Daily Nonsense

Amazon is selling the MP3 only version of the new U2 album for only $3.99!  This appears to be the same content offered by iTunes for $9.99.  You can get this great deal by clicking this link: U2 – No Line on the Horizon

U2 – No Line on the Horizon

If you don’t have access to some sort of collaboration software it can be difficult to schedule things with business associates, colleagues or even friends.  Without a product like Meeting Maker how do you work out when is a good time for the 5, 10 or even more people you need to sit down with?

Well, a new free on-line site, When Is Good, has devised a way that anyone with Internet access can invite basically anyone with an e-mail address to show when they are free for the next three weeks.  It’s kind of hard to explain, but so simple and so easy to use.  This app is well worth a look-see.

Click HERE for WhenIsGood.net

Are you one of the millions of computer users who keep private files on a USB flash drive and schlep that back and forth to work with you?  Do you perhaps have those great PortableApps and keep a copy of Firefox and Thunderbird on a thumb drive so you can check your personal e-mail and stock prices from your desk at work?

If so, have you ever worried about having all of that personal information available all in one place?  If you lose that thumb drive, you’re basically screwed.  Right?

Well, here is a handy little application that allows you to create a hidden and encrypted ‘partition’ on your USB flash drive that will protect your private data.  It’s easy to set up and easy to use.  Well worth a look.

Rohos Mini Drive

Drinking bottled water is not just bad for the environment, but it’s a colossal waste of money.  We have known that for ages, what we are only now discovering are the long term effects of Bisphenol A, commonly abbreviated as BPA.  BPA is a common ingredient in Polycarbonate plastics and is used to make a variety of common products including baby and water bottles.

Kor believes that the water you drink should be healthy, and they want to keep it that way. The Kor One Hydration Vessel ($29 USD) is BPA-Free and features a unique hinged cap that allows you quick, easy access to drinking – with one hand. The Kor One is great for the office and a must-have in the gym.  Available in August, there is a page where you can sign up for updates on the web site.

I found this great, free application for PCs a little while ago.  It’s nothing earth shattering.  In fact it’s basically banal.  Until you need one of it’s cool features.  What is it you ask?

A Windows calculator!  But with two really cool features, the first is a virtual tape.  Much like an adding machine you can see what operations you have already completed, the other is different keys for ‘00′ and ‘000′, so if you wanted to type in 1,000,000 it’s only three key-strokes!

Click the image below to get taken to their web site! (Or click HERE)

Wow!  Who knew what a trial it would become to find a copy of Mario Kart for the Wii.  My son Riccardo is coming to visit for a month starting next Friday.  My brother and I are working out a way for Riccardo and his cousin to play Wii over the Interwebs while he’s here.

After a little research, I found this page here which lists the Wii games which can be played over the ‘net.  After a bit of discussion, Mike and I determined that the kids would probably enjoy Mario Kart and Super Smash Brothers Brawl.  Mike was incredibly kind and ordered a copy of Super Smash Brothers Brawl for us while we both took on the onus of finding a copy of Mario Kart.

And what a search it was.  I tried at least 15 on-line retailers which included Best Buy, Toys ‘R Us, Amazon, EB Games, K-Mart, Target, J & R Music World, and the list goes on and on and on…  After exhausting the reasonable on-line options, that is to say, companies which would have sold me a copy at regular retail rather than an inflated price, I started to hit the local stores.

I essentially got laughed at in Fred Meyer, Target, and Best Buy.  I was treated with at least a little respect at Game Stop and Game Town, but the results in those places was the same, no dice!

As we headed up towards Costco I made a split second decision to stop in at what I feel is possibly the worst K-Mart in America.  I have never felt comfortable in this store.  The clientele and the store associates just seem too smarmy for my taste.

My preconceived notions were disproved in this instance.  The store has undergone a metamorphosis and was actually clean and well lit while the associate who was working in the electronics department was attentive and courteous.  And, he had a single copy of Mario Kart!  So, despite my initial misgivings my impulse stop paid a sweet dividend.  Kudos to the local K-Mart!

I wandered over to EB Games today to look for a copy of Mario Kart for the Wii.  Like every other on-line retailer I’ve tried today, they are out of stock.  While I was there I checked out a couple of the top selling PSP games, just so I can see what other people like.

Anyway, I found this gem:

You can order a new copy of Monster Hunter Freedom 2, sealed in the original case with the instruction book for $19.99 or you can order a USED copy which has this caveat  "This used product is guaranteed to work and may not include an instruction manual or original box." and it’s only $15.00 MORE!

What a deal, huh?

Brano Meres, an engineer in Slovakia has developed a method of creating mountain bike frames out of bamboo!  This is the coolest thing I have seen in a long time and resonates with the ‘Green Monster’ in me.

Please visit his site for full details, LINK

So, you need to sign up for some service or site and they require you to have a valid email address.  You don’t want to fill your real e-mail account with spam, so what do you do? There are a few choices out there, but the easiest one to use is called Mailinator.

Rather than using a site that requires you sign up before hand like the infamous 10 Minute E-Mail service, the Mailinator lets you use anything you want as a user name and allows you to generate that mailbox ‘on-the-fly’, just instruct your contact to send mail to biggirl@mailinator.com or spoiledrotten@mailinator.com , and it will go there, without your having to create the account ahead of time. When you need to check that email—to send back a verification, for instance—you have a couple of options. Go to the Mailinator web site; subscribe to the RSS feed for that e-mail address; put a Mailinator widget on your blog or web page; or even access the mailbox directly at .mailinator.com">http://:<accountname>.mailinator.com.  It’s the coolest choice out there, but also the least secure.  The mailbox is available to anyone who has the URL.  It’s probably best to use something totally random so that coveted membership to Barbie-Doll Anonymous isn’t hijacked by someone else…..

