John P.

One Mans Blog

Specialization is for Insects.

XeliaI’ve got quite a smorgasborg of random links for you guys today. Hope you enjoy!

In Case of EmergencyThe worst thing about emergencies is that you just can’t predict them. The only good news is that you can plan for them.

Since people are always under duress when an emergency actually occurs it is prudent to assemble a kit that you can pull out when needed that covers most bases. So, here is a fairly complete list of the items you’ll find in my personal stash, plus a couple of extras that might be helpful for some folks with special needs.

Now seriously, why don’t you take a couple of hours and really honestly think thorough this emergency thing. You never know, perhaps the reason you’re reading this article today is a sign. You don’t want to be the person that didn’t pay attention and were left unprepared when disaster struck!
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The Freedom GrillFolks, this is cool. For any of you out there that routinely go camping, fishing, to outdoor sporting events, or even like to take the family to the park for picnics - the Freedom Grill Hitchmount BBQ Grill looks like a fantastic option to carry along and do the cooking on the spot.

I really like everything about the design of this unit, from the secure hitch mount to the articulating arm and even the way the side trays fold into the unit for storage and transport. If there is anything I’d complain about though, it’s the fact that the base unit (offered at Amazon) only has one 12,000 BTU burner. That’s not a lot of heat for doing any sort of serious grilling. For example, steaks are going to take a long, long time, and you’ll never be able to sear them so they’ll come out a little dry.

However for burgers, chicken breasts, hot dogs, corn, and other transportable picnic food this thing should get the job done, and the only thing you need to take with you are some portable propane cylinders.
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The Amazing Fletcher Capstan Table

Capstan Ilona TableMy friend Jimbeau took me to a specialty furniture store in Dallas and I saw one of these. It was about $25 Grand or something like that. But boy it was awesome! It’s made by dbFletcher Design.

This round table has the unique ability to grow by about 50% with a simple twist of the table surface. It is a marvel of modern engineering as well as craftsmanship. Truly one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen in my life.
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The Wi-Fi-Detector Shirt

Wi-Fi Detector T-ShirtThis is so completely off the hook geeky that it is wickedly cool… So, if anyone is looking for an excuse to get me a present, here is the number one idea. A shirt with animated bars that actually detect WiFi signals.

Better yet, it’s available for only $30 at ThinkGeek.com.

Product Features

  • Glowing animated shirt dynamically displays the current wi-fi signal strength.
  • Shows signal strength for 802.11b or 802.11g
  • Black 100% Cotton T-Shirt
  • Animated Decal is Removable (with hook and loop fasteners) for Easy Washing
  • Battery Pack is Concealed in a Small Pocket Sewn Inside the Shirt
  • Runs for hours off three AAA Batteries (not included)

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Lisa Marie Mary Wins the Bose Headphones!

Sorry it took me way, way too long to get around to doing the drawing for the October contest for the Bose Tri-port headphones. I’m like 5 weeks overdue because of travel and other schedule inhibitors. However, having just arrived home from Hawaii I spent a couple of hours administering the prize drawing in the same manner as the previous prize, and lo and behold Lisa was the winner!

Congrats to her for all her contributions as well as just being a subscriber. I’ve also got a couple of other rather large announcements coming up, so I’m going to suspend the monthly contest for December just to thin out my schedule a bit until I figure out a far less time intensive method of doing this. I’m sure I’ll be back with the contest in January, and I’ll try to make it something extra special!

Sanyo Xacti VPC-E1 Waterproof CamcorderI recently purchased and tested out the Sanyo Xacti VPC-E1 (I love Amazon’s Free Shipping!) waterproof camcorder to determine if it was going to be a workable solution for snorkeling around a coral reef on an upcoming trip to Hawaii.

In playing with the camera at home I determined that the video quality was much better than I expected, and photos were decent quality for a 6.37 MP camera. I guess I had been expecting to give up some quality in order to gain a waterproof form factor, but apparently Sanyo didn’t think that was necessary!
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October 2007 Member of the Month Contest

Bose OE TriPort HeadphonesThis month we’ve got a brand new, shiny, pair of Bose TriPort OE studio headphones. These babies go for $179.00 right now on Amazon, and sound amazing.

They fold up and come with a little travel case, so you can toss them in your bag and use them with an iPod, laptop, or whatever. Frankly this is one of those items that most people normally wouldn’t drop this kind of change on, so naturally it makes for a perfect prize here on OMB!
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The Mini Beer Keg Dispenser

Mini Beer Keg DispenserOK. I’m man enough to admit that I don’t really like beer. But I know that most of my friends do, and if you are reading this article I suppose there is a good chance you, or someone you know does too!

So, everyone knows that the best beer comes straight out of a keg. But who has the room to stick one of those in their kitchen? Especially complete with a full sized keg refrigerator! Well, fret not my little cheeky-monkeys - you don’t have to! Now there is the Mini Beer Keg Dispenser which you can pick up for about $229 and leave permanently displayed on your kitchen counter.
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Playboy Passport InvitationWell, a little over a week ago I received my own personal invitation from Hugh Hefner to join the exclusive society of the Playboy Passport club. Ok, it was a form letter, and Hef probably hasn’t even heard my name yet. But the invite does have his signature on it.

What is Passport you may ask? Well, according to Playboy:

Playboy Passport is the elite members-only concierge service dedicated to providing its members exclusive access to the best in dining, nightlife, travel, and special events.

It’s also limited to 1,000 people worldwide. Forever.
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Everybody's NutsEvery once in a while you come across a product whose packaging is so unique and compelling that you absolutely must try it out. Well, when I came across a box of Everybody’s Nuts pistachios at the local grocery store I knew I had to put them in my belly!

You know, pistachios are not exactly the kind of product people normally get emotional about, and that is what makes this story so compelling. Here you’ve got an abnormally boring food, yet someone has gone and made it deliciously desirable.

It definitely demonstrates how big of a role that creativity can play when it comes to selling your goods and services… or yourself!
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Belkin N1 Vision Wireless RouterI can’t think of the last time I fell in love with a piece of hardware so fast as I did the Belkin N1 Vision Wireless Gigabit Router (Model: F5D8232-4).

I saw it on the shelf at Best Buy while looking to replace my crappy old Netgear router, and after reading some of the literature I could not resist grabbing the only one they had to take it home and give it a try - despite the $200 price tag.

I picked it up for two primary reasons:

  • The cool display on the outside of the router actually looked like it could be useful for seeing what is going on with the connectivity.
  • The box claimed a freakishly long range, which I reasoned would be worth it if I could actually get coverage throughout my large house.

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