Mini Countertop Spin Dryer
Portable Spin Dryer
Link: Laundry-Alternative
Play for MAD 500
Today's the last day for Dick's WTHII contest. We're playing for MAD 500.
Bringing down a Site, Live
When Leo did the Screen Savers, any mention of a website on the live show used to bring the site down. It's now happening all over again with TWiTLive, but not when you use SquareSpace.
Refrigerator LED Light
John Fiedler from The Woodlands, Texas may not be a huge gadget fanatic by GizWiz standards, but shares with the crew certain gadget fascinations, such as flashlights, radios and LED lights. Recently his 20-year-old refrigerator finally broke down. He was surprised to find that the GE Profile Series uses an array of LED lights. The conventional 40W incandescent bulb has been replaced by a blue LED. Opening a fridge has never felt so comforting.
The Fixer
Leo is not exactly a handyman when it comes to fixing things like the microwave, as he has no tools, only a butter knife. When he needs a butter knife, it's always in the garage and he uses his tongue (cf Jackie Mason, says Leo). But when it comes to fixing a computer, he's a magician, as Dick witnessed in person while doing the Screen Savers.
What A Scandal
Leo confesses that although he has a Toothpick Bird (Episode 282), he's never owned a Spork (Episode 182) all his life. What a scandal !
Cleaning Up after TWiT
Leo and his TWiT crew had a ball doing This Week In Tech two Sundays ago. Wine, women, song and a lot of cleaning up after himself.
TWiT Shirts
During the intermission just before this episode, Dane Golden shows Dick some of the new shirts made for the TWiT network. No word that they're available to fans, presumably just for the TWiT staff? TWiT T-shirts, designed by Lori LeBeau Walsh (who designs the Album Art for the TWiT netcasts) are available, though, from Art and Tech Tees.
Listen to Episode 819
Go to TWiT
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Wonder Wash
Portable Washing Machine
Link: Laundry-Alternative
In support of last Wednesday's Earth Day, Dick is going to do a couple of green gadgets today and tomorrow. The Wonder Wash is a portable, environmentally-friendly washing machine which has been around for a number of years and which Dick has tried out specially for Earth Day. The entire setup is 16" tall with a 12" square base. It can take up to 5 pounds fo laundry. Just fill up the drum with detergent and hot water and hand crank it for 90 seconds. The rotation of the drum causes the air to absorb the heat of the water which in turn builds up the air pressure inside the drum, which forces the detergent particles to go through the fabrics more rapidly and frequently, releasing the dirt more efficiently. Perfect for smaller items and delicate materials.
Tomorrow, Dick will cover the companion gadget to Wonder Wash, the Mini Countertop Spin Dryer.
The Greater Wall of China
The New York Times last Tuesday had a news article on the discovery of a further 180 miles, hitherto undiscovered, of the Great Wall of China. In the visa application form for China, Leo has had to declare whether he has any mental disease, venereal disease, leprosy, and whether he is a journalist. Any positive answer to these would probably disentitle him from travelling to China. So Leo declared himself an educator - and that may well be closer to the truth than his other answers. Leo half-complained about it on Twitter, and was told in no uncertain terms that the US visa application is much more intrusive.
Logical Train of Thought
Leo finally concludes that there is no logical train of thought at all to this podcast. If there is such a train, Dick adds, there are no tracks.
Dick's Way is My Weigh
Dick's show is no whimsical, rough and ready, crazy gadget show. Dick takes the testing of his gadgets very seriously. He weighed his laundry on his trusted My Weigh Ultraship-55 Scales (Episode 346). However, Dick can be forgiven for not having tested the effect of the drum being knocked on one's head - which is going to happen when Leo gives it to Jennifer on Mother's Day. No matter, as Dick might yet put that to the test when he gives it to his friend Lindy Dunn. By the way, a helmet is not included with the Wonder Wash.
Wonder Wash Laundromat
Dick and Leo have some wonderful ideas today. Leo could buy more of the Wonder Wash, one for each of his family and each could have his or her own sanitary bin. No more "Wash and Fold" for Leo. Better yet, they could buy a whole lot of them and set up a TWiT-approved, GizWiz-endorsed Wonder Wash Laundromat, an enterprise that would make even Donald Trump proud.
Samsung Charging Stations
Talk of airports (Episode 802) has got Toyota Boy writing in again, noting that not only are airports not designed for sleeping, but they are also not designed for gadgets in distress and in need of power, as power outlets are hard to come by. In rides the white knight, in the form of Samsung Mobile, which has sponsored the installation of free charging stations at various airports in the States, 14 of them so far.
