The Giz Wiz, Week of August 7th 2014, Show # 1480

Let there be light. Colorful Light! 

Incandescent bulbs are pretty much gone from store shelves and are no longer made for the US market. LED bulbs are also slowly replacing CFL bulbs, but neither of those bulbs have color filaments. (A far as I’ve seen.) But, you can still make those very economical bulbs colorful. Moodies Light Bulb Covers let you have a colorful, durable and inexpensive way to customize your CFL and LED bulbs. Great for dorm rooms, nightclubs, landscapers or any place you feel like dabbling in home décor.  Moodies are heat resistant silicone caps that fit snugly over CFL and LED bulbs, changing the color and mood of your environment quickly, safely and inexpensively. (Silicone is the same material used in bake ware, oven mitts, etc.) And the company says Moodies have shape memory; so they can crush, fold or stuff them literally anywhere, and they will retain their shape immediately upon release. IMPORTANT! Only use Moodies for CFL or LED bulbs. Do not use over incandescent or halogen bulbs which get very hot. Price at the company website is $3 each, or there’s a rainbow assortment for $19.99, plus S&H. (Prices as of 8/7/14) They should be in stores in the fall. 

Giz Wiz Moodies Video: http://youtu.be/S12PHH2vA-w

Company website: www.buymoodies.com 

See or hear this show: www.twit.tv/giz1480 

8 Automobile Safety Gadgets In One Clever Device.

Here’s a useful safety gadget to have in the glove compartment when an emergency happens. The Champ Survival Sidekick is an 8-in-1 Multi-tool. In a single device that looks like a flashlight you’ll have these eight emergency tools ready when you need them: Glass breaker and seatbelt cutter. Hand crank and a USB connector for emergency mobile device charging. A 3 LED flashlight. Red flashing distress light and a magnetic base to hold in place on a car or any metal object. There’s also a barebones compass, but hopefully you’ll have your smart phone or GPS for direction. The hand crank can charge pretty much any phone, but you’ll need the specific USB cable that came with your phone to do that. The Champ Survival SideKick is available in black or white. Includes USB to micro cable for charging the internal rechargeable battery. The hand crank can keep your phone running, but I doubt if it will fully charge it. The internal battery is just 550 mHa and there’s just so much hand cranking you’ll feel like doing. Under $25 on Amazon and it’s Amazon Prime, so free shipping if you’re a member. (Price as of 8/7/14) (There’s also a model with a built-in NOAA Radio, for about $60.) 

Company video: http://youtu.be/gcXxZhnhxI8 

Company website:  http://www.champprepared.com/

Amazon link: Champ e-Prep 8-in-1 Flashlight, Glass Breaker, Seatbelt Cutter, Device Charging & More, Survival Sidekick Multi-Tool As an Amazon Associate Giz Wiz Biz earns from qualifying Amazon purchases.

10-In-1 Version with AM/FM NOAA Weather Radio: 

CHAMP 10-In-1 Survival Lightstick Portable/Home with AM/FM/NOAA Weather Radio, White with Red (RCEP200FLR) As an Amazon Associate Giz Wiz Biz earns from qualifying Amazon purchases.

See or hear this show: www.twit.tv/giz1480 

A different kind of spin on spaghetti.

Big red arrow, or batteries, not included!Here’s what Amazon says about Hog Wild Twirling Spaghetti Fork: Eating pasta has never been easier - or more fun. Twirling is a better way to eat spaghetti and the motorized fork automatically winds up the pasta on the end of the fork. Now there’s less mess, more satisfying bites and 100% twirling fun. Battery operated (requires two AAA batteries, not included). Dishwasher safe metal prong end. And my thoughts after using it: It’s fun, but using it to eat spaghetti can be time consuming. The turning speed is a bit slow and unless you shut the fork off after the spaghetti is wound on to it, most of it falls off before you get it to your mouth. (Watch the Giz Wiz video to see the Twirling Spaghetti Fork in action.) The slide on/off switch is awkward; a push button ‘instant on/off’ switch would have made this much easier to use. As you’ll see by the reviews, the construction is so-so. But kids will love it (for a while) and it makes a great gag gift. As someone on Amazon suggested, give with a box of pasta as a gift.

Giz Wiz Spinning Fork Video:  http://youtu.be/8aNEgj-qSyE 

No longer available.

See or hear this show: www.twit.tv/giz1480 

Chad's Crappy Corner & his first gadget in the August category voted on by fans - Home Improvement!

Here’s Chad's first Home Improvement Gadget for our 1^st show of August, 2014. 

It's the Rubbermaid Clean and Dry Plunger. (I'm flushed with excitement to learn about this!) 

Here's what Amazon says about it: The Rubbermaid 1817212 Clean and Dry Plunger helps keep your bathroom cleaner and more sanitary. Traditional plungers pick up germs and bacteria that can spread when dripped on floors or in cabinets. The Clean & Dry plunger head and pole is protected with NeverWet coating, which forms a protective shield around them that water cannot penetrate. It works like car wax, the water beads up and rolls off instantly. This allows you to take your plunger from the toilet to your storage space without having to worry about drips and additional cleanup. The NeverWet Coating Repels water, bacteria and other things to make this plunger one of a kind. The unique NeverWet coating is affected by the natural oils in your skin, touching the protective coating may impact product performance. so make sure to use and transport the plunger by the handle above the coating.  -- Under $13 and on Amazon Prime, so free shipping if you're a Prime Member. (Price as of 8/7/14). And Chad's take?  Chad likes this a lot. He owns one and used it in a real situation, as opposed to using mustard, ketchup, etc. in the studio. So he totally recommends it.

No longer available.

See or hear this show: www.twit.tv/giz1480 

Dick's Gadget Warehouse. And how to submit your video to the show.

Jeff Needles and Chad had a surprise for me for this week's gadget warehouse. Another in-studio guest who just happened to have a robotic arm in his car! Chad and Jeff quickly talked Branden into bringing it into the studio and being part of the show.

You'll have to watch the show to see it in action, but I asked our special guest to email some info on himself and his in-studio gadget. And here it is:

Hey Dick! This is Branden, the guy that showed the robotic arm on the show! I just wanted to give you a little info about myself and the arm. So about myself, I am a Mechanical Engineering student from San Jose State University and a Petaluma native (I remember when the Twit building was Tuttle's pharmacy). I landed my internship this summer working for Agilent (now Keysight as of August 1st) by talking on Ham radio on the local N6NFI repeater (145.230 MHz), where I talked with my future boss. (BTW, I am part of SJSU's Ham radio club, call sign W6YL).  As for the robotic arm, it is the "PhantomX AX-12 Reactor Arm" and can be found here: http://www.trossenrobotics.com/p/phantomx-ax-12-reactor-robot-arm.aspx.  The arm I am using is listed for  $589.95 and is aimed at programmers and tinkerers; it is not for those wishing for something that is "plug and play." For people who might be interested, they can use the example libraries from http://learn.trossenrobotics.com/interbotix/robot-arms/reactor-arm to learn how to program the robot arm. The microcontroller software uses the Arduino library as the IDE and the microcontroller can be extended easily with python with such things as pypose. Anyways, I hope this helps anyone who might be interested and thank you so much for having me on the show! 

Regards, Branden Andersen

See or hear this show: www.twit.tv/giz1480 

                                     +++++++++++

We need more Viewer Videos! We’d love to include your video in an upcoming Giz Wiz Show, so let’s go going!

Here’s what we’re looking: Your home shoot 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.

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.

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.

My Favorite Gadget of All Time: 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.

Post them on YouTube and send our producer, Jeff Needles, 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 will now be awarded with some sort of prize. Mainly an autographed MAD magazine and some piece of crap. So that's one more (so-so) reason to send in your video!

All show submissions go to gizwiz@twit.tv