9 posts tagged “elf”

Clickfree's DVD Transformer is a USB dongle that has Windows software pre-installed, which searches for files on your computer for backing up and burns them on to DVDs.  You can take the software's default selections, or you can configure what files to look for and back up.  Essentially you're buying the software, but it's not restricted to any one computer.

The DVD Transformer is a kind of hybrid of previous products which Dick talked about, the Clickfree Backup Drive (Episode 629), Clickfree DVD Backup (Episode 639), and Clickfree Transformer (Episode 753).  Whereas the Clickfree Transformer backs up your data to any hard drive, the DVD Transformer backs up to DVDs.


An FM Voice for AM Radio
When Leo first started on an AM radio station, he was told that his voice wouldn't do, because he got a mellow FM voice, instead of a more in-your-face AM voice.

Living Inside Your Love
Leo recently went to a benefit concert, and met one of the artists who performed at the concert: Earl Klugh, whose Living Inside Your Love Leo had to play incessantly when Leo was on San Francisco's KKSF in about 1984 (although the song was from the 1976 album of the same name.


Backup, Backup
Leo has 14 hard drives installed in various computers in the studio, over 30 just scattered around, and even more in the rest of the TWiT Cottage.  After he lost the video recording of Episode 600, he now makes sure that everything is recorded and backed up.

Game Show Memories
Since Dick was involved in game shows other than Match Game, listeners have requested Dick to do another show in the style of his earlier Match Game Memories.  He might just do that.  A small number of Match Game Questions are still left for sale.

A Petaluma Nobody
Jim Driscoll from Atlanta, who was looking forward to Episode 7795 in his last letter (Episode 534), met recently in the San Francisco Bay area a colleague who lives in a little town called Petaluma.  Jim asked her if she knew Leo.  "Leo who?"  Jim went on to astonish her with his intimate knowledge of the Butter and Eggs Parade.


Listen to Episode 851
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The Zircon Repeater was a retractable tape measure, available in 10 feet or 25 feet models, with a built-in microphone and voice recorder, for you to record the measurements you took.  Dick has had it for 10 years but it's still available on the internet.

Zircon has other interesting products, including StudSensors, their modern versions of the old StudFinder.

From A Fellow Correspondent
Phil Baker, currently technology columnist for the San Diego Daily Transcript, and whom Leo first met when Phil was working for Seiko, writes in about his new book.  Phil has been involved with many classic products such as the Polaroid SX 70, the Folding Keyboard and the Apple Newton.  If you're interested in what's involved behind the scenes in the development of gadgets, check out his book "From Concept To Consumer", available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble, or on the Kindle Store.



Dick's Next Visit To Petaluma
Dick first visited TWiT Cottage on 27 June 2008 for Episode 600 and GizWizLive.  Episode 1000 is coming up but thatwill be next year.  Episode 800 is just next week and too soon.  So Dick might come over for Episode 900, and that's about 5 months away.  Dick and Leo are considering doing a public event for Episode 1000, maybe in New York City, driving an Oscar Mayer Wienermobile decorated as a Golden iPod.  Suggestions from listeners are not welcome, though, as they are tired of hearing "Get out of my life," "Stop podcasting," and "Give me a break."

Hitting the Wall
Leo took Henry to the Louvre in Paris to see the Mona Lisa.  Henry wasn't impressed by its size.  Wait till he gets to the Great Wall of China then.

This is version 2 of Leapster from Leapfrog, for children 4 to 8.  A learning system (or handheld gaming console) for children, with learning games.  Now it can be connected to the TV as well.   Parents can also check the progress of the child online.

Tug Boat Races
Dick was off boating over the Labor Day Weekend, and witnessed some tug boat racing, while Leo and Jennifer helped Abby pack before her trip to France.

A New Hat for Leo
Leo got a freebie from Cat of Let's Knit Together.

New Parking Meters
Another Festive Letters Jingle is played in the heat of September, while Leo sips his tomato and basil hot soup.  Yowan Pearson from Montreal was listening to Episode 616 (Parking Meter Alarm) in which Dick and Leo talked about the price of parking.  In downtown Montreal, most of the parking is 3 or 4 dollars an hour.  Parking meters are now replaced by an electronic parking booth - no need for coins, but you cannot add time to your previous payment.


Listen to Episode 651
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A recent report on Engadget reminded Dick of this device, from the late 1970's.  Developed by Ronco (Ron Popeil), Mr Microphone was a wireless microphone and you could use it to broadcast using FM frequency.  To see how it worked and what it did, you can watch the TV commercial on YouTube; or just read this ad discovered by the author of the wonderfulwonderblog on the back of an old CD.



The report on Engadget was of a hack by kipkay who took the device apart and put in a high end mic into the gut.  The main photo of above of Mr Microphone is taken from the video kipkay made of the hack.

DGW Commercials
Paul Newell from Yucaipa, California, in response to the letters of complaint in Episode 641, writes in to support commercials on DGW.

Cheesy Recipes
Talk of commercials reminds Dick of the awful recipes in the Kraft commercials, voiced-over by Ed Herlihy, and Leo drifts into the lyrics of MacArthur Park.


Listen to Episode 650
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Display Link is a technology built into different products which enables easy multi-monitor display from a single computer or source.  The extra display may be an extended display, or a mirrored/cloned display.  At the simplest level, Display Link can be used in an External Display Adapter, such as the Gefen USB to DVI Adapter (picture above).  Just install the Display Link driver on your computer (Windows and Mac supported), plug the Adapter to a USB port, connect a 2nd monitor to the Adapter via DVI, and you have a 2nd display monitor.

