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Ok, for real, after you look at the Trapper Keepers :D, head on over to Rankaroo, where you can share your love for the TK or any other topic you feel passionate about (link will open a new window or tab).

  

PLUS…you could win that MacBook Pro, or an Xbox 360, and a bunch of other great prizes.  Last day to get a valid entry to the contest is August 31, so create your free account on Rankaroo now!

Take a look at the brand new gallery I’ve compiled of Trapper Keepers and Trapper portfolios (folders) from the 1980s and 1990s.  It is permanently linked at the top of the page, or you can see it here.

Here’s a hot story:

The quest to unlock the iPhone from being inextricably tied to AT&T’s network has finally proved to be, um, extricable. (Is that even a word?) While the process is nontrivial, involving opening the iPhone and soldering and stuff, it’s doable in the right hands. You can browse the hardware hacking process starting with “What you need” on George Hotz’s blog (http://iphonejtag.blogspot.com).

The hard part, so it seems to me:

“The red line is covering the A17 trace. In order to trick the chip into thinking the flash is erased in the correct section, you will need to pull this high. Scrape away at the trace with something like a multimeter probe. Then solder a very thin wire to it. Be very careful. Only scrape away at that solder mask above that one trace. YOU DO NOT WANT TO BREAK THE TRACE. This is the hardest step in the whole process; the rest is cake. Also solder a wire to the 1.8v line. Connect to wire coming from the trace and the wire coming from the 1.8v to your unlock switch. Be careful, you only get one chance to do this right. Thanks again to Nick Chernyy for the picture.”

There’s also a fair amount of software-fooling-around-with. I won’t pretend to understand or explain it.

What it comes down to is that a fully unlocked phone should be able to be used on any GSM network. This is a bigger deal outside of the US. It’s not like you can use the iPhone on Verizon or Sprint, for example. Also, if you’re patient enough it’s very likely that you will be able to purchase an unlocked phone, or send yours to someone to do the dirty work, in the near future.

If you’re burning with desire for an unlocked iPhone, and your wallet is burning a hole in your pocket, you can bid for the second unlocked specimen on eBay.  Be forewarned - it’s already over $8k, with 6 more days to go!

Apple’s not gonna like this. Maybe they should hire George?

Hey, here’s your last chance to win a MacBook, a Wii, or an XBox 360, or several other prizes at rankaroo.com. To enter, use this special link to register for a free account. Then follow the link to enter the contest.

What kind of prizes can you win?
First prize | Ultimate Multimedia Pack

• 17″ MacBook Pro (Laptop computer)
• Cyber-shot DSC-T50/B Digital Camera + LCS-THG Custom-fit Leather Carrying Case + MSX-M1GN 1GB High Speed Memory Stick PRO Duo Media
• DCR-SR300 40GB Handycam® Camcorder DCR-SR300 + ACC-FH70 Accessory Value Kit + NP-FH100 InfoLITHIUM® H Series Super Stamina Rechargeable Battery Pack

Second prize | Crazy Gaming Paradise

• Nintendo Wii
• Xbox 360 with 20GB HDD
• 1 Nintendo DS Lite
• Sony PSP Entertainment Pack + Headset + Memory Pro Duo 4.0GB
• 1 Wii game + 1 Xbox 360 game + 1 Nintendo DS game + 1 PSP game

Third prize | Audio/Video Fanatic Experience

• 30GB iPod U2 Special Edition
• Apple TV
• DLO HomeDock Deluxe
• iMuffs MB210 Wireless Headphones (Black)
• DLO TransDock

Consolation prizes (4th through 10th place)

• XBOX 360 with 20GB HDD

Hurry, the contest ends August 31, 2007! Rankaroo is a great way to share web favorites and explore topics in depth. They even have battles! Check it out.

Did you know that FOX News actively petitioned for war with Iraq, back in the day? I didn’t know this. I didn’t even have cable at the time, so the fact that I generally avoid watching that “news” outlet would have been compounded.

According to FOX Attacks, not only were they guilty of war-mongering, not to mention fear-mongering, but now they are clamoring for war with Iran! WTF? (Have I mentioned that I can’t wait until January 2009?)

Would you like some video evidence? I thought you would. Here’s a short video compiled by Robert Greenwald.

This is completely ridiculous. Is FOX News trying to run this country, nay, the world into the ground?

If this information disturbs you, you can join a petition/open letter to the other news outlets requesting them to not follow FOX News’ path, as they did for Iraq.  Over 40,000 have already signed.  Tell MSNBC, CNN, ABC, CBS, and NBC that Americans don’t want what FOX News is serving.

Just what you’ve always pined for… celebrity medical leavings! The star of The Colbert Report fractured his wrist while taping a show several weeks ago. Last night, August 23, 2007, Stephen’s cast was removed by his physician, Dr. Jerald Vizzone (complete with confetti and four dancers in scrubs). Click the cast to see the eBay listing, 290153546119.

100% of the final sale price will support the Yellow Ribbon Fund. The Yellow Ribbon Fund assists injured service members and their families while they recuperate at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the National Naval Medical Center by offering free cab vouchers, hotel rooms, apartments, rental cars, job mentoring, internships and tickets to sporting and cultural events.

The auction ends September 3 at midnight EDT (9pm PDT September 2), so bid early and bid often. Just kidding, with eBay you don’t have to bid often.

