The Giz Wiz Show 1617 for April 7th 2017, Our 100th Independent Production. Yes, 100th!!

Thanks to our wonderful Patreon supporters The Giz Wiz Show not only continues, but with this show hits 100 episodes of independent production! So great. If you'd like to support OMGchad & DickDe in our independent venture (we pay for everything ourselves, including travel) just click the Patreon link at the top of our show web page: http://www.gizwiz.tv/You can also contribute just once via the PayPal link that's there too. And thank you for doing that! Our show wouldn't exist without our viewer's support.  

And now onto this week's gadgets!

Edison Light Bulbs and OMG, they're not LED!

I like these bulbs said to be inspired by the style of old-fashioned Thomas Edison bulbs. Since they are also old-fashioned incandescent bulbs, they're fully dimmable, and made of clear glass. As you'll see in the video, the glowing squirrel cage filament design are far more interesting than almost all other normal bulbs. They fit into either an E26 or E27 screw base which means they fit standard home lighting sockets as well as most pendant light fixtures, ceiling fan lamps, chandeliers etc. (Assuming they use an E26 / E27 socket.)

The 370 lumen filament bulbs are rated at 2500 hours of life. And although they can dimmed, they do not come with any sort of dimming device. I think these bulbs look best when they are fairly dim. That way you can see the individual elements. A single bulb is pricey at $6.99, but four are $16.99 and six are $22.89.

Vintage LED Filament Bulb A19 - 6W LED Light Bulb.

Lussuoso Lighting Filament LED A19 is a 60 Watt Equivalent using just 6W. It a nice soft White (2700K) as you'll see in the video. The Led Filament Bulb is an innovative combination of LED with a vintage incandescent bulb look. The LED filament technology offers a 360 degree beam angle light pattern which the ordinary LED bulbs can't. The bulb uses a clear glass bulb, unlike most LED lights, so it looks like an incandescent bulb. The company says these bulbs' power consumption is lower than most of the ordinary LED bulbs and the yearly cost to operate is minimal. You can replace old bulbs in seconds as these Lussuoso Lighting Filament Bulbs come with the standard medium screw E26 or the E12 base. A single bulb is $11.99, but burn time is said to be about 25,000, or 20 years, used 3.5 hours per day.

Search for the latest versions on Amazon.

Giz Wiz Video: https://youtu.be/Twxk1

See or hear this show: www.gizwiz.tv/episode/1617

3 Second Lazer Bond -- Did It Work?

Have you seen the TV ads for Lazer Bond? I have a link to the TV ad below. According to the ad, it can fix pretty much anything, including -- quite unbelievably, a boat that's been sawed in half! I bet it took cases of Lazer Bond to put that back together, and I wonder if they needed to do anything else before we see a guy putt-putt away in the Lazer-bonded boat. It's said to fix glass, leaky pipes, shoes, drawer knobs and so much more. The company says Lazer Bond liquid plastic resin solidifies in just 3 seconds with UV Light! Unlike sticky glues, Lazer Bond USA never hardens in the container. You'll be able to use every last drop. The ad also says you can use it to fix anything including broken eye glasses! Okay, so I did break the frame on a pair of eye glasses and as you'll see in the video, we did manage to fix them with Lazer Bond. But it's a bit messy, and the instructions recommend you wear gloves and eye protection. (And in two places to seek medical attention if you get it in your eyes or you get it on your skin and irritation persists.) They also tell you that 3 seconds of UV should be up to 8 seconds and that you should repeat the bonding and UV steps until the pieces are bonded together. The frame of my glasses is mended but I think we got a dab of Lazer Bond on the lens. We're not sure if we'll be able to get it off. Reviews on Amazon are pretty low.   

As Seen On TV Ad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZUHiwKa_j8 

Giz Wiz Video: https://youtu.be/8EA4JIN7x5E

See or hear this show: www.gizwiz.tv/episode/1617

Cheap gadgets you may not know about.

Belkin Rock Star Multi Headphone Splitter. 

With the Rockstar Multi Headphone Splitter you can connect up to five headphones to a single audio source. Connect to your video player, tablet, iPod/iPhone, etc. to start sharing. And of course it works with MP3 and DVD players, as well as other portable media devices that have a 3.5mm headphone jack. I use one at my Gizneyland studio. When I have guests during the Giz Wiz Show, or I'm on the radio with Leo Laporte on the Tech Guy show everyone has to be on headphones or earbuds when we record. (It prevents feedback.) This is an easy way to connect up to four more people plus my headphones. It's under $15.00 on Amazon.