Display Link relies on hardware manufacturers to apply the technology in their products.  For example, you can have a monitor with a built-in Display Link hardware rendering engine chip, and you can connect the monitor directly to a USB port on your computer to be used as a secondary display, such as LG's Flatron L206WU (which has a USB hub as well, for daisy chaining additional Display Link-enabled monitors).

Samsung's SyncMaster 2263DX comes with its own 7-inch secondary display monitor which you can put alongside or on top of the main display.  You connect the main unit using both the main connection (whether it be HDMI, DVI or VGA), and also to a USB port on the computer, and then connect the 7-in display to the main monitor via USB.  X-bit Labs has a review of this monitor.

For a list of Display Link-supported devices, click here.

DGW 4th Sesquicentennial Video
Dick refers to a video, made by someone who has put all the DGW themes and jingles back to back, with pictures of past gadgets.  That someone would be me, and while we wait for Dick or Leo to dig up the email, you can see the video on YouTube, or go back to the blog post for Episode 600.

Stay Unconnected
Both Dick and Leo are frustrated with the "Scale Whale" or "Fail Whale" that is Twitter.  Dennis Wright suggests Summize to Dick for searching for Twitter replies.  Dick suggests going to Stay Unconnected, which is apparently run by those who make the SpearHats (Episode 537), to have some fun.


Listen to Episode 606
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Operating on 3 AA batteries, the SpotOn from Philips is a free-standing (no installation required) LED light with a motion sensor which turns itself on when motion is detected.  Particularly useful for lighting up cupboards and closets when the doors are opened.

GizWizLive
Dick and Leo thank Kim and Robin from Wild Planet for turning up for GizWizLive in their elf costumes (a feat they repeated in New York when visiting the Mad Office), and giving them a 600th anniversary cake and a TWiTLive Spork Clock to Leo.  For details of GizWizLive, see the blog post for Episode 596.  DGW listeners who could not watch GizWizLive, including Jeff Coddle, have asked Dick if the video will one day be available.  Leo has the video but at present does not have a channel for distributing the video.  One day it will come.

Upcoming New Sponsors
After Leo's recent visit to Audible's headquarters at Newark (during which Leo recorded an audible children's book "Little Golden Riding Hood"), Audible is going to return on DGW as a sponsor next month.  So will Visa.  As Leo explains, donations from the audience are applied towards TWiT overheads while only sponsorship money is shared among the TWiT hosts.

DGW Disclaimer
Thanks to Dan Lueders's recent prolific output, DGW will have a Thursday Theme, and a Disclaimer (which Leo plays at the end of today's show).  The musical portion for the Disclaimer is a reprise of part of Dan Lueders's earlier Gravy Jingle Submission which was lost and found, and finally played in Episodes 313 and 314.

Confounding a Jury
Kevin Selle from Dallas, Texas (previous letters in Episodes 428, 551) was called upon for jury service and went prepared with his iPod loaded with DGWs.  While the jury panel were waiting, he learned about the Plantronics Discovery 925 in Episode 597.  When he got to the UroClub, Episode 598, he started convulsing in laughter and tears in the company of his potential fellow jurymen.  Leo warns us about the dangers of listening to DGW, with a little help from Dan Lueders.

To learn about the most severe side-effect of DGW so far, see Episode 188.


Listen to Episode 601
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Made by Eagle Creek and available at Magellan's, the Multi-Function Travel Clock tells the times of 16 cities around the world, is an alarm clock (with snooze function), calculator, currency converter, and even tells the temperature.

Brand New Monday Jingle
It's a brand new week and a brand new day and a brand new Monday Jingle, from Dan Lueders again, which has incorporated Leo's Monday ditty, their occasional slogan "The worse your life is, the better we sound" and even the Gravy Slogan.

Rock My Teeth
Patrick Warn from Georgia, Vermont writes about Rock My Teeth - a musical tooth-whitening system.  Attach the whitening kit to your iPod and the music, Professor Bocelli claims, helps line up the peroxide molecules to make it easier for them to penetrate through the enamel into the dentin to whiten the teeth.  Watch the video here.  Dick thinks the HydraBrush (Episodes 226, 480) - though Dick thinks it's called Turbo Brush - makes a lot more sense.

Cotati Accordion Festival
Dick is joing Leo at TWiTLive on Friday 20 June 2008, and Dick has had difficulty getting a room at the local hotels, because that weekend is the Cotati Accordion Festival.  Dick manages to book himself a 2-night package at the Metro Cafe and Hotel, one of Leo's favourites.  Kim from Wild Planet is going to demonstrate their Christmas toys and she'll come dressed as an elf.


Listen to Episode 566
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A bulletproof shield which can fit into most backpacks.  According to Backpack Shield's website, it is supposed to stop bullets from virtually all handguns.  Essentially a Kevlar sheet, it will protect you from the back, but can also be used as a shield when you put the backpack in front of you.  A sad commentary on American society, Leo says.


The company also sells backpacks, including see-through or transparent varieties, for convenient security checks.

VeggieTales
Technopiliac from Toronto, Ontario writes in about the VeggieTales which often parody popular TV shows and films.  There's a parody of the Lord of the Rings, called the Lord of the Beans, in which the beans are scared of - an army of Sporks - forged by Lord Scaryman.  In the end, the sporks were defeated by Keebler cookies.  The parody is available on DVD on Amazon.


That brings back bitter memories for Leo, of the sponsorship that never was, by To[s]tino pizza rolls.

Listen to Episode 524
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Dick says a listener who signs as "Marked" always get the WTHII  gadget right.

Mad Minute
Motel Records gives you all the religious music you need.

Listen to Episode 140
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Read Dick's Write-Up