DudesLife

Eight Clever Ways to Take Advantage of Free Calling in Gmail

Roman — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 14:32:44 +0000

You already know Gmail integrated with Google Voice for free phone calls (and cheap international calls) from your inbox. But apart from using it to a friend, Gmail’s new phone calling capabilities introduce a lot of cool capabilities to your inbox. Get Caller ID from Your Computer. Let’s say you’ve got a landline set up with Google Voice and you don’t want to pay for caller ID. Or you just spend a lot of time staring at your computer. If you’re logged into Gmail, and someone rings up your Google Voice number, you can see who’s calling on your computer without digging your phone out of your pocket.

More via Lifehacker

Review: Blackbeard Spiced Rum

Roman — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 00:28:42 +0000

Rum — especially spiced rum — is on the rise again, and BlackBeard is the latest, a Puerto Rican rum being imported by DonQ’s parent company.

BlackBeard offers aromas not of the spice box but rather of a traditional aged rum, with strong caramel, some wood, and toffee notes. This continues into the body. Put simply, BlackBeard is less “spicy” than most of its competition. Here the heat is on the mid-palate, a pepperiness that offers a rather simple burn, not those exotic notes a la incense or baking spices that one comes to expect and enjoy in a proper spiced rum.

more via Drinkhacker

10 Guilty Pleasures You Shouldn’t Feel Too Guilty About

Roman — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 22:20:21 +0000

Cholocate, wine, massages, sex… sounds like a hell of a Tuesday night. To some people, these indulgences fall under the heading of “vices,” but the folks at CNN say they’re all actually part of a healthy life, so long as you don’t overdo it.

Here’s a roundup of CNN’s 10 ‘Vices’ That Are Good For You:

1. Sleep: “Sleep is free and has virtually zero health drawbacks, making it the one treat no one should skimp on. Pillow time gives you energy, bolsters your immune system, boosts your memory, and even helps you get (or stay) slim.”

more via Consumerist

Brazil’s sensual Rio aims for stylish syntax

Roman — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 20:07:02 +0000

(AP) RIO DE JANEIRO — Fumbling for the right word? Stumped by syntax? Trying to figure out just what syntax means? Help is just a phone call away — at least if you live in Rio de Janeiro. The Brazilian state’s government has created a grammar telephone hot line.
Eight language professors will answer calls Monday through Friday on questions about topics such as spelling, accents and agreement of verbs in Portuguese, the national language. The creation of the hotline was published Tuesday in the Rio state assembly’s official gazette. Rio is not the first Brazilian city to provide linguistically inquisitive residents with free answers. The city of Fortaleza started such a service three decades ago.

5 Simple One-Skillet Meals for the Bachelor

Roman — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 09:30:38 +0000

Sometimes, its good to enjoy your “alone time”. Don’t let hunger spoil it. The fact of the matter is that it’s okay to do certain things on your own. Though society and our friends may tell us differently, there’s nothing wrong with enjoying a movie, taking a walk, or eating a meal alone. As much as I’d like to say otherwise, writing a book on entertaining and dining with others does not mean my kitchen is a revolving nightly scene of endless girls and extravagant meals. I still eat alone. I’ll even go a step further by admitting that I sometimes prefer to enjoy a meal without distractions.

Gran Marquise Hotel, Fortaleza Brazil

Roman — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 02:11:47 +0000

It is near the water, it has free breakfast, and there is a Bobs restaurant a block away. These are the only positive things about the Gran Marquise in Fortaleza, Brazil. Technically it has a beach in front but you may only want to lay out. It’s hard for me to swim when looking at the profile of a huge ship just a few hundred yards away. So unless you prefer the beach view of a port, you will have to get in a cab to find a suitable place to enjoy the beach. The hotel internet is also abominable and it will cost you 25 cents a minute (for normal bandwith?!?) or a you can get a 64k connection for free. I tried both and saw no difference. They were both slow and unreliable. The staff was courteous and helpful and the free breakfast was delicious. I had eggs, pao de queijo, and tapioca ceara. Wrapping up, think twice bout the Gran Marquise. It’s probably not convenient to any thing you want to see and it is network isolated.

