July 2010
16 posts
Augen's $150 Android tablet hits Kmart... →
Shared by Jeff
I’m keeping an eye on this. I’ve been waiting since the arrival of the iPad for an Android tablet, and this might be it. We’ll have to wait to see some video of it in action, or at…
Computer Stuff : ProMini Wireless Keyboard with... →
Shared by Jeff
The concept behind this little thing is fantastic. I’ll be able to give a better opinion once I get my hands on one.
Keyboard, touchpad, and laser pointer in the palm of your…
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Measurement Day!
Well, today was the big day, and it couldn’t have gone better! We got there on time and were introduced to Harry, who would be doing the casting of my leg and building the actual prosthetic. We spent what must have been close to two hours talking about care for the prosthetic, the kind of activities I’d be able to start up, the kinds I shouldn’t, etc. The actual casting of...
30 free programming eBooks →
Learning a new programming language always is fun and there are many great books legally available for free online. Here’s a selection of 30 of them: Lisp/Scheme: How to Desing Programs Let…
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Fund Raiser Idea?
So, for those of you who are just tuning in, I’m going to be getting fitted/measured for my prosthetic this coming week. I also greatly enjoy raising money for Child’s Play when possible. Since I won’t be able to make it out to PAX Prime, I’ve been thinking of ways to contribute without being there. I have an idea…but I’m looking for input on it.
You have,...
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It's New Foot Time!
I met with the plastic surgeon that did the skin graft on my left foot yesterday, and he said that, with the inclusion of a brace for that leg, I’m now cleared to get fitted for my prosthetic foot and begin physical therapy!
The process will start with me going in to Hanger (the prosthetic company that I’m working with), where they will make a plaster cast of Leeroy. They also...
Kondo aims lower down the food chain with cute... →
Shared by Jeff
For being a (pretty basic) collection of servos, a battery and a simple control board, this little bot is pretty cute. It’s also surprisingly quick! Described as a “turtle bot,” I…
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App Inventor for Android →
Big news today from Google, when they announced “App Inventor.” While the web based program is still in Beta, it should prove a very interesting resource to the Android community. It allows the user to quickly design and download Android applications, regardless of their previous level of experience with programming. As seen in the sample video, it somewhat resembles the programming...
Tesla's 154th Birthday Gift: Tesla Fanboyism... →
Shared by Jeff
Because my friends are geeks (and I love ‘em), I know there are at least a couple that will greatly enjoy the concept of “Tesla Fanboyism.”
Today is inventor…
Google Quietly Invests Over $100 Million in Zynga,... →
Shared by Jeff
Google continues to expand into new territories. This is the first I’ve heard of “Google Games,” but it makes sense.
Whoa. TechCrunch reports that Google has…
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Nook: First Thoughts
Pros
Comfortable in the hand
Sharp display
Long battery life
Easy to transfer media on to device
Expandable with microSD card
Web browser (Beta version) now included
LendMe feature allows you to lend a book to another Nook user for 14 days.
Cons
Touch screen is a little laggy
eInk display refreshes slowly (compared to LCD displays)
Can be a little touchy connecting to WiFi
...
Convert a Regular Bicycle into a Cargo Bike for... →
Shared by Jeff
Every now and then, a DIY “Green” project really jumps out at me. Though it’s not immediately clear how you steer this thing, it seems like it’d do a great job at hauling groceries,…
The Life of a Turtle, Through the Eyes of a Turtle... →
Shared by Jeff
Part of me wants to try this on one of our cats. Depending on which one I choose, it’d either be a whirlwind of activity throughout the entire property, or eight hours of sleeping…
Scottevest's Carry-On Coat houses all of your... →
Shared by Jeff
I’ve always been a big fan of clothing with extra (potentially hidden) pockets included. As such, this thing is right up my alley. No price or release date yet, unfortunately…but…
Wicked Lasers S3 Arctic Spyder III →
Shared by Jeff
This thing is ri-goddamn-diculous…and yet fascinating to watch.
First video of Arctic in action!!!
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Life on Wheels; Part 4
It’s been a while since I’ve done a Life on Wheels entry, and I figure I better get them in while they’re still relevant!
I tend to be a morning person, nearly always getting up before my wife. Now, ever since I did my time in the hospital, I don’t like to be in bed any more than I have to be, so as soon as I wake up, I need to get out of bed. It was this morning, as...
June 2010
11 posts
Mario Marathon →
I’ve talked about the Child’s Play marathon before, but what I possibly haven’t stressed is the lengths that its followers will go to to raise donations. Following in the foot steps of desertbus.org, the guys at MarioMarathon.com have, for the past several years, been holding a fund raising event in which they cycle through more Mario games than you can shake a stick at, all the...
