weather

Maybe it's got something to do with global warming, but personal weather stations seem to be a dime a dozen nowadays. So even though some may look better than others, it's difficult to get too excited over yet another model from Oregon Scientific, one of the more prolific makers of the devices.

Yet "Weather In Motion" really is noteworthy, though not necessarily for its meteorological qualities. What got our attention is its infrared motion-sensing technology, which Technabob says automatically adjusts the size of its numeric display depending on your distance from it--something that will be welcome … Read more

Some people make money trading contracts on foreign exchange. Dave Riker wants to make money by hedging bets on the weather.

Riker is the CEO of Storm Exchange, which is setting up a market that will let corporations analyze, and thereby insulate themselves from, changes in their businesses due to fluctuations in the weather. If you can come up with a way to estimate the impact or frequency of storms, banks, insurance companies, food processors and others can take corrective actions. The risk can then be alleviated by letting traders swap derivative contracts on how the economy might be impacted … Read more

CHICAGO, Ill.--They call it the Windy City, but I don't think travelers to this weekend's Second Life Community Convention in Chicago were expecting tornadoes to get in their way.

The Midwest was smacked with thunderstorms and flooding on Thursday, with winds in one storm hitting 70 miles per hour, and a tornado (albeit not a very big one) running amok and even entering the grounds of Chicago's O'Hare Airport.

I, for one, was scheduled to take a 4:25 flight out of New York's JFK Airport that would (allegedly) touch down at 6:15 … Read more

It's not uncommon for publishers to start nailing dollar signs on freeware products or release a pro version requiring some financial obligation. It's a little more rare, and always refreshing, to see publishers introduce a free version of a commercial product. PK Ware did it with SecureZIP back in April, and MobiMate is doing it now with WorldMate S60, all-in-one travel software that incorporates a world clock, global currency converter, weather forecaster, and time zone map that tracks night and day around the globe.

The limited-feature release offers users free reign over five WorldMate capabilities, but dangles flight … Read more

When Power Downloader gets a download request in an e-mail from a friend, he always searches for the perfect software for his friend's quandary. Recently, when a friend who lived in a hurricane-prone area asked if there was a way to track storms, Power Downloader knew exactly what type of program she needed.

Nobody likes to hear there is a storm brewing if they live in a place where hurricanes ravage the coast frequently. That's why Power Downloader knows that a simple storm-tracking program can put a person's mind at ease, or in a worst-case scenario, give them more time to plan for a possible evacuation.… Read more

The folks from Ambient Devices came by the office yesterday to give me a look at the company's upcoming products and also let me know that their new weather-forecasting umbrella is now on sale. The Ambient Umbrella, which automatically receives weather data from Accuweather.com via Ambient's Infocast Network, has made some appearances on blogs, but it's now an official product with an official price tag of $125--though it's selling for $139 at Hammacher Schlemmer. I saw the thing in action, and while it isn't exactly super high-tech, the handle of the umbrella has a … Read more

There have already been a few weather forecast apps released for the iPhone. Weather iWidget is not particularly notable in its design, but it will get you the information you need. Like other weather apps, simply enter a zip code and Weather iWidget does the rest.

iPhone Link: http://weather.iwidget.org/

Web site link http://iwidget.org

Sure, the iPhone already has a built-in weather widget, but that didn't stop the weather experts over at Accuweather.com from developing their own iPhone-friendly Web app. The Accuweather.com iPhone app is a little more detailed than the one on the iPhone, complete with a map and a 15-day forecast. You can also monitor the weather of three different cities.

iPhone link: http://apple.accuweather.com/widget/iphone1/iphone.html

Web site link: http://www.accuweather.com

We don't have an obsession with thunderstorms, but we fully acknowledge that this is a popular topic with more than a few readers. And Crave, of course, is here to serve.

But rather than citing another device of dubious value, today we offer one that seems to make a bit more sense to us. The "First Alert Storm Sentry" stays tuned to the National Weather Service's NOAA Weather Radio and can monitor 79 emergency broadcasts, including warnings for hurricanes, tornadoes, evacuations, civil dangers, nuclear accidents and even AMBER Alerts.

Better still, it can be programmed to … Read more