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Month: March 2019

  • 2019 Subaru Outback Review

    2019 Subaru Outback Review

    The 2019 Subaru Outback is an interesting pick when it comes to a full-sized SUV. It’s in a competitive price range, it offers ample features, and it’s great for families.

    Does it stand out compared the competition, though? Today we’re breaking it down in our 2019 Subaru Outback review.

    2019 Subaru Outback Review

    Design

    There’s no mistaking the 2019 Outback for anything but a Subaru. The front grille design, the soft lines along the body and the general aesthetic all give it away for being a Subaru. That’s neither a compliment nor a condemnation: Subaru has a distinct look. Fans of this design will like the Outback, and those who find it dorky will continue to do so here.

    New Features

    This year is mostly an iterative upgrade over 2018, though the new model comes with some new bells and whistle. Namely, the EyeSight driver assist suite is now standard. More standard safety features is never a bad thing! Along with that, the base 2.5i trim now has more USB ports for everyone to charge their devices.

    What You’ll Love

    The cabin is huge and comfortable, and you’ve got tons of space to put all your stuff. On top of that. The vehicle offers great visibility, sporting very small blind spots. You’d be hard-pressed to get into an accident in the Outback, between all of the standard safety features.

    The loading heights for the cargo and roof are also notably lower than on other SUVs. In short, the Outback is short! That’s not new for Subaru, however, as their cars are, by-and-large, rather squat.

    What You Won’t Love

    Unsurprisingly, the 2019 Outback doesn’t sport a terrible great engine. The acceleration is lackluster and the handling is okay at best. That said, you’re not likely to be considering the outback for competitive street racing, so these drawbacks might not matter to you.

    Bottom Line

    In its class, the Outback is what you’d expect. It’s a spacious, comfortable SUV with ample safety features and a somewhat silly appearance. It sports a sub-par engine, middling handling and bad acceleration. But, then, what do you expect for an SUV that starts at $26,345?

    If you’ve got a big family that you need to get around town safely, and in comfort, then the Outback is a great pick. If you’re looking to impress your buddies with the speed and handling of your new ride, well, you already weren’t thinking about picking up an SUV.

  • Treadmill Workouts for People in a Hurry

    Treadmill Workouts for People in a Hurry

    Making time to monitor your health and fitness can be quite difficult. If you’ve got a busy schedule, you’ve likely found it’s very difficult to get time to focus on your exercise.

    However, having a treadmill in the house is enough to get you started with a few easy workouts. Remember, every little bit helps! Even a few minutes of cardio can be a huge help for your health.

    Treadmill Workouts

    Side-Stepping

    Get started by walking at a normal pace for a minute, then move to a gentle jog for two-to-four minutes. Next, go back to walking speed and turn to the side. Use the side rail, squat down, and do some side-shuffling. Do this for about half a minute.

    Then, return to a standing position and walk normally. Move up to jogging again, or running if you’re looking for a more intense workout. Keep this faster pace for about two minutes, then go back to walking speed and do another thirty seconds of side-stepping on the other side.

    Round this out with a nice five-minute cooldown walk.

    Sprinting Intervals

    Get started by walking at a normal pace for a minute, then move up to a jogging pace for about five minutes. This is a good warm-up for a workout.

    Then, up the pace to something close to full-tilt running and keep this pace for thirty seconds. Then, go back down to jogging for a minute and a half before cranking it back up to full-tilt for another thirty seconds.

    Repeat this process for as many times as you have time for. Ideally, you’ll want to get around eight or nine repetitions of this cycle in. Remember, if you don’t have the time, however, that any amount of cardio is good cardio!

    Finish your exercise with a cooldown walk. Take about five minutes at an easy pace to cool down from your workout.

    Classic Jogging

    Finally, a classic jog is great when you don’t have a ton of time. Start at a walking pace for a minute, then crank it up to a jogging pace for four minutes. Next, crank it up to a run for two minutes. Finally, take it up to a sprinting pace for thirty seconds.

