For a few years now I've been fighting some seriously dry hands, I've got more lotions and cremes than I know what to do with, and some help a little, others more, but I've found one product that does amazing things:

La Source™ Hand Recovery (100 ml) You’ll notice softer skin after just one treatment. Winner of the (HK) Cosmopolitan Beauty Award for Best Hand Care product, this revolutionary hand treatment exfoliates and deeply conditions even the driest hands leaving them unbelievably soft and supple.

[ Crabtree & Evelyn La Source™ Hand Recovery (100 ml) ]

It just takes a minute, doesn't leave your hands greasy, and so far (after one try) has amazing results.

A model wears a design by Jose Miro during the last day of the Pasarela Cibeles fashion show in Madrid Thursday Sept. 23, 2004.

[ Yahoo! News - World Photos - AP ]

I can't imagine why this would do anything for anybody, anywhere.

And for those of us who just hate making phone calls, that's a good thing. Ordering your pizza is easier, faster, and more attractive then ever.

Pizza can be a part of a well-balanced meal. Ingredients in our pizzas include protein, complex carbohydrates, Vitamin A and calcium. And, depending on the toppings you choose, our pizzas have items from all of the four major food groups - meat, dairy products, fruits and vegetables, and grains! So take a closer look within our menu for suggestions when counting calories and fat grams.

[ Pizza Hut Nutrition Information ]

OK, I'll buy that. Anything to help me rationalize my love of pizza.

One word of caution. If you do order, and at the last step your browser shows a dialog about being redirected to an insecure connection, and your data may be transmitted, it appears to me that the redirect happens after the data has been transmitted, and your data isn't sent in the clear. I have notified the website about this confusion, but only after accidentally placing my order 3 times.

I plunked down (via billing at a later date) $200 and I am forking over my original Sidekick, and I didn't even check to see what's improved:

Intellisync: Users can now synchronize their Microsoft Outlook/Exchange Calendar, contacts and to do list with their hiptop2.

Integrated, higher resolution camera: The flash -enabled camera is a great addition to the device.

Photo Caller ID: A fun feature that will allow you to see a photo of who is calling you. This offers new choice in how users integrate the camera application into their experience with the product.

Support for vCards: The new hiptop2 device allows you to send and receive virtual contact cards (vCards). vCards are a great way to easily save and share contact information with friends and colleagues.

SMS enhancements: This popular application will have new features and the ability to save up to 130 SMS messages on the device.

Yahoo! Messenger: The popular Yahoo! Messenger has been added as a choice for instant messaging.

[ Danger ]

All great enhancements. The Yahoo! and SMS will really come in handy. There are a bunch of other hardware improvements, form factor improvements, camera is now usable, battery life is longer, and on and on.

Didn't get the Sidekick, but still want a good deal? Sidekick II is only $200 (new contracts only, after $100 rebate).

It's like I've been saying all along, the fine people of Mansfield know what they speak of:

If you don't enjoy coffee, or if it bothers you, don't drink it. But if you consider coffee to be one of life's pleasures, perhaps you will be interested in some of the latest findings about coffee's health effects, as reported in Harvard's Women's Health Watch. We're talking here about regular coffee, with its full content of caffeine, not decaffeinated coffee.

[ mansfieldnewsjournal.com ]

YES!

Conan O'Brien will take over from Jay Leno as host of the "Tonight" show.

[ Yahoo! News ]

Who's taking over for Conan? I am suspecting Carrot Top.

Hopefully NBC will follow up with an exact date so I can make my big countdown clock to the day I won't have to see Leno on TV anymore.

Oh, and Kudos to you Conan! You deserve it, man! Erin go bragh!

Props to Dari

AT&T's new IM/SMS/Email jobby: Ogo

Seems like a cool idea. For about $100 ($20 set up) and $18 a month you get unlimited IM, SMS, and Email. Here are the caveats:

• No details on what type of access you have to Email
• The website is hideous
• Only 1 IM profile appears to be setup-able
• The website is hideous
• SMS to international numbers is an extra $.25 a pop
• The website is hideous

However it is still a good deal, and no one can call you on it!

Security officials can't quite explain why singer Cat Stevens, now known as Yusuf Islam, was on a U.S. government "no fly" list.

[ MSNBC - Homeland Security's Info: Miles from Nowhere ]

Since when is a casual association with someone reason to suspect them? Yusuf Islam lives his life in the public eye, at least in the UK, and to the best of my knowledge, no credible “intelligence” indicates any “terrorist” leanings by him. The quicker the US apologizes, the quicker we can get back to harassing the real bad guys...

update: Time says it was a spelling mistake. Here's hoping that all of the David Kearnses in the world, regardless of spelling, keep their noses clean.

