50 posts tagged “abby laporte”
Stanton T.55 USB
USB Turntable
Link: Stanton DJ
Vinyl Resurgence
For an ABC News report on the recent rise of the vinyl, click here.
Scoundrels and the Way They Part You from Your Money
The biggest live audience Dick's had was probably about 1,500, when he gave a cruise lecture on the QE2 on scoundrels' schemes and scams. Check out Episode 225 again for a fuller story of the lecture, and Dick's original story on the Mitey Mixer (later covered in Episode 870).
TWiT Home Office Suggestions
Chris Walker has more suggestions for the location of the TWiT Home Office: Possum Grape in Arkansas, Siberia in California, Bloody Corners in Ohio, and Mars in Pennsylvania.
Listen to Episode 894
Go to TWiT
The Giz Wiz Home Page
Find DGW Info on GizWizSearch
Clickfree Transformer for iPod
iPod Backup
Link: Clickfree
Wine Train - Live !
Today, Dick and Leo will be on the Wine Train, and Leo might be beaming videos or photos of the train journey with the help of his Verizon MiFi. Check for their Twitter updates (Leo's Twitter; Dick's Twitter).
Giz Wiz Visit
Don't forget, Dick will be at the TWiT Cottage tomorrow (Tuesday 11 August) recording Episode 900. Tomorrow evening there will be a meet-up in San Francisco, at Jillian's Billiards at the Sony Metreon, with Dick, Leo and Dane Golden. It will start at about 6 p.m. Details at Dick's site.
The Proud Father of a Podcaster
Leo is very proud of Abby, who is now hosting a podcast of her own, Abby's Road.
The Writers of Writers
At one stage, the writers' room for the Match Game consisted of Dick and Dick only. But perhaps the most remarkable writers' room was the one for Sid Caesar's Your Show of Shows, which included eminent writers such as Mel Brooks, Woody Allen, Larry Gelbart and Neil Simon.
Weird Al's Parody on CNR
Dick got a rush of emails the day this JibJab video came out. Jeremy Cartee and Ricky Brigante (host of Inside The Magic) were among the first to tell Dick about Weird Al Yankovic's new video parody on Charles Nelson Reilly, called CNR.
Listen to Episode 891
Go to TWiT
The Giz Wiz Home Page
Find DGW Info on GizWizSearch
Samsung NC20
Netbook
Link: Samsung
These days Leo goes through his netbooks the same way he goes through his netcasts - lots of them. After his Asus Eee PC (Episode 447) and MSI Wind (Episode 762), the latest addition to Leo's line of netbooks is the Samsung NC20, with the following specs:
- VIA Nano ultra low voltage CPU (1.3GHz)
- 12.1-inch, WVGA (1280 x 800) glossy display
- 97% full-size keyboard
- Integrated 1.3MP webcam
- 160GB 5400rpm hard drive
- 1GB DDR2 memory
- Wifi b/g, bluetooth
- 3 USB ports, an SD card slot
- 11.5" x 8.5" x 1.2" and 3.3 lbs
- 6-cell Lithium Ion battery (5900 mAh)
- Windows XP Home
Leo likes the Samsung NC20 (having made quite a number of upgrades), and hulu plays fine on it. For major reviews of the Samsung NC20 on the web, check out the links on TestSeek.
The First Letters Jingle: An Encore
Andrew Rodriguez welcomes Leo home, and wants to remind everyone of the very first Letters Jingle. He is good enough to attach the jingle to his email. Dick and Leo can't remember who was responsible for it.
It's the Finnish Letters Jingle, by Henrich Antonin from Finland. Billed by Dick as the jingle with the "big finish", it was played from Episodes 151 to 160, and superseded by George Wood's Letters Jingle in Episode 166.
Listen to Episode 882
Go to TWiT
The Giz Wiz Home Page
Find DGW Info on GizWizSearch
Axius and Zeus Propulsion Systems
Joystick Boat Control
Links: SeaRay Mercury Marine Cummins Mercruiser Diesel
Dick was invited to test the system at Chelsea Piers and had fun trying it out. The Axius and Zeus can be found on selected models of Sea Ray boats, including the 350 Sundancer. On some other models, they come as options.
