Picking the Perfect Paint Color: There's an App for That

Today's WSJ talks about how paint manufacturers, including Sherwin-Williams, Olympic and Benjamin Moore, offer free apps that let consumers photograph anything—a throw pillow, a piece of china, the ocean—and instantly find the company's closest matching shade, as well as a palette of complementary accent and trim colors.

The apps often work on multiple devices, including the iPhone, BlackBerry and Android smartphones, as well as the iPad.

Behind-the-Scenes in Consumer Reports Labs

Following their triggering of the Lexus GX 460 recall, I spent a day inside Consumer Reports labs to get a behind-the-scenes look at some of the rigorous and unusual tests they perform on products they rate.

A sample: treadmills get pounded repeatedly with a spinning metal drum imbedded with rubber green balls the mimic running feet. (The device's nickname: Johnnie Walker.) Stainless-steel grills are pelted with salty spray to test for rust potential. Bike helmets get strapped on a metal head form and dropped onto sharp objects.

The most curious? The Maine Coon cat hair showdown. Watch the above video or read the story to find out more.

Update: we also explored this here on CNBC and on ABC News' "Good Money" show.

How to Keep Your Older Home Competitive With New Ones -- From Energy Bills to Technology

In today's story and video in The Wall Street Street Journal, I look at the trend of "future-proofing" in homes -- that is, adapting new building science to older homes so they don't become obsolete in a fast-changing market.

The story offers 5 steps experts recommend considering before you tear down sheetrock or exterior siding, replace kitchen cabinets, buy a new hot water heater, build a new media room or paint a wall or refinish a floor. More on this, from a Good Morning America report late last year.