The Giz Wiz for the week of August 14th, 2012, Netcast 1377

GADGETS THAT REFUSE TO DIE!

Several weeks ago I talked about the Misty Mate personal mister I found in Dick’s Gadget Warehouse. That report is here: http://gizwizbiz.squarespace.com/daily_giz_wiz_gadgets/?currentPage=5

Someone at MistyMate thought I’d like to see how much their technology has changed in 20 years and sent me a product sample of one of their newest models. It’s quite an improvement. With the original model, in order to fill the tank, you had to hook the Misty Mate to a garden hose or screw it onto an attachment connected to the kitchen sink. And to pressurize the tank, you needed a bicycle pump. It’s 20 years later and everything is built into the new MistyMate 28. Just unscrew the cap, fill it with water from the sink and replace the cap. You build pressure with the pump that’s also built right in. After about 10 to 15 pump strokes you’re set for a few hours of personal misting as you walk outdoors in the broiling heat. The company says it will reduce the temperature around you by about 30 degrees. There are four models of the Misty Mate. The Misty Mate 28 is the biggest and has a MSRP of $49.99. But you find it for about half that amount on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005727E2I/?tag=twnene-20

I have not shopped at this e-tailor.

Company website: www.mistymate.com

See or hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1377

Giz Wiz Video Of The Week - Deluxe Box of Crap - Is It Really Crap?

Woot does it, The Giz Wiz does, lots of web sites do it. They sell boxes of crap a couple of times a year. It’s a way to clear out all the unsold crap from their warehouse. (I sell my boxes of crap all year round because I don’t advertise it. You have to stumble across info about it.) So are Boxes of Crap worth it? Do you get great stuff? Well, you can judge for yourself in this week’s Giz Wiz Video. 

http://youtu.be/cbvVqatewzc

If you don’t have time to watch the video, here’s what I got when I ordered a box of crap from www.thatdailydeal.com It was $29.99 + $4.95 for a total of just under $35. 

OrGreenic Pot & Strainer – A 4-quart pot, (I’m guessing) slightly chipped, and no cover for the pot. Plus a separate strainer insert. 

3 VHS Video Tapes – Red Sox Season 2004 + Red Sox Movie + Shattered Lies

8 Velvet Hangers - thin hangers maybe sprayed with fake velvet so thing don't slide off.

BBQ Hooker – combo spatula, hook, cutting edge

Misting Flower – Copper ‘flower’ & hose to mist your plants. Really dumb. 

Glow RED flashlight, flasher, and whistle. Great if you have a job parking cars at night. 

Touch ‘N Brush – foot long plastic device hangs on wall. It’s whole purpose is to squeeze toothpaste out of a tube. 

Can Toppers – 6 plastic caps that click onto a soda can to keep the fizz in, bugs out. No a bad idea.

36 Cell Phone Wipes 

16 oz collapsible water bottle – pink 

He Said She Said – Mini book 

Auto DC Socket Splitter – plugs into 12 volt cigarette lighter & offers two 12V & 2 USB charging ports – best of the box  

Forever Green 16 piece Food Storage System – (Rigid plastic. I couldn’t get the covers on or off.)

Photo Frame Wall Decal - rolled up and kind of crinkled and tattered.  

Super Duper Ice Cream Scooper – World’s Largest Ice Cream Scoop (Plastic) 

I buy a lot of stuff from this website. They range from useful to junky. The box of crap was so-so. There’s nothing in it I expect to use. The Auto Splitter is good, but I have one. 

www.thatdailydeal.com 

If you want to know about my Giz Wiz Boxes of Crap, just put BOC in the subject line and sent it to dick@gizwiz.biz. Mine’s $5 more, but you get my autographed book GOOD DAYS & MAD, plus the current issue of MAD. That’s about $30 right there & then there's crap on top of that crap! 

See or hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1377

A 19 Year Old Gadget That's Still Selling!

I was originally going to make the Handi-Drink dog water bottle a Dick’s Gadget Warehouse pick. It goes back to 1993, so it’s 19 year old. That’s more like a hundred in gadget years. But when I started doing a web search I discovered the Handi-Drink is very much alive and selling! This clever gadget combines a durable reusable sport water bottle with a unique wrap-around water dish. To give your dog a drink, fold down the water pan and pop out the water bottle. A flexible cap on the water bottle clicks right into the Handi-Drink water tray. When you squeeze the bottle, water runs into the tray where your pet can easily lap it up. You don’t even have to fill up the pan. When you stop squeezing, the automatic valve stops the water stream. Handi-Drink comes with both a belt clip and a lanyard if you’d like to wear it. It’s all in one, so you don’t have to carry a water bottle and a separate bowl or cup. It’s perfect for the park, hikes, camping, beach, dog shows, etc. My vet said it’s bad for pets to drink from any sort of communal drinking fountain, like the ones found in some dog runs. Handi-Drink takes care of that problem. You can easily carry your own clean water. The unit currently on sale seems to be exactly the same as it was 19 years ago. But at the company website, I see they now have a larger and a smaller version. The original version is 17 ounces. They now offer also offer 9 ounce and a 25-ounce size. Checking Amazon, I see the original 17-ounce Handi-Drink for as low as about $7! Here’s the company website: 

www.petcrew.net 

It’s here on Amazon for $6.90. I haven’t bought anything at this website: 

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000GDXHQ0/?tag=twnene-20

See or hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1377

It's Leo's Turn The Table Turkey Is Doing Something New!

Leo’s Turn The Table Turkey is changing. Instead of looking for crap under his desk, Leo will be looking for crap from The Sky Mall catalog! You know that world famous Sky Mall magazine that’s in the seat pocket of just about every major airline. Millions of people look through it everyday to pass the time during flight delays or when you’re not allowed to use your electronic gadgets! The catalog is full of weird gadgets from a dozen or so different catalog retailers. Every week Leo will pick three and Giz Wiz fans will vote on which one Leo should buy and use as his gadget of the week.

You can vote here right now!

See or hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1377

A Visit To Your Gadget Warehouse!

TWiT and Giz Wiz fans are pretty amazing people. Not only smart and funny --- they can really do complicated projects. Last week we had the guy who took his gas powered Ford Truck and made into an electric model. This week, we have -- well read it for yourself:

Hi Dick and Leo!

Wanted to share with you my souped up Apple IIgs as a personal gadget warehouse submission.  This was a computer I spent a lot of time with as a kid, and was the first device I ever took "online" - although online in its day was GEnie and BBS systems.

What's unique about this particular machine is some of the hardware I recently installed in it to make it how I always wanted it to be. I dramatically expanded the RAM, found a Transwarp GS accelerator that brings it up to a whopping 14 mhz, and even added ethernet! The most unique feature is a brand new (circa 2011) CFFA 3000 card that allows the IIgs to work with compact flash cards and USB sticks. Disk "images" can be downloaded, copied to a USB stick, and the GS can boot right off of them. Real floppies can also be written back to flash memory. In fact the computer thinks it's just another floppy on the system!

Check out my tour here:  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RuONXgPL3A

.

Thanks Lon. You win an autographed copy of the MAD Batman Special, and a 30+ year old Alfred E. Neuman picture. Shoot me an email with your snail mail address!  gizwiz@twit.tv 

See or hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1377