Things From My World: 2007

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

HEB Is Running A Special Hot Wheels Sale..

Was told yesterday that HEB, local grocery store to Texas, is having a two for one Hot Wheels sale beginning today. I need to check that after work tonight.. But most stores have received their shipments early.. I spent two hours digging through a large dump bin of them the other night with a friend.. This is what we found..

Excuse the guy in the back, walked into view as I took the pic..

The main score..

It was a lot of fun to dig through.. Thanks for the look.

Wow, Coming To The End Of The Month..

I have been extremely busy and have totally ignored the blog.. With the end of the month coming I should add some stuff before then.. Christmas is next week and I can't wait..

Monday, December 3, 2007

Almost there..

After striping and repainting I have almost made it to the finish. Stole the wheels from a Since '68 Hot bird which looked a lot like the original wheels. I need to modify them a bit more.. They tend to stick out a just a bit too much.. I need to order the decals and get those on and clear the whole thing.. Cannot wait until I get this finished completely..

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Ghost Hunters..

Reruns off Ghost Hunters are now going to be shown every Wednesday until the new season starts.. The new season will also bring about Ghost Hunters International.. Cannot wait for the next season..

Network Storage..

Just got introduced to a network storage link from Linksys. This little storage link is very handy indeed. It allows you to connect on USB flash drive and an external USB hard drive. The only drawback is that you cannot connect two USB flash drives only one of each.. But is still a really neat device... Check it out on their page for more information...

Connects USB 1.1 or 2.0 disk drives and flash disks directly to your network
Share music, video, or data files with managed access by user name or group
Integrated file server -- access your files from the Internet
Built-in disk utilities -- format, backup, and scandisk

Linksys Network Storage Link

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Small Update..

Get it repaired.. Sort of.. Need to strip the paint once again and look into getting the hard cast lines out of it and redo the pillar areas.. All in all, I am having fun with it.. Next I am looking into wheels and decal sets...

Only time will tell..

Monday, November 26, 2007

Bringing This One Back..

Doing a restore project on an old classic.. It is a bit rough and the roof is kind of smashed..

Progress so far.. Not too bad, but the window pillars cracked when I was straightening them out.. That should not be too hard to fix, I need to repair the hole in the trunk where I drilled through... Ooops..

Will post more updates as they happen...

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

All Day Enterprise..

To go along with the all day Ghost Hunters, Sci-Fi will be airing Star Trek: Enterprise all day Friday. Two days of great shows all day.. This will be a lot better than most of the all day marathons they usually have..

All Day Ghost Hunters..

Thursday, Thanksgiving, Sci-Fi will be having an all day Ghost Hunters Marathon.. Of course they will be reruns but it will be very enjoyable.. You can never have enough..

Monday, November 19, 2007

Leaving This Topic..

Well, after thinking about it, I am going to let the Transformers go.. The hype was more than the figures.. Like everything, they were very cool at first.. Now with the latest shipments they are suffering in quality and there seems to be no new figures in the line as of yet. I am planning on making a list on my website, sometime, of the ones out with pictures.. I guess I will leave it at that for now. If they make some new ones I will continue at that time..

New Case Codes...

Came across the new case codes last night 996BBE, 996BBF, and 996BBQ. All cases that I saw had a regular Evil Twin treasure hunt. I saw four cases at one Walmart, 996BBE x3 and 996BBF x1. The 996BBE had a regular hunt in the bottom layer.. The 996BBF had the hunt in the top layer. The other Walmart had put out three cases, 996BBE x2 and 996BBF x1. The stocker had told me there were three hunts also. The other case, 996BBQ, had just come out on another pallet which he stocked. The hunt was in the top layer of the 996BBQ case code.. A lot of new 2008 stuff was also in these cases.. No $upers in any of the eight total cases.. Oh well, I will come across them..

Friday, November 16, 2007

A Few New Old Ones..

Just added a few new oldies to the collection.. I am actually having fun finding these old cars, somewhat better than spending hours looking for the new stuff..

And one of my favorites..

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Last Nights Ghost Hunters...

Last night's episode was great.. It really showed the great family that Ghost Hunters is. The serious side like getting things set up to the trickery that goes on behind the scenes.. There is so much that goes on to get a show like that going.. I cannot wait to see the next season. Just from the sneak peak that they gave it looks to be an awesome season. There are many that complained because of the lack of evidence that their cases were having in the first two seasons. Then as they progressed it got more intense. I personally think it is like anything new. They were pretty much just starting out when they came online and now they are more experienced and know what and where to look..

Great job T.A.P.S. keep it up..

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

What Better Way To Share Collecting...

