Want to stay up to date on Memphis Scottish society events? Have a hankering for Harry Potter dates?

Well, you can find pretty much any kind of random calendar on iCalShare - one of my favorite sites for wasting time and finding cool calendars to add to my calendar.

The site started in September 2002 and now has 4,561 calendars in 40 different categories. Calendars are all free to download – and you can easily use them in various applications – including iCal, Mozilla Calendar, Novell Evolution, Microsoft Works and Google Calendar.

Have other interesting sites to share? Just e-mail me.

For all those captivated by Line Rider, here’s a nice collection of flash games all compiled into one site by the StuffFromKevin blog. This should keep you busy for the long weekend.

Makes me want to create my own addicting flash game…

As promised, an interview with Bostjan Cadez, the Slovenian creator of the fascinating Line Rider drawing game. He’s in Orange County for three months and spoke to me the morning after arriving in the States. He keeps odd hours, he says, so he didn’t mind so much. Anyway, here ya go:

You can also read more about Bostjan and how he came up with the idea in the story I wrote today.

And of course, see what YOU could do with Line Rider. There are nearly 8,000 videos under “Line Rider” posted on YouTube.

Bostjan’s favorite: “Die at the Slopes” because the person who did it didn’t have access to the version with an eraser.

Other good links:

• Bostjan’s online portfolio, at deviantART.
• Fan site with forums: LineRider.net (also has the ZaDa version of Line Rider)
• inXile Entertainment, the Newport Beach company that bought all the rights to Line Rider
• Metanet Software, which developed the N game (available as a download) and offered flash-game tutorials that Bostjan voraciously read.

(Hey, it worked for Bostjan…)

I don’t write about every new Internet site that captures the attention of millions. But when it hits Orange County, I feel compelled to share. Line Rider, an Internet drawing game of sorts, is one of those things.

While creator Bostjan Cadez (that’s him on the left with his brand new MacBook) lives in Slovenia where he studies art, he is currently in Orange County working with inXile Entertainment to turn Line Rider into a game for the Nintendo Wii and DS.

We spoke last Friday and got an exclusive interview with the 27-year-old art student. Watch the video interview to get some insight into why he created the game.

InXile paid him some money, they won’t say how much, and Bostjan agreed to sell the rights to Line Rider if they flew him to the States. But Bostjan, who’s not a game developer, isn’t here to work. He’s here to see our county and the rest of America. He really likes street art so if you hear of any thing happening, let me know and I’ll pass it on.

Check out today’s story in the newspaper about Bostjan’s journey from art-school student to Internet phenom. And play the latest version of Line Rider. Fans of the original will notice this has an eraser, zoom and different types of lines.

The official site is at official-linerider.com, though many other fan sites have the game posted as well. Some even have their own versions of the game.

Other good sites to check out:

• Bostjan’s online portfolio, at Deviant Art.
• Fan site with forums: LineRider.net (also has the ZaDa version of Line Rider)
• inXile Entertainment, the Newport Beach company that bought all the rights to Line Rider
• Metanet Software, which developed the N game (available as a download) and offered flash-game tutorials that Bostjan voraciously read.

And of course, see what YOU could do with Line Rider. There are nearly 8,000 videos under “Line Rider” posted on YouTube.

Bostjan’s favorite: “Die at the Slopes” because the person who did it didn’t have access to the version with an eraser.

A few more photos…

The doodle that inspired the game (Photoshopped to straighten it out):

And some other pages from Bostjan’s sketch book to give you a sense of his art and how he kept the original Line Rider sketch free from clutter.

Store this in the distractions-for-work category, Goggles is a flash-based game that I stumbled on over the weekend. British designer Mark Caswell-Daniels merged aviation with Google Maps for another clever use of the online mapping program. Goggles is a flight-simulator game where you can study various cities from a bird’s eye view. But don’t get too close or you’ll crash. I see Mark added Washington DC and New York, but nothing on the Left Coast. I imagine flying to OC would take hours, possibly days, and get you a good dose of carpel tunnel.

I believe I managed to fly to the Capitol building, right?

Why hasn’t the Gadgetress blog been updated for days and days? Because of this game. Thanks to all readers who sent in their high scores. I finally got to level 8 and topped 14,000 points but at what price? The top reader, so far, is Diana, a reader, who e-mailed me her top score below. She admits that she had some practice. “This game is similar to that of a Neopets game called Sutek’s Tomb…so I got some experience…heh.”

I don’t play a lot of video and computer games because of time suckage so only read on if you want to find yourself mesmerized for hours. Farm Hustle, a Flash-animated game of chickies, kitties, and other simple cartoon animals, is from designers Thalia and Ari of avocadolite.

They sell cute, crocheted farm animals (see ex-farm members here) and created the game a few months ago. It’s easy – just line up three of the same characters and watch them get zapped. Make sure you clear out the shaded spaces first to get to the next level. And don’t forget to use the bombs when you’ve run out of options.

Not quite as simple as Kitten Cannon, another great time waster. Remember that?

Someday, I will learn Flash (I hear it’s pretty easy) and create my own game. If any of you have created a game yourselves, let me know. I’ll promote it here on my blog if I like it.

So, back to the farm. I just got to level five and my high score is 9,125. Can anyone beat that? Send me your screen grab and I’ll post it.

There’s a lot of useful stuff out there on the Web, but sometimes it’s hard to slog through the boring stuff to get the good stuff. Hopefully, these recent links of sites I found will interest you, and, of course, to add your two, feel free to comment below or send me an email.

Cool Google Maps: A collection of useful geographical guides on local bars, restaurants, gas prices, AIM users … made using Google Maps. (via Daypop)

Robots take over the world (not really) at the recent iRex 2005 International Robot show in Japan. Included photos of a floor-cleaning robot that recognizes human voices and the Kondo Kagaku’s KHR-1 robot that can balance on one foot. Source: CNET.

Make magazine issue #4 is now available. It’s pretty good. The DIY mag for techies shows you how to make an electric guitar out of a cigar box, among other geeky things.

Back to OC: If you find yourself sitting on your bum staring at your PC or hunched over on the couch playing Xbox 360 games, get out! There’s a lot happening in the local high-tech world this weekend.

Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 3rd and 4th: Fry’s Electronics in Anaheim turns into a playground for the “Technology inMotion Tour,” a 24-city traveling tech circus that includes an 18 wheeler crammed with computers and Xboxes. Symantec, the antivirus company, is head sponsor but also making appearances are Microsoft, Electronic Arts, Linksys, Logitech, Adobe and Vonage.
Why should you go? Free virus/spyware scans for consumers who bring their computers to this “Tech Tank” And for video-game fanatics, Xbox 360 game playing.
When: This Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 3 at 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Dec. 4 from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Where: Fry’s Electronics at 3370 East La Palma Ave in Anaheim

Saturday, Dec. 3: For young braniacs, LEGOLAND is hosting the F.I.R.S.T. LEGO League Ocean Odyssey Challenge where kids compete in a science and technology tournament. F.I.R.S.T., an acronym for For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, brings 48 teams of kids ages 9 to 14 from all over Southern California to build, program and test an autonomous robot that will compete with other teams’ robots in an obstacle course. Sounds tough.

Sunday, December 4: The North Orange County Computer Club is meeting at its usual spot at Chapman University. Guest speaker is Lee Otsubo, “The Digital Photo Guy,” with tips on digital cameras and photos.
When: 1 p.m. at the Hashinger Science Center at Chapman University, 33 N. Glassell Street in Orange. For a map or meeting information, see NOCCC’s site.

Anyone who drives in Orange County knows that trying to get anywhere, especially during rush hour, is frustrating. So reader (or salesman?) Bill Byers, a local dealer for Big Boys Toys, suggests the TrafficGauge.

The device looks like a Palm organizer and displays one traffic map either of Seattle or a combined part of Los Angeles and Orange County. But more than a simple Palm, this gets real-time traffic information about accidents and other slowdowns, then starts blinking like crazy on the affected highway. With one glance at the 5-inch screen, you’ll know whether to avoid the 55.

