Win MegaZone’s Old Stuff – Last Chance To Enter

Posted on Sunday, November 13, 2011 by MegaZone

Gizmo Lovers Logo This is your last chance to enter to win some of my old gear. There are just under eight hours left, the deadline is midnight Eastern Time tonight. Any entries after that time will not be eligible. The winner will be determined by random drawing from the eligible entries. And entering is simple – just leave a comment on the respective giveaway post before the deadline and you’re entered. Note, comment on the giveaway post(s) not this post. And the comment needs to be on the original blog post – not on LJ, Facebook, Google+, Twitter, etc.

There are three giveaways running:

Don’t worry, I have some other, new, stuff to giveaway as well. That’s coming.

Posted in General, PC, Site Updates, Sling Media, TiVo | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Woot! – Panasonic Lumix 14.1MP Digital Camera with Leica 16x Optical Zoom, GPS & 1080p HD Video Just $169.99

Posted on Sunday, November 13, 2011 by MegaZone

Panasonic Lumix 14.1MP Digital Camera with Leica 16x Optical Zoom, GPS and 1080p HD Video Deja vu! Didn’t we just see this deal a month ago for $20 more? Why yes, yes we did. I guess they didn’t sell out.

Today’s Woot! deal is a refurbished Panasonic Lumix 14.1MP Digital Camera with Leica 16x Optical Zoom, GPS & 1080p HD Video recording for only $169.99 + $5 S&H. And, as a bonus, you get an accessory pack with a 4GB SD card, leather carrying case, and a stylus. All together you get the Lumix DMC-ZS10 camera, a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, battery charger, carrying case, USB cable, AV cable, 4GB SD card, hand strap, and stylus pen.

MSRP is $349.99, and Amazon sells them new for $253.97, both without the accessory pack, so this looks like a decent deal.

Posted in General Tech | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Happy 4095! OK, 11/11/11 11:11:11

Posted on Friday, November 11, 2011 by MegaZone

Gizmo Lovers Logo OK, so this is mainly a silly post, but I couldn’t resist. Today is 11/11/11, and I’ve set this to post as 11:11 ET. I’d've made it 11:11:11 if WordPress let me schedule to the second. ;-) I believe this is the last date-time stamp that makes sense in binary until 01/01/00 00:00:00 – Midnight on New Year’s Eve, the first moment of 2100. That’s the next time the date & time is only zeros and ones. And we only get a date & time that’s all the same digit every 1,000 years – the next is also 11/11/11 11:11:11 – only that’ll be 3011. (And if you think using a two digit representation for the year is cheating: :-P )

One of my friends, whom I worked with for a while, used to stand up and stretch at 11:11 each morning. He called it ‘Vertical Time’ – just look at the numbers and you should get it. I wonder if he has any special plans for 11/11/11 11:11:11.

And, on a more serious note – Happy Veteran’s Day. Thank you to all of those who have served, and serve today.

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Woot! – L5 Universal Remote for iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad Just $19.99

Posted on Friday, November 11, 2011 by MegaZone

L5 Universal Remote Turn your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad into a universal IR remote with this simple add-on. Download the free L5 Remote app from iTunes, plug the IR dongle into your iDevice, and you’re ready to go. Presto, you have a fancy touchscreen remote that controls nearly any device that uses an IR remote. It is a learning remote, so if it doesn’t already know the IR codes for your device you can teach it.

The MSRP on this is $59.95, and Amazon sells it for $49.94, but Woot! is offering the L5 Universal Remote for iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad for only $19.99 + $5 S&H. That’s half of Amazon’s price – and this is new, not refurbished. $20 for touchscreen universal remote capabilities is not much to ask, especially when it is a $60 product.

Posted in Apple, General Tech | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Home.Woot! – Little Giant 13-Foot Ladder Just $149.99

Posted on Friday, November 11, 2011 by MegaZone

Little Giant 13 Foot Ladder Yes, it is a ladder. I also consider it a gizmo. I own one of these, well, a similar Little Giant model, and it is great. It is one of those crazily adjustable ladders. You can use it as an A-frame step ladder, and the legs extend so you can vary the height. Make it asymmetrical to use on stairs. Open it up 180 degrees to use as an extension ladder. With the legs collapsed and it folded closed it doesn’t take up much space to store. Every home should have a good ladder.

I know too many people just climb up on a chair, or some other furniture, to change a light bulb, smoke detector battery, hang something, etc. Heck, I used to do the same thing – and I also took a few spills and broke some furniture doing it. Sure there are some funny stories – like my roommate standing on a nightstand he thought was wood, but was really particle board with veneer. Next thing he knew he was just a couple of inches off the floor – the top had telescoped straight down into the base and he was standing in the nightstand, not on it. Funny, in an Inspector Clouseau/Buster Keaton way, but only because he wasn’t hurt. But having a real ladder is a better idea, and this is a good ladder. I personally recommend it based on my experience.

The one downside is that these ladders tend to be a bit pricey. Amazon sells another 13′ Little Giant model for $196.99 – and it doesn’t have the wheels, work platform, or paper towel holder. Home.Woot! is selling the Little Giant 13-Foot Ladder with Wheels & Paper Towel Holder for only $149.99 + $5 S&H. I think it is worth having one. Check out the demo video:

Posted in General | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments