31 posts tagged “canada”

A suggestion from Robert Forbes of Wasaga Beach, Ontario, Canada, the Striker Magnetic Light is an LED light that has 12 magnets for easy attachment to any metallic surface to free your hands for working at your task, giving you a wide choices of angles of light.

Chowing Down
Dick and Leo reminisce about the joys and horrors of faux Chinese food in stacked cans (like chow mein), Hungry Man's TV Dinners, and talk about the Chungking and Swanson brands.

Hazardous Wastes
Rod Miller from California writes in about hazardous wastes, and he's not talking the Daily Giz Wiz podcasts.  Back in Episode 819, Dick talked in the Letters Section about scrapping a GE microwave oven with a misbehaving door.  In California, used electronics are considered hazardous wastes which cannot be disposed of in the regular trash streams.  He recommends, for Californians, erecycle.org that he works for, with which you can make an appointment (3 days a week) for disposing of your e-waste.

Cellphones for Troops
Dick and Leo talk more about recycling, including batteries, underwear and cellphones.  There is a programme called Cellphones for Soldiers, which helps overseas soldiers call home.


Listen to Episode 848
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Back in Episode 616, when Dick and Leo talked about how airports did everything to prevent you from lying down, Dick referred to an article in the New York Times which reported the invention by someone of an "airport tent".  That someone is Frank Giotto, and the airport tent is called the Mini Motel.  The package includes all you need to construct a tent, an inflatable mattress, an inflatable pillow and bed sheet, plus an alarm clock, a reading light, ear plugs, and eye shades.



When folded up, the package is only 17" x 12" x 3", but it might be a little difficult to get the tent and all its accessories back into that shape.

Match Game Moments
The Live Stream of Match Game Moments took place on Saturday 29 November 2008, which Dick greatly enjoyed.  Unfortunately no one seems to have captured the video stream.  Dick hopes that Andy of Stickam has a copy, but if not, he might do it again.

Farewell to Disco Dick
Dick has finally given away his houseboat, complete with a disco, as he told us in Episode 703.  He's given it to a charity called Boat Angel.  Here's Dick's farewell video:


A Hot Couple
Ralph Evinrude of Evinrude Motors and his singer wife Frances Evinrude had a 100-foot boat.  Dick has a story to tell about Evinrude's generosity about replacing Evinrude engines.

A Junkie for Flashlights, Pens, Pocket Knives and Everything Collectible
Most frequently read DGW correspondent Steve Miller from Westerville, Ohio confesses to being a pen, pocket knife and flashlight junkie.  He bought a Stanley Tripod Flashlight (Episodes 548), and since the Travelon Sheets (Episode 689), has managed to stop buying DGW gadgets for about a month so far, and hopes that Dick will not be covering pocket knives for a while, or he will be broke.  For Steve's earlier collection, read the list in Episode 279.

For those interested in flashlights, Steve recommends SureFire, which has the E2D LED Defender, a tactical self-defence flashlight with a crenellated strike bezel.



Listen to Episode 719
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Turn-The-Tables-Tuesday

Inspired by Dick's gadget yesterday, Leo introduces the Gene Simmons Axe.  A ¾-size replica of the original Axe of the bass guitarist and vocalist of Kiss, it is a game controller made by Kobian USA for playing Rock Band and Guitar Hero on Playstation 2 and Playstation 3, with all the standard game controls.  It plays wirelessly (up to 30 feet) or directly plugged into the USB port of the game console.



The PS2 and PS3 version will be released on 15 November 2008.  Versions for the Nintendo Wii and XBox 360 are expected towards the end of the year and early next year.

Gene Simmons's long tongue not included.



Looking Under the Desk
Leo spent in long time during the recording figuring out this week's gadget for TTTT (hence Dick's remark that Leo searched for almost one month).  The Rovio was not ready yet, the Epson P7000 had been done; so had the Toothpick Bird.  Then he was about to embark on the aTV Patchstick, but fortunately the Chatroom realised that it had also been covered.  Finally Leo picked the Axe.

In Flanders Fields ...
... the poppies blow, between the crosses, row on row ... Today is Veterans' Day, or Armistice Day, commemorating the armistice signed between the Allies and Germany and the end of WWI on 11 November 1918.

One Good Turn Deserves Another
Dr Mark Moran, a lasic surgery specialist who has emailed a picture of himself and his nurses in the operating theatre all wearing GizWizBiz Caps, has received the gift certificates for 3 iPods for him and his nurses (who aren't nurses, but members of his staff) from Leo, with thanks.  Anxious to restore faith in a cynical anaesthesiologist who thought that he would never see an iPod, Dr Moran has made a generous donation to the TWiT network.  For the history of this happy exchange, revisit Episode 683 and Episode 691.

