36 posts tagged “tv”
Remote Buddy
Remote Control Repository and Locator
Link: stuckontools.com
Remote Buddy (not to be confused with the Mac/iPhone app, or the TV-B-Gone in Episode 102) is a 4-compartment repository for your remote controls. The Remote Buddy comes with 4 colour-coded receivers (one for each of the remotes) that go on to the backs of the remotes. If you need to locate a remote, press the corresponding button on the main unit and a beep on the remote will let you know its location.
For a previous remote control locator, check out the Gadget Warehouse resident Magnavox Remote Locator (Episode 265).
More Candidates for the Home Office
Suggestions for the TWiT Home Office's location keep coming in live from the chatroom - Mud Lick in Kentucky, Bald Knob in Arkansas, Batt's Arm in Newfoundland, Toad Suck in Arkansas, Hookersville in West Virginia, Skullbone in Tennessee, Come By Chance in Newfoundland, Two Egg in Florida, and Punkeydoodles Corner, Ontario. Leo is sticking with Cheesequake, New Jersey for the time being.
For other suggestions, see Answer Giz Wiz Questions, where Newfoundland has had the lion's share of funny names. Way back in Episode 164, a listener has written in about some of them. You can listen to it again on twit.tv.
The Question To The Answer
Dick and Leo do a Carnac the Magnificent session (a segment on the Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson). Prescient answer: Sis Boom Bah. Question: Dick and Leo can't remember, but it's something to do with an exploding sheep. Prescient answer: Butterfield ate 8000. Question: How many hamburgers did Butterfield eat. Here's a good example of Carnac's routine.
Another Qualification on Dick's Resumé
When Johnny Carson took his leave in the summer, the Tonight Show used rotating hosts, each taking a week. One of them was Gene Rayburn, who once brought Dick on to the team of writers. Dick even appeared on the show as representative of the National Safety Council, which is still on a kinescope recording somewhere. Dick has also written for the American version of That Was The Week That Was (TW3).
Mr Podcast
As Milton Berle was called Mr Television, so Leo should be called Mr Podcast, says Dick. Leo is not sure about that title, and Dick has asked what should Leo be called, on Answer Giz Wiz Questions. Check out the answers there.
Titanic - A New Musical
Zud from the chatroom suggests to Leo the musical version of the Titanic on Audible. While Zud may have been pulling Leo's leg, there was a broadway show called "Titanic - A New Musical", and you can find the original cast recording on CD.
Morbid Subjects for Cruise Lectures
Dick has been on the QE2 as a guest giving lectures and talks (see Episode 225). He found out that apparently one of the more popular subjects for lectures is sunken ships, like the Titanic and the Carpathia.
Giz Wiz Lessons Learnt
Ken Ronkovitz from New Jersey had to resubscribe to shows on his iTunes, and rather than subscribing to individual shows, he decided to subscribe to Radio Leo. Lesson 1: Leo has a lot of podcasts. Ken was falling behind with the Daily Giz Wiz and was going to delete some unlistened-to DGW shows, one of which was Episode 750, the Panasonic Travelvision, until a voice told him not to, as he had actually owned the Travelvision. He listened to the show, and to his pleasant surprise heard his previous letter being read by Dick. Lesson 2: Never delete a Daily Giz Wiz episode.
Allen v American Apparel Inc
Woody Allen sued American Apparel for using an image of him as a Hasidic Jew from Annie Hall, with the caption "the high rabbi", on advertising billboards. On 18 May 2009, the case was settled for $5 million. Read the Reuters article. For a picture of the billboard, see the Jewish Journal.
Listen to Episode 844
Go to TWiT
The Giz Wiz Home Page
For a previous remote control locator, check out the Gadget Warehouse resident Magnavox Remote Locator (Episode 265).
More Candidates for the Home Office
Suggestions for the TWiT Home Office's location keep coming in live from the chatroom - Mud Lick in Kentucky, Bald Knob in Arkansas, Batt's Arm in Newfoundland, Toad Suck in Arkansas, Hookersville in West Virginia, Skullbone in Tennessee, Come By Chance in Newfoundland, Two Egg in Florida, and Punkeydoodles Corner, Ontario. Leo is sticking with Cheesequake, New Jersey for the time being.