All of this time I figured that my “killer app” for the PS2 was Kingdom Hearts. I like Kingdom Hearts, don't get me wrong, but I also could have as easily done without it. GameFly has just provided me with the reason why I needed a PS2 but didn't even know it: Sly Cooper and the Thevius Racoonus. Sure it's cheesy; the title is cheesy, the premice is cheesy, and the story is a bit cheesy; but it's pure gold.

GameSpy gives it 4 1/2 stars, IGN an 8.5, and GameSpot a 7.8. The biggest complaint seems to be the shortness of the game, but I will always prefer quality over quantity (and never would have put the “gummi” levels in Kingdom Hearts).

The Sequel is already out but I have enough games to hold me while I wait for it's price to come down. Hopefully Sucker Punch is already working on the 3rd Sly Cooper title, cause I feel a dynasty coming on.

Odd British usage of the word “instructed”:

Ex-singer Yusuf Islam, formerly known as Cat Stevens, says he has instructed lawyers after being refused entry to the US.

[ BBC News | World | UK Edition ]

Clearly Islam doesn't realise that he's not the issue, but the moon shadow that follows him.

A device that attaches to a computer to control access to a particular application. Dongles provide the most effective means of copy protection.

[ Webopedia Computer Dictionary ]

There is hope yet:

...disappointed hockey fans can still watch the puck drop in more than 50 million U.S. and Canadian homes when the defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning face off against the Philadelphia Flyers in the season opener of the video game NHL season on G4techTV. The hard-hitting action begins with highlights, scores and stats, airing daily on the network's sports program “Sweat,” premiering October 13 at 10:00 PM ET/7:00 PM PT.

[ G4tv.com - Press Releases ]

Time to stock up on soft pretzels, peanuts, and alcohol-free beer! I'll just throw a slab of ice down in my living room, and it'll be just like the MCI center!

Google wants to keep you up to date on them:

Google Alerts are emails automatically sent to you when there are new Google results for your search terms.

[ Google Alerts: FAQ ]

Of course, so does Yahoo!, but I think I like the Google system better. (Even if I can't really say why)

Wha?

A London-to-Washington flight was diverted to Maine on Tuesday when it was discovered passenger Yusuf Islam - formerly known as singer Cat Stevens - was on a government watch list and barred from entering the country, two federal officials said.

[ Guardian Unlimited | World Latest  ]

Apparently we don't mind looking like the stupidest country in the world. And, apparently, we have no one doing any PR work, who would certainly point out that this confirms that the US isn't fighting terrorism, but fighting Islam. I'd like to see W step in and reverse this immediately, or I might have to do the unthinkable.

My copy of Lonely Planet World Food Morocco has arrived and it looks every bit as good as Lonely Planet World Food: Indonesia which I picked up previous to my trip to Indonesia. Next up I think I'll get Mexico even though I have no current plans for a trip there.

The kitchens of Morocco combine European infusion, Arab trade and age-old custom. These elements form a cuisine that reflects a vibrant and lively culture. The essence of Moroccan food - from spiced couscous to sweet mint tea - is captured and celebrated in this comprehensive guide. Whether you are travelling the country or expanding your own pantry, Morocco's true culinary spirit is here for the tasting.

[ Lonely Planet World Food Morocco ]

Survival horror hits the high school – the first action adventure in the style of American teen slasher movies. Tortured screams echo through the high school’s deserted corridors. Faceless creatures lurk in the shadows. Five teenagers set out to bring light into the darkness – and experience a night that will scar their souls forever.

[ Ubisoft - Obscure ]

I hadn't caught wind of this earlier. It seems as if more and more publishers are getting into the horror genre. This one looks good, but a planned horror title from Namco looks rather boring.

Here's the original Japanese:

「東京ゲームショウ２００４」開催初日の９月２４日（金）の９時３０分より、開会式を行います。ご取材のほどよろしくお願い申し上げます。

[ Tokyo Game Show ]

Nintendo, and Sony to some degree, always try to save a few surprise announcements for the TGS. Unfortunately the press is almost all in Japanese, and my Japanese is non-existent. (Though, on my recent trip, I learned my first Kanji: 茶)

So far the fun new totally confirmed announcements seem to be:

• Nintendo DS to arrive November 21st for $149
• PStwo is coming, smaller and more network enabled than it's big brother.