Electronic shifting means that the old-fashioned lever shifter for automatic transmission is kind of defunct. Knobs, toggles and push buttons are giving owners a high-tech option. Lincoln has a row of push-buttons on the center dashboard control shifting selections in the new MKC crossover. Acura's new TLX has push-button, as well. Mercedes-Benz uses knows instead of shifter, for instance.

The great-grandson of Anna Short Harrington, the woman who became "Aunt Jemima," has filed a class-action suit against PepsiCo, The Quaker Oats Company, Pinnacle Foods Group and The Hillshire Brands Company on behalf of all of her great-grandchildren. He alleges that the companies conspired to deny that Harrington had been an employee of Quaker Oats, while exploiting her image and recipes for profit. He seeks $2 billion.

Pizza Hut, the country's largest pizza chain with 7,800 units, has seen same-store sales in the U.S. fall for seven consecutive quarters. Competitors Domino's and Papa John's have seen sales increase. Pizza Hut's new items, like crazy cheesy crust pizza, three cheese stuffed crust pizza, and Blake Shelton-endorsed BBQ sauce pizza haven't helped. But it has 1,134 restaurants in China, where sales are up.

MediaPost took the States, now it's The Detroit Bureau's turn. The road rally has reached the Great Lakes. With 350 owners, 100 dogs, 4 cats and 1 lizard going coast-to-coast. The Bureau says an average of 800 local Mini owners have turned out at each stop this year, reaching over 1,000 in Chicago and Cleveland.

Jack in the Box Inc. plans to reignite growth for Qdoba Mexican Grill with a new prototype under development. The San Diego-based company said Qdoba was still in the early stages of a repositioning that will only accelerate the fast-casual brand's momentum. For the July 6-ended third quarter, Qdoba reported a systemwide same-store sales increase of 7.5%.

Open Signal, a data tracker for public networks, reports that Starbucks averages 9 Mbps for downloads, making it the fastest among the major United States chains it tested that offer free Wi-Fi. The coffee house chain cut a deal with Google last year that has nearly doubled the speeds it got from AT&T, its former WiFi provider. Distant second is McDonald's, and the worst tested is Panera.

You will be eating insects. Most of the world already does, and it's only a matter of time before that salad comes with ladybugs. Advocates are trying the clever and cute approach versus fear of entomophagy. There's Brooklyn-based Exo (the "x" are antennae), and Massachusetts-based Six Foods is rolling out cricket-based chips later in 2014 called "Chirps." And while locusts don't sound appetizing, there is a movement to rename them "sky prawns." One hopes we will stop before millipedes become "floor pasta."

The National Guard will not return as a sponsor for Dale Earnhardt Jr. The Guard's acting director Maj. Gen. Judd H. Lyons said resources are constrained. It's current contracts to sponsor Earnhardt's car at Hendrick Motorsports and the IndyCar of Graham Rahal expire at the end of this season. But in a statement provided to USA Today Sports, Hendrick said the team "has a contract in place to continue the National Guard program at its current level in 2015.

The recreational vehicle industry, a bellwether for the economy, was pummeled during the recession, posting one of its worst years in 2009. New products in a broader variety of styles and sizes have helped change the industry's fortunes. The sector is poised to record its sixth straight sales increase in 2015, according to the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association.

Microsoft is experimenting with haptics - touch feedback from a device that delivers clicks and vibrations, for instance - for a Surface keyboard cover with a goal of making it easier to type without having to rely solely on visual cues. Other potential uses include enhanced interfaces that let you feel resistance when you move a folder on the screen, or the ability to feel "textures" like rough cloth on a screen. Fujitsu plans to launch a tablet using the tech as early as next year.