For other suggestions, see Answer Giz Wiz Questions, where Newfoundland has had the lion's share of funny names. Way back in Episode 164, a listener has written in about some of them. You can listen to it again on twit.tv.
The Question To The Answer
Dick and Leo do a Carnac the Magnificent session (a segment on the Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson). Prescient answer: Sis Boom Bah. Question: Dick and Leo can't remember, but it's something to do with an exploding sheep. Prescient answer: Butterfield ate 8000. Question: How many hamburgers did Butterfield eat. Here's a good example of Carnac's routine.
Another Qualification on Dick's Resumé
When Johnny Carson took his leave in the summer, the Tonight Show used rotating hosts, each taking a week. One of them was Gene Rayburn, who once brought Dick on to the team of writers. Dick even appeared on the show as representative of the National Safety Council, which is still on a kinescope recording somewhere. Dick has also written for the American version of That Was The Week That Was (TW3).
Mr Podcast
As Milton Berle was called Mr Television, so Leo should be called Mr Podcast, says Dick. Leo is not sure about that title, and Dick has asked what should Leo be called, on Answer Giz Wiz Questions. Check out the answers there.
Titanic - A New Musical
Zud from the chatroom suggests to Leo the musical version of the Titanic on Audible. While Zud may have been pulling Leo's leg, there was a broadway show called "Titanic - A New Musical", and you can find the original cast recording on CD.
Morbid Subjects for Cruise Lectures
Dick has been on the QE2 as a guest giving lectures and talks (see Episode 225). He found out that apparently one of the more popular subjects for lectures is sunken ships, like the Titanic and the Carpathia.
Giz Wiz Lessons Learnt
Ken Ronkovitz from New Jersey had to resubscribe to shows on his iTunes, and rather than subscribing to individual shows, he decided to subscribe to Radio Leo. Lesson 1: Leo has a lot of podcasts. Ken was falling behind with the Daily Giz Wiz and was going to delete some unlistened-to DGW shows, one of which was Episode 750, the Panasonic Travelvision, until a voice told him not to, as he had actually owned the Travelvision. He listened to the show, and to his pleasant surprise heard his previous letter being read by Dick. Lesson 2: Never delete a Daily Giz Wiz episode.
Allen v American Apparel Inc
Woody Allen sued American Apparel for using an image of him as a Hasidic Jew from Annie Hall, with the caption "the high rabbi", on advertising billboards. On 18 May 2009, the case was settled for $5 million. Read the Reuters article. For a picture of the billboard, see the Jewish Journal.
Listen to Episode 844
Go to TWiT
The Giz Wiz Home Page
Evolve Guide Universal Remote Control
Universal Remote
Link: remotecentral.com Review
Dick's Gadget Warehouse
A precursor to the Harmony Remote (Episode 82), the Evolve Guide Universal Remote Control was a universal remote, which you could connect to the computer to download the programme guide. It had an LCD dot matrix screen, and a huge number of buttons for controlling the TV, cable-box, VCR etc. The price was pretty steep, about $200, and with the emergence of Tivo, the Evolve Guide didn't take off.
That Little Old Winemaker - Me
From time to time, Leo would call Dick "the little old gadget maker", "the little old gadget meister" or the like. This harks back to the mascot in the ads and commercials for wines from the Italian Swiss Colony, who was called That Little Old Winemaker. It so happens that Leo knows the people at Italian Swiss Colony. In the TV commercials, the mascot was played by Austrian-born actor Ludwig Stössel. For a picture of a postcard featuring the actor, click here.
Label Intensive
Dick has a box of label-makers, and has coined the phrase "label intensive". Dick and Leo repeat their complaint about the anonymous power adapters for their gadgets. Dick now uses a silver marker to label the power adapters.
Whatever happened to the Jingle Singers?
Top Jamaican fan Marlon Stewart had to take himself off the Daily Giz Wiz as it became too addictive. He's now back, but is surprised to find that the Jingle Singers are missing. He loves the Festive Letters Jingle, and it so happens that Leo decided to play it, in May.
