DrDestructo.com

My first son is on his way...

I've been here at the hospital since early last night. The pitocin drip is starting in the next few minuites. I should be a father in a few hours. Very excited. Watch http://schullerfam.blogspot.com or this space for updates.

Nokia 770

Well, I saved up a bunch of little on-the-spot-but-only-convertible-into-gift-card-bonuses and splurged on a Nokia 770. I've been reading forums and testing applications for about a week now. The verdict is in, this is one cool device. It has bluetooth and wi-fi built in, both with good software support. The display is quite impressive. Apart from a lack of SVG support and antiquated Flash 6.0, the browser is fantastic. It plays video and audio very nicely. There is a very good mplayer port with support for the 770's audio and video hardware, so it's possible to play video in the megabit bitrate range. Here is the kicker. Wait for it... USB host mode. This is pretty much unheard of outside of Laptops/UMPC devices. PDA's and such just don't have it. It's a bit of a hardware/software hack, but nothing I couldn't drum up with existing parts I had around in an hour or so. In fact, I spend more time in Fry's buying a USB flash drive (all of mine are on apparently permanent loan) than it did to get it working on the 770. Read on for more...

Campfire Back Warmer

This campfire back warmer looks really cool. I wonder how well it works?

Cool Robot Hand

What on Earth Catalog has a neat robot hand for sale for only USD $17!

PanaVise on Sale at Jameco

Jameco has a decent work vise on sale for $29.99.

iPhoto <-> iMovie HD integration

I had some trouble getting iMovie to recognize any of the photos I had in iPhoto while playing around with the video camera Mariana gave me as an anniversary gift. I ended up having to delete all of my keywords as described in this thread.

Tools, tools, tools...

I came across the Toolmonger website while surfing in my hotel room in Boston. I found a few tools that I will likely be picking up. More after the break.

I'm gonna be in Make!!!

Okay. My "reveiw" of the Sonicare Toothbrush was actually picked up by Make Magazine. It was featured in the TNT email newsletter and might even make it into Make volume 09. Hooooooooo!

Versatility of the Sonicare Toothbrush

I've been thinking for a long time about what a great cleaning tool my sonicare toothbrush might make. My first vision was cleaning flux from assembled PCBs instead of using an ultrasonic bath. I still haven't tried that, but I did get my money's worth cleaning something else.

Mariana and I tied the knot last October and as is the American tradition, our car was decorated. My crack team of groomsmen used some fluorescent paint on the windows to inscribe "Just Married" and other things on the windows. It all looked great. The paint was designed for glass and pretty much wiped right off. As we were getting into the car, Mariana wiped some off onto her dress and subsequently onto the passengers armrest. The armrest is textured to look like leather and since then I've had a fluorescent yellow patch there. I've had detailers and car wash folks try to get it out, but it wouldn't budge.

Sonicare to the rescue. 5 minutes with the toothbrush dipped in just water was all it took. If you're going to use this method on larger areas, I'd suggest having two small containers of water. One to rinse the head with, and one to get fresh, clean water from. I haven't tried using the brush with any sort of cleaning solution, but if you do be sure to use eye protection as the brush tends to fling the liquid in tiny droplets all over the place.

You have pick up a basic "Sonicare Essence 5300" from Aetna over the web. It's priced at $57.30 plus $9.50 for shipping and handling when you use the code "sonicare". Retail price seems to be about $80. Amazon has it for just under $70, so if you're going to do free shipping with them it might be worth it, especially if the Aetna deal goes away.

The essence seems to be perfect for cleaning since it's almost half the cost of the elite series without special brushing "features". If you don't use a sonicare toothbrush on your teeth, this might be the perfect opportunity to buy two. I really like the results.

As for me, I'll continue to use an old brush head with the base I already have until Mariana makes me stop.

More Cool Tools

This weeks Make TNT newsletter brought a few tools to my attention.
The Yankee Push driver looks very cool.

The good ol' brace is also a tool I would like to come by. A nice antique one would be even cooler than a modern plasticy tool.