Statues that Cause Rubber-necking

A gallery of statues from around the world that will cause you to be a rubber-necker.

[via Digg]

/* Weekly Twisted Recap */

So I have been quite the blogging slacker, but I have gotten a few good posts in. Lots-O-Homework, but excuses are like elbows, everyone has 2 of them.

I also bought a dual core AMD chip and motherboard combo today to help out the PVR-Orb project I have pieced together with donated parts. Fry's had a CPU-MB combo on sale for $149 which ain't too bad. I will let ya'll know how it works out for MPEG-2 to DivX encoding.

 

• Cheddar doesn't age faster, if you watch it!
• Buying Used Makes Cents
• sshhhiK-sshhiK, Is not a good HD sound!
• DynDNS and a DHCP IP Address
• Super Bowl XLI Commercials
• ORB - Media Freedom
• Where does the Super Bowl's loser gear go?
• Where there's a Will, there's a Way...and some Money as well.
• RadarSync-ing Windows Vista
• WOOT - There it is!

Cheddar doesn't age faster, if you watch it!

The Internet has a little something for everyone...and I mean everyone! At CheddarVision.tv, you can watch cheddar cheese age right before your eyes. I can't wait for GrassGrowing.tv to come online.

[via UrbanEola]

Buying Used Makes Cents

Shopping smart means knowing what and what not to buy new. MSNMoney has a cool article on what NOT to buy new.

[via Digg]

sshhhiK-sshhiK, Is not a good HD sound!

So a buddy of mine had his hard drive crash and he lost 65GB of music and videos saved over the last 4 years. It was pretty devastating. He lost everything. As I was perusing my RSS feeds this morning I came across KeepVault that allows users to backup 25GB free to a remote site.

"KeepVault is changing the way people think about data protection. No more swapping discs or remembering to run a program. Simply set it once and forget it! All you need is an internet connection and your data is automatically protected to a secure online storage location.

How it works
KeepVault continually scans the Windows "Documents and Settings" folder for all user accounts on your PC and looks for new or changed files. When unprotected files are found it copies these files automatically to a remote, secure, internet storage site."
- KeepVault

[via LifeHacker]

DynDNS and a DHCP IP Address

So you want to connect to your home computer behind a router, connected to your DSL/CABLE modem and your ISP is allocating your IP address for the modem via DHCP? Well if that question didn't confuse ya, then you should peruse DynDNS.com to get just that functionality.

4 relatively easy steps.

1. Register with DynDNS.com for a free account.
2. Input DynDNS.com account info into your router configuration.
3. Create a static ip address of the computer to connect to.
4. Forward ports to the computer with the static IP address.

Super Bowl XLI Commercials

In case you were getting food or taking a bathroom break and missed the Super Bowl commercials, iFilms has them all. Gizmodo also has a nice best of for the commercials as well.

[via Gizmodo]

ORB - Media Freedom

So a friend of mine turned me onto Orb. I installed a winTV PVR 350 TV Tuner and then installed Orb 2.0 and was up and running with TV anywhere. Orb can be an affordable alternative to SlingBox and it allows you to schedule TV program recording and also watch live TV. The MPEG-2 is about 2GB per hour of recording. You can then run a DivX converter to reformat the video to a smaller file size.

"There are several tools that convert DVR-MS to DivX. I have tried many and found one that i like a lot. This tool is called Dr. DivX. The latest version is free! Download it from this site: http://labs.divx.com/DrDivX. You might have to install the latest DivX codex as well. Download the free version here."
- Steinar Aasheim's Blog

Where does the Super Bowl's loser gear go?

Ever wonder where the Super Bowl's losing team gear goes? World Vision distributes it to a developing nation, usually Africa.

"...the 288 T-shirts and caps made for the team that did not win — will be hidden behind a locked door at Dolphin Stadium. By order of the National Football League, those items are never to appear on television or on eBay. They are never even to be seen on American soil.

They will be shipped Monday morning to a warehouse in Sewickley, Pa., near Pittsburgh, where they will become property of World Vision, a relief organization that will package the clothing in wooden boxes and send it to a developing nation, usually in Africa.

This way, the N.F.L. can help one of its charities and avoid traumatizing one of its teams."
- NYTimes

[via Digg]

Where there's a Will, there's a Way...and some Money as well.

35,000 LEGO pieces were assembled to make the lifesize LEGO desk and then taken apart and glued back together again. Man! $2,000 worth of LEGO bricks plus the labor.

