Starting as early as Aug. 17 and running through Nov. 3, there's something for everyone, from mild and family-friendly to wild and terrifying.

This year's lineup includes a host of All-Hallows events and attractions; themed hotel packages; and the return of the largest horror convention in the nation. 

Theme Park Frights 

This year, visitors can expect Universal Orlando Resort's Halloween Horror Nights to pay an homage to the '80s , with a haunted house in the theme of Netflix's "Stranger Things," as well as nine other haunted houses, for a total of 10 - the most ever in the event's 28-year history.

For a more family-friendly experience, the Walt Disney World Resort's Magic Kingdom Park comes alive with jack-o-lanterns and special characters for Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.

Visitors can trick-or-treat throughout the park, masquerade with costumed characters at the Boo-to-You Halloween Parade, sing along at the Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular, and end the night with a "Boo-tacular" fireworks show.

SeaWorld Orlando's Halloween Spooktacular has an ocean of Halloween fun planned.

During this daytime event, families are immersed in an underwater "fantasea" including trick-or-treating, not-so-spooky live shows, and the chance to mingle with everyone's favorite Sesame Street friends including Elmo, The Count, Cookie Monster and more. 

Boo Beyond the Parks 

The largest horror convention in the nation, Spooky Empire, returns to Orlando Oct. 26-29 at the Caribe Royale Orlando. Celebrity guests this year includes David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson of X-files fame, with more to be announced.

Other thrills and chills include a, costume contest, zombie walk, and film festival.

A Petrified Forest features two outdoor scare trails for small groups to venture through a haunted forest at night. Live actors stalk guests through the dark, and uniquely themed areas make for a truly thrilling, chilling experience. The event runs select nights, Oct. 5 - Nov. 3 

Haunting Hotel Happenings 

Three Hyatt properties are offering a "No Tricks, Just Treats" package, Sept.1 - Nov. 4, to get guests into the Halloween spirit.

The package includes two complimentary "spooky" drinks or beverages of choice per stay as well as a special-themed treat placed in their room upon arrival, available at Hyatt Place across from Universal Orlando Resort, Hyatt House across from Universal Orlando Resort, and Hyatt Place Orlando Convention Center.

Hilton Orlando is offering "A ROOM WITH A BOO" package, which includes daily breakfast, premium Wi-Fi and late checkout at 2:00 p.m.; perfect sleeping-in time for those "creatures of the night." Use this link for booking.

For more information, visit VisitOrlando.com.

"Yeah, I've been moving since I was 18," says Matt, "and I was getting sick of it. I'm really good at packing and moving, though. I've had lots of practice."

Part of the reason Matt moved so frequently was that he enjoyed getting to know different areas of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It also taught him which neighborhoods he'd want to live in on a more permanent basis.

"After working in the mortgage industry for three years, I became very aware of what a smart financial decision it is to buy a home," explains Matt. So, he began house hunting while living with a roommate and paying $525 each for rent.

Because Matt owns a motorcycle, a house with a garage was a must. Unfortunately, the area he wanted was comprised of older homes - many without garages. And, he was unwilling to go above his price range.

As a young first-time homebuyer with student loan debt, Matt didn't want to overextend himself. He also didn't have enough in his savings for a 20 percent down payment. So, when he finally found his four-bedroom home with a garage, and in his price range, he decided to apply for a low-down-payment loan. His goal was to put down five percent and use private mortgage insurance, which is required on conventional loans with less than a 20 percent down payment.

Yet Matt was still a bit uncomfortable about using all of his savings for his down payment and closing costs. He had the money, but wondered what would happen if his bike or new home needed expensive repairs. Matt wanted to ensure that he still had a rainy-day fund just in case, so he researched down payment assistance programs.

While there are different types of programs available, Matt took advantage of the Easy Close Advantage - Down Payment Assistance program offered through WHEDA (Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority). In order to be eligible, buyers must be purchasing an owner-occupied home in Wisconsin and meet specific requirements, such as income levels, credit ratings and home-purchase price limits.

Matt easily qualified for the program, and closed on his home in July 2018. His monthly mortgage payment is $1,292, which includes escrow and $59 for the down-payment-assistance loan.

But what does a smart millennial do with a big four-bedroom house and a lot of former roommates? Yep. Even though Matt could afford the mortgage himself, he invited two of his buddies to live with him. Now, his roomies pay $550 each per month and Matt pays only $192 of the mortgage, so he's saving money while building equity. As Matt confides, "I see this house as a really good investment."

And on top of that, he can finally get rid of his moving boxes!

For more homebuyer resources, visit readynest.com. To find down payment assistance programs in your area, visit downpaymentresource.com/

People typically have a lot of questions as they research their Medicare options, which primarily include Original Medicare, Medicare Advantage and Medicare Supplement plans, before finding the plan that best fits their needs.

