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Episode 8: Weight Loss Technology
This week Charlie and Stephen go to the gym, trying to figure out how to work off those excess pounds. Relentless in their quest to stop eating or at least slow down a bit, they then investigate software that makes it (relatively) easy to melt that weight away. They also hopefully gaze into the future of new weight-loss drugs, and along the way find some unique items for their spectacular Rapid-Fire Roundup® of Cool Products. Best of all, this podcast is guaranteed to be 100% fat-free.
Rapid-Fire Roundup® of Cool Products
Dell UltraSharp 2405FPW 24-inch LCD Display
If you’re looking for a big, wide-aspect flat panel display, here’s one that will fit the bill without breaking the bank. Dell’s UltraSharp 2405FPW ($959.20, was $1200) is an LCD monitor that gives you a lot of bang for your buck. Its 1920x1200 (WUXGA, 16:10) resolution covers a full 24 inches measured diagonally, and also offers unique features I haven’t seen in any monitor at any price. It has component, DVI, VGA, S-Video and composite inputs, and it even has 4 USB ports on the side along with a 19-in1 Card Reader -- compact flash, SD cards! As I tested this unit, I kept thinking over and over that you sure get a lot of monitor for $959!
Sonic Alarm Grenade
Do you ever have a problem waking someone up in the morning? Perhaps you kid or roommate who needs to make it to class or work? Then check out the Sonic Alarm Grenade. That’s right – it looks just like a grenade. When you want someone out of bed, you simply pull the pin and toss it into their room and in a few seconds – just enough time for you to run away – the alarm goes off with a high pitched sound that will definitely get that lazy person out of bed. The only way to shut the alarm off is for them to find you to reinsert the pin. For sixteen bucks, I love it.
Shure E5c “Ear Monitors”
I gathered together some high-end sound sources, plugged these phones into them, and oh, my. If you want to know what music really sounds like, these Shure E5c babies are the devices for you, even though they do cost a cool $499. They have their origin in the ears of first the hearing-impaired and then rock stars. While at first these earphones were only available as custom-made items, Shure decided to develop a line of commercially-available units, of which the E5c is the best, resembling most closely the ones worn by the rock stars on stage. These aren't exactly earphones -- they're so good that you could call them in-ear monitors. What really sets them apart from their lesser siblings are the two drivers in each earpiece, with all their sonic traffic being directed by a tiny electronic crossover contained neatly in the cable. It's the earphone equivalent of having a woofer and a tweeter inside each ear, where each speaker specializes in either low or high frequencies. The result is superb sound, the best audio reproduction I've ever heard.
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Coolness Roundup ©2005 Charlie White and Stephen Schleicher
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