The Giz Wiz Show 1698, October 26th 2018 Independent Show #181

The 2018 Meetup is over, but here's part of the Virtual Meetup with OMGchad and myself. Watch it and you can meet some fans of the show you probably know from the chatroom:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkMRZdAzwP8 

Now onto this week's show!

The Giz Wiz Show is far into it's 13th year of production, and the fourth year of Independent Production! (The very first 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. And 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!)

This week we check out three new, fun toys as we head into the holiday shopping season. They are all from the 2018 Toy Insider’s HoliDAY of Play.

Now it's real fun 'playing with your food'. Meet Chow Crown

“Fun and silly” seem to be a new category of games that kids (and many) adults can enjoy. I just discovered a new one at the Toy Insider's Holiday of Play called The Chow Crown game. Silly? Well you start by putting a musical crown that spins on your head. Then you load up the plastic forks with things you can easily stick on forks, like marshmallows, strawberries, etc. Then hit “on” and once the music starts, the snacks will begin to spin around your head. The object is to bite the food off the rotating forks without using your hands and eating it before the music stops. As you'll see in the video, the forks just hang down loosely, so it's a challenge to bite the food off them. If you want more of a challenge, switch from the long game mode to the shorter game mode. The player who eats the most food wins. It's designed for kids ages 8 and up and it seems like a fun game for a kid's birthday party or even a birthday gift. And need they say it? FOOD NOT INCLUDED. MSRP $19.99.

Giz Wiz Video: https://youtu.be/crjnzYMwOg8

Compay Videos  https://shop.hasbro.com/en-us/product/chow-crown-game:5B17DE3C-511D-4E52-8CEA-EF6F65E28FC3

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

See or hear this episode: www.gizwiz.tv/episode/1698 

Kid Karaoke Fun! VTech's Kidi Star Karaoke Machine

Kids can sing like a star (perhaps only in their imaginations) with the Kidi Star Karaoke Machine. Grab the microphone and use Music Magic mode to turn down the main vocal track of your favorite songs so your child can be the star! Easily connect your MP3 player or mobile devices (that has a headphone jack) with the included audio cable and play favorite tunes from your own collection or sing along to the eight original songs. There's a 180 degree disco light for colorful light effects to add atmosphere. And you can add audience sounds like applause, cheering and laughter so it really feels like youre onstage at a concert! (I don't think there's 'booing' sound effect, so you don't have to be a good singer to have fun.) Record the performance for up to five minutes and add fun voice-changing effects. Then you can listen to and enjoy your performance. But wait, there's more. Vtech says there are six built-in games and eight built-in original songs. MSRP $49.99.

Giz Wiz Video: https://youtu.be/_Jl79tq4Uao  

Company video ad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VjxK6UAY8Q  

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2yw0iHa  As an Amazon Associate Giz Wiz Biz earns from qualifying Amazon purchases.

See or hear this episode: www.gizwiz.tv/episode/1698  

Zoom Tubes Car Trax

From the company: ZOOM TUBEs Amazing RC Race Car & Twist & Turn tubular Trax! Zoom up, ZOOM down, Zoom all around! With one kit you can make infinite track designs.

From the Giz Wiz: Zoom Tubes can be great fun for kids, building elaborate layouts of tubular tracks, but I don't know how parents will feel about it. When you watch the commercial you see tubes on the stairs in the all the rooms and running absolutely everwhere. Pretty unrealistic unless the kids have the entire house to themselves and a fair amount of money to buy that many add-ons. The tubular tracks that come with the basic set are sort of minimal at about 12+ feet. You also get one car and a remote control. MSRP: $29.99

Giz Wiz Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-9lBHGeB0A  

Company Video ad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdhYxvNVzIA  

Check other places: On 10/25 it was $28 at Walmart, $29.99 at Bed Bath & Beyond.

See or hear this episode: www.gizwiz.tv/episode/1698  

Chad's Crappy Corner & Another Gadget For His October Theme, Cheap Halloween Gadgets!

Chad polled our loyal Patreon members and asked them to vote on his 'cheap gadget theme' for October. Even though it won many times before, it won again this year. Chad's final cheap Halloween gadget is: The Screaming Door Mat.

Screaming Door Mat. Pressure Sensitive;Just Place it under your existing doormat and see and hear the fun begin! Scary sounds include, Screams and thunder, "Enter at your own risk" and "Welcome to the haunted house". Uses 2 "AA batteries (included). Under $9

And Chad's take: Quite simply Chad said this was up there with the crappiest of the crappiest gadgets! Watch this week's show to see Chad jump up and down trying to get the Screaming Door Mat to make a sound. And on the odd times it does work, it's impossible to hear what it's supposed to be saying. It's under $9, but not worth buying period!

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

See or hear this episode: www.gizwiz.tv/episode/1698  

Dick's Gadget Warehouse & How to Submit Your Viewer Video.

This week's viewer video arrived just in time for Halloween. It's very short, but the gadget is scary indeed!

Here's Scott's email:

Hey dick and chad here is my short and semi sweet gadget video

https://youtu.be/ExOPXeNE0uA  

Scott M Northlake IL

There's a short video on the Home Depot page: (This page will probably disappear after Halloween.)

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Home-Accents-Holiday-28-in-High-Voltage-Junction-Box-With-Electrified-Cables-7342-28919/301148626

See or hear this episode: www.gizwiz.tv/episode/1698

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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:

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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: Upcycling from episode 1696

Hi Dick and Chad,

I just watched episode 1696 where you talked about upcycling. There are actually a bunch of companies doing this right now. I found one called Rareform at www.rareform.com that I ran across a few months ago. They also take old billboard vinyls and turn them into all sorts of bags and wallets. They have a huge selection of different types of backpacks, totes, wallets. I bought a billfold style wallet from them that I really like.

I also wanted to thank Chad for showing that Halloween doorbell gadget. I plan on taking my Ring doorbell down on Halloween because we tend to get a lot of kids coming by. (Last year it was around 120. I gave out 7 pounds of candy.) I don't want the ring going off all evening. I just ordered the eyeball doorbell and I'm going to put that up for the kids to ring.

As always, thanks for the show, Linda Norman (Linda from Long Island)