News, Trends and Tips

CNET.com | Ry Crist Belkin's app-enabled WeMo Light Switches have long been a relatively affordable way to smarten up the switches in your home, and the fact that they don't need a hub makes them a pretty simple smart home starting point. Still, they suffer from a glaring flaw: They can't dim your lights. Now, at CES 2017, Belkin is finally fixing the problem. The answer is a brand new, dimmable version of the WeMo Light Switch that'll hit retail later this year. Pricing is still to be determined, but right now, the WeMo Dimmer looks like a pretty promising step forward to...

MyAJC.com | Jonathan Steinitz Interior designer Markham Roberts’ style of easy elegance comes together in his Port Townsend cottage. (Benjamin Benschneider/The Seattle Times/TNS) There’s nothing quite like the feeling of a freshly painted room. Aside from its mood-boosting properties, paint has the power to transform any space with the flick of a brush. It can elevate your home, welcome in the new season, and even lower its value. But in a sea of swatches, how do you know what hue to choose? Paint can be a game changer in the best and worst way. In the same way the right...

LJWorld.com | Linda Cottin Winterizing your home needs to be done each fall. Follow these steps to stay warm and cozy. Step 1: Examine the exterior of the home for new cracks and crevices. Look for gaps where different materials meet, such as brick and siding, wood and concrete, stone and stucco. Examine plumbing and electrical entrance points and the perimeter of the foundation for openings or imperfections. Fill voids with caulk, mortar, hydraulic cement or spray foam insulation. Step 2: Examine doors and windows. Seal around windows and doors with caulk. Replace torn or damaged weather stripping, door sweeps...

DigitalTrends.com | Lulu Chang When I moved out of my shared two-bedroom apartment to embrace life sansroommates, I called it adulthood. What I didn’t anticipate was also calling it claustrophobia. On some level, I’d accepted the fact that living by myself in Manhattan would mean giving up quite a bit of space, and theoretically, I was fine with it. After all, could I really put a price tag on privacy? Maybe not, but the New York real estate market could certainly put a price tag on a closet – or rather, a closet-sized apartment (without a closet of its own). And...

PopularMechanics.com | Timothy Dahl The decorative wall plates can dislodge from the backplate and short-circuit the outlet, posing a risk of electrical shock or fire. Liberty Hardware is recalling 374,000 wall plates and outlet covers based on two reports of short circuits that could potentially cause fires. They happened when the decorative plate dislodged from the back plate and touched an energized, partially released plug. No injuries have been reported but the company is recalling all the affected products. The recalled allen + roth Linden and Brainerd Ironton wall plates have two plates that are attached by hidden fasteners: (1) a backplate that screws...