Top Inventions of the past 25 years - USA TODAY

USA TODAY has an article on the top ‘eureka’ moments of the past 25 years with  a list of inventions that have most changed our lives.

The top 10 inventions are:

1. Cellphones

2. Laptop computers

3. BlackBerrys

4. Debit cards

5. Caller ID

6. DVDs

7. Lithium rechargeable batteries

8. iPods

9. Pay at the pump

10. Lettuce in a bag

To read the rest of the list and see descriptions of the top 25 inventions continue reading…

_________________________________________________________________________
Giglish SnapReview:

The top three are electronic communication devices and deserve to be at the top. The list covers most of the truly life changing inventions but is a little uneven. We would add the Browser, Google and Broadband to the list. We would question if ‘Lettuce in a bag’ belongs in the top 10.

Trivia: When was the Credit Card invented? Click here for the answer

_________________________________________________________________________

Giglish Bonus: CNET’s top ten must-have gadgets lists some of the most recent inventions that while not life-changing are a nice addition to the toy chest.

Top 5 in the list are:

1. Nintendo Wii
2. iPod Nano (2nd generation)
3. LG CU500 world phone
4. SanDisk Sansa Connect MP3 player
5. Apple Core 2 Duo MacBook
_________________________________________________________________________

Top-rated Diet Plans and Diet Books - Consumer Reports

Consumer Reports has an in-depth report on dieting with practical, evidence-based tips backed by scientific results from clinical trials. The article discusses the shift in the research of dieting plans with increased emphasis on successful dieters and what they do to control their weight.

The article lists the plans that work best and the top-rated diet books. The article also outlines eight winning strategies for losing weight and three tactics that are unlikely to help. Full listing and ratings are only available by subscription and in the print edition.

Diet Plan Winners:

1. Volumetrics diet aims to maximize the amount of food available per calorie, mainly by the use of reduced-fat products. Diet stresses eating foods with low “energy density”, foods with relatively few calories per portion, such as, fruits, salads, and soups.
2. Weight Watchers uses weekly meetings and weigh-ins for motivation and behavioral support for diet and exercise changes.
3. Jenny Craig’s emphasis is on Jenny Craig-prepared foods of single-serving entrees and snacks.

Diet Book Winners:

1. The Best Life Diet by Bob Greene, best known for helping Oprah achieve her dramatic weight loss. Book emphasizes that in order to address your weight, you must first address your life.
2. Eat, Drink, and Weigh Less by Dr. Walter C. Willett and Mollie Katzen, best known for the Moosewood Cookbooks. This book combines sound advice from a nutritionist with recipes from Mollie Katzen.
3. You: On A Diet by Michael Roizen and Mehmet Oz. An entertaining weight loss book that explains in plain language how your body gains and loses weight and details a sensible diet and exercise plan.

The Volumetrics Eating Plan book is not discussed in the article but may be of interest to dieters looking for more details on the top-rated Volumetrics diet

You can read most of the report at ConsumerReports.org. The news article at ConsumerAffairs.Com has additional detail on the diet plans.
_________________________________________________________________________

Giglish SnapReview:
Excellent article by Consumer Reports that should be useful for most dieters. We appreciate the increased emphasis on the sustainability of a diet plan, with plans that dieters are more likely to stick with getting more attention. The article could have done a better job of linking the best Diet Plans with the best Diet books. We would like to see more efforts to match a dieter with a plan based on individual capability to control eating or increase exercise.
_________________________________________________________________________

Giglish Bonus:

For a critical review of the article and responses from the Diet Authors read “What Is the Best Diet?” article at WebMD.com. Not surprisingly, authors of lower-rated diet plans and books have issues with the Consumer Reports methodology.

Dr Mike Roizen’s Amazon blog has the details on 9 people who followed the YOU-Diet and YOU-Activity plan that makes for interesting reading.

Top 25 TV moments of the past 25 years - USA TODAY

USA TODAY's television critic Robert Bianco has put together a list of his top 25 TV moments of the past 25 years as the newspaper celebrates its 25 anniversary this year.

His top 10 TV moments are:

1. 9/11 coverage (2001)
2. Fox Network is launched (1986)
3. The Oprah Winfrey Show (1986)
4. The Sopranos (1999)
5. NYPD Blue (1993)
6. The OJ Trial (1994)
7. The Simpsons (1989)
8. The Cosby Show (1984)
9. The Real World (1992)
10. Johnny Carson's last show (1992)

To read the rest of the list and see descriptions of the top 25 moments continue reading...

Trivia: Which is the most watched episode in American television series history? It's number 25 on the list.

_________________________________________________________________________
Giglish SnapReview:

The list makes for an interesting trip down memory lane for TV lovers. It has a little "Apples and Oranges" feel to it as it straddles moments, memories and milestones, but makes for fun reading anyway.

We would add one more to the list: Tivo launch (1999)

_________________________________________________________________________

Giglish Bonus: Fox will be showing "TV's Funniest Moments," a two-hour special on June 1, 2007 at 8 p.m. The TV special will be ‘Fair and Balanced' and will have the 30 funniest moments seen on sitcoms, variety shows, latenight talkers and sketch skeins over the past 60 years of television.

Also checkout the Tivo Top TV Moments of 2006 List

_________________________________________________________________________

Ten Videos That Made YouTube Famous - Forbes

Forbes has an interesting story and a slideshow with their list of the top 10 videos that made YouTube famous. The story briefly covers the impact of YouTube and how it is changing our media consumption.

1. Saturday Night Live's "Lazy Sunday"
2. "Hillary 1984″
3. OK Go, "Here It Goes Again"
4. Avril Lavigne, "Girlfriend"
5. "Guitar"
6. "Evolution Of Dance"
7. Pokemon Theme Music Video
8. Lonelygirl15: "First Blog / Dorkiness Prevails"
9. Stephen Colbert: White House Correspondents' Dinner
10. Free Hugs Campaign

Read the full story on Forbes.com. Slideshow has clickable links to play each video.
_________________________________________________________________________

Giglish SnapReview:
The list is a good sampling of the range of videos that "exemplify the YouTube phenomenon." Like most 'Top 10′ lists it misses some big ones like 'Diet Coke + Mentos' and 'Tea Partay.'
_________________________________________________________________________

Giglish Bonus: Some videos that made us smile

Need glasses?
How Stupid They Are…
Crazy Frog Bros -
The Ebay Song
_________________________________________________________________________

TOP SAFETY PICK 2007 Award Winners - IIHS

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has released it's list of the "Top Safety Pick" awards, given to vehicles that receive the highest scores on crash tests.

The three vehicles with the highest crash tests scores are:

1. 2007 Acura MDX SUV
2. 2008 Ford Taurus
3. 2008 Mercury Sable

The complete list of TOP SAFETY PICK 2007 Award Winners has the top cars in the categories of large cars, midsize cars, midsize SUVs, small SUVs and minivans.

You can also see the ratings for all vehicles the Institute has tested and see ratings by vehicle type/size at the IIHS website.

__________________________________________________________________

Giglish SnapReview:

Crash test scores are useful indicator of the safety of a vehicle in a crash. We would like to see safety indicators that also reflect the vehicle's ability to avoid a crash in the first place. Insurance cost comparisons and comparative loss information may be useful in gauging overall vehicle safety.

__________________________________________________________________

Giglish Bonus: Check the automotive reviews and ratings at one of our favorite product review websites ConsumerSearch

__________________________________________________________________