We all know at least a few of them ... and may even be one of them: lovers and followers of the weather, true aficionados. Ultimately, every conversation starts with, "How's the weather?"

With the new Honeywell Emergency Alert Home Weather Station, you can monitor the climate — neither a lack of conversation nor a shortage of pertinent information will be a problem.

The feature-rich personal weather station is the first to be offered with the built-in National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Emergency Alert System for total atmospheric monitoring.

"The Honeywell Home Weather Station monitors every practical environmental condition so that all members of the household can make informed choices about activities, comfort and safety," said Jim Boyle, president of Hideki Electronics, marketers of the system under the Honeywell brand name.

Adding NOAA was also a top priority for Hideki, he said.

NOAA Weather Radio continuously broadcasts National Weather Service forecasts and other crucial weather information. It is a primary trigger for activating America's Emergency Alert System — making this unit a single source for comprehensive weather and emergency information including natural (tornadoes, hurricanes) and man-made (missing children, chemical spills) events.

It can also be programmed to receive information targeted to a certain region with the Specific Area Message Encoder system; the station sounds an alarm to alert users of any upcoming dangerous situations.

The system offers up to eight wireless indoor and outdoor sensors to transmit indoor and outdoor temperatures, wind speed and direction, rainfall amounts, humidity levels and atmospheric pressure trends. The temperature meters, wind meter and rain collector each contains ranges of up to 300 feet for wirelessly sending data to the main unit.

A maximum of five different channels that keep an eye on temperature and humidity may be monitored.

"Temperature can be monitored upstairs and downstairs, inside and/or outside, in a baby nursery, wine cellar, in-law apartment, attic, garage ... anywhere," Boyle added.

The main unit features a large, high-resolution, backlit LCD screen. Along with other data, the moon phase and sunrise and sunset times are also constantly displayed. It stores over 200 weather records taken from the sensors, and the included USB cable allows uploading to any PC for charting.

All of the information collected by the Honeywell weather station is available in six languages (English, German, French, Italian, Spanish and Dutch).

The Honeywell Emergency Alert Home Weather Station (TN924W) retails for $300.

For more information, call 866-443-3543 or visit www.honeywellweatherstations.com.

TIGHT TIES

You're getting ready for that trip to the desert, the mountains or your new home, but the items aren't fitting correctly. You go for the traditional bungee cords and hook some together. You keep a constant vigil out the window, hoping nothing falls off or shifts.

The limited length of most bungee cords requires you to attach multiple cords, which increases the chances of a mishap.

Not with Cordzilla by Lehigh.

Cordzilla combines the best of the bungee and flexible rope worlds. The stretch rope features a bungee cord encased in a flexible, polypropylene rope. Each end has a steel hook that easily attaches to most roof racks, truck beds or boat trailers. The hooks are vinyl-coated to prevent scratching; they also contain a security clip made of anodized aluminum to eliminate rusting.

Rated at a safe working load of 400 pounds, they are color-coded by length — green (3 foot), yellow (4 foot) and orange (5 foot). Hunters are even given the choice of a 3-foot camouflage rope. The colors not only allow you to make a quick pick, but you can also keep an eye on any shift in the load by locating the color of the rope.

Cordzilla features two adjustable, protective foam sleeves that can be moved to fit over prized possessions, which could be damaged. The sleeves stay firmly in place on the outside of the rope to prevent scratches.

Retail prices range from $15 to $20. For more information, call 800-523-9382 or visit www.lehighgroup.com.

Maggie Reed may be reached at trocar2000@hotmail.com. To find out more about Maggie Reed and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2008 CREATORS SYNDICATE INC.