Eyejabber » Classics

The Royal Keyboard

admin — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 23:30:43 +0000

While looking for a new keyboard, something along the lines of the Optimus Maximus, I recently found out about a gentleman who is making the best keyboard. Ever. Remember dreading going to typing class in High School? Remember the Home Row and all of the pain in your hands after class if your school didn’t have an IBM Selectric or something similar?

I don’t, which is one of the reasons Jack Zylkin’s newest commercial project has intrigued me. Do you have an old typewriter that has a basket of type bars? Perfect, you can set it up and enable it to act as a USB keyboard.

The project, and it is a project, comes in three flavors: a DIY Kit, a Custom order, and a completed unit. The first choice involves you working on your typewriter and setting it up with Mr. Zylkin’s interface board while the other options involve him doing the same and you receiving a completed unit.

The DIY version is just that. You receive the parts and it’s expected that you are proficient with a soldering iron and third hand. You will solder all of the parts, file the type bars and install the interface board on your typewriter. This kit is by far the cheapest at $75 and allows the modder complete control of how the build will be accomplished. Since you are in control, it also allows you tweak the hardware to your heart’s content while installing.

Next up we have the “Custom” order. This involves you sourcing your own typewriter, shipping it off to Mr. Zylkin’s lab and his merry band of elves (read: him) doing the conversion for you. Once he’s completed the conversion, it will be tested and shipped back to you for your use. This runs $200 for his services and somewhere around an arm and a leg to ship and insure the unit from your locality to Philly. If you’re attached to a particular typewriter (a Royal 10, for instance) and don’t want to do the install and tweaking, this is a great option for you.

Last up Mr. Zylkin offers a pre-converted typewriter. This one’s ready to rock and roll when you receive it from Philly, so if you just want the novelty of the unit with no labor involved, it’s a great option for you. The downside is that it will cost you $250 and up. He will entertain requests for a particular model, so this is a pretty viable option for everybody.

Visit USB Typewriter to see a video of the conversion in action as an interface to an iPad. Pretty slick, if you ask me. Mr. Zylkin’s Etsy shop has all of the options currently available.

We at Eyejabber will be following this one, as we have some Luddites on staff. They will be making a purchase of the unit and will keep readers posted, with pictures, of the progress made.

Star Wars Kid Is A Lawyer Now

admin — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 00:57:51 +0000

Remember Star Wars Kid? I know, how could anybody forget that magic? Well it turns out he’s a lawyer now. You know, after years and years of ridicule.

After three friends uploaded the infamous clip, which features Raza flailing about with a metal pole doing his most awkward Darth Maul impersonation, the Canadian teen became depressed, dropped out of school and wound up in a children’s psychiatric hospital.

Raza and his family eventually took the parents of the kids who uploaded the videos to court and sued them for the harassment Ghyslain has endured since the clip debuted, and they eventually earned a settlement. It seems like the story would end there, but website Motherboard brings us an update on one of the online world’s most iconic people — and where Raza is now may (or may not … ) surprise you …

Raza, now in his early 20s (and slimmed down) didn’t become a Sith Lord, but he did wind up as the next best thing: a lawyer. After his courtroom experience, he decided to head to Montreal’s McGill University, where he obtained his law degree.

via geekologie.com

I always love a happy ending!

Posted via web

What is a Family Values Advocate?

admin — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 16:15:18 +0000

As we end the year and look forward to a new year and a new decade, I thought I would share a classic Eyejabber post. The first post of 2002, in fact.

I hate people who call my house and ask for money, espcially if I don’t already owe them money. Yes, I mean telemarketers. It’s why I have an unpublished phone number. It’s even worse, though, when the telemarketer is referred to me by someone I know.

Tonight, I got a call for my wife. When I said that she wasn’t available and asked who was calling, his response was just his first name. He then asked if I was her husband. That’s how you can tell they are going to ask for money.

Right off the bat, I was irritated and asked him rather rudely who he was with. He then told me he is a “Family Values Advocate” who was referred to me by $PERSON, then he proceeded to ask me his questions that would determine if I was a sucker or not.

Hss first question was, “Do you think, as we do, that there is too much nudity and bad language in movies and TV.” To which, I responded, “Shit, I don’t think you can have too many boobies.”

Unfazed, he went on, “Do you have contact with children under 17 on a regular basis?” and I shot back, “Not since the court order.”

He obviously wasn’t listening because next he asked, “Do you think movies produced for the family should also teach a moral lesson?” By this time, I couldn’t help myself, “CACTUS?!”

“Okaaaay, well there is one thing you could help us with that won’t cost you anything. Can you refer the nicest, most respectable people that you think may agree with what we’re trying to do with G-rated movies? They can be anywhere in the country.” Obviously, I didn’t give him the correct answers because he never got around to asking me for money.

By this time, I was getting bored, “I can’t think of anyone I hate as much as $PERSON hates me. Thanks for the offer, though,” and I hung up.

Stupid telemarketers.

Note: The ”cactus” reference refers to the (in)famous cactus-themed prank calls done by the Phone Losers of America. Essentially, they only say the word “Cactus” and nothing else. Listen to this example.

100 viral videos

admin — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 00:20:35 +0000

Get caught up on the 100 greatest viral videos in just 4 minutes. And go!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=BudhFVnN2o0

Tourist of Death

admin — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 02:23:12 +0000

The original Eyejabber site was launched shortly after 9/11 (Oct 12th, 2001 to be exact) as an outlet for a few co-workers to express their frustrations with life, with the job, and with a world that seemed to have gone crazy. We all remember where we were and what we were doing on 9/11, but how did we go from that moment back to some sense of normalcy? Eyejabber was how we did it – by pointing out the absurd and trying to find humor in it.

So, it’s only fitting if the first “classic Eyejabber” that I will highlight is about The Tourist of Death:

It all started as a hoax. Someone photoshops a picture of a tourist at the top of World Trade Center top and adds a jet plane into the background. Now the “Tourist of Death”, as he has been dubbed, has been seen in photos of other historic moments, including JFK’s assasination. It’s funny in a sad sort of way.

Unfortuantely, many of the other sites that contained information about The Tourist of Death are now long gone. All that remains is the archive site and it’s image gallery. Who knows how long even that will be around?