Photo of the Week: Plymouth Ice Festival 2015

Eagles ice sculpture with American flag in the back

With wind chills bringing temperatures to the -10 to -20 degrees (Farenheit) range, it had to be one of the coldest years for the Plymouth Ice Festival this weekend in Plymouth, Michigan.

Held the first weekend of January, the Plymouth Ice Festival brings thousands of people to downtown Plymouth to see the beautiful ice sculptures. One of my favorite parts of the festival is the ice sculpture competition held between culinary arts student teams from local community colleges. Continue reading Photo of the Week: Plymouth Ice Festival 2015

Three Online Tools to Check Your Website Speed and Performance

Two hydroplanes race on the Detroit River during the Gold Cup races

The new year is a good time to review your website and find out what is affecting site speed and performance.

Fast websites mean happier web visitors, who want to engage with your content and learn what services/products you offer.

Many factors that affect website performance are dependent on your web hosting provider and their setup, which you have limited options for changing, unless you move to a new hosting provider. Continue reading Three Online Tools to Check Your Website Speed and Performance

Why the Internet of Things Hasn’t Caught on with Consumers [Infographic]

Thermostat and security system

The Internet of Things, where everyday devices like refrigerators, light bulbs, and thermostats (smart objects) can send and receive data over the Internet, hasn’t caught on with most people.

According to a new case study by Nielsen subsidiary Affinnova, consumers were asked to evaluate four million product variations, rating them on what features and functions they wanted in the smart objects. Continue reading Why the Internet of Things Hasn’t Caught on with Consumers [Infographic]