Heather, On Tech

What Do You Want to be for Halloween?

I would love to do this, but the trick is finding someone who would be willing to do it with me.  My husband might, but the idea of being confined like that probably wouldn't go over as a really big hit with him...

hat tip: Newlaunches

AT & T's A-List (Finally)

We've all seen those annoying wireless company commercials where they tell you you can choose a certain number of people to be in your "calling circle" and you can make calls to them for free (without burning precious minutes).  These numbers can be other cell numbers or landlines.  Some companies offer five, others 10.

AT&T is finally joining the ranks of these companies and offering the same - only they allow those minutes to roll over as well.  Meaning not only can you save the minutes when you call, you can save them for later too.  Of course, if you call someone who is also an AT&T customer, you're already saving those minutes.

At any rate, it's about time they did this.  Fortunately for me, I never use up all my minutes (not even close), and my family, by sheer coincidence, also all uses AT&T (we were all on Cingular before the buyout).  I just don't talk on the phone that much and even with minimal minutes I don't use them all.  Ultimately I pay an ungodly sum each month to have internet access and texting available at all times of the day.

AT&T's A-list feature will go into effect on September 20, and you can read more about it here.  Apparently they will have a sliding scale as to whether you can have five or 10 numbers on your plan, depending on your monthly charges for service.

Oooogly Shoes

I have this thing for ugly shoes.  I have no idea why, but I pretty much always have.  Maybe it's because I'm a woman and I really just don't want anyone else to have the same shoes as me, but I have found that if the shoe is ugly, it's likely to be comfortable, and not make your toes shaped all funny and pointy.  Yeah, the hot chicks in stilettos all have ugly feet, trust me.

Anyway, this year is no exception and while on vacation in Boulder, Colorado I bought some shoes that are, shall we say, horrid.  They are Vibram FiveFingers shoes (which is really funny, because who has fingers on their feet?), and they look incredibly strange and uncomfortable, but they truly are not.

I expected the toes of these to drive me batty, but actually they kinda give my toesies a massage every time I move my feet, which is nice.  The only down side is that there is absolutely no padding in the bottom, so it takes some getting used to.  But then again, that's the whole point; to feel barefoot without worrying about stepping on glass.

They do come in a full-shoe version and many different colours.  Unfortunately pink was the only colour they had in my size, and since pink is ugly, I had to get them (my first choice was black).

So, if you like going barefoot in public, but don't really want to get your feet all cut up, give these a try.  They are really comfortable, and if nothing else, they are bound to get a conversation going.

El Camino!

No, not the hotel (you might catch something at our local one!), the car-truck thingy.

My parents had one back in the day; they bought some property (where we eventually moved to) and used it to haul stuff back and forth.  My brother and I used to love riding in the back of it on the way out, with the dirt and leaves blowing around us as we cruised down Interstate 10 (this was circa 1978).

How many El Caminos do you see on the road today?  Not many, and those you do are either completely trashed or completely restored.  Like this one.

This dude in Wisconsin converted a 1981 Chevrolet El Camino into an electric vehicle.  You may ask why, but frankly, I think it's a great idea.  I want leg room, people, not some peppy little piece of shit to drive around in.  I want a tank.  If I'm going to be an a wreck, I want 6000 pounds of steel surrounding me and my kids (air bags are OK, but you know, let's be honest, you feel a hell of a lot safer in the steel).

You think your Toyota Prius is green?  Think again.  This El Camino is charged via windmill, so it's 100% green, zero emissions.  The only thing missing is the engine noise.

Put that in your tailpipe and smoke it!

Hat tip: Wired/Autopia