Leo on Obama Watch
On Father's Day, Leo got what President Obama got, the same watch that President Obama has worn. It says so on the back of the watch. Obama's watch was given to him on his 46th birthday by the Secret Service agents responsible his security during his presidential campaign, available in the Secret Service employees' store. It was made by Jorg Gray. Read about it on the site onthedash. Jorg Gray has now released a commemorative edition of the watch, available here.
4th July Fireworks
To celebrate the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson's arrival, Macy's fireworks were moved to the Hudson River and so, much closer to Dick's boat, which he could watch without a TV. But what's the fun of doing that?
A Gadget for Sign Language Users
Barbara Schneider from Sebastopol, California, has restricted shoulder movements. When she heard about the Dynaflex Powerball Gyroscope (Episode 832), she checked out one of the videos and was surprised to see her former American sign language teacher, whom she had not seen for 15 years, discussing the advantages of the gadget for sign language users.
From the TWiT Cottage to Gizneyland
Barbara lives in Leo's neck of the woods and has sat in on one of Leo's shows. The first time she visited the TWiT Cottage was when she went for a group meeting upstairs from Leo and stumbled upon him. She will be staying with her brother in New York City in the last 2 weeks of July and has requested a visit to Dick's Gadget Warehouse, or a live taping of the Daily Giz Wiz at Gizneyland.
The Mysterious Case of the Missing Salad
A crime wave has hit Petaluma? Leo put a salad in the fridge near the door one weekend. When he returned at noon, the salad had gone. Nothing else went missing. Maybe it was Barbara. Maybe Barbara is a stalker. Dane Golden however is convinced that Leo has misplaced it. If anyone detects the smell of rotting cucumbers, spinach, mushroom, artichoke hearts, beets, etc, report to Leo.
Listen to Episode 873
Go to TWiT
The Giz Wiz Home Page
Find DGW Info on GizWizSearch
iPhone 3GS
Smartphone
Link: Apple
The auto-focus camera is now 3 megapixel, with the ability to change the focus after you tap a particular point on the LCD display, which also adjusts the white balance and exposure. It's now capable of capturing video (640 x 480), with software to do simple editing or trimming on the phone itself.
Some of the other more commonly requested features, such as "copy and paste", MMS and tethering, have finally found their way into the iPhone 3GS. Multitasking, however, is still restricted.
Video Trimming on the iPhone 3GS
Leo has tried the video trimming function oh his new iPhone 3GS, and it works for him. Here's Apple's demo video:
Scott-E-Vest Wardrobe in a Tom Bihn Bag
For his China Tour and MacMania 9 Geek Cruise, Leo has packed an almost exclusively Scottevest wardrobe, in his new Tom Bihn Tri-Star (see Episode 865) which, it is hoped, Leo will cover on a TTTT. Right now, Leo has finished the trip in China and should be in Japan on the Costa Classica. Follow his AudioBoos, and view Leo's gallery on Smugmug.
Ed McMahon Dies
Ed McMahon, whose appearance in the Johnny Carson Show is often the subject of reminiscence on the Daily Giz Wiz, passed away on 23 June 2009, aged 86.
Another Cheesy Infomercial
Jayzee, better known as Toyota Boy, notes that cheesy infomercials have often been the subject of conversation on the show, and has recently seen a really cheesy one. It's the Comfort Wipe, a toilet paper extension arm and holder. The original infomercial can be seen on YouTube, but perhaps a more interesting version is a spoof of it shown on Jimmy Kimmel Live, featuring President Obama, also available on YouTube.
Bidets Rule Supreme
Alex Lindsay is much enamoured with the bidets in Japan which wash your behind (and some even blow-dry you), and offer choices of water-jet speeds and temperatures, and temperature-controlled seats. They are available in the US and Alex has bought one for his family. An extreme example is the Bio Bidet Supreme BB-1000 with Remote that leaves nothing to the imagination, but there are more reasonably-priced toilet add-ons on Amazon for your more basic comforts.
Listen to Episode 872
Go to TWiT
The Giz Wiz Home Page
Find DGW Info on GizWizSearch
Vinturi Wine Aerator
Wine Aerator
Link: Vinturi
Leo has another wine aerator which uses the same principle. It's called the Soirée.
Cellar and Basement
A rare English vocabulary lesson from Dick. What's the difference between a cellar and a basement? A cellar is a creepy thing you don't want to go down. A basement is a place where you put all your stuff.