    Once you’ve finished the sprint, work back down to a running pace for a minute. Then, work your way back into a jog for two minutes before finishing with a cooldown walk. Make your cooldown around four minutes. This is a great quick workout for when you only have about 15 minutes to dedicate to exercise.

  • Rheumatoid Arthritis: Diagnosis and Treatments

    Rheumatoid Arthritis: Diagnosis and Treatments

    Rheumatoid arthritis is a condition that includes symptoms of joint pain and weakness in the muscles around the joints.

    Diagnosing RA can be difficult in the early stages, as its symptoms can mirror that of many other diseases. Today we’re looking into the diagnosis of and treatments for RA.

    Rheumatoid Arthritis Diagnosis

    Diagnosis

    Diagnosing Rheumatoid arthritis can prove somewhat difficult. Even in patients with symptoms that are consistent with RA, there might be a number of other diseases that could be to blame. When your doctor attempts to find out what’s causing your joint pain and inflammation, they will likely start with a physical examination of your joints.

    During a physical exam, the doctor will look for redness and swelling. Warmth is another indicator of potential RA. This check could also involve checking your reflexes and strength in order to rule out certain other conditions.

    Other Tests

    There are a few other tests doctors can try to determine whether a patient has RA. Blood tests to determine if you have an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate are common. Likewise, X-Rays or other imaging tests could be used to determine the severity of arthritis.

    It is worth noting that there is no single test that can show that a patient is suffering from RA. There are a number of other diseases and conditions that can send similar symptoms and evidence, making diagnosis a complex undertaking.

    Treatments

    There is no cure for arthritis. The disease is degenerative and will only become more severe as time goes on. There are, however, treatments that can help to slow the disease’s progress. Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, or DMARDs, are one such treatment that has been shown to offer remission from certain symptoms.

    DMARDs

    DMARDs offer relief from joint pain and work by slowing the progress of the disease. In fact, when taken soon enough, DMARDs can even safe joints and bones from permanent and lasting damage. They aren’t without side effects, though. DMARDs can cause lung infections, liver damage and marrow suppression in some patients.

    A new type of DMARDs, called biologic agents, work by targeting parts of the immune system that give rise to arthritis. In particular, they stem the onset of inflammation in the body that leads to the lasting joint damage found in arthritis patients.

    Like traditional DMARDs, biologic agents can also lead to a higher risk of infection. Also, while DMARDs can result in remission from symptoms, they are not a cure. Once you have arthritis, you have it for life.

  • Android: The Story of the Biggest Mobile Operating System

    Android: The Story of the Biggest Mobile Operating System

    When Apple unveiled the iPhone in 2007, it started the smartphone revolution. It’s hard for some people to remember a time before smartphones, in fact.

    However, for those who kept up with technology back in the late 2000s, it was like watching history unfold before one’s eyes.

    Shortly after the introduction of the iPhone, Google purchased Android, Inc., a company hard at work on their own mobile operating system.

    The Android system would function as a platform-agnostic OS for use by any third-party phone manufacturer. The rest, as they say, is history…

    The Story of Android

    Beginnings

    Android Inc. began work on the Android OS in 2005, a full two years before their acquisition by Google. When Apple up-ended the mobile phone market with the iPhone in 2007, Google moved quickly to get their slice of the pie. They snatched up Android, Inc. and unfurled plans to license the OS for third-party phone manufacturers.

    In this way, Android is not dissimilar from Microsoft’s Windows operating system. Much like Windows, Android can be used on third-party hardware, is more “open,” and competes directly with a proprietary Apple system.

    Hardware

    The very first commercially-available Android device was the HTC Dream, released in September 2008. This began the long-lasting association between HTC and Android, as HTC’s flagship phones defined the Android platform for years.

