The Light for Life! Here’s A Flashlight That’s Ready In A Flash.

Monday, July 13th, 2009 Netcast 871

You are going to love this flashlight! (But I'll tell you up front. It's expensive.) It uses no batteries. And if it’s dead when you pick it up -- in just 90 seconds, the Light for Life goes from zero to fully charged! That’s because this flashlight is powered by ultra capacitors and computer circuitry. Ultra capacitors quickly load energy and then quickly unload it — the same way the flash works in most cameras. It contains 3 LED’s rated for more than 50,000 hours each (that’s 40 hours a week for more than 24 years) so there’s nothing to replace on the Light for Life. Ever. It operates a bit differently from a normal flashlight too. Click the button once and the light operates for 60 minutes in standard mode, which is 90 lumens. Then it gradually reduces intensity to the 25-lumen standby mode for an additional 60 minutes. This mode gives adequate light for most applications and is similar to the output of most 2-D cell flashlights. Or you can press and hold the button for a full 15 minutes at the 270-lumen peak mode, followed by 60 minutes of 25-lumen standby light. This mode is effective when a burst is needed to light a large area or to throw the beam a long distance. If you press the button twice, the light will produce a 270 lumen tactical strobe used to instantly illuminate objects in a dark space, signal others or disorient a perpetrator. Yes, when the company talks about disorienting a perpetrator you can see who this flashlight is aimed at: Police, military, and industrial customers. Of course no matter what mode, when you run out of power, a quick 90 seconds on the charger, and you’re ready to go again. The Light for Life can be plugged into a car lighter or an AC electrical outlet. It comes with the 12-volt charger. The AC charger is an option. The company says their Flashpoint Power Technology system is rated for 50,000 charge/discharge cycles with virtually no degradation. That’s a charge a day for more than 135 years! Okay, ready for the price? $169.99. This is a very hot new product and it was on backorder two days after the first announcement in June. You can check their website for the latest ordering info.

http://www.511tactical.com/lightforlife.html

Hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw871

It’s the Amazing Mighty Mixer!! (Which is far from Amazing or Mighty!

Back to Dick’s Gadget Warehouse Friday, July 10^th, Netcast 870

People seen to love gadget warehouse Friday’s where I uncover another “exciting” mail order “bargain”! This Friday it’s the not so mighty Mitey-Mixer! The first question about this device is how can it perform 5 different actions: stirring, mixing, beating, blending and whipping, when Mitey-Mixer only has two speeds: weak & weaker. It’s mighty power comes from two D batteries! And from the two D cell batteries the copywriters come up with “Mitey Mixer - Cordless & Electronic!” This mail order rip-off goes back almost 20 years. Even back then $5 + $2 S&H wasn’t a lot of money, but this device was definitely not worth that much! It was really a piece of junk. On TV I would get gasps & then laughs from the audience when I would get Mitey-Mixer to stop dead by sticking my nose into the spinning blades!

Hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw870

Hang & Level - an easy way to hang pictures so they're level!

Thursday, July 9^th, 2009 Netcast 869

Hanging pictures. How hard can that be? Actually, it can be a real pain. You measure, figure out where the nail in the wall goes, and hammer it in. You step back, it looks lopsided and the hole is in the wrong place. It’s worse if you’re trying to hang a series of photos or pictures in an “art” grouping. At a press event recently I made an interior decorator, Liette Tousignant who has come up with a solution to picture hanging problems. Liette told me she designed a tool to help her hang pictures for her clients. When they saw how easy it was to hang pictures properly, they asked Liette if they could buy her device. That led her to produce her invention for the commercial marketplace. Her device is called Hang & Level. It’s an easy solution for hanging pictures or other small wall items like clocks, mirrors, plaques, and even awards. Hang & Level marks exactly where the nail goes. Or where the two nails go if you heavy something heavy. Two built in levels assure that everything will hang evenly. Here are the four basic steps: 1. Place the item that’s to be hung on the hook or hooks of the device. 2. Position the item and tool on the wall and find the right spot. 3. Then press the button or buttons to mark exactly where the nail goes. 4. Hammer in the nail, hang the item and level it with the built in levels. It can mark a spot for one or two nails depending on the weight of what you wish to hang. Maximum weight for a single hook: 10 lbs. Maximum weight for double hooks: 20 lbs. There are easy how-to graphics printed right on the tool. I got to meet and chat with Liette Tousignant. I asked her if she would allow me to guess how much money it took from the time she decided to go into business selling her device to actually getting it into stores. I guessed $150,000. She told me she passed that number and it was more like an $180,000 investment. I mention this not to discourage inventors, but to let you know that getting a product to market is a long, expensive road. While doing a web search I found Liette demonstrating and selling her product on QVC for $16.91.  

Hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw869

Do you aerate your wine properly before serving?

Wednesday, July 8^th, 2009, Netcast 868

I am not a wine connoisseur. I mean I know the difference between a red wine and a white wine, but only by the color. A lot of wine I buy comes with a screw off cap, except for the ones that come in a box. Got the picture? But I do know that many different wines are supposed to breathe for better flavor. I'm been told that letting wine breathe can take up to an hour or more, so for this ‘instant society’, we now have the Vinturi Wine Aerator. Actually there are two of them, one for red and one for white. I did a blind-fold taste test with a few friends and all guessed the better tasting wine were the ones I had poured through the Vinturi Wine Aerator, so it does work. Here’s some more info from the company that will be of interest for wine lovers:

The Vinturi Essential White Wine Aerator delivers a better bouquet, enhanced flavors and smoother finish to your favorite Chardonnay, Viognier or Sauvignon Blanc. When wine is poured in the Vinturi Essential White Wine Aerator, its design creates an increase in the wine's velocity and a decrease in its pressure. This pressure difference draws in air, which is mixed with wine for perfect aeration. Sample the nose. You'll appreciate the subtle aromatic differences and the full aroma of the wine, and you'll notice that the wine is more flavorful and has better mouthfeel. The Vinturi Essential White Wine Aerator is made of acrylic; it comes with a no-drip stand and a travel pouch. Both the Vinturi Essential White Wine Aerator and stand is dishwasher safe, as is the travel pouch that comes with the product. Red wine has it’s own special Red Wine Aerator. The company has a list of dozen of wineries that use the Aerator in their tasting rooms, which sounds like a pretty good recommendation. Under $40.

 www.vinturi.com 

. Hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw868

This week’s TTTT becomes TTTTT – Turn The Table Tuesday Theatre

TTTT, July 7^th, 2009, Netcast 867

Leo loves his new Epson Powerlite Home Cinemas 6100 Projector. He’s impressed with the HDMI input, which offers full 1080p projection. And he likes the fact that this gizmo offers a 3-chip optical engine bulb. The TORL lamp lasts up to 4000 hours, which is a LOT of home theatre viewing! It’s replaceable for about $300. I don’t own this projector, so I found more impressive info at the Epson website: Experience home entertainment in a whole new way with the Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 6100. This affordable projector puts you in the middle of the action with blockbuster brightness and contrast. Whether you enjoy movies, games or sporting events, every image is sure to pop off the screen thanks to Epson’s new D7 panel and an impressive contrast ratio up to 18,000:1. Enjoy true cinematic adventures. It’s easy with Epson’s 3LCD, 3-chip optical engine and 1800 lumens color, 1800 lumens white light output.1 Best of all, with the Epson exclusive Cinema Filter and OptiCinema lens by Fujinon — the type typically used by renowned Hollywood filmmakers — you’re sure to experience movies like never before. Cost: $1,999.99, but that includes free shipping.

(That’s the price at the manufacturer’s website, so you’ll want to do a web search to find the lowest price.)

http://tinyurl.com/qp8ybn

Hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw867