147 posts tagged “dane golden”
Acer Aspire One 751h
Netbook
Link: Acer
Leo has had a slew of netbooks, and Dick finally gets his first. It's the Acer Aspire One 751h. The selling point is the big screen, 11.6" LED backlit LCD wide display, 1366 x 768 dots, and a full size keyboard. It also means a larger size, 11.2" x 7.8" x 1", but remains light enough (3 lbs with a 6-cell battery), which really blurs the division between netbooks and notebooks. It also comes with its own multi-touch touchpad.
Versions of Slough
Learn all about slough from Leo: Petaluma's tidal one, and the dead skin version from his fingers. He even throws Gough Street in San Francisco into the mix. Now you ought to have a rough idea of how thoroughly thoughtful Leo is.
Dick Starts Reading
Dick is not generally into reading books, but has started reading Audible books. He was listening to Wayne Dyer's Excuses Begone on his way to Petaluma.
Irrational and Nonsensical
Alfred Chan of insideDGW has found it well nigh impossible, short of having a full transcript, to keep track of what Dick and Leo talk about on the shows (and why would anyone in his right mind want to do that?). It's not just the sheer number of shows. The real reason is, you never know what listeners would pick up from the conversation, and they would pick up the most insignficant, tangential and off-the-cuff remarks in that rambling dialogue between Dick and Leo which they call the Daily Giz Wiz podcast. A prime example is counting the number of days in each month (Episode 876), which listener Anish commented on in Episode 888 - the Knuckles Calendar. Then another listener Verena Fuchs sent an email to Dick, attaching a pictorial illustration of the Knuckles Calendar (via lifehacker.com). It's all irrational and nonsensical, and that's why we're keep listening.
Versions of Slough
Learn all about slough from Leo: Petaluma's tidal one, and the dead skin version from his fingers. He even throws Gough Street in San Francisco into the mix. Now you ought to have a rough idea of how thoroughly thoughtful Leo is.
Dick Starts Reading
Dick is not generally into reading books, but has started reading Audible books. He was listening to Wayne Dyer's Excuses Begone on his way to Petaluma.
Irrational and Nonsensical
Alfred Chan of insideDGW has found it well nigh impossible, short of having a full transcript, to keep track of what Dick and Leo talk about on the shows (and why would anyone in his right mind want to do that?). It's not just the sheer number of shows. The real reason is, you never know what listeners would pick up from the conversation, and they would pick up the most insignficant, tangential and off-the-cuff remarks in that rambling dialogue between Dick and Leo which they call the Daily Giz Wiz podcast. A prime example is counting the number of days in each month (Episode 876), which listener Anish commented on in Episode 888 - the Knuckles Calendar. Then another listener Verena Fuchs sent an email to Dick, attaching a pictorial illustration of the Knuckles Calendar (via lifehacker.com). It's all irrational and nonsensical, and that's why we're keep listening.
Stanton T.55 USB
USB Turntable
Link: Stanton DJ
Stanton has been making cartridges for turntables for many years, and with the resurgence of turntables and vinyls, it's making new USB Turntables as well. The T.55 USB is a belt driven turntable (using the Stanton 500.v3 cartridge) with USB and RCA outputs for converting vinyl music into digital form (with the free Audacity software). For a more expensive direct drive equivalent, there is the T.92 USB.
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
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
Knife and Fork Lift
Cutlery for Dieting
Link: Knife and Fork Lift
A bit of a gag gift designed by Tom Madden, the Knife and Fork Lift takes a different approach towards dieting from the Checkmate Appetite Intake Controller (Episode 466). It's and knife and fork set, weighted down like a pair of dumbbells (and we're not talking about Dick and Leo).
Disclaimer
The Knife and Fork Lift carries with it a disclaimer, just as Leo's show TWiT Fit does (and as should all of Leo's shows). The Daily Giz Wiz has its own disclaimer - created by Dan Lueders - see Episode 601.
Giz Wiz Meetup - As Planned
At the time of recording, Dick and Leo were still planning the meetup. Eric Shank from Wild Planet would be taking along the Beat Blender, which he invented, for a demonstration. Leo had great plans too and hoped to take with him his Verizon MiFi ("Don't leave home without it" is Leo's new slogan), his new Olympus EP-1 Micro Four Thirds camera and Ozzy the Papillon. To cap it all, he might a grand entrance in his Terratrike.