So, one good turn deserves another, and more.  Leo has just got an email from a fan who has an old Mac Cube he'd like to send over to Leo (who famously bought a Cube the day before Apple announced its end of life).  Another fan who does animatronics wants to take an animatronic model (of Leo?), like Abraham Lincoln in Disneyland, to the TWiT Cottage in person.  Now Leo can do TWiTLive 24/7.



Listen to Episode 697
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Another GPS from Mio, whose Mio Digiwalker H610 was the subject of a previous TTTT (Episode 302).  It's a navigation system for a car, and the main distinguishing feature is the voice of K.I.T.T from the original Knight Rider TV series (William Daniels).


There is a video demo of the Knight Rider GPS from Knight Rider Online (a site dedicated to the TV series), or you can catch it on YouTube.


Pay Cheque
Dick got his first pay cheque for 18 months, and decided to treat himself to Verizon Business DSL.  His video stream should look pretty good now, especially after Pat Grosswendt of Litepanels (Episode 562) sent Dick some LED lighting.

More from Leo
Leo can't find enough to do, and has set up an audio server for TWiT which provides audio streaming of TWiTLive (which is either live or pre-recorded, depending on the time of day).  It's just like internet radio, and you can get the stream on twit.am.  You can catch it on your computer, iPhone or PSP.  In the meantime, Leo is getting Tony Wang to set up video podcasts, and the Daily Giz Wiz will be one of the video programmes.

Six Packs and Kegs
While Leo may not have six-pack abs, he can boast about his beer-keg abs.

It's Not A Death Trap
Jeff Pacitto from Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada suggests that Leo make a quick trip to Toronto to visit Amber, buy a Smart Car from one of the dealers in Canada, and have it shipped to California.  Since Leo made his $99 reservation for a Smart Car (Episodes 661, 666, 667), he has received a lot of emails either singing its praises or denouncing it as a death trap.  There goes the Smart Car sponsorship.  "It's not a death trap!" Dick and Leo quickly add.

Probably the reason the Apple TV could not be called the iTV, the EyeTV series of TV tuners have been around for a while.  The North American version of the EyeTV 250 Plus receives free-to-air digital TV (ATSC), conventional analogue TV (via cable or antenna), and Clear QAM (unencrypted digital cable).  You can connect it to your Mac via USB, scan for TV channels and watch TV on your monitor, in a window or full screen.  It comes with  a remote control, and like a TiVo, you can rewind, fast forward and pause live TV.  You can also record TV using the EyeTV software.  In the US, you can use the TitanTV Guide.  ATSC digital signals are recorded unaltered at broadcast quality (at the original compression level).  Analogue signals are compressed within the EyeTV 250 Plus itself.

It also acts as a digitisation device for your VHS tapes and sends the MPEG-2 converted recordings to iTunes or burns them to DVDs (using Roxio's Toast 8 Basic).  The iPod Assistant will also help you convert to the recommended format for the AppleTV, iPhone or iPod.  The break-out cable includes S-Video, composite and stereo inputs.

The EyeTV supports video resolution up to 1080i (for digital) and 720 x 480 (for analogue).

The product also comes in an international version supporting DTT or Freeview in countries which use DVB-T system of digital television.

For once, it's for Mac only.  Windows users can check out Pinnacle's PCTV HD Ultimate Stick in Episode 419.

Mad Tour
While Dick was on the Queen Mary 2, Alessandro Abate visited New York.  Although he missed Dick, he was thrilled to be able to do a tour of the Mad Office which Dick had arranged for him.  Sandrinoo also defended Leo for the Spork, but not the Toothpick Bird.  He had bought his own set of Match Game Cards from Dick.  The Match Game was his favourite game show, never knowing that Dick was the writer of the questions.

And for those who want a laser, Sandrino recommends Wicked Lasers.

Bill Gaines Anniversary
Today is the 16th anniversary of the death of Bill Gaines who died on 3 June 1992.  Dick has found a transcript of Bill Gaines's memorial service, at Instant Classics, where you can read the eulogies delivered at the service, including those by Dick and Bill Sarnoff (who was then the head of the Time Warner division that included Mad).  Dick has kept up a website in memory of Bill Gaines, at williammgaines.com.

Here are a couple of pictures taken from Dick's website.  Please go to his homepage to read what Dick has to say about Bill Gaines.



For more stories on Bill Gaines, listen to DGW generally and in particular Episode 76: A Tribute to William M. Gaines.  Better yet, buy Dick's autobiography "Good Days And Mad".  Make a donation of $20 or more to Animal Haven online, send the electronic receipt to Dick by email, and he will send you an autographed copy of the book.

Or, you can buy the book at The Mad Store.



Mad Minute
Specialised phone numbers, such as BROKE, RAINY, and SCAM.


Listen to Episode 582
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The HYmini is not a fan, but a windmill which converts wind power into electrical engery and stores it in the internal rechargeable battery.  The wind has to be at least 9 mph.  When the wind is fast enough, a green LED lights up to indicate that electrical energy is being generated.  You can also charge the battery using conventional AC power (adaptor included), or using the computer via USB.

