I am the ghost of groovymother.com. Woooooo!

This is an old page from Rod Begbie's blog.

It only exists in an attempt to prevent linkrot. No new content will be added to this site, and links and images are liable to be broken. Check out begbie.com to find where I'm posting stuff these days.

Filed under 'consume'

May 6, 2012

Pairings Box | Turntable Kitchen

“A curated food and music discovery experience”. Subscribe to get monthly deliveries of a) 7” vinyl, and b) recipes and ingredients. <3

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April 30, 2012

squishable.com: they're giant round fuzzy stuffed animals. hug them.

Well, that’s the furnishings for my next apartment picked out…

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September 29, 2010

Two more Rickshaw bags

Two more Rickshaw bags

The bespoke bags Joy and I got from Rickshaw Bagworks as part of their Living Social special. Joy got the small white-and-black-with-purple-trim Zero messenger bag, mine is a medium "Piccadilly Tweed"-with-chocolate trim.

Also slightly visible: My custom Rickshaw "Commuter 2.0" laptop bag that I bought in July and love to pieces. The new one is for lighter-weight "just my iPad and keyboard when I go to the coffee shop" duties!

September 15, 2010

Informed Consumers

Informed Consumers

Engineers deciding how to raid Google's tech supplies. [From the SPP dev chatroom]

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July 17, 2010

Picking out my Rickshaw bag

Picking out my Rickshaw bag

Going with the Commuter bag, spirally flap fabric, and aqua piping. Now they build it, and hopefully I should have it by the middle of the week.

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July 6, 2010

BMFWallets.com

“Now I want you to go into that bag and find my wallet.”
“Which one is it?”
“It’s the one that says, “Bad Mother Fucker.”“

July 5, 2010

Mogwai | Special Moves

Forthcoming live movie and album from Mogwai. The MP3s are already doing the rounds on teh torrents, and are expectedly epic. Highly recommended.

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February 1, 2010

Luma Loop

I bought one of these, and wore it for the first time yesterday at the Dog Show. It was fabulous. Kept my camera out of the way, but quick to pull up and use. Would definitely recommend.

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January 3, 2010

Atlantic Records Time Capsule

Killer box set — 165 tracks (11.5 hours!) spanning Atlantic Records’s 60+ years. Stones, Zeppelin, Archie Bell & the Drells… all the greats are here. I *ahem* downloaded this a few days ago, and have been enjoying it thoroughly. Well worth seeking out.

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November 26, 2009

Portable Rotary Phone - Red

I want one of these for on my desk at work, since I don’t have a real phone.

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June 16, 2009

Darth Vader Toaster

Unclear if it unevenly cooks to ensure you get a Dark Side.

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January 28, 2009

The Fountain Jet Home Soda Maker From Soda-Club

Soda Streams are back. Back. BACK! Sold with an ecological twist (less recycling and less vehicular transport than cans or bottle of soda), it’s actually pretty tempting.

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November 4, 2008

On The Hour

The iconic BBC radio series (which gave way to The Day Today) finally gets a full CD release (including bonus material, such as Chris Morris’s fantastic flexidisc for Select Magazine). Subscribe to the podcast for snippets of genius.

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October 27, 2008

I got me a whatnot

I got me a whatnot

Spent some birthday cash creating my own custom Muppet Whatnot on the FAO Schwartz website. I'm thoroughly excited at the prospect of having a Muppet of my very own.

Unrelated: I am 32.

October 12, 2008

ThinkGeek :: Pac-Man Hoodie

I might need to own this.

August 29, 2008

Mio™ Knight Rider™ GPS Portable Navigation Device

Only surprising that it took this long to appear: “Features the voice of K.I.T.T. (William Daniels) providing turn-by-turn voice guidance”

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July 20, 2008

Amazon.com - Universal Wish List Button

Bookmarklet that lets you add items from any online store to your Amazon.com wishlist.

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April 15, 2008

MILF Island T-Shirt

I think the NBC marketing department are onto a winner here.

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March 18, 2008

March 13, 2008

Port-O-Rotary

Your very own red rotary phone, retrofitted with cellular access, a battery and a SIM card slot. Just the thing for answering at 3am when you’re on the go.

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February 18, 2008

Newegg.com - Western Digital 250GB Notebook Hard Drive

Reportedly, the perfect thing to supersize the diskspace of your MacBookPro. Wicked tempted to get one, cause iTunes is bastard-slow when your 116Gb MP3 collection is on a network drive.

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January 16, 2008

forre.st | storage

Graph of storage per dollar, based upon hard drive prices scraped hourly from NewEgg. 500Gb drives are the sweet spot currently, at $0.18/GB

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November 2, 2007

Kettle Foods :: People's Choice IV - Fire and Spice

Hooray! The limited-run trial flavours of Kettle Chips are on sale, and this year, they’re SPICY!

