Sir-Loin you say?

I haven’t posted for awhile because I’ve been traveling all over Texas. Plus I’ve got major projects piling up that I’ve gotta’ blitz through as fast as I can, so my free time is actually somewhat less than zero right now.

Anyhow, on one of my recent travels through south Texas, I found the elusive Mr. Loin.

Mr. Sir-Loin.

Sir Loin


You know, with the stones to have a tag like “Howdy My name is Sir-Loin”, I kinda’ wanted to give them a try. But I didn’t have time for a sit-down lunch and wound up drivin’ through a local Whataburger instead. Maybe next time.

Vampire zombie ghost clown? Seriously? [PHOTO]

This ought to strike terror into the hearts of just about everybody for Halloween. Allow me to present… Vampire zombie ghost clown.

Vampire Ghost Zombie Clown


Sooo… seltzer spritzer bottle filled with holy water? Rubber wooden stake? A shotgun with little red noses as buckshot? Batarang upside the head? An exorcism with the “Circus!” theme playing in the background?



The power of the big top compels you!! The power of the big top compels you!!

50 free prints from Snapfish with new HP Officejet 4500s

I was installing a new HP Officejet 4500 at a branch store location earlier this week when I found this little card in the middle of the instructions and warranty papers…

HP Officejet 4500 02 photo


Nice bonus!

I looked on the outside of the box and didn’t see any mention of this bonus being inside, though.

HP Officejet 4500 01 photo


A “50 free prints” card wouldn’t have made me choose one printer over another, but it would have been nice to know this coupon was part of the package.

iPad + 1 gallon Ziploc bag = emergency waterproof case! [PHOTOS]

I was catching up on some of my magazine reading when I saw this ad in the latest edition of Southern Boating (September 2010 page 33)…

iPad Case Ad


It says… “Rain, Spray, Waves, and iPad. While you want your iPad with you at the helm, water, and particularly salt water, has been known to destroy electronics right before your eyes. A small investment, however, may prevent this. The Trendy Digital iPad Case ($20) is, in effect, a large, heavy plastic bag. The iPad is fully operable when sealed inside. Yes, it makes the music a bit hard to hear, but even a direct wave will not send your investment to Davy Jones’ Locker if you tie it down using the included strap.”

Hmm. I thought that was a pretty good product idea. Something to keep the iPad safe from water and let you take it with you to an area you know it will be constantly “splashed” on. But as soon as I read the “large, heavy plastic bag” part of the ad, I wondered if the iPad would fit in a Ziploc bag, and would an iPad be safe from water splashes in a giant Ziploc bag?

There’s only one way to find out!

Fortunately I found a few of the giant Ziploc bags already in the home pantry…

iPad + Ziploc 01


…and the one gallon size at that!

iPad + Ziploc 02


I was a little worried about the fit, but after opening the Ziploc bag, the iPad (with the Apple case still attached) dropped right in and had plenty of space left!

iPad + Ziploc 03


I flipped the iPad around so the Ziploc logo would be on the other side of the screen, and then sealed the top of the bag.

iPad + Ziploc 04


The fit wasn’t snug, and there was a lot of Ziploc left on the left and right sides of the iPad, but I was able to swipe to unlock the iPad, and all the applications I launched responded to my touch just fine.

iPad + Ziploc 05


Typing wasn’t any problem either! The iPad registered every single touch just fine through the Ziploc, whether the bag was pulled tight or left loose.

iPad + Ziploc 06


iPad + Ziploc 07


So far, so good! The iPad still functions when sealed in a one gallon Ziploc bag.

Now for the “splash” part!

After triple checking I had sealed the top of the Ziploc bag, I decided to go all out, and put the iPad in the middle of the sink and moved it slowly in every possible direction with the faucet on full blast. I did this for 5 minutes.

iPad + Ziploc 08


The Ziploc held on tight to the iPad!

