11 posts tagged “thanksgiving”

Dick covered the ATC-1000 and ATC-2K by Oregon Scientific in Episodes 42 and 258.  Now comes probably the 5th iteration of this helmet action cam, the ATC5K.  As before, it's waterproof (up to 10 ft) and shock-resistant (for its shock-resistant properties, see the YouTube video on the Episode 258 blog post).  It now records video at 640 x 480 VGA resolution at 30 fps, can take digital stills, with USB and RCA cables included. Comes with mount grips and straps of different lengths and mounts easily on handlebars and helmets.  1.5" LCD display, can be used as a webcam when connected to a computer.  Expandable with SD card up to 4GB.

Obama Cover
Dick re-reads the 2nd part of the letter from Robert Taylor (from Amarillo, Texas) (see Episode 710 for the first part).  Since Barack Obama's election, the Mad issue with the Obama cover (Yes, We Can't) has become the centre of attention in Texas, deep Republican territory.  Dick remarks that the price for that issue has also shot up on eBay.

Bill Gaines, Taylor Ham and Automat
Dick was introduced to Taylor Ham by Bill Gaines, and they went all the way to Atlantic City for it, as it was pioneered by John Taylor from Trenton, New Jersey.  Bill's enthusiasm for life meant that he was interested in almost everything.  Bill once took Dick to an expensive wine tasting session at the Waldorf Astoria, all dressed up in their tuxedos, and stopped en route at Automat's food vending machines for dinner.  For Dick's story of the wine tasting event, see Episode 87.

Mad Poster Book
Mad has a new Mad Poster Book, with full-size posters.



Listen to Episode 718
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Another GPS after Leo's TomTom One 3rd Edition (Episode 702).  Bushnell's BackTrack is designed for a limited and specific purpose.  No maps, no voice directions, just directions for getting back to where you started: your house, your car, and a customisable third location.  Good for camping, hiking, or getting back to your car-park.  Uses the SIRF Star III GPS Receiver.

Anti-Allergen
Kimberley suffers from a potentially deadly allergy to peanuts.  Having the Nirvana Organizer (Episode 691) is a life-saver for her as it protects her from any traces of peanuts which might be in the seat pocket.


Listen to Episode 711
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In 1997, Tiger Electronics released game.com, a hand-held video game console.  It had 2 game cartridge slots on either side, and what's more, had some PDA functions, such as calendar and phone book.  The screen was a touch screen, had 192 x 160 pixels resolution and only 4 shades of grey.  There was an even smaller, pocket version, which was more expensive.  Games included Scrabble, Wheel of Fortune and Lights Out.

What was pretty unusual was it had an internet connection accessory, a 14.4 kbps modem with which you could send emails via Tiger Electronics' site.



Match Game Moments
Tomorrow on Saturday 29 November, Dick will be live on Stickam with Match Game Moments at 8 pm EST.


Recording TWiTLive
Robert Taylor, who thought the Painters' Pyramids were dice used by the Luxor Hotel in Vegas (Episode 633), would like to know if it's possible to record TWiTLive.  You can access screen captures of the shows on odtv.me (thanks to kiwinerd and others).  If you want to do it yourself, try Camtasia, or Applian's Replay Capture for recording streaming video.

Or try the re-runs, although there are no published schedules for the re-run shows (which may include surprises such as the recent showing of an old episode of the Screen Savers, from Dan Hendricks, one of Leoville's chatroom moderators).

These are new flashlights from Energizer, with Aluminium Alloy bodies and LED bulbs, using Energizer's new e² Lithium Batteries which are supposed to have a shelf life of 15 years.  Three models to choose from.  Dick's model is the ELMCL42L, which is capable of up to 90 lumens and uses 4 AAA batteries.

The end caps are dimmers which reduce the brightness of the bulbs - the brightest of the models gives 110 lumens.  All models come with a belt/pocket clip.

Phobia
Dick has done his fair share of flashlights.  He has a fear of running out of flashlights.

Jack Benny
Josh from Denver has just started reading Good Days And Mad by Dick, in which a brief mention was made of Jack Benny whom Dick met (and in Episodes 397 and 556).  The Jack Benny Show was one of Josh's favourite old time radio shows, a lot of which Dick and Leo have talked about.

Another Phobia
Dick met Jack Benny on one of flights back from Los Angeles to New York while working on Match Game.  During their conversation, Jack told a story about George Burns's fear of flying.  Jack Benny had told Burns to look at the birds outside the plane which were also flying, just as they were.  Burns's riposte was, "It's their job!"

Chatroom Mayhem
Someone in the chatroom was misbehaving during the recording of the show, and Leo was distracted by having to deal with it and banning him from the chatroom.  At least that's his excuse for playing the Letters Jingle twice: not keeping his eyes on the ball, his 65cm diameter fitness ball.


Listen to Episode 709
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After the Toiletry Sheets (Episode 689), Dick introduces another of Travelon's products, the Luggage Scale with Tape Measure.  The airlines have yet again reduced not only the baggage allowance but also the total linear measurement.  So the tape measure would come in handy, too.  The scale comes with a hook from which to hang the suitcase for weighing.  The scale has a memory lock which locks the indicator at the measured weight for easy reading.  That's why the scale is also called "Stop and Lock".

And don't try Leo's trick of weighing himself with and without the suitcase and subtracting one from the other.  The scale's capacity is only 75 lbs.

Thanksgiving Eve
Dick is going to make his pineapple upside down cake again.  For his recipe, take a look at the classic cookbook Joy Of Cooking and just double up the amount of butter and brown sugar for the topping.

A Tale From the Tunnel
Dick has an old tale to tell about a trailer truck which was too high for the Holland Tunnel and got stuck.  A little boy had a brilliant solution.  Don't saw off the top.  Just let the tyres out!

