46 posts tagged “regis”

From 1993, the first portable video projector from Fujix from about 13 years ago, the Fujix P701 weighed about 6 pounds, with built-in speakers and amplifier, microphone input and RCA audio and video inputs, and Dick thinks it cost about $700-$800.  It was considered a business class product, but had only 89,000 pixels (little more than 320 x 240) and 100 lumens.  Dick and Leo joke that if Kenner or Mattel were to make a toy projector today, its specs would outclass the P701.

The German site projektoren-datenbank.com lists the recommended retail price as €900.  Back in 1993, the Euro did not exist, so it's unclear how the price conversion was done.  There was a P701 available on German eBay a week ago, but the auction has now ended (final price €51).

Bicycle Gadgets
Larry Blakely from Vienna, Virginia (where AOL is, says Leo) has been a listener since the show began (and Larry was one of the winners of the weird gadgets competition back in Episode 146).  Recently Larry has been training for a fund-raising event organised by bestbuddies.org - a charity for fostering friendships between volunteers and people with intellectual disabilities.  He has chosen the 50-mile cycle challenge, during which he will ride on a trike from Carver to Hyannis Port, Massachusetts.  Larry would welcome suggestions from Dick of bike gadgets such as headlights, safety lights, and flat tyre protection.

TerraTrike
For some hi-tech recumbent tricycles, visit terratrike.com.  These are state-of-the-art trikes for the dedicated cyclers.


Butter and Eggs Day
Petaluma will be celebrating its annual Butter and Eggs Day tomorrow, and you may hear the parade band pass by if you listen to Leo's radio show.  Meanwhile, Leo will be preparing himself and Ozzy for the Cutest Little Chick contest.


Listen to Episode 815
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The Calypso was a clever device, apparently German-designed, a cup holder for the dashboard of your car or boat, so called because it would "dance" gently in sync with the movements of your car or boat, so that your drink would never spill, up to a curve of 45°.  In its base was a set of ball bearings floating in a bed of oil.  It appears to be still available on the Unique Products website, from which the following demo video is taken.



White Christmas
The Green Room temperature was 70.2° on Leo's SkyScan Clock (Episode 592), and it's unlikely they'll get a White Christmas.  Leo says that Irving Berlin wrote the song "White Christmas" in hot sunny L.A..  It is true that one of the verses in the song (which is now often left out) does refer to Beverly Hills, LA:


But according to Wikipedia (so it must be correct), Irving Berlin wrote the song by the pool at the Arizona Biltmore Resort and Spa in Phoenix, Arizona.  Wikipedia doubters may get reassurance from the Resort's own website about its history.

The Christmas Song
Leo tells us that Mel Tormé's "The Christmas Song" was also written in hot L.A.: Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping at your nose ...  Apparently he and co-writer Bob Wells wrote it on a sweltering summer day, and Bob Wells thought that if he imagined himself immersed in winter, he could cool off.

Regis's Generosity
Dick does a reprise of the story about how Regis generously allowed Dick to use images from his show on Dick's local cable show.  For that story, the 10-second (or 8-second) rule in copyright, and coincidentally another story about Irving Berlin suing Mad for alleged copyright infringement, go back to Episode 71.

RV Calypso
Leo is a wealth of information today.  Jacques-Yves Cousteau was a French marine explorer and oceanographic researcher who co-developed the aqua-lung and converted a Royal Navy ship called the Calypso to an expedition vessel (not quite a bathysphere) for marine research.

GizWizBiz Caps
The all new GizWizBiz Caps with extra fire power are available and will make a good Christmas present at GizWizBiz.com.  The Ice Cube is still available (check out GizWizGarbage.com), but the USB Smart Button may be harder to get by.  It will be given away free for any order of 3 Caps or more.

Another Laptop Bag Junkie


It's been 30 days since Robert Alexander's last laptop bag purchase.  He seems to find every new purchase lacking and feels compelled to buy a new one.  He also has a pen fetish but that's under control.  He really likes the Uniball Jetstream, which Leo would love to try out.  Oh, it's been 1 day since Robert's last laptop bag purchase.