Giz Wiz Meetup - As it Happened
Very little of what Leo "planned" materialised. Despite that, everyone had fun last night. John Slanina, better known as jammerb was there and was kind enough to post a slideshow of some of the photos he took at the meetup soon after the meet-up. Don't miss the last photograph - it's a very special Spork.
Julie Bernstein of FunCrunch has also posted her pics taken at the TWiT Cottage (during the recording session) and at the meetup. Here's her set of photos.
Dick in Petaluma and TWiT Cottage
Dick had a grand time in California this time. He appeared on Leo's radio show on Sunday, went on the Wine Train on Monday, had a test run in listeners Darrell and Marilyn Holmquist's new Tesla yesterday, after which he and Leo went back to the TWiT Cottage for a fun time recording next week's shows, including Episode 900. Fans have made lovely gifts for Dick and Leo for Episode 900, and so don't miss the show. If you can't wait, go to odtv.me to watch or download the video - but don't forget to download the audio podcasts still, as TWiT needs the numbers for podtrac and the sponsors.
Presto Saves the Day
Marcia Richardson installed the Presto OS (Episode 834) on her Toshiba laptop. Her windows installation was attacked by a dastardly virus but she was able to continue using the machine by booting into Presto. Finally, some good came out of the show!
Listen to Episode 893
Go to TWiT
The Giz Wiz Home Page
Find DGW Info on GizWizSearch
Verizon MiFi 2200
EVDO Mobile Hotspot and Wifi Router
Link: Verizon
Turn-The-Tables-Tuesday
Leo talked about the Verizon USB720 Modem in Episode 357, and the Cradlepoint Personal Hotspot in Episode 542. The MiFi 2200 from Verizon takes mobile broadband to another level. It is a mobile hotspot using EVDO. It also doubles up as a Wifi (b/g) router, allowing up to 5 devices to share the EVDO connection. The 1150mAh Lithium Ion battery can last up to 4 hours (when using only one Wifi client). It is sold with a Mobile Broadband Service Plan. A similar device is available from Sprint.
Giz Wiz Meet-Up - A Reminder
Dick, Leo and Dane Golden will be at the San Francisco Jillian's Billiards at the Sony Metreon this evening for a meet-up with fans and friends, which will start at 6-ish. Details in Dick's post.
Wine Train - Catching Up
Dick and Leo went gourmet-dining and wine-tasting on the Napa Wine Train yesterday, along with Jennifer and Abby. As promised, Leo (with the help of his Verizon MiFi) uploaded photos and videos from the Wine Train. If you missed it yesterday, you can catch up here.
Totting up at TD Bank
While Leo's rummaging through his mailbag for a letter to read, Dick steps in to read a letter from Doug from Stanhope, New Jersey. In Episode 861, Dick talked about the surcharge imposed by banks for counting up your coins, and the better alternative of the Coinstar Machines. Doug wants to draw the listeners' attention to the TD Bank (formerly Commerce Bank) in the New York/New Jersey area, whose branches will tot up your coins for free.
A Free Ride in the Tesla
Leo finally locates the letter he was going to read. Back in Episode 661 Darrell and Marilyn Holmquist from San Jose wrote to Dick, promising to give Dick and Leo a ride in their Tesla which was due to arrive in May or June this year. Now the Tesla Roadster has arrived, and Dick and Leo can try it when Dick is in the area for the recording of Episode 900. The test run has now been slotted for today (Tuesday Pacific time), before Dick and Leo start this week's recording session.
Listen to Episode 892
Go to TWiT
The Giz Wiz Home Page
Find DGW Info on GizWizSearch
Beat Blender
Music Mixer
Link: Wild Planet Instructions techdweeb
Dick's Gadget Warehouse
Released in June 2006 and designed by Eric Shank, the Wild Planet Beat Blender was a music mixer that had 3 tracks controlled by 3 beat selector buttons (Drums, Rhythm and Lead). Each track had 4 or 5 music samples, plus a silent beat. There were 4 tempo settings. From these controls, you could make your own loops. You could even piggyback more than one Beat Blender together to create longer songs. Wild Planet does not make it any more, but hacked versions can be found on the web.
Got Audible
Regular correspondent Steve Miller spent 2 hours trying to get Paul Minshall's Audible Theme out of his head. In the end he had to go to the Audbile website, and bought himself Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, a book previously recommended by Leo and Paul Thurrott of Windows Weekly.
Weekend Pursuits
If you're in NYC at the moment, Dick recommends an exhibition organised by Gladstone Gallery of works by Basil Wolverton, dubbed by a New York Times article as "The Michelangelo of MAD". Then head off to the High Line Park.
