Log on and watch

C'mon in and join our free, live videoconference - a first for a live radio program. Everyone go get an inexpensive webcam, hook it up, listen to the radio stream, WATCH US in the studio and let everyone else logged on see you too.

Listen to the live stream as we broadcast from Houston on TalkRadio 950 KPRC from Noon - 2pm CST each Saturday. You'll be able to see me chatting with in-studio guests, yappin' on the mic and maybe even taking a quick nap (ha ha!). You don't need a webcam to watch but if you have webcam we'll be able to see you too!

C'mon, let me see you and join the party, click HERE.

Talk To Me, Google

Here they come again. Google continues to trasnform itself from a search company to a full-blown software company. Google Talk is both an IM and a VoIP service - you can type and speak to your buddies around the world if they also download this free client.

It's the most minimalistic IM I've ever seen, no videoconferencing, no file transfering. But that's cool because Google Talk, through retro in style, does everything it's supposed to without clutter and with incredible sound. You do need a microphone to voice chat but you then might cancel your landline it sounds so clear.

Only big issue I have is they should have consulted with me on the name. I like GTalk a bit better.

SNEAK PEEK - [Walk]Men & [Game]Boys

Nintendo hopes to draw women and casual game players with the compact and stylish Game Boy Micro. It's a new mobile-phone-size game console that will launch in the U.S. on Sept. 19 for $99.


And back from the dead, Sony is launching a new Walkman line. The Bean music player contains 1GB of memory, a built-in USB connector and a one-line display. It will come in four colors and will retail for $179. Look for it in October.

Back To School Gear

Every kid needs a backpack so why not get one with a dual purpose. Check out the latest from Eclipse Solar Gear. A line of stylish backpacks with a built-in solar charger for laptops, cell phones and other gadgets.

Choose from backpacks or messenger bags but I can't wait for the camera bag. Too many times I have been caught with dead batteries for my digital and video cameras. No mas!

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What is the single most important gadget a college student can have? The student will say an iPod or maybe an Xbox. But the responsible parent - who most often PAYS for the college tuition - will probably tell you it's an ALARM CLOCK.

Get the kid a cool one like the Shoqbox from Philips Electronics. Along with the typical FM tuner it has a flash-memory chip that stores songs in the mp3 or WMA format. It also sports an input jack for an iPod, portable CD or other audio player through the device's small but powerful speakers.

A 256-megabyte version sells for about $150. A 512-mb will be out next month.

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One big quandary is whether to buy a laptop or a desktop computer. The arguments for buying a laptop nowadays are overwhelmingly persuasive. There are plenty to choose from that are under $1,000. Laptops let you gain access to wireless networks found on campuses and other school grounds and at hangouts like coffee shops. For college and boarding-school students, they are much easier to manage on move-in day. On trips they double as portable DVD players.

For a good deal on a notebook along with a sleek look and plenty of power, Houston-based Thotbox has a line of laptop computers perfect for the student. Their Akaline line starts at $829 and comes with a 15.4" WXGA screen, 256 SDRAM, 40 GB hard drive and your choice of a DVD or CD RW drive.

Order online with this promo code "HIGHTECHTEXAN" for a 5% and free 2 day FedEX shipping.

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With hi-def displays selling for under $600, there's no need to take up precious dorm room space with a separate TV. A good all-around choice for an all-in-one monitor/TV is the Sony MFM-HT75W.

The 17-inch screen is framed in curved silver with a built in subwoofer and stereo speakers. The controls are hidden on the side so all you see is that sweet LCD color. Perfect for surfing the web, watching football or even Desperate Housewives.

Slurpin' Slurpee Safari

I mentioned on my show this past Saturday that I had just finished slurpin' a Slurpee. One astute listener emailed me to ask if I was actually drinking a "real" Slurpee (rather than some poser frozen drink like an Icee).

Good question. Since my show airs in Houston, how could I be drinking a legit Slurpee found only at 7-11 convenience stores which are not located in H-Town? Answer: Ssshh. I actually broadcasted my show from a studio in Dallas that day while visiting family.

And indeed I stopped by 7-11, the world's greatest 24 hour/anything-you-want store. I grew up in Big D and have had more cases of brainfreeze than any human should. I remember collecting Slurpee plastic cups with images of baseball players (I think my Texas Rangers' Jim Sundberg cup is still somewhere in my parents' garage).

Fave flav? No doubt I always had to get a mix of Coke and Cherry flavors. Nowadays Slurpee cups have plastic domed lids that let you fill the cup with another few inches above the rim. And how cool are those straw spoons? You get every last drop.

I spent a week in SoCal earlier this summer and drank my way through dozens of Slurpees. 7-11 stores seem to be more prevalent out there than plastic surgeons. And thanks to a 40th birthday promotion for the Slurpee (wow, we are the same age), I got an iTune download with every cup.

Think I drank enough to download 8 full albums this summer.

There's only one original Slurpee and that's found only at 7-11. I try to avoid getting my kids Icees when we see the machines at Target and Wal-Mart. I want to make sure they are brought up on only the finer things.

I love Houston yet one thing ticks me off. Why doesn't Dallas-based Southland Corp. (7-11 owners) have stores in the biggest Texas city? The hottest and most humid place in the south? I'd love to take my kids there every time the temp hits 95, pretty much 8 months of the year.

Maybe it's a Dallas-Houston thing? Maybe they are afraid so many people would have to be treated for their trademarked brainfreeze?

No worries here. Houston's Medical Center is the largest in the world.

Thanks for Sippin' and Surfin'

Thanks to everyone who joined me and the TalkRadio 950 KPRC staff at Downing Street Pub last Wednesday. What a turn out!

Several hundred people saw some of the lastest high-tech products and left smiling after sampling some Woodford Reserve small batch bourbon.

Keep listening to my show and reading my Web site for future events like this. We know how to party!

Media Center PC

On my program recently we talked about Media Center PCs being the new cool thing to have in your home. CannonPC is a Houston-based company that makes a very, very cool machine. It's not your typical looking grey tower. These units will look sleek in a home theater cabinet along with other high-tech A/V gear.

Gregg Cannon and his team are getting rave reviews on their customizable machines including a strong thumbs up from me. I've been playing with a Pentium 4 system (3.2 Ghz) and it is smoking. From a built-in TV tuner with an HD option, tons of hard drive space to hold almost every tune in your collection plus an easy-to-use remote control which makes it like watching a TV or turning on the stereo.

Machines like this are perfect for the person looking to make a PC the center of his entertainment system. They're also not bad for space-deprived areas like college dorms, apartments or media rooms.