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Aikido ...The Art of War, the Art of Peace, The Art of Unity.

This Saturday (10/30 8:30AM), Gleason Sensei will be teaching a one day Basics Seminar at Shobu Aikido of Boston. It will be a great opportunity to brush up on the fundamentals with instructions from a Master.

Shobu Aikido is on 270 California Street in Newton. The dojo has a HUGE amount of mat space... a great place to practice! [More...]

A few years back I had one of those origami folding Stowaway keyboards from ThinkOutside. I didn't like it much because it needed an adapter to work with my iPaq PDA. I knew that I would lose the adapter as soon as I leave the house.

Their new BlueTooth wireless version looks like a winner! No cable, no connectors, works with a lot of different PDAs, and folds in half for easy portability. Now I just need to upgrade my PDA! I'll get it together one of these days :-)

If you want to practice your pumpkin carving skills before tackling the real thing, there is a site you can go for just that...

No pumkins will be harmed no matter how shaky your hands are ! [More]

It was such a nice day here in Boston that we had to go for a walk.

The Arnold Arboretum is always a treat to visit.  Today, it was a peaceful retreat from all of the Red Sox celebratory festivities going on all around town.  It is wonderful to have such santuary so accessible in the city. 

The colors are still turning...so if you are in town and have time, go for a walk.

Most of the bigger digital SLRs have passed the 8 Megapixel mark, so it is just a matter of time before 8 Megapixel CCD sensors makes it way down to smaller digital cameras.

Sharp's new 8MP sensor is not much bigger than most 4 and 6MP sensors...which means fitting it into current digital cameras will be fairly straightforward.  So it is likely that you'll see affordable 8 Megapixel camera by the next World Series!

Amazing to finally see, what a great story :-)

The same folks that brought you the James Bond camera in a Zippo case apparently has a few more gadgets up their sleeves! 

Just got news that they have a new super bright LED Torch (or a flashlight to those on this side of the pond :-)  It is listed as waterproof and drop-proof... I'm reading that as you CAN drop it, but when you do, it won't break!  It looks like it is a really nice piece...I'll give you more info when I can.

The other item is a DVD player... I know, there are a few of them out there, but check out the rotating screen!

I'm still working on getting pricing and stores.  Check back.

A big b'day shoutout to Gordon.....Rainy Day Magazine wishes you a Happy Birthday!  If the Sox wins tonight...consider that our present to you!

Is Roslindale Square Boston's best shopping secret?

With shops like Erin Brayton's 18 Birch (on 18 Birch St...where else?), it won't be a secret for long!  This shop is one of the most eclectic find ANYWHERE in town.  Erin makes personal shopping trips abroad and brings back unique items that will both amuse and intrique.  The stock changes all the time...which is probably the reason why I rarely manage to leave the store empty handed.

Three down, one to go!

Just got the AquaPac for my videocam today... will be giving it the full test in the near future.

First impressions are quite good... nice feel, easy positive locking mechanism, and VERY clear plastic. [More...]

Maybe I will use it at the beach to document any treasures I find uncovered by the recent hurricanes.  Don't think it can happen?  It was reported that Joel Ruth down in Florida found some $40,000 worth of near mint silver coins uncovered due to the recent storm.  News like that should help bring back some tourists.

Carolyn got me a present this weekend... something to "soften up" my "over tech-ed" desktop.

I must say the vase is quite the example of "form and function". You can find other excellent examples at the Sparenberg Designworks site. [More...]

BTW... I am NOT online all the time :-) The dalia is from my flower garden...which is still blooming this late into October.

Now THIS is an aquarium... 50 species, 2500 fish, and 1,000,000 liters of water! It is the AquaDom in the Radisson SAS Hotel in Berlin.

You can take a 7 minute elevator ride inside the tank. The same folks that did the tank in the Mandalay Bay in Vegas did this one. Their next big tank project is in Moscow. [More...]

This little rechargeable travel light would feel right at home in your room at the Radisson.

It doubles as a travel alarm clock when laid flat. The glow is nice for working with a laptop or reading. Comes with a strap for those times when you need both hands while walking around... scary :-) [More...]

Two down, two to go!

Now that's what I'm talking about :-)

The New York City subway is 100 Years Old this week!

I was always a little afraid of riding the subway in NYC growing up, and I didn't really enjoy riding it when I worked there, but now that I live in Boston... I kind of miss it. For one thing, it doesn't stop running at 1AM. The trains are also a LOT nicer now then they were 20 years ago. [More...]

A Jame Bond camera in a Zippo case for $99?

I was not able to resist :-) The surveilance mode is fun... it will take a shot at an interval of your choice. The picture quality is fine for emails and web pages. Did I mention it fits in a Zippo case? [More...]

Had lunch with my friend Nate today and he passed on a tip about a place down in Boston's waterfront called Lucky's Lounge ... sounded really interesting. 

Any place with a Sinatra Sundays is worth checking out.  I plan on doing just that this weekend after the Red Sox take Game One... will report back. [More...]

The Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) in Boston will have a new home.

If you are in Boston and have time on Tuesday Oct 26, go them check out at The Ultimate Mixer.  Hope to see you there!

I inherited my mother's sense of direction...how good is it? Well, let's just say I understand her reasons for driving back to the house before going off in a different destination.  When Navman GPS was available for the PocketPC, I was one of the early adopters.  It works pretty well, but using it was still a bit of a hassle.

Navman has improved upon the original iPaq sleeves quite a bit in the past couple of years.  This is the first new unit that I would consider buying to replace my old iPaq + Navman sleeve combo.  [More...]

I have always like the idea of the cameraphone were it not for the low resolution of the pictures.

