Snappy Video Snapshot
Screen Capture Device
Link: Atomic Internet
A product from the mid 1990's, made by Play Inc, which you connected to a parallel port of the computer. It had composite video in and out, which you connected to a video source such as your VCR or TV set, and when you pressed the Capture button, Snappy Video Snapshot would do a screen capture for you. It would cost you $199.
It was ranked 39 in PC World's 50 Greatest Gadgets of the Past 50 Years in 2005. The latest iteration of this product was Snappy 4.0, still available at the time of writing on Amazon.
Here's a clip, from 1990, from the TV programme Computer Chronicles (from www.archive.org), with Paul Montgomery and Tim Jenison showing a demonstration of the Video Toaster on an Amiga.
Two years later came the Video Toaster 2.0. Here's the promotional video to show what it was capable of in 1992.
Jonas from Norway enjoyed Episode 556's Gotcha, as he loves pranks and jokes with his gifts. However, he hasn't needed to use Gotcha yet, since all he needs to do is give his friend one of Leo's TTTT gadgets like the toothpick bird. Cheaper too.
Law and Order
Woody Allen finally decided not to use Dick's boat for his next film after all, but Dick's boat will now appear in Law And Order. Dick will tell us about it next week. Meanwhile, you can read about it on Dick's website.
Listen to Episode 565
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Socket Pocket
Clutter Management
Link: sPerfect Curve
An idea similar to the Drinn, the WTHII gadget for November 2007. See Episode 462.
Omentum
Learn about waist management and the omentum.
Saving Endangered Namesakes
Adam Merkley of the RSL Show (Real Salt Lake, a professional soccer club in Utah) and AYL Soccer was reminded by Leo's story of the Save The Tasmanian Devil Fund of his grandfather's experience at the old Jaguar factory in England. Apparently Jaguar used to make donations to South America to save its namesake, and now still donates money to help preserve the rainforests in South America. Adam suggests that Warner Brothers should help save the Tasmanian Devil because of Taz the cartoon character. Dick says the Mad Crew first. They're still trying to get Time Warner to give them folks at Mad a Christmas Party.
Listen to Episode 564
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Cruzer Titanium Plus
USB Thumb Drive
Link: SanDisk
You need to create an account with BeInSync which gives you 4GB of online storage. The backup program automatically backs up the content of your Cruzer Titanium Plus. Any files deleted from your flash drive are retained online for 30 days, unless the total of the backed up files and deleted files exceeds 4GB, in which case the oldest deleted files will be discarded first. All backed up files can be accessed via any web browser, without the Titanium Plus itself.
Data transfer is done through an SSL secure connection with BeInSync, who stores the backed up files using 448-bit Blowfish encryption, and uses Amazon S3 Web Services to provide authentication. And while we're on Security Now!, the backup program on the Titanium Plus is launched using the U3 smart drive program and is therefore supported on Windows only.
BoomerangIt is a lost and found service. It requires registration, during which you submit the serial number of your Cruzer Titanium Plus. Anyone who finds your flash drive in case of loss is encouraged to contact BoomerangIt who will establish contact between you and the finder.
The Cost of DGW
Truck driver Jeff Royal from New Braunfels, Texas invites that "guy from Poland" Ludwik Trammer (who last wrote to tell Dick and Leo that the total length of DGWs had passed the 5-day mark, in Episode 527) to add up how much money is required to purchase all of the gadgets ever covered in DGW. Whatever it is, it's an arm and a leg.
Listen to Episode 563
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Litepanels Micro
LED Flash Lighting
Link: Litepanels
TTTT could be mistaken for TWiP. This is another photography-related gadget from Leo. Litepanels specialises in LED lighting for photography, videography and cinematography. The Micro is their latest product, even smaller than the Litepanels Mini, designed for use with your camcorder.
It has a dimmer to control the amount of light, and even when dimmed, maintains constant colour temperature, at 5600K. It comes with a Tungsten filter (3200K), a diffusion filter and a ¼ warming filter. The power draw is only 3W and it runs on 4 AA batteries.
What a Gaffer
Leo has got Pat Grosswendt of Litepanels, gaffer for Gosford Park, to set up the lighting for the TWiT Studio.
Ericofon
Alessandro Abate who grew up in Venezuela writes in about dial phones, last talked about in Episode 540. He says you can still get a dial phone, like the Ericofon, on eBay. Dick suggests getting the Big Button from Radio Shack. Learn all about the Ericofon on Ericofon.com.
Leo tells the story again of how Steve Wozniak has a big black Western Electric dial phone with the guts of a cellphone, last mentioned in Episode 287, in which a listener pointed out that Leo broke a promise about getting Woz on.
And between Alessandro abate, Girl Geek, and Karen Toast Conger, they've got the Letters section of DGW cornered.
Listen to Episode 562
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Monster Cable Cable-It
Cable Organiser
Link: Monster Cable
Cables can come out of the tubing easily via the slit to make their connections at different places along the tubing. Available in 3 diameters to accommodate different numbers of cables. Different lengths available too. Come in black, white and grey.
If you missed Leo's live demonstration of Cable-It during the recording of the show on TWiTLive, you can watch a demonstration of how it works by Jeff MacArthur, Amber's brother, on Episode 130 of the CommandN podcast.
First Looks
Thanks to the amazing technology at the TWiTLive Studio, Dick can finally put a face to the name Dean, or Dave, or Dufus, aka Dane Golden. Colleen too, but that's another face. Dick is now scheduled to appear live on TWiTLive on 20 June 2008.
Leo-Branded Stability Ball
Leo is thinking of selling his own brand of the Gopher fitness ball (Episode 322), complete with his visage and autograph so everyone can sit on his face. It will be called Leo's Butt Ball.
Mechanical Calculators
Girl Geek, whom Dick also calls Geek Girl and other names, who becomes who she is because she has a mother who would buy any crap that passes in front of her, writes in again. One of the vintage gadgets her mother bought is the Addiator. The picture below is from John Wolff's Web Museum.
This reminds Leo about the Comptometer, given to him by his father-in-law. Leo promises to bring it in. Variations of the Slide Rule. John Wolff's Web Museum has it too.
Dick can't remember any of these old gadgts. All he can remember is the old Punch Board, which Leo calls legalised gambling.
VCR Plus
TV Programme Code for VCR
Link: VCR Plus
Audible Jingle
Geoff Smith has made an "Audible Pick of the Week" jingle for TWiT. Check out his ringtones on thegeoffsmith.com/.
Keyboard Cleaning
Mike of Eagle River, Alaska took Leo's advice to heart and put his keyboard into the dishwasher, let it dry for a few days, and even put it in the oven. The result upon reconnection? Sparks flew.
Listen to Episode 560
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Marsona Sound Machine
Sound Box for Sleeping
Link: Magellan's
A Request for Retraction and Apology
Tom of goinglinux.com demands a retraction and apology from Dick. In Episode 533, Dick referred to an article in Mad with monkeys in parodies of popular film titles, such as Primates of the Caribbean and Saving Primate Ryan. But primates include lemurs, monkeys, apes, and humans too. As a primate, Tom finds it highly objectionable.
Listen to Episode 559
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TT Pack
Restroom Kit
Link: TT Packs
Are We Related?
Trevor from Sebastopol, Australia was glad to hear that both Dick and Leo are watch junkies. So is he. He's got loads of watches, most of which have flat batteries.
Vanity Fair
Vanity Fair has done a special on Mad. See the article, with early Mad covers, online.
Spork Commercial
At Dick's request, Leo plays the Spork TV commercial.
Listen to Episode 558
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Ziszor
Portable Paper Shredder
Link: Ziszor
A Wireless Toaster
Karen Toast Conger, of ToastFloats, used to work for WatchGuard, a network security devices company. As a parting gift, she was given a very special toaster. Her colleagues bought her a Cuisinart toaster, took it apart, and put a WatchGuard Firebox X Edge wireless router into it. A wireless router, security device, and a toaster.
Listen to Episode 557
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Gotcha Gift Boxes
"Fake" Gift Boxes
Link: Gotcha
Audible is back on DGW
Leo has said elsewhere that Audible is not featured on all of TWiT except DGW because of the short length of the show, but apparently Audible does want to be on DGW. Quite right too. Leo suggests "An Evening With Dick Cavett". Sign up at www.audible.com/gizwiz to get your free download.
A Place for Dick
Chaz Benedict, who lives near Petaluma, writes in to correct Leo who said in Episode 549 that there is no Sheraton in Petaluma. Dick is going to Petaluma to visit the new TWiT studio. He likes what he sees, the big desk, the Aphex Aural Exciter, and the Heil microphone.
TWiT Live
TWiTLive.tv is up and running. Earlier Leo was streaming TWiT. Follow Leo's Twitter updates on TWiTLive at Twitter.
Listen to Episode 556
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