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Episode 27: The Smart Home
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Technology promises to improve your quality of life and make your house more comfortable. In this episode, Stephen and Charlie show you the latest in energy-saving gadgets, home networking and even high-end plumbing fixtures. The Gurus of Cool also talk about the HD DVD/Blu-ray wars, the foibles of Sony and piracy in this lively edition of the Coolness Roundup.
If you are one of the few that are not using an iPod you can download the current show as a MP3 here. Note: This show does not contain all of the enhancements that can be found through the subscription.
Articles of the Week
RaceQuiet Earphones: A Field Test
Special eartips do a great job of keeping noise out and music in, but….
by Charlie White
RaceQuiet Earphones ($39.95) by Outside the Box Inc. are designed to function as both high-quality earphones and earplugs. Their unusual ear tips are made out of a special substance that expands when exposed to body heat, and the result is a tight seal in the ear canal that keeps noise out and music in. We tested the RaceQuiet earphones in an extremely noisy environment, running a loud snowblower on a blustery winter's day. Here’s what happened.
Read More
HD DVD: Mark Knox, Adviser to the HD DVD Promotion Group
A wide-ranging conversation about the debut of high-definition disks
by Charlie White
In this exclusive interview, Coolness Roundup's Charlie White speaks with Mark Knox, adviser to the HD DVD Promotion Group. In part one of this multipart interview series, Knox talks about the competition between HD DVD and Blu-ray, the resolutions and codecs used in the first disks to be shipped, and the Toshiba players which will be on the market in March of 2006.
Read More
NextGen House: Packed With New Technology
Home automation, audio and video, and security in a demo all in one place at CES
by Charlie White
In one of the most concentrated demonstrations at the 2006 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas , a group of companies banded together to create the NextGen Home Experience. A house was constructed in the parking lot of the Las Vegas Convention Center, and stoked with the latest in high-tech home control and entertainment gear. Let's take a tour through that house, taking a look at the latest gadgets and gizmos that make up the highest of high-tech homes.
Read More
Show Note Links
Flying Cars by 2009?
Speakman Anystream 2000 Shower Head
Toto Neorest Toilet
Kohler Sok Bath
Kohler Laminar Ceiling-Mount Bath Filler
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LINKS
Rapid-Fire Roundup® of Cool Products
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Water-Powered LED Light
This shower head is powered by the water coming through the head and changes color in response to the water temperature. No wires to run, no batteries to change—just beautiful LED light bathing you while getting clean. It’s about $105 in Japan, no word on if you can order it direct.
AHT P2POD HDTV Media Player
Here’s a device that uses peer-to-peer technology to download and stream HDTV programs from the Internet. This nicely-designed unit has a user-friendly interface intended to make it easy to manage thousands of video channels. Expected to be rolled out in the third quarter of this year, it’s going to be cheap, too -- under $150.
Cold Heat Soldering
If you have ever spent time soldering you know what a pain it is when your soldering iron burns you, your workbench, or melts things it shouldn’t. check out the Cold Heat Soldering tool. The tip reaches 500ºF in less than a second for many types of joints and cools to the touch in a few seconds so you can put it away – without any waiting. Simply amazing.
Acer Ferrari F20 Display
This 20-inch LCD monitor from Acer is one great-looking display, The Ferrari F20 is all gussied up in red and black Ferrari colors that look like a paint job on an exotic sports car. Complete with that Ferrari logo front-and-center, I just like the way the thing looks. I've heard its performance is mediocre, but who cares? It's a Ferrari for $580.
Teac SL-D900 CD/Radio/Clock
The SL-D900 CD/Radio/Clock from Teac Japan take you back to the 50s Nostalgia by its look. It is a CD player that also plays MP3 files and includes a port for hooking up your USB jump drive.
Toastmaster Commercial Electronic Toaster
Here's something else that costs around $500, but it's just a toaster. But it's not just any toaster, it's the Toastmaster commercial electronic toaster. It can toast up to 300 slices per hour, and it's built like a truck. If you want your toast perfectly uniform, and if you want to be able to toast bagels and anything else in record time, go commercial. Go Toastmaster. It's just $580 at Amazon.
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This week's featured music:
"Pumpkin Pie"
by Russell Wolf
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