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Web Site Idea?
Ok, folks. I’m looking for opinions on this one. I was talking with a buddy of mine this morning about my new foot. For those of you who don’t know, I recently had my right foot amputated and will soon be getting a prosthetic replacement. He jokingly asked if I could buy just one shoe at a time from now on, or would I be forced to buy pairs of shoes. (as if it were some sort of...
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Frustration and Facial Hair
Let me preface this story with a little tidbit about myself: I used to be a very independent person. Growing up, I was often described as the “Lone wolf” kinda guy. I had no problem entertaining myself, driving out to the mall, seeing a movie, starting a project, whatever. Even after I started dating and then married my sweetheart, my independence was still there. If I needed...
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Time to Share the Awesome →
I’ve been reading and enjoying Destructo Deviations for quite a while. Admittedly, I may be a little biased recently, as she’s written an article about someone to which I’m very close. I’ve even recommended, in casual conversations, be they real life, IM chat or Facebook, that people go check out her blog. However, now it’s time to bust out the big guns. MTV is...
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The "I'm Bored" Jar →
This is a great project for anyone who has one or more little kids. Frankly, I’d like to make a version of this for adults who have trouble getting motivated or deciding what to do on weekends, etc. Stay tuned…that might be coming at some point.
New Display Tech from Microsoft →
This is very impressive. Microsoft has developed a wedge shaped lens that can be integrated with an LCD screen to track multiple heads within view of the monitor. Their modified display can then send full “no glasses” 3d to one person or send a different image to multiple targets. Check the link for a video that explains it better.
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An Open Letter to the Individual Who -Would- Have...
Dir Sir or Madam, I’ve said since this whole ordeal started that, “if this had to happen, I’m glad it happened to me, and not someone who wouldn’t be able to handle it.” Well, while there are days when it’s more difficult than others to believe that, I stand by that statement. And though I do stand by it, I wanted to write this letter to you to make sure that I...
Peg Leg FAQ →
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You've gotta own it.
The other day, as I lay in my hospital bed, recovering from the amputation of my right foot (and about half of my calf), I was visited by the Prosthetics Guy(tm). He was dropping by to give me a brace for my leg that would make sure my knee didn’t get drawn up, which generally (apparently) only happens to older patients. He was also kind enough to explain what was going to happen in the...
May 2010
2 posts
8 tags
Overdue update
Ok, I’ve obviously neglected this for a while…sorry about that. As you may or may not know, I’ve been dealing with some health problems over the past two years. I was diagnosed with (and beat) cancer in 2008. I then went through physical rehab to learn how to use my shiny new wheelchair. After that, I spent the rest of the time until now fighting the pressure wounds that I...
April 2010
4 posts
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Memory is a funny thing
As I go over old emails, chat logs and my sister’s daily updates from early in my fight against cancer, it’s strange to me how many times my memory doesn’t match up with the actual events.
Sure, there are the occasional things that I’ve forgotten over time…how many times they had to stick me to give me the IV contrast for my first CAT scan, the fact that I was...
Turbulence ahead
There’s going to be a bit of bumpiness ahead, so please buckle your web seatbelts and just hang on for a bit. Our work will be done shortly. Thanks!
Excepts from The Updates
Thought I’d share another excerpt from my sister’s updates when I was in the hospital. This one is from May 5, 2008, and refers to the doctors talking about my case:
“It’s definitely been interesting (and a little scary) to hear the doctors talking about how Jeff is writing the book on this case. I sometimes wondered through all this why things would change so suddenly,...
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Excerpts from "The Updates"
As I’m writing the book about my twenty-two hour surgery and the resulting stay in the ICU and chemo ward, I thought I’d share some excerpts from the updates that my sister sent out every day to our friends and family. This one, from very early on, describes the first time I was able to communicate with my family after the surgery.
As he lay there today, trying so hard to communicate...
March 2010
1 post
Apologies
Sorry for the recent lack of updates recently. I’ve been busy working on OneCoolThing.net (which you should visit), and getting ready for PAX East, which is going to be terribly exciting. I’ll probably get back to regular updates of the site after this month is over, once things have calmed down. Laterz!
-Jeff
@Facelesscog
February 2010
13 posts
Gadget Review: PAN TEC Hat →
If you’ve been reading these reviews, you know that I have two major weaknesses: spy-type gadgets and different storage options that I can use while in my wheelchair. This hat just happens to combine both of those things into one convenient…hat. The Personal Area Network TEC Hat (full name) is your basic baseball cap, with a geeky twist. It hides two small storage spaces, one...
