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.



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Episode 868

Soirée
Leo also has a wine aerator called the Soirée which, just like Dick's Vinturi, makes use of the Venturi effect.  When the wine is poured through the narrow opening, the speed increases, causing a reduction in pressure in the wine which in turn draws in air to allow the wine to breathe instantly.

Soirée Wine Aerator
Coin Wrappers
In Episode 861, Dick and Leo talked about Coinstar and reminisced about wrapping coin stacks in paper.  DrMom, the resident doctor in the chatroom, writes in to say that paper wrappers are still available in most stationery stores, or at coinwrappers.com.  For a fun gadget, DrMom prescribes the Twist-N-Crimp, for a professional coin stack finish.

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Episode 867

Home Cinema
Epson PowerLite 6100 Home Cinema Projector
Leo loves the Epson PowerLite 6100 Projector.  For $1,000 more, you can get even higher quality with the PowerLite 6500UB.

A Real Work-Out
Angelic Venus, aka Samantha, was turned on to the Daily Giz Wiz, the first podcast she ever listened to, by her fiancee.  They are quite a bit behind with the show as they now have a 9-month-old addition to the family.  She recently listened to Episode 772, and disagreed with Leo that the Wii Fit is not a real work-out.  It might be a bit wimpish to start with, but as you continue, you unlock a wealth of exercise.  You can pile on the number of reps, and the hula hoop can become a 10-minute exercise.  Samantha has managed to lose 10 pounds after she gave birth to her baby.  P.S., Samantha adds, "Dick, you're great!"  She loves the Match Game and they should bring back the show, with two caveats.  Dick should host the show, and they should bring back the guests from the original series (some of whom from the dead presumably).

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Episode 866

From Chinese Studies to Podcasting
Dick's friend Dennis Wunderlin was wondering aloud to Dick the other day, how one gets from studying Chinese to podcasting.  "Ce suo zai na'r?" is apparently Leo's answer, or question.  Right now, that question has little place for Leo, as he is in the Temple of Heaven.  Follow Leo's journey on The Life of Leo.  Leo has also started using AudioBoo, sending audio clips about his trip from his iPhone.  Here's Leo's page on AudioBoo, or you can subscribe to his updates directly using iTunes.

Temple of Heaven: taken by Leo on his iPhone
The Serious Case of a Mum's Give-Away
In Episode 850, Dick recounted how his Mum gave away his beloved Altec Lansing 604 speakers and model train sets.  Matt from Akron, Ohio knows of a more serious case of a cast-off by a mum.  Leonardo da Vinci used to make sketches and notes of his discoveries and inventions on pieces of paper, and store them in a chest.  He was once commissioned to go to Florence to create a piece of artwork.  18 months later, he returned to his parents' home, only to find that all his sketches and notes had gone, used as cheap fuel by his mother for the fireplace.

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