You can also charge the battery via USB by buying a solar panel using solar energy, called the miniSOLAR.  There is also a bicycle attachment to harness the wind power, and an arm-band for people who jog.

You can use the HYmini to charge your 5V portable devices.  It also doubles up as a flashlight.

Sit Up!
Leo is back on his GopherSport Anti-Burst Fitness Ball (Episode 322), while Dick is slumped on his chair in a comfortably bad posture.

VCR Plus
Sharon from PoCo (Port Coquitlam) in BC, Canada loves the VCR Plus episode (Episode 560).  She tells Dick that TV guides in Vancouver still print the VCR Plus codes.  Her parents have been using the codes for 7 years.  Jim Nelson also writes in to say that he still uses the codes.

Regis
Leo thinks Regis is great and does his work without anyone knowing it.  For a photo of Regis in his office, go to Leo's Flickr.

It's A Gas
Dick and Leo mentioned the Mad recording "It's A Gas" yesterday, and again today.  A listener James Baldwin has found the recording on YouTube and emailed Dick the link.  Dick has embedded it on his home page, or listen to it here.



Listen to Episode 568
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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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This is one of the first devices of the next generation weather stations.  Unveiled by La Crosse Technology at this year's CES, Weather Direct will be employed by La Crosse Technology in a number of their devices with prices ranging from $50 to $130.  Once you purchase a Weather Direct device, you pay a one-off fee to register online to specify the locations for which you want weather forecasts.  The device is connected to the internet via an ethernet port from which it fetches  and aggregates weather and other information from various sources including satellite assisted weather forecast systems and RSS feeds.

Succotash
Hear what succotash is from Dick and Leo.

Penguin Tea Timer
George from Ajax Ontario, Canada finds the Motorola Rokr S9 Bluetooth Headset (Episode 417) difficult to wear together with his sunglasses, and when the bluetooth is turned on, it seems to drain the phone battery much faster.  In the end, he has to return it.  He suggests that Leo cover the Penguin Tea Timer on TTTT, which lifts up the tea bag from your mug when the tea is sufficiently brewed.  Leo thinks it would be a good pal for the Toothpick Bird (Episode 282).  Amazon, on the other hand, suggests as a companion for the Penguin Tea Timer, the Hillary Nutcracker (see also Episode 404).

Listen to Episode 501
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Panasonic has just released Series 7 of their Toughbooks, which are rugged laptops designed to withstand pressures of the road.  The "Business-Rugged" line has 3 models, the W7, T7, and Y7, with the W7 being the most lightweight at 3 lbs, and still fully-equipped.


The cases are made of a magnesium alloy which can withstand 220 lbs of pressure.  The keyboards are spill-proof up to 6 ounces of liquid.  The hard drives are shock-mounted.  All come with bluetooth 2.0 and wifi a/b/g support, and security features including password security, security lock slot, Trusted Platform Module chip version 1.2, and Computrace BIOS theft protection agent.  Optional are EVDO Rev.A or HSDPA mobile broadband solutions and fingerprint scanners which can be integrated into the laptops themselves.

The T7 model also comes with special hand straps for easy handling.

A Message from the Grinch
If you think Christmas is too early try getting a job in retail: 3 months of Christmas music, tacky decorations, ever-increasingly stressful and demanding customers, Boxing Day madness in Canada ... Please stop!  Signed, Dan, aka The Grinch, probably in a retail job in Canada.

Listen to Episode 448
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Dick was reminded of the iPod 10GB by a recent re-airing on ABC of an old clip in which Dick showed it on World News Now with Liz Cho.

From Dick's description, this is a second generation model.  Introduced on 21 March 2002, it had 10GB hard drive capacity, 10 hours battery life and was firewire only.  New to the 2nd Gen was a wired remote, the Touch Wheel (the 1st Gen wheel was a mechanical scroll wheel that actually rotated), calendar and artist search.  It was also the first iPod that supported Windows.

Human, Technology, and Canine Time Scales
Dick and Leo talk about different time scales for humans, technology and even dogs, which sets Leo off on an Ethel Merman impression of "Those Were The Days", although Dick thinks it's more like Al Jolson, which should go straight to the Gadget Warehouse.  They have previously talked about the different time scales in Episode 120, in which they invented the "gadget year".

iPod Vending Machine
Dick remembers seeing an iPod vending machine in Las Vegas.  Dick first told the story in Episode 77, to Leo and Amber MacArthur (the only guest to have appeared on DGW).

HP35
The HP35 (Episode 415) has generated a lot of emails from listeners, including Graham MacDonald from Australia who has bought 6 of them, a graduate from Drexel University at Philadelphia who was a freshman in 1972 when the HP35 came out, and an Air Force recruit who spent one month's salary on an HP35 programmable calculator and later joined HP itself.

Listen to Episode 420
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