Chris Pirillo » thinkgeek

Christmas Unboxing Geek Style

Chris Pirillo — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 02:08:52 +0000

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Merry Christmas to all and to all a good haul! This happens to be my favorite holiday, even when I happen to be celebrating it alone. I’m very glad to know you’re here with me (even virtually, in homes of your own).

I bought myself a very cool Boba Fett hoodie this year. I’ve been wanting one forever, so I decided to go ahead and splurge!

I received several really cool gifts from various friends, including some great new LEGO and Star Wars stuff! Thank you to all of you.

I also bought myself a Panasonic DMP-B500 Portable DVD Player. Gosh, how did I ever figure out what it was I really wanted?

YouTube sent a gift to some of the producers, as well. We were asked to go to B&H Photo and Video and choose a few things we knew we could need/use. I chose wisely, knowing I will be broadcasting live soon from CES 2011. I’ll be in the Grand Lobby, and uploading all of the resulting videos to my YouTube account. Thanks so much to the folks at YouTube for these goodies.

ThinkGeek also sent me a nice care package. It was sitting downstairs for at least a week, and I’ve been dying to open it. They sent me the new Bluetooth Keyboard and iPad Case that I’ve had my eyes on for a while now. I also recieved the USB Classic Atari Joystick, the Star Wars Dark Side Coffee, an Otamatone, a Not Here to Make Friends shirt (which I WILL wear in public frequently!), the FML shirt (which again – I WILL wear often!!) and a few other assorted goodies.

What’d you get for Christmas this year?

Christmas Unboxing Geek Style

Gnomedex Conference Sponsors and Specials

Chris Pirillo — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 16:55:27 +0000

Gnomedex Conference Sponsors and Specials

It’s hard to believe that not only is the 10th Gnomedex finally here, though the event is almost over. Later today, we will wrap up this conference with a few surprises for everyone in attendance… including those of you joining us on the live stream. As I collect my thoughts prior to kicking things off this morning, I thought it was a great time to thank the sponsors who are here with us. We also have a few giveaways for the attendees, as well as some discounts for ALL of you out there.

First off, the sponsors on-site:

Parallels – John Uppendahl and his team went way above and beyond what any of us could have dreamed up. He showed up at the conference armed with various Parallels products for every attendee. The retail cost of these boxes of software would boggle the mind.
FaceVsion – FaceVsion has been giving away some seriously cool cameras, with more being given out to attendees today!
InterConnection – InterConnection is a computer recycling service who happens to be giving away an Xbox 360 Kinect bundle to one lucky attendee!
Weatherbug – Weatherbug is a long-time Gnomedex and Lockergnome supporter. In addition to their table here full of cool mousepads, they will be giving away an iPad to an attendee.
SmartCup – SmartCup CEO Larry Wu is here with us as a presenter. His team of awesome (and very happy) girls is here pouring delicious all-you-can-drink French Press coffee.
Microsoft has been very good to us again this year. Not only do we have a Surface table in the hallway for everyone to play with… we also have tables staffed to show people the new Windows Phone 7 AND the newest advancements in Windows 7 on a multi-touch computer.
Yelp – We appreciate Yelp being here on-site to talk with everyone and for having plenty of information available.
American Public Media – APM is doing some excellent things in the social media space, and they were kind enough to send a few representatives to talk with our attendees during the conference.
Real Networks – Not only has Lacey and her team from Real joined us on-site again this year… they were also kind enough to bring EVERY attendee a vuvuzela of their very own! My head and ears will never be the same.

There is also a very special deal going on: Our friends at ThinkGeek are offering all of you a discount. Until 11:59pm tonight, you can use coupon code GNOMEDEX to save $5.00 off of any order of $25 or more – or $10.00 off of an order of more than $40.00.

I have to thank everyone once again for their participation this year, from the volunteers to the sponsors to the attendees. We are having a fantastic time and the day has only begun!

Gnomedex Conference Sponsors and Specials

ThinkGeek Must Cease and Desist

Chris Pirillo — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 08:35:56 +0000

ThinkGeek Must Cease and Desist

Likely the most hilarious story I’ve come across lately is the cease and desist letter received by ThinkGeek yesterday. The letter was sent by the National Pork Association and backed by several notable legal minds. The twelve-page document claims that ThinkGeek has been infringing on the NPAs phrase “The Other White Meat” in their advertising. What makes this so funny is that the product being referred to was an April Fool’s Day joke where our favorite monkeys decided to advertise Unicorn Meat.

There have been a lot of bloggers today screaming about how “dumb” the brass at the NPA must be to believe that this was a real product. I don’t think they believed it was real at all. I think they knew exactly what they were doing. Look at how much attention they garnered today. The C&D states right in black-and-white that they are planning to phase out the use of that phrase. So what, then, is their beef?

Thankfully, ThinkGeeks’ use of the phrase in their advertising is protected as a parody. They don’t have to cease or desist anything at all.

There will be no C&D involved when you grab the latest software and apps from our download center.

ThinkGeek Must Cease and Desist

A 16-Port USB Hub Hubbub

Chris Pirillo — Fri, 28 May 2010 10:02:22 +0000

A 16-Port USB Hub Hubbub

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I love USB. I love the ports, the devices and the hubs. The problem with hubs, though, is that most of them top out at only seven little spots to plug things into. I have SO many USB devices. How the heck am I ever going to plug them all in at once? It’s a good thing my friends at ThinkGeek sent along their 16 port USB Hub for me to review!

This baby has a built-in 22.5W power supply so an extra AC adapter is not needed. Connect all of your favorite USB devices at once, such as your USB Humping Dog, your USB microphone, your USB drink cooler, your phone and virtually ALL of your other USB devices in at once!

The hub weighs less than a pound and is smaller than you might expect at approximately 4.5in x 2.5in x 2in. This makes it easy to actually throw it in your suitcase and take it with you when you travel. You know it will come in handy… even on the road.

The built-in power supply ensures you don’t need another AC adapter and there’s even a switch that allows you to switch the hub between two computers. You can’t use it on two computers at once, but you can just push a button to switch back and forth between them. Some hubs are underpowered, but not this beautiful little box! It will handle pretty much anything you throw at – or plug into – it.

This is now my USB hub of choice. I double-dog dare you to list all of your USB devices. I’m going to send my existing USB hub to the person who lists the most – and can prove it. Take a picture of all of them at once, all together. Whoever has the most (provable) USB devices will win!

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A 16-Port USB Hub Hubbub

ThinkGeek Marshmallow Gun

Chris Pirillo — Wed, 26 May 2010 20:16:34 +0000

ThinkGeek Marshmallow Gun

Our friends at ThinkGeek have done it again! The Marshmallow Mforcer Semi-Automatic Pistol is just one of those items you have got to have. The plastic device packs up to 15 mini marshmallows at a time to help you defend yourself against alien invasions – or to shoot into your cereal bowl.

The Mforcer has a port on the side to load the marshmallows in. Pump the front at least twenty times to load the tank with air. The more you pump, the more force there is behind each and every gooey “bullet.” Fire mallow after mallow in rapid succession until the chamber is empty.

The next time one of your co-workers grabs the last jelly-filled doughnut without seeing if you wanted it, just grab your Mforcer and let them have it.

Marshmallows are not included!

ThinkGeek Marshmallow Gun

Things That Glow

Chris Pirillo — Wed, 19 May 2010 23:05:03 +0000

Things That Glow

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A caller asked recently if I still have my Laserpod from ThinkGeek. He is considering buying one for himself, but isn’t quite sure how they work. He said the pictures on the site don’t really show how they work. I had to go grab mine from the other side of the office, and was happy to see that the batteries still work!

According to ThinkGeek: “This desktop sized device splits three electronic lasers and three high-intensity blue and ultraviolet LEDs, then throws them into a hand-cut faceted crystal to create some of the most unique and memorable mood lighting you’ll ever witness.”

You can see in the video that it looks like a prism of sorts sitting inside, and that the lights are moving in a random configuration. I can stick the plastic sheath on top of it, and they move about and throw colors around in different patterns. Placing the glass pieces on top diffuse the light and change things up.

You can have a light show on your ceiling or wall with the Laserpod. The lights that are thrown out are very soothing and calming. They’re also a lot of fun, don’t get me wrong! Imagine wowing your office mates during the next boring meeting or dazzling your friend at the Friday night geek fest. Heck, you can whip this sucker out during your next LAN party!

I don’t recommend playing with the Laserpod when you are under the influence of too much caffeine, though… trust me.

Never buy anything from ThinkGeek without checking out our coupon thread. I have a ton of different coupons you can use on your ThinkGeek shopping spree.

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Things That Glow

Trim Your Turf: Geek Style

Chris Pirillo — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 07:12:19 +0000

Trim Your Turf: Geek Style

It’s a well-known fact that I love to collect wacky gadgets and gizmos. I seem to have a fetish for furniture and decor that reflects who I am, which I proudly display in nearly every room of my home.