The power goes out, the light goes on
Two Sundays ago, while doing the Tech Guy, Leo had a power outage at the TWiT Cottage. Fortunately, no serious harm was done. Leo wants an emergency power generator (but even the Honda Super Quiet Generator, Episode 69, would not be quiet enough for the TWiT studio), so that when the power goes out, the light goes on - speaking of logical trains of thought.
Listen to Episode 818
Go to TWiT
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Pogoplug
NAS Enabling Device
Link: Pogoplug
If you want to access the USB drive like a mapped or networked drive within a desktop environment and not through a browser, you can download a Windows or Mac desktop application for that purpose. There is also an iPhone app for more convenient access If you want to use more than one USB drive, you can connect a USB hub to the USB port on the Pogoplug and connect multiple drives via the hub.
Since access to the Pogoplug drive requires logging on to its website, your ability to use the Pogoplug will depend on the continued success of Pogoplug's business. Alternatlively, you can try DGW's sponsor GoToMyPC.
Coffee Tasting
Warren Owen (WOnet on Twitter) has followed Leo from his Screen Savers days, through the KFI Tech Guy, and now Leo's many podcasts. He has heard Leo mention Starbucks' instant coffee in his podcasts, and most recently in Episode 801 of DGW. Warren is a bit of a barista himself and has sent some of Starbucks VIA Ready Brew for Leo to try. He's also going to start a coffee podcast. Signed, "Your cafn8ed follower".
From Soy Milk to Maidinfirm
Leo uses soy milk with his coffee, despite his unfounded fear of getting man-boobs from the substance (phytoestrogen) in soy milk similar to oestrogen, the female hormone. This reminds Leo of Maidenform and MAD's parody of the Maidenform ad ("Maidinfirm"), which had a huge effect on Leo (which Leo does not specify, and we don't really want to know). Leo can't find the parody ad on the internet. It's in MAD Issue No.70, in 1962. The ad did not appear on the back cover of that issue as Leo remembers, but the parody was: "I dreamed I went to a Fraternity Smoker in my Panic Magazine!", quoting from an article on EC Comics and the Senate Subcommittee hearing, by Richard Corliss of Time Magazine (from page 4 of the article).
Listen to Episode 817
Go to TWiT
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Rapid Edge
LED-Lit Utility Knife
Link: Rapid Tools
Rapid Shark
Another product from Rapid Tools is the Rapid Shark. In addition to Rapid Tools' standard serrated edge, it has a wire cutter.
All in the Name of Duty
Last Saturday (25 April) was Petaluma's Butter and Eggs Day, and Leo had to miss the parade again, as he was performing his duty as a radio host on The Tech Guy.
The History of Petaluma
Leo explains the history of Petaluma. In the 19th century, anti-semitic pograms in Russia under the Czar forced many Jews to leave and some of them who went to the US were set up with chicken farms in Petaluma, which at one time was the egg basket of the States and produced millions of eggs a day. Today, the chicken and eggs business has changed, and what remains is a gourmet duck and chicken business.
All About Woot - Wii Wii
Ted Norris writes in about the Woot divisions, after Dick talked about the Woot T shirts in Episode 806. There is woot.com which has a daily item with $5 shipping (up to 3 items). There is shirt.woot.com, which sells a daily shirt for $10, with free shipping. Then there is wine.woot.com which sells wine and wine accessories, also $5 shipping. Finally there is sellout.woot.com. Ted's favourite Deal of the Day was the Sony Playstation 3. Woot asked, "Woot sells PS3? Wii Wii !" See Woot's Blog. There is also the combo day and the occasional Woot Bag O' Crap (which gadget junkie and long-time listener Steve Miller wrote about in Episode 796).
The GizWiz Bag O' Crap
Dick of course has his own self-deprecatingly funny bag of crap, called the Ultimate Ludwik Package, now only 3 left. Available at GizWizShopping.
Calisto Pro
Leo doesn't just listen. He buys Dick's recommended stuff, the latest being the Plantronics Calisto Pro (Episode 803).
Listen to Episode 816
Go to TWiT
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Fujix P701
Compact Video Projector
Link: projektoren-datenbank.com German eBay
The German site projektoren-datenbank.com lists the recommended retail price as €900. Back in 1993, the Euro did not exist, so it's unclear how the price conversion was done. There was a P701 available on German eBay a week ago, but the auction has now ended (final price €51).
Bicycle Gadgets
Larry Blakely from Vienna, Virginia (where AOL is, says Leo) has been a listener since the show began (and Larry was one of the winners of the weird gadgets competition back in Episode 146). Recently Larry has been training for a fund-raising event organised by bestbuddies.org - a charity for fostering friendships between volunteers and people with intellectual disabilities. He has chosen the 50-mile cycle challenge, during which he will ride on a trike from Carver to Hyannis Port, Massachusetts. Larry would welcome suggestions from Dick of bike gadgets such as headlights, safety lights, and flat tyre protection.
