Bet It All On Black(Berry)?

Once upon a time, there was a company called Research in Motion.In 1999, they started selling pagers with integrated e-mail capability. Shortly thereafter, they combined the mobile phone and pager into a single unit, and for businesspeople the world over, it fulfilled the need to stay connected. RIM's BlackBerry became a very recognizable name, and, to many, they owned the mobile market for the better part of the early-to-mid aughts due to a number of popular phone releases that closed the gap between the business and consumer markets.

Florida Car Craziness Continues

Florida has gained a reputation as one of our nation's craziest states in the past few years. It could be the mix of tourists and retirees, or the flow of illegal drugs, or simply too much sun, but not a day passes without a news story from the state that makes us shake our heads. Cars aren't immune.

Don't Be an Idiom: Pardon My French

Like many expressions using the word French, this one originates with the centuries-old rivalry between the French and the English. Both countries have a tradition of naming each other in various expressions. "French kiss" for example, was based on les hommes français' reputation for amorousness. Another similar idiom, "French letter," is a British term for a condom.

Famous "First Children"

Watching Malia and Sasha Obama growing up in the White House got me to thinking about what a unique experience that is. Spending a portion of one's childhood in the presidential mansion is something only a handful of people can claim in modern times. How do you top that? What have these famous "first children" gone on to achieve?

Flying Car Crashes, Just Like Our Dreams

Small companies like Terrafugia and Maverick LSA have been working on flying cars for some time now, although in both cases, the cars aren't the flying cars of sci-fi fever dreams but rather wheeled vehicles that can also fly. In Terrafugia's case, the "flying car" is really a small aircraft that can legally be driven on public roads if need be.

What's Your Dream Car?

Dream cars - everybody has at least one. For some it's an exotic Italian sports car, for others a classic muscle car. Yet others drool over old Jeeps or rugged trucks. For some folks, a dream car will be affordable and available for them someday; others know they'll never have the means to buy the object of their desire.

Jay Chandrasekhar on "Arrested Development"

After eight years, the long-prayed-for resurrection of Arrested Development finally came to fruition, unloading all 15 episodes of the highly-anticipated fourth season upon feverous fans last Sunday. Web2carz spoke with actor, writer, and director Jay Chandrasekhar about his experience working with the talented cast during their first season.

There's an App for That

Trying to train for a "couch to 5k" this summer but need a little motivation? There's an app for that. Or did you love Fast & Furious 6 and just can't get enough? There's an app for that, too. Our app roundup of the week has a little something for everyone, from addicting games to useful messengers to creative outlets. Check them all out below.

Mermaid Mania, Baby Mugging, Amanda's Sane, McDs Ain't Junk

For the second year in a row, pseudo-educational network Animal Planet has fooled extremely gullible people with a fake documentary claiming to present evidence of the existence of mermaids. It's difficult to decide which aspect of this is the dumbest. Is it Animal Planet wasting air time on a frivolous prank -- one that they already pulled last year? Is it the fact that so many people fell for it? Is it that so many people fell for it a second time? Or is it that, you know, mermaids? Really people? Mermaids? Can a Tinkerbell: Believe documentary be far behind?

Stepping Fashionably Into Summer

With June first just around the corner, it finally feels like summer has arrived. And with the changing seasons also comes changing fashions. If you're rummaging through your closet, frustrated that you have "nothing" to wear - relax. You don't have to craft your own pair of shorteralls to be hip this summer. Check out how to get the latest runway fashions for less this summer.

The Cost of Raising a Child

They say you can't put a price on love, but you can put a price on children, and the government estimates it to be roughly a quarter of a million dollars. Kids are not cheap, and the costs are only increasing. Housing costs are the single largest expenditure (30 percent), followed by child care and education (18 percent), and food (16 percent) - all expenses which have seen the greatest increases over the years. The cost of raising a child from birth to age 17 has climbed to $234,900, a 3.5 percent jump from 2010, which really comes out to $295,560 over the seventeen year span with projected inflation factored in.

Honey, I Shrunk The Tesla

As we've established in the past, Tesla is currently in the midst of a hot streak.Not only did their latest car, the Model S sedan, take home Motor Trend's Car of the Year award in 2012, it also received an unprecedented 99/100 score in Consumer Reports.The company as a whole is also making waves, as they've recently announced that they've paid back their government loans in full and with interest.

The Skinny on Southern Obesity

It turns out Southerners are skinnier than we thought - and more truthful.A study from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) found that the South's reputation as the most obese region in the United States is undeserved. The widely-held belief that the South is the fattest isn't without some substantiation. The original evidence for this claim came from a nationwide telephone survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) that asked people their weight and height, but as it turns out, the results were skewed thanks to differential misreporting. Basically, most people lied on the survey, underreporting their weight- Southerners just didn't lie as much as Northerners.

Five Car Reviews in Five Minutes

One perk of my job as the Senior Writer for Autos is the occasional chance to test five very different vehicles in the span of one day. Last week I got to climb behind the wheel of four highly buzzed-about products and one very unique specialty vehicle on a rainy day in central Wisconsin. Full reviews will follow. For now, here's my quick take on the 2013 SRT Viper, 2014 Chevrolet Impala, the Roush Raptor, the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado, and the 2014 Kia Cadenza.

Dead Woman Gives Birth, Comes Back To Life

Sometimes, the circle of life isn't as straightforward as the name suggests. Erica Nigrelli, an English teacher in Missouri City, Texas, experienced this firsthand when she gave birth to her daughter, Elayna, while technically dead.Nigrelli was about 36 weeks into her pregnancy when she collapsed at her school."I put my head down, and I essentially just passed out," Nigrelli told a local NBC affiliate.

Spending a Day in Car Heaven

We attended a major automotive media event - the 2013 Midwest Automotive Media Association Spring Rally - last week, spending time climbing in and out of about 100 cars while putting them through their paces at the fabled Road America road course in Wisconsin and on public roads surrounding the track.

New Stuff From CocoRosie, Laura Marling, Paul McCartney, PIL

Memorial Day has come and gone, marking the unofficial beginning of Summer. The actual beginning of Summer doesn't come for another several weeks - on June 21 - on the day of the solstice, when we celebrate Midsummer, Tiregan, Ivan Kupala Day, St. Jonas' Festival, Jani, or Wianki, depending on how you roll.

Cars for Grads

College and high school graduation season is upon us again, and for those with money to burn and a fresh-faced young adult who needs wheels, there are a few solid choices out there. We've picked four cars that are inexpensive (relatively) and generally marketed towards youthful buyers. We've picked one from each of four categories: subcompact, compact, mid-size, and sports car. We're evaluating based on a mix of price, overall performance, and style.

iRadio Silence

Apple is on the verge of releasing a new product.Then again, when aren't they?The Californian tech giant has been making waves across the internet over the last few months, as they attempt to build a streaming music program similar to Pandora or Spotify.Industry analysts predicted that Apple would show this program to the masses at next month's World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC).However, they might have nothing to play but dead air, if they don't get their negotiations with the music publishers settled before then.

Measles Return to UK Due to Anti-Vaccine Madness

It's easy to think of conspiracy theorists as silly eccentrics who are obsessed with things like 9/11 trutherism, the Kennedy assassination, or Alex Jones, the clown prince of idiotic notions. But some conspiracy theories actually influence the decisions that otherwise rational people make. And when those decisions relate to vaccinating children, the result is the return of diseases that were essentially eradicated half a century ago.