This 5 Megapixel cameraphone from Samsung may change all that.  No...you are NOT going to upload a 5 meg image to your website with the phone.  You will still do that using the removeable memory card, to your computer, to etc... but it is a start! [More...]

The Kyocera folks are going in the other direction...the Contax i4R has only what you need for great pictures, nothing else...not even zoom.

4 Megapixels, Zeiss optics, superfast shutter, movie mode, SD storage, all in a super model body.

Want to upgrade you laptop?  Can't afford it?

How about just upgrading the look?  No...it won't run any faster, but if you have 10 minutes and $5... get some Carbon Fiber overlays from Avery and your G3 laptop will be the envy of all your geek friends! [More...]

It is because I love all things well made (Rolex, Porsche, Nikon, and yes... Apple) that I'm giving them a mention today.

The new G4 iBook from Apple goes for less than a $1000.  What is more amazing is you get a 12 in screen, lot's of software you will actually use, 5 hr battery, built-in WiFi, and best of all... a total package in only 5 lbs where everything actually works together!  [More...]

There are lot's of stuff from this year's DEMA (Dive Equipment Marketing Assoc) trade show .

The Fisher/Sanyo tapeless digital camcorder is still pretty small even WITH the Epoque waterproof housing... now how cool is that? [More...]

The colors in Maine are still great ...but much of it have moved south.

We love Maine this time of the year... fewer folks around, lots of lobster sandwiches, and festivals everywhere. [More...]

You can't really vacation on Mars just yet, but you can still explore it via this cool site.  There is actually quite a bit of stuff to do on this piece of rock!

Like everything else, the experience is better with a fast broadband connection. [More...]

In a high tech world of constant upgrades and new versions, there is comfort in crafting articles that stands up to the test of time.

Next when you find yourself in Milan, ask for directions to the Valextra factory...if you are lucky, you'll get to take the tour. [More...]

So what if you are not old enough to drive?

If you live around Boston/Braintree, you still get to rev it up at F1 Boston. [More...]

To get into a suite like this one at the Nine Zero hotel in Boston, all you have to do is look at the scanner...and you are in.

With the new iris scanning technologies, you may never have to worry about your hotel keys again!  [More...]

Lot's of virtual trips today... remember the Powers Of 10 movie we all saw in Science Class? 

Well, you can take the same trip today on the web.  Go from 10 million light years away down to 100 attometer... brought to you by the folks at Florida State University. [More...]

Researchers in Univ of Rochester has published a report in this week's Nature that claims we may actually be using 80% (not the often reported 10%) of our brains processing power for stuff we don't even know is going on.  Most of the time...my brain is telling me I need a vacation.   [More...]

Use some of that brain power and imagine you are a tropical fish... living a pretty good life in a Caribbean reef.  You decided to go for a quick bite before the hurricane gets in town.  Suddenly the currents changes and before you know it you are in Rhode Island!  That's just my theory of how they got here. 

For a more researched explanation, you can read Beth Daley's full article in today's Boston Globe (the pics by Peter Pereira are in the "Gone Fishing" section on the right of the article).  For more about the New Enland Aquarium Dive Club, follow the link.  [More...]

Want to play with your very own electron scanning microscopy but you don't have the room to put one in your basement?

Well...you are now in luck!  The folks at Molecular Expressions have made a fun little virtual Scanning EM so you can go on you own "fantastic voyage".  Sorry, Racquel won't be coming along. [More...]

Swimming with the sharks on your next dive just got a bit easier...

with this full functioning wet sub from Fabien Cousteau and Eddie Paul to get close to the real thing.  [More...]

A $20 one time use digital camera?

We heard about this a few months back, but we finally saw the CVS ad for it in this Sunday's paper. [More...]

It's Fall in New England... and that means COLORS!

Starting from Maine and following it all the way down to NY... we'll be giving you a color report every week until Halloween. [More...]

What makes something "the best"?  Is it craftsmanship? Timeless design? Superior material?

This beautiful Delaine-Merino shearling coat is made from wool of sheep that can trace its unbroken lineage back 1200 years.

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Weekly data backups are a good idea.  Backing up your stuff when before you go on vacation is probably a really GOOD idea!

Maxtor makes it really easy with their 300 gig OneTouchII external drive. [More...]

Batteries are one of those things one does not want to fail during an emergency.  Thus, it is always a good idea to have spare batteries around.  An alternative is to not need them at all.

The Grundig FR200 is a World Band radio that will always work because you can power it by cranking the handle. [More...]

Sometime even when you do have batteries, they end up being the wrong size for the device.

UpSizer has a clever effective temporary solution.  The different size "adapter" nests inside each other, allowing you to convert a AAA all the way to a D.  It's like a WonderBra for your batteries!  Not bad for four bucks.  You can get 'em directly at X-treme Geek.

I have been wearing the same pair of Nike ACG sandals for the last 7 years.  However, they are showing their age.  Today, I went looking for a replacement and I was amazed at the selections. 

Even more of a surprise to me was that a pair from Sperry Top-sider came out on top in my insane comparison shopping trip. [More...]

I don't remember exactly how this project started...

but it ended up with the sunglasses-cam contraption you see here. [More...]

Water, water, everywhere... is there a clean drop to drink?

That question would be easy to answer if you had brought along this little number from Katadyn.  [More...]

Snorkeling is great fun... and sometimes you want to go a little further out than you want to swim.

If where you are vacationing has one of these for rent, definitely give it a try.  [More...]

For folks that have a problem with scuba diving... BOB is an good alternative.

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Every October 1st I will take a look at concept gadgets I would love to bring with me on vacation.  The downside is most of these really cool ideas may never make it to market... but it is still fun to dream!

How about a camera that is mostly screen?  I think that qualifies. [More...]