Relief can be on the way with Relief Pod Emergency Kits.

Relief Pod Emergency Kits are strategically organized, color-coded and compact kits that will help keep you prepared for any emergency. They’re designed to provide the basic essentials for safety and self-sufficiency for 24 hours. (Often the first 24 hours after an emergency are the most critical.) The compact size makes for easy accessibility and storage in a car, home or place of work. It’s also a perfect companion for camping and long trips. The large Relief Pod Emergency Kit is conveniently organized into four color-coded sections in which all the items are organized in individual, clear, plastic pockets. The kit includes first-aid in red, food and water in blue, tools in yellow and sanitary items in green. A zipper pocket on the back of the kit allows you to add personal items for your convenience. The mini-flashlight attached to the outside of the kit insures that you are never left in the dark. This kit includes the following: -Permanent Marker -Face Mask -Note Pad -Bandages -Nail File -Cotton Swabs -Antibiotic Ointment -Antiseptic Wipes -Tweezers -Non-Latex Gloves -Pocket Knife -Glowstick/Flashlight -Rope -Emergency Blanket -Whistle/Compass -Work Gloves -Rain Poncho -Duct Tape -Two 4.2 oz Water Packet -1200 Calorie Energy Bar -Hairbrush/Comb -Tissue -Lip Balm -Toothpaste -Toothbrush -Sanitary Bags -Hand Sanitizer Wipes -Hand Sanitizer Gel. Everything is set to go. Just unzip the kit and everything you need is in view. The large kit is $99.99. The company makes smaller kits and family kits too.

www.reliefpod.com

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Video the week --- A real powerstation for emergencies.

The Wagan Power Dome NX is an all-in-one Emergency Power Source. Weighing about 18 pounds, it's portable and ideal to carry in the trunk of your car, or in the garage at home. This rechargeable power unit has 400 Amps of cranking power to help jump-start your car when the battery is low. The heavy duty negative and postive cables (red and black) and clamps are stored in the ends of the unit. If you need air in your tires, or an inflatable beach toy, there's a 260 PSI air compressor and a tire pressure gauge. If the power goes out you can use the 2 AC outlets to plug in lights, a small TV, electric drill, etc. up to 200 watts. (The company says up to 180 watts is better.) If you have a 12 volt device there's also a DC outlet. If you need to charge your cell phones there's also a USB charging port. But wait, there's more! There's a bright LED work light, that also has a blinking function. A red lens turns it into an emergency blinker. Then there's an AM/FM radio and an audio input jack so you can play your own tunes from your phone or MP3 player through the Power Dome NX stereo speakers.  This is a great portable unit for use during emergencies or any time you need power away from an AC outlet. The internal battery can be recharged via by DC or AC with the included cables. Retails for under $100 on Amazon.

This e-tailer sells it for about $96.00, but I haven't shopped here:

http://tinyurl.com/3uoh75f

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Need to cook food when electric and gas are out? The Mountain Flameless Heating Kit can help.

Mountain House is famous for their wide assortment of freeze dried meals. But how do you cook a freeze-dried meal without using a stove! When the power goes out, or the gas goes off, or you're away from a power source, the Mountain House Flameless Oven heating system can still allow you to make a hot meal. So it's perfect for emergency preparedness. You don't need fuel, electric or even matches. The reusable oven pouch has everything needed to heat five meals. It contains five heating pads, five salt tables, and a mini-mixing bottle. All you need is ambient temperature water. There are no toxic fumes released during the heating process, but you do have to be very careful to avoid touching the escaping steam as the meal cooks. The pouch does get very hot while it's cooking. Making a Mountain House freeze dried meal takes anywhere from about 8 to 15 minutes depending on the entree you're making. The Mountain House Flameless Oven Kit is $12.50 at REI. (Link below)

www.mountainhouse.com

REI: http://www.rei.com/product/703589/mountain-house-mountain-oven

See or hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1325

Leo's Turn The Table Turkey of the week! The Samsung Chromebook 5.

A few months ago Leo got a product sample of the Google Chromebook. Google was looking for feedback before they released a consumer version. Well, the time has come and Leo has one of the first consumer models - the Samsung Chromebook Series 5. The company says it has less than 10-second boot time and an amazing 8.5 hours of battery life. Leo said the Samsung Chromebook Series 5 is thin, sleek and light, and is cheaper than an iPad, but it has some drawbacks. A feature of the Chromebook is that all of your apps, documents, and settings are stored safely in the cloud. But Leo points out, if you’re away from WiFi or a cell signal, you can’t do anything on the Chromebook.  This Samsung Chromebook Leo has is Artic White and features a 12.1-inch LED-backlit display with an anti-reflective screen. It's powered by a dual-core Intel processor. It weighs 3.3 pounds. An interesting feature is that the price of the Chromebook includes integrated 3G broadband cellular connectivity via Verizon Wireless as well as Wireless-N.  Leo said the price included one year of 3G service, but on Amazon it says two years, so I don’t know for sure which it is. The fact that you need either 3G or WiFi makes me hope it’s two free years of 3G. Leo showed the ports on the unit which include two USB ports, a 4-in-1 memory card reader, buttonless touch pad and a 1-megapixel webcam for video chats. He didn’t seemed overwhelmed with the unit, and said many more Chromebook units from various manufacturers will be on the market soon. I don’t know which e-tailer Leo used, but at this one on Amazon, it sells for $429.99. You can hear all of Leo's thoughts about the Samsung Chromebook 5 by listening to the show.

http://tinyurl.com/3nyablw

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Back to Dick’s Gadget Warehouse for a handy hard-wired landline telephone.

My 1980‘s Conair Prima Pushbutton Phone still works. Remember that your cordless phones (not cell phones) will NOT work if the power goes off. But if you still have landline service, a hardwired touchtone phone will most likely still let you make phone calls. That’s because your local phone company has back-up batteries and generators to keep power going to the lines. Of course if there’s an explosion, earthquake or major catastrophe, the phone wires under or over the ground will be damaged and not even landlines will work. Your back-up landline phone should be a pushbutton phone. A dial phone should still work, but for calling-in emergencies many services will ask you to input answers via the push buttons on your phone. With a rotary phone you won’t be able to send those tones and after a while you will most likely be disconnected. If you have an UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply) you can plug your base station for your cordless phone into that and have phone use until that battery goes dead. My Conair Prima phone has a lighted keypad of sorts. A single small LED above the #2 push button shines weakly on the rest of the keys. In darkness though, it’s probably enough light to let you dial correctly, especially if the person you're calling has a lot of 2's as part of their phone number! My phone is bout 30 years old. Today a decent landline, backlit keyboard phone is available at Radio Shack for under $20. As of mid-July Radio Shack was closing out an older model push button hardwired phone for under $5 at many of their stores. (Not available online.) I was too late to get one at my local Radio Shack, but maybe you can still snag one. If not under $20 is a good buy for emergency phone calls.

 See or hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1325