Weekly Daily Giz Wiz, Week of August 29nd, 2011, Netcast 1329

A new sign greets guests a Gizneyland.

Now that Leo has spent some $1.2 million on the incredible new Brick TWiT House, I’ve been doing a little upgrading at Gizneyland. Artist Dennis Wunderland started by making a neat new illuminated Giz Wiz logo-sign guests will see when they enter the studio. There was only one problem after installing it. The sign doesn’t have an on/off switch. Online I received an ad fort he Handy Trends Perfect Switch, a device to wirelessly control any light inside or outside. (I woldn't use this device outside!) The ad said that Perfect Switch works up to 33 feet and is easy to install. I ordered two of them on sale for $5 each. Installation is really easy. Just plug the remote receiver into an outlet and plug the lamp into the receiver. There’s a slight hassle with the wireless transmitter, which is shipped without a battery. We’re accustomed to gadgets that come without batteries, but this device uses a button 2032 battery, which you probably don’t have lying around. (I happen to have them because the Giz Wiz Biz LED hat uses them.) Once I put the battery in, I found a few shortcomings you should be aware of.

The range I could get with my Perfect Switch was about 10 to 12 feet, not the advertised 33 feet. AND it only works if there’s clear line of sight between the transmitter and switch. Perfect Switch won’t work under a table or behind the couch, probably two places you would want to use it. I wanted to put the switch right next to the front door of the studio so I could turn the sign on as I entered, but I ended up putting it just a few feet from the remote sensor. It still lets me turns the sign on and off easily, but not in a convenient place. Also in the reviews online I read that most of the Pefect Switch units use the same code. One person said when they pushed the switched everything went on. (He's kind of lucky that the range he got was that good!) The switch was still on sale at the link below on 8/25/11 when I wrote this. It’s also on Amazon.com for $9.95.

http://tinyurl.com/3zovm3u

See or hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1329

Video the week --- really, it's on the level.

Hanging pictures or book shelves drive you crazy as you try to make sure they’re absolutely level?  (Say “yes!”) Well Black & Decker’s BDL100AV all-in-one SureGrip laser level can help make that chore really easy. Now you can hang items straight without leaving smudges from writing utensils. The SureGrip features a rubber suction cup with silicone ring for easy attachment to most nonporous surfaces. It’s a two-part device. A magnet lets you flip the laser line left or right, projecting a clean and clearly visible line use to hang items. The integrated vial automatically changes color from red (not level) to green (level). There’s an optional audio signal alert great when you need to know something is level, but the device is out of view. (Like when you’re trying to level a washing or a table and you’re down below.) A large switch let you choose the level along, or the level and the laser line. If you need to use a pushpin for extra support of the device, there is one provided and it locks into the back of the SureGrip laser level. Although the MSRP is about $45 you can find it online for much less. It’s under $29 on Amazon.com at the link below. (I have not bought anything there.)

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Decker-BDL100AV-SureGrip-Laser/dp/B004SQSU6I

THE VIDEO OF THE WEEK: http://youtu.be/ch19LkOtQIw  

See or hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1329

It looks like an ordinary pen except ---

it’s huge (about 7" long) and it won’t fit into a ordinary shirt pocket. But it’s not an ordinary ballpoint pen; it’s the LED Message Easy Grip Ballpoint Pen. It does write rather smoothly, but the real reason you might want this pen is for its programmable LED Message Display.  It can store up to 4 different 16-letter messages at a time. (Some descriptions say the pen can store up to 4 18-letter messages at a time.) You select from 64 characters and symbols to create, then save your messages. There are no lower case letters and when setting up a message you'll discover there is no back button. If you pass a letter you want  to program, you have to go through the alphabet and come back to it. Not to worry, you can do it quickly by holding down the set button. It runs on three AG13 batteries, which are included. I have no idea how long the battery life is. My guess is you’ll show off the display on your LED Message Pen and then shut it off. The on/off switch is hidden under the pocket clip. This won’t be your everyday pen, but it’s fun for parties, and plain old showing off. I bought mine on Sale-of-the-day for $5. You can find it at various places on the web for about the same price. I saw it at the link below, although I haven’t bought anything there.

http://tinyurl.com/3oe4zco

See or hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1329

Leo's Turn The Table Turkey of the week!

This week Leo steps out from behind his desk and goes into the "old radio studio" part of the new Brick TWiT House for his pick of the week.

You won't be running out to buy one of these gadgets because it's more than 50 years old and probably cost $15,000 to $20,000 to buy back then. Leo's the proud owner of a Collins AM Radio Transmitter, model 20V. It's been restored and brought back to like new condition. And yes, it works! You don't need to know anything about it to fall in love with this device. Just look at those tubes that glow with excitment when they heat up! I really don't anything about the Collins AM Radio Transmitter except this. For a piece of equipment the size of a phone booth, that's 50 years+ old, a lot of people are still interested in it. There's a ton of info about it on the web! Be sure to watch this episode of the Weekly Daily Giz Wiz to see this high tech gizmo of years gone by in HD. You can tell Leo just loves having it in the studio! And here's a bit more info on the Collins AM Radio Transmitter via a web search:

http://louise.hallikainen.org/BroadcastHistory/uploads/harold/Collins20V_1KWAM.pdf

See or hear this Netcast: http://twitlive.tv/dgw1329

Back to Dick’s Gadget Warehouse for a look at a real early video game.

It’s 1994 and Sega introduces the Pocket Arcade games. The PR people who wrote the copy for these little gizmos went a little overboard. Here’s some copy from a Sega Pocket Arcade games ad: “Turbo-Charged LCD Action! What are these things? High tech vegetable peelers? Space age remote controls? NOT! They're Sega Arcade Games you carry in your pocket. But where the screen? Just push a button and the concealed screen pivots into view and you're ready for challenging Sega game action.” The Arcade Game I have, Ecco Dolphin has a screen that doesn’t pivot into view. The cover pops open as you would expect, and there’s the tiny screen. The game? Ecco is a young dolphin whose safe ocean haven is destroyed when a sudden storm tragically separates him from this family. Ecco must safely navigate his way through the ocean in search of his family. On his way he finds frenzied sharks, stinging jellyfish and dangerous coral reefs. Your job is to guide Ecco in his quest to find his missing family. Compared to games today, about 17 years later, this is pretty tame, maybe even lame stuff. You can see how bare bones video details was back then. Thanks to the website IB Nelson for the screen shot. He’s the guy who designed the Sega Pocket Arcade games.

www.ibnelson.com

See or hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1329