Than to share it with my son..

Now all he needs is a few more $upers...

Just Got A New Mointor..

Have to give praise to this monitor the AG-191DPB by I-Inc. Normally I would say an off brand would be out of the question, but this is a great monitor.. You can purchase them at Tigerdirect for a reasonable price and it is well worth every penny.. The quality is great and it is very crisp. Makes my laptop LCD look dull and dark, lol.. I need to try them on a game to get an overall look, which should happen tonight. Even though their resolution is not up in the 1600 range they are still great for everyday use. Check them out under the 19" monitor section. The menu on the monitor is very easy to use and it was also very easy to install. Here is some quotation from their add.

I-Inc AG-191DPB 19-inch LCD Monitor with Speakers Enjoy
vividly realistic picture quality with I-Inc's AG-191DPB 19-inch SXGA
LCD Monitor with Speakers. The AG-191DPB features an LCD TFT screen
with SXGA (1280x1024) resolution. This outstanding LCD monitor offers
300-nit brightness, 700:1 contrast and 16.7 million displayable colors.
Enjoy streak and ghost free images, thanks to the AG-191DPB's 8ms
response time. Integrated speakers offer a complete multimedia
experience and space-saving convenience. And you'll be able to connect
your computer to the I-Inc AG-191DPB monitor with DVI and VGA
connections.

Specifications
Display Type: TFT LCD
Viewable Screen Size: 19 inches
Pixel Pitch: 0.294 x 0.294 mm
Display Colors: 16.7 million
Input Video Signal: 15-pin D-sub DVI-D
Speakers: 2 x 1.5 watt Speakers
Contrast Ratio: 700:1
Brightness: 300 cd/m²
Response Time: 8 ms
Horizontal Viewing Angle: 150 degrees
Vertical Viewing Angle: 135 degrees
Maximum Resolution: 1280 x 1024

Also a couple of pics..

K-Days Again This Month...

Rumors are surfacing that there will be another K-day collector event November 24th at 9 am at the local K-marts. There has been no official word from HWC.com, but many have said that their stores have posters for the upcoming event. Rumors also state that some of the Sears stores that are stocking toys for Christmas will be included in this event..

As soon as some final word comes in I will post it here..

New B Case Assortments..

These new cases are starting to make their appearance.. They have new 2008 models and some repaints from the past year.. They also have the last treasure hunt of the year, the Evil Twin. Once I see a case I will be able to give a little more detail as to what is in the mix..

Ghost Hunters Season Finale..

Tomorrow night will be the final episode of the season.. It will be different then other episodes in that it will be a 90 minute question season with hist Josh Gates. They are going revisit the past three seasons and give a small glance into the next season. Also, there is going to be a new spin off called Ghost Hunters International which looks very exciting.. So tune in and check out Ghost Hunters tomorrow night..

Friday, November 9, 2007

A Little Change To The Blog...

Things seemed to be a bit scrunched together on the other template, so, welcome to the new one.. This proves to be a much better layout than the last one.. Now I need to drum up some more stuff to talk about, heh..

Thursday, November 8, 2007

Last Nights Ghost Hunters..

I was not really impressed with the reveal of the investigation.. I was hoping for some EVPs or video. Most of what was shown I had seen on the investigation night.. There were only three things I had not really seen. One being the supposed face in the body chute. Second, the reaction on Kris and Dustin in the body chute where they encountered something unknown. Third, the close up of the ball in the hallway moving.... The second case was very cool. They caught several pieces of evidence that had me guessing. Although, for the mother to be so worried about her daughter, she had a very different reaction at the reveal. She seemed more ecstatic that there was something there in the house, than worried about something in the house.. Odd to say the least..

I think this was the final episode for the season, will have to check on that one..

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption ..

Ok, my first purchase for the Wii since I got Wii sports.. This game is very addictive. The graphics are good, but getting used to the Wii controls is a bit of a challenge. It took me a little time to learn to use the controls for this type of game. I am sure most people have had experience due to Zelda and others, but this was all new to me. This learning process added to the overall experience, although frustrating at times, it made you stick with it. Nothing was going to get the best of me, especially not a game.. I have made it through several levels, with a walk through guide from the internet, but it still is challenging. As I get a bit further I will continue the topic, but so far it is one that will keep you glued to your chair and screen..

Tonight Is The Night..

Ghost Hunters tonight will reveal any evidence caught from last Wednesdays adventure in the Waverly Hills Sanatorium.. This is not one to miss, check for show times in your area.. I know it airs at 8 pm here in the central time zone.. You don't want to miss it, plus an all new Ghost Hunter episode after that..

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

B Cases Already Hitting Texas..

A post over on the Hot Wheels boards confirms that the new stuff is already starting to hit the area around Dallas. These cases contain several new 2008 models and the Evil Twin treasure hunt. Be on the lookout for the cases, if your store has received the case there are a few cars to look for. One in the new '77 Dodge Van, second would be the Spector, and keep an eye out for the Fiat 500.

You can also get some other ideas from the message board post here.

One note, you will need to register to read the post. But hey, it's free..

Laptop Processor Upgrade..

I recently went through upgrading a processor in an old laptop from a 1.7 GHz to a 2.0 GHz. It has been a few days and it is running like a champ. I cannot say this enough though, you have to do your research. I found out that the older line of Pentium 4-m processors are interchangeable with the newer ones. I used Intel's site to research the one I currently had, with several from sites selling faster speed processors. I looked at the FSB, package type, and pin configuration. Once I compared several processors, I stayed with a 2.0 Ghz at the same 400 MHz FSB because that is what the motherboard currently has. With a little extra thermal compound (Arctic Silver) I completed the upgrade and am very happy.

You can get processor information at Intel's site.

2007 Is Winding Down..

As we get closer to the end of the year the 2007 Hot Wheels are winding down. With each case, we see more and more 2008 models. There are a few 2008 first editions already out which include the Ratbomb, Dragtor, and Mustang Shelby GT-500. There still are two treasure hunts left to the year and those are the only ones I need to complete the set.. So I will try give a little recap on the 2007 stuff and lead into 2008. I will get some pics of the first 2008 models showing up as well.

One Day To Go...

Tomorrow night the Ghost Hunters team will reveal anything caught during their 6 hour live Halloween broadcast. Check out your local listing for when the show will air. This will be very interesting to see, I for one cannot wait until they show that. For those of you who did not see the episode, there was activity all night. One of the best shows I have seen to date. Let's just hope that got some good hard evidence. Plus they have an all new episode after the reveal..

You can also check out Sci-fi's main site here

Monday, November 5, 2007

Update To The First Cases..

Here is a picture of one of the first cases I found so far.. I have to post a pic of the others I have come across but here is this one for now..

There was only one '69 Custom Chevy Truck Hunt out of the five cases that were stocked..

And it was a $uper....

More Holiday Rods...

These are pics of the ones I was actually looking for...

Now these are the best ones of the set..

Hot Wheels Holiday Rods..

They are already hitting the stores.. I found the first ones at Target and more recently I have found them at Walmart. Keep an eye out for this little one..

This is said to be the treasure hunt of the set. The rest of the set includes La Troca, Barracuda Funny Car, Scorching Scooter, Mustang Mach 1, and the Hiway Hauler. They are about $4 - $5 dollars depending on where you pick them up.. But they make a great addition to your collection..

A New Love In Hot Wheels Collecting...

I have found a new love in collecting Hot Wheels.. Finding things I grew up with, like these little gems..

I have some more pics that I will be posting of things I pick up here and there..

Friday, November 2, 2007

Ghost Hunters Live Oct 31st...

Well, this show did not disappoint at all. There was a lot going on there. They even lost one of their cameras to an unexplained fall. From chasing shadows, seeing lights, and Steve getting tripped up by something grabbing him it was great. If you missed it, there will be a reveal next Wednesday of everything they caught or did not catch. This too promises to be very entertaining.

Monday, October 29, 2007

Wednesday Is Coming...

This Wednesday will be an all live Ghost Hunters from Waverly Hills Sanatorium.. This should be an awesome episode. They will be joined by Josh Gates who hosts destination truth.. The match up should be great.. Show starts at 9 pm Est/8 pm Cst..

You can get more info @ Sci-Fi

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

First Cases of 2008 Hot Wheels

It has been reported that there are cases with the codes 996AAH and 996AAZ from Mattel. I personally have seen the 996ABE cases. Out of 5 cases there was just 1 Super Custom '69 Chevy pickup. People are finding a lot more in the other codes.. The cases also have a slightly different design so keep your eyes open..

New Ghost Hunters Tonight..

Check your local listings.. Also, an all new live Ghost Hunters next Wednesday for Halloween. They are doing it from Waverly Hills and is sure to be awesome..

Check it out..

Thursday, October 11, 2007

That's right, they are on the way..

Several topics on the main Hot Wheels collector site have been posted with pictures of some of the new 2008 models. The first one showed up at the last K-mart day event, which was the Mustang GT-500 Shelby. The next two that have been talked about are the Ratbomb and Dragtor. As soon as I get some pictures I will post them for viewing. Looks as though I need to drop all 2007 and pick up here. But then again, we still have three more Treasure Hunts left for the year. Maybe once I get those I can proceed.

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Great Case to Have..

I recently got a case to put all my computer tools in. The case is made by Hardigg and it is very nice. Called the Storm case it provides a lot of protection for sensitive equipment and is completely water proof. I was able to place everything inside the case, including my laptop in the top layer. They come in an assortment of sizes to meet your personal needs.. You can also choose several different options as far as the interior, from pick-n-pluck foam to custom inserts, they are well worth the investment. It is made from high quality plastic resin and is guaranteed for life.. Check out more facts by clicking on the link under the pictures..

The Hardigg Storm Case

New Wii Remote Sleeves..

Or gloves as most of the people call them, are now out. These new ones are made by Nerf and claim to provide a lot of protection. They come in four different colors, pink, black, light blue, and lime green. They are sold through Gamestop and EBgames. Several of the Gamestops in the area have these already, but none in black. The one downfall to ordering them online is that you cannot pick what color you would prefer.. I will probably pick up one just to see what it is all about. Then wait to get a set of black ones, as they are $9.99 a piece.. Will let you know what happens.

Just A Brief Listing..

Thought I would put up a brief listing of the Transformers deluxe class figures in case some do not know the whole line as of yet.

2007 Deluxe Transformers Movie Figures:

Bumblebee 1974 Camaro Yellow/Black
Bumblebee 2008 Concept Camaro Yellow/Black
Barricade (Police) Black/White
Barricade (Security) Silver/Blue
Swindle
Brawl
Scorpinok
Bonecrusher
Jazz
Final Battle Jazz w/battle damage
Dreadwing
Longarm
Payload
Arcee
Dropkick

There you go! Hope you got them all. They are decent Transformers, but no where near the ones of the past....

Hot Wheels Cases..

If you are one of the many people who have cases via Ebay or another source, P cases are no longer available. My source has informed us that the P cases all went to Walmart and/or K-mart. For those of us who ordered P cases from him, he is substituting the newer A cases for them. Also, N cases are also sold out and there will be no more. Just thought I would give you a heads up.. So if you ordered some get in touch with the seller and get things cleared up..

Monday, October 8, 2007

Free Stuff for the Wii...

Nintendo is offering a few free replacement items depending on which system you purchased.. One of these items is a new remote jacket that provides protection to the remote itself or your opponent. Of course, they are only allowing one per console, but I think it is worth the effort to get it. You can get it HERE, all you do is enter the serial number. You will then be asked for address information on the next screen. Keep in mind on this one, although no matter how many you want from the drop down box, it defaults to just one when ordered. Next item is the wrist strap. There seems to be some sort of problem with some wrist straps originally provided not being strong enough. You can order replacements for these as well HERE, this time you can actually order up to the four in the drop down box. You will need to enter your address, e-mail, and phone number for shipping purposes..

Transformers Everywhere..

If you haven't noticed with the dropping in prices on Ebay, Transformers are our in force. They are stocked now at every Walmart in my area. It also seems they get some every couple load. I purchased a few for customizing and notice something though. The Barricade I bought looked as though it was not quite put together right. There seems to be slight misalignments in the rear taillight areas, as well as, the front doors. The widows are suppose to separate and slide up, the previous ones I purchased did so smoothly. This one seems to move as though it was put together to tight. They still look good, but there are noticeable problems with the recent releases..

Halloween Fright Cars..

Haven't seen them around here as of yet but they look pretty cool, if for nothing else, wheel donors.. They should be arriving very soon in the area, as they have been found in some of the northern states already. At $1.50 they are worth the buy..

Xbox 360 Consoles..

As many people know, Halo 3 was released a couple of weeks back. Well, with the release of the game came the Halo 3 special edition console. Sporting an arm green look with gold and black accents this system fits into the Halo realm perfectly. Although the look is very cool and the equipment is great, there is something to look at. The Halo 3 console only provides you with a 20 gig hard drive for storage, most said to be filled at time of purchase. According to several searches on the internet, I came across many reviews that were against the Halo Edition console. Most sites recommend, for the additional $49 to purchase the elite console for the reason that it comes with pretty much the same hardware as the Halo console but you get the 120 gig hard drive. Plus, the system has a newer cooling system which, by many accounts, was the problem faced with the first run of the Xbox 360 consoles. So, if you are planning to buy a 360 do your research and buy wisely..

New Hot Wheels Coming..

New cars are coming fast.. With the release of the A cases this next month, there are 2008 first editions popping up. They look great so far, although I have only seen the pictures via the web site. I cannot wait to see what they have selected for the rest of the line up. Will be curious to see if they keep with the Treasure Hunts divided into two groups again or will there be only one type. Hard to believe that the year is coming to a close and the next year is starting..

New Episodes..

If you missed it last week, it was the premiere of the new season of Ghost Hunters. Two excellent episodes. The EVPs caught on the second investigation were awesome. This week promises to be great as well.

Two Weeks Two More Loses..

Well, after this last weeks game where the 49ers lost 9-7, they now fall to 2-3. They are doing great on defense and special teams. What they need to do is work on their offense and get some points scored.. If they can accomplish that they should be in great shape..

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Great K-day..

Well, Saturday was the K-mart collectors day and it was great.. My son was not able to attend, so I enlisted my father. We were the first ones called and entered the room where the cases were. There were only 8 cases to be opened. I took one case out labeled PC and handed that to my dad and I took the only other code out of the 8 which was PB. I opened it to find a new Enzo Ferrari Thunt. I also got the new color exclusives along with the first 2008 release, the Mustang GT 500. It was a lot of fun.. Cannot wait until the next one..

Only a day away..

The new episodes of Ghost Hunters begin tomorrow evening.. Set the VCR, Tivo, or DVR so that you don't miss it... Or you can just tune in tomorrow night on Sci-Fi to watch it.. Check for times in your area by heading over to the Sci-Fi channel and look at their schedule..

Halo 3 Released...

This game looks amazing.. I watched the release coverage via G4 last night in NYC. It was crazy. A Hummer suited up like a Warthog, several ATVs suited up like the ones in the game and Master Chief to hand out the first copies.. Now if I could only get an Xbox 360 Halo 3 Special Edition console..

Thursday, September 20, 2007

New Epsisodes Begin...

Next Wednesday will be the beginning of the new season for the T.A.P.S. crew. With such a great last season, I cannot wait to see what they find this season.. Checkout Sci-Fi.com for times and listings..

49ers Face Steelers....

This will be one of the hardest games yet. Both teams are working on a 2-0 record and the Steelers present an excellent defense, ranked third in the NFL right now. They also have a great offensive line, so this will truly be an interesting game..

Starts at noon CST.

Only 2 Days To Go..

Only two days until the K-mart Hot Wheel Day event.. Make sure you get there about an hour before the doors open.. There are also several cars showing up on E-bay, so go figure. I know I will be there to hopefully get the good stuff.. There are a mix of new 2008 cars and it is said that the hunt is indeed what I thought it might be....the Ferrari Enzo.

Transformers at H.E.B.

I came across a double sided display of the first run Transformers assortment, which contained three layers. The top layer had the gear assortment of Transformers. There were a total of 72 of the gear assortment which includes both sides. The second layer was the deluxe assortment, which also contained 72 for both sides. The bottom layer was the shelf warmer Optimus arm blaster. I did not do a count on these, but I would guess about 10-14 of them for both sides. This is the only place I have seen any deluxe for about a month...

Good Hunting...

Monday, September 17, 2007

49ers Top Rams

Again, in a more defensive game, the 49ers beat the Rams on Sunday by a score of 17-16. The 49ers had several turnovers at key moments in which they could have increased their score. With minutes to go at the end of the fourth quarter, the Rams missed a 56 yard field goal that helped the 49ers hang on to the one point lead.

Friday, September 14, 2007

Holiday Rods for 2007..

These are some cool rides.. especially the Mach I mustangs in three color variations. Will have to get those.. Also, Holiday rods singles for hanging on the tree, as well as a three pack offered only from Target. Check out more details of other Holiday rods at the link below..

HotWheelsCollectors.com

A Great Computer Parts Store..

I have found Directron to be one of the best stores to do business with here in Texas. Please try them out, I am sure you will not be disappointed. Normal ground shipping usually takes a single day in state, however, you have to pay sales tax. If you look though, it usually comes out lower or even in price to other sites out there. Check them out at the link below...

Directron - Best Discount Store- For Computer Parts - Houston, Texas

K-mart Hot Wheels Collectors Day...

K-mart has it official collecting day set for Sept. 22. You can find out more information if you follow the link to the right on the side bar. New exclusive paint jobs, exclusive mail in car, and possibly some new 2008 cars. No one knows if there will be any Treasure Hunts at this one, or what it will be. Hopefully, it will be one I do not have..

49ers @ Rams this weekend..

Hopefully they will take this game as well. Will have to watch and see. Game starts at 12:00pm cst.

New blog site...

Working on getting this site up and going... It is more customizable than the other..