PAX East 2010 →
For those of you who haven’t heard of PAX, and like video games, you’d be doing yourself a favor if you looked it up. With the recent near-death of E3, PAX (Prime) has become what may be the biggest gaming convention in the nation…nay, the world. Often described as being founded “for geeks, by geeks,” PAX is attended by video gamers, rpg gamers, anime fans, vendors...
Water Day
On February 23, 2008, a new holiday was created…Water Day. If you’re reading this, then you’re most likely a friend of mine, and I’d like you to understand the story behind it. On January 16, 2008, I underwent a twenty-two hour surgery to remove a softball sized tumor from my abdomen. The surgery was originally only supposed to take four or five hours, but the tumor was...
I'm a bad updater
Ok, I’ll admit it, I’m a lousy updater. I’m now two gadget reviews behind. Today was the Chinese New Year’s black tie party that is held annually by the museum that my mother in law works with. For the first time, my wife and I attended. I’ll be posting up pictures and video of the lion dance tomorrow, but let me tell you, it was an awesome night. Excellent food,...
Bruce's Yams Was Here →
I’m Twitter friends with Miss Destructo, who is also Twitter friends with can of Bruce’s Yams…which is surprisingly talkative for a can of yams. Bruce’s Yams just started up a tumblr blog (like this one), which features a half dozen or so quick Bruce’s Yam Cameos…which I now refer to as “Yameos”…that I threw together. (You have to scroll back...
USB Memory Watch →
Ok, I have to admit, I’ve always been kind of a sucker for “spy tech.” You know, the James Bond kind of stuff like hidden cameras, laser pens, explosive ducks…that kind of thing. I’m also a firm believer that you can never have too much portable storage. Well, imagine my delight when I ran across this watch, which satisfies both desires at once! I grabbed a 4GB...
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Gadget Review: Gadget Shoulder Holster →
If I had to pick one gadget out of my list that gets the most use, the one thing that I put on as part of my daily routine without fail, it’s my Gadget Holster. For those few who don’t know, I am in a wheelchair. As such, it kinda limits my access to back pockets in pants, where I used to keep my wallet. So, when I saw the Gadget Holster on Thinkgeek, that was my main focus. At the...
Gadget Reviews →
For the next five days, I thought I’d do something different and post a little review for the gadgets that have truly become part of my daily routine. These little doodads and gizmos, all from Thinkgeek.com, are truly valuable to me, and I’m hoping that they might be to you too. So, here’s a little preview of what I’ll be reviewing:
Gadget Holster
USB Memory Watch
...
Google Buzz Security Problems Continue
It takes a big man to admit when he’s wrong…fortunately, I’m pretty big. After talking extensively with a few geek friends, we have come to the conclusion that, while the concept is interesting, Google Buzz is, at the moment, broken.
It’s a privacy issue that’s concerning us at the moment. Stories are already circulating the internet; a fellow whose landlord...
Buzz Drops Auto-Following, etc. →
There’s been a lot of buzz out there regarding the introduction of Google Buzz…particularly its auto-follow feature and the privacy issues that follow. Well, even if it’s closing the barn door after the horses are out, Google has modified the service to help meet people’s needs. Now, the service can be deactivated completely, and the auto-follow feature is no longer...
Sign Of The Times: Barbie’s A Tech Geek →
So, for those of you who don’t feel like reading the article, here’s a brief summary: Mattel has made a “Techie Barbie.” I’ll let that sink in for a moment.
Barbie…the embodiment of vapid, brainless, “looks over brains”…is now, in addition to everything else she does…a “techie.” If I may, I’d like to go down through...
January 2010
8 posts
Boogie Board Paperless LCD Writing Tablet →
For those of you who don’t know, I’m in the process of starting up an NPO whose goal is to make the hospital stays of long-term patients a little easier. I have the advantage of being able to pull from personal experience for ideas, thanks to my stay in the ICU and in the chemo ward. One of the big things that helped in my ICU days was a white board, which I used to communicate after...
Lego Universe trailer →
Ok, I’ll admit, I’m a bit biased. When I was growing up, nothing held the special place in my heart that LEGO held. Sure, Star Wars toys were great, but with my LEGO blocks, I could make ANYTHING. Spaceships, citys, robots…anything was fair game. Well, time has passed and I’m an “adult” now…which is to say that I’m 35. That special place in my...
Review: Cable Clips →
I was fortunate enough to get a set of these little buggers for Christmas. For those of you that don’t know, I’m in a wheelchair, and I keep my CPU on a table beside my desk. So, when a cable drops to the floor, it can sometimes fall out of my reach, and that’s a little bit of a pain in the butt. These little bits of plastic are one of those things that makes you stop and say...