You’ll also receive a WristStrong Bracelet, which supports wrist awareness. If you don’t want to bid thousands of dollars for Stephen’s cast, visit ColbertNation.com to purchase a WristStrong bracelet for $5 (plus shipping). Proceeds from the sale of WristStrong bracelets will also benefit the Yellow Ribbon Fund. OR…if you don’t want a bracelet or a used cast, and you’d like to contribute to the fund directly, you can do that too! You don’t have to support the war to support our troops.

I’m experimenting with some different themes and placements, so if this page gets a little erratic you’ll know why. Not that many people are even reading this If you’re out there, leave me a comment!

Just an FYI, I saw Trapper Keepers at Walgreens. My store only had six on display, but the three patterns were in the store, as well as orange, green, and blue. Also, the suggested retail price was $5.99, so that’s probably the price that they are being sold at there.

Shamelessly stolen from the mead.com website, here are 5 more Trapper Keepers, showing the 3 non-solid-color designs. The last one with the drawings is very Napoleon Dynamite-esque. Mead uses this design on one of their student planners.
I have a strong suspicion that Mead’s target demographic for the new Trapper Keeper is NOT current elementary/middle school/junior high school/high school students, but rather those of us in our 30s (and 20s, I guess). Here’s a big hint: if you visit the TK mini-site, the fourth link is “Share Your Story”. The example they give? “When I was in the 5th grade, my Trapper Keeper had hearts with rainbows on the cover. It was the coolest thing ever! I kept everything in it.”

I LOLed at that, since I’m pretty sure my 2nd Trapper Keeper also had hearts and rainbows. My memory’s a little fuzzy. I seem to recall having one with a mountain scene (photograph) on it. I think my brother had one that was maybe plain blue or red - will have to check with him. I wasn’t one of the kids who got a new Trapper Keeper every school year, though. I must have gotten more folders, because I recall a bright purple folder with what looked like fine paint splotches all over it in colors like magenta, yellow, and maybe teal. It was reminiscent of the spiral paint art of the day.

I was SO psyched to find out last month that Mead has brought a reincarnated version of our beloved Trapper Keeper back. I bought mine at Staples. So far, that’s the only store I’ve found that carries them. Also, there is a dearth of information about this new product on the web, so I’ve taken the liberty of compiling some information for your reading pleasure. What would you like to know about the new (improved?) Trapper Keeper?

What’s the same?

• It’s a three-ring binder
• It has a flap closure
• It is sold in a variety of colors
• Prominent Trapper Keeper logo (and distinctive font (i.e. typeface for those of you who are anal retentive))
• Trapper folders are available (plain colors at this time)

What’s different?

• The rings are typical of other binders, not plastic, and snap open and closed, without the slider (but see below*)
• The closure is not Velcro, it’s magnetic
• Only the front has a layer of clear plastic
• The front plastic is an open pocket so you can put whatever design you want on the front of your Trapper Keeper
• No Trapper folders come with the new Trapper Keeper; instead, heavy-duty plastic dividers are included
• There is no clipboard feature in this incarnation of the Trapper Keeper (and no notepad to go with the nonexistent clipboard)
• The inside front and back covers have one pocket each, similar to some other existing binders
• This Trapper Keeper features rubberized grips that are (somewhat?) color-coordinated with the main color

Here’s a list of the colors (main color w/ grip color) I’ve seen, either in person, or indicated on the Mead website:

• light blue w/ blue-grey (I own this one)
• pink w/ blue-grey
• green-grey w/ green-grey
• orange w/ green-grey
• light green w/ green-grey
• grey/green-grey w/ green-grey
• blue w/ grey
• red w/ grey
• 3 patterns (multi-stripes, drawings & scribbles, and stars) w/ blue

Note my grey notations above. On the website the grip colors appear to be blue-grey, grey, and blue. In the store, the grip colors varied even between two otherwise identical Trapper Keepers. Also, the non-blue-grey grips looked pretty greenish to me, sort of like greenish mud, but I can’t be sure if the intended color is supposed to have any green in it.
There are six different Trapper folders at this time. All are solid colors:

• red
• orange
• yellow (geography)
• green (solar system)
• blue
• purple (writing/English)

The folders have three holes, of course, and seems to be pretty typical of the original Trapper folders from our past. Sturdy paperboard with two 3-sided pockets. Each folder has some factoids/reference material about a different subject on the inside, printed in black or white, depending upon the color. The subjects are geography, history, music, our solar system — complete with Pluto as a planet — yikes!, English, and math/geometry. I only have three of the six colors, so I can’t recall which colors go with history, music, or math.
The folders are plentiful in the Staples stores, but the Trapper Keepers themselves are a little more elusive, and it looks like the stores only stocked about 20-30 Trapper Keepers initially. If you are going to look for them in a Staples store, head for one of the large yellow 4-sided cardboard displays. One of the four sides has the Trapper Keepers, and possibly some Zwipes. The other sides might have some Five Star products. The Trapper folders should be clustered with all the other back-to-school folders, probably 2-4 boxes worth. YMMV.

The regular price of the Trapper folders is $0.99, and the Trapper Keeper goes for $7.99, though it was just on sale for $5.99. This is still plenty cheaper than the $20+ Zwipes binder, which might be the closest thing to the old Trapper Keeper before the return of the champ.
Click the image below to see the official Mead Trapper Keeper mini-site. It’s got some pictures and a “3D” rendition (sort of) that you can play with.

*I forget which Mead product it was, but another of their binders HAS THE PLASTIC SLIDER ring system! Ahh, it’s the Five Star Tru-Lock binder.