You can only sling so many angry birds at chortling pigs before your mind goes numb and you want something … different. Sometimes the simplest things can captivate the imagination; a case in point would be this lovely low-tech and natural puzzle made from a slice of cypress. The puzzle is made from the wood of Cypress trees, that died naturally and it does keep me wondering about the history of the tree and its surroundings. Unfortunately I didn’t find this object too near to the region of the Patagonian Andes lakes, where it actually comes from. I simply never been there, although it is said to be an incredible area. I came across the ‘Time Rings’ puzzle while switching planes in La Plata, Buenos Aires, almost 1000 miles up north.

Never one to pass up the chance for passing up the chance for a giveaway to help promote their products! So through tomorrow you can get WinX DVD Ripper Platinum for Windows or Mac OS for FREE! Here is the description: WinX DVD Ripper Platinum is a Windows-based DVD ripper software capable of ripping both DVD disc and DVD ISO image to mainstream videos, such as rip DVD to AVI, DVD to MP4, H.264, MPEG, WMV, MOV, FLV, 3GP, etc. It can also help users faultlessly convert DVD (including encrypted DVD) to iPhone/4S, iPad/3, iPod, Apple TV, Android, HTC, Samsung, XOOM, Galaxy Tab, PSP, etc. This program brings you No.1 fast DVD ripping solution in the market thanks to the cutting-edge technology to support Multi-core CPU (maximally 8-core processor) and Hyper-threading. Moreover, the latest version is built in 3 innovative DVD copy modes to meet users’ up-to-date DVD backup demands – clone DVD disc to ISO image; copy DVD title to multi-track MPEG2 file with all videos/audios/subtitles; backup main content of a DVD for playing on PC, PS3, Xbox, Media Center, etc. The latter two Copy modes cost you 5 minutes only! To get it for FREE, use code AA-VYELVLJY-OYSMUR [...]

Is there any better way to show someone you love them than with a free time management game for the iPhone and iPad? OK, so there are many, but that doesn’t mean that this isn’t awesome! Today only G5 is giving away the fun Fix It Up World Tour for both iPhone and iPad! Here is the description: Go global in this fantastic strategy adventure! In this sequel to “Fix-it-up: Kate’s Adventure”, you must help Kate expand her car-repair empire around the world! Build car-repair shops anywhere from snowy Canada to steaming African jungles. Buy cars, fix them and paint them to make your business prosperous. Earn your fortune in your quest to build the mansion of your dreams. You must make sure that you create what the clients want so you can set the prices high! Increase the quality of your offers by upgrading buildings and tuning the cars so they don’t pollute the environment. Hire the best specialists so you can get cars up and running in no time! But this game isn’t just mechanics! Find out how the fascinating love story of Kate ends. Who will she choose – Steve or Martin? • 39 Levels and 15 [...]

Think about it- you throw away the box as soon as an item is opened right? That being the case isn’t a dented box worth saving $40? That’s what today’s Gear Deal asks. The Logitech K750 Wireless Solar Keyboard is normally $79.99. It charges itself whenever there’s light and, better still, it stays charged for at least three months in total darkness. I saw the keyboard at a gear show in New York a few months back and was impressed by the thin profile and the overall feel. At the time I thought $79.99 was a decent price for it. I still think that but at the price our Gear Sponsor tracked down- just $39.99- it is a GREAT deal. And seriously, while the packaging has cosmetic damage the keyboard is new and fully warranted. Get details and ordering information here on the deal page. Gear Deal: Logitech K750 Wireless Solar Keyboard (Dented Box) via LogicBUY

I have just returned from a weeklong cruise along Costa Rica and Panama, and of course my trusty iPhone came with me. It was safely swaddled in a Case-Mate Phantom Case, which I’ve had for a few weeks. My intention was to write-up the full review when I returned, but as the trip played out this review took on a bit of a different turn, so read on for more!

Welcome back to the GearGames weekly video game release feature here at Gear Diary! After a few weeks off as the holidays more or less killed releases, we are starting to see a few new games. The three big games this week are Jagged Alliance – Back in Action and … oh yeah, that Playstation Vita thing. This week brings the special early adopters bundle, and a bunch of games are hitting stores as well. Early looks are no surprise – great hardware, extremely locked down transfer options, and pretty crappy PSP game compatibility. Jagged Alliance is one of the great franchises, and although it is also getting a re-make as a shooter, strategy fans are more excited for this great looking strategy game reboot. We might not be getting a true turn-based game – this is the classic ‘Real-Time with Pause’, but it is still a fun addition to the franchise and much better than many feared. There are a few others worth checking this week – read on to find out!

