Amber Mac

If it weren't for this nifty little alarm program, I'd still be sleeping right now!  For the past few months I've used sixDollarChimp's iRooster to wake me and my iMac up out of our sleep mode(s) to my favourite iTunes playlist (at the moment it's the Garden State Soundtrack).

Try it for free for two weeks and you won't think twice about the $10 price tag.

My fave features

   

• Easy, easy, easy to use (three clicks to ready, set, sleep)
   
• Giant-sized display so I can see the time (without my contacts!)
   
• Giant-sized snooze button so I can prolong my sleep (1 to 30 minutes)
   
• Lullabye mode that rocks you to sleep
  

   
• Latest version includes Chimp Tunes, which lets you see album artwork and find what tunes are waking up other iRooster enthusiasts
  

Now if only I can get my roommates to buy Macs and ditch their old-school bleepin' alarm clocks for an i-Rooster wake-up ;).

(Recent iRooster reviews can be found in the April issue of MacHome and The Apple Blog.)

March 14th, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Top quotes for today (from Irishmen/women...)

My fave: "Newspapers are unable, seemingly, to discriminate between a bicycle accident and the collapse of civilisation." G.B Shaw

Events and parades around the world

In Ireland, Canada, Australia, USA, and the list goes on.

How to make Irish breakfast, stew, coffee and more

Check out more festive fun on http://www.st-patricks-day.com. Happy St. Patrick's Day!

-Amber

March 14th, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (1)

Last month I did a segment on Call for Help about managing your DVDs on your Mac with a great free download called DVD Manager (from Fennel, a company in France that accepts donations for making such cool software!).

Lots of viewers wrote me (including Chad and Sabrina) following this Free File to find out if there is a good PC version, and so thanks to a few folks I'll be doing a demo of DVD Profiler next month (PC program, which is free if you choose the lite download that includes ads).

What can you do with these DVD managers?

• Find movie info quickly on Amazon or other sources online so you can tag your entries

• Track if your movie is at home or away (borrowed)
• Upload your collection instantly as a web page that you can host on your site
• Rate your favourite flicks

My brother Jeff uses DVD Manager and LOVES it, and from what I hear from lots of you DVD Profiler is just as good...maybe even better ;). Any other comments about either of these?

-Amber

P.S. I'm in the studio for the next four days shooting Call for Help, so my posts this week will be short and sweet!

March 14th, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)

A giant Etch A Sketch?

Me and our CFH producer Katya at Massive Change (future of global design) in Toronto, standing in front of global aviation en route to Bill Buxton's exhibit showcasing the history of input devices (AKA gadgets, including the beloved Etch A Sketch). We're launching a gadget show next month, so this exhibit is on tap as a segment!

A perfectly practical pink package

The best gum package design ever is...the Orbit Bubblemint flip-top pack (AKA Extra Bubblemint in Canada). I've been searching for the perfect gum for years, and I think I found it!

Everyone's a designer at Zazzle!

Turn design ideas into custom creations, including t-shirts, cards, and posters at Zazzle. You can submit your designs to the "library" and make money if someone re-prints/orders your work of art. The Toronto Star recently called this California company one of the most aggressive custom design firms to hit the Internet (Zodiac Girlz is just one part of this online store).

Enjoy the rest of the weekend! I'll be visiting Massive Change, chewing Bubblemint, and designing some stylish spring shirts ;).

-Amber

March 14th, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's not a video blog, but you gotta love the ET Fan Site.

Will video kill the text blog? Some sites mentioned in this Globe & Mail story:

thelastminute.typepad.com

thirdrate.com

KongisKing.net

seriousmagic.com/products/vlogit/

Seems like this week is all about blogging. Thx to everyone for posting your blogs here (kudos to the garlicster blog)! What video blogs are you obsessed with today?

-Amber ;)

March 14th, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)