"Here are some facts about The Desk:

• Approximately 35,000 LEGO bricks were used. This includes almost all the pieces from 32 Blue Tubs (#3033), almost 300 (!) small baseplates (8x16 studs), and 63 blue plate packs from LEGO Shop-at-Home. A few other pieces were also bought from private collectors (226 tiles so the drawers could slide, et cetera).
• The desk weighs about 120 pounds, I think. I have not actually weighed it... but I think that is close.
• About 7 pounds of glue were used. Brand: Oatey, All-Purpose (PVC, CPVC, ABS) Glue.
• The desk has the following dimensions (inches, WxHxD): 60" x 29.5" x 30".
• It has 7 working drawers (six small, one large).
• It has a folding lid in the top that conceals a hole for computer cables to drop through.
• Yes, the top is bumpy -- studs up. I offered to make the top smooth, but the client specifically requested otherwise. Whatever. I also offered to build a retractable keyboard tray in the front, but that was not wanted. Nor a mosaic of the company logo on the top or sides.
• Yes, I was paid to build the desk. Don't ask how much. It was worth my time."

- ericharshbarger

[via MAKE Magazine]

RadarSync-ing Windows Vista

So Windows Vista has been released and you might be having problems finding drivers. Well RadarSync has centralized resources for Vista drivers.

[via LifeHacker]

WOOT - There it is!

Get your one-day-sale while supplies last at WOOT.

"What is Woot and who's behind it?
Woot.com is an online store and community that focuses on selling cool stuff cheap. It started as an employee-store slash market-testing type of place for an electronics distributor, but it's taken on a life of its own. We anticipate profitability by 2043 – by then we should be retired; someone smarter might take over and jack up the prices. Until then, we're still the lovable scamps we've always been. But don't take our word for it: see what the online community has to say at this Wikipedia article."
- WOOT

[via Gizmodo]

/* Weekly Twisted Recap */

Well I am out sickly today, but I thought I would still get the weekly update to ya'll. Peace!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Temporal Motivational Theory (TMT)
• Dirty Little Kittie
• Spb Club
• Where they be at?
• The 411 on Alternatives
• Improve Your Firewall Security
• DIY Home Network
• Timekeeper for the PocketPC
• TCPView into Your TCP Traffic
• iSkin ProTouch PB Arctic Keyboard Protector
• Hobbit Villa

Temporal Motivational Theory (TMT)

"Temporal Motivational Theory (TMT):
Utility = E x V / Gamma D

Utility is the desirability of getting something done. E is expectancy, or confidence. V is the value of the job, and includes not only its importance but also its unpleasantness. Gamma stands for how prone a person is to delay doing things. And D means delay, or how far away the consequences of doing, or not doing, the task are.

The bigger the top number compared to the bottom, the less likely a task will be put off. So if you expect to do well at a job (E), and it's a pleasant thing to do (V), and you're not prone to being delayed by distractions (Gamma), and it has to be done right away (D), you're not likely to procrastinate."
- TorontoStar

Dirty Little Kittie

This is a pretty funny video of an actual kittie washing machine. I doubt the wifey could take her old cats to this, but it was pretty funny.

[via Gizmodo]

Spb Club

So Spb has cool PocketPC software and now an online club. It ain't no Glee or Wee Club, but it is free and does have some cool links to software, ringtones and software.

"Spb Software House, a leading developer of award-winning software, has launched a new Web site that offers support forums, free downloads, ring tones, themes, and more. The site also includes a listing of useful accessories, as well as some reviews, and links to the vendors."
- PocketPCMag

[via PocketPCMag]

Where they be at?

So you got family and friends that are sooo close that they constantly want to keep track of where everyone else is at? Well that's kinda freaky and probably has some privacy boundaries being crossed, but GPSGate can git-er-done.

"You need to approve which people can track your position and then you need to set up on your PC or device how often you want your position updated. You will also be able to install a Google Earth plug-in and view positions on a satellite map. We geeks who can't control our spending would probably even find it fun to track the FedEx truck right to our house, which may be coming in the future as Franson develops the business tools portion of the service."
- Geek.com

[via Geek.com]

The 411 on Alternatives

TellMe is an alternative for 411 services. You can install either a voice or SMS software alternative on your PocketPC.

[via TechCrunch]

Improve Your Firewall Security

ITSecurity has some tips on improving your firewall security. The only sure security is to completely shutoff or hibernate your computer when it is not in use. With a home network file server, that is easier said than done with multiple users banging on it at various times of the day.

