A watch that let you input info for up to 10 people…provided you used no more than 43 characters for each!

It’s another back to Dick’s Gadget Warehouse, Friday, September 10^th, 2010 Netcast 1175 

This time it was a little different in the gadget warehouse. 90% of the time I cannot find the instruction book for a gadget from the past. This time I found the instruction book, but I couldn’t locate my Casio JG-100 Magic Beam Infra-red watch! But no matter, I had one, and I have the instruction book so I can tell you about it. It came out in the 1994-95 period and it was unique for its time. You could input info for ten people provided you didn’t use more than 43 characters for each. That right, the watch could only hold 430 characters total for the info. In the magic message mode you could send “secret messages” to another Casio Magic Beam watch up to about 30 feet away. That was assuming the watches were more or less in line with - and facing each other - when sending info. You could also send 1 of the 10 preprogrammed messages. Messages like: How are you?, what are you doing?, want to meet later?, when?, where?, etc. Or you could use the up and down arrow keys to type out your message, quite a tedious chore. (When the watch came out parents’ worried kids could send answers to a test questions to each other. I guess they could, but it would be different to send in a classroom setting.) There were also two built-in games, which you could play against the built-in computer (that’s what the instructions say!) or you could play against another JG-100 watch, or even against someone with a Casio Digital Infra-red diary. 

See or hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1175

Hey look at me – I’m here in 3D!

Thursday, September 9^th, 2010 Netcast 1174 

The new FinePix REAL 3D W3 Digital Camera is pretty neat. It captures stills and movies in 3D HD at 720p. They can be played back on 3D HD TV systems via a mini HDMI port right on the camera. Something else that’s very clever is the Autostereoscopic 3D wide screen 3.5” LCD on the camera. It lets you view 3D without the need for 3D glasses. The effect is done with a lenticular system that uses rows of convex lenses to create a realistic 3D image. The press event was held at the Museum of National History. Each reporter was given a FujiFilm 3D camera with a memory card. We were set free to make our own mini-3D movies inside the museum. The camera’s lightweight, weighing just 8.5 ounces with battery and memory card. It features twin 10 Mega Pixel CCD sensors and dual Fujinon 3x optical zoom lenses (35-105mm). And this is really neat! The Advanced 2D Modes also allow independent use of the dual CCD sensors and Fujinon lenses. It’s like you were shooting with two digital cameras. You can choose different zoom ranges and color settings for each image. You can even set one lens system to color and the other to black and white. They capture both at the same time! I just shot color 3D video and then watched it on a 3D TV. Fuji had 3D TV’s from many different manufacturers ready for us to watch our efforts. I saw my results on an LG HDTV and the 3D looked great! When the event was over we were told, “Yes, you can keep ------- the SD cards!” I didn’t expect we would be given a $499.99 camera to take away, but for a second everyone thought --- is it possible they’re going to send the cameras home with us? The FujiFilm Real 3D W3 should be available just about the time you read this. And you’re looking for the model W3. The W1 is the model it’s replacing. 

http://www.fujifilm.com/products/3d/camera/finepix_real3dw3/ 

Hear or SEE this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1174

This is one episode of the Daily Giz Wiz you should WATCH! I lower a plugged-in power strip into a beaker of water!