Listen to Episode 890
Go to TWiT
The Giz Wiz Home Page
Find DGW Info on GizWizSearch
Eos Wireless Speaker System
iPod Wireless Speakers
Link: Eos Wireless
Turn-The-Tables-Tuesday
An easy way to spread music around your house. The Eos Wireless Speaker System starts with the base station, where you can play music from your iPod via the iPod dock (not iPhone-certified) or from another audio source through the Aux jack (3.5mm headphone jack). You can add up to 4 wireless satellite speakers which will start working as soon as you plug them into a power outlet. Music is transmitted wirelessly from the base station to the satellite speakers using GigaWave technology, without interfering your WiFi at home. All speakers are stereo 2.1.
For other options, with different functionalities, check out listener Steve Miller's recommendation in Episode 682, the Logitech Squeezebox Boom, or the Sonos System which Leo would love to be able to review.
Family Concerns
Dr Mark Sukoenig has much to write about. Being a model of courtesy and discretion, and a doctor, he asks after Leo's sister Eva (who made a guest appearance in Episode 876) and wonders why she looks significantly older than Leo. Then he asks after Mama Laporte, and is concerned about her oratorical capacity, as she didn't seem to talk much when she appeared on TWiTLive.
Crust and The Ten Commandments
More to the point, Dr Mark is very well connected in the medical field. Hailing from Syracuse, New York, Dr Mark would have been served when he was young by the inventor of the Brannock Device (see his letter in Episode 280). Not only that, he is also a distant cousin of Herman Klotz, a dentist whose name happened to be used by MAD in a satire on Crest, called Crust, for which he was handsomely compensated by having a stack of MAD magazines sent to him. For the cover of the relevant MAD Issue No.43, visit Doug Gilford's Mad Cover Site. Dick remembers that MAD did a visual Ten Commandments, and for "Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery", MAD used a picture of a motel, and the motel owner was similarly compensated.
Gotcha!
Dr Mark likes to listen to the Daily Giz Wiz while driving. Just last month, he was doing the same thing, and he laughed so hard that he lost control of the car, the car skidded on an ice slick, flipped over in a snow bank, hit a tree .... and got Leo, but not the street-wise Dick Debartolo. He hasn't heard any report of snow in July, even in Syracuse, and certainly not last July.
Giz Wiz Meet-Up
Don't forget about the Giz Wiz Meet-Up in the evening of Tuesday 11 August in San Francisco.
Listen to Episode 887
Go to TWiT
The Giz Wiz Home Page
Find DGW Info on GizWizSearch
For other options, with different functionalities, check out listener Steve Miller's recommendation in Episode 682, the Logitech Squeezebox Boom, or the Sonos System which Leo would love to be able to review.
Family Concerns
Dr Mark Sukoenig has much to write about. Being a model of courtesy and discretion, and a doctor, he asks after Leo's sister Eva (who made a guest appearance in Episode 876) and wonders why she looks significantly older than Leo. Then he asks after Mama Laporte, and is concerned about her oratorical capacity, as she didn't seem to talk much when she appeared on TWiTLive.
Crust and The Ten Commandments
More to the point, Dr Mark is very well connected in the medical field. Hailing from Syracuse, New York, Dr Mark would have been served when he was young by the inventor of the Brannock Device (see his letter in Episode 280). Not only that, he is also a distant cousin of Herman Klotz, a dentist whose name happened to be used by MAD in a satire on Crest, called Crust, for which he was handsomely compensated by having a stack of MAD magazines sent to him. For the cover of the relevant MAD Issue No.43, visit Doug Gilford's Mad Cover Site. Dick remembers that MAD did a visual Ten Commandments, and for "Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery", MAD used a picture of a motel, and the motel owner was similarly compensated.
Gotcha!
Dr Mark likes to listen to the Daily Giz Wiz while driving. Just last month, he was doing the same thing, and he laughed so hard that he lost control of the car, the car skidded on an ice slick, flipped over in a snow bank, hit a tree .... and got Leo, but not the street-wise Dick Debartolo. He hasn't heard any report of snow in July, even in Syracuse, and certainly not last July.
Giz Wiz Meet-Up
Don't forget about the Giz Wiz Meet-Up in the evening of Tuesday 11 August in San Francisco.
Listen to Episode 887
Go to TWiT
The Giz Wiz Home Page
Find DGW Info on GizWizSearch
LG enV3
Cellphone
Link: LG
The third iteration of the LG enV (version one in Episode 219), the enV 3 is available in the US at Verizon.