Leo is tipping his hand for his next TTTT.  It's going to be a new laptop bag from Tom Bihn.  It's going to be 4 days until Robert Alexander's next laptop bag purchase.

Twitterers' Pen Recommendation
In Episode 677, Leo recommends, for a fountain pen, the Pilot Varsity.  For a roller ball, his favourite is the Pilot G2, a recommendation from people on Twitter.



John Denver's Calypso
If you can't get enough of Leo's tenor-turned-baritone singing on the audio podcast, you can hear him sing John Denver's Calypso (which is also about Jacques Cousteau's ship), on this extract of the TWiTLive video.




Listen to Episode 715
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If you need a bit of reassurance and affirmation in your life, the Yes Man talking doll would be perfect for you.  Ask the Yes Man a question, and it would give you one of 8 affirmative, back-patting answers.  You could also record your own answers.  It also appeared on the Disney movie "My Favorite Martian".  The Yes Man was from about 15 years ago, and the company Rau Creations is still in business.

It certainly sounds better than Squawkers McCaw (Episode 413), but it can't beat Real Talkin' Bubba (Episode 246).


Multiplying Rabbits
Karl from Phoenix, Arizona wants to know if Dick has in the Gadget Warehouse the Rabbit Video Multiplier (made by Gemini Industries), which was a VCR receiver-transmitter, that allowed you to watch a video in any room in the house from one VCR .  Karl's version was a wired one.  Dick once had the wireless version.  A current version of the Rabbit seems to be available still, and there are other choices, including the Wavecom Junior, and Belkin's Pure AV Remote TV (Episode 57).

Calvin and Jobs
Mad's current issue has a spoof comic strip called Calvin and Jobs (being Steve Jobs), based on the much-loved Calvin and Hobbes.  Someone has scanned it and posted it on Flickr.  Dick was annoyed that no credit was given to the original artists, and he meant Mad writer Jacob Lambert and artist Gary Hallgren, not the original original artist Bill Watterson.


Listen to Episode 640
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The Lexmark X9575 Professional is an all-in-one printer aimed at the SOHO business user.  It is a printer, scanner, photocopier and fax.  Connection can be via USB2, ethernet or WiFi (g/b/n).  The printer speed is up to 33 ppm (black) and 28 ppm (colour), up to 4800 x 2400 dpi, and can do borderless colour prints.  Supports PictBridge direct printing from the camera, with a 2.4" colour screen for selection or editing.  The flat-bed scanner has an optical resolution of 1200 x 4800 dpi, 24-bit colour depth.  The photocopier is capable of reduction and enlargement from 25% to 200%.  The fax supports black and white or colour faxes, with 99 speed dials and 100 pages of fax memory.  Auto document feeder capacity of 50 pages.

The Drunk Professor
The last time Leo appeared on Regis and Kelly (which was February 2007: see Episode 246 when Leo was in New York visiting Dick's Gadget Warehouse), he was asked to wear a lab coat which made him look like a drunk professor.  He's been invited to go back, but this time, Leo thinks he might insist on a tutu.



Golden Boy
Before Dick's visit to TWiT Cottage for GizWizLive, he could hardly remember Dane's name.  This week Dick cannot stop talking about him, and there is now talk that Dane, "who needs to be needed", might defect to GizWiz Productions, especially with the threat of the upcoming spy-cams all over the TWiT Cottage.

Leo mentions the name of Tony among the TWiT crew.  He's Tony Wang, the new TWiT netcast editor, taking the place of Dane Golden after the latter's promotion to President and BizDev Guy.

Privacy is Dead
James aka Uncle Big Bad wants to know what Dick and Leo thinks about how the internet has changed everything about your personal life.  According to Leo, Google doesn't think there's such a thing as privacy any more.

The Wild Wild West
Learn about Robert Conrad playing James West in The Wild Wild West.

Longest Episode
This show quickly overtakes the recent Episode 628 as the longest episode.

