progressive

Teenagers design dashboard of the future

If Ford's MyFord Touch and the Chevy Volt's digital instrument cluster are any indicator, future vehicle instrumentation may be much more complex than the handful of analog gauges to which we're all accustomed.

Judging from the ideas of high school students tasked with designing conceptual dashboards that encourage green practices, teenagers may have a hand in shaping that future dash.

Their suggestions include an in-dash avatar that coaches drivers toward efficiency, a smart navigation system that tells you when it's better to skip the car and take public transportion, and a Web-connected dash that rewards the … Read more

'Secret' telecom anti-Net neutrality plan isn't

The Center for American Progress seemed to have blockbuster news on Tuesday: an expose titled "Telecoms' Secret Plan To Attack Net Neutrality."

On its Think Progress blog, the liberal advocacy group announced it had "obtained" a PowerPoint document "which reveals how the telecom industry is orchestrating the latest campaign against Net neutrality" through a pseudo-grassroots effort. The story was echoed on Slashdot, Boing Boing, and innumerable pro-regulation blogs.

There's just one problem with Think Progress' claim: It's not, well, accurate.

In a case of truth being stranger than astroturf, it turns out … Read more

Ford shines bright in the sunshine state

Ford Motor Co. today announced that it's expanding the range of its plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) research program Progress Energy expands its role by adding a Ford Escape PHEV to its Florida operations.

Ford and Progress Energy will work together advance the commercialization of electric vehicles under a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy. Progress Energy is already road-testing Ford Escape PHEV in Raleigh, N.C. The new agreement will expand these efforts into Florida.

In Florida, Progress Energy will road-test a 2010 Escape PHEV equipped with one of the industry's first vehicle-to-electric "… Read more

Perfect pie pieces, with a push

Whenever I bake a pie, my husband threatens to pull out a protractor to make sure we get even slices. The Progressive International Collapsible Pie Cutter makes it possible to achieve perfect slices without having to go to all that trouble. You can add or remove dividers to the pie cutter so that when you place it on top of the pie and push down, you can get two, four, six, or eight even slices. With a little planning, you can even reconfigure the slicer so that you get uneven slices if, for instance, one guest wants just a smidgen … Read more

Billing helper

Timeless Time and Expense provides a simple tool for managing the complicated world of client billing. With helpful tools to help you organize and calculate expenses, this is a fantastic tool for those who make their living on billable hours.

The program's interface was impressively simple, considering the complex work it handled. We didn't need to visit the Help file's instructions because the onscreen direction was intuitive enough to keep us on track and quickly billing. We were able to divide our time between clients and projects by creating a simple file tree display. Beginning and ending … Read more

The 404 449: Where we're not gonna sweat it

Back in April of 2008 BJ (before Justin), motivational speaker James Arthur Ray guest-hosted The 404 Podcast and Jeff, Wilson, and Randall spoke to him about how to grow your own meat--no lie. Anyway, the show left a sour taste in The 404's collective mouth, and more than a year later it turns out that Mr. Ray is a big phony, not unlike Balloon Boy Sr.

Turns out that three people died in Arizona at a spiritual retreat "sweat lodge" organized by the self-appointed guru. It's a very sad story, and our hearts go out to the families of the victims. And James? Shame on you.

Oh, and surprise! The personal information you put up on the Internet is no longer private. According to this Wired Danger Room blog, a branch of the CIA has begun heavily investing in Visible Technologies, a software firm that monitors social media, including blog posts, Internet forums, online videos, radio reports, and so on. Luckily, Facebook is currently immune to such companies due to its closed architecture, but Twitter, Amazon, and YouTube are all fair game.

This report is definitely worth reading, but we're not surprised. Actually, we thought there was already a system set up to spy on our Web activities: it's called GOOGLE, and it's not doing such a great job at keeping our information private. The company is under suspicion of accidentally posting transcribed voice mails from its Google Voice service. Although this issue might actually concern me if my entire voice mail box weren't filled with concerned messages from my mother...

We're doing three Beck's Beer Audio Drafts this week to make up for the one we skipped last Friday due to Wilson's absence, and Wilson's pick for today is Works Progress Administration, a country outfit comprised of some of the most recognizable names in country music, including Glen Phillips from Toad the Wet Sprocket, Sean Watkins from Nickel Creek, and Benmont Tench from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

The songs of the day are called "Good as Ever" and "Always Have My Love," and although Jeff and I aren't huge fans of the country music genre, we can definitely appreciate the musical talent of this supergroup, and Wilson chimes in to explain the difference between country-pop, country-rock, and a million other sub-genres. The band is currently on a West Coast Tour, so be sure to check out the WPA Web site for more details.

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Grind out your special spice blend

Cooking is all about individuality. We all have our personal preferences; we tend to gravitate towards certain flavors or cuisines, and when we get behind the stove, our personal styles reveal themselves. Sometimes, that special flair is all a matter of a spice blend.

Homemade spice blends add a distinctive style to your cooking. The Progressive Combine Spice Grinder gives home chefs a place to keep their secret blends handy and ready to grind. A non-corrosive ceramic gear crushes up-to-one tablespoon of dry herbs and spices, catching the results in a measured detachable base. With an adjustable grind mechanism, the … Read more

Go beyond guac with this avocado slicer

To me, summer is synonymous with salads. And just as I think of bread as an excuse to eat mayonnaise, I think of salad as an excuse to eat avocado. I love avocado, but I am less than enthusiastic about slicing it.

I know how to strike the pit with a knife blade to extract the pit from the fruit, but when I try to slice the avocado, I wind up making a mess of everything. Which is fine if the goal is guacamole, but less attractive atop my salads and burgers.

This avocado slicer from Progressive International offers an … Read more

Rolling out the dough

At least once a week, I pull my wooden rolling pin out of the drawer and use it to roll out dough. Then I have to wash it. And I really hate that, because it reminds me every week that I want a new plastic rolling pin. The wooden one warps over time, and it's just plain hard to clean. It's not really supposed to go in the dishwasher, and I guess I really wasn't supposed to soak it in the sink overnight either.

Progressive International offers a cute rolling pin with extras that are smart--and useful. … Read more