I first saw this about two years ago. I thought it was pretty cool but it only had half of OC (it cuts off everything south of 405/5 merge) . The other bummer was the price, which apparently hasn’t changed in two years: $80 for the gadget and $6.99 each month for service!

Byers, who tells me he’s not the PR guy for TrafficGauge, still sells the gadget. He has a good reason to be hot on it. He believes it’s worth thet price. His words: “When I speak to the average person on the street … they all say about the same thing … they say the product is worth about $100-$250 and the monthly service fee is probably $10-$25.”

The TrafficGauge looks pretty much the same as the one I tested two years ago and I’d probably rip it in a review. I would, however, offer several suggestions, such as lower the price, add GPS capabilities or, at minimum, show all of Orange County. But, as Byers points out, he’s “just trying to make life a little more relaxed for those people stuck on the LA/OC highways.”

I thought I’d put this one out to the people. What do you think about it? Worth a review or not? Let me know!

Two distracting sites I saw this week:

The ASCII version of The Matrix. Someone (from the University of Washington?) took scenes from the movie and animated them with ASCII. Mesmerizing, at least for a few minutes.

Everyone likes poking fun at the president. I’m just entertained at how you control how much Bush’s face distorts as his nose follows the money. Again, just a few minutes out of your day is all it’s worth.

Upcoming events for next week:

• Electronic House Expo at the Anaheim Convention Center. If you’re into Big Boy Toys, the EH Expo will have everything you’d want for a living room, including home theater products, home automation, flat-panel technology, lighting control, etc. It’s a trade show but it looks like ordinary consumers can get in FREE if they register by Nov. 6.

• If you’re into podcasting or are just curious about it, the must-attend event is the Portable Media Expo at the Ontario Convention Center. A lot of the early podcasters hail from OC, including Tim Bourquin, in Laguna Niguel, who is organizing the whole show. Best part, of course, the expo-part of the show is FREE if you register ahead of time. Sessions on how-to podcast and how to make money off it cost $249.

If you’re bored Saturday, stop by the Anaheim Convention Center to be one of the first to play the next-generation Xbox game console from Microsoft. There will be several Xbox 360‘s at IGN Live gaming festival plus music, movies and tons of other games. The Xbox 360 doesn’t go on sale until Nov. 22, although some Wal-Mart stores are setting up kiosks before the big day. (Microsoft tells me that those kiosks only have game samples and trailers and not full versions of games.)

I might stop by IGN Live to play Xbox but I’m curious about 8-bit Weapon, a duo of DJs who make music using Nintendo GameBoys, classic video game consoles and old PCs.

And for all the kids who call me every time I write a story on video gamers, IGN Live includes seminars like “How to get a job in the game industry.”

And while we’re on the topic of a live gaming event, Blizzard Entertainment‘s 2-day BlizzCon starts Friday at the Anaheim Convention Center. If you don’t have tickets, too bad. It’s sold out.

Moving on: More fun with Flash (I had to share these with you)

“A few thousand science fiction covers” by Jim Bumgardner from Krazydad.com. Mouse over and a book cover pops up. See which one you haven’t read. Bumgardner even explains how he did it. Don’t forget to check out his other stuff, like the Flickr Chia Pet.

I discovered this last year and still think it’s a great distraction: “Someone keeps stealing my letters,” where dozens of people are using fridge magnets to spell something or mess up what someone else is doing. I suggest enlisting a group of friends to spell what you want. Developed by FlashcomGuru.

FlashcomGuru has a new version of flash activities for multiple players: ScratchPad. Instead of moving letters, draw something NICE. Remember, this is not censored.

Or, if you’re too lazy to draw, watch someone else draw here.

Wow, another Kitten Cannon player. Blog readers will remember back in April when I couldn’t get enough of a flash-animated game called Kitten Cannon. It’s a pretty gruesome, but strangely addicting game where the goal is to shoot an orange tabby out of a cannon and see how far it will go. So, because I said I would post reader scores who beat my now pathetic 1,649- foot-toss, here is the high score from Jason Blakemore, who works in Irvine. Have you been practicing since April, Jason???

I, myself, have moved on. I recently bought Macromedia’s Flash so I can learn how to create games myself. If I end up creating something unique, fun and possibly addicting, I’ll post it. If you have your own Flash creation that you want to share, send me a link and I’ll post it.

In the meantime, here’s some Flash games I’ve recently stumbled upon:

Nanaca Crash! An even more gruesome take on Kitten Cannon. It involves an anime character who gets slammed by a motorcyclist.

Shoot the smiley faces with a paintball gun at Skinz.com. Definite stress reliever.

One of my favorite bands, The Polyphonic Spree, developed a Flash game to launch its “Together We’re Heavy” album in 2004. Help the wayward band members find the rest of the gang.

A few years ago, I wrote a story about an opportunistic teen who decided he wanted to win the Pokemon PT Cruiser in a Nintendo contest. The grand prize was a car that looked like a Pokemon character. All he had to do was write a theme song. This kid made a music video. He won. Just like that.

I always think of him when I spot a contest that requires some sort of skill. This week, I learned of four. And while I don’t have the skills to enter, maybe you do. Take a look and if you win one, let me know.

Motorola’s MOTOfwrd contest, open to college students.
The gist: People are using cell phones to send text messages, share video, snap photos and play music. What’s next in the world of seamless mobility?
Requirements: Write an essay, produce a short film, draw a cartoon or use any sort of visual to show what’s next. Entries due by Nov. 15.
The grand prize: $10,000 and a Bluetooth-enabled car.
Details: www.motorola.com/motofwrd

Stop the genocide in Sudan contest, open to college students.
The gist: MTV’s college TV channel, MTVu, and Reebok Human Rights Foundation want to raise awareness of genocide in Sudan.
Requirements: Create an online video game or viral campaign to raise awareness.
The grand prize: $50,000
Details: www.mtvu.com/on_mtvu/activism

The Scion F8 Macromedia Flash contest
The gist: Scion, the car, has created its own little hipster world, with a magazine, music and art.
Requirements: Create an ad for the new Scion with Flash. Deadline is Nov. 7.
The grand prize: A 2006 Scion
Details: http://www.scionf8.com/

Daz Productions 3D Digital Art contest
The gist: Daz, a leader in 3D content and software, wants to know your vision of the future.
Requirements: Use a DAZ product prominently in your entry. Deadline is Oct. 31.
The grand prize: BOXX Technology 4400 Series workstation, plus other stuff.
Details: http://www.daz3d.com/contests/index.php?id=12

I almost forgot to welcome OC’s newest magazine, Squeeze OC, which is Freedom Orange County Information’s push to attract a younger, wealthier and non-newspapery reader. (FOCI is also the Register‘s parent company.) The first issue debuted Thursday. But you can’t find any in this newsroom.

I finally convinced staffer Matt Degen to give me one of his precious copies. Of course, I had Matt, who has helped out the Gadgetress on several occasions, sign his story on buying a sofa. So, if you can find Squeeze, check it out online at SqueezeOC.com

How do bloggers find the time to post daily? Many even post multiple times a day. Not me, which you would know if you’ve been a dedicated reader (thank you!)
I pitched the idea because I often have this urge to share something odd I discovered on the Web (have you seen this? Or this? Or the build-your-own insect here?) So I started for fun last fall and moved to an official Reg page in January.
Only in the past few weeks have I reached some sort of momentum by blogging three or more times a week. Then again, I suppose most bloggers don’t have to wait for an editor to look over their stuff to make sure it’s appropriate for the Register. And no editor here works at midnight, when I’m likely to be up and looking for new stuff on the Internet. Now you know my secret…

In tribute to local bloggers who do find time to update their online journals, please check out a few that I found. If you hail from OC and want me to promote your blog here, tell me about your blog and why you do it.

OC Blog knows a lot about politics and news in OC and even offers advertising opportunities. Plus a bunch of links to other local blogs.

Metroblogging Orange County has a lot of musings about OC current events and assorted happenings. It must be good because a contributor is Michael Doss, the very polite, intelligent and technically proficient researcher here at the Reg.