A few weeks ago, I posted an article showing off some very cool Geek furniture I had come across. The response was so positive that I decided to take the concept to another level, and found other items you may suddenly feel the need to own.

ASCII Curtains are sure to add spice to any room of your humble abode.

The CPU Desk was made from scratch using 800 computer processors. This may be a great way to reduce computer waste in our landfills, but it won’t make your computer run any faster.

The LunaBlocks bricks make me drool a little every time I see them. They are designed and created by Thierry Nahon & Philippe Landecker, and come in multiple colors and materials that are easily stacked together.

Using guts from two old Apple G4 computers along with an ATI graphics card, Justin Adler created what is likely the sexiest table on the planet.

I am glad I paid attention in math class back in high school. This clock has had all of the numbers replaced with the equivalent notation.

If you’re a fan of RSS, then this lamp shade will brighten your day (or should that be “dim” your day?).

As December 25th draws near, these Game Controller ornaments may help you get into the Christmas spirit.

I love Tetris! I would keep a glass of ice water beside me at all times if I had a few of these Tetrice ice trays in my freezer.

ThinkGeek never ceases to amaze me. The Space Invaders cutting boards are all hand-made.

I had to save the best for last. Forget about reading a book while in the bathroom. If this bathroom was in my house, I don’t think you’d ever see me in my home office again. Feast your eyes on this work of perfection, fellow Geeks. This “Souped-Up John” features a TV, TiVo, DVD, XBox, laptop, refrigerator, megaphone, Ipod dock and a way to get some exercise!

Will someone please hide my credit cards? I feel an urge to shop coming on.

Trim Your Turf: Geek Style

ThinkGeek Coupons

Chris Pirillo — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 13:00:09 +0000

ThinkGeek Coupons

ThinkGeek has the Locked ON – Proximity Sensing Shirt for only $9.99. Shipping starts at $6.89 and there’s no sales tax (except in NJ, VA). Glowing Animated T-Shirt Detects Another Locked-ON shirt nearby. Buy as a Pair. When two shirts are within a few meters of each other the glowing radar stops scanning and locks on!

Use our exclusive coupons to get an even better deal:

ThinkGeek - $5 off $25 or $10 off $40 using coupon code nextorder (Posted on 4/29/11 and Expires on 12/31/11)
ThinkGeek - ThinkGeek Clearance (Posted on 9/11/08 and Expires on 12/31/15)
ThinkGeek - Whats New at Think Geek (Posted on 9/11/08 and Expires on 12/31/15)

This list will grow and shrink dynamically as new coupons are listed for ThinkGeek (and expired discounts fade away).

Find Coupons for over 1200 Stores

ThinkGeek Coupons

How to Make Electronic Music

Chris Pirillo — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 20:40:12 +0000

How to Make Electronic Music

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Our friends over at ThinkGeek have done it again. As if my Tenori-On wasn’t cool enough, now I have two Bliptronic 5000 LED Synthesizers!! They are exclusive to ThinkGeek, and I’m more than happy that they sent these babies to me for review. You can connect as many of them together as you like, and watch them create beautiful music! Change the tone, volume, style and settings with a touch of a button, or a turn of a knob. They are simple to use, and addictive to play with!

Creating your song centers around a 4-beat pattern, which evolves as you push buttons. Each row of vertical buttons stands for the notes found in one octave. Push a button to turn a note on, and then push it again to turn it off. Pushing more than one button in a vertical row will make a chord!

There are knobs down the side of the Bliptronic, as I mentioned. These allow you to change the tempo, choose your instrument from 8 different sounds, adjust the volume, and turn looping on or off. There’s also, of course, a ‘Play’ button.

You can get a Bliptronic of your own for around fifty dollars. That’s not much money when you think of how many hours, days and even months of fun you’re going to get out of this thing. Wow your friends, and dazzle your family. Put your imagination to work! You know you can’t wait to get your hands on this thing!

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How to Make Electronic Music

Gifts for Geeks

Chris Pirillo — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 08:46:20 +0000

Gifts for Geeks

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‘Tis better to give than to receive, so they say. It’s true, though. I like to give more than I receive. When it comes to Christmas, I love stocking stuffers the most! How much fun is it to stuff a bunch of things into a big sock and then give it to someone?! They get a whole bunch of presents all at once this way! I’m going to share some stocking stuffer ideas with all of you. All of the following products (other than the LEGO) were sent to me by the manufacturers for review purposes.