Blame it on HQ
Leo has decided that he needs to have a headquarters for somebody to blame if anything goes wrong. It needs to be located at a place with a funny name, like Sioux City in Iowa, Lake Rogerene in New Jersey, or Susquehanna in Pennsylvania. But during the break, Leo decided on Pickles Gap, Arkansas.
Listen to Episode 830
Go to TWiT
The Giz Wiz Home Page
From time to time, Leo would call Dick "the little old gadget maker", "the little old gadget meister" or the like. This harks back to the mascot in the ads and commercials for wines from the Italian Swiss Colony, who was called That Little Old Winemaker. It so happens that Leo knows the people at Italian Swiss Colony. In the TV commercials, the mascot was played by Austrian-born actor Ludwig Stössel. For a picture of a postcard featuring the actor, click here.
Label Intensive
Dick has a box of label-makers, and has coined the phrase "label intensive". Dick and Leo repeat their complaint about the anonymous power adapters for their gadgets. Dick now uses a silver marker to label the power adapters.
Whatever happened to the Jingle Singers?
Top Jamaican fan Marlon Stewart had to take himself off the Daily Giz Wiz as it became too addictive. He's now back, but is surprised to find that the Jingle Singers are missing. He loves the Festive Letters Jingle, and it so happens that Leo decided to play it, in May.
Blame it on HQ
Leo has decided that he needs to have a headquarters for somebody to blame if anything goes wrong. It needs to be located at a place with a funny name, like Sioux City in Iowa, Lake Rogerene in New Jersey, or Susquehanna in Pennsylvania. But during the break, Leo decided on Pickles Gap, Arkansas.
Listen to Episode 830
Go to TWiT
The Giz Wiz Home Page
Terk VR1
TV Volume Regulator
Link: Amazon
Back in Episode 140, a listener wrote to Dick about the TV Volume Regulator. Dick said he would try one out, and so he did. Dick bought the Terk or AudioVox VR1 from heartlandamerica.com. The VR1 works with any audio input via RCA connectors and automatically levels out the volumes of the audio so it doesn't get too loud, e.g. during a commercial break, or between different channels. Dick finds that unfortunately it also reduces dramatic moments in a movie to a pop then a whisper.
What's MAD got to do with a PDP8?
Kevin was listening to Security Now! Episode 177 in which Steve Gibson (whom Dick advises from time time on security matters) and Leo discussed the vintage mini-computer PDP8. He looked it up in Wikipedia which has a photo of a PDP8 on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. In the background of that photo is a MAD magazine with the bar code cover. Kevin wonders what a MAD magazine is doing there.
As Dick explained back in Episode 107, for a long time MAD had resisted putting a bar code (or the Universal Product Code) on the magazine because it interfered with the design of the cover. MAD was given a deadline by distributors to do it or the magazine would not be sold by them. MAD had to give in, and on the first MAD issue carrying the bar code (April 1978), MAD made a giant bar code which occupied the entire cover, as a sign of protest, with the caption: "Hope this issue jams every computer in the country ..." You can get a copy of this issue at antiqbook.com.
Listen to Episode 804
Go to TWiT
The Giz Wiz Home Page
Kevin was listening to Security Now! Episode 177 in which Steve Gibson (whom Dick advises from time time on security matters) and Leo discussed the vintage mini-computer PDP8. He looked it up in Wikipedia which has a photo of a PDP8 on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. In the background of that photo is a MAD magazine with the bar code cover. Kevin wonders what a MAD magazine is doing there.
As Dick explained back in Episode 107, for a long time MAD had resisted putting a bar code (or the Universal Product Code) on the magazine because it interfered with the design of the cover. MAD was given a deadline by distributors to do it or the magazine would not be sold by them. MAD had to give in, and on the first MAD issue carrying the bar code (April 1978), MAD made a giant bar code which occupied the entire cover, as a sign of protest, with the caption: "Hope this issue jams every computer in the country ..." You can get a copy of this issue at antiqbook.com.
