6 posts tagged “musical”

The Z Bar Desk Lamp from CCrane has 66 LED lights, using only 9.6W, giving 112 lumens focused within a 50 degrees viewing angle.  The Z shape gives it flexibility while the weighted base gives it stability.  If your desk is too cramped, it comes with a desk clamp so that it doesn't take up more desk space.

TWiT: The Early Days
Leo explains the origin of the name TWiT.  When the old gang from G4/TechTV, including Leo, Patrick Norton, Kevin Rose, David Prager and Robert Heron, got together for the podcast, they originally called the show Revenge of the Screen Savers.  They soon got a cease and desist letter from G4.  Eventually they asked the listeners to make suggestions for the name, and the winning entrant would get a surprise box of stuff from Patrick's garage - the "box of crap".  Entries included Revenge Of The Green Saviours, SledgeCast, Saved By The Geeks, and This Week In Geek, the last of which was closest to what Leo wanted.  In the end Leo decided on This Week In Tech, shortened to the acronym TWiT which became the name of the site and his podcasting network.

For a summary of the early episodes of TWiT (0 to 9), you can get Episode 81 of TWiT: The Early Years.  It is a collection of tidbits from the podcasts (but not a best-of) outlining how the podcast evolved in the early days, badly put together by none other than myself, which I would have called TWiTbits.

TWiT Trademark
Leo has trademarked the brand TWiT for virtually all media, including audio, video, variety show and musical.  Leo's lawyer questioned Leo about his involvement in variety shows.  Of course we do variety shows.  The Daily Giz Wiz.  What about musicals?  The Daily Giz Wiz.  The only 4 media left are vinyl, cylinder, 8-track and wire recorder.

Just don't talk to Leo or Dane Golden about TWiT and Twitter.

Leo's Life Stories
Dick and Leo have often talked about Leo's autobiography and its title, the last time in Episode 812.  Tom Pruett has 3 ideas for Leo's book, all of which lend themselves easily to TV production as well.

The PodCouple - Leo Laporte has recently lost his job at TechTV.  Despondent, he wanders aimlessly until his friend Dick DeBartolo comes to the rescue and the two do a podcast together.  The trouble is Dick is neat and tidy and Leo is a slob ...

The PodFather - An aging patriarch of an organised podcasting dynasty, Leo Laporte, wants to transfer control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant friend Dick DeBartolo.  A story of power and greed, culminating in the Toothpick Bird and Spork Episodes.

Podman Begins - Explore the Podman legend and his emergence into a force for good.  A disillusioned tech journalist Leo Laporte travels the world seeking the means to fight injustice and to turn fear against those who prey on the fearful.  He comes back as his alter ego Podman, a mass crusader who uses his strength, intelligence and vast podcasting network to fight sinister forces.  Don't forget his butler, Leo adds, Dick TheBartolo.

MAD 500
MAD 500 is out, with retrospective looks into different parts of MAD Magazine's past issues (or episodes as Leo persists in calling them).  By MAD 502, Dick will have completed 40 years of unbroken contribution to every issue of MAD.  You can get MAD 500 along with the 2 Obama-cover issues as a collection autographed by Dick from MAD Stuff.


Listen to Episode 824
Go to TWiT
The Giz Wiz Home Page

Fuzz That Wuzz is a line of cuddly soft toys or stuffed animals made from recycled plastic bottles, designed by Mary Meyer.  Each toy contains at least the equivalent of at least 10 plastic bottles that are saved from being dumped into landfills.

Leo has taken yesterday's letter rather too literally.  He's treated it as a licence to write his own libretto and sing to his heart's content.

Leo is still feeling contrite about not having arranged anything for Dick when Dick last visited Petaluma for GizWizLive.  Next time he's going to take Dick on the Napa Wine Train.

Wine Tasting
Dick was once taken to a wine tasting event by Bill Gaines.  At the end of it, he could tell red wine from white.  For more on the story, see Episode 87 and Episode 718.

China Contacts
Ron Schmidt's daughter has worked in Beijing for 15 months, speaks Chinese and teaches English there.  Ron has kindly offered her as a contact for Leo on his Far East tour (from 3rd to 18th July) in case he needs any help.

Leo's China Geek Cruise
Leo studied Chinese (History) at Yale but has never been to China.  He's very excited about this tour, the first week of which will be a land tour, during which he will be visiting places in China including Beijing, Xian (terracotta soldiers), Guilin (the scenic Li River).  The cruise, which starts at Tianjin, will include Cheju Island in South Korea, Fukuoka and Nagasaki in Japan, where Leo would like to take Henry to see the Nagasaki National Peace Memorial Hall for Atomic Bomb Victims.  That's a lot of mileage to cover in 2 weeks, but then Leo is used to doing 10 things at a time.


Listen to Episode 789
Go to TWiT
The Giz Wiz Home Page

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
Go to TWiT
The Giz Wiz Home Page

Toilet Tunes consists of 2 parts, a motion sensor which you stick to the underside of the lavatory lid (waterproof and washable), and a music player.  Keep the lid down at all times.  When the lid is lifted, the motion sensor will send a wireless signal to the music player which will start playing music or nature sounds of your choice (jazz, modern, Latin guitar, rain, ocean waves, mountain stream).  An idea of screenwriter Lewis Green, the intended purpose is to alert others that the toilet is being occupied.  A unique toilet privacy solution.

Or you can lock the bathroom door.

New Thursday Theme
The new Thursday Theme by Dan Lueders gets aired today.

GizWizBiz Ice Cube
The GizWizBiz Ice Cube is not available for sale, but comes free if you order 2 or 3 GizWizBiz Caps.

The Ancient Sounds of Tetris
19-year-old Samuel Lewis seldom gets nostalgic over Warehouse Friday gadgets, but he was born in the year the Nintendo Game Boy (Episode 595) came out, and had one of them when he was old enough to play it.  He now plays a Nintendo DS, but still has the tune of Tetris in his head.


Listen to Episode 604
Go to TWiT
The Giz Wiz Home Page

After the ViewDock Monitor (Episode 208), Dick reviews the new VX series from ViewSonic.  The VX2435wm is a wide-screen 24" LCD monitor, 1920 x 1200 resolution, 1000:1 contrast ratio, stereo speakers, HDMI, component, composite and S-Video inputs, HDCP-compliant, so it is fully HD ready.  Response time 20ms black to black.  There is also a 28" model.


"And then I sat down and recorded another podcast"
Listener Bradley McGuffey is enthusiastic about Leo's unauthorised biography, "I Never Met The Man" (Episode 320).  It will be full of "... and then I sat down and recorded another podcast ..."  Leo is recording 8 podcasts today, because he has to go off for a reunion at Yale, from which he dropped out.

Frank Langella
Listen to stories about Frank Langella, and stories Langella himself has to tell.


Listen to Episode 324
Go to TWiT
The Giz Wiz Home Page