ITSecurity Firewall Improvement Tips:

1. Install SP2 on your Windows system
2. Enable auto updates for your firewall
3. Tweaking the settings for your usage
4. Keep settings consistent across the networks
5. Add multiple layers to your PC and security system
6. Use strong passwords
7. A 128-bit WEP encryption on your wireless network (WPA2 is better than WEP)
8. Standby is your PC's best friend
9. TEST #1: Looking for leaks
10. TEST #2: Checking the ports

DIY Home Network

Wired Gadget Lab's has a cool blog entry about DIY Home Network Projects. The comments is really where the gold is on this entry. Users commented on all kinds of setups and configurations. Below is mine.

Home Network

1. Wireless 4-port Router
2. Wireless Print Server
3. Windows Server 2003 with two (RAID1) 160GB drives as the main file server.

I have my laptop(s) and gaming console on the network as well. The only glitch in my home metwork is my wireless print server. It is a version 1 and is not very stable with WPA2. For what ever reason, it is always disconnected. The RAIDed file server is running a cheapo PCI RAID card that could do RAID5, but I just went with RAID1 for frugal reasons. What is your configuration?

Timekeeper for the PocketPC

When dealing with life have you ever had the need to count down/stop, count down/repeat, count down/up, or count up? Well just install TimeKeeper and you can have upto 32 timekeeping instances running any of the afore mentioned timekeeping states.

[via DownloadSquad]

TCPView into Your TCP Traffic

So I had this issue a while back where my work's domain script would change the registry value for my DHCPNodeType value. The result was that my laptop couldn't see any of my home computers or printers due to the fact it was trying to resolve the peers using WINS and not NETBIOS. A friend helped me narrow this down and we did it through a similar software package. TCPView would have been very handy as well.

"TCPView is a Windows program that will show you detailed listings of all TCP and UDP endpoints on your system, including the local and remote addresses and state of TCP connections. On Windows NT, 2000 and XP TCPView also reports the name of the process that owns the endpoint. TCPView provides a more informative and conveniently presented subset of the Netstat program that ships with Windows."
- Microsoft TechNet

[via DownloadSquad]

iSkin ProTouch PB Arctic Keyboard Protector

Have you ever spilled anything on your keyboard before? Well the iSkin ProTouch PB Arctic Keyboard Protector is here to save the day or at least shield your keyboard.

[via GearDiary]

Hobbit Villa

I would love a house like this. For one, it is straight out of the Hobbit and two it is completely environmentally friendly...and it is straight out of the Hobbit. Frodo would approve!

"You are looking at pictures of our family home in Wales. It was built by myself and my father in law with help from passers by and visiting friends. 4 months after starting we were moved in and cosy. I estimate 1000-1500 man hours and £3000 put in to this point. Not really so much in house buying terms (roughly £60/sq m excluding labour)."
- SimonDale

[via Make Magazine]

/* Weekly Twisted Recap */

So I have been trying to find a replacement for the previous web stat metrics I was using. I am currently running SiteMeter, Google Analytics and FeedBurner's Stats. I am not really thrilled with any of them because I cannot input a date range and get back all of the pages viewed in the top 100 views. I will press on.

 

 

 

• Mobile Browsers for the PocketPC
  • Microsoft IE Mobile
  • Opera Mobile
  • Access NetFront Browser
  • Bitstream ThunderHawk
• Shame on You Performancing.com
• Cool PocketPC Theme
  • How is it done?
  • How do I make the black theme? I have grey bars instead.
  • The clock is dull
    • My Today Screen
    • VJToggle
    • rlToday
  • Why can't I push the bottom bar to hit the bottom?
  • I can get the carbon fiber skin to work on phoneAlarm?
  • Still have problems ..
• Instant Cell Phone Charger

Mobile Browsers for the PocketPC

So I have been doing some research and trying to find the best bang-for-my-buck on the Mobile Browser front. I have come up with a good list, but not sure if it is the complete list.

• Microsoft IE Mobile
• Opera Mobile
• Access NetFront Browser
• Bitstream ThunderHawk

Shame on You Performancing.com

So performancing.com stopped their metrics service (WITHOUT WARNING!!!) and I lost all of my web stats for this blog. Burn me once shame on you, burn me twice shame on me! If anyone has any suggestions for blog web metrics/stats, then leave a comment. Feedburner has a new stats package which I am going to give a try.