    However, HTC’s dominance in the field would wane eventually. In recent years, HTC has been eclipsed by Samsung’s Galaxy line of phones. Likewise, Google’s own Nexus line of devices has since given way to the Google Pixel lineup. Countless other devices have used the Android OS, from Motorola to Huawei, and the platform runs nearly unopposed in the Chinese smartphone market.

    Today

    In the modern era, Android supports 2 billion users, making it the largest mobile OS in the world by a wide margin. This is due to a few factors. For one thing, it has no meaningful competition outside of Apple’s iPhone line of products. While some competitors, like Windows Phone, have appeared, they’ve largely been unable to make a dent in Android.

    While iPhone’s Apple OS is a solid and user-friendly mobile OS, its biggest limitation is also its biggest strength. It’s closed-off and appears only on Apple devices. Android, on the other hand, is an open OS that can appear on pretty much any manufacturer’s phones. This gives it reach that Apple’s OS simply can’t have, as only so many iPhones will be sold.

    The future today seems to be quite bright for the Android OS. As it stands, it seems unlikely any other mobile OS could overtake the dominant Android. Even Apple, with their highly successful iPhone, isn’t in any danger of being overtaken by a new competitor. Time will tell, however, what new permutations the Android OS takes as phone change and evolve with new technology.

  • 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan Review

    2019 Volkswagen Tiguan Review

    The 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan is a compact SUV with a smooth ride, spacious cabin and ample features. Whether you’re a hardcore fan of Volkswagen or just looking for a good SUV for your family, the Tiguan has a lot to offer.

    Today we’re going to break down whether the Tiguan is a good pick for you and your family. Here’s our review for the 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan.

    2019 Volkswagen Tiguan

    Design

    The Volkswagen Tiguan doesn’t pack any surprises into its appearance. The design is smart, economical and tight. This is a compact SUV through and through, sporting a small profile and clean lines that are sleek and unassuming. If you’re the kind of driver who doesn’t like drawing attention to themselves, this is a great design.

    However, if you’re looking for something more bold or aggressive, you’ll likely find the Tiguan wanting. Those who prefer a bolder design should look elsewhere.

    Performance

    This lack of punch applies to the Tiguan’s engine, too. You’re not going to get that satisfying rumble or roar when you punch the accelerator. Turns are taken wide, the acceleration is nothing to write home about, and the handling could be described as “floaty”.

    However, with all of that said, the Tiguan does offer a very quiet, smooth ride. What it lacks in power and flash it more than makes up for in comfort. If you’ve got kids or you’re just looking for a nice, quiet SUV, there’s a lot to love about the Tiguan. For people who don’t need the most aggressive or punchy vehicle in the world, sometimes a quiet ride and nice interior are a welcome sight.

    Life as it Comes

    The Tiguan offers a great amount of cargo space and tons of legroom and space for its compact profile. This smart use of interior space is wonderful for people who have kids and need to tackle life as it comes. Loading groceries, soccer equipment or whatever else you need is easy as can be.

    Likewise, the ample infotainment features are great for people with busy lives. Using the system to quickly set up your preferences is a breeze. It’s easy to forget just how nice a good user interface can be!

    Bottom Line

    Starting at $24,295, the Tiguan is a great pick for families. If you’re not worried about a dorky design or pokey engine, there’s a lot to love with the Tiguan. A quiet ride, tons of cargo space and useful features can more than make up for the otherwise boring design features.

  • Get Your Taxes Prepared for Free

    Get Your Taxes Prepared for Free

    It’s that time of year again. Tax time, the time when you need to get out and get your taxes prepared. Maybe you’ve been putting it off, since it can be pricey.

    However, there are a number of ways to get your taxes prepared for free. In fact, you can even get your taxes prepared online for completely free today! Here are some of the best sites to use for free tax preparation.

    Free Tax Preparation

    FreeTaxUSA

    FreeTaxUSA is a user-friendly and well-made site for tax preparation. The site is very straightforward, easily walking you through filing your taxes step-by-step. If you’re worried about your taxes being too complex to fill out online, don’t. This site offers you a very thorough helping hand in getting everything filed easily.

    While the federal return is totally free through this site, filing a state return through this site costs money. On average it costs about $12, so make sure you factor that in when you’re considering your tax filing. Keep in mind that it’s most likely that any tax prep site you use will require a small fee for filing a state return.

    H&R Block

    Many people are much more familiar with H&R Block due to their physical tax preparation locations. However, H&R Block also offers a free tax filing service through their website. While preparing online might not sound like the normal H&R Block, it’s actually a rather streamlined and easy-to-use site.

    Not all types of returns can be prepared on the site for free, however. As with most sites, state returns will still require a fee to be sent in from their site. Additionally, more complex tax returns could include a fee for filing.

    The upside to H&R Block is that if your taxes prove too complex to fill out online, you can go to one of their physical locations. Then, a tax-preparer can get you set up in-person! Keep in mind, however, that using in-person tax preparation won’t be free.

    TurboTax

    As their numerous commercials have proclaimed, TurboTax allows you to file your federal return for free. As you might expect, this doesn’t apply to state returns, which include a small fee. Much like FreeTaxUSA, TurboTax offers a great user interface for inputting all of your tax information.

    You won’t have to worry about forgetting something or getting lost. If you miss a box or need to input more info, the useful client will remind you. You can rest assured with TurboTax that your return will be accurate before you submit it!

  • Best Over the Counter Sleep Aids

    Best Over the Counter Sleep Aids

    When it comes time to lay down to sleep, you can’t seem to drift off. Your mind is racing from the day’s events and you can’t get yourself to calm down enough to get to sleep.

    What do you do? Today we’re looking at some of the best safe sleep aids that don’t require a prescription.

    Best OTC Sleep Aids

    Diphenhydramine

    Diphenhydramine is commonly found in allergy medicine, like Benadryl and Aleve PM. It’s got some side effects: it can lead to blurry vision, constipation, urinary retention or daytime drowsiness. However, many people note it’s quite effective at simply knocking them out if they’re having trouble getting to sleep. This is doubly effective if you already need allergy relief.

    White Noise

    Many people find it difficult to get to sleep in a totally silent room. If this applies to you, consider sleeping with some white noise. A softly running fan, or some quiet nature sounds could do the trick. Some people even listen to soft music while they’re trying to sleep, finding it helps them to calmly dose off.

    Doxylamine succinate

    Commonly found in medicine like Unisom sleep tabs, Doxylamine succinate is a sedating antihistamine like Diphenhydramine. It also has similar side effects to those found in Diphenhydramine, though it is technically a different compound. Much like with Diphenhydramine, Doxylamine is good for treating allergies as well as sleeplessness.

    Control Your Space

    Make sure the room you’re trying to get to sleep in is quiet, dark and cool. Trying to sleep in a room that is too hot, too loud or too bright can be very difficult. If you need to, consider getting blackout blinds, noise-canceling headphones and running a fan while you sleep.

    If there are others that live with you who don’t respect the tie you need to sleep, pull them aside and ask them to be more conscientious of your time. It’s important that you get between 7-9 hours of sleep per night!

    Melatonin

    Melatonin supplements are commonly used to treat people who are having trouble getting to sleep. While melatonin can have headache-inducing side effects, it’s also a great way to treat jet lag and off-kilter sleep schedules. You can typically find melatonin supplements available over the counter.

    Keep in mind that no medication or technique is a miracle solution. Extreme cases of insomnia could require help from a sleep doctor to remedy, so speak to your doctor if you’re having substantial trouble sleeping.

  • Accounting Software: Which One is Right for Your Business?

    Accounting Software: Which One is Right for Your Business?

    When it comes to running your business, nothing is quite as important as your accounting software. Whether you’re selling ice cream or life insurance, you’ve got to have accurate bookkeeping.