Speaking of the Reg (and might as well add this shameless self promotion), the business section recently launched a daily (!) blog, The Morning Eye. The editorial section’s Orange Punch blog gets more hits than most stories at the paper (I’ve seen the numbers). And there’s Sam Miller, a South County education reporter, who writes the Back of the Class blog.

OC Art Blog, run by Chris Hoff who runs The Office art space in Huntington Beach. He also has a bunch of links to local artist web sites and blogs.

Grow A Brain, which touts itself as “Original Real Estate Blog.” It has a May 2004 posting on OC blogs (not all the links work). But it’s a huge collection. Guess I’ll stop posting about OC blogs now.

So, maybe you’re checking my blog today because you’ve gotten used to seeing something new every Wednesday. So, for my fourth consecutive weekly round up, here’s what I noticed about gadgets from OC tech companies:

Ortery Technologies Inc. in Irvine makes a high-tech and portable photo studios controlled by your computer. The Photosimile 100 and Photosimile 200 are miniature rooms, more like boxes, that you stick an object d’art inside, your computer adjusts the lighting and settings for the box and your camera (Canon PowerShot A and G series and the Olympus C series only please). No experience required! It must be good because Ortery charges $1,200 and $1,700. That sounds expensive but for some reason, Joseph T. Sinclair, author of “eBay Photography The Smart Way,” is quoted in Ortery’s press release saying, “Photosimile is a cost effective way for eBay retailers to take photos.”

Humax USA, another Irvine company, began discounting its DVD recorders with built-in TiVo service. The Humax DRT400 will record up to 40 hours of TV plus play or burn DVD-R and DVD-RW discs on its progressive scan DVD player. It’s now just $300, after the $100 instant rebate. Offer ends Sept. 5. If you want the best that Humax has to offer, take a look at its T2500, a 300-hour TiVo DVR for $499.

According to gadget blog Engadget, Oakley in Foothill Ranch is working on a new Thump, those $500 MP3 sunglasses that have surprisingly shown up in this blog a lot in recent weeks. Rumor is the Thump 2 will look like Oakley’s Gascan glasses (pictured) and have more memory and redesigned ear buds. Release date is sometime in the last three months of the year.

Yamaha Corp. in Buena Park is pitching podcasters a machine to produce the best sounding podcast (isn’t that defeating the purpose?). The new AW16G and AW4416 digital audio workstations give musicians immediate access to making and mixing music and likewise, podcasters their own podcasts. These are portable mixers with onboard effects. Read the news release for specifics.

In other OC tech news:

* Irvine computer game developer Blizzard Entertainment offers an update on its upcoming BlizzCon convention at its site www.blizzcon.com/news including a pro-gaming tournament with over $25,000 in cash prizes.

*Irvine’s Interchange launched its Local.com™ beta, a new local search engine.

* And, if you really want to see some innovative technology, come back Thursday to see video footage and my coverage of the last week’s CyberFashion show in Los Angeles. Don’t worry. I’ll remind you Thursday. See ya soon.

Another Monday, another column. Don’t forget to check out my latest gadget review on 411-SONG, a service that uses your cell phone to figure what that song is on the radio.

As for what’s happening in the rest of the world, Adobe is buying the folks who brought us Macromedia Flash software, a great tool for creative people with too much time on their hands. Like Dan Fleming of Burst Films. His latest flash-animated game is all over the Web so take a look before it becomes so last week. (If you don’t have Flash software, it’s free, just click here.)

!!Warning: This is not for people who lack a sense of humor!!

In “Kitten Cannon,” you shoot kitty out of a cannon and try to get it as high as possible. Essentially, cute kitty go boom! Don’t worry, the orange tabby in “kitten cannon” has an unlimited number of lives, no matter how many times it gets eaten by a Venus Flytrap or lands on a bunch of pointy metal spikes.

My best score? 1,679 feet, thanks to several springy trampolines and more than a few explosives (when I finally was able to submit, the top score was 8,645!). But I couldn’t submit my score since the world apparently is finding the game and Burst Films’ server is too busy to accept scores. Try to top my high score and send me an e-mail telling me how you did. Maybe I’ll post it here…

Another simple Flash game I just discovered was – in all places – a cosmetics site. Bloom Cosmetics, which has cute cartoon girls, wants you to help Ms. Bloom smack her pet duck. I couldn’t resist.