Cool PocketPC Theme

So this theme looks like a certain new phone recently released. Hurry and get the links before they are shut down.

• How is it done?
• How do I make the black theme? I have grey bars instead.
• The clock is dull
  • My Today Screen
  • VJToggle
  • rlToday
• Why can't I push the bottom bar to hit the bottom?
• I can get the carbon fiber skin to work on phoneAlarm?
• Still have problems ..

[via EngadgetMobile]

Instant Cell Phone Charger

Energizer is keeping up with technology. I have seen this before, but now that I have a PocketPC, my battery goes pretty quickly.

[via SlashGear]

/* Weekly Twisted Recap */

What a huge week for technology. Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2007 was in Las Vegas and a lot-o-stuff was released into the wild by technology. Gizmodo and Engadget have overviews & highlights.

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Micro Breaks = Workrave
• Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!
• Alpine is Still Here
• Fur Trading of the Present, not!
• Cite Bite
• Armchair Cruisers
• Let's Hook Up
• Any Video Converter
• I triple dog dare ya!
• Who Googles "Tree Goats" ??

Micro Breaks = Workrave

Taking microbreaks throughout the day is good for the eyes, mind and body in general. I stare at a computer screen almost 8 hours a day, so to be reminded to look away is a good thang. Workrave is a small utility timer that helps remind you of some simple exercises to do throughout the day.

[via LifeHacker]

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!

Today the creator of Scooby-Doo, Iwao Takamoto, passed away at the age of 81. The Scooby-Doo cartoon was one of my favorite cartoons.

[via Digg]

Alpine is Still Here

When I was into car audio, I ran only Alpine. I was an Alpine junkie like no other, but I could quit whenever I wanted. It is good to see that they are still innovators and in pace with today's technology.

[via Engadget]

Fur Trading of the Present, not!

CellTradeUSA will allow you to trade someone's mobile provider plan for yours. I.E. If you have a SPRINT account, then you can trade someone with a Cingular account. With Cingular being the only one currently offering the Apple iPhone, then this might be a good service to take advantage of.

[via LifeHacker]

Cite Bite

CiteBite is a cool way to reference and highlight text quoted from a site.

"Site dedicated to the cool and weird stuff I come across during an average day."
- ...yeah, kinda like that...

[via LifeHacker]

Armchair Cruisers

I blogged Oh the Humanity, but Armchair Cruisers are way cooler. This is a cool alternative to flatter, smoother landscapes. Wouldn't they freak at the convenient store, if you pull up to put gas in your Armchair Cruiser. There is also an electric motor version.

[via Make Magazine]

Let's Hook Up

If you have ever needed to transfer data between computers, then you have either used a shared network drive, USB drive, email, etc. The Belkin transfer cable is just another way to upgrade your settings and files to another computer. Another tool in the ol' IT bag.

[via Engadget]

Any Video Converter

SO sometimes I need to convert a video to a certain format and don't have the time or energy to research how or what I will need to do this. Well Any Video Converter is here to save the day or at6 least make it a little easier.

"Any Video Converter is an All-in-One video converting tool with easy-to-use graphical interface, fast converting speed and excellent video quality. It allows you to effortlessly convert video files between every format, for FREE! It can convert almost all video formats including DivX, XviD, MOV, rm, rmvb, MPEG, VOB, DVD, WMV, AVI to MPEG-4 movie format for iPod/PSP or other portable video device, MP4 player or smart phone. It also supports any user defined video file formats as the output. Any Video Converter makes it easy for anyone to enjoy the any format video with your iPod, PSP, mobile phone or MP4 player."
- any-dvd-converter

[via DownloadSquad]

I triple dog dare ya!

DareJunkies is a crazy idea. I know I wouldn't have the guts to do some of the dares. Would you?

[via UrbanEola]

Who Googles "Tree Goats" ??

I thought Tree Goats were a hoax at first, but they exist. This is just crazy and weird. Someone give these goats a mountain to climb.