YOU MUST READ THIS POST! IT IS GOING TO BE HISTORIC! EVERYONE WILL BE TALKING ABOUT IT! I swear that every time I heard that last night during the Grammy Awards, I was certain of one thing – mediocrity was the best thing to hope for. If ‘everyone would be talking’, it would be like Nicki Minaj’s terrible performance that might signal her 15 minutes has played out with her singular stylistic droppings getting tiresome.

™ No, I don’t travel with quite that much stuff; close, though (Image courtesy of The Tech Journal) So it used to be that I had to travel basically every week–my job was in California, but my home is in Austin, so I did an awful lot of flying around.  After a while, it got to the point where it was practically automatic, and I didn’t give much thought to the things I did to make traveling easier. Recently, however, after a 5 month hiatus, I had to make a business trip, and I’m finding that some of the gear that I got to ease my way makes things much easier.  If you yourself are a road warrior, a technogypsy, a traveling nerd, then maybe some of these hints can help you out, too.

So someone knocks on the door, right?  You want to see who the heck it is, without giving away the fact that, well, you’re checking them out.  (This isn’t an issue at my house–there’s simply too much glass around the door to hide.)  Maybe you even have one of those fisheye lens peephole viewer things.  Which is okay, I guess, but this is the digital age, and maybe you can do better, don’t you think?

Once you graduate college or high school and start moseying out into the real world, you start to notice: finding dates is hard.  You are no longer surrounded by potential partners just your own age; you’re surrounded by, well, everybody.  Including old pharts like yours truly.  So how do you find a partner?

In my dreams, the way it works is this:  you have a card that you carry, which contains all your medical record information (encrypted, of course).  You back up this information on your system at home, and when you go into a new doctor’s office, instead of spending 15 minutes filling out a whole bunch of forms that are identical to the forms you’ve filled out before, you just hand them your card, they zip it through a card reader, you enter your PIN code, and bango, they have the info.  No need for forms, and you have access to your medical records whenever you need them.  In my dreams. But some people are at least making some decent first steps in that kind of direction.  Like MotherKnows:

I love starting the week with a super Gear Deal and this is a Super Gear Deal! BUT, and this is important, this deal is good for today only. OCZ’s Agility 3 2.5″ 90GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive is normally $150. With this deal you can get it for $99.99. Plus, it will ship for free and there is no tax in most states. If you have never seen the speed that comes with a solid state drive this is a great way to get started. And while 90GB isn’t a huge amount of storage capacity, with cloud storage increasingly cheap there’s never been a better time to swap out a traditional drive for one of these. (Elana’s Air has just 64GB and she is more than happy with it!) Check out the deal here on the deal page and remember, it is good for today only. Gear Deal- OCZ Agility 3 2.5″ 90GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive via LogicBUY

We’re back with the next edition of Gear Chat. This time out Mike is bringing us some gaming news and Thomas and I talk tablets, apps and iPad 3. Listen below or click here to download. Your browser does not support the audio element. Podcast Powered By Podbean

Yesterday we heard about the death of Whitney Houston, one of the all-time best selling female vocalists. She was extremely popular from the mid-80′s through the 90′s, but more than that she brought to the stage a voice that ranks her among the great all-time vocalists in popular music. Here is a bit from the news item: Whitney Houston, who reigned as pop music’s queen until her majestic voice and regal image were ravaged by drug use, erratic behavior and a tumultuous marriage to singer Bobby Brown, has died. She was 48. Publicist Kristen Foster said Saturday that the singer had died, but the cause and the location of her death were unknown. At her peak, Houston the golden girl of the music industry. From the middle 1980s to the late 1990s, she was one of the world’s best-selling artists. She wowed audiences with effortless, powerful, and peerless vocals that were rooted in the black church but made palatable to the masses with a pop sheen. Her success carried her beyond music to movies, where she starred in hits like “The Bodyguard” and “Waiting to Exhale.” She had the he perfect voice, and the perfect image: a gorgeous singer who [...]

We want to thank all of you who commented on the review for Case Mate Tough Cases featuring Realtree designs. I have continued to use the deer design and love it. We hope to continue to broaden the amount of outdoors gear to make sure everyone has the best gadgets when they hunt, fish, hike and camp. Suggestions and requests are always welcome! The two winners were chosen at random, one by my 7 year old and the other by my 4 year old. And the winners are…