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August 28, 2007

Amazon.com: Microsoft Ladies Laptop Tote - Madison

Joy just got one of these, and it’s pretty impressive. A feminine-looking tote bag, which gives no indication that inside is plenty of padding and pockets for your laptop, powerpack, and assorted other gadgetry.

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July 22, 2007

shirt.woot.com

Oh lordy — Woot launch a Different-T-Shirt-Every-Day shop. My credit card quakes in fear.

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July 3, 2007

Gawd Bless ‘er

Gawd Bless ‘er

Apparently in the eyes of the colonies, Her Maj? Is perfectly suited towards promoting the sale of loo rolls.

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June 20, 2007

PowerCost Monitor - Save up to 20% on your electricity bill

Device that allows you to see in realtime how fast the little wheel is spinning on your electricity meter, wherever you are in the house. Our local leccy company, NStar, is subsidising them, so they’re only $30.

May 24, 2007

T-post

T-shirt-by-mail club which sends a new shirt every six weeks, based on news events.

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May 14, 2007

ThinkGeek :: Will Return Clock

Heh. The idea of this made me chuckle. I’m sure there are days I’d fall for it.

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May 4, 2007

Ruckus Laptop Backpack review: Simply Awesome

I just got one of these on the recommendation of Yoz, and it is top-notch. A dedicated laptop section, plus an excellent array of pockets and pouches. I got mine from NewEgg for $40 + shipping.

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April 13, 2007

Nigel's Green Skeleton Shirt - This Is Spinal Tap - founditemclothing.com

Gonna have to get myself one of these. “Exactly medically accurate”.

April 4, 2007

Product listing - Geekz Shop

T-shirts and stickers emblazoned with the likes of Richard Stallman, Donald Knuth and Bruce Schneier. I ordered a couple of the Schneier stickers for my laptops.

March 4, 2007

What we bought today

What we bought today

Two chairs, a loveseat and a storage ottoman, in luxurious polyurethane pretend-leather.

February 16, 2007

Mac Buyer's Guide: Know When to Buy Your Mac

Guide showing the time periods between Apple product line refreshes. Trying to decide if I want to pull the trigger on buying a MacBook now, or wait out a month and see if something faster and shinier comes along.

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January 29, 2007

Apple (UK and Ireland) - Get a Mac - Watch The New Ads

The Mac & PC on British TV are played by ace comedy double-act Mitchell & Webb. Genius!

January 7, 2007

PC World - Just Cancel the @#%$* Account!

Documenting just how nightmarish it can be to cancel a free trial.

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December 29, 2006

35 most outrageous fees (and how to avoid them) | Money Magazine

Good tips on avoiding being caught out by unexpected “fees”.

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December 19, 2006

nanda: Clocky

Clocky — the alarm clock that runs away from you after you hit Snooze, so you have to get out of bed — is now available for purchase.

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December 7, 2006

Fritalian (Dunkin' Donuts commercial)

Another series of Dunkin Donuts commercials featuring music by They Might Be Giants has started hitting the air. This is my current favourite.

December 4, 2006

Costco: Sceptre 42" LCD HDTV w/ External Tuner Box

I have succumbed to the temptations of HDTV. Got what I consider to be “a steal”. I ♥ Costco.

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December 1, 2006

The first smart rabbit - Nabaztag

I’ve decided that the thing missing most from my life is a wi-fi enabled smart rabbit. Gonna get a Nabaztag/tag when it gets released later this month.

November 25, 2006

Go Faster Stripe

Small start-up producing reasonably-priced stand-up comedy DVDs from comedians who aren’t mainstream enough for high-street stores. Starting off with a set the splendid Stewart Lee. Ordered!

November 22, 2006

The Onion Store: Gotchabox

New from The Onion: Elaborate boxes for really crappy-sounding gifts (“Salt of the Month Club”, anyone?), which you hide your real present inside. Genius!

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November 1, 2006

First Grope: DS-Xtreme Nintendo DS Media Enhancer - Gizmodo

Rilly rilly simple DS flash cart. Plug into USB, copy over roms + MP3s, then plug into your DS. “Only” $125.

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October 28, 2006

clubNAMCO.com :: Toys :: PAC-MAN® Moving Power-Plush

Wicked awesome (albeit pricey) “waddling” PacMan + Ghosts plush toys. (But what’s with this “NOT available to ship to addresses in Massachusetts” bullshit?!)

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October 19, 2006

The Device Patented Process Indicating Apparatus ::Home::

Gorgeously olde-looking “device”. Use the gauges, glowing test-tube and red LED to display whatever values take your fancy.

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October 2, 2006

Mouse Print

Cataloguing the smaller-than-small print associated with advertising claims.

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September 22, 2006

Son of Moustachio

It’s a moustache, and it’s got a moustache!

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September 8, 2006

Amazon.com Unbox Video

There’s an instant discount of $1.99 on your first purchase, so you can kick the tyres and download a TV show episode for free. And yes, the DRM they use is strippable using FairPlay4WM.