"In drought-ridden conditions when there is little else to eat, goats will climb up a variety of trees in many of the warmer countries in the world. It is an unusual sight here in Britain where we have plenty of grazing at a lower level and fewer goats. My family had a couple of goats on our little farm in Wales, who greatly enjoyed climbing the roof of our old barns and took delight in jumping on top of the car roof . No wonder the Chinese have a proverb saying 'If you don't have any worries, keep a goat!'"
- the-tree.org.uk

[via Digg]

/* Weekly Twisted Recap */

What a crazy couple of weeks. I had the previous week off, but spent it agonizing over a cracked tooth with an exposed nerve. Merry Christmas! Then my insurance changed and my dentist was no longer "In-Network." Happy New Year! I finally got the root canal and am on my way to recovery. I hope you enjoyed the last two weeks of posts.

 

 

• WOW! Not sure I agree 100%
• HD-DVD VS. Blu-Ray
• BlueTrek Bluetooth Headphones
• TIME.com's 50 Coolest Web Sites
• 1080p VS. 1080i
• Top XBOX Live Games of 2006
• Happy New Year 2007
• Am I Finally a Cool Kid?
• Merry Christmas! 2006

WOW! Not sure I agree 100%

PC World's Ranking of the 20 Most Innovative Products of the Year could be considered controversial, but I do agree that some of the listed innovations are deserving of the list. I just don't agree upon the ordering of the list.

[via Geek.com]

HD-DVD VS. Blu-Ray

Which should technology should I invest in, HD-DVD or Blu-Ray? Major Nelson makes a strong argument for HD-DVD. Of course he works for Microsoft, but the arguments are still compelling.

Her is a list of the sites that Major Nelson referenced in the podcast.

• ZDNet
• Microsoft Windows Media
• AVS Forums
• Toshiba
• Toshiba
• Toshiba Direct
• RCA
• Scobleizer's Blog
• Hometheaterblog Blog
• DVD Town
• Projector Central
• XBOX Live - SilverSurfer
• XBOX Live - Live Arcade Wednesdays
• XBOX Live - SF Live Arcade Party
• Panasonic
• Turtlebeach
  

BlueTrek Bluetooth Headphones

Well as you now I have a pocketpc and with that I am able to utilize SlingBox Mobile. It would be nice to have a cool, non-bulky set of blueetooth headphones to make my pocketpc phone even sexier.

[via Engadget]

TIME.com's 50 Coolest Web Sites

TIME.com has rated the 50 coolest sites of 2006.

• Entertainment, Arts & Media
• Shopping, Lifestyles & Hobbies
• News & Information
• Staying Connected
• Time Wasters
• Travel & Real Estate
• Web Search & Services

[via Digg]

1080p VS. 1080i

What is the difference between 1080p and 1080i? HDTVOrg gives a nice overview.

[via Digg]

Top XBOX Live Games of 2006

Major Nelson has the top XBOX 360, Arcade and Original XBOX games for 2006.

Happy New Year 2007

Well 2007 is here. I thought we would be using Jetson's technology of the future by now. LOL! Well I hope ya'll have a great year and here is a review of 2006.

Top 20 0f 2006-

1. AVG7.5 for FREE
2. Einstein Maze
3. L.O.S.T. ... Let's Get Ready to Rumble
4. Bandwidth Tools
5. Movies in 30 Seconds, Re-enacted by Bunnies
6. What's all the Skype about?
7. Earbuds Suck
8. Mobile Phone Backup/Sync Solutions
9. /* Weekly Twisted Recap */
10. Wireless Info
11. Windows Vista Review
12. PayPal vs. Google Checkout
13. Gas Buddy
14. Oh the Humanity...
15. VPN...just the facts
16. Google Cheat Sheets
17. Virtual Bubble Wrap?
18. Bad Memory?
19. Nerd Rap, Mmm-Kay
20. Phones of the future are off the hook!

Am I Finally a Cool Kid?

All the other kids are getting them and now I got one. So when I first posted about smartphones, I didn't know as much as I thought because this SPRINT PPC-6700 is a pocketpc. I can get email, IMs, browse the Internet and integrate with my work's MS Exchange servers. It is VERY cool.

Last night I was perusing the Net for cool pocketpc sites and found the following:

• PocketPCMag
• WindowsMobile
• PocketPCThemes
• Aximsite
• CoolSmartPhone
• PocketGamer
• Handango
• PocketGear
• SPBSoftwareHouse

Most of the sites I found through PocketPCMag. They have a 2006 review of software as well as a $3400 bundle package of software for $250. It's worth a look.

Merry Christmas! 2006

Merry Christmas! For a good laugh I have linked to "A special tribute to Calvin, Hobbes and the Underappreciated Art of the Snowman."

If this doesn't make ya smile, then BAH-HUMBUG!

[via Digg]