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About Me

 

Known as MAD's Maddest Writer, co-host of The Giz Wiz with OMGchad at www.GizWiz.TV, The Giz Wiz on ABC's World News Now, and on Tech Guy Labs with Leo Laporte on www.TWiT.TV

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    The Giz Wiz is a weekly guest on The Tech Guy Show with -- who else? - The Tech Guy himself, Leo Laporte.

    Leo Laporte & I chat about some sort of fun or weird gadget weekly his The Tech Guy Radio Show. The show is syndicated by Premiere to over 180 radio stations around the country. Leo's closing in on 1.5 million listeners! I'm on the Saturday Show with The Giz Wiz Gadget of the Week. My spot is on about 1:45 PM PST / 4:45 PM EST. 

    And if you watch The Tech Guy stay tuned. Because after the Tech Guy Show  Leo does The New Screen Savers Show, and then I return to do Giz Fiz PM, a show with viewer questions, Match Game questions, videos, guest of the week and more! That starts when New Screen Saver ends..about 5:00 PM PST/ 8:00 PM EST. Watch it all at

    http://www.twitlive.tv/

    All The Tech Guy Labs show notes, shows & info can be found here:

    http://techguylabs.com/radio/ 

    Below are the gadgets we've talked about on the show.

    Saturday
    Aug222015

    A fast & easy way for a student to change sheets in their dorm bed.

    Simple Sheets. This product has an interesting back story. The short version: Mom goes to visit son in his dorm and realizes he almost never changes the sheets. Why? Because it's too much trouble, especially since it's a bunk bed. Mom figures she can come up with an easy way for a college student to change sheets. She, with help of her son, invents a fitted sheet with a fast strip-off velcro top. When the velcro sheet gets dirty, strip it off in seconds and press on the provided 2nd clean sheet. Now the student has time to launder the first sheet to get it ready for the next quick-change. A 4 piece starter kit which includes a storage pocket for bedside electronics ,is $48.00. There are other options on their website, along with an animated video explaining the invention story.  

    http://www.simple-sheets.com/ 

    Saturday
    Aug152015

    A pillow you wear as you sleep.

    Napping has been shown to increase your productivity by 34%. I saw that on the Internet, so how could it possibly be wrong? Actually, I don't know about 34%, but I certainly do feel better and revitalized after a short nap. And naps bring us to the Ostrich Pillow Mini. It's a pillow designed to be worn as you nap. You can wear it on your hand so you'll be able to place it next your head against a window or wall and nap. Or you can slide it on your arm and rest your head on it on your desk or table to catch a nap. Since it's connected to your arm, you don't have to worry about it falling on the floor as sometimes happens with a loose pillow. The Ostrich Pillow Mini is from the folks who made the original Ostrich Pillow, that big pillow you stick your entire head into, and then part of your arms. That one, when it first came out, cost as much as $90. (That's what Chief TWiT Leo Laporte paid when he bought one for the Giz Wiz Show. This mini one I think makes more sense for travel since the original one really is BIG. The mini sells for $25, but I bought mine when I found it as a 'deal of the day' for $9.99. (I'm not sure I'd pay $25 for it.) But you can watch the video and judge for yourself. Also keep your eyes open for it to be on sale again if you're interested. And I'll Tweet a link if I see it on sale. I subscribe to many 'deal of the day' newsletters, so follow me on Twitter. I'm @thegizwiz. 

    Giz Wiz Video: https://youtu.be/d94GRq0cgEs

     

    Looks like you can buy it here for under $12. http://bit.ly/1WkKps4 

    Saturday
    Aug012015

    Water Balloon Fight! Perfect for a hot summer day.

    People love water balloons. They're fun, mainly in hot weather, but filling them up is a lot of work. Filling takes a while and tying them is the ultimate drag. So a guy name Josh Malone found a way to solve this problem. He has a lot of kids and they like water balloon fights. Josh created a hose attachment called Bunch O Balloons that really streamlines the water balloon making process. It lets you fill up 37 balloons at a time! And ---- (fanfare) automatically ties them! Turns out Josh was not alone in wanting a fast way to make water balloons. He put his Bunch-o-balloons invention on Kickstarter with the idea of raising $10,000. He got his $10,000 in just 12 hours and ended with more than $936, 000! His device is ingenious. It's a hose attachment that holds about 37 balloons. You fill them all in about 30 seconds after you turn on the water. Once filled, turn off the water and shake the balloons a bit to automatically tie them. (Each balloon has an o-ring that seals the balloon as it detaches from the device. So clever! Josh says you can make over 100 water-balloons in under a minute! Although Kickstarter says you should get them August, 2015, I saw them on the Bed, Bath & Beyond, plus the Wal-Mart website. 3 sets, over 100 water-balloons, retails for $12.99. There's an ad online at the link below. They're selling over 100 water-balloons, plus a hose attachment for about $19, including shipping and handling. Since I tried a set on my own, I find you don't need a hose attachment as long as you can conveniently turn the water on and off once you've attached Bunch-o-balloons. My experience making water balloons quickly was good. I was really impressed with how fast they inflated. Two of them were duds, but you few extra balloon to make up for the ones that don't inflate. Reading the reviews on line it seems you need to throw them with ten minutes of inflating them or they start to go flat. I left a lot of mine in the bucket of water and hours later they still seemed fine to me.

    Giz Wiz Video: https://youtu.be/LlWPJg6OXL0

    Friday
    Jul242015

    The Levitating Lamp!

    I found The Levitating Lamp at a "Holiday in July" gift event. It's from a company known for finding off-beat gadgets, Hammacher-Schlemmer. This is a lamp with a rotating shade that floats in mid-air about 3" above its base. The disconcerting desk lamp creates a physics-defying gap between the base and shade that may perplex guests and amuse the owner, who knows its secret. A magnet tucked into the lampshade is repelled by electromagnetic coils in the lamp’s base, a powerful opposing force that causes the shade to levitate. The computerized coils make 1,000 adjustments per second to ensure the shade stays upright, even when bumped, while the swirling pattern accentuates the natural spinning motion caused by air currents. As functional as it is magical, the lamp has nine bright white LED bulbs: six that shine upward into the shade, three that shine downward to provide accent lighting for the brushed chrome stand. Each group of lights is controlled with a quick tap on the underside of the base. Plugs into AC. 16 1/2" H x 7 1/2" Diam. (5 lbs.) $149.95. The company is currently taking orders - and it's expected to ship 8/4/2015

     

    Giz Wiz Video: https://youtu.be/fpZej0n3xW8 

     

    Hammacher website: http://www.hammacher.com/

    Friday
    Jul172015

    A purse that can carry something no other purse can!

    What looked like an ordinary ladies purse as I walked by this person booth for first time at the Holiday in July press event, turned out to be something quite different on a second look. According to Jennifer Thomas-Goering, the inventor and founder of the company, her Vivajennz wine purses are the sassy & classy way to carry your favorite beverage in style! All you do is place a boxed wine or fill the bladder with your favorite drink and put it in innovation purse. To serve? There's a hidden spigot is under the flap!No need for bottle openers or a glass bottle that can break... Just put in your beverage bladder with a couple of cooler packs and you are ready to go! Each bag comes with it's own 3 liter bladder. You fill it through the opening, attach the spigot and put it in the purse. Locked and loaded...Ready for the fun... Vivajennz purses are great for picnics, pools, beaches, etc. ...But wait, there's more! There's a man's version too. Prices range from about $50 to $70. Jennifer tells her story to me in the video.

    Giz Wiz Video: https://youtu.be/yRa2Rj88kVU

     

    Company Website: http://www.vivajennz.com/