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August 4, 2006

Vizio L37HDTV10A - 37" LCD HDTV

Nice looking HDTV, going for a penny under a grand at Costco. Damn, that’s tempting.

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July 20, 2006

ThinkGeek :: Solar LED Address Numbers

It drives me nuts when I’m trying to find an address, but the house numbers are barely visible. I’ve just ordered one of these for our house.

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June 18, 2006

Luggage Tags - with Attitude

“I’m Pretty Sure This Isn’t Your Bag”, “Nothing Worth Stealing In Here”, and more.

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June 16, 2006

Swansea North Residents Association - NEWS

Tango do a nice spoof of that Sony bouncing-balls-in-SanFran advert. The rest of the astroturf site is pretty decent too.

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June 14, 2006

Amazon.com Grocery

Amazon take on Costco. Bulk non-perishable groceries, all eligible for free shipping.

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June 8, 2006

myvu™ personal media viewer

Whacky sunglasses-with-embedded-video-screens for the video iPod. I got to try a pair on today, but since I took my glasses off, it just seemed out of focus.

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June 5, 2006

ThinkGeek :: Cube World Digital Stick People

Interconnecting, intercommunicating tamagotchis. Very cool.

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May 3, 2006

Eau de PLAY-DOH

That instantly recognizable scent of Play Doh, in cologne form.

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April 28, 2006

Coca-Cola: What Goes Around

Trippy Coke ad, with music by Jack White.

April 20, 2006

NBC Universal Store - Dwight Schrute Bobblehead

“It’s me! I’m the bobblehead! Yes!”

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April 19, 2006

Language Log: Harry Potter and the Madding Gerund: Secrets of the Language Log Code

The always-splendid Language Log is getting dead-tree-ified.

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April 17, 2006

Dunkin' Donuts: Things I Like To Do

I’m loving the new Dunkin Donuts jingle by They Might Be Giants. “I’m slightly more efficient than I previously was” is possibly the most honest advertising slogan for coffee ever.

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March 21, 2006

Pleasure Cards

Personal non-business business cards in cool designs. Just ordered myself a box.

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February 8, 2006

Threadless.com secret sale

T-shirts for $10 if you use their “secret” codes.

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February 5, 2006

Disappearing Civil Liberties Mug

“Simply pour in your coffee or any hot beverage and watch the painstaking work of the founding fathers vanish before your eyes.” Genius!

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January 22, 2006

Slanket: The Best Blanket Ever

Wow, this is genius. A big fleecy blanket with sleeves, so you can control the TV or type on your laptop without exposing your shoulders. Want!

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December 23, 2005

Mr. Pibb + Red Vines = Crazy Delicious - T-Shirt

Rawk! Fantastic t-shirt commemorating my favourite line from “Lazy Sunday”. Ordered!

December 7, 2005

Deflexion

Real-world bounce-the-laser-off-mirrors boardgame. Looks like a lot of fun — I think I’ll head to the “World Championships” at MIT this weekend.

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November 26, 2005

Toothpaste for Dinner: The Marketing Department

Currently making me chuckle muchly is the dead-tree version of ‘Toothpaste for Dinner’ — Only ten bucks at Amazon. Here’s my favourite cartoon from the book.

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November 18, 2005

Bill Hicks: Salvation

I happened upon this last week, and it’s bloody fantastic. A complete unedited 100-minute Bill Hicks act from 1992. Due to his early death, Hicks gets a lot of messianic hyperbole, but listening to this act, it’s a reminder that a) he was a very smart guy getting angry at the same stuff that’s still going on today in America, and b) he is an incredibly talented stand-up, whose skill at reading the audience and winning them back round with dick jokes after losing them to rants on US politics is nothing short of masterful.

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November 4, 2005

10 Ways to Please Us, the Customers

Excellent list from David Pogue. “We may be the bane of your existence, but we’re also the reason for it; you’re stuck with us. We’ve got our credit cards ready - now show us some love.”

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October 13, 2005

Bank of America | Keep the Change

BoA campaign which rounds up your debit card purchase to the nearest dollar, and deposits the “change” in your savings account. Smart plan for them, since it’ll encourage people to use their debit cards for “small” purchases (see the example of “cup of coffee”). Pain in the arse for me, if it means that I’m stuck in the queue behind said person paying for a sodding cup of coffee with a debit card.

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October 2, 2005

The Duct Tape Band Aid

It’s the Elmo sticking plaster for tough-guys. Genius bit of targetted marketing, right down to the “designed to fit easily in a toolbox” packaging.

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About This Site

This is an archive of groovmother.com, the old blog run by Rod Begbie — A Scottish geek who lives in San Francisco, CA.

I'm the co-founder of Sōsh, your handy-dandy guide for things to do in San Francisco this weekend.