Listen to Episode 634
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From 1994, Sony made this SRF-X90 Monocular Sports Radio.  It was a 8x magnification monocular made for live sports viewing, with an AM/FM stereo radio.  The idea was you could watch the sports event while listening to radio commentary through the earphones, complete with AVLS (automatic volume limiter system).  Water-resistant.  Worked on one AA battery.

One of these is available on Amazon UK at the time of writing.

Folding the Omelette
Dick once showed on Regis a set of Börnschaft copper-bottomed pots, all for $20.  Instead of folding the omelette, Dick folded the frying pan, live on TV.

WTHII Game Show
In response to Leo's question whether WTHII could make a TV game show (Episode 610), Michael Richardson writes in to say that there was already such a show, Liar's Club.  You can watch clips from the show on YouTube, such as this link.


Listen to Episode 620
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From 1989, the DMG-01 was the first Nintendo Game Boy.  About $89 when it was first released, 5.8" x 3.5" x 1.3", with a grey-scale 2.6" LCD screen of 160 x 144 pixels.  The CPU was similar to the Intel 8080, 8KB of S-RAM, 8KB of Video RAM.  Despite its bulky size and poor display (by today's standards), it proved extremely popular, and the Tetris game had a lot to do with it.

The success of the original Game Boy was such that the next new model (with the exception of the Play It Loud series which had the same specs, just cases with different colours), the Game Boy Pocket, wasn't released until 1996, which was smaller and lighter.

Kiddie Rides
Not a letter from a listener, but a press release from Damon Carson, President of Kiddie Rides USA, which refurbishes old coin-operated kiddie rides.  They're now available for sale.



Listen to Episode 595
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The SpokeLit is an LED lighting device which you can attach to any bicycle wheel (with a 3-cross spoke pattern) which glows as a lighted circle when you ride on your bike, to announce your presence to other traffic in dark conditions.  Available in Red, Green and Blue.  Available from Nite Ize, which also sells the Fibre Optic Flashlight Adapter, the Dec '06 WTHII gadget (see Episode 226).

Copyrighting Gadget
Dick explains that the reason so many gadgets are spelt in funny ways, such as SpokeLit and Nite Ize is so that they can be more easily copyrighted.

The Birth of DGW
Dick and Leo think it was the Hudson Hotel in New York where the idea for DGW was born, while Leo was in town to appear on Regis, after the Hardware Show Preview.

Another Trivia Question
"What is a pregnant goldfish called?" a listener asks Leo.  "A mamafish," replies Leo.  All right, it's a twit.  Read The Straight Dope to learn more than you want to know about it.

Leo's Autobiography
Another listener suggests a name for Leo's autobiography, "TWiT'll Be Me", although Leo now prefers "I Never Stopped Talking".

600th Episode
Episode 600 is coming on in 2 weeks, and Dick and Leo may well be recording it on 20 June when Dick is at the TWiTLive Studio.  They might get Wild Planet to give away some prizes, or get ThinkGeek to make some monogrammed Sporks, or SpearHats.


Listen to Episode 589
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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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From 1993, Texas Instruments made the TImeRunner.  The photo above (courtesy of Joerg Woerna) is model PS-9500.  It had 64KB built-in memory, was a world clock, alarm, calendar and calculator.  It stored 3 main types of information:  Reminders, Addresses and Notes.  It was made with a lip with rings to fit inside a Day Runner.  An electronic organiser inside a loose-leaf organiser.  Seemed like a good idea at the time.

44 Years of Fold-Ins
Al Jaffee has been doing the Mad Fold-Ins since June 1964, following Playboy's Fold-Outs.  He still does it, and does it on a hard, flat board, and has never needed to actually fold the artwork to see the result.

For the recent New York Times interview and article on Al Jaffee, click here.

The NY Times has also reproduced some of the fold-ins over the last 44 years.  You can try your hand at the fold-ins yourself to get the answers to the questions posed.  Don't miss out on the interactive fold-ins.

A Match Game Question for TTTT
"Lazy Leo is so lazy he looks under his desk for a gadget, it was too far away, so he's going to talk about the _______ again," writes Robert Hayes of Colorado.

Listen to Episode 555
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