29 posts tagged “boat”

Dick has covered 2 previous Verilux products: the Full Spectrum Book Light (Episode 51) and the Rise and Shine Bedside Lamp Alarm Clock (Episode 88).  True to the Latin roots of its name, Verilux continues with the "light" theme, this time ultraviolet light.  The CleanWave≈ Pocket Wand uses UV-C to disinfect surfaces by killing germs and bacteria.  Press the big round button on the handle to release the wand and the ultraviolet rays, which emit downwards.  On the underside of the handle is another switch which turns on a built-in flashlight located at one end of the handle.  The Pocket Wand uses a rechargeable battery and comes with an AC charger.

According to the product manual, UV-A are the tanning rays, UV-B are the rays that give you sunburn, and UV-C are the germicidal rays, which at the same time are cancer-causing.  Care must be taken that you do not expose your skin or eyes to the UV-C rays emitted from the Wand.  A few safety measures come with the design of the Wand.  (1) A sensor is built into the Wand so that if the Wand is tilted upwards, the Wand will turn off the UV emission.  (2) The UV light itself is invisible to the human eye, but a blue light will come on when the UV Wand is on (as a reminder that there are UV emissions).  (3) In case you forget to turn off the Wand, it will also turn itself off after 3 minutes' operation.

You can use it on your bedding, diaper bag, keyboard, and other surfaces.  Just don't try shining the UV rays on yourself, and don't try any of the Harry Potter spells on it, like Aloha mora.

Pride And Glory Review
Dick got to see Pride And Glory over the weekend, and describes the scene in which his previous pride and glory, his houseboat, appears, complete with the famous fibre optic Christmas tree.  For Dick's account of how he came by the fibre optic tree, see Episodes 460 and 461, and more recently, the Christmas Day Special, Episode 729.

Part of You've Got Mail was also shot at the same marina.

Everything You Don't Need To Know About Dane Golden ...
... but which you might like to know, can be found on the TWiT Wiki page Dane Facts: The TrueDane.  Leo started the page, inspired by Chuck Norris Facts.

A Knuckle Handshake
The Pocket Wand is ideal for germophobes, such as Howie Mandel, who shakes hands by bumping fists (see most recently Episode 476).  Leo does it by nose-rubbing.

A Generous Offer
Kevin Selle thanks Dick and Leo for generating traffic to his website and podcast Weather Brains in Episode 746.  In return he might send 2½ listeners along to the Daily Giz Wiz.


Listen to Episode 766
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The Powerpack 450 from Duracell is a portable emergency power supply unit that can power AC, DC and USB-powered electronic devices including laptops, cellphones and other small appliances.  Its voice technology will tell you the running time for your device.  It also has jumper cables and an air compressor for use with your car.  Also great for camping.  It recharges via AC.  Also comes with the inevitable flashlight.

Xantrex makes a similar product, the Xantrex XPower Powerpack 400 Plus (Episode 44).

A Brush with the Pearly Gates
Dick was once on his boat near the Bermuda Triangle when his gauge went berserk and lightning struck which destroyed quite a bit of his electronic equipment.  It was a scary experience for Dick, especially when he was told by a voice at the Pearly Gates to go back and earn his penance by doing the Daily Giz Wiz for free with someone called Leo.

Dick on Humanety
The auction for a half-hour video chat with Dick is now on, at humanety.com.  Dick's nominated charity is Animal Haven.  At the recent Animal Haven fund-raising event, Dick and Dennis Wunderlin met Bebe Neuwirth (Frasier's estranged ex-wife), whose boyfriend Chris who owns a winery at Napa Valley is moving his boat to a marina at Petaluma.  Dick auctioned off some of the gadgets that manufacturers didn't want back, and raised $1,000.

A Day In the Life Of Leo
Jim from New York wonders how Leo, with so much that he does, manages to integrate his busy schedule with his multiple cellphones and gadgets.  Dane Golden is Leo's answer, whereas Dick's is now Ludwik.

Coming Soon
Leo is playing with WowWee's new product Rovio that goes around your house like the Roomba, except that it's a roving networked video camera or webcam.