TerraTrike
For some hi-tech recumbent tricycles, visit terratrike.com. These are state-of-the-art trikes for the dedicated cyclers.
Butter and Eggs Day
Petaluma will be celebrating its annual Butter and Eggs Day tomorrow, and you may hear the parade band pass by if you listen to Leo's radio show. Meanwhile, Leo will be preparing himself and Ozzy for the Cutest Little Chick contest.
Listen to Episode 815
Go to TWiT
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Porter Case PCX Lite
Suitcase with Cart
Link: Porter Case
For a video of how Porter Case suitcases turn into roller carts, check back at Episode 520.
Homecoming
Abby Laporte is returning home in a couple of weeks' time to her American family, but she wants to spend another year learning French in Aix-en-Provence.
Airplane Stories
Listen to Dick's story of his meeting with Gordon Bethune who brought Continential Airline back to life (a fuller version in Episode 114), and another story of the old lady on a Pan Am 747 who thought she was still in the lounge.
A Butcher and A Thief
While Claudio Quaresma, who rides to work at the Cathedral on his bike, may put up with Leo's butchering of the classic Brazilian bossa nova song "The Girl From Ipanema" in Episode 764, he will not tolerate Leo's infringement of the Daily Giz Wiz trademark. While recording Windows Weekly Episode 99 (at 1:11:45), Paul Thurrott had to answer a phone call, and Leo played the Wait-For-Dick jingle while singing "Paul" over "Dick".
Listen to Episode 814
Go to TWiT
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Voltaic Generator
Laptop Bag with Solar Charger
Link: Voltaic
Voltaic does say that not all laptop manufacturers enable charging by external batteries. Most Apple, Dell, Lenovo and Panasonic models work with the Generator, while Sony, Toshiba and Fujitsu laptops are less likely to work. A full refund will be made if the bag does not work with your notebook.
Solar DIY
You can build your own solar power unit using Voltaic's Solar DIY components.
Seltzer, Seltzer, Seltzer
The Seltzer Sisters in San Francisco still makes deliveries of seltzer in classic 1920's glass bottles, which are collected after use. You can mix your own special beverages using their recipes, including the egg cream.
Paul Minshall's Jingles Singles Podcast
Our jingle writer Paul Minshall now has a podcast of his "singles" on iTunes, called Paulywood's 45. You can listen to his songs and jingles for free. Subscribe to it through iTunes (search for Paul Minshall, or Paulywood's 45), or through his website paulywood.com. For good measure, Leo plays for Dick Paul's Country Jingle for the Daily Giz Wiz.
Julius La Rosa and Arthur Godfrey
Leo jokes that this is the last episode of the Daily Giz Wiz. Dick feels as though he were Julius La Rosa, who was fired on the air by Arthur Godfrey. Watch this famous moment in TV/radio history on YouTube.
Listen to Episode 813
Go to TWiT
The Giz Wiz Home Page
Elgato Turbo.264 HD
Video Encoder
Link: Elgato
The Turbo.264 HD is a hardware encoder, using a USB connection, to speed up the encoding process. It accepts many input formats including AVCHD videos (e.g. from HD camcorders), QuickTime, AVI, DV, Xvid, WMV and Video_TS folders, encodes them using the H.264 profile, and outputs to a variety of formats for the iPhone, iPod, Sony PSP, YouTube, YouTube HD, 720p HD, and 1080p HD. Leo's experience is that it can encode videos twice as fast.
The Turbo.264 HD comes with Elgato's software for the Mac, and when plugged in, detects and gives you instant access to the videos on a camcorder. It also works with other video software on the Mac for importing or encoding videos, including iMovie, QuickTime Pro, Final Cut Pro and Elgato's own EyeTV.
For a similar USB hardware H.264 encoder for Windows, Leo has heard about the BlackMagic Video Recorder.
DGW Scheduling
Because Leo is going away in July on his China tour, Dick and Leo are recording 6 shows at a time, starting with this session. Dick will have to come up with more gadgets for each session, and will be going off to Las Vegas for the National Hardware Show which starts on 5 May. Hence the first recording session for May will be on Monday 4 May, instead of the Tuesday. Dick is looking forward to bringing back an arm load of gadgets from the show.
The Hilton's Suffering
Conventions have been hard hit by the economic downturn, and the Hilton in Vegas is hurting. Leo thinks that's because they've stopped the Star Trek attraction, which reminds Dick of how he was berated by a PR lady for referring to the attraction on TV as "The Star Trek Experience", when it was "Star Trek, The Experience". For the full story, go to Episode 261.