Wednesday, September 8^th, 2010 Netcast 1173 

The folks who make the Wet Circuits Power Strip told me it’s the safest surge protector available because it’s water-resistant and shockproof. How shockproof? They said you could put it in a bucket of water with a lamp burning and the strip won’t short out, or shut down. They said if I wanted to try it they’d send me one. This sounded too good to pass up! It does have a lot of safety features. First, the power stays off unless the AC plug is properly inserted.  (There is a bit of resistance plugging in a light the first time, but now I understand why.) It has a patented water-resistant design and protective materials, great for continued indoor/outdoor use where plugged-in devices face rain, snow, or garden hose. It also has a “Touch Protection” feature which they say makes Wet Circuits completely children and animal safe – sticking tweezers or other foreign objects in the outlet won’t cause electric shock. I didn’t feel like sticking tweezers into the power strip, but I did lower it – plugged in – into a beaker of water. As Leo watches, you’ll hear him say: “ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO DO THAT??” I didn’t do it before hand figuring I’d wanted to make sure it was being recorded in case anything went wrong. But nothing did go wrong. Even with the first two exposed sockets underwater the nightlight plugged into the fourth socket kept burning bright! WARNING!!! YOU CAN’T DO THIS WITH ANY OTHER POWER STRIP WITHOUT GREAT DANGER, MAYBE EVEN DEATH. YES, THAT’S FOR REAL! But wait there’s more! A smart fuse and circuit breaker can sense excess overheating (231-249º F) and discontinue any electric charge to prevent residential fires. A regular power strip could catch fire and burn if overheated. The Wet Circuits Power Strip is not inexpensive at $70, but the company promises four times the lifespan of normal power strips! And in wet conditions, it’s worth the money!  

Website: www.wetcircuits.com    Here are their demo videos: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85Lq2cHWNvQ   And our demo video: 

Hear or SEE this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1173

Leo moves off his ball and sits on a spring!

Turn The Table Tuesday, Tuesday, September 7^th, 2010 Netcast 1172

Scott Jordon of Scott E Vest fame sent Leo a special seat, which Scott thinks is better than Leo’s ball.  It’s the Swopper from Via Seating. The company says it’s like no other chair, and I sure haven’t seen anything else like it. The Swopper is said to (and it’s a long list!) “improve posture, provide relief for back pain, strengthen and condition muscles of aback and abdomen, improves nourishment to the inter-vertebral discs, improves circulation to the lower extremities, assist lymphatic flow, and provide a fun and energizing experience while seated.” Hmm, it doesn’t bring about world peace? How did they miss that? Anyway Leo sat on the motion chair all during this episode of the Daily Giz Wiz, but it was tricky. It seems the base broke off during shipping and Leo was sitting and balancing himself on the giant spring!! (Be sure to watch the video version!) The chair is fully adjustable. You can adjust the height, spring tension and lateral (side to side) movement. And it’s bigger than Leo’s ball: The base - 21.5" round, seat - 16" round, height - 22"-27.5" tall. The weight capacity is 290lbs. And it’s WAY MORE EXPENSIVE that Leo’s ball, which I think cost about $22. The Swopper Motion Chair Special Edition, which is available in many colors, costs close to $600! You can get the same chair with wheels, or a back rest, but I didn’t see the prices for them. 

http://www.viaseating.com/Swopper-SpecialEdition-2-3.aspx  

Hear or SEE this episode: www.twit.tv/dgw1172

It’s Labor Day and Leo & I Labor so you can have a brand new Daily Giz Wiz Today!

Monday, September 6^th, Labor Day Netcast 1171

Monster Cable adds another gizmo to their Outlets to Go series. 

It’s their Outlets To Go 3 Laptop.  Whether you’re traveling across town, or to the other side of the world, there’s nothing worse than getting to your hotel or meeting room and not having enough power outlets for all your electronics. Outlets to Go 3 Laptop comes to the rescue. It easily fits in a small bag or laptop case. To help make it compact, it has a fold-out plug that can be used with 110 or 220 volt outlets. (But you’ll need to use your own adapter plug when using a 220 volt outlet.) Once plugged in you’ll have 3 AC outlets – 2 on one side of the device and 1 on the other side in case you have to plug in bulky transformer plugs. But wait, there’s more! There are also two built-in rapid-charging high-power USB port to charge your portable devices like cell phones, cameras, etc. Something else I like is that the Outlet To Go 3 Laptop also has a mini LED light which indicates the outlet you’ve plugged it into does have power. It's also great if you want to share that single outlet at the airport with friends or co-workers.  The list price is $29.95  But if you do a web search at Amazon, you can find for Under $22. I haven't shopped at place below, but it does have the lowest price I could find at the time. (9/2/2010) 

http://tinyurl.com/36wr666  

See or HEAR this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1171