniquely American success story,” said Chris Perry vice president of Chevrolet Marketing. “It is a car woven into the fabric of American culture and it got its start right here…

Events, News

Targus iNotebook Shines at CES 2013

While at CES, we spent some time visiting with Targus. Among the new items they were showing off was the $179.99 iNotebook, which “seamlessly transmits your handwritten notes to your iPad using the included sensor and pen.” If it sounds too good to be true, then you might want to check out this quick demo of Judie writing on paper and seeing the text rendered on the iPad in real-time. The iNotebook wirelessly transfers handwritten notes and sketches to an iPad using Bluetooth technology. It requires no special paper and is compatible with standard A5 and 8” x 5” notepads. That…

Events, News

Gumdrop Put Their iPad Where Their Toughness Claims Were at CES!

Gumdrop is part of the growing set of case makers targeting people looking for a tough but attractive way to protect their iOS devices. Sure, their cases are attractive, come in multiple colors and styles, and cover all sorts of devices from iPhones to tablets. But what really makes Gumdrop stand out is their willingness to demo how tough their cases are with a solid softball-style underhand, as they did for me at CES: If you’re a butter-fingers (or regret that smartphones aren’t tough enough to handle a dramatic toss across a room), be sure to check out Gumdrop Cases!

Gear Bits, Health and Fitness, Outdoors

Minimal-ish Shoes Trickle Down to Target

One of the big knocks on minimal running shoes is that the prices are anything but minimal. Most of the big brand name shoes cost around $100 a pair, which can feel steep for a slab of rubber and some cloth for the upper. But like all trends in fashion, designs do eventually trickle down to cheaper names. Target’s C9 by Champion offers all sorts of great athletic wear at low prices, and they’ve expanded that to shoes that look suspiciously like the Reebok Realflex, a popular transitional/minimal shoe! Target is calling it the “Champion Premier” line, but the shoes…

Events, News

Timbuk2’s 2013 Lineup Brings Organization and Power on the Go

During CES, Judie and I had a chance to spend some quality time with Timbuk2 checking out all of their 2013 offerings. We were there for quite a while since there was quite a bit to see. Check out the extensive gallery for a look. Among the most interesting current products are a laptop messenger and laptop backpack that not only hold and protect your gear, but also power it up on the go. As the company explains, Timbuk2 has partnered with Joey® Energy to offer the first series of purpose-built bags with a power supply to charge a variety of electronics while…

Events, Gear Bits, Vehicles & Gear

The Honda EV-STER Concept Car, Hot Wheels for Adults

One of the best things about spending some time at the North American International Auto Show was having the chance to see some of the cool concept cars. Chief among them was this EV-STER Roadster concept from Honda. EV-STER is a next generation roadster powered by electricity. Based on Honda’s unchanging principles, it shows what a genuine small sports car can be. Even the steering mechanism screams “cool”! I love the look, I love the fact that it is electric, and I truly hope some of these design features make it to market.

Gear Bits

Foldboat is a “Seamless Folding, Leisure Boat”

Remember taking a sheet of paper, folding it into the shape of a boat and seeing if it would float in the bathtub? Yeah, me either. I do, however, recall seeing origami masters create all kinds of three-dimensional items from flat sheets of paper. And yes, that did include boats. And yes, they did float… for a time. Now take the idea of a small origami boat, multiply it by a few thousand and make it out of a sheet of plastic rather than paper. The result? This flat-boat that folds up to create a real, three-dimensional vessel. Here’s what…

Events, Vehicles & Gear

NAIAS Gallery, Day Two

Day Two at the North American International Auto Show did not have as full a schedule as Day One, but it was filled with much ballyhooed introductions that for some (yours truly included) were the most exciting of the show. In addition to foreign and domestic automakers bringing their wares to the Detroit Show, there are many third-party companies demonstrating their contributions to the automotive industry that are present as well such as DENSO, ZF Group, Johnson Controls, Panasonic Automotive, PPG, etc. The day two lineup of automakers included Nissan, Ford, Lexus, Cadillac, Acura, Kia, Tesla, Shelby American, and Guangzhou…

Editorials, Game Diary

NRA Demonstrates Either Humor or Looniness with Release of Practice Range App

One thing is very clear about video games and violence – there has NEVER been a causal link established between the two. There have been indications that violent media (not just games) desensitizes the impact of other violent media, and that exposure to violent media (again, not just games) causes short-term increased aggression. But that has never stopped some from trying to blame violence on video games. It was done for Columbine, and ever since you can be sure if a young person commits a shooting rampage there will be an immediate look at the impact of video games. The…

Game Diary, Reviews

‘The Walking Dead: A Telltale Game Series’ Review

Ever since winning Spike TV’s 2012 Game Of The Year award, Telltale Games has been topping yearly ‘best of’ lists like crazy. Yet, with all the press, there’s still a fundamental question to be answered: what’s so good about the new Walking Dead game series? It’s just a tie-in, right? How can a licensed, downloadable title be anything more than a cash cow? As it turns out, Telltale Games had an answer. The studio, while previously known for its mediocre, licensed work (CSI, Back To The Future) has finally done something remarkable. They’ve crafted an episodic series that manages to…

Game Diary, News

Cancel Tonight’s Plans Because Temple Run 2 is Hitting the App Store Today!

One of the earliest mega-hit iOS titles is getting a sequel tonight! Temple Run was extremely easy to play, with its swipe left or right to dodge, swipe up to jump, and swipe down to slide mechanics. It was also one of the first endless runner type games and really started the craze, as we’ve seen innumerable games of this genre hit the app store since. Imangi Studios has developed the upcoming follow-up along with help from Fuzzycube Software. The Temple Run formula seems to have been left unchanged, as you’ll still be tilting to grab coins and swiping to…

Events, News

iSmartAlarm Puts Your iPhone in Charge of Security

One of the really cool parts of being at CES was the chance to check out accessories and products that are up and coming. Of those, there were more than a few that hooked into the ubiquitous iOS ecosystem. We carry our iPhones and iPads everywhere, and companies are taking them beyond just email and Angry Birds machines to a whole new level. In the case of iSmartAlarm, they’re looking to turn your iPhone or iPad into part of a home security system! We stopped by their booth at CES and they were kind enough to give us a quick…

Events

Beyzacases and Aston Martin CES Booth Tour

It all started when Ali Yildirim’s daughter, Beyza, wanted a case for her mobile device. She couldn’t find one that she liked, so her father decided to make her one. Today, Beyzacases is a world class leather accessory maker; their products are available in European Apple retail and online stores, and they are an official licensed partner with Aston Martin. Dan and I had a meeting with Ali Yildirim, Beyzacases founder and CEO, while we were at CES. The moment we walked into Beyzacases’ booth and saw all of the new colors and styles, we were simply blown away. After talking to Ali…

Game Diary, Reviews

Baldur’s Gate Enhanced Edition Wows on iPad, Adds Little on PC – Review

Type of app: Role Playing Game (RPG) Platform/where to buy: iPad; available in the App Store , PC version available through BeamDog Developer: Overhaul Games / BeamDog Description: * 80 hours of Epic RPG adventure * Over 40 classes and kits * Over 100 spells * over 150 magical items * New adventure: The Black Pits, a thrilling combat adventure * New character: Rasaad yn Bashir, a Calishite Monk searching for answers. * Available for purchase: New character: Dorn Il-Khan, a half-orc blackguard with a history of violence. * Available for purchase: New character: Neera the Wild Mage, a half-elf…

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