    The question remains, however, which accounting software is right for you business? Today we’re going to help you narrow it down.

    Which Accounting Software is Right For You?

    Sage50 Cloud

    Designed primarily to help mid-to-small sized businesses, Sage50 Cloud is a great accounting software suite. It helps businesses to stay up on their taxes, keep their bookkeeping clear and concise, and generally stay compliant. Payroll, budgeting, inventory and more can all be tracked through the software.

    As the name suggests, Sage 50 utilizes the cloud to keep your information all backed up. This allows you to have the peace of mind that comes with knowing all of your important accounting information is saved and backed up. You can even track purchases and pay vendors all through this software!

    Sage50 Cloud has a variety of pricing options, which start around $45 per month. Depending on your needs, you can opt for more complex packages at higher rates.

    Freshbooks

    The streamlined, seamless and easy-to-use Freshbooks software is one of the top picks for accounting software. Whether you’re running a large business or a small one, Freshbooks as an accounting suite is a strong choice. You can easily set up recurring invoices to pay out to various contractors, record your expenses easily and import to other software in a flash.

    The dashboard makes it easy to find what you’re looking for, while the easy-to-navigate menus and options make it impossible to get lost. Accounting can be quite difficult, but Freshbooks takes a lot of the difficulty out of the equation! Pricing for this software starts at $15 per month.

    NetSuite ERP

    Another user-friendly and well-presented suite, NetSuite ERP is great for businesses of all sizes. Including integration for marketing, sales and customer relations, NetSuite is a rather robust accounting software. You can even handle your stocks through the excellently-designed suite!

    NetSuite ERP offers integration through inventory management tools, as well as a shipping module to keep track of all of your orders. The easy-to-use interface is available even on mobile devices! You don’t need to be an accounting expert to use the software, and it’s easy to find what you’re looking for through the simple dashboard.

  • Suffering From Dry Skin? Try These Moisturizers

    Suffering From Dry Skin? Try These Moisturizers

    Dry skin can be a huge pain, or, in some cases, hugely itchy! The worst cases of dry skin can be quite uncomfortable, but there are a few things you can do to fight the itch.

    Namely, you can pick up skin moisturizer and use it to keep your skin from being dry and flakey. Today we’re going over some of the best skin moisturizers.

    Moisturizers for Dry Skin

    Nivea Soft Moisturizing Crème

    Nivea is a respected name in the world of skin care products, and this moisturizer is no different. This cream, complete with vitamin E and jojoba oil, helps to keep dry skin from being so uncomfortable. Not only does this cream quickly absorb into the skin, it also keeps your skin from becoming too oily.

    While many moisturizers have a very oily after-effect, this cream doesn’t leave behind such an oily feeling. Instead, it simply helps to moisturize and rejuvenate your skin! You can shop for this skin cream online or in stores.

    Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Deep Moisture Balm

    This skin cream is fragrance-free, which is great for people who have allergies or don’t like the scents of other moisturizers. This is also great for use on the face, as it doesn’t have any strong smell associated. If you live in an extreme climate, where it is particularly hot, cold or dry, then you will love this balm.

    The balm has a thick consistency, making it ideal for rejuvenating damaged skin. It’s able to help skin that’s been exposed to harsh elements, making it a great pick for people who experience extreme weather. For heavy-duty dry skin, go with Keihl’s.

    Andalou Naturals Purple Carrot + C Luminous Night Cream

    This moisturizing and healing cream has stellar customer reviews and is said to be great on even intense dry skin. Made specifically to help revitalized damaged skin on the surface, the Andalou night cream is great for people who constantly expose their skin to the elements. For people who work outside, or around hot or dry materials, this can be a huge help.

    Including lots of minerals and compounds meant to help skin heal, the Andalou cream is great for even extremely dry skin. If you’re looking for a skin cream that works as hard as you do, look no further. While it’s a bit on the pricey side, this cream is well-worth the price tag to help give you relief from itchy, dry skin.