Hotel Gran Marquise
Avenida Beira-mar, 3980 – Mucuripe
Fortaleza – CE, 60165-121, Brasil
(0xx)85 4006-5000

Infared Skeet Shoot

Roman — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 15:55:10 +0000

Coolest Gadgets found a toy for all of us. So you think your FPS skills are so great on the computer? Why not go for live shooting then? If you can’t afford some dough to go to a shooting range to practise with actual guns, there is a cheaper alternative here – the $49.95 Live Action Infrared Skeet Shoot. This unique game will challenge shooters to hit three flying targets, relying on a harmless infrared gun. All three targets will be ejected from the “trap” at pre-determined intervals, which is one every two to one every ten seconds, achieving dizzying heights of up to 7’, making it possible for indoor use as well just in case the weather does not permit. Whenever the gun’s infrared beam detects a “hit”, the plastic targets will “break” apart into two pieces as a reward. Shorter intervals will need faster “reloading” by pumping the gun, where it will then respond accordingly with a realistic loading sound between each shot. The targets can be snapped back together for immediate replay. The trap itself is powered by a quartet of C batteries, while the gun uses three AAA batteries.

Wheelchair dudes denied access to Mons Venus strippers.

Roman — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 15:47:16 +0000

Tampa, Florida — When you step inside the Mons Venus strip club, off Dale Mabry Highway, a lot of things catch your eye. But what got the attention of one man was enough for him to slap the place with a lawsuit. The suit, filed on Thursday, lists 24 places the club violates the Americans With Disabilities Act. Those include no ramps for platforms next to the stage, the hostess stand by the door is too tall, the jukebox is inaccessible, and the toilets in the bathroom don’t have a proper flushing device.

Keep iTunes from cramping your podcasting style.

Roman — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 20:18:33 +0000

iTunes does a lot of things right. Unfortunately, on the fly podcast management is not one of them.

If you are tired of dragging around that laptop like an anchor in order to update or delete podcasts when you aren’t at home, take a look at Podcaster. 99 cents in the App Store gives you an app that allows you to download all of your favorite podcasts directly to your iPhone with 3G or WiFi. You can also delete your old “listened to” podcasts. Podcaster gives you the ability to auto download new podcasts at a scheduled time you set. Create playlists, search for new podcasts by title, import them by url, or even view suggestions. You won’t find a more versatile app for podcast management.

Check out Podcaster here.

My Scottevest Travel Amalgam

Roman — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 16:07:39 +0000

As someone who measures their air travel mileage in the hundreds of thousands each year, I am quite particular about what I tote when I fly. Everything must meet a specific need or it gets tossed. My disclaimer up front, I own almost every piece of Scottevest gear that’s available so just because I favor one over the other does not mean that I am unhappy in any way with my other Scottevest purchases.

I originally purchased a Scottevest Evolution to be my “go to” travel jacket. I found however that at times it was just a little cumbersome during a daytime flight. So I picked up a Scottevest Ultimate Hoodie Microfleece. Light and comfortable and perfect for flight day or night…except for one thing, pocket deficiency. On the surface, 11 pockets sounds like more than enough. But no, not for me. With my Evolution, I loved my Travel Document Pocket. I loved dropping the latest issue of Men’s Health or my Kindle into my Pub Pocket. The Hoodie was missing these valuable pockets. Enter the Scottevest Travel Vest. 22 Pockets including my old faves, Travel Document and Pub. Interestingly enough, the only deficiency of the Travel Vest is the lack of a removable hood (like the Evolution had). The Hoodie Microfleece complements the Travel Vest in this way perfectly.You may ask why I didn’t just remove the sleeves of the Evolution and make a “hooded” pseudo travel vest. Well, with the Evolution you are either wearing it or you are not.Given that we cannot control the cabin temperature of a plane, sometimes you want to wear “a little bit of a jacket” sometimes more. With the 2 piece Travel Vest/Hoodie Microfleece combo, you have a little more versatility and control over how much you wear. Together, the Vest/Hoodie amalgam gives you 33 pockets, all the comfort of the Hoodie and all the pocket power of a Travel Vest. Worn together, this Scottevest Duo makes one awesome travel jacket.

Scottevest Travel Vest 22 Pockets $100
Scottevest Ultimate Hoodie Microfleece 11 Pockets $70

Link: http://www.scottevest.com