Mathmos Color Changing Decorative Lighting – This cool little gadget stays lit up, letting you use it for mood lighting – or even a night light! It’s beautiful, and fades in between different colors. It soothes me! Geeks love glowing objects!
Griffin Simplifi 3-in-1 – The Simplifi is a great way to save space on your desk. It serves as a dock/charger for your iPod or iPhone. It works as a USB hub. And, best of all.. it’s also a media card reader! It also charges itself via mini-USB!
SmartSwipe Card Reader – If you’re worried about security (as you should be these days!), then using the SmartSwipe when ordering something online is a good idea. It’s only available for Windows right now. If you are going to use your credit card online, run it through the SmartSwipe, and let the software transmit your information directly to the website. This eliminates the worry of something like a keylogger capturing your information, because there are no keystrokes entered in conjunction with your card!
RetroLink Game Controller – This cool Nintendo NES game controller works on either Mac or Windows systems. Plug it in, and play your favorite games! It works really well, and takes me back to the days of games that I totally miss! I LOVE this!!!
IPEVO Point 2 View USB Camera – This is another gadget that I really like. It’s a webcam that works on both OS X and Windows. The cool thing about this particular camera is that it pivots in nearly every direction you can think of! No more messing around for hours on end, attempting to get the perfect angle. This baby makes it easy for you to get it right the first time.
SoundClip iPhone Audio Booster – For the iPhone holders in your family who may watch movies or videos on their iPhone, you may want to consider one of these! It plugs in to the bottom of the iPhone, and gives you a much better sound experience. It focuses the sound towards you, instead of away… and amplifies the sound with no batteries needed.
MeteorLight LED K9 Ball – This little toy works well for Geeks who like bouncing things with lights… or for the dog in your life! There are little LED lights inside this hard rubber ball, and they’ll change to all the colors in the spectrum when bounced! They’re also waterproof – and float!
Superlooper Crossover Adapter – You know that a regular ethernet patch cable will connect your computer to a router, hub or modem. However, you may one day need a crossover cable in order to connect two computers together in order to transfer data. You cannot connect them using a regular old ethernet patch cable. To turn one of these patch cables into a crossover cable, you only need to clip the Superlooper onto one end of the patch cable! Voila! You now have a crossover cable!
AC to DC Power Converter – Let’s say you have something powered by DC – say something that would plug in in your car. You likely don’t have a DC plug in your home… you probably only have AC outets! Just plug this nice little adapter in in your home outlets, and you can convert the DC to AC with ease!
EvilTron – This diabolical little toy is so much fun – and so annoying to others! It’s easy to hide, and comes pre-loaded with six creepy sounds, including a “gasping last breath”, a door creaking, and even a sinister child’s laugh!
LEGO Mini-Figs – I collect them! I love them! I WANT MORE OF THEM!!! If you have any that you aren’t using, I’ll be happy to take them off of your hands!
Throwboy Lockergnome Pirillow! – My income percentage of these pillows is 20%… however, I am not keeping any of that! ALL of my proceeds for the sales of these pillows are going to the Seattle Humane Society. These are handmade by Roberto and his team over at Throwboy. They’re fun, they’re cool – and they’re helping out a very worthwhile cause!

I want to hear what YOU think. What do you hope to find stuffed in your stocking this holiday season?

[awsbullet:lego mini fig]

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Gifts for Geeks

Be Still My Beating Geek Heart

Chris Pirillo — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 21:37:44 +0000

Be Still My Beating Geek Heart

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This is a plush beating heart. Why would you want one? Uh, probably because it’s cool! It has realistic beating sounds, which can soothe a baby… or yourself! This could just be the hottest new item for that impossible to buy for person on your holiday shopping list! What will our friends at ThinkGeek come up with next?

Your friends will be oddly fascinated by the beating heart. You can snuggle up with it if you want, and not get all messy and icky. You could give one to your girlfriend (or boyfriend!) to show them that they own your heart.

Or.. you can just hog this cute little plush to yourself. Sleep with it, and let the sounds soothe you off to dreamland.

[awsbullet:beating heart plush]

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Be Still My Beating Geek Heart

World’s Shortest USB Cable

Chris Pirillo — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:07:46 +0000

World’s Shortest USB Cable

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I hate having super-long USB cables when all I really need is one that’s an inch or two long. It’s such a waste of space, especially when I’m traveling. Thank goodness the folks at ThinkGeek have the iStubz to charge my iPhone with!