Listen to Episode 693
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Having mercilessly mocked Dick's recommendation of the CompUSA External HDD Enclosure in Episode 67, Leo suffered the embarrassment of not only having the original recording of that episode itself accidentally erased, but also having one or more of his web servers died on him, once in October 2006 (see Episode 179 and his blog post for Friday 13th 2006), and more recently on 19 September 2008 (see his recent blog post).  Both occasions on a Friday.  The first time it was a hard drive failure, and recently, it was a RAID 5 controller failure, with loss of certain data which had not been backed up.  This was despite his constant reminders to his audience to back up, on his radio show.  By the way, the GizWizLive video has been lost (which had nothing to do with the RAID 5 controller failure).

Will Leo learn his lesson?  Let's hope that today's TTTT gadget will help him do so.  The Thermaltake Blacx SATA HDD Docking Station has a function similar to the common external hdd enclosure, or a previous TTTT gadget the NewerTech Universal Drive Adapter (Episode 267).  The major difference is, it is even more convenient.  You just slide the HDD into the slot of the docking station (SATA connection facing down), as you would a slice of bread into a toaster, and connect the dock to the computer via USB or eSATA.  Leo has the model ST0005U which has both forms of connections (the latter enabling full SATA speed), while the other Blacx models N0028USU and N0029USU only have a USB connection (the latter working as a USB hub as well).  Ideal for people who have a number of external HDDs to work with constantly.  Works with both 2.5" and 3.5" SATA hdds.

Another Small Car
Leo finally has a letter to read.  Regular correspondent Mark Sukoenig tells Leo that user satisfaction for the Smart Car has not been great, and reminds Leo of an even smaller car in the 1950's, the BMW Isetta, with a link to a YouTube video.



Listen to Episode 667
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An important device for boating is the emergency stop lanyard, which is connected to the engine kill switch and worn by the boat operator, so that if the operator falls overboard, the engine will stop.  However, it does restrict movements and can cause false emergency stops when the connection gets pulled off accidentally.

The AutoTether solves this problem by doing it wirelessly.  The main unit, which has a wireless signal receiver, is connected to the engine kill switch.  A mobile remote unit worn by the operator (or any passenger) sends radio signals to the main unit.  If the operator or passenger falls overboard, the radio signal transmission is cut off, since radio signals cannot travel through water.  The main unit detects the signal cut-off, stops the engine and sounds an alarm at the same time.  The system operates by AAA batteries, with low-battery warning indicators.

The AutoTether kit comes with one main unit and 2 mobile remote units.  It can accommodate a total of 4 remote units (extras can be bought separately).  Other applications include using it at a beach or around a pool, if you don't want a young child to go into the water unsupervised.  You can also set a range for the remote unit so that when the remote unit goes out of range, the main unit will sound an alarm.

Dick has written a fuller article on this gadget in PowerBoat Magazine.  Here's the link.

Did you know?
... that Dick was involved in the production of a Playboy Club musical Little Annie Fanny, and Leo did a TV commercial for Clarks Shoes.

Party Line
The PhoneMate Just In Case Beeper (Episode 540) brings back memories for Paul Pigozzo from London, Ontario, not only of his grandmother's rotary phone with 30 feet of cord, but also her "party line" - one telephone shared by several households, and the telephone gives off different rings for different households.

Naturally, whenever a rotary phone is mentioned, Leo inexorably talks about Steve Wozniak's Rotary Cellphone again.


Listen to Episode 614
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Today's gadget is the WTHII mystery gadget for May 2008.  It's not a CD washer, a flying saucer or a suction cup for the ceiling, as Leo guessed.  It is the Plane Clean Air Filter.  You attach it to the air nozzle above you on the aeroplane and you get your own personal air filter.

It claims to remove 99.5% of the all airborne bacteria, viruses and allergens, which are also blocked off by the air stream.  For the price, you get air filters for 10 flights and you can buy refills.