I’m hoping to turn this “blog” into an outlet for the people of OC. Tell me about the cool gadgets you bump into, clever Web sites you’ve discovered or your own little Flash game that you’ve been tinkering on. I’ll post the best.

I just got the premiere issue of Make magazine and, trust me, gadget freaks will love this do-it-yourself journal. Make is from the folks who bring us useful books like “Google Hacks” and “Windows XP in a nutshell.” And it’s staffed with people in the know, including an actual engineer who designs nanophotonic integrated circuits and Mark Frauenfelder, a cofounder of Boing Boing magazine.

Make isn’t for everyone. But even non-techies would get a kick out of the how-to articles, like how to take aerial photos (a step-by-step guide involves using a camera and a kite). One project I want to try is the build-your-own credit-card reader. Author Billy Hoffman, a computer science major at Georgia Tech, offers this up after running two credit cards through a reader and finding his social security number embedded in the stripe. (Yikes!)

It’s a good-looking magazine and in the style of one of my favorite mags ReadyMade. Make is full of pretty pictures, sketches and quirky articles (the “Heirloom Technology” piece suggests curing heart disease by becoming hunters, who have “no heart disease, diabetes or tooth decay.”) Who couldn’t benefit from knowing things like how to salvage deleted photos from your camera’s memory (the $50 CameraSalvage software from subrosasoft.com is recommended). Or how to make a motor, a tale told in cartoon form a la HowToons.com.

There’s something for everyone and very few ads. I guess that’s why it costs, gulp, $14.95 an issue.

I’m excited. The Register is letting me play with new tech gadgets and tell you what I think about them. My new column, The Gadgetress, debuts today in BusinessMonday.
As part of the launch, I wanted to give you, my reader, a more immediate look at what’s new in the tech world. That’s my job after all. And it’s a chance for you to get to know me better and let me know what you think. I hope to offer a new morsel a few times a week, so check back often.

Tech moments in the Super Bowl commercials
I spent Sunday afternoon watching the commercials and tech was back at this year’s Super Bowl. Apple’s iTunes teamed up with Pepsi to give music away. Napster pitched unlimited downloads for $15 a month (the caveat is you must pay a monthly subscription fee or else all your downloads are useless). Internet name registration site, GoDaddy, pushed the boundaries of decency (literally) with its large-breasted spokesmodel who kept bending down to talk into a microphone to address stodgy members of a TV censorship board.

But the reason I spent the afternoon watching the game was to catch a glimpse at Olympus‘ $10 million campaign to launch its newest product, the m:robe 500.
Not bad. Olympus’ TV commercial debut of the new MP3 player appeared just minutes into the game – before anyone had a chance to get drunk.
Olympus, best known for digital cameras, didn’t want to jump into the music market with the usual player, especially when competition is powerhouse Apple Inc. and its iPod. So, Olympus added a massive 3.7-inch video screen and a camera. (Find out more next week when I review the stylish new gadget in my new Gadgetress column.)
Olympus went all out with two commercial spots in Sunday’s game plus product placement on the catwalk at Fashion Week in New York this week.
Of course, to appeal to a young, hip crowd, the two Super Bowl commercials had the usual young & hip accoutrements: music and dancing. Someone at Olympus really did some heavy-duty searching to find Les Rhythmes Digitale and the Offcuts, two bands that are so obscure, they don’t even appear to have Web sites.

But wait, there’s more to this. Olympus says the crazy, jerky dancing in the commercials is called Poplockin’, made popular by a group called the Electric Boogaloos. That may be true. But type the word into Google and the first few blogs that mention Poplockin’ pre-Super Bowl also link to Poplockin.com, which happens to go straight to the new Olympus site. Very suspicious. Sort of reminds me of Ze Frank, the hilarious geek behind “Dance Properly.”
Just an observation. Discuss among yourselves.