2014

Update: Kia released pricing and new details about trim levels on April 19, 2013. The Cadenza wil be available for a base price of $35,100. The Luxury package, referred to in this review as Premium, raises the price to $38,100. Kia set the price of the Technology package Cadenza at $41,100.

Driving the 2014 Kia Cadenza, I contemplated the older-model Mercedes-Benz E320 sitting in front of me, and realized that the Kia had a much better cabin.

The thought of comparing Kia favorably with Mercedes-Benz was unheard of 10 years ago.

Issues of used versus new aside, … Read more

Turns out that crazy rumor was true: NASA is planning to capture an asteroid.

The plans were included in the space agency's $17.7 billion fiscal 2014 budget, part of the new $3.7 trillion government budget proposed earlier today by President Obama.

In the budgets, about $78 million is set aside for a plan that involves sending a craft to rendezvous with what's described as a "small asteroid," and then moving the space rock into a stable orbit near the moon. Astronauts will later visit the asteroid and scoop up samples for study back on … Read more

NEW YORK--Toyota's soccer-mom-mobile gets an infusion of cabin tech, modernized safety features, and an updated sense of style with the debut of the 2014 Toyota Highlander midsize SUV at the New York International Auto Show.

With the previous generation pushing seven years old, the Highlander was very much in need of an update. Also, the SUV still seats up to eight passengers across its three rows or seven passengers when equipped with the optional second-row captain's chairs. Both configurations benefit from increased interior volume for passengers and cargo thanks to a new, double-wishbone rear suspension that removes the … Read more

Cadillac once again leads GM's technology efforts, this time with a new drivetrain for its 2014 CTS model. One of this new model's three engine choices will be a direct-injection 3.6-liter V-6, producing 420 horsepower.

The current CTS comes with either a 3-liter or 3.6-liter V-6, both featuring direct injection, outputting 270 horsepower and 318 horsepower respectively. The new CTS comes out with the twin turbo, a revised nonturbo 3.6-liter V-6, and a 2-liter four-cylinder using direct injection and a turbo to produce 272 horsepower.

The danger of using a turbocharger to boost power is … Read more

Firefox is one of the most popular Web browsers, but it's not always one of the most spacious, especially if you use a toolbar or keep a lot of icons in your customized Firefox bar. To grab a little screen space back, try the free Firefox theme Littlefox, which shrinks most of Firefox's menus to give you more room to browse. It saves a considerable amount of space, but a rough and retro style give it a bit of a dated appearance.

Once you install Littlefox and restart the browser, the space gain is immediately noticeable. It trims … Read more

DETROIT--Chevrolet has pulled the covers back on what is easily the most hotly anticipated (and worst-kept secret) of the 2013 Detroit auto show: the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray.

Only three Corvette models have ever borne the name Stingray: the mid-'60s second-generation model, the third-generation car produced through the '70s and into the '80s (arguably the most iconic), and now the seventh-generation (C7) 2014 model. Chevrolet states that it's reviving the name for the 2014 model year because it is the best 'Vette ever. Well, it's not like Chevy would claim anything less of its newest halo car, … Read more

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Scientists to do tests to make sure this whole thing isn't just a computer simulation.

- Ban on demanding Facebook passwords among new 2013 state laws.

- Arizona bill would outlaw posing as others on Facebook or Twitter.

- Apple: "Do Not Disturb" will remain disturbed until January 7.

- An infinitely large wall of text editable by anyone, at your own risk.… Read more

We admit that hearing the term "meta-analysis" always leads us to imagine Groucho saying, "I never met a nalysis I didn't like," but the technique of combining the results of several studies to achieve a more accurate overview of the subject is nothing funny to statisticians. MIX 2.0 Lite is a free add-on for Microsoft Excel that performs professional-level meta-analyses from Excel's ribbon. It offers more than 20 built-in datasets taken from published methods, plus a data wizard that cites book and page number for users who want to look it up themselves. … Read more

SeaMonkey is an open-source Internet suite that combines a Web browser, email client, IRC client, newsreader, and HTML editor in one free application. It's essentially a continuation of the Mozilla Application Suite, which was to be the next-generation Netscape. SeaMonkey Portable is a fully portable version of the SeaMonkey suite from PortableApps. It's got a lot of potential on the desktop, but it's especially useful as an all-in-one solution for mobile users.

SeaMonkey's default theme resembles Netscape's, especially in its color scheme, its bookmarks, and its expandable, open-and-close-able toolbars, but it also incorporates the latest … Read more