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Episode 25: Party Coolness
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The Coolness Roundup turns into Party Central as Stephen and Charlie talk about everything you'll need to throw the party of the year. Find out about the coolest drinks, food, activities and accessories to make your party the one everyone will still be talking about months later. And, the Gurus of Cool talk about the Honda Civic Hybrid, the Verizon Motorola Pink Razr cellphone, and their favorite Web sites that can be both entertaining and informative, and one can even save you money. Don't miss this episode where the guys tell you all about their new contest, featuring a grand prize worth $1699.
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Articles of the Week
Motorola Razr V3c: Special Pink Edition
Alas, this phone’s beauty is only skin deep
by Charlie White
It's hard to avoid the Motorola Razr; it happens to be the best-selling cell phone in America right now. There's good reason for that, because it's compactly designed and elegantly shaped. Verizon made a few modifications to the Razr and released it recently as the Razr V3c. Last week, Verizon rolled out its own pink version of the Razr, just in time for Valentine's Day. We acquired one for extensive testing, and it turned out to be a highly capable cell phone, albeit with some frustrating limitations.
Read More
Super Bowl XL Ready to Go in Detroit
ABC to field 36 HD cameras this year
by Charlie White
Super Bowl XL will be played in Detroit this Sunday (2/5/06), and ABC will cover the event, with a complement of HD gear that's more sophisticated than any in broadcast history. Expected to attract more than 130 million viewers in the US and a billion worldwide, the showcase production will feature a few brand-new tricks performed by the ABC broadcasters. Supporting the big-budget TV show will be advertisements that will sell this year for a record $5 million per minute.
Read More
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LINKS
Show Note Links
Cold Stone Creamery
Traeger Grills
Teacher's Quiz Scoring
Klipsch iGroove
No Odor Toilet Seat
Cook’s BBQ Kitchen
American Federation of Musicians
Skype
TiVo
Super Bowl XL Official Site
Rapid-Fire Roundup® of Cool Products
CONTACT US
Penny Arcade
I love online web comics. Better than reading the newspaper, this daily dose of humor is a great way to break up your morning. Penny Arcade is a harsh and sometimes not work-safe comic that bashes the gaming industry. Gabe and Tyco have built up quite the following over the years, making Penny Arcade the number one webcomic out there. Not only do they give you laughs, they also give away hundreds of thousands of dollars each year to a great children’s charity.
Paypal
Here's a great way to send and receive money, but its best feature is Paypal's high interest rate money market account. Paypal's 4.38% interest rate is currently the highest money market fund interest rate available in the United States. There's no minimum deposit, you can electronically move your funds from your bank account to Paypal and back, and you can use a number of bank accounts anywhere in the world along with it. I work with a number of vendors who pay me directly into this Paypal account, where it immediately starts earning this 4.38% interest rate. What's the catch? There is no catch. If you're not using Paypal, you're leaving money on the table.
USGS Earthquake Hazards Program
If you live in an earthquake zone, you might want to know when the last trembler was as it may indicate others coming soon. The USGS Earthquake Hazards website shows a very accurate and up to date earthquake map for the entire world. This is a fascinating look at our changing world, contains valuable information for researchers, and is educational for children who want to learn more about what this natural disaster is all about.
YouTube
Here's a site where you can not only watch thousands of home-grown videos, you can upload your own for free. Create a video, upload it to YouTube, and then see what happens. When people watch your movie, they can rate it and make comments about it. If your video is a hit, it could be watched by over 10,000 people in one day. Some of the best videos have been viewed by 100,000 people. And, it's fun to go there and watch some of the various videos, many of which are quite good. They're all arranged according to categories, and also according to how highly rated they are by the other visitors to the site. YouTube, definitely worth a look.
Superman is a Dick
Yup, that’s right, I called Superman a Dick, and after visiting the Superman is a dick website you’ll understand why. Over the years, the covers of action comics and superman comicbooks have shown superman in a not so great light. From being cruel to lois lane, or insulting jimmy olsen, these real covers from the 50 years of superman history will have your rolling on the floor and declaring superman is a dick!
Gizmodo
If you want to find up-to-the-minute gadget and electronics information, this is your site. Not only is all of the material extremely well-written, it makes me laugh out loud every single day. There's a tremendous amount of content on the site; there are between 30 and 40 items posted every single day. There's good reason why this site won a Webby Award in 2005, and will probably win that award again this year for Best Computer and Technology Site. Now, these guys are starting to do video reviews, and some of them are quite good. You might want to take a look.
Kotaku
If you are addicted to gaming, then you’ll want to find the latest gossip, news, and game announcements at this blog-type website. In Japanese, Kotaku means someone who is into games, and the Kotaku website is a great resource for everyone who wants to stay on top of the industry.
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"You can tell by listening to them they know their stuff and they're not fooled by hype. They calls 'em as they sees 'em. These two have reached escape coolosity!"
"Stephen Schleicher is very knowledgable about his technology and I can only assume he would surround himself with like company. Which is why I think Stephen and Charlie definitely know what they are talking about in the venue of tech tips and reviews. They rock my face off!"
This week's featured music:
"Billy & Jack" by 3 Blind Mice
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Coolness Roundup ©2006 Charlie White and Stephen Schleicher
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