The iStubz is only 3 inches long, and I promise that those three inches will satisfy you! It works with any USB-compatible iPod or iPhone, and is compatible with Windows, Mac and Linux. You don’t need cables strung all over Hell and half of Georgia. Using a nice short cable keeps things de-cluttered and organized.

If you’re interested in grabbing the iStubz for yourself – or anything from ThinkGeek for that matter – make sure you take advantage of the ThinkGeek coupons that I have for you. Why pay full price for anything?!

[awsbullet:istubz]

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World’s Shortest USB Cable

What do Geeks Smell Like?

Chris Pirillo — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 02:38:00 +0000

What do Geeks Smell Like?

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I smell like myself, since I don’t really use any type of fragrance, other than my deodorant. I usually use chapstick, which may smell like cherries or mints. I have not purchased any kind of cologne over the past several years – since college! I never thought I could find a scent that was Geeky enough, so I stopped trying. I was happy when my friends at ThinkGeek gave me a chance to check out their newest scent… Red Shirt.

Bright, clean and direct with top notes of green mandarin, bergamot and a hint of lavender (your hope), finishing with base notes of leather and grey musk (your smoldering shoes after you’ve been vaporized). Smell like the future, because tomorrow may never come.

It’s strong, for sure. But it’s very Trekkie smelling. I kept sniffing and sniffing the bottle, because I like it. You know you want to wear it… I will be! If you really want to impress the ladies, you’re going to be ordering some today.

Red Shirt cologne – because tomorrow may never come!

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What do Geeks Smell Like?

Persistence of Vision Meets LED Scanning

Chris Pirillo — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 06:35:21 +0000

Persistence of Vision Meets LED Scanning

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You might have a scanner in your home or business. But, I’m going to show you a scanner that you probably don’t have. It’s a wand, and really nothing more than a toy. It’s very cool, though. It’s a LighTalk LED Scanner, available from our friends at ThinkGeek.

This little gadget is simple to use. Just push the button, and your image or doodle is scanned in. Then, take the pen-shaped scanner and wave it back and forth in the air. Your image will appear right in thin air for others to see. Isn’t that unreal? This is version two of this toy, and has even better features than before!

The LighTalk Scanner holds up to eight images, and has a “continuous display” mode, that allows you to cycle through all eight of your scanned pictures. Amaze your friends or co-workers with your clever doodles, and magical display of them!

After I drew my smiley face, I pressed the button and slowly scanned across my drawing. I then pressed the button again, and began waving the wand back and forth. You guys all saw that, right? The LighTalk uses a technology called Persistence of Vision.

You can scan anything with this, as long as it’s dark and the background it’s on is light. Why would you do this? Uhm – you would do it simply because you can! So there you go, just another fun little toy that I get to play with for hours on end, and possibly annoy Ponzi or the dogs with!

Save on the LighTalk Scanner with these coupons from ThinkGeek:

ThinkGeek - $5 off $25 or $10 off $40 using coupon code nextorder (Posted on 4/29/11 and Expires on 12/31/11)
ThinkGeek - ThinkGeek Clearance (Posted on 9/11/08 and Expires on 12/31/15)
ThinkGeek - Whats New at Think Geek (Posted on 9/11/08 and Expires on 12/31/15)

Find More Coupons

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Persistence of Vision Meets LED Scanning

Do They Make Mirrors for Computer Monitors?

Chris Pirillo — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 22:50:41 +0000

Do They Make Mirrors for Computer Monitors?

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I’ve worn glasses pretty much all my life. It never bothered me, even when people called me ‘four eyes’. As a kid, I would often use my glasses to see things behind me… like when someone was trying to sneak up on me. It was kinda neat to do, you know? So what can I use in my office when I want to see behind me? You can turn your head of course, but that’s not always practical. Or, you could just pick up a C.H.I.M.P. Rearview Monitor Mirror from ThinkGeek, instead.

The C.H.I.M.P. is a convex mirror (only three inches in diameter) that fits easily on either corner of your monitor with accompanying velcro tabs. Choose between black or the new iCHIMP in stylish white.

The velcro, oddly enough, sounds like my hair when I have static cling. Seriously, my hair never moves. It’s just solid. It’s like the soft half of a velcro sticker. Really! I’m not kidding.

You can put the C.H.I.M.P. on either corner of your monitor, or set it on your desk. You could bring this with you to a coffee shop or your office. You’ll always know if someone is coming up behind you, and not be surprised again.

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Do They Make Mirrors for Computer Monitors?