Episode 873

The A to Z of Boating
The Axius and Zeus Propulsion Systems, designed respectively for twin sterndrive engines and twin inboards, use pod units that operate independently of each other, and with the help of onboard computers, offer easy docking and piloting through the use of a joystick.

Axius and Zeus Propulsion Systems
Leo on Obama Watch
On Father's Day, Leo got what President Obama had already got, the same watch that the latter has worn.  It says so on the back of the watch.  Obama's watch was given to him on his 46th birthday by the Secret Service agents responsible his security during his presidential campaign, available in the Secret Service employees' store.   It was made by Jorg Gray.  Read about this and other watches worn by Obama on the site onthedash.  Jorg Gray has now released a commemorative edition of the watch, available here.

Jorg Gray Obama Commemorative Watch
A Gadget for Sign Language Users
Barbara Schneider from Sebastopol, California, has restricted shoulder movements.  When she heard about the Dynaflex Powerball Gyroscope (Episode 832), she checked out one of the videos and was surprised to see her former American sign language teacher, whom she had not seen for 15 years, discussing the advantages of the gadget for sign language users.

From TWiT Cottage to Gizneyland
Barbara lives in Leo's neck of the woods and has sat in on one of Leo's shows.  The first time she visited the TWiT Cottage was when she went for a group meeting upstairs from Leo and stumbled upon him.  She will be staying with her brother in New York City in the last 2 weeks of July and has requested a visit to Dick's Gadget Warehouse, or a live taping of the Daily Giz Wiz at Gizneyland.

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Episode 872

Video Trimming on the iPhone 3GS
Leo has tried the video trimming function on his new iPhone 3GS, and it works.  Here's Apple's demo video:



Scott-E-Vest Wardrobe in a Tom Bihn Bag
For his China Tour and MacMania 9 geek cruise, Leo has packed an almost exclusively Scottevest wardrobe, in his new Tom Bihn Tri-Star (see Episode 865) which it is hoped Leo will cover on a TTTT.  Right now, Leo has finished his China Tour and should be in Japan on the Costa Classica.  Follow his AudioBoos, and take a look at Leo's gallery on Smugmug.

Ed McMahon Dies
Ed McMahon, whose appearance in the Johnny Carson Show is often the subject of reminiscence on the Daily Giz Wiz, passed away on 23 June 2009, aged 86.

Another Cheesy Infomercial
Jayzee, better known as Toyota Boy, notes that cheesy infomercials have often been the subject of conversation on the show, and has recently seen a truly cheesy one.  It's the Comfort Wipe, a toilet paper extension arm and holder.  The original infomercial can be seen on YouTube, but perhaps a more interesting version is a spoof of it shown on Jimmy Kimmel Live, featuring President Obama, also available on YouTube.

Bidets Rule Supreme
Alex Lindsay is much enamoured with the bidets in Japan which wash your behind (and some even blow-dry you), with choices of water-jet speeds and temperatures, and temperature-controlled seats.  They are now available in the US and Alex has bought one for his family.  An extreme example is the Bio Bidet Supreme BB-1000 with Remote that leaves nothing to the imagination, but there are more reasonably-priced toilet add-ons on Amazon for your more basic comforts.

Bio Bidet Supreme with Remote
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Episode 871

Leo Conducts
Leo was at the Skywalker Ranch watching an orchestra record the score for the PS3 game Uncharted 2 (Episode 864).  He picked up a few tricks of the trade from the conductor.  Watch him conduct the Daily Giz Wiz Monday Theme (video clip from odtv.me):



Flashlight Stats
In Episode 843, Dick wondered aloud how many flashlights had been covered in the Daily Giz Wiz.  Ludwik Trammer of GizWizSearch was paying attention, and with a flick of his fingers (more like a click of the mouse), Ludwik has come up with the statistics.  There had been 15 flashlights (now 16), 61 gadgets that emitted light as their main functionality, 13 of which using LEDs.

GizWizSearch Features
This type of information is in fact available to all DGW listeners.  All DGW gadgets have been tagged on GizWizSearch, now being done by Alfred Chan of InsideDGW (but for a period of time by another listener Ryan Waterer who shares the credit).  Click a tag on the home page and, with Ludwik's coding, you can see all the gadgets with that tag; or just type in a tag in the search box.  To see all the tags, click on "More Tags" on the home page, with the more frequently appearing tags in larger fonts.  If you want to find more detailed info from the InsideDGW Show Notes, click the "Advanced Search" to the right of the search box and tick the appropriate option.

Dick's Next Visit to TWiT Cottage
Before recording this episode, Dick and Leo chat about Leo's new Obama wrist-watch, more instant coffee from WO, and Dick's visit to TWiT Cottage for Episode 900.  As usual, video clip from odtv.me:



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Episode 870

Dick vs Mitey Mixer
Dick's nose duels with the Mitey Mixer on TWiTLive.  Video clip from odtv.me.



Last Breath
The weirdest exhibit Leo has ever seen is at the Henry Ford Museum at Dearborn, Michigan: the test-tube containing Thomas Edison's Last Breath.

Thomas Edison's Last Breath
Caught between Toad Suck and Pickles Gap
Wayne Lunsford from Arkansas, was listening to Episodes 831 and 832 and was surprised to hear about Pickles Gap which became the first TWiT Home Office.  Wayne lives in nearby Conway which, apart from being the home of American Idol Chris Allen, is famous for being the town half-way between Toad Suck and Pickles Gap.  He also offers a sightseeing tour of the neighbourhood for Dick and Leo, including the historical Pickles Gap Village and the Fudge Factory.

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Episode 869

Hang & Level
For the story of how Liette Tousignant, an interior designer in Calgary, developed Hang & Level, see an article in the Alberta Venture.  Here's the TV commercial for Hang & Level which shows how it works.



Gadget Development
For private inventors, gadget development is a very risky business.  Not every story is a success story like Topsy Tail, or Crocs (developed by Jennifer's step-sister, Leo reveals).  If you want Dick's advice, go back to Episode 141 (Dick's Words of Wisdom), where you can also hear Dick's story of the poster frames that Dick mentions in the show, which are called "CornerIts".

Remote Buddy's 12V Battery
When Dick talked about the Remote Buddy in Episode 844, he was puzzled by the 12V battery supplied, with which Dick was unfamiliar.  John Zinn from Texas, for whom the Daily Giz Wiz is his prime source of information and entertainment when he is on the road, reckons that the 12V battery is either the MN21 or MN23, commonly used in a motor-vehicle's remote key fob.  By the way John's is the 4th letter written about Episode 844.

Tech Tees
Lori Lebeau Walsh, who made the album art for TWiT's shows, has also designed T-shirts for some of the shows.  Check out Art And Tech Tees.



Listen to Episode 869
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