Air Tickets form 1983
Recently unearthed from Dick's Gadget Warehouse are air tickets from 1983, from New York to Miami, and to Oakland.

That Blinking Idiot
While recording the show, Leo notices a blinking light behind Dick (near the top right corner of the screen), and Dick can't work out what it was.  But the chatroom works it out.  It's the flashing cursor of Leo's mouse on his Skype video screen.

Stromberg Carlson TV Sets
Dick and Leo find out that Stromberg Carlson, apart from the Candlestick telephone that jammerb gave Leo (Episode 696), used to make radio and television sets as well.  Leo also uncovers an advertisement from 1950 on TV History.


Apocalyptic Waste
Software developer Michael O'Connor (Lepton in the Chatroom and the TWiT Army), who has followed Leo since the days of "The Site" (see Episode 187), plays Fallout 3 on the PS3 and finds, among the apocalyptic waste and wreckage in Washington DC, a spork (Episode 182), which he uses on his rocket launcher - which can do serious damage.  Michael has recently developed an iPhone app called AirMote which has found its way to the iTunes App Store.


Listen to Episode 708
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Dick and Leo have referred to the Kill A Watt in passing before, in Episodes 553 and 642.  This new product, called Kill A Watt PS, retains the main functions of the previous gadget - electricity usage monitor with surge protection - but adds a power strip (8 extensions) to the bargain.

The monitor itself can give you information on how much electricity you are using.  It can now also check the quality of your power supply by monitoring voltage, line frequency, amperage and leakage.  The on/off switch also gives you a soft power up to prevent power spikes.  The circuit breaker is adjustable to a choice of 2, 5 10 or 15 Amps.  It even includes an EMI filter reducing AC power noise.

Seasonal Letters Jingle
Jared Heffner from Indiana wants more seasonal versions of the Letters Jingle, in addition to the Festive Version.  A Spring version with violins and birds, a 4th July version, and a Halloween version.  Leo asks George Wood, one of our theme-meisters, to get to work.


Listen to Episode 706
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A heads-up from a listener, Charles from Berkeley, California.  No need to worry about your shopping cart with your child sitting in it rolling down the slope.  At one end of the CartStopper is a giant suction cup, connected to a bungee cord with a hook at the other end which you attach to the shopping cart.  The device is strong enough to hold in place a full shopping cart with a child in it.

Leo thinks the CartStopper might be another Purseguard (Episode 406).  That's not going to please Shopping Mom Dyanne who designed the device!

CES 2009 Preview
Dick was at the CES 2009 Preview last week.  CES has to hold a preview in order to announce the CES awards in January.

Busy Bee
Busy Bee Ludwik Trammer is at work again.  He has some ideas for Dick's site, and is going to show Dick on Go To Meeting.  By the way, Giz Wiz Search now has a new .com URL: www.gizwizsearch.com.

The Joy of Gadgets
The Kodak Disc Camera (Episode 690) brings back fond memories of a strong and vibrant company for Brent [Cascamenti] from Rochester, New York, who has been working for Kodak as an electrical engineer for 27 years.  Brent has been a faithful listener since Episode 1, and thanks Dick and Leo for bringing him the joy of gadgets.

Skunk Works
Brent uses the word "Skunk Works" in his letter, which Leo explains to Dick, with a little help from Wikipedia, first used by Lockheed Martin in 1938.  The name has its origin in Al Capp's comic strip L'il Abner.

Dick's Thanksgiving
No small talk for Dick's party at Thanksgiving, where his pineapple upside down cake is de rigueur (in addition to the gravy of course).  For more on Dick's Thanksgiving celebrations, go back to Episode 199.  Whenever Dick misses his Thanksgiving fare, he can go to "Good Enough To Eat", all year round.  This is also the restaurant Dick took Leo for a huge breakfast when Leo was in New York (listen to the beginning of Episode 334).

Ready for TTTT
Leo had numerous ideas for last week's TTTT (see Episode 697), but only after the recording had ended.  This time, he's ready.


Listen to Episode 701
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An emergency first aid kit that comes with individual packs for treating different types of injury.  Each injury pack is colour-coded, with a printed instruction card, and even has its own audio module which, at the squeeze of a button, will tell you how to treat the injury.

The box comes with a flashlight/booklight which can be clipped on to a pack to illuminate the printed instructions.  Replacement packs are available.

Stop The Jingle !
Jim Nichol complains about the early onset of Christmas.  Stop the madness, he writes.  He's a Scrooge, says Leo.

Happy Birthday ...
... to Leo.

Listen to Episode 454
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From iRobot, the Looj is a gutter cleaning robot that removes leaves and debris from your gutter.  It uses a rechargeable Nickel Cadmium battery, and the handle detaches from the robot to form the remote control.  Put the robot in the gutter and use the remote control to move the robot along the entire gutter.  The robot can move back and forth.  The blades at its front, equipped with bristle, rotate (in either direction) at 500 rpm to clean off sludge and debris.  There's a video demo at the iRobot site.

Roomba Lighthouse
Although not the subject of a DGW episode, the iRobot Roomba has been mentioned before (in Episode 165).  The Roomba now has a Virtual Wall Lighthouse which directs the Roomba where to go.

It's a brand new week
Anish, who rhymes with quiche, as Leo rhymes with mayo, writes again (Episodes 322, 378) and has an observation to make.  Leo always sings the same sort of stuff every Monday, "It's a brand new week and a brand new day and a brand new daily giz wiz."  Another idea for a jingle?

Audible ...
... is back on DGW, with Steve Martin.  Go to http://www.audible.com/gizwiz, sign up and get a free credit.

Listen to Episode 451
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