Listen to Episode 804
Go to TWiT
The Giz Wiz Home Page
RCA ANT121 Indoor Antenna
Rabbit Ears Antenna
Link: Amazon
Rabbit ears are back. Dick's parcel arrived during the recording of last Friday's show, and it's the RCA ANT 121 Universal Indoor Antenna. It boosts UHF, VHF and FM signals, and provides a 12-position knob for fine tuning. No cable fees because you're not getting cable. No sateliite fees because you're not using satellite technolgy. It works indoors like ordinary rabbit ears, and captures signals right out of the air! As long as your television has an ATSC tuner (which all television sets regardless of size sold after 1 March 2007 in the States must have), you can get over-the-air digital TV signals, including HD channels. Dick uses it on his 20-ft boat and it works like a charm.
Winter on the Hudson
The snow in new York has disappeared - which reminds Leo of the well-known saying "March comes in like a lion and goes out like a gefilte fish." Dick at a younger age had a Boston Whaler. In the winter he would drive the boat towards an ice sheet floating down the Hudson, and just as it hit the ice, would stop the engine and just let the boat glide across the ice sheet over to the other side.
St Patrick's Day in Ireland
Donal from Dublin, Ireland, remembers Leo asking on St Patrick's Day last year (beginning of Episode 526) whether they celebrate it in Ireland. Yes, they do, massively, over 3 days, including climbing Croagh Patrick. By the way, Leo's Irish accent is the worst, Donal adds.
Listen to Episode 786
Go to TWiT
The Giz Wiz Home Page
Winter on the Hudson
The snow in new York has disappeared - which reminds Leo of the well-known saying "March comes in like a lion and goes out like a gefilte fish." Dick at a younger age had a Boston Whaler. In the winter he would drive the boat towards an ice sheet floating down the Hudson, and just as it hit the ice, would stop the engine and just let the boat glide across the ice sheet over to the other side.
St Patrick's Day in Ireland
Donal from Dublin, Ireland, remembers Leo asking on St Patrick's Day last year (beginning of Episode 526) whether they celebrate it in Ireland. Yes, they do, massively, over 3 days, including climbing Croagh Patrick. By the way, Leo's Irish accent is the worst, Donal adds.
Listen to Episode 786
Go to TWiT
The Giz Wiz Home Page
Pinnacle TV for Mac HD Mini Stick
HDTV Tuner and Video Recorder
Link: Pinnacle Systems
Turn-The-Tables-Tuesday
This is the latest offering by Pinnacle Systems of a USB HDTV Tuner, for the Mac platform, from Andy Marken, an old friend of the Daily Giz Wiz . Dick reviewed the PCTV HD Ultimate Stick for Windows back in Episode 419. A listener wrote in about a Mac version in Episode 457, which was an old Mac version that did not support ClearQAM and could only record in MPEG-2 (and hence the recorded videos were not compatible with iPods). Leo was told then that a new Mac version was being developed, and here it is, the Pinnacle TV for Mac HD mini Stick.
It supports ATSC (over the air digital TV signal) HDTV and ClearQAM (unencrypted cable TV signal) up to 1080i. It comes with a remote control and a telescopic antenna (with a magnetic base). The bundled software is Elgato's EyeTV Lite for viewing and recording TV, which also supports the Electronic Programme Guide for scheduled recording. However, EyeTV Lite records in MPEG-2, and contains no options for exporting to other formats. You can upgrade from the Lite version to the full EyeTV 3 version for $50 to get more functions including exporting to your iPod, iPhone, Apple TV or to other formats. See the comparison of the features of the two versions.
Mac users might want to check out the Elgato EyeTV 250 Plus (covered on a previous TTTT in Episode 582) which has a hardware encoder (especially if you use it as a video converter), or the 2009 version of the EyeTV Hybrid (without the hardware encoding). Both are bundled with the full version of EyeTV 3 software.
It supports ATSC (over the air digital TV signal) HDTV and ClearQAM (unencrypted cable TV signal) up to 1080i. It comes with a remote control and a telescopic antenna (with a magnetic base). The bundled software is Elgato's EyeTV Lite for viewing and recording TV, which also supports the Electronic Programme Guide for scheduled recording. However, EyeTV Lite records in MPEG-2, and contains no options for exporting to other formats. You can upgrade from the Lite version to the full EyeTV 3 version for $50 to get more functions including exporting to your iPod, iPhone, Apple TV or to other formats. See the comparison of the features of the two versions.