After moving it around and seeing no damage, I decided to leave the iPad flat in the sink and let the water hit it straight on. (I did incline the iPad about 10 degrees so that the water would drain and the Ziploc/iPad would not become submerged.) I did this for one minute.

Little did I know this whole time that the water faucet was trying to communicate with me!

iPad + Ziploc 09


Fortunately, “Tcuxuc77/7 . Ruhhh” was just a random result of the water on full blast hitting the iPad and pressing on the keys. (I hoped!)

I stopped the water after a minute, pulled the iPad out of the sink, dried the exterior of the Ziploc, and opened the top.

iPad + Ziploc 10


Dry as a bone! Wonderful! It worked!

And just to make sure the iPad typing was OK, I pressed a few keys to see what would happen.

iPad + Ziploc 11


Success! No problems at all!

I figure if the Ziploc bag can withstand a full-blast from a sink’s water spigot, then it shouldn’t have any problems keeping the iPad safe in light spray or the occasional “hi there!” ocean wave smack.

I wouldn’t want to subject the Ziploc bag to too much stress, though, as it is only held closed by that little click-seal on top. I wasn’t brave enough to completely submerge the Ziploc with the iPad in it either, so I have no idea if this would keep the iPad safe in a 100% underwater environment. Also worth mentioning (again) is that the Ziploc bag allows sufficient water pressure to register as input.

But overall, it’s good to know that a one gallon Ziploc bag (retail price about .12 cents each), does seem to work as an emergency waterproof iPad case!

New LG HDTV display stands! Only at WalMart! [PHOTO]

So I was at the local WalMart checking out the ginormous 52″ HDTVs when I saw this amazing new setup…

WalMart and Sony HDTVs 01


Apparently, the best display stand for an 36″ LG HDTV is a 36″ Sony HDTV!

WalMart and Sony HDTVs 02


Glass side up!

You can’t see it in these photos, but there were some deep arc-shaped scratches in the Sony HDTV. Apparently somebody pivoted the LG HDTV while it was on top of the Sony HDTV more than a few times.

And here I thought a basic 50″ wall mount was expensive! Who knew it was actually the cheaper option!

Quick pics of incoming Hermine [PHOTOS]

Just some quick photos of Tropical Storm Hermine rolling in earlier today.

Hermine 01 photo


Hermine 02 photo


*NOTE : These photos were auto-color and auto-contrast adjusted in Photoshop because the 1st generation iPhone camera stinks.

Anyhow, while I was out earlier today re-stocking on emergency hurricane supplies, I noticed there wasn’t the same “grab everything!” mentality at the stores like when Hurricane Alex was passing through. For the most part, people were buying water and some canned goods, but nothing extraordinary.

Unfortunately all the local municipalities said there will be no sandbags available tonight as they were all caught completely unprepared. And, as usual for this kind of incoming weather, the lines at all of the gas stations were qued up two or three cars long.

It’s about 10 pm right now and the air is completely still outside, yet there’s little waves of ice-cold micro-drizzle spraying everything. The streetlights are flickering slightly, and you can see explosive white arcs trying to dig their way out of the thick grey clouds overhead. The local radar shows the big storm bands are making their way around to us from the gulf, so any minute now…

Holy Birds and the Bees, Batman! [PHOTO]

I was out with my gorgeous wife at a local WalMart this last Saturday and I saw this three-hole-punched folder in the school supplies display in the front of the store.

The headline says “What startling shock awaits the Dynamic Duo… and you!!”

Batman is pulling a curtain back, pointing at a woman wearing a skintight costume (or something less). We can’t see who he’s pointing to, but the shadow of the woman is making the “come here” gesture (that or she’s holding something invisible).

Robin is in shock, and says…

“No, Batman! It’s not true… It can’t be!”

Batman says…

“You better believe it, Robin. That’s the way it has to be.”

Check it out…

Batman01


Dude. Seriously. I’m still laughing.

Here’s the back of the folder. It’s a real product from DC comics.

Batman02


And of course I bought it!