Coin Wrappers
In Episode 861, Dick and Leo talked about Coinstar and reminisced about wrapping stacks of coins in paper. DrMom, the resident doctor in the chatroom, writes in to say that paper wrappers are still available in most stationery stores, or at coinwrappers.com. For a fun gadget, DrMom prescribes the Twist-N-Crimp, for a professional coin stack finish.
Listen to Episode 868
Go to TWiT
The Giz Wiz Home Page
Find DGW Info on GizWizSearch
Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 6100
Home Theatre Projector
Link: Epson
A Real Work-Out
Angelic Venus, aka Samantha, was turned on to the Daily Giz Wiz, the first podcast she ever listened to, by her fiancee. They are quite a bit behind with the show as they now have a 9-month-old addition to the family. She recently listened to Episode 772, and disagreed with Leo that the Wii Fit is not a real work-out. It might be a bit wimpish to start with, but as you continue, you unlock a wealth of exercise. You can pile on the number of reps, and the hula hoop can become a 10-minute exercise. Samantha has managed to lose 10 pounds after she gave birth to her baby. P.S., Samantha adds, "Dick, you're great!" She loves the Match Game and they should bring back the show, with two caveats. Dick should host the show, and they should bring back the guests from the original series (a lot of whom are dead unfortunately).
Listen to Episode 867
Go to TWiT
The Giz Wiz Home Page
Find DGW Info on GizWizSearch
Weather Direct WD-3103
Aqua Alert
Water-Activated Safety Band
Link: Amazon
The Aqua Alert is made by First Alert (who made the Tundra fire extinguisher, see Episode 321), a wrist band to be worn by a child which will sound an alarm over 100dB if it gets the slightest bit wet. Dick does give the caveat that if your child got immersed in water, you would not be able to hear the alarm, so that parental guidance is definitely required. Dick thinks that it might be more useful to leave it in his backyard to get a warning of rain.
Aqua Alert 2 is supposed to be coming, which will send an alarm to a wireless receiver within 300 feet.
Abby Laporte is back from France and doing an internship at the TWiT Cottage. Apart from occasionally doing the Abby Road show and managing the board, she receives additional bookkeeping and catering training, in the form of getting paid by Leo and getting lunch from him. Watch Leo give Abby some fatherly advice, in Abby Road 1.
And On The 8th Day, Verizon Said ...
... "Let there be a dial tone." Dick's telephone hell (see Episode 853) finally ended. With the help of Lil from the TWiT Army (DrMom), Dick managed to get the contact number of the CEO of Verizon. While talking with a Verizon executive, Dick received an email from Ooma (see Episode 779) informing him that XO would be releasing Dick's telephone number in 24 hours. It turned out that when trying out Ooma, Dick transferred his telephone number to Ooma which used XO Communications as a provider. When Dick terminated his service with Ooma, his number became an unused number, and got lost along the way. Dick was not slammed after all, and it was just a bad mix-up. The sacrifice Dick has to make in the name of gadget review!
The Question to the Answer, "Sis Boom Bah"
John Struse from Wayne, New Jersey solves the answer "Sis Boom Bah" from the Carnac the Magnificent segment in Episode 844. The question was, "Describe the sound made when a sheep explodes." You can watch the clip at johnnycarson.com.
Listen to Episode 859
Go to TWiT
The Giz Wiz Home Page
Find DGW Info on GizWizSearch
Contigo
Beverage-ware
Link: gocontigo.com
As is Leo's wont, he was dismissive at first of the simple technology but as soon as he learns that the beverage pours smoothly, Leo orders a Contigo stainless steel coffee mug from Amazon. Here's a demo of the Hydration Bottles, all BPA free.
TWiT Policy on Free Gifts
Dick wants to know If TWiT has a policy on show hosts accepting free gifts. It's 10% of whatever Leo pays him. "That's a thin mint, a tic tac," Dick queries. That doesn't work, so Leo decides that as long as it's free, Dick has Leo's permission.
There is none. But you can go to MakeMeMad, and order stuff from Dick to help him pay for the Gadget Warehouse at Sofia Brothers.
From Generous Fans
Leo has talked about his TWiT mats a number of times now. After the recording of this episode, Leo shows off the non-slip rubber TWiT Mat given to him by a TWiT fan, and an embroidered mat from another fan.
Listen to Episode 856
Go to TWiT
The GizWiz Home Page
Find DGW Info on GizWizSearch