Giz Wiz Video: https://youtu.be/jZ1iW0cp2Vk

I have a new phone, the LG G6. It's my first phone with the new USB-C connector. This is going to be the new way to charge a lot of the new phones coming out. One advantage is there's no right or wrong way to insert the USB-C connector. But since many of my other device are micro-USB, I wondered if I could just buy a simple USB-C adapter. And yes, Anker make a great, compact inexpensive one. It's their minimalist solution for using Micro USB cables with USB-C phones, tablets and laptops. Anker says use it for Charge & Sync: It uses USB 2.0 protocol for high-speed Micro USB charging and fast data transfer (480 Mbps). And it has a 56KΩ pull-up resistor for unbeatable safety and reliability. Fool-proof design with no installation required—simply plug and play. And 2 Anker USB-C to Micro USB Adapters were just $6.99. Even the blister package has tab to flip it open without needing to cut anything.

Giz Wiz Video: https://youtu.be/jZ1iW0cp2Vk

See or hear this show: www.gizwiz.tv/episode/1617

Chad's Crappy Corner & His New Theme For April, 2017

Chad polled our amazing Patreon members and ask them for help picking a theme for April. They choice: “Magnetic Gadgets!”

And Chad's 1^st magnetic gadget is the WowWee Magnaflex Magnetic Set.

Here's what Amazon says about it: Magnaflex high-quality, flexible magnetic strips let you build anything you can imagine. Bend and connect magnaflex strips magnetically, and use their unique shape to zip or stack them together. Create animals, vehicles, wearable accessories and more. Add structure and complete your design with painted metal connector pieces that become eyes, wheels, or decorative accents. Design flat 2D or Organic 3D objects anywhere and display your creations on magnetic surfaces such as a fridge door. Have fun challenging your imagination to come up with new designs or games with this innovative, educational toy that promotes creativity, visualization and fine motor skills. $19.99.

And Chad's take: Chad thought this was a fun set to play with. If you want a bit of help the instructions with a while series of shapes, animals, designs, etc. that you follow and build. Or just stuck magnetic pieces together and see what you come up. (That's a cat built following the instructions. You'll see him build it in this week's show video.) Chad's only concern was - is there enough variations so that a child won't get bored with creating a limited amount of things. But for under $20, Chad thought this is an interesting magnetic attraction. (By the way, if you want to build even more things, WowWee also makes a bigger $35 set and a giant $50 Magnaflex Set!)

See or hear this show: www.gizwiz.tv/episode/1617

Dick's Gadget Warehouse & How to Submit Your Viewer Video.

Celebrating 13 years as of April, 2017, it's the Iomega Floppy Plus 7-in-1 Card Reader

The Iomega Floppy Plus 7-in-1 Card Reader was a good choice for floppy disc users (remember them?) who needed to add a floppy drive to a new computer than didn't ship with one. You could copy off files and photos and save them to new media. But, wait there's more. It also included readers for 7 different media formats (many of which are no longer made). And Adobe Photoshop Album SE software was included to make it easy for photos and files to be transferred to different types of digital media. And this 13 year old portable multi-format drive was powered directly from a USB port on your computer so you could use it anywhere! No power cord required. It retailed for $59.99 when it came out in 2004. 

Giz Wiz Video: https://youtu.be/Yr-rLCAziT4

See or hear this show: www.gizwiz.tv/episode/1617

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We’re looking for more Viewer Videos!

We’d love to include your video in an upcoming Giz Wiz Show, so here's what we're looking for! Your home shot video – 2 to 3 minutes long, in any of the following categories:

I bought a piece of crap: Did you buy something you ended up hating? We won't get you a refund, but we might be able to give a platform to vent your disappointment. Remember, "family friendly" language applies.

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I invented this! Did you invent something? (Or did a friend or relative invent something.) We can't market it for you, but we can help get the word out. Show us what it is, and how it works. Even if it's a prototype, you can get our (and the audience) reactions. No professional ads please.

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My Gadget Warehouse: Okay, so you don't have a warehouse. It doesn't matter. Just tell us about your favorite old gadget(s). When and where you bought it, and why you're still hanging on to it.

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My Favorite Gadget (favorite old, or favorite new): Show us what it is, tell us what it does and why you love, or loved it! It can be a new gadget you just bought too.

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Post them on YouTube and send us the link! We'll do the rest. (Or possibly nothing, but that's unlikely.) Remember, videos should be just 2 to 3 minutes long! Low production value is fine, but we should be able to hear you and see you! If we select and show your video on The Giz Wiz you’ll a tiny amount of fame (hopefully), an autographed MAD magazine and a 35-year-old Alfred E. Neuman picture. So that's one more (so-so) reason to send in your video!

IMPORTANT: We'll just shower you with praise for your video if you live outside the US or Canada since we can't afford to send stuff outside of those two places. (Thanks for understanding.)

All show submissions go to mail@gizwiz.tv  

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Letter of the week:

Chad, just a suggestion for a product to use if you ever go the Dick's place and need to cover up some of his LEDs so you can get some sleep. 

http://amzn.to/2ni63V6

Toodles!  Mike Gunn-SFO

From the Giz Wiz: Mike, that's a great suggestion for hotel rooms when you travel! A more elegant and permanent solution are Lightdims. They came in various strengths to block out some, or all of the too bright LED lights on devices.

http://amzn.to/2oVO7fz