46 posts tagged “travel accessories”
Charge4All
Portable Charging Mat
Link: Charge4All
For other charging mats covered by Dick, see Episode 748 (the Powermat and the Wildcharger Pad).
The Bengal Lancer
When asked what the Charge4All might be, Leo guesses that it's a cavalry bugle. This reminds Dick of his hero Sid Ceasar in the Sid Caesar Show, where he played a Bengal Lancer.
Another Lost Reader
Leo has taken his evangelisation of the E-Book Reader to new heights. Not only has he been spreading word of them, he's positively seeding them around on airplanes. His latest Kindle was the second E-Reader he left behind on a flight.
Another Dead Musician, Another Jingle?
With the recent surmise of Michael Jackson, Leo is wondering if he will join the ranks of the dead Letters Jingle Singers. Calling Dan Lueders ...
Terracotta Chia Pets
Talk of China's Terracotta Warriors has prompted another letter from Alessandro Abate. The Chinese invented paper currency (and paper itself), gunpowder, noodles and the compass, but among the less well-known of their inventions was the Chia Pet (see Episode 752 for the Chia Obama). The Terracotta Soldiers were actually the Emperor's private collection of Chia Pets, but the Chinese forgot to water them. Terracotta, Alessandro adds, is Italian for "baked earth". It was the ancient Romans' first failed attempts on making pizza. Thankfully they switched to baking dough in time.
The Man Who Loved China ...
... and it's not Leo. Recommended by Alessandro, this book by Simon Winchester is about Joseph Needham, the British scientist who, starting in the 1940's, became fascinated with China and its scientific achievements. It was the Audible Pick of the Week on MacBreak Weekly 135, but Leo has not got round to reading it yet. The Man Who Loved China is available on Audible.
Leo's Gallery on China Tour
Leo is still enthusing about his tour of China, and was much impressed by the 8,000 odd Terracotta Warriors, each about 6-foot tall and every soldier is different. Check out his photos on Smugmug or Flickr.
Listen to Episode 883
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Find DGW Info on GizWizSearch
Contigo
Beverage-ware
Link: gocontigo.com
As is Leo's wont, he was dismissive at first of the simple technology but as soon as he learns that the beverage pours smoothly, Leo orders a Contigo stainless steel coffee mug from Amazon. Here's a demo of the Hydration Bottles, all BPA free.
TWiT Policy on Free Gifts
Dick wants to know If TWiT has a policy on show hosts accepting free gifts. It's 10% of whatever Leo pays him. "That's a thin mint, a tic tac," Dick queries. That doesn't work, so Leo decides that as long as it's free, Dick has Leo's permission.
There is none. But you can go to MakeMeMad, and order stuff from Dick to help him pay for the Gadget Warehouse at Sofia Brothers.
From Generous Fans
Leo has talked about his TWiT mats a number of times now. After the recording of this episode, Leo shows off the non-slip rubber TWiT Mat given to him by a TWiT fan, and an embroidered mat from another fan.
Listen to Episode 856
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Altec Lansing iM 237 Orbit MP3
Portable Speaker
Link: Altec Lansing
From the Littlest to the Biggest
Tomorrow on Warehouse Friday, Dick will be talking about another product from Altec Lansing, and it's one of the biggest products they made.
Companion Drug and Endless Disclaimers
Dick and Leo are baffled by some TV ads, including one (called Abilify, thanks to DrMom, the chatroom's resident doctor) which is a companion drug to the anti-depressant drugs you are already taking, and those with endless disclaimers that spill over to the next ad.
New Home Office for TWiT
G' Day from over-the-road truck driver Kevin Cameron-Parks, an Aussie who has lived in the States for 11 years who has a Swedish wife who does not speak English with Leo's Swedish accent. He heard that Leo is looking for a place for the TWiT Home Office, and he is more than happy to offer his humble abode at Gassville, Arkansas to Leo.
Read about all the other suggestions at Answer Giz Wiz Questions.
Listen to Episode 849
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Goodway 2-In-1 Combo
Iron and Hair Dryer Travel Combo
Link: Goodway
Knife Sharpening Truck
In the old days, knife-sharpening trucks used to go around ringing their bells to attract the attention of households. Recently Dick heard that familiar sound again, but within the city itself. In 2006, the New York Times ran a story on a cutlery grinder, Mr Mike Pallotta, and in 2008, Mr Pallotta was still going strong: see Sense and the City.
Dick's boat has a microwave oven of 400W power. Leo thinks that Dick is better off with a Kenner Easy Bake Oven. Don't scoff, because the Easy Bake Oven has a long history and pedigree. Read about it on about.com. The photo on the left is the 1963 model, from Bill's RetroWorld; on the right is the 1971 model, from Cooking Inn.
Dock and Talk
Leo mentioned that 20% of households in the States do not have land lines any more, and Clifton Fowler from Florence, Arizona is one of them. He's a truck driver, is often away, and when at home, simply uses Dock N Talk by Phone Labs, which enables him to speak on conventional home phones (corded or cordless) using the cellphone connection.
Umix Travel Bottle
Mix-On-The-Go Milk Bottle
Link: Umix
Gadget Years
Dick and Leo have talked about their time unit for gadgets called Gadget Year, although they can never remember how long it's supposed to be. When they first talked about the Audrey in Episode 120, they thought that a gadget year should be worth 25 human years.
Visible Man-Made Structure
In Episode 818, Leo talked about the Great Wall of China, and referred to the oft-repeated piece of trivia that it is the only man-made structure visible from space. Doug Snell, who by the way thinks the quality of the jingles brings the quality of the Daily Giz Wiz up to just acceptable, wants to debunk the myth. First of all, it's not just one wall, but a series of walls. Secondly It's simply not true. Depending on what one means by space, the Great Wall is either invisible to the naked eye, or one of many other objects visible to the naked eye. Check out space.com, and snopes.com for more debunking.
Connection Issue
Dick's internet connections (both on Verizon and A T & T) were suffering badly during this recording session. There was a huge amount of latency and in the end, they had to give up on Dick's video.
Listen to Episode 835
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Porter Case PCX Lite
Suitcase with Cart
Link: Porter Case
For a video of how Porter Case suitcases turn into roller carts, check back at Episode 520.
Homecoming
Abby Laporte is returning home in a couple of weeks' time to her American family, but she wants to spend another year learning French in Aix-en-Provence.
Airplane Stories
Listen to Dick's story of his meeting with Gordon Bethune who brought Continential Airline back to life (a fuller version in Episode 114), and another story of the old lady on a Pan Am 747 who thought she was still in the lounge.
A Butcher and A Thief
While Claudio Quaresma, who rides to work at the Cathedral on his bike, may put up with Leo's butchering of the classic Brazilian bossa nova song "The Girl From Ipanema" in Episode 764, he will not tolerate Leo's infringement of the Daily Giz Wiz trademark. While recording Windows Weekly Episode 99 (at 1:11:45), Paul Thurrott had to answer a phone call, and Leo played the Wait-For-Dick jingle while singing "Paul" over "Dick".
Listen to Episode 814
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Voltaic Generator
Laptop Bag with Solar Charger
Link: Voltaic
Voltaic does say that not all laptop manufacturers enable charging by external batteries. Most Apple, Dell, Lenovo and Panasonic models work with the Generator, while Sony, Toshiba and Fujitsu laptops are less likely to work. A full refund will be made if the bag does not work with your notebook.
Solar DIY
You can build your own solar power unit using Voltaic's Solar DIY components.
Seltzer, Seltzer, Seltzer
The Seltzer Sisters in San Francisco still makes deliveries of seltzer in classic 1920's glass bottles, which are collected after use. You can mix your own special beverages using their recipes, including the egg cream.