Mac users might want to check out the Elgato EyeTV 250 Plus (covered on a previous TTTT in Episode 582) which has a hardware encoder (especially if you use it as a video converter), or the 2009 version of the EyeTV Hybrid (without the hardware encoding). Both are bundled with the full version of EyeTV 3 software.
The Pinnacle TV for Mac HD mini Stick can also be used on Windows, using the bundled PC software Pinnacle TVCenter Pro and Pinnacle VideoSpin.
Skype Issue Resolved
Dick and Leo were having problems with the quality of the Skype connection while recording yesterday's episode. Dick resolved it by switching to his HP computer from the old Atari and stopping his internet-connected blender which was madly downloading movies using bit torrent. Rebooting his router also helped.
Feeling At Home
When Dick travels, he uses his Slingbox (Episode 11) to watch his local channel, including his Channel 7. It makes him feel at home.
A Love Letter
Tom Stidham asks Leo not to sing the jingles, which is painful. On the subject of jingles, Tom thinks that the Wednesday Jingle can be replaced at any time. It is actually pulling down the quality of the show, as if that were possible. Other than that, excellent.
The Authorised Dick and Leo Not Singing Album
Dick and Leo think they should release an album of them not singing. Get the authorised version. Don't accept substitutes.
Coming Soon: The Amazon Kindle 2
Leo was hoping he could review the Amazon Kindle 2 for today. It is arriving soon, and he should be able to cover it next week.
Listen to Episode 777
Go to TWiT
The Giz Wiz Home Page
Sony CV-2000
Reel to Reel Video Recorder
Link: Rewind Museum smecc.org
The time was 1965, and Sony released the world's first "domestic" reel to reel ½ inch-tape video recorder. It recorded black and white video on to ½ inch-tapes. Each tape could take about half an hour of video. It was the most compact and "portable" video tape recorder ever designed, housed in a "handy carrying case, and weighed all of 46 pounds.
You could also get the optional video camera CVC-2000, photos of which can be found both at the Rewind Museum and the Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and Computation (smecc), links above. Both websites contain a lot of info on the product and accessories, and you can see the brochures as well from SMECC, like this one:
Check out Lab Guy's World as well for more info.
3rd Anniversary
The time was 20 February 2006, and Dick and Leo released the world's first podcast by a man with a big moustache talking to another man on the other coast not yet seated on a blue ball: Episode 1 of the Daily Giz Wiz, Docupen.
Three years on, the big moustache is bushier, the other man is seated on a blue ball, the show is fully jinglified, the contents are searchable, and the podcast is marching towards Episode 1000, when Leo will have to devise a new naming system for the podcast's download files. Currently it's only got 3 digits for the episode number.
OEM Betamax
Dick and Leo talked about the Sony Betamax SL-7200 (and the BetaStack) in Episode 30. The Betamax may seem antique, but the CV-2000 is ancient. Dick also saw a Zenith Betamax which looked rather similar to the Sony, and discovered to his amazement that it was indeed made by Sony.
Autographed Mad: A Christmas Surprise
Marie Kovar received from her husband a copy of Mad Magazine autographed by Dick, a photo of the Giz Wiz, and some GizWizBiz gadgets, for Christmas 2008. Marie thanks Dick for contributing to her great Christmas surprise and wishes Dick and Leo and their families happiness and good health in 2009.
Valentine Gifts
Picture this. It's Valentine's Day and Leo had against his better judgement polished off all the chocolate-coated, sea-salt-dusted caramels before they reached Jennifer. Leo said to Jennifer, "Honey, our love is like this GizWizBiz ice-cube. It can't melt, because it's durable like our relationship." A kick in the groin later, Leo tried again, "Honey, our love is like this GeoBulb. It will shine forever, or 10 years, whichever comes first." Another kick in the groin later, Leo said, "Honey, I'm seeing stars."
Listening to the Stars
The time was 22 February 1892, and it was the premiere of Oscar Wilde's Lady Windermere's Fan. Lord Darlington, a charcter in the play, spoke his line, "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars."
