seasonality

"Arrested Development" fans rejoice -- there's more of the Bluths to come. Netflix confirmed today that 14 all-new episodes will air on the video-streaming site this coming May.

"Today at TCA [Television Critics Association] we confirmed that 'Arrested Development' will be 14 episodes and will premiere in May," a Netflix spokesperson told CNET.

The beloved TV show with a serious cult following was cut from network television in 2006 after three seasons. Despite winning several Emmy awards and one Golden Globe, the show failed to gain sufficient viewership and ratings during its run on television. … Read more

In Umea, Sweden, the forecast for Thursday is partly cloudy with a 10 percent chance of precipitation and a high of 25 degrees Fahrenheit. As I write this in dark and damp Portland, Ore., Umea doesn't sound so bad.

But the city, located some 400 miles north of the already northern Swedish capital Stockholm, is for most of the day this time of year cloaked in darkness, with the sun rising at almost 9 a.m. and setting just after 2 p.m.

So the local energy company Umea Energi has begun installing phototherapy lamps in 30 bus shelters … Read more

If you're a parent, you're probably already panicking about how to satisfy your children during the season of goodwill hunting for material goods.

I am here to help. For I have just been given the results of a survey conducted for online cashback shopping site Ebates.

It's a survey that delved deep into the complicated covetous minds of kiddies and emerged with fascinating results.

It seems that older kids and younger kids have very different ideas about what Santa should shove in their stockings.

Among the 16- to 18-year-olds, there seems considerable consensus that their one heart'… Read more

It's a little unusual for a Web show to have "seasons," I know, but we are trying to create something here that's equal in length and quality to our broadcast cousins, and you can't just do that week after week. So, I know an eight-week season seems a bit on the short side, but hopefully so does a four-week production break.

And when I say "break," believe me, I don't mean we took a break. I had one of the best summers in recent memory: I jumped out of a helicopter to … Read more

Angry Birds Seasons Free stays true to its name: it is a theme-oriented tweak of the original ABS game, with those themes being seasons. First-time players will be greeted by a well-designed user interface introducing them to the world of Angry Birds, which has found its way into the hearts of millions of people all around the world.

When you launch the app, you'll need to select a season, which includes not only specific seasons like winter, but also holidays like Halloween and Valentine's Day. You'll then receive some quick visual help to give you the basics … Read more

Angry Birds Seasons will introduce a new character -- a pink bird that blows dangerous bubbles at evil green pigs.

Known simply but appropriately as Pink Bird, the latest angry bird seems cuter than her existing teammates, batting blue eyes and sporting long lashes. But as displayed in the video below, she seems quite deserving of the term "angry" as she blows her deadly bubbles at her piggy opponents.

Gamer maker Rovio has been promoting Pink Bird as the latest icon on its Angry Birds Seasons Twitter feed. But so far the company's been mum as to … Read more

Finnair business travelers flying between Helsinki and Shanghai will soon have the chance to be test subjects on the effect that "brain stimulation" headphones have on jet lag.

The $240 earbuds, made and tested by Finnish company Valkee, already blast LED lights instead of music into desperate and willing ear canals with the intention of alleviating seasonal affective disorder. (The company has claimed, too, that the light helps improve reaction time--at least in Finnish hockey players.)

Now Valkee is working with the airline Finnair to determine whether the lights may instill a sense of well-being in long-distance … Read more

Following strong results this past holiday season from online (and offline) retailers, eBay was expected to deliver strong earnings for the fourth quarter of 2011--and it did.

eBay reported a fourth quarter net income of $2.0 billion, or $1.51 a share (statement). Non-GAAP earnings were 60 cents a share on a revenue of $3.38 billion and a non-GAAP net income of $788.6 million.

Wall Street was expecting eBay to report fourth quarter earnings of 54 cents a share on revenue of $3.32 billion.

For 2011 overall, eBay produced $11.7 billion in revenue--a 27 percent … Read more

It's often the case that a device or substance with a known benefit also comes with known risks--typically referred to as side effects and listed quickly at the ends of commercials. So it seems worth noting when a product's side effect may in fact be useful.

The Valkee, a portable headset launched in August of 2010, directs 8- to 12-minute doses of bright light through the ear canal and into the brain to improve seasonal affective disorder. It turns out that this concentration of bright light into the brain may also improve motoric reaction time, according to a study conducted by Verve Research in Finland.

The placebo-controlled study (meaning some were given the treatment and others a placebo in its place) tested the effects of the Valkee headset on Finnish national league ice hockey players and found that those exposed to 12 minutes of light via the headset sped up their already fast reaction times by 20 percent.

"The placebo-controlled study showed a significant improvement in motoric reaction times of top athletes using bright light via the ear canal," says lead researcher Mikko Tulppo in a news release.… Read more