89%DRUNKARD

If you’d like to take the test and see just how much you really know about booze then follow the link.

http://www.justsayhi.com/bb/booze

All musicians start out playing songs they love and most times we usually end up learning how to play these songs by luck. You listen to the song and try to make the same sound. I know from experience when I was learning to play the bass guitar that even though you may think your playing a song the right way your not. You may see the band play live and end up noticing that your not even close to playing a song the way it was meant to be played. Well what if there was a website that had tutorials from the artists themselves teaching you how to play their songs. Well now there is just such a site and in fact it launched today.

Now the pickings are slim at the moment and they don’t have a lot of choices but from what I have seen so far this looks very promising. You can preview each video for free and see if it’s something you want and then play the $5.99 to view the full version.

http://www.ivideosongs.com/

This ones goes in the ‘exactly what it says on the tin’ category for sure. This website will call any phone number in America at a specific time and play a message. You set the time, number and message via the website.

• Set a wake-up call at a specific time
• Remind yourself of important events
• Remember to take medication on time
• Escape from a boring date or meeting
• Remind child or spouse to do chores
• Set reminders for tasks and follow-ups<

It’s not a site I will use everyday since it’s for the states only, but as soon as they add Ireland I will.
I found the site easy to use and I particularly like the way the site offers users a chance to be part of the beta program. This means users who are willing to tolerate some bugs in the system can have access to new and unreleased features.

http://www.wakerupper.com/

Tutorials are great. Even the most useful tutorial can be a bit bland and even boring at times. I am not knocking anyone who takes the time to teach. I admire them and appreciate the effort and patience they display each time they make a tutorial. I have even made quite a few myself and I know how hard it is to keep things interesting.

Donnie Hoyle is the new king of tutorials and he has made a few educational yet hilarious Photoshop tutorials called “You Suck at Photoshop”. His comedy style is pure genius and I enjoyed each second. Watch as Donnie explains how to do some of the more popular techniques while subtly shedding insight into his not-so-happy marriage.

Episode 1: The Van

Episode 2: Insert Carpet Stain

Episode 3: The Disappearing Ring

via PhotoJoJo

Now this looks very interesting. You spray water on these flowers and within a few minutes you have a simulated bouquet of flowers. It looks as though you could send it as a card or even keep a few handy and when you get close to the person your giving the pseudo-flowers to you just pull them out and give them a spray.

The designer is Lee Ki-Seung and his design recently won at the Red Dot Online: Design Concept. Here is what he says about his design:

Instant Blossom is a reinterpretation of the traditional vase. Presented as an “instant” package that contains a simulated vase and hydroponic flowers, it unobtrusively adds life to a space, or can be shared with others.

You can find out more about the awards and the other winner of the Red Dot Award here:
http://www.red-dot.sg/concept/porfolio/06/10ia/R062IB.htm

No word on a price or whether they are even for sale yet. I would also love to see a video of these. When and if I find one I will update this space for you.

via www.techeblog.com

I have taken two similar power tools and feature them both here in this post. I just tried to pick two types of tools that are similar on most ways. One sold here in Ireland and another sold in the USA.

Here we have a run of the mill cordless jigsaw that will cost you $18 at www.StockBlowout.com

Here we have an Irish offer that will cost me $63 at Atlantic Homecare.

Now granted the Irish model is a Black and Decker and it could be argued it’s a better brand but it is the only available model at Atlantic Homecare which means your pretty much stuck with it.

Now that’s a difference of a whopping $45! Now don’t get me wrong I like Black and Decker but I really don’t think it’s really worth paying an extra $45, do you? At this rate I could purchase 3 of the Campbell Hausfeld models and have loads of change left over.

This is just one item I have decided to directly compare. Don’t even get me started on the Televisions. Just remember this the next time you go to the hardware store or any other store for that matter. America truly is a wonderful place and I will never take all that we have as Americans for granted ever again. God bless the USA.

This post was sponsored by http://www.stockblowout.com if your looking for any Discount Bathroom deals or Cheap Lights I suggest you give them a visit.