Here are some of the most commonly asked questions that licensed Humana health insurance agents get from consumers during the Medicare Annual Election Period:

* When is the annual enrollment period to choose a Medicare plan for 2019?

The Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Plan Annual Election Period takes place from Oct. 15 through Dec. 7, 2018, for coverage that takes effect Jan. 1, 2019.

* How do I find out if my doctors, hospitals and specialists are in my Medicare Advantage provider network?

Most Medicare Advantage plans offer easy-to-use online tools to help you find doctors and hospitals that are in the plan's network. A licensed agent can also help you look up hospitals and doctors to see if they're accepting a plan and taking new patients.

* If I select a Medicare plan for the coming year, and then find that I don't like it, can I drop it and choose another plan?

The plan you select by Dec. 7 will be your Medicare plan for all of 2019, with few exceptions, so it's wise to research your options carefully. If you sign up for a Medicare Advantage plan for 2019, and then find that it's not the right fit, between Jan. 1 and March 31, there will be an Open Enrollment Period during which you can switch from a Medicare Advantage or a Medicare Advantage-Prescription Drug Plan to another Medicare Advantage plan with or without prescription drug coverage. Or you can choose Original Medicare with or without a stand-alone Prescription Drug Plan.

Full information on 2019 Medicare health and prescription drug plans is available on www.medicare.gov.

For Humana plans, visit www.humana.com/Medicare.

You can also call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) (or TTY: 1-877-486-2048) 24 hours a day, seven days a week, or call Humana at 1-877-877-0714 (TTY use 711) 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time, seven days a week. 

Humana is a Medicare Advantage HMO, PPO, and PFFS organization, and stand-alone prescription drug plan, with a Medicare contract. Enrollment in any Humana plan depends on plan renewal. 

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Parents are right to be concerned as device use reportedly rises with the warmer temperatures. In fact, they say that children spend as much as four more hours a day online during the summer months.

Comcast's latest "Active Time Alert" feature on Xfinity xFi, available with Xfinity Internet, however, can help parents set healthy time limits for their child's device use at home. Xfinity Internet customers with a compatible wireless Gateway can easily access xFi features for no additional charge online, on their TV via the X1 voice remote, or on the xFi mobile app. Parents simply create and choose a child's user profile within the xFi app and set time limits on the in-home network for weekdays and weekends.

The survey also found that use of Wi-Fi devices can easily overtake other vacation activities. Over half (56 percent) of the parents of teenagers responded that they thought their teens would prefer to go online rather than play in the ocean during a vacation.

Additionally, according to the survey, 76 percent of parents report that their children are more addicted to their devices than to candy. So what is a parent to do?

Of the parents surveyed, about 73 percent say that they set limits on devices such as computers and gaming consoles, and 51 percent report setting limits on only their children's devices, such as laptops and tablets.

The xFi platform lets users know exactly which devices are connected to the in-home network at what times and for how long. With "Active Time Alert," parents can choose to receive a push notification, text or email alert when their child is approaching his or her device time limit. Once parents receive the alert, they can either choose to extend the time or pause the child's Wi-Fi access. Another xFi feature allows parents to either pause or stop the Wi-Fi connection to a child's device in the home anytime and to prevent devices from accessing Wi-Fi.

This survey and Comcast's new xFi feature align with recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics to prevent device use from interfering with sleep, exercise, and face-to-face family interaction.

The Wakefield Research and Comcast survey include responses from a nationally representative sample of 1,000 parents in the United States aged 18 years and older.

Xfinity xFi is available to Xfinity Internet service customers with a compatible Xfinity Gateway and is limited to the home Wi-Fi network. For more information about the Xfinity xFi platform and availability, visit www.xfinity.com/xfi.

Travel with time changes can be especially disruptive to sleep, as can daylight savings time, according to Randy Bird, a nutritionist at the University of Virginia.

One tasty and effective way to improve sleep quality: tart cherries.

Cherries contain melatonin, the hormone that regulates the sleep cycle. Consuming cherries or tart cherry juice can contribute to healthy sleep quality that includes adequate sleep duration and minimal disturbances, Bird says. In a study conducted by Louisiana State University, participants who consumed 4 ounces of tart cherry juice one hour prior to bedtime increased nightly sleep by an average of 84 minutes.

Cheribundi tart cherry juices feature a blend of Montmorency and Morello (tart) cherries. The juices are created by a process designed to retain a high level of antioxidants, so the products not only improve sleep, but also help reduce muscle soreness and boost immunity.

Visit Cheribundi.com for more information about how tart cherries can improve sleep and health.

The Stewart Indian School in Carson City, Nevada, was opened by the federal government in 1890 with the goal of educating Indian children. The school's original goals included assimilating the children into mainstream American culture and offering vocational training while discouraging tribal traditions and language.

The school's mission shifted to an academic focus in the 1960s and it closed in 1980, when it became the property of the state of Nevada.

Today, the state-run Nevada Indian Commission is working to restore many of the historic stone buildings on the 240-acre campus with the two-fold goal of educating the public about the school's history and providing entrepreneurial and cultural opportunities for Native Americans.

Some building space will house a museum; other areas will include venues for arts, culture, and business development.

Sherry Rupert, executive director of the Nevada Indian Commission, says that the museum and cultural center "offer a new beginning to the campus."

In the spring of 2019, a new cultural center and museum is scheduled to open in one of the campus buildings. Plans also call for creating a welcome center in a former post office near the museum.

Long-term plans include rehabilitating many of the stone buildings on the campus so they can be functional spaces available for use as places of learning about tribal culture and arts.

The school was also known for strong athletic programs, and renovators hope to restore the gymnasium to its position as a gathering place not only for sports, but for other community social events.

Nevada governor Brian Sandoval was instrumental in promoting the restoration and reinvention of the school.

Sandoval made raising $4.5 million in funding for a museum and cultural center a priority in his 2017-18 budget and pledged to continue his support for other related projects. He participated in a blessing ceremony for the museum and cultural center in July.

"The importance of history and culture and what happened here, for better or for worse, it has to be preserved," Sandoval says.

"It has to be a story that is told forever. This has to be a place where people can travel from all over the country and all over the world and truly understand what happened here."

For more information about the school and museum, visit stewartindianschool.com/museum.

In fact, according to recent Pew Research, more than 70 percent of Americans express concern about a world in which machines perform many of the tasks done by humans.

Fortunately, there are people who believe humans and robots can coexist and work together in harmony and are working to debunk many of the fears people have about them.

Mouser Electronics Inc., a leading semiconductor and electronics component distributor based in Fort Worth, TX, and celebrity engineer Grant Imahara, have teamed up again for the fourth consecutive year for their Empowering Innovation Together program.

This year's program is called Generation Robot, which features five videos filmed across the world, including in the U.S., Germany and Japan. Mouser's goal is to reach innovators around the globe by showing how robots have a positive impact on humanity and change how people see the possibility of interacting with them.

Throughout the Generation Robot series, the entire spectrum of robotics will be examined, as will the understanding of how robots not only have a technological impact on society, but also a social and moral one.

The video series begins with the Imahara visiting the Institute for Robotics and Intelligent Machines at Georgia Tech and speaking with the executive director, Dr. Magnus Egerstedt.

There, he explores several aspects of robots, such as the basics of the machines, myths and misconceptions, as well as the hopes for, and fears of, the advancement of robot technology.

In the video, Dr. Egerstedt mentions that robots used to be about mechanical engineering, but now modern robots involve psychology, because these machines will be working along with humans and thus they need to understand people.

The second video, which takes place in Augsburg, Germany, dives into the real meaning of robots and humans working together, as well as the way this interaction will benefit society.

The third video, which comes out in mid-July, will focus on the all-robot-staffed hotel in Nagasaki, Japan, where Imahara investigates the way robots behave utilizing only artificial intelligence.

To watch all the videos and learn more about Mouser and Generation Robot, visit https://www.mouser.com/empowering-innovation.

Unfortunately, many low-income households in this country aren't connected and they're missing out on the life-changing resources the Internet has to offer.

According to the U.S. Census American Community Survey, 81 percent of U.S. households have broadband Internet access, but only 63 percent of those with annual incomes of less than $35,000 do.

For the past seven years, Comcast has been on a mission to do something about this so-called "digital divide" through its acclaimed Internet Essentials program, which has become the largest broadband adoption program for low-income families across the U.S.

The program has had an enormous impact on families and their children and, since its inception, more than six million low-income Americans have been connected.

To put that in perspective, six million people is larger than the populations of each city in America except New York City. While the numbers can be numbing, the individuals who have benefitted all have their own stories to tell.

"Low-income people face problems when it comes to accessing technology and a lot of people are left behind," says Pam Ogglesby, an Internet Essentials customer.

"I signed up for the program and I now see what I was missing. I feel connected now and it's all because of Internet Essentials. I think this is going to change my life drastically. I intend to use the Internet to learn new things."

In the beginning, Internet Essentials was offered to low-income families with children eligible to participate in the National School Lunch Program. Eligibility has also been extended to low-income seniors in more than a dozen markets, as well as to those households receiving HUD-housing assistance, which includes HUD's Public Housing, Housing Choice Voucher, and Multifamily programs.

This year, the company is expanding eligibility again to low-income veterans living within the Comcast service area. About a third of the veterans in the U.S. do not have Internet access at home, and only about 60 percent even own a computer, according to the U.S. Census American Community Survey, creating a need for better options for the veteran community. As a result, more than one million veterans across Comcast's footprint are estimated to be eligible.

Comcast's Internet Essentials program works with community partners to break down the main barriers to Internet access - lack of affordable service; lack of a computer or other device; and lack of digital training by providing high-speed Internet service for $9.95 a month plus tax, the option to purchase an Internet-ready computer for less than $150, and free digital literacy training in print, in person, and online.

To apply, visit www.internetessentials.com/apply, or call 1-855-846-8376. For Spanish-only speakers: call 1-855-765-6995.

Which is why pop-up and banner ads are now akin to the dinosaur age.

In fact, if you asked the average consumer to recall a banner ad from the last website they visited, don't expect much. Why? Banner ads are notoriously tuned out by consumers because they don't engage their attention and emotions.

In addition, it's much easier now for consumers to avoid these ads with blockers and DVRs.

What does capture consumers' attention? A good story.

And savvy marketers are exploring new ways to use storytelling to attract and hold consumers' interest and influence their behavior.

This is more than a hunch. Science supports the power of emotions and stories to engage an audience.

With this in mind, Pressboard, an online content marketing platform, believes that stories are the most powerful way for brands to communicate with consumers.

When an individual hears, reads, or views a story, for example, it prompts an emotional connection. The brain releases oxytocin, the "feel-good" hormone associated with, among other things, sex and childbirth, that promotes a feeling of bonding and connection. Psychological research suggests that stories can influence an individual's actions and inspire them to make choices and change a behavior in response to a story.

Underscoring this concept, Pressboard launched an experimental website, titled iwantmorecats.com, that offered users the chance to see pictures and videos of cats instead of banner ads. Not surprisingly, it proved popular, according to Pressboard CEO and co-founder Jerrid Grimm.

"Our not-so-secret goal is to help all companies market themselves through stories and in doing so, slowly rid the world of banner ads," says Grimm in an interview with Adweek.

"People just don't like ads, not advertisers, not publishers and definitely not consumers," he notes.

Meaningful content beats banner ads for communicating with consumers, according to Pressboard.

To this end, companies such as Pressboard provide a platform to link brands with media publishers and track what stories resonate.

Some tips for smart storytelling include:

* Engaging emotions with a personal story, such as a triumph over adversity;

* Developing a relationship with your audience by highlighting real people in your content, whether that's employees or customers;

* Using visuals that support the story and catch the reader's eye;

* Allowing yourself to be vulnerable and open with your audience, making your brand more relatable;

* Influencing public opinion of your brand by sharing the story on social media where discussion can happen.

In the end, changing behavior is the Holy Grail for marketers; but equally important is the ability to forge emotional connections with readers.

In this way, marketing companies can create a connection with their audience and turn them from interested parties to lifelong customers, in a way that no banner ad can match.

For more information about harnessing the power of stories to make a brand memorable, visit pressboardmedia.com.

Los temas y oradores son: 

Conocimientos técnicos Ir de empleo de ensueño a empleo de ensueño 

Diego Rejtman, director general de Microsoft Global University Recruiting, en esta sesión inspiradora, expresará cómo utilizar la empresa para la que trabaje o para la que trabajará en el futuro, como una plataforma para alcanzar sus sueños. Diego también debatirá acerca de cómo combinar todas nuestras pasiones en el trabajo puede mejorar nuestra satisfacción en el trabajo y nuestra productividad, así como compartir algunas de las habilidades que se buscan activamente al reclutar jóvenes talentos latinos, y qué es lo que más lo más interesante del talento en Los ?ngeles.

Cuándo: viernes 12 de octubre de 2018, 10:40 a. m. PT

Dónde: Grand Ballroom, InterContinental Los Angeles Century City - 2151 Avenue of the Stars Los ?ngeles, CA 90067 

CNET en Español, Comida de los cinco años + Asamblea tecnológica 

Dioselin Gonzalez, director sénior de ingeniería fue invitado por CNET en Español, para unirse a la discusión durante la sesión "The Next Big Things in Tech".

La conversación la moderará Gabriel Sama, editora jefa de CNET en Español, y se centrará en inteligencia artificial, realidad mixta y tendencias tecnológicas.

Cuándo: viernes 12 de octubre de 2018, 12:45 p. m. PT

Dónde: Grand Ballroom, InterContinental Los Angeles Century City - 2151 Avenue of the Stars Los ?ngeles, CA 90067

Para aprender más sobre los temas que Microsoft explorará durante el evento de Hispanicize, visite Microsoft Latinx (www.microsoft.com/latinx)

La conversación de Microsoft Latinx continúa en línea en Facebook y Twitter. Siga a @MicrosoftLatinx utilizando #MicrosoftLatinx.