My Yahoo! Blog

Consumer Recalls & Peace of Mind

Child safety seats. Toyota cars. Pringles potato chips. All three have been the subject of recent recalls because of concerns about consumer safety. But if you hadn’t watched the news to learn about the Pringles recall, how would you know whether the snacks in your pantry might make you sick? 

Fortunately you can subscribe to feeds from various consumer watchdogs and monitor them on your My Yahoo! page. Here are some good examples to consider:

• The Food and Drug Administration — Recalls/Safety Alerts: This information from the U.S. government keeps you current on a wide range of possible food safety issues.
• Safercar.gov — Vehicle Recalls: This roundup from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration includes announcements about specific car models and components that may have safety concerns.
• Justia’s Auto Recalls Homepage: You can actually browse and select an RSS feed that is specific to your vehicle’s manufacturer by going directly to the website.
• Household Product-Related Recalls: This feed from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission covers possible safety issues on everything from window shades to tea kettles.

You can also explore the sites above for specific recall updates on drugs, dietary supplements, or children’s products, among others.  Subscribing to any of the above feeds will make it much easier to keep tabs on safety information for everyone in your household.
 
Apps mentioned in this post:

• Add Food and Drug Administration — Recalls/Safety Alerts
• Add Safercar.gov — Vehicle Recalls
• Add Justia’s Auto recalls Homepage
• Add Household Product-Related Recalls

Tom
- My Yahoo! Editorial

Internet vs. Forces of Nature

Tsunami, “Snowmaggedon”, earthquakes, and homes in California are slipping into mud maelstroms. Storms come in all shapes and sizes, and that means they can effect just about anyone. If you want to feel prepared and informed, there are some great ways to get natural disaster information quickly through My Yahoo!:

• The Yahoo! News: Weather News feed takes information from various sources and compiles the latest as quickly as any place online.
• Dr. Jeff Master’s WunderBlog is run by someone whose passion and knowledge are almost overwhelming. Images, scientific explanations, and in-depth info on disasters both well-known and under reported are all included.
• Ken Kaye’s Storm Center focuses on hurricanes the science of weather prediction. You will find detailed reporting on current storms as well analysis of the politics and science behind prevention.
• The Weather Channel’s Weather Blog offers friendly and informative explanations to general questions, such as “What’s different this hurricane season?”.
• The source of all sources for weather is probably the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration feed for monitoring storms and other disasters. This is generally where others get their information (like TV news) so why shouldn’t you?

The exchange of information has stirred people to action. May these resources help you feel connected to the plight of the people of Chile and Haiti and their path to recovery.

Apps showcased in this post:

• Add Yahoo! News: Weather News
• Add Dr. Jeff Master’s WunderBlog
• Add Ken Kaye’s Storm Center
• Add The Weather Channel’s Weather Blog
• Add National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Jay – My Yahoo! Editorial

Conquering the Winter Olympics

I find the Winter Olympics fascinating, but a bit overwhelming, to be honest. The events are so fast and intense, and there are so many of them, that I don’t know what to watch and when. I want to be surprised (who knew curling could thrill?) yet I don’t want to get stuck watching a quick-moving event that is over before I am able to grasp the rules (Two-man luge?).

 I was excited when I learned that Yahoo! has a new module that will help clear up my troubles. The new Yahoo! Sports Olympics Coverage app gives you a little bit of everything: photos, video, news with brief and dynamic updates.

 Want to know if Lindsey Vonn is actually going to compete or not? Check the module. Want to watch a short video of an event you’ve never heard of. Check the module. The outrageous outfit that a figure skater plans on wearing? It’ll be in the module, so you don’t have to look elsewhere.

 It’s quite wide for a My Yahoo! module but that’s easy to accommodate by playing with the column layout of your page. Simply go to the “Change Appearance” tab on the upper left, choose “Change Layout” from the dropdown list, and try out the various column arrangements. You can also drag and drop it anywhere on your page by clicking and holding the mouse button on the title bar and dragging the module anywhere on the page. You can fine-tune by clicking and holding the space between columns and dragging the columns to just the right width.

 I’m hoping to catch highlights of the events I know, learn a thing or two about ones I don’t know anything about, and follow the non-athletic drama as well – without wasting my time.

Apps showcased in this post:

• Add Yahoo! Sports Olympics Coverage

 Jay
- My Yahoo! Editorial

Haiti’s sorrow, My Yahoo! and you

 Wednesday’s 6.1 magnitude aftershock in Haiti is a jolting reminder of a tragedy whose scale we struggle to comprehend. The world has responded with resources and compassion, but a disaster of this size will be with us for years and years. 

The Internet can help us zero in on the specifics of a challenge and empower us to help in more direct and potentially more effective ways than ever before. My Yahoo! can simplify and expand the information at your disposal.

•  The Haiti Sun – Produced by the Haitian community abroad and at home, provides a unique perspective on the tragedy.
• The New York Times – Some of the most moving international coverage has come from the New York Times, providing an extraordinary mix of personal stories, breaking news and analysis.
• The Red Cross – Just one organization providing relief to Haiti but it is a great way to keep track of the progress being made to help the millions of earthquake victims.
• United Geological Survey’s shaker maps and alerts - If you want an up-to-the-minute alert about temblors and where they occur.

 A sign of hope coming out of Haiti’s calamity is the way technology has hastened the exchange of information and stirred people to action. May these resources help you feel connected to the plight of Haiti’s people and their path to recovery.

Apps showcased in this post:

• Add The Haiti Sun
• Add The New York Times
• Add The Red Cross
• Add United Geological Survey’s shaker maps and alerts

 Jay
- My Yahoo! Editorial

Playoffs, Football & Fans

2009 + 1 = a whole new year. We’re starting it off running working on a new set of features to enhance My Yahoo!.  I’ll start off by letting you know that we have a series of fan apps for all your favorite NFL football teams. With the playoffs here, you may want to add a few of these to your page:

• Arizona Cardinals
• Baltimore Ravens
• Dallas Cowboys
• Indianapolis Colts
• Minnesota Vikings
• New Orleans Saints
• New York Jets
• San Diego Chargers

In addition, we upgraded our Horoscope feed so that should be working for you again. We also fixed the bug where sometimes the Fantasy Sports app’s layout didn’t display correctly.

Apps showcased in this post:

• Add Horoscopes
• Add Fantasy Sports
• Add Arizona Cardinals Fans
• Add Baltimore Ravens Fans
• Add Dallas Cowboys Fans
• Add Indianapolis Colts Fans
• Add Minnesota Vikings Fans
• Add New Orleans Saints Fans
• Add New York Jets Fans
• Add San Diego Chargers Fans

Michael
- My Yahoo! Team Lead