The time was 9 February 2009, and Dick and Leo were recording the show. Dick asked Leo to say something clever to end the show. Leo obliged. "I may be lying in the gutter, but at least I'm looking at the stars."
The time is 20 February 2009, and it's the 3rd Anniversary of the Daily Giz Wiz. We may be in the gutter, but at least we're listening to the stars.
Listen to Episode 770
Go to TWiT
The Giz Wiz Home Page
Post-770 Chat
Dick and Leo have a chat after the recording session, and they are joined by Dane Golden. They talk about the anniversary, the film Gaslight, Match Game, Gene Rayburn's mic, the Match Game theme Swingin' Safari (see also Episode 584), and much more. Watch the video.
You could also get the optional video camera CVC-2000, photos of which can be found both at the Rewind Museum and the Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and Computation (smecc), links above. Both websites contain a lot of info on the product and accessories, and you can see the brochures as well from SMECC, like this one:
Check out Lab Guy's World as well for more info.
3rd Anniversary
The time was 20 February 2006, and Dick and Leo released the world's first podcast by a man with a big moustache talking to another man on the other coast not yet seated on a blue ball: Episode 1 of the Daily Giz Wiz, Docupen.
Three years on, the big moustache is bushier, the other man is seated on a blue ball, the show is fully jinglified, the contents are searchable, and the podcast is marching towards Episode 1000, when Leo will have to devise a new naming system for the podcast's download files. Currently it's only got 3 digits for the episode number.
OEM Betamax
Dick and Leo talked about the Sony Betamax SL-7200 (and the BetaStack) in Episode 30. The Betamax may seem antique, but the CV-2000 is ancient. Dick also saw a Zenith Betamax which looked rather similar to the Sony, and discovered to his amazement that it was indeed made by Sony.
Autographed Mad: A Christmas Surprise
Marie Kovar received from her husband a copy of Mad Magazine autographed by Dick, a photo of the Giz Wiz, and some GizWizBiz gadgets, for Christmas 2008. Marie thanks Dick for contributing to her great Christmas surprise and wishes Dick and Leo and their families happiness and good health in 2009.
Valentine Gifts
Picture this. It's Valentine's Day and Leo had against his better judgement polished off all the chocolate-coated, sea-salt-dusted caramels before they reached Jennifer. Leo said to Jennifer, "Honey, our love is like this GizWizBiz ice-cube. It can't melt, because it's durable like our relationship." A kick in the groin later, Leo tried again, "Honey, our love is like this GeoBulb. It will shine forever, or 10 years, whichever comes first." Another kick in the groin later, Leo said, "Honey, I'm seeing stars."
Listening to the Stars
The time was 22 February 1892, and it was the premiere of Oscar Wilde's Lady Windermere's Fan. Lord Darlington, a charcter in the play, spoke his line, "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars."
The time was 9 February 2009, and Dick and Leo were recording the show. Dick asked Leo to say something clever to end the show. Leo obliged. "I may be lying in the gutter, but at least I'm looking at the stars."
The time is 20 February 2009, and it's the 3rd Anniversary of the Daily Giz Wiz. We may be in the gutter, but at least we're listening to the stars.
Listen to Episode 770
Go to TWiT
The Giz Wiz Home Page
Post-770 Chat
Dick and Leo have a chat after the recording session, and they are joined by Dane Golden. They talk about the anniversary, the film Gaslight, Match Game, Gene Rayburn's mic, the Match Game theme Swingin' Safari (see also Episode 584), and much more. Watch the video.
Panasonic Travelvision TR-1030
Portable Television Set
Dick's Gadget Warehouse
From 1984, Panasonic released this Travelvision TR-1030 in Japan, selling for ¥29,800 (which was worth about US$125, according to Wikipedia's historical exhange rate of the Yen). It was a black and white portable television
set. Its dimensions were about 3" wide, 1.5" high, and 6" deep, with a
1.5" screen. There was also a 1.3x magnifying lens add-on which
increased the screen to about 2". Panasonic started with the model
TR-1010 in 1981, and Dick got his model in 1985. It was still using a
CRT for display, and was then the world's smallest CRT TV.
