You’ll forgive the short review, I hope, on the grounds that it’s being typed on the Rogue’s keypad by someone with less-than-adequate hands for texting. Stay tuned for updates…

Squinting? Click on the strip to enlarge.

Click here for the full Turtle Talk comic strip series.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
  
• Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
• Go back to Should Be Reading and add a link to your teaser.
  

Tonight he sits down to dinner
at the head of the table
as we eat, mute;
later, he climbs into bed
between us.

Even as I sit here,
he stands behind me
clamping two
colossal hands on my shoulders
and bends down
and whispers to my neck:
From now on,
you write about me.

~ Excerpt from “Death Barged In,” leading poem in Slamming Open the Door by Kathleen Sheeder Bonanno

Squinting? Click on the strip to enlarge.

Click here for the full Turtle Talk comic strip series.

The best review goes to the Canon PowerShot D10 ($329.99 list, pictured), which is rugged and easy to navigate and offers excellent image quality.  As the only camera  in the test group with an external lens, it’s also the bulkiest.

Other models reviewed include:

• Pentax Optio W80 ($299.95 direct): Shoots HD video but only works well in bright light
• Olympus Stylus Tough-8000 ($379.99 list): Has innovative tap controls but less-than-ideal picture quality
• Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS1 ($399.95 direct): Fails some tests of the waterproof seal
  
• Fujifilm FinePix Z33WP ($179.95 list): Fogs up in the water, causing  poor picture quality
  

Check out PCMag’s side-by-side comparison to compare features.

Another episode in the webcomic adventures of Michaela the Turtle, who’s been feeling a little confined lately.

(Note the log from which Michaela blogs in her aptly titled Blog from the Log.)

Squinting?  Click on the strip to enlarge. 

Click here for the full Turtle Talk comic strip series.

If you already own a new or nearly new iPod Shuffle 2nd Generation (1GB or 2GB), SwimMan will waterproof it for you for a fee of $100 and offer a one-year limited warranty from your purchase date if you can provide your original receipt.  This service does come with a warning that your buttons will work a little differently than they used to:

Please note that due to the waterproofing process, the on/off button and the shuffle button will be stationary.  The functions of these two buttons are controlled either by iTunes on your computer (shuffle feature), by simply disconnecting your waterproof headset (Off), or pushing the center button of the wheel for On.  The forward, reverse, volume increase and volume decrease, as well as the On center button will be slightly stiffer than your non-waterproofed iPod, but still fully functional—and completely waterproof!  Guaranteed.

On reading Markus’ post I immediately headed to SwimMan’s site to see what other products they might be able to waterproof for me, but unfortunately they seem to specialize just in the 2nd Gen Shuffle at present.  I’m no closer to my waterproof laptop, but hopefully I can be of help to fellow swimmers whose heads are actually the right size and shape for the swimming goggles these waterproof headsets attach to.

Another all-in-one waterproofing solution for the Shuffle is the Interval Waterproof Headphone System ($80, pictured at left) from H2O Audio, which consists of a waterproof case for the Apple iPod Shuffle 2nd Gen and attached waterproof headphones (5 sizes of earplugs provided), all designed to clip to your swim goggles.   Waterproof to a depth of 12 feet, the Interval system also includes a  carrying case.  Unlike SwimMan, which actually waterproofs your player, H2O Audio simply provides a waterproof case for it, which adds a little more bulk.  However, the control pad on the outside of the Interval case allows push-button operation of the Shuffle’s existing controls, which should allow a little more functionality. (See a full review at iLounge.)

If you already have waterproof headphones or are looking for a less expensive solution, you might try H2O Audio’s  iS2 Waterproof iPod Case (Shuffle 2nd Generation) ($40, pictured at right), which attaches to an included  armband and allows you to use the control pad on your player by pushing through a flexible case.  This product does not include earphones, but is compatible with any 3.5mm set and at the moment is being offered free with the purchase of Surge Waterproof Headphones ($60).  (See full iS2 review and Surge headphone review at iLounge.)

Note that all three solutions offered above are only compatible with the 2nd Generation Apple iPod Shuffle.  If you own a more recent Shuffle, a different model iPod, or another brand of MP3 player, there’s still hope: H2O Audio offers a whole line of waterproof armbands and cases for various sizes of MP3 players.  Another company worth checking out is OtterBox, which offers protective gear for your iPod, iPhone, BlackBerry, GPS or PDA.  Although most of their products are geared more toward the accident-prone non-athlete than the serious swimmer, their Armor Series cases are waterproof to a depth of 3 feet.  OtterBox would also be happy to sell you a set of H2O Audio’s H3 Waterproof Headphones (review at iLounge).

And for the ultimate in swimming technology?  The SwiMP3v2 player by FINIS ($150, pictured at left) throws headphones to the wind and instead uses the sound conduction of bones. Wear this player on your cheek (clipped to your goggle strap) and your cheekbone transmits the vibration to the fluid of your inner ear.  Cool.  (See a full review at PCMAG.com.)

Another episode in the webcomic adventures of Michaela the Turtle.  In case you’ve wondered why her blog posts don’t come out as frequently as you’d like…

Squinting?  Click on the strip to enlarge.

Click here for the full Turtle Talk comic strip series.

Squinting?  Click on the strip to enlarge.

Click here for the full Turtle Talk comic strip series.

Copyright - Darren Hoyt

I’m about a year late in finding this, but thought I’d share this pic from Darren Hoyt and Wistar Watts Murray, who found a few critters waiting out a rainstorm in a swimming pool drain.  This good Samaritan turtle lent his height to his frog and spider companions to keep them above water until they were found.  Very admirable, but I must say I would’ve eaten the spider if given the chance…at least if it weren’t so big and scary.

Aimee Pearson's Tattoo, Courtesy of the Daily Progress

Apparently one California woman found this story so inspirational that she had the image tattooed on her back, an act which earned her an article in Charlotteville, North Carolina’s Daily Progress and a  place in last December’s Tattoo News Review.

The oddest thing this story teaches us?  There’s a Tattoo News Review.