Paul Minshall's Jingles Singles Podcast
Our jingle writer Paul Minshall now has a podcast of his "singles" on iTunes, called Paulywood's 45. You can listen to his songs and jingles for free. Subscribe to it through iTunes (search for Paul Minshall, or Paulywood's 45), or through his website paulywood.com. For good measure, Leo plays for Dick Paul's Country Jingle for the Daily Giz Wiz.
Julius La Rosa and Arthur Godfrey
Leo jokes that this is the last episode of the Daily Giz Wiz. Dick feels as though he were Julius La Rosa, who was fired on the air by Arthur Godfrey. Watch this famous moment in TV/radio history on YouTube.
Listen to Episode 813
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In Your Face Viewbase
iPhone/PMP Stand
Link: In Your Face USA
Airport Accommodation
Back in Episode 616, Dick and Leo complained how airports seem to have been designed to do everything to prevent you from sleeping or lying down. Shashank Sivaji recommends the Dubai Airport, which has long wide lounge chairs.
NOT PR
Phil Baker, who wrote in Episode 795 about his book From Concept to Consumer, explains that he is no PR guy, but an engineer/product developer, and offers to show Leo gadgets in production in China. Dick thinks he bought a Sham Wow towel from Phil, but he's obviously mistaken - a reference to This Week In Tech Episode 188.
The Stuffed Shirt
Overnight Suitcase
Link: The Independent (1) The Independent (2) NY Times
Milestone Episodes
The Daily Giz Wiz has reached another milestone, Episode 800. Buzz Out Loud is however still ahead of DGW in terms of number of episodes. Dick plans to visit the TWiT Cottage for Episode 1000. Dick is very complimentary about Leo and his TWiT network. Leo has an overall plan, Dick thinks. Leo would love to know what it is.
The Amazing Criswell ...
... writes again, having been prompted by the biofeedback games covered by Dick in Episode 778. He/She asks if Dick and Leo have tried Wild Divine's BioFeedback System. Leo thinks it's a cool gadget and may cover it on a TTTT.
Listen to Episode 800
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iFlyz
PMP Stand
Link: iFlyz
Frankly, My Dear
Dick braved the snow storm in New York to go to his local Barnes and Noble to see a presentation by Robert Osborne and Molly Haskell. Haskell has just written a book called "Frankly, My Dear: Gone With The Wind Revisited", with behind-the-scenes information on the making of the film, including actors and actresses who had been considered for roles in the film, such as Katherine Hepburn and Basil Rathbone.
The Test Of Time
Old movies don't always stand up to the test of time, in terms of visual effects production and acting or filming styles, as Leo found out with Kirk Douglas's The Strange Love of Martha Ives. But not Casablanca, which Dick always enjoys rewatching. Leo is waiting for a blu ray version of The Wizard of Oz, but for now he has to settle for a used DVD Deluxe Version.
New Shows on TWiT
Leo is gearing up for a new science show with Dr Kiki, for which Paul Minshall has made a theme. Meanwhile Sarah Lane and Martin Sargent have been doing This Week In Fun on TWiTLive (video available from odtv.me) which Leo might eventually put on a regular podcast feed.
Martin Sargent was responsible for getting Dick and Leo together. For Dick's account, see Episode 100.
More Respect for the Sea
Dick's story in Episode 773 of how he gained his respect for the sea reminded Peter Penny from Toronto of his own lesson. He was to go on a poker run on a cigarette boat and was warned that the boat was so fast that the wind could turn his eyelids inside out. Yeah, right, he thought, until it really happened to him.
For Dick's previous explanation of a poker run, check back at Episode 626.
iPhone PDF Reader
Peter Penny also wants to ask if Leo has any recommendation for a PDF reader on the iPhone. Leo wonders if Stanza can do it, since it's an ebook reader.
Listen to Episode 783
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