Digital TV Era
With the imminent conversion to digital TV, these old analogue portable TVs are not going to work, although you can get a Winegard portable battery pack for one of their digital TV converters. For details, go back to Episode 675.
Gadget Warehouse in 2020
Ken
Ronckovitz heard Leo surmise that they would still be doing podcasts in
2020. Ken suggests that they can do that now. Just pick any current
gadget, laugh about it and they will have all the Gadget Warehouse
podcasts they need for 2020.
An Unrelated Thought
Ken started listening to some of the old shows and heard the old Visa ads.
He thinks Leo should remind the sponsors that their ads keep on
getting new listeners. Leo knows that only too well, but sadly
sponsors only pay for downloads in the first 3 months, and only for
those in the US (when 30% of TWiT's audience are from outside the US).
DGW 747th Episode Commemorative Button
Dick has posted the DGW "Future of TWiT" Button (see Episode 747) and the Inauguration Avatar on his website. You can't buy the Button, but you can buy GizWizBiz Caps with LED lights from Dick.
Beam Scope
TV Screen Magnifier
Link: Amazon
Dick's Gadget Warehouse
From about 20 years ago, the Beam Scope, made of precision ground lens, simply magnified the screen by 2x. Unfortunately the angle of view is very limited and only the person sitting directly in front gets an undistorted view.
New Year Resolutions for Dick and Leo
Dick resolves to do the Daily Giz Wiz throughout 2009. Leo resolves to lose weight, after his gastronomical orgy in France.
Squeezebox Boom Revisited
Steve Miller enjoys the CCrane Wifi Radio (Episode 712) and strikes again with his Logitech Squeezebox Boom (see Episode 682), and Dick and Leo has a similar conversation about streaming audio from twit.am and other iPhone apps. Dick and Leo oftenn forget what they have said before, given the sheer number of shows they do, and now it seems the listeners are writing in so often that they can't remember what they've written before either.
The Next Recording Session
Note: Dick and Leo's next recording session will be on Monday, 8 am Pacific (Leo's) time, and 11 am Eastern (Dick's) time, because Dick and Leo are off to CES and MacWorld respectively.
Listen to Episode 735
Go to TWiT
The Giz Wiz Homepage
New Year Resolutions for Dick and Leo
Dick resolves to do the Daily Giz Wiz throughout 2009. Leo resolves to lose weight, after his gastronomical orgy in France.
Squeezebox Boom Revisited
Steve Miller enjoys the CCrane Wifi Radio (Episode 712) and strikes again with his Logitech Squeezebox Boom (see Episode 682), and Dick and Leo has a similar conversation about streaming audio from twit.am and other iPhone apps. Dick and Leo oftenn forget what they have said before, given the sheer number of shows they do, and now it seems the listeners are writing in so often that they can't remember what they've written before either.
The Next Recording Session
Note: Dick and Leo's next recording session will be on Monday, 8 am Pacific (Leo's) time, and 11 am Eastern (Dick's) time, because Dick and Leo are off to CES and MacWorld respectively.
Listen to Episode 735
Go to TWiT
The Giz Wiz Homepage
Mini Motel
Travel Accessory
Link: Mini Motel
Back in Episode 616, when Dick and Leo talked about how airports did everything to prevent you from lying down, Dick referred to an article in the New York Times which reported the invention by someone of an "airport tent". That someone is Frank Giotto, and the airport tent is called the Mini Motel. The package includes all you need to construct a tent, an inflatable mattress, an inflatable pillow and bed sheet, plus an alarm clock, a reading light, ear plugs, and eye shades.
When folded up, the package is only 17" x 12" x 3", but it might be a little difficult to get the tent and all its accessories back into that shape.
Match Game Moments
The Live Stream of Match Game Moments took place on Saturday 29 November 2008, which Dick greatly enjoyed. Unfortunately no one seems to have captured the video stream. Dick hopes that Andy of Stickam has a copy, but if not, he might do it again.
