BestAdvice

Does the expense and confusion of choosing the right athletic shoes sometimes seem baffling? It's a tricky business, especially if you live in a family with a variety of athletic interests. As consumers we're faced with a lot of options. So, keep the following points in mind next time you're out shopping for a new pair of athletic shoes.

Know What You Need
The most important step is deciding what sport you will be using them for. Most sporting goods stores carry a variety of shoes for activities such as running, walking, tennis, basketball, golf and aerobics. Multi-purpose shoes such as cross trainers may be a good alternative for those who want to combine several sports or activities, such as bicycling and weight training, in a single workout. Read more

Changing antifreeze regularly is a vital part of preventative maintenance and keeps vehicles performing at optimal levels. To avoid engine problems, including freeze-ups and overheating, the experts at Prestone Products offer these easy steps to help make the annual antifreeze flush and fill a safe, uncomplicated do-it-yourself project.

1. Park your car in a safe area. Make sure pets are secured safely and no children are in the area. Be sure to check your owner's manual for any special cooling system service instructions. Begin with the engine cold and the ignition off. If you change coolant when the engine is hot, you risk burns from the hot coolant and engine.

2. Drain your radiator to remove loose rust and sediment. Open the radiator drain valve and drain the used antifreeze/coolant into a bucket large enough to catch the flow (typically, a two-gallon bucket is sufficient). Close the drain valve. Read more

DLP technology is the only display solution that enables projection systems to create a purely digital connection between a digital video or graphic source and the screen in front of you. While all other technologies are analog and compromise some image quality in translation, DLP projection unleashes the full potential of the content you want to see-whether it's in a movie theatre, the office, or your own living room.

The Digital Advantage: Brighter in Any Light
DLP projection outshines analog technologies because it brings more light from lamp to screen. The Digital Micromirror Device at the heart of DLP technology works more efficiently than the cathode ray tubes (CRT) and D-ILA systems found in many televisions. While these analog technologies tend to lose a certain amount of light in transit, DLP projection's greater efficiency creates exceptional brightness that increases with resolution, and does not degrade over time. Read more

With the temperatures beginning to warm up, it's the perfect time to get outside and and enjoy a picnic. But the last thing you want to pack is the potential for food poisoning. Here are some tips for a perfect - and safe - picnic.

So, what can you pack for a picnic that's safe and easy to prepare? If you're barbecuing, frozen hamburger patties and chicken are convenient. Fresh, whole fruits are also a good idea as long as they're adequately washed. There are also plenty of tasty and convenient salad kits on the market, and you don't have to worry about the mayonnaise - today's major brands are pasteurized so they're much safer than before. Read more

It’s that time of year again. Temperatures and wind chills that can take your breath away. Snow and ice that make stepping outside a dangerous proposition. You know all too well how winter affects you. It is important to take a moment to think about how it affects your car as well. After all, you don’t want to be stranded in those sub-zero temperatures.

If you live where it snows, you know the damage that snow, ice, loose gravel and salt can do to your car. Minor scratches and nicks turn to rust, your heater gets a workout it may not be prepared for, and your windshield must deal with the temperature stress of a warm interior and a freezing exterior. Here are some maintenance tips for winterizing your car: Read more

When Super Bowl XXXVIII is broadcast live from Houston’s Reliant Stadium on Sunday, February 1, 2004, millions of football fans worldwide will eagerly tune in for an afternoon of exciting pre-game fun followed by an evening of great football, revelry, refreshments, and friendly rivalry. For those not lucky enough to have a ticket to America’s favorite sporting event, it’s a premier Couch Potato day.

To maximize the fun, here are some practical tips to make your Super Bowl party memorable. Read more

You know the dire predictions: People gain an average of 10 pounds during the holidays. Or is it five? Maybe 15? Whatever. What can you do to make it through the holidays without locking yourself into a closet to avoid temptation? Read more

A lot of consumers are wanting to know whether to buy a separate digital camera now that they have a camera installed in their phone, or in the case of the new Palm Zire 71, it has a camera built right into the Palm. What we tell people is that these cameras that are built into the cell phones and the new Palm are low-resolution digital cameras. Often times they are 1 megapixel and lower in resolution. That’s fine if you want to take a fun shot of somebody walking a dog down the street -- but these low resolution shots won’t look as good as your higher resolution digital cameras. Keep this in mind if you'll be taking important shots of your kids or if you’re on vacation and will be printing out digital images. www.palm.comRead more

When choosing a good entry-level photo printer make sure it's really a photo printer - all color inkjets these days are marketed as "photo-ready", but all that means is that all color inkjets will print a photo image on a sheet of paper and it will be recognizable. Most budget inkjet printers are fine for graphics, but not really up to the task of producing photo-lab grade photos. Canon's $80 i320 and Epson's $95 Stylus Photo 820 are our favorite budget-priced photo printers - either will produce richly saturated, superbly detailed prints that will shame your local photo lab. You can't go wrong with either of these excellent entry-level photo printers. www.usa.canon.com and www.epson.com Read more

Holiday decorating time is a special time of year when the streets and stores of America sparkle. But as you're making your decorating list and checking it twice, be sure to check that everything is safe and sound.
When you pull the lights out of the attic, check to make sure that there are no frayed connections. And when plugging them in, following manufacturers recommendations. Read more