This time it has a 2.6" internal LCD screen (320 x 240 pixels), a 3 MP
camera (stills and video), a qwerty keyboard, a microSD card slot, and
supports bluetooth stereo. Plays music and video. The headphone jack
remains a 2.5mm jack, though. Comes in Slate Blue and Maroon.
The Wine Train for Dick
Dick is booked for a visit to Petaluma for Episode 900, and for the Napa Valley Wine Train, which Leo hasn't been on yet. Dick is looking forward to the train, while Leo is looking forward to the wine.
iPres
Chris Van Amburg writes in to tell Dick that while Leo was away in China, he was elected President of the Internet by Tech Republic.
The election featured as candidates Leo, Molly Wood, Marc Andreessen
and Jason Calacanis. A last-minute dash pushed Molly Wood to 31% of
the votes, second to Leo's 41% (3773 votes). Leo has named his cabinet, which makes hilarious reading. Leo asks Dick to be Secretary of Fun, but forgot to include the post in the final line-up. In celebration of his inauguration, Leo dons a crown for the occasion.
Podcast of the Year
Leo promises to have the Daily Giz Wiz nominated for Podcast of the Year, in one of the categories at Blog World Expo. Please remind Leo when the time comes for nomination.
Samsung NC20
Netbook
Link: Samsung
Turn-The-Tables-Tuesday
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
UniFunnel
Hands-Free Funnel Holder
Link: Unifunnel
Even the apparently simple task of pouring liquid through a funnel offers its own challenges, having to hold the funnel in place while at the same time grappling with the sometimes heavy, sometimes slippery, source container. The Unifunnel is a hands-free funnel holder, which keeps the funnel in place freeing your hands to deal with the load. The Unifunnel has a pair of pliers with spring torque action. Squeeze the pliers to insert the 4 stabilising prongs into any container or tank opening from 1 ¼” to 2 ¼” in size. Once the prongs are inside, release the pliers. This keeps the funnel in place. If necessary adjust the height of the rings. Funnel not included.
Lunar Landing
Today is the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11's moon landing, and Leo has succeeded in his first China landing.
The Wine Train
When Dick visits the TWiT Cottage for Episode 900, Leo will play the proper host and take Dick on the Napa Valley Wine Train. Dick, who has been to a wine-tasting session with Bill Gaines, is the ultimate sommelier. He can tell a red wine from a white with no difficulty.
Another DGW Guest
Leo's sister Eva, who now helps Leo handle his emails for the TWiT network, is a big MAD fan and used to read the magazine with Leo. She's over at the TWiT Cottage and goes on camera on TWiTlive, to meet Dick on the air for the first time. Dick is surprised to meet a pretty lady, nothing like Leo's description - facial scars, big ears, missing teeth. She's got the face and Leo's got the voice - and the perfect radio face, Dick observes. Meet Eva Laporte here (video clip from odtv.me).
Steve's Gadget Warehouse
Steve Miller, who has written before about his gadget-buying compulsion, has just come back from a vacation in Peru and is catching up with the back catalogue. Dick and Leo are now responsible for Steve's Altec Lansing Orbit, the Striker Magnetic Light Mine, the Stealth Flashlight, the SlushMug, and the Pogo Plug. Fortunately he already had the Dynaflex Powerball Gyroscope and the Logitech Nano VX Mouse, but he's just bought 2 pairs of tactical pants. He wants Leo to do more bicycle gadgets, as he has no interest in buying them, to save him some money. Leo suffers from the same affliction. Dick will always remember that when he was covering the Ready Kit Plus (Episode 29), Leo had ordered 5 of them before the end of the show (which was all of 7 minutes).
Back on the Ball
By the time this show is aired, Leo is back from his China Tour and it's business as usual at TWiT. Dick and Leo will be back at their Tuesday slot tomorrow recording another 5 episodes of the Daily Giz Wiz on TWiTlive.
Listen to Episode 876
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
The Axius and Zeus Propulsion Systems, designed respectively for twin sterndrive engines and twin inboards, use pod units that can operate independently of each other. This offers much more efficient and accurate control of boat movements. They are connected to a computer which gives you easy manoeuvrability of the boat with the simple use of a joystick. Just move the joystick and the computer will work out which pod units to use for the desired movement. You can move the boat sideways, or just spin the boat around - docking and piloting made easy. The Skyhook button, with the help of a GPS, keeps the vessel on a fixed heading (particularly useful in a tight area) even in strong currents and windy conditions.
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
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.
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