Leo's Autobiography
Various names have been touted for Leo's autobiography (for a previous discussion, see Episode 665). Alessandro Abate suggests "Just One More Podcast". For Dick's, someone has suggested "I'll Be Here". Leo loves and repeats the motto used in Sandro's signature: "Never Surrender Dreams" (see Episode 797).
Dick's Lust For Life
When Dick loves something, he doesn't just admire it from a distance, but wants to be part of it, and that's what he's done with MAD and TechTV, the latter of which led to the Daily Giz Wiz. At the recent Turner Classics presentation at Barnes and Noble (Episode 783), Dick introduced himself to Robert Osborne, and now he's been invited to co-host a TCM special next year on A Night of Movie Satires.
Listen to Episode 812
Go to TWiT
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Mini E
Electric Car
Link: Mini USA
From the makers of the Mini Cooper, the Mini E is their latest offering at the Auto Show, a brand new electric car available only for leasing in field trials. With the air-cooled batteries weighing 573 pounds, a full charge can run you 100 to 150 miles. It accelerates to 62 mph in 8.5 seconds, top speed at 95 mph. On a 240V 48 Amp outlet, it charges in 3 hours. 4.5 hours on a 240V 32 Amp outlet, and 26.5 hours on a 110 Volt 12 Amp outlet. No back seat. You can look at the full specs sheet.
$850 a month for a one-year leasing, and they will take care of maintenance and the collision insurance, while you need to get your own liability insurance. The field trial is only available to the LA and New York/New Jersey metro areas.
Leo's got his own hybrid car, the Toyota Highlander. While he's reserved a Smart Car for Abby (see Episode 666), he's not happy with the results of the highway safety tests for these small cars - see the CNN Article. He loves the look of the Mini E, though, and the lack of a back seat is a bonus. What's more, the Mini E Logo looks just like the TWiT guy.
Square Space
A new sponsor for the Daily Giz Wiz, Square Space. Leo recommends it to Dick for his wacky-looking website.
A Heaven-Sent Inside Look at the World of Leo
Leo's vicarious letter reader, his sister Eva Laporte from Providence, Rhode Island, has been a MAD fan for years, and is thrilled to be able to correspond with Dick. "It amazes me how far Leo has gone with a so-so voice and just a tiny bit of talent," writes Dick. It's been a pleasure for Eva is to get an inside look at the World of Leo, and to discover that the great Dickie De from MAD Magazine is part of that world. Eva and Leo used to spend hours poring over MAD Magazines. She loves the Match Game too, so wait till she finds out about Dick's involvement.
Home Theatre Series
Leo has found the Wild Divine Biofeedback system, but has yet to locate the software. But starting with tomorrow's TTTT, he'll do a series of gadgets for a home theatre system for the Mac or PC.
Johnny-Light
Toilet Bowl Light
Link: Johnny-Light
This reminds Leo of another toilet night light which he showed on Regis and Kelly, that was a little more advanced. It had a motion sensor that would light up red for the gent to aim at when the seat was up, and light up green for the ladies when the seat was down. Leo can't remember what the product was called, but he did blog about it in March 2003. It might be the LavNav, or something similar. See the article on Wired.com.
Wine Tasting turned Fire Tasting
Leo has got a new sponsor Gary's Wine, so he does a wine-tasting session on Sunday. With a bit of Dutch courage and a little help from Brain Brushwood of Scam School, Leo started tasting fire, too. You can watch the video on odtv.me.
Dick has had his share of daring-do. He appeared on "That's My Line", with a tiger resting its head on Dick's lap. Leo might have done the fire-eating, but he would not do the bungee jump or parachute jump, and Dick would definitely stay away from the Stratosphere Tower's See-Saw Ride (it's actually called X-Cream) in Las Vegas.
A Camera-Printer for the Warehouse
Darryl Wattenberg of darrylsphotoblog.blogspot.com says that the Polaroid Pogo Instant Digital Camera (shown at CES and discussed in Episode 745) was not the first to attempt that combination. Olympus did just that about a decade ago with the Camedia C-211 Zoom (or C-211z), a digital camera with 2.1 MP which used Polaroid instant film for the prints. Read the review at Imaging-Resource. Darryl also recalls a later camera/printer model from Olympus with dye-sub printing capabilities. 2 more gadgets for Dick's Gadget Warehouse.
Dick in Disguise and Mercury Rising
Dr L S Powers of the chatroom asks if the gentleman with a moustache holding a plastic whale on Boston Whaler's website is Dick in disguise. Not so. Leo advises against eating too much deep-sea big-body fish such as tuna, as it may contain a lot of mercury, as Steve Gibson has recently found out.
Listen to Episode 810
Go to TWiT
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