Two other choices for disposable e-mail addresses are 2Prong and GuerrillaMail

From BoingBoing: (And this one Rocks!)

N-Tune In-Guitar Tuner

Posted by Joel Johnson, January 23, 2008 8:35 AM | permalink

Guitar tuners are a dime a dozen, including ones with little motors that physically turn the pegs to Gibson’s fully automatic "Robot guitars." Separate tuners are difficult to find when you’re on stage, however, and the Robot guitar, while interesting, makes you play on an entirely new guitar. (And pay over two large for the privilege.)

I think the new "N-Tune" tuner is a nice compromise. It’s basically just a simple digital tuner as found for $15 on the shelves of any guitar shop, but designed to slip under your existing guitar’s volume knob. Pull the knob out and the N-Tune activates, cutting off output so you don’t sound like a twerp while tuning back in. The tone to which the N-Tune thinks you’re trying to tune lights up, while a green LED activates when you’re on pitch.

The N-Tune is going to be $100 when it’s out this month. Some installation will be required, of course, but nothing too onerous. They’re sending me one to test, so I’ll be digging into my Mexican Telecaster to do my own install. My thrash metal cover of "Froggy Went a’Courtin’" will sound better than ever.

Product Page [N-Tune]

With out a doubt, one of the coolest digital cameras I’ve seen in a while.  You can have either a 5 MP or 3.1 MP camera built into your diving mask.  Snap what you see as you glide through the watery deep.  The specs for the 5 MP are:

5.0MP Underwater Digital Camera Mask
Item 302 – Ages 8 – Adult

Technical Specifications:
Image Resolution – 5.0MP CMOS Sensor
Internal Memory – 16MB NAND Flash Memory
External Memory Card – Micro SD Card
Video Mode – 18-25FPS @ VGA
Status Display – LCD Display
Interface – USB
Power – 2 AAA Alkaline 1.5V Batteries
Photographic Distance – 1.2m (5ft)
Auto Off System time – 120 seconds

Modes
High Res – 5.0MP (2560×1920) – 29 Pics
Low Res – 3.1MP (2048×1536) – 45 Pics
Video – 53S VGA
(Image Qty is based on 16MB internal Memory –
Add a Micro SD Card to add memory)

Depth: 30M

If you love to grill but have space issues because you live in a downtown apartment, this is the grill for you! If you like schlepping your grill along every time you head out for a dip in the lake, this is the grill for you! If you want to join in the grilling at the tailgate party, but you drive a Mini, this is the grill for you! If Sunday afternoon softball in the park means burgers and dogs, this is without a doubt the grill for you!

This grill is based on a premise so simple, I can’t understand why no one thought of it years ago. You can pretty much hod a bucket full of charcoal anywhere.

Introducing the Chromed Bucket Grill available at A + R Store online.

$40.00 + S/H

Pancakes from an aerosol can!  You really need to watch the video on their website to get the full effect.

BatterBlaster.Com

Almost a year ago, when I first started at this job, I made a decision to walk back and forth to work as much as possible. I think that has resulted in my driving only once or twice a month. All in all I’m pleased with myself; I walk 2.6 miles a day, I’m not contributing to the global warming issue, and I might use a gallon of gas every 2 or 3 months.

I’ve been getting a little concerned recently, the weather is getting colder and there has already been snow here in Seattle. I came to the conclusion that my concern was due to the fact that I really didn’t own any waterproof shoes. I did last year, but after I slipped on the icy steps here at the house I tossed them.

Well, today I rectified the issue by purchasing a pair of water-proof boots. I was able to try them out by both walking up to the grocery store and walking the dog. I’ve got to say, I’m going to be happy and dry for the next three days, there’s a 100% chance of precipitation here in Seattle.

The boots I purchased are called the Cape Trail WP (that stands for Water Proof) made by Hi-Tec. And I couldn’t be happier with them. Very, very comfortable.

A small company based in Brooklyn, of all places, has teamed with some production partners in China and has introduced the Linux based miShare.  Designed to copy files (songs) from one iPod to another in as little as 10 seconds per song, the miShare works at the push of its single button.

The miShare has been designed to copy DRM protected content, but not to circumvent it.  This bodes well for their future here in the US where circumventing DRM is against the law (regardless of your rights to archive the content you purchased).

Compatibility seems to exclude only a few models (from their FAQ):

Which iPods can miShare connect?
miShare works with all Mini, Nano, 3G, 4G, Video (5G), and Classic (6G) iPod models, and miShare’s own internal software can be updated with future downloads from mishare.com. miShare does not work with Shuffle models (or the original 1G and 2G iPods) since they lack the iPod’s standardized 30-pin dock connector. miShare does not currently work with the iPhone or iPod Touch—we are working on a firmware update to accommodate the different disk storage in these models.

For those of you not shackled to the iTunes DRM crippled format, this could be a great way to move your music around between all the iPods in your family.

Google has introduced a new feature on its mobile versions of Google Maps.  It’s called My Location and it uses triangulation between cell towers to ‘pinpoint’ your location within 2200 meters.

I downloaded the beta version this morning and can verify that although it’s not really that accurate, it does work.  My Location puts me about 2 1/2 blocks east of where I really am, but that would be insignificant if I was really lost.

The My Location feature is available for many web-enabled mobile phones, including BlackBerry, Java, Windows Mobile, and Nokia/Symbian devices.  In my opinion it’s worth a look.

You can go to www.google.com/gmm from you mobile web browser to download directly into your phone.  The installer is also smart enough to know if you have a previous version installed and performs an update flawlessly.

My Rating: