Giz Wiz Show 1721 April 4, 2019 Independent Show #203

Wow! The Giz Wiz Show started year 13 overall & our 5th year of Independent Production! (First Giz Wiz show was February 20th, 2006.) Thanks to our wonderful Patreon supporters we continue on! If it wasn't for them, the Giz Wiz Show would be gone. 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. Thank you for doing that! Our show wouldn't exist without our viewer's support, but a bit more support would be a big help. Thanks from OMGchad & DickDe!

A great gadget to unclutter your desk, or to take on a trip: My Desktop from RapidX

Although this is pitched as a gadget to reduce desktop clutter, I think it's also good for travel. That's because under the desk at a lot of hotels there's often an 2-plug outlet with a lamp plugged into one and the TV plugged into the other. You could plug this device in where the lamp is plugged in and then plug the lamp into this! Now you still have 5 ways to charge devices or power another AC device. It's the Rapid-X My Desktop multipurpose power strip with wireless charging and 3 USB ports. So you can charge your Qi- wireless enabled devices, USB powered devices, and any device using a standard wall plug. For wireless charging just place your compatible Qi enabled phone horizontally on the stand to initiate charging. Saves space and clutter on your desk or nightstand. As you'll see in the video, the 5' connecting cord is heavy duty but it has to be to provide the power to the two 3-prong outlets on the device itself. And finally, the company says there's a built-In surge protector to keep your devices safe. Available in 3 color combinations. More details at Amazon and on the company website. MSRP $59.99

Giz Wiz Video: https://youtu.be/ISp9kdGeWEs

Amazon link: https://amzn.to/2Vrt6d5   As an Amazon Associate Giz Wiz Biz earns from qualifying Amazon purchases.

Company website: https://www.rapidx.io/collections/featured-products-1/products/mydesktop-tangerine

See or hear this show: www.gizwiz.tv/episode/1721

Would you take apart a $200 webcam so you could add a new lens? Chad did!

When you zoom in on most consumer webcams, you're doing that digitally. That wasn't good enough for Chad, so he changed that with a fair amount of work!! He needed a kit to do it and after years of looking, he found one. The company, Kurokesu calls this kit a of way of "Making (A) Best Webcam Even Better". It's designed for the $200 Logitech Brio 4K webcam. And the reason Chad wanted this? As he explains it, when you zoom in using a normal webcam, you're really just doing it digitally, which doesn't result in the best definition picture. To achieve that goal you would need a way to add a dedicated camera lens to a webcam. And it would work best on a high res webcam like the Logitech Brio 4K. This kit does that. But wait until you watch this week's show to see what a scary job that is! You'll also see the finished results as Chad bravely dismantles his $200 Brio 4K webcam and rebuilds so it takes standard CS mount lenses. The kit alone is about $74.00 with $6 postage from overseas. They also offer to custom build one for you if you prefer that. Check their website for more info.

The kit Chad bought is here: https://www.kurokesu.com/shop/KITCBRIOL  

Here's the company blog with a more detailed look: https://www.kurokesu.com/main/2017/07/31/making-best-webcam-even-better/

A gadget you can for free that I saw selling on ebay for as much as $19.

On this week's show see if you can guess what that white plastic gadget is that I hold up. Oh, okay, so it pretty much looks like what it is, a toilet paper holder. But it's not an ordinary toilet paper holder. It's designed to hold those Mega-rolls of toilet paper that are so fat they don't fit into many built in toilet paper holders. They don't fit in the one in my apartment, my Gizneyland studio bathroom, or in the fixture in Dennis' bathroom. So now instead of leaving the roll on the tank and using it until the roll gets small enough to fit into the toilet paper holder, Charmin has come up with a solution. It's the toilet roll extender and it's free from Charmin. Maybe other mega-roll companies offer them too. It's a spring-loaded plastic device that lets the roll sit further out on your built-in toilet paper dispenser so the mega-rolls fit! You get one for free at the link below, or by calling 1-800-777-1410. Amazingly, while looking for a good photo of the roll extender to post here I found them selling online for much as $19. Those come in a nice package for that price, but mine was free and looks exactly the same. It only came in a thinly padded envelope, but hey, for free! Dennis got one too, but his was bent. However we took it apart, put it back together and it works fine.

Giz Wiz Video:  https://youtu.be/TTmXnKEe5zI

http://www.charmin.com/

Chad polled our loyal Patreon fans & they voted on the new theme for April.

Chad's Crappy Corner new theme for April as voted on by our loyal Patreon members is Cheap Gadgets to Help You Sleep. Chad's first Gadget To Help You Sleep is for kids – the Paw Patrol Pillow Pets Sleepy-Time Lites.

A Little Info From Amazon: The Nickelodeon paw Patrol Pillow Pets Chase sleep time Lite will illuminate your room and turn your ceiling into a Starry night sky with the touch of a button. This amazing nightlight projects four light options: steady amber, blue, or green, or a combination of all three colors alternating continually every four seconds. Fold up into a pet for imaginative play during the day, or open and lay flat at night to keep you company as a nightlight. Children will rest easy knowing their Sleepy-Time Lite will light up the room with soothing-colored stars, allowing them to transition into a peaceful dream world. Parents will appreciate the built-in timer that automatically shuts off after 20 minutes, giving little ones enough time to drift off to sleep. Requires (3) AAA batteries (not included.) as with all decorative pillows, not recommended for children under the age of 3.

And Chad's take? Chad liked this and felt a kid would enjoy falling asleep to the moving colored stars. He also thought if the child woke up in the middle of the night he could easily turn it on again for another 20 minutes. Plus during the day, it's a fun toy. Chad paid $25.

https://amzn.to/2WKSpak  As an Amazon Associate Giz Wiz Biz earns from qualifying Amazon purchases.

Dick's Gadget Warehouse & How to Submit Your Viewer Video On Any Gadget!

For the Viewer Video of the week Fred Hance wrote:

I've got a new video for the gadget warehouse. It's a desk clock for the Amazon Dot second generation.

https://youtu.be/ejaSwDqUhM0

I bought it on Amazon for $30. It works very well.

I'm a first time submitter. If you use my video my address is -- (we have it and will send you an autographed MAD & an autographed 38+ year old Alfred E. Neuman photo.)

This device is still available for about $30, but remember it's for Generation 2: https://amzn.to/2WITbEJ   As an Amazon Associate Giz Wiz Biz earns from qualifying Amazon purchases.

Fred 

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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 earn a tiny amount of fame (hopefully). And if you live in the US, you'll also get an autographed 35-year-old Alfred E. Neuman picture and a MAD surprise (most likely the current issue of MAD.) But no matter where you live, I canemail an autographed to you Alfred E. Neuman photo if we show your video. Just print it out, frame it, or just hang it up and no one will know it's a copy. We've tested it out and fans say they look terrific!

All show submissions go to mail@gizwiz.tv

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Letter of the week:

Subject: dehydrated water.   (Which Chad showed in the previous week's Giz Wiz Show.)

It's funny you should have this. I'm a truck driver and for years we have had terms when we are pulling an empty trailer: sailboat fuel, Airbrake fluid and yes, dehydrated water.  We'd show up and tell our location that I had a load of the afore mentioned. Some got it, some didn't. Looks like I missed my chance on a million dollar idea. OH well!! Love the show.

Thanks Larry Tompkins Aka The Geeky Trucker