Have you ever tried to make a favicon? Do you even know what a favicon is? Well in most modern browsers web developers can add what’s called a favicon to their website that will display an icon whenever someone adds it to their favorites or bookmarks. You may see my little face in the top near the “http://”, this is my favicon for this site. It’s not a big deal but when someone is going through their bookmarks it can set your link apart.

They can be tricky to make since some browsers will read them differently but not anymore. I found a wonderful little ajax site that does exactly what it says on the tin. In three steps you have your very own favicon.

http://favikon.com/

Some of you may or may not know about my day job and since it’s about to take a mighty twist I thought i’d write about it here and explain.

I currently work for a company that develops both a booking engine and a content management system for the hospitality industry (http://www.accubook.net). It’s a great system and I enjoy working with it and hotels. However, the company has offered me a chance to be the first to franchise the system and start my own company.

As of February I will be offering my services to five lucky hotels in regards to online inventory management along with other online marketing services.

I recently built a website for the new business and over the next few weeks hope to get everything else in order and even sign up a few new hotels. I would love to hear your feedback about the new site and maybe offer any suggestions on how to make it better or more clear.

http://www.hotel-internet-solutions.com

I signed up for a free peek at Hula.com which is a new service offered by NBC and allows viewers to see live streaming video content from all their shows. The service is in beta and by invite only.

A few days ago I finally received my “invite” so I excitedly logged in and decided to take it for a test drive to find a message saying:

“This video is not available in your country or region.”

Now I am American but I live in Ireland at the moment so I can understand why I might get that error. I was still quite disappointed to be honest.

Today I found a way around this and it’s not a bad solution to be honest. It’s not perfect don’t get me wrong but hey I can finally watch SNL after 3 years. There is a god. So for all you Hulu users that have an account but still can’t see the clips, read on for my solution.

1. Download and install AnchroFree’s Hotspot Shield at http://hotspotshield.com/.

2. Follow their instructions on how to get connected.

Sounds easy and it is but there are a few downfalls that I can see so far. First don’t stay connected all the time, only when you are actually watching HULU or any other USA only content. You will notice a speed difference since your actually being routed around the net via proxy servers behind the hood to mask your location. Second, you notice the odd ad here and there popping up and interfering with your browsing experience. This is to be expected I guess since the software used to do this is provided for free.

The software is also available for Mac OSX and Windows so it’s good for nearly everyone.

I like this idea a lot. I lived in Hawaii for a long time. In fact I have lived in Hawaii for over 18 years of my life and in a place with so much water and so much sun you could really get a lot of use from such a great little gadget. Basically it’s a snorkel and mask with a digital camera built in.

Digital underwater camera built into a swimming mask makes underwater photography “Hands Free” for safer swimming. Photograph or video friends, family or fish. Connect camera to your computer with the USB cable provided. Download the images and video to your computer to email or print. 3.1 MP, 16 MB SD Ram. SD Card Slot for external memory up to 2 GB (SD card not included). Photo & video editing software included.

I would really love to try one of these out for myself and see how well they work. I can’t find a price anywhere as of yet but considering I spent an average of $50 for a decent snorkel and mask plus another $200 for a camera with a water casing it could not be much worse. I could be wrong though.

Find out more at their site:

http://www.liquidimageco.com

via: crunchgear.com

Well it’s about time. We were promised flying cars and jet packs back in the 80′s but I have yet to take my jet pack or flying car out for a spin nor do I see them for sale anywhere near me. But soon we may have a car that can go underwater which is almost as cool as a flying car or jet pack and this time it looks like they may be serious. I for one, will not be holding my breath (pun not intended but still kinda funny).

I present to you the SQuba car/submarine. A car that can also dive to 30 feet of depth underwater. sQuba is one of the concept cars that will go public at the Geneva Motor Show that runs from March 6th to 16th, 2008. The world’s first real diving car with zero emission power is powered by an electric motor when it’s on land and once in water, the propulsion is provided by by two propellers and a pair of jet drives at the push of a button. I just like the sound of having “jet drives”. Of course at first this sort of thing will only be for the uber rich but who knows in a few years perhaps nearly all cars might have an underwater model available. I can dream right?

To find out more about the SQuba you can visit the website below.

http://www.windingroad.com

We never did Christmas Crackers as a kid. Most Americans would not know what they are. I first pulled a cracker in Ireland at the age of 21 when I was invited home with my girlfriend at the time (she is my wife now). I was blown away and really surprised that more Americans didn’t use Christmas Crackers.

To put a new twist on the whole cracker experience, a company based here in Ireland called Angry has created some crackers of their own. These look very fun and instead of paper hats they come with felt hats that will last longer and can be customised to both fit your head and look different by customizing your crown.

They also come with some clever buttons that will help you communicate while eating with phrases like “more turkey” and “one more sprout please”. If that was not enough they also come with a joke written by the clever folks at Angry.

http://www.angryretail.com/shop/home.php

It’s no secret I love gadgets. So when I stumbled across this article which highlights the “10 weirdest gadgets that you didn’t know existed” I just had to check it out. I will admit I did know about a few of them. The transparent toaster, the modern ladder and the one click butter. The rest I did not know existed and in particular the one that will remember most has to be the lockable coffee mug. I really like that and might by one just to freak my in-laws out.

I have just copied this post so you don’t have to leave here to get the news but if you’d like to visit the original here is the link:

http://www.coolgadgets.org/top-15-weird-gadgets-you-never-thought-existed/

I recently read a post at one of my daily visits and was inspired to write my own version. The article was about crummy things about living in the countryside. I too live in the sticks but only in Ireland and not America. As an American I have a unique view of how things are here that most Irish may not see. I decided to go ahead and do my own list of things crummy about living in the Irish Countryside (at least for me).

Don’t worry I will also do a positive post about the good things as well.

1. Farmers rule the road and they know it. Whether it be with a very slow tractor or heard of sheep and cattle, they do what they like, when they like and don’t care if you need to get to work.

2. Worrying sheep is against the law. I really don’t know what worrying a sheep consists of but they take it seriously in these parts. Don’t blow your horn or you might worry something or someone.

3. Don’t even think about doing the speed limit. Most the roads here have massive pot holes at one place or another and the warnings for a huge curve in the road are far and few in between. Just because the sign says you can do 60 MPH does not mean you should. Also refer to number 1 and 2 since hitting a sheep probably counts as worrying a sheep.

4. Latte? Yeah right. I will admit the espresso is getting better but everyone is so used to drinking tea that actual brewed coffee is just not done. It’s all instant coffee here. If Starbucks does show up I will retract this one.

5. The Police are scared of the people. The police or Guarda Garda as we call them are massively under staffed and under resourced so they try not to confront large groups and when they do you can tell they are a bit scared. They pretty much rely on self governing which used to work back in the 60′s but not much anymore.

6. Say no to Craic. Yes we have Crack here too but it means gossip and everyone wants to know what the “criac” is. If you do ANYTHING out of the ordinary everyone will know about it. Gossip is king in these parts.

7. Irish time is not always a good thing. Things happen at a much slower pace here in the country. Some may say this is a positive but when your trying get something done (like buying a house) it can be very frustrating. It can take 6 months to buy a house even after you and the seller have agreed on a price. This is because they use lawyers to do the contracts.

8. Bureaucracy is king. The Irish love their forms and boy do they use them. To do anything you must fill out at least 10 forms and jump through a minimum of 3 hoops.

To give you an example. We recycle and it means dropping off our recycling ourselves. This I can live with but before we can go to the drop off point we must first buy stamps. The number of stamps depends on how much you have to recycle, usually one stamp per “car” load. These stamps must be bought at a local gas station or shop not the recycling center. If one shop has run out you must find one that still has some left. If you buy too many stamps you’ve wasted money and if you don’t buy enough you will be forced to go back and buy more before you can drop off your stuff. This is enough to put anyone off doing it all together.

9. To get anything done you must know someone who knows someone. Since bureaucracy is king and things take forever you usually end up waiting for a really long time unless you know someone who knows someone. Sometimes they can put in a good word with the person that would normally do it once they get a notice from Dublin or the main office and ask them to help you out first.

For example. When I first moved here I wanted Broadband (as you do). We bought a house close enough to town so that we would be eligible for the Broadband. Once we moved in I was told (by a women in Dublin) the line was too weak and I did not qualify. I asked when it would be upgraded and she said not for a few years if at all. I then asked around and a friend of my wife knew a guy who knew another guy who worked for the company. He then came over on a weekend (as a favor) and told me what was wrong with the line and how to “work ” the system. I eventually got my broadband installed.

10. VAT is a bad word and used a lot. VAT stands for Value Added Tax and everything has so much “value” these days that they tax the daylights out of it. I will admit this is an Irish thing and not so much a country thing but it still drives me nuts.

They have different levels of VAT depending on the product. If the item is considered to be a luxury it’s taxed the most and things people need are taxed less. This would be great if the list made sense. Just to make my point here is a list of things considered to be a “luxury” item and taxed the maximum amount:

Diapers
Condoms
Tampons
Bottled Water
Baby and Child Car Seats

Here is the inspirational link to the post that started this:

http://bloggrrl.com/blog141/country-living-isnt-all-its-cracked-up-to-be/

I have recently been diagnosed with a severe case of carpel tunnel syndrome and it’s painful to use my right hand for any computer work or similar.

It means I have had to stop using the computer until it heals. You may have noticed a lag in the news here for a few days so I thought i’d tell you why and let you know not to worry.

I am healing now and I have recruited a few guest writers in the meantime so the site stays updated. The first person to help me with this is my wife Helena who has agreed to be my hands and help me type and use a mouse.

For more information about Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, like how to avoid it so you don’t go through what I am going through, visit the links below:

Wikipedia for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Symptons

Mice you can use to prevent Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Easy Exercises you can do at work or computer to prevent Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

I just found this site that has created a new sport that is for designers on the web. It’s very new and really quite interesting. It’s called layer tennis and basically allows two designers to have a show down in real time. They both need to be online for the duration of the match and have access to the file server where they both send their edited files back and forth. They only 15 minutes per round and they have a total of 10 rounds. Here is how the site explains it:

We’ll be playing matches using lots of different applications, from Adobe® Photoshop® to Adobe® Flash®, but the basic idea is the same no matter what tools are in use. Two artists (or two small teams of artists) will swap a file back and forth in real-time, adding to and embellishing the work. Each artist gets fifteen minutes to complete a “volley” and then we post that to the site. A third participant, a writer, provides play-by-play commentary on the action, as it happens. The matches last for ten volleys and when it’s complete, everyone visiting the site votes for a winner.

Visit them online and see for yourself. Who knows, if it were with Fireworks I would give it a go myself. Looks fun.

www.LayerTennis.com

We have covered this technology before but only with a preview of what is to come. Now this company is letting us try it out online for free. So in addition to being able to edit, crop or modify our images online for free we can also resize them without cropping or distortion. If you’d like to see a demo you can refer to another link with a video overview of the technology (Content Aware Image Resizing).

I have tried it out on both small and large images and it works pretty well. If you push the limits too much by using very busy images or even resize to extreme dimensions you get mixed results but that’s to be expected.

Rsizr – Edit an image

About Rsizr

This is such a great idea. I love both the look of this gadget and the fact that’s it can be used in a power outage as well. It’s functional and great looking.

So it’s a table lamp that you power by turning the over-sized key. It works and looks a lot like a real table lamp but you don’t need to plug it in. Plus when it’s time to go to bed or leave the room you just let the timer run out and it goes out. Brilliant if you ask me. I wish more things were like this.

I don’t have a lot of information about the lamp at the moment such as price or how much time you get each time you twist it but I will report back here as I find more.

http://www.hulgerisation.com/?page_id=60

Thanks to OhGizmo.com for the heads-up.