Farewell to Disco Dick
Dick has finally given away his houseboat, complete with a disco, as he told us in Episode 703. He's given it to a charity called Boat Angel. Here's Dick's farewell video:
A Hot Couple
Ralph Evinrude of Evinrude Motors and his singer wife Frances Evinrude had a 100-foot boat. Dick has a story to tell about Evinrude's generosity about replacing Evinrude engines.
When folded up, the package is only 17" x 12" x 3", but it might be a little difficult to get the tent and all its accessories back into that shape.
Match Game Moments
The Live Stream of Match Game Moments took place on Saturday 29 November 2008, which Dick greatly enjoyed. Unfortunately no one seems to have captured the video stream. Dick hopes that Andy of Stickam has a copy, but if not, he might do it again.
Farewell to Disco Dick
Dick has finally given away his houseboat, complete with a disco, as he told us in Episode 703. He's given it to a charity called Boat Angel. Here's Dick's farewell video:
A Hot Couple
Ralph Evinrude of Evinrude Motors and his singer wife Frances Evinrude had a 100-foot boat. Dick has a story to tell about Evinrude's generosity about replacing Evinrude engines.
A Junkie for Flashlights, Pens, Pocket Knives and Everything Collectible
Most frequently read DGW correspondent Steve Miller from Westerville, Ohio confesses to being a pen, pocket knife and flashlight junkie. He bought a Stanley Tripod Flashlight (Episodes 548), and since the Travelon Sheets (Episode 689), has managed to stop buying DGW gadgets for about a month so far, and hopes that Dick will not be covering pocket knives for a while, or he will be broke. For Steve's earlier collection, read the list in Episode 279.
For those interested in flashlights, Steve recommends SureFire, which has the E2D LED Defender, a tactical self-defence flashlight with a crenellated strike bezel.
Listen to Episode 719
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GFX-100 Indoor Antenna
Indoor Antenna
Link: milk.com Wall Of Shame
Dick's Gadget Warehouse
From about 1990, the GFX-100 Indoor Antenna distinguished itself by its advertisement. "No cable fees because you're not getting cable." "No sateliite fees because you're not using satellite technolgy." "Works indoors like ordinary rabbit ears." "Captures signals right out of the air!" Absolutely telling the truth - it was just an ordinary rabbit-ears antenna.
The ad would have belonged with the best of Mad Magazine spoof ads, had it been satire. As it was, the GFX-100 belonged with the Electron Echo Mini Piano (Episode 465), the Bluebird AX2 Sewing Machine (Episode 455), and the miniature mirrors which Dick frequently referred to (in Episodes 13, 215, 248, 552) . "Marketing Breakthroughs".
This scam was first mentioned by a listener Joe La Rosa in Episode 479.
The Zenith of Easy Hang-Up
Wally Holloway from Lexington, Kentucky writes to tell Dick that Easy Hang-Up (Episode 660) was also made by Zenith who made the Zenith EZ Hang-Up (actually it was licensed by Phonex, the original maker, to Zenith). He agrees that it was a bit of pain to have to rush to the device where it was connected to the line, to push the button. He solved the problem by hacking into a music-on-hold device from Radio Shack, and he could set off the message by pressing any key on the phone itself. The only problem was, he couldn't use the number pad for other purposes at all (such as accessing his voice mail). Not to be defeated, he got a remote control Christmas lights switch to disable the power for the EZ Hang-Up so he could use the number pad for his voice mail, when necessary.
Wally Holloway truly made it to the zenith of not-so-EZ Hang-Up, but obviously he enjoyed all the hacking.
Listen to Episode 670
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The ad would have belonged with the best of Mad Magazine spoof ads, had it been satire. As it was, the GFX-100 belonged with the Electron Echo Mini Piano (Episode 465), the Bluebird AX2 Sewing Machine (Episode 455), and the miniature mirrors which Dick frequently referred to (in Episodes 13, 215, 248, 552) . "Marketing Breakthroughs".
This scam was first mentioned by a listener Joe La Rosa in Episode 479.
The Zenith of Easy Hang-Up
Wally Holloway truly made it to the zenith of not-so-EZ Hang-Up, but obviously he enjoyed all the hacking.
Listen to Episode 670
Go to TWiT
The Giz Wiz Home Page