Dick's Boat on Law And Order
As previously reported, Dick's boat will appear in an episode of Law And Order: Criminal Intent sometime in June, all covered in a big top.  Read about it on Dick's website.  Its previous film appearance, on Pride and Glory starring Edward Norton and Colin Farrell, has yet to be seen on the big screen, as the film has been put off to a 2009 release date.


Watch DGW Live
Leo reminds everyone that you can watch the recording sessions of DGW, and Dick's clutter, every Tuesday at 1 p.m. Pacific time.

Don't forget either that Dick is joining Leo at the TWiTLive Studio on 20 June 2008.


Dash Express
Dick dashed into Robert Currie, President of Dash Express (Episode 572) and got a ride from him, and more.  Robert Currie explained in more details how the Dash Express works in collating its sources of traffic information.  Leo did too but why would Dick listen to him?

Amazon has a Father's Day special offer for the Dash Express.  $100 off.


Still Connected
Wally H's Connectix Quickcam (Episode 580) is still connected, which he uses as a networked security camera.


Mad Minute
No Mad Minute again today.  Has Leo run out?


Listen to Episode 586
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From Dick's favourite LED gadget makers Panther Vision, the Safe-T-Bug (or Safety Bug) has 5 ultra-bright red LED flashing lights which you can attach (by pin, adhesive or magnet) to your cap, backpack, clothing or even your dog's leash for showing you the way.  It is so new it's not even on Panther Vision's website yet.  A real scoop by Dick!

[Update: The product has finally appeared on the PantherVision website, and is now called the Safety Bug.

The Queen Mary 2
Dick had a great time on the Queen Mary 2.  Listen to Dick's account of how well-equipped the Queen Mary 2 is, and learn what is the difference between a boat and a ship.

Dick has posted some of his QM2 photos on Flickr.  Here's the link.



More Gas
Ray from San Antonio in Texas was prompted by the recent references to the Mad "It's A Gas" recording to look for his Mad CD which had Alfred E Neuman on its cover.  Lo and behold, or Hark, It's A Gas was on that CD.

Leo was sent a disco version of "It's A Gas" which Leo plays on the show.  The belches were made by Dick and Sara Fowler.  Leo also found a big-band version of "It's A Gas" on seeqpod (thanks to the chatroom), which he likes better.

Mad Minute
Alfco FastFoods's new service: Ordering by Letters.

Listen to Episode 581
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Play Inc went on to create the Trinity Video System.  One of its CEOs, Paul Montgomery, had previously worked with Tim Jenison at NewTek, which produced the Video Toaster, and now makes the TriCaster, a video switching system which Leo has just bought for the TWiTLive.

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.

Gotcha
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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VCR Plus, started by Henry Yuen of Gemstar, was a system of codes for recording individual TV programmes on your VCR.  Each programme had its own code, so that you could just enter the code into the VCRPlus-supported VCR machine or remote control, and your VCR would start recording the appropriate channel at the right time.  Watch this TV commercial from 1987.

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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This time, it's Leo's turn to do a "What's In the Box?" routine, and Dick's turn to guess what it is.  It's Ziszor, a portable, hand-held shredder.  It runs on 4 AA batteries, comes with 4 Ziszor catcher bags, and you shred your paper trail right into the bag.  Ziszor's slogan is, Don't let your mail be your trail.  But as Leo demonstrates, it can't shred Colleen's credit card, though it will shred your English spelling into oblivion.



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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Hammacher Schlemmer has come up with this emergency light called the Power Failure Light.  This device attaches itself between the socket and the bulb.  It has a built-in rechargeable Li-ion battery, so that if there is a power cut or power failure, the LEDs on the device will automatically light up to save you groping for a flashlight in the dark.  An alternative to Energizer's Light-On-Demand (Episode 539).

Film Set
Dick's 1974, 50-foot long houseboat is in the final shortlist for Woody Allen's next film.  Dick has met the location manager, Woody's production designer Santo Loquasto, and now the man himself.  They like the boat, although it may look too grand from the outside.

Leo's Sense of Direction
Ian writes in to correct Leo on what he said in Episode 520 about Tasmania's location in Australia.  It's an island state in